Lifeboat Foundation

Spider silk is one of the strongest materials on Earth, technically stronger than steel for a material of its size. However, it’s tough to obtain—spiders are too territorial (and cannibalistic) to breed them like silkworms, leading scientists to turn to artificial options.

Teaching microbes to produce the spider silk proteins through genetic engineering is one such option, but this has proved challenging because the proteins tend to stick together, reducing the silk’s yield. So, Bingbing Gao and colleagues wanted to modify the natural protein sequence to design an easily spinnable, yet still stable, spider silk using microbes.

The team first used these microbes to produce the silk proteins, adding extra peptides as well. The new peptides, following a pattern found in the protein sequence of amyloid polypeptides, helped the artificial silk proteins form an orderly structure when folded and prevented them from sticking together in solution, increasing their yield.

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CRISPR, the gene-editing technology, has been one of the major breakthroughs in biology in the last two decades. And while students learn about the capability to cut, paste, and alter genes, it’s rare that they get the chance to understand the technology by using it themselves.

Deep inside what we perceive as solid matter, the landscape is anything but stationary. The interior of the building blocks of the atom’s nucleus—particles called hadrons that a high school student would recognize as protons and neutrons—are made up of a seething mixture of interacting quarks and gluons, known collectively as partons.

Mathematician Bernhard Riemann was born #OTD in 1826.

Bernhard Riemann was another mathematical giant hailing from northern Germany. Poor, shy, sickly and devoutly religious, the young Riemann constantly amazed his teachers and exhibited exceptional mathematical skills (such as fantastic mental calculation abilities) from an early age, but suffered from timidity and a fear of speaking in public. He was, however, given free rein of the school library by an astute teacher, where he devoured mathematical texts by Legendre and others, and gradually groomed himself into an excellent mathematician. He also continued to study the Bible intensively, and at one point even tried to prove mathematically the correctness of the Book of Genesis.

Although he started studying philology and theology in order to become a priest and help with his family’s finances, Riemann’s father eventually managed to gather enough money to send him to study mathematics at the renowned University of Göttingen in 1846, where he first met, and attended the lectures of, Carl Friedrich Gauss. Indeed, he was one of the very few who benefited from the support and patronage of Gauss, and he gradually worked his way up the University’s hierarchy to become a professor and, eventually, head of the mathematics department at Göttingen.

Why do we study Mars? What missions have been there? How do we plan to explore this intriguing world in the future? Quench your curiosity with this educational infographic on the Red Planet!

For thousands of years, Mars aka the Red Planet, has fascinated skywatchers from countless civilizations and cultures, leading some to speculate that it was a lush world full of life. However, the exploration of Mars has proven to be quite the contrast, instead exhibiting a dry and inhabitable world utterly devoid of life. Despite this, scientists and engineers from around the world have learned quite a bit from our planetary neighbor with the countless robotic explorers sent there, including flybys, orbiters, landers, and rovers.

Through this, we have gained incredible insight into the ancient history of Mars and whether life might have existed there long ago. In the future, as humanity looks to return the first samples from Mars and land humans on the Red Planet’s surface, we will continue to learn more about this fascinating world and whether it could have, or currently, hosts life as we know it.

Continue reading “Mars Exploration: Past, Present, and Future” »

Have you ever wondered if our universe is more mysterious than we could ever imagine? Some scientists believe that we might be living inside a black hole! This mind-bending idea challenges everything we know about space, time, and the very fabric of reality. Join us as we dive deep into the groundbreaking theories and explore the evidence suggesting that our universe could be the interior of a massive black hole. Learn about the fascinating connection between black holes and the Big Bang, the nature of singularities, and the surprising ways in which physics supports this extraordinary concept. Could the secret to understanding our universe lie within these cosmic giants? Watch now to find out!

Integrating diverse data sources with different formats and standards also presents considerable challenges. Promoting open-source platforms and standardizing data formats are critical for facilitating data exchange within the space industry.

Robbie Robertson, CEO of Sedaro, identifies the main barrier to integrating digital twin technology as a cultural shift rather than technical feasibility. “The most substantial limitation is the change involved in adopting this new approach,” he explains. Overcoming the inertia of legacy tools to build a future-proof system is crucial. Additionally, addressing the shortage of skilled professionals is vital. Collaborations with institutions like MIT’s Aeronautics and Astronautics Department and robust educational initiatives are essential to developing the next generation of engineers and scientists equipped to manage digital twins.

Continue reading “The Transformative Power Of Digital Twin Technology In Space Exploration” »

Researchers have developed a new smartphone-based digital holographic microscope that enables precision 3D measurements. The highly portable and inexpensive microscope could help bring 3D measurement capabilities to a broader range of applications, including educational uses and point-of-care diagnostics in resource-limited settings.