Mollusk Blood Could Cure Cancer

Researchers have recently found that an unusually large protein in the limpet’s hemolymph can invoke a strong immune response in humans. Substances similar to KLH, the protien in question, have been made. However, they carry unpleasant side effects. KLH on the other hand is non-toxic. If one were to put markers for a certain cancer on this protein, the body may grow immune to that specific protein, and therefore grow immune to that cancer. There are other applications with this as well. One can put chemicals found in drugs on this protein and create a treatment for drug users. Right now, the protien is too big and complicated to synthesize. So the only way to get is from the animal itself. This unfortunately kills the animal in the extraction process. Hopefully, there will be a new extraction process or a new way to synthesize proteins of this caliber in the future.

Carbon Nanotubes to the Rescue!

Carbon nanotubes are a relatively new development in the field of nanotechnology. These amazing little cylinders open up a new world of material science and electronics! Here are some of the various uses for this technology could open up to us!

Smaller, faster electronics

We all know that electronics and their components are getting smaller. On top of that we require them to be faster and more efficient as well. Right now, copper and other metals can carry a decent amount of energy to get the job done. However, they can only transfer so much. Carbon nanotubes are capable of transferring up to 1000 times more current at a much faster rate than traditional metal components. Carbon nanotubes can also be produced much more cheaply. This will greatly benefit the electronics industry.

Stronger, more resilient materials

Carbon is a very abundant element on Earth. Much more abundant than iron or titanium. However, its not the strongest or most durable of materials. Or so we thought. The nanostructure of carbon nanotubes allow a thread of them to be much stronger and more flexible than even the strongest of metallic alloys. This will allow better bullet proof materials for law enforcement and military. This will also lead to more durable products.

Space elevator!

Yep, you read right! A space elevator can be made because of carbon nanotubes! The basic premise of a space elevator is to make an elevator to a space station that is synchronized with the rotation of the Earth. The problem is, as addressed in the last point, metal cables aren’t an option due to them being not very flexible. A cable constructed of carbon nanotubes, however, could stand the strains and tension associated with being several thousand feet long and pulled taut.

 

 

Quantum Entangled Diamonds

Quantum entanglment was described by Einstien as “spooky action at a distance.” This means that when two particles are entangled, what ever happens to one particle, happens to the other instantaneously. Scientists have only been able to entangle small particles because it gets more difficult as you try to entangle larger objects. Recently, physicists at Oxford University entangled two macro-scale objects: two diamonds. They were able to accomplish this by exposing them super short, super fast pulses of light.  This synchronized the vibration of the atoms in both diamonds. The process gets very complicated from here. You can check out a more detailed description at popsci.

This development can help with quantum computers and many other quantum processes. I’m thinking using this as a communication means across vast regions of space. You can alter the states of the atoms in a diamond that will be detected by a computer and translated to code. Since this happens instantly, this would be a better option of communicating with future ships than light.

True 3D Holograms

Yes, this isn’t a hologram that’s trapped in a glass container like the ones revealed so far. This one works without the constraint of a screen and can work in mid air and in water. So far it can display images and moving images at 12 – 15 fps. It works by exciting the oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the air with a laser, causing them to emit light. Here’s actual video showing the water version (green lasers) and then the aerial version.

Neutrinos Break Laws of Physics

 

As you may have heard, some researchers CERN have observed something quite strange: Neutrinos going faster than the speed of light. That’s right, FASTER. Its a well known law of physics that when an object is approaching the speed of light, its mass is approaching infinity (yay for limits!). That is why nothing moves faster than 299,792,458 meters per second. Well, the researchers were doing some routine experiments with neutrinos. They knew that neutrinos were going to travel at the speed of light. They calculated exactly when the neutrinos would get to the detector all the way in Italy. However, the lab where the detector is located reported that the neutrinos arrived a few billionths of a second earlier than expected. Though this was a small fraction of a second, its still faster than light. The researchers are now sending the experiment out to the physicists of the world to be retested and repeated. They are not quite sure whether this discovery is legitimate or not. It could be a flaw in the machinery. I actually hope that the neutrinos are going faster than the speed of light. That may mean that a new branch of physics may open up!

Dino Feathers Found in Amber

Jurassic Park a possibility now?

A treasure trove was just found in Canada. Not a trove of gold and diamonds, but of dinosaur feathers and petrified tree sap. The feathers were dated back to about 70 to 85 million years ago. This further shows the correlation between dinosaurs and birds. I think that at least a little DNA could be extracted from feathers preserved in amber. Unlike the Jurassic park way, where there is blood in a mosquito and its extracted, the DNA isn’t broken down by the digestive juices of an insect. The DNA is most likely not enough to clone a baby T-Rex but probably enough to get a gene or two.

Glowing Cats Resistant To HIV

courtesy of O-chir, Deviant Art

Researchers have genetically engineered cats to be resistant to the feline form of HIV. These cats were modified while they were still fertilised eggs. The gene used originated from the rhesus monkey because it allows the species to be naturally immune to their version of HIV.  The researchers put a marker called GFP with the gene. GFP is a gene that codes for a protien that makes jellyfish glow naturally. If the gene for the marker is expressed, then the rhesus monkey gene is expressed as well. Almost all the kittens born glowed, meaning that the monkey gene is expressed in them. The researchers hope to expose them to non lethal levels of FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) to test if they get sick or not.

Quantum CPU Created

A quantum version of a CPU has been successfully created

Scientists in California claim to have successfully created a quantum version of the traditional Von Neumann technology. That means they have created a quantum CPU with quantum RAM. Quantum CPU’s compute using quibits, which can be in three positions: 1, 0, and 1 and 0. That way quantum computers can process information much faster than conventional computers. However, it is difficult to accomplish this. They had to chill the quCPU to near absolute zero to perform several calculations. So we can’t expect these computers in your room any time soon. However, like the computers of old that filled an entire room, quantum computers will hopefully become readily accessible in the next century.

 

New Potentially Habitable Planet Found

 

I usually get a little interested when astronomers find a new potentially habitable exoplanet. However, they quickly loose my interest and I turn my attention to the next discovery. This was the case with Gliese  However, I’m particularly excited about this exoplanet. HD85512b is a rocky planet about three times larger than Earth. It is the right distance from its host star, an orange dwarf in the constellation Vela. This system is actually just 31 light years away. A relatively short distance in terms of space travel. It has been in existence long enough for life to develop, over a billion years older than our solar system. And it will be there and habitable for another 10 to 25 billion years. The orbit of this planet is extremely stable, almost a perfect circle!

This is the second confirmed planet that is probably habitable. I’m very intrigued by this planet due to how perfect the conditions are for life there compared to other exoplanets. As a matter of fact, I think that life evolving on HD85512b is most likely inevitable. There is, has been, or there will be life on that planet. There is some information missing. The astronomers who found this planet found that its the perfect size to support a nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere like our own. I really hope that an efficient means of space travel has will be developed so humans can explore this planet!

 

Diamond Planet Discovered

The recently discovered planet is made of diamond crystals

Astronomers from Swinburne University have discovered a planet made of diamonds in our galaxy. The diamond is about 60,000 km in diameter and is 600,000 miles away from its home star, a pulsar named PSR J1719-1438. The star is about 20 km in diameter. A very small star, however it has massive amounts of matter. The planet, too, has more matter than Jupiter. This system is about 4,000 light years away. Don’t plan on going to this planet anytime soon unless you can survive the massive amounts of radiation PSR J1719-1438 puts out. Another interesting fact about this bizarre planet is that its year is only two hours long. This is a great find by these Australian scientists.