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Nov 19, 2019

First detection of sugars in meteorites gives clues to origin of life

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, space

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/goddard/2019/sugars-in-meteorites

An international team has found sugars essential to life in meteorites. The new discovery adds to the growing list of biologically important compounds that have been found in meteorites, supporting the hypothesis that chemical reactions in asteroids—the parent bodies of many meteorites—can make some of life’s ingredients. If correct, meteorite bombardment on ancient Earth may have assisted the origin of life with a supply of life’s .

The team discovered ribose and other bio-essential sugars including arabinose and xylose in two different meteorites that are rich in carbon, NWA 801 (type CR2) and Murchison (type cm2). Ribose is a crucial component of RNA (). In much of modern life, RNA serves as a messenger molecule, copying genetic instructions from the DNA molecule (deoxyribonucleic acid) and delivering them to molecular factories within the cell called ribosomes that read the RNA to build specific proteins needed to carry out life processes.

Nov 19, 2019

New Data From First Human Crispr Trials Shows Promising Results

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

The clinical trials show that two patients have potentially been cured of their genetic illnesses.

Nov 19, 2019

Peak phosphorus

Posted by in categories: futurism, materials

Peak phosphorus is a concept to describe the point in time when humanity reaches the maximum global production rate of phosphorus as an industrial and commercial raw material. The term is used in an equivalent way to the better-known term peak oil.[2] The issue was raised as a debate on whether a “peak phosphorus” was imminent or not around 2010, but was largely dismissed after USGS and other organizations increased the world estimates on available phosphorus resources.[3]

Phosphorus is a finite (limited) resource that is widespread in the Earth’s crust and in living organisms but is relatively scarce in concentrated forms, which are not evenly distributed across the Earth. The only cost-effective production method to date is the mining of phosphate rock, but only a few countries have significant reserves of it. The top four are Morocco, China, Algeria and Syria. Estimates for future production vary significantly depending on modelling and assumptions on extractable volumes, but it is inescapable that future production of phosphate rock will be heavily influenced by Morocco in the foreseeable future.[4]

Means of commercial phosphorus production besides mining are few because the phosphorus cycle does not include significant gas-phase transport.[5] The predominant source of phosphorus in modern times is phosphate rock (as opposed to the guano that preceded it). According to some researchers, Earth’s commercial and affordable phosphorus reserves are expected to be depleted in 50–100 years and peak phosphorus to be reached in approximately 2030.[2][6] Others suggest that supplies will last for several hundreds of years.[7] As with the timing of peak oil, the question is not settled, and researchers in different fields regularly publish different estimates of the rock phosphate reserves.[8].

Nov 19, 2019

Brent Nally interviews Dr. Michael Fossel about Telocyte and telomerase gene therapy on 11/16/2019

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, ethics, finance, life extension, media & arts, neuroscience, transhumanism

Haven’t heard from Fossel in awhile. This is long but well indexed in the notes.


My mission is to drastically improve your life by helping you break bad habits, build and keep new healthy habits to make you the best version of yourself.

Continue reading “Brent Nally interviews Dr. Michael Fossel about Telocyte and telomerase gene therapy on 11/16/2019” »

Nov 19, 2019

Researchers Describe Prospects Of Hibernation For Space Exploration

Posted by in category: space travel

ESA scientists optimized a hibernation mission to Mars.

Nov 19, 2019

Hologram Within a Hologram Hints at Fate of Black Holes

Posted by in categories: cosmology, holograms, physics

Calculations involving a higher dimension are guiding physicists toward a misstep in Stephen Hawking’s legendary black hole analysis.

Nov 19, 2019

The Anti-Solar Panel — A Device That Generates Electricity From Darkness

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability

There are different kinds of solar panels. The one most typically used is a type that generates electricity from the sun through a physical process called the photo-voltaic (PV) effect – when light exposure on certain materials generates an electric current. Another type generates electricity from heat through thermal processes – when the sun is hotter and Earth is cooler, and the difference in temperature can be converted into usable energy.

That second kind of solar panel is the one that inspired a team of researchers at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California to develop a new system that can harness energy in darkness. It’s based on the concept of using heat to generate energy but an inverse version of the solar panel. While the solar panel uses the heat difference between the sun and Earth with the Earth being the cooler side – their system makes use of the heat difference between the coolness of the night atmosphere and the Earth with the Earth being the hotter side. The study has been published in the scientific journal Joule.

Study author Shanhui Fan, Stanford electrical engineering professor, told Gizmodo:

Nov 19, 2019

Hydrogen Truck Maker Nikola Claims It Has Breakthrough Battery Tech—And Doesn’t Care If You’re Skeptical

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Nikola Motor, the Phoenix-based startup that wants to disrupt trucking with futuristic electric semis powered by hydrogen, says it has developed a new type of battery cell with double the energy density, only 40% of the weight and half the cost of current lithium-ion batteries used in Teslas and other consumer-market electric vehicles.

But it’s not providing many details for now, and public demonstrations won’t happen for about 10 months.

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Nov 19, 2019

This Blood Scan Reveals Every Virus That’s Ever Infected You

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Healththis blood scan reveals every virus that’s ever infected youlike…

Nov 19, 2019

The New Normal Is Digital Cities — Not Smart Cities

Posted by in category: space

New “space as a service” initiatives are evolving. As a result of WeWork pulling its IPO, I expect you will see renegotiated leases and direct competition across the globe, with a $3 billion fund to start. Real estate development is moving in two directions — technology and experience — but firms need to figure out what that means for them, and how to spend their money.

Delete Technology, Add Humans

Many smart city projects have not met their goals. IoT may make some efficiency gains, but it doesn’t automatically improve quality of life or reduce complexity. City planners and real estate developers need to take a longer view and understand that ROI is directly tied to the GDP of the area.