Lifeboat Foundation

America’s Department of Defense (DOD) “coordinates the operational functions of the United States’ nuclear forces with a 1970s computer system that uses 8-inch floppy disks” says a report by the United States Government Accountability Office.

On January 13, US President Barack Obama, speaking at the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC), addressed the issue of cybersecurity, one day after the official Twitter account for the US Central Command (Centcom) was hacked by supporters of the Islamic State.

Nice.

Staying cool and saving lives.

Researchers recently made an important discovery in protein science that will advance our understanding of the inner workings of cells. In an article published in Scientific Reports, the team said they found a critical evolutionary link between a protein’s structure and its function.

Like tiny molecular machines, proteins handle a variety of functions from transporting chemicals to breaking food down into nutrients. The vast range of protein function is possible because of their unique gene-encoded sequence of amino acids, which affects the three-dimensional shape that folded protein chains adopt.

To better understand them, researchers have sequenced and resolved a huge number of protein structures. Currently, the Protein Data Bank includes 110,000+ structures—far more than the number with known functions. Powerful bioinformatics tools assist in making correlations between the shape and purpose of a protein, but what’s been missing is a direct structure-function link, tantamount to a Rosetta stone-like key.

Continue reading “Scientists Unearth Key Evolutionary Link in Proteins” »

Interesting read on Chemo’s impact on the brain and brain functioning known as Chemo Brain.

During and after chemotherapy, many cancer patients describe feeling a mental fog, a condition that has been dubbed “chemo brain.” Why this happens is unclear, but researchers have found a new clue to understanding this syndrome. A study in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience reports that chemotherapy in rats affects their chemical messengers dopamine and serotonin, which are associated with cognition.

Purely tragic. Hopefully, doctors without borders or experts can assist this child.

A baby boy’s head has swollen to more than three times its normal size due to a medical condition.

Continue reading “Bangladesh baby’s skull is the size of a football because of excess fluid” »

Nice.

Emma Yasinski is a scientific writer at Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. Correspondence should be directed to Ryohei Yasuda, Ph.D. ([email protected]), scientific director, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience.

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Continue reading “CRISPR Crossing New Barriers” »

Not surprised;

A long line of research links poverty and depression. Now, a study by Duke University scientists shows how biology might underlie the depression experienced by high-risk adolescents whose families are socio-economically disadvantaged.

The study, published May 24, 2016 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, combined genetics, brain imaging and behavioral data gathered as adolescents were followed for more than three years as part of a larger study.

Continue reading “Poverty marks a gene, predicting depression” »

Why the bot evolution must be human-led.

By Rob LoCascio.

Continue reading “4 Things to Consider Before Turning Over your Business to Bots” »

Australian solar technicians with the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium have announced that they will soon put a new printable solar cell technology on the market.