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Jan 11, 2021

NIST publishes a beginner’s guide to DNA origami

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, nanotechnology

In a technique known as DNA origami, researchers fold long strands of DNA over and over again to construct a variety of tiny 3D structures, including miniature biosensors and drug-delivery containers. Pioneered at the California Institute of Technology in 2006, DNA origami has attracted hundreds of new researchers over the past decade, eager to build receptacles and sensors that could detect and treat disease in the human body, assess the environmental impact of pollutants, and assist in a host of other biological applications.

Although the principles of DNA are straightforward, the technique’s tools and methods for designing new structures are not always easy to grasp and have not been well documented. In addition, scientists new to the method have had no single reference they could turn to for the most efficient way of building DNA structures and how to avoid pitfalls that could waste months or even years of research.

That’s why Jacob Majikes and Alex Liddle, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) who have studied DNA origami for years, have compiled the first detailed tutorial on the technique. Their comprehensive report provides a step-by-step guide to designing DNA origami nanostructures, using state-of-the-art tools. Majikes and Liddle described their work in the Jan .8 issue of the Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Jan 11, 2021

Wi-Fi’s biggest upgrade in decades is starting to arrive

Posted by in categories: computing, mobile phones, virtual reality

Wi-Fi 6E devices are now being certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance. Smartphones, PCs, and laptops are expected in the first quarter of 2021, while TVs and VR devices should follow in the second quarter of 2021.

Jan 11, 2021

NASA’s Curiosity rover: 3,000 days on Mars

Posted by in category: space

Three thousand days and counting: NASA’s Curiosity rover continues its extraordinary exploration of Mars.

Jan 11, 2021

Apple and Hyundai are reportedly planning to team up and build a ‘beta’ version of an electric car by 2022

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, sustainability, transportation

Hyundai and Apple teaming up to challenge Tesla? 😃


Apple and Hyundai plan to sign a deal that would lead to a “beta” version of an Apple electric vehicle as early as 2022, according to a Sunday report from Reuters.

Reuters cited a report from Korea IT News that said the companies are planning to sign a deal by March 2021 to partner on the self-driving electric cars, according to a Sunday report from Korea IT News.

Continue reading “Apple and Hyundai are reportedly planning to team up and build a ‘beta’ version of an electric car by 2022” »

Jan 11, 2021

NASA will soon fire up the most powerful rocket ever built

Posted by in category: space

This liquid fuel engine is a beast.


NASA plans to ignite an absolutely mammoth rocket on Jan. 17, the largest it’s built since the Apollo program.

Jan 11, 2021

China to begin construction of space station this year

Posted by in category: satellites

Like.


The core section of China’s space station is scheduled to launch in the next several months, the first of 11 missions carrying lab elements, cargo, and astronauts to the fledgling outpost over the next two years, according to Chinese space program officials.

The launch of the first element of the Chinese station is one of more than 40 missions scheduled this year by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., or CASC, China’s largest state-owned aerospace contractor.

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Jan 10, 2021

Scientists Discover a New Type of Chemical Bond, And It’s Surprisingly Strong

Posted by in categories: chemistry, particle physics

Scientists have recently discovered a totally new type of chemical bond – and it’s way stronger than it has any right to be.

The new type of bond shows that the divide between powerful covalent bonds, which bind molecules together, and weak hydrogen bonds, which form between molecules and can be broken by something as simple as stirring salt into a glass of water, isn’t as clear as chemistry textbooks would suggest.

Think back to that high-school chemistry class, and you’ll remember that there are different types of bonds that link atoms together into molecules and crystal structures.

Jan 10, 2021

Gene Therapies and the Promise of the Fountain of Youth

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, life extension

Gene therapies are opening up possibilities that were once reserved for science fiction.

At Harvard University, Professor of Genetics David Sinclair says he believes it’s possible to unlock the fountain of youth, and gene therapy is the key.

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Jan 10, 2021

Atoms of Space and Time

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

Circa 2006


We perceive space and time to be continuous, but if the amazing theory of loop quantum gravity is correct, they actually come in discrete pieces.

Jan 10, 2021

2 Ohio men say they encountered Bigfoot-like creature at Salt Fork State Park

Posted by in category: futurism

It was just a leisurely walk in the woods — one they’ve done many times — but this time was different. This time, they spotted something that they say they’ll never forget.

It was Jan. 12 when two Ohio men found themselves staring at what they say resembled Bigfoot or Sasquatch in Salt Fork State Park.

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