February 2023 – Lifeboat News: The Blog https://lifeboat.com/blog Safeguarding Humanity Wed, 01 Mar 2023 05:25:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 Covid: FBI chief Christopher Wray says China lab leak ‘most likely’ https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/covid-fbi-chief-christopher-wray-says-china-lab-leak-most-likely Wed, 01 Mar 2023 05:25:48 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/covid-fbi-chief-christopher-wray-says-china-lab-leak-most-likely

Christopher Wray says the FBI has “for quite some time” settled on a potential lab incident in Wuhan.

]]>
HIV reservoirs found to be established earlier than expected https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/hiv-reservoirs-found-to-be-established-earlier-than-expected Wed, 01 Mar 2023 05:25:38 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/hiv-reservoirs-found-to-be-established-earlier-than-expected

For the first time in humans, a research team has shown that, as early as the first days of infection, HIV is able to create reservoirs where it will hide and persist during antiretroviral therapy.

Until now, the scientific community did not know exactly when or how these viral reservoirs—the existence of which is a major obstacle to curing HIV—are established in human beings.

In a study published in the journal Immunity, scientists led by Nicolas Chomont, a researcher at the CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM) and professor at Université de Montréal, found that a small fraction of the integrates into the genome of CD4+ T cells in the very first weeks of (the acute phase), but does not replicate there. It therefore escapes the notice of the fastest diagnostic tool to date, which detects active viral replication.

]]>
Study of rare cancer identifies patients at highest risk of metastasis and those who would respond to immunotherapy https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/study-of-rare-cancer-identifies-patients-at-highest-risk-of-metastasis-and-those-who-would-respond-to-immunotherapy Wed, 01 Mar 2023 05:25:30 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/study-of-rare-cancer-identifies-patients-at-highest-risk-of-metastasis-and-those-who-would-respond-to-immunotherapy

Pheochromocytoma is a rare tumor, with an incidence of three to eight cases per million population per year. The work published today, Feb 28, on Rare Disease Day 2023, in Nature Communications, is the largest study on this cancers’ molecular causes and focuses on patients with metastatic pheochromocytomas, which account for 20% of all cases. Survival of patients with metastatic pheochromocytoma is 20–60% at five years.

Mercedes Robledo, head of the Hereditary Endocrine Cancer Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) and one of the two researchers who led the study, has been studying these tumors since 1996. He says, “One of the difficulties of working with is to recruit large series of patients to reach robust conclusions. And this study stands out because the number of samples we worked with was outstanding.” The CNIO belongs to the Spanish network of Rare Diseases (CIBERER).

CNIO researcher and co-author Bruna Calsina explains, “The number of patients with that our study gathers corresponds to a population of 100 million people.” This has been possible thanks to the collaboration between 16 centers from six countries around the world, with which the CNIO has been collaborating for the last decade.

]]>
Intel releases software platform for quantum computing developers https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/intel-releases-software-platform-for-quantum-computing-developers Wed, 01 Mar 2023 05:25:03 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/intel-releases-software-platform-for-quantum-computing-developers

OAKLAND, Calif. Feb 28 (Reuters) — Intel Corp (INTC.O) on Tuesday released a software platform for developers to build quantum algorithms that can eventually run on a quantum computer that the chip giant is trying to build.

The platform, called Intel Quantum SDK, would for now allow those algorithms to run on a simulated quantum computing system, said Anne Matsuura, Intel Labs’ head of quantum applications and architecture.

Quantum computing is based on quantum physics and in theory can perform calculations quicker than conventional computers.

]]>
Robotaxis, cheap EVs, and a new master plan for the future: what to expect at Tesla’s Investor Day https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/robotaxis-cheap-evs-and-a-new-master-plan-for-the-future-what-to-expect-at-teslas-investor-day Wed, 01 Mar 2023 05:24:40 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/robotaxis-cheap-evs-and-a-new-master-plan-for-the-future-what-to-expect-at-teslas-investor-day

Elon Musk’s third master plan will get revealed.

]]>
Mature “Lab Grown” Neurons Hold Promise for Neurodegenerative Diseases Like Alzheimer’s https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/mature-lab-grown-neurons-hold-promise-for-neurodegenerative-diseases-like-alzheimers Wed, 01 Mar 2023 05:23:47 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/mature-lab-grown-neurons-hold-promise-for-neurodegenerative-diseases-like-alzheimers

A team of researchers led by Northwestern University has achieved a breakthrough by producing the most mature neurons to date from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). This advancement opens up new avenues for medical research and the possibility of transplantation therapies for conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic injuries.

Previous efforts to turn stem cells into neurons have resulted in functionally immature neurons that resemble those from the early stages of development. The limited maturation achieved through current stem cell culture methods restricts their potential for studying neurodegeneration.

The study was recently published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

]]>
Scientists have detected a mysterious ‘heartbeat’ coming from our sun https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/scientists-have-detected-a-mysterious-heartbeat-coming-from-our-sun Wed, 01 Mar 2023 05:23:36 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/scientists-have-detected-a-mysterious-heartbeat-coming-from-our-sun

Space just gets weirder and weirder as now scientists have detected a mysterious ‘heartbeat’ from the sun at the centre of our solar system. Yes that’s right — the sun is emitting a signal that sounds eerily like a heartbeat. The sun is emitting a ‘heartbeat’ every ten to twenty seconds.

]]>
Innovative 3D Telemedicine to Help Keep Astronauts Healthy https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/innovative-3d-telemedicine-to-help-keep-astronauts-healthy Wed, 01 Mar 2023 05:22:28 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/innovative-3d-telemedicine-to-help-keep-astronauts-healthy

During almost two-years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth of telemedicine and new ways of reaching people has changed and developed. In October 2021, NASA flight surgeon Dr. Josef Schmid, industry partner AEXA Aerospace CEO Fernando De La Pena Llaca, and their teams were the first humans “holoported” from Earth into space.

Using the Microsoft Hololens Kinect camera and a personal computer with custom software from Aexa, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet had a two-way conversation with live images of Schmid and De La Pena placed in the middle of the International Space Station. This was the first holoportation handshake from Earth in space.


Holoportation is a type of capture technology that allows high-quality 3D models of people to be reconstructed, compressed and transmitted live anywhere in real time.

]]>
Talend Data Fabric adds data observability features, connector updates https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/talend-data-fabric-adds-data-observability-features-connector-updates Wed, 01 Mar 2023 03:23:52 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/talend-data-fabric-adds-data-observability-features-connector-updates

Check out all the on-demand sessions from the Intelligent Security Summit here.

Data management and integration veteran Talend today debuted the winter ‘23 release of its core platform, providing enhanced observability, automation and connectivity for enterprises’ data assets. The update comes over a month after the company announced it is being acquired by Qlik in a transaction set to close in the first half of 2023.

Talend started in 2004 as a data integrator, but gradually expanded to offer Talend Data Fabric, a unified solution that works across any cloud, hybrid or multicloud environment. The solution combines enterprise-grade data discovery, integration, quality (automatic cleaning and profiling) and governance capabilities. It’s is intended to reduce the effort involved in working with data, while providing teams with clean and uncompromised information for decision-making.

]]>
After losing billions of dollars on the metaverse, Mark Zuckerberg’s launching a ‘top-level’ team at Meta to develop AI products for WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/after-losing-billions-of-dollars-on-the-metaverse-mark-zuckerbergs-launching-a-top-level-team-at-meta-to-develop-ai-products-for-whatsapp-messenger-and-instagram Wed, 01 Mar 2023 01:23:29 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2023/02/after-losing-billions-of-dollars-on-the-metaverse-mark-zuckerbergs-launching-a-top-level-team-at-meta-to-develop-ai-products-for-whatsapp-messenger-and-instagram

Looks like Meta is also getting into the AI action.


The tech giant will be creating a new “top-level product group” focused on generative AI — AI that can create content — to focus on “building delightful experiences around this technology into all of our different products,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post on Monday.

“Over the longer term, we’ll focus on developing AI personas that can help people in a variety of ways,” he said, adding Meta is exploring AI experiences with text in WhatsApp and Messenger, and with images in Instagram.

Zuckerberg didn’t specify in the post what top-level meant.

]]>