Lifeboat Foundation

CRISPR/Cas9 has been touted as an almost magical technology in the news—and rightly so. The technique allows scientists to alter the DNA of living cells and, it’s hoped, achieve a longstanding goal of science to treat disease at the genetic level.

That’s a really big deal.

Continue reading “CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing Is a Huge Deal, But It’s Just the Tip of the Iceberg” »

Doctors rewired Johnny Matheny’s nerves to work directly with his new prosthetic arm, which works exactly like a real arm.

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A transplantation procedure to treat multiple sclerosis using a patient’s own stem cells has shown impressive results

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex autoimmune disorder in which myelin, the protective sheath around nerve fibres, begins to get degraded. Progressive inflammation and scarring results in permanent nerve damage which can eventually lead to severe disability. While there has been progress in controlling the disease, no cure currently exists.

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Leaders at Davos are bracing for huge technology shocks.

Implantable mobile phones. 3D-printed organs for transplant. Clothes and reading-glasses connected to the Internet.

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This CRISPR ownership dispute being played out in front of the public is truly concerning. My question is how much time are these researchers/ scientists spending locked in this battle v. focusing on research, testing and clinical trials, etc. to help the public? If their energy was focused on helping the public; it would be better for them and their image to the public.

A history of CRISPR ignites a furious tweetstorm.

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Hot damn, our Ghost in the Shell future is getting closer by the day. DARPA announced on Tuesday that it is interested in developing wetware — implantable brain-machine interfaces (BMI) that will allow their users to control computers with their thoughts. The device, developed as part of the Neural Engineering System Design (NESD) program, would essentially translate the chemical signals in our neurons into digital code. What’s more, DARPA expects this interface to be no larger than two nickels stacked atop one another.

“Today’s best brain-computer interface systems are like two supercomputers trying to talk to each other using an old 300-baud modem,” Phillip Alvelda, the NESD program manager, said in a statement. “Imagine what will become possible when we upgrade our tools to really open the channel between the human brain and modern electronics.”

The advanced research agency hopes the device to make an immediate impact — you know, once it’s actually invented — in the medical field. Since the proposed BMI would connect to as many as a million individual neurons (a few magnitudes more than the 100 or so that current devices can link with), patients suffering from vision or hearing loss would see an unprecedented gain in the fidelity of their assistive devices. Patients who have lost limbs would similarly see a massive boost in the responsiveness and capabilities of their prosthetics.

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Scientists have developed a computer system that predicts the reprogramming factors necessary to convert human cells from one type to another, without the need for trial and error.

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Interesting perspective of the world and globalization.

It is my belief that we are heading toward a blend of Islandization and Commonization. World transformation is powered first and foremost by the mega-driver of technology, which in turn is central to both of these worlds. The most significant change in the past seven years of world history is that we have entered into a period of sustained technological progress. I fully expect in coming years further breakthroughs in areas including alternative energy, biotechnology and artificial intelligence that dramatically change our economies and our societies.

Unfortunately, I am less sure that technological change will be positive. The exploitation by violent extremists of social media is a case in point of the double-edge that new technologies can bring. This is an extremely disruptive and dislocating time for individuals, organizations and governments alike. The net gain of technology will almost certainly be positive, but there will be winners and losers, and losers will not necessarily go quietly. Nor will the winners necessarily perceive objective gain as actual gain. And some new technologies, such as the gene-editing powers of CRISPR, point to a highly uncertain future.

Continue reading “Globalization is dead: what now?” »

A new startup wants to make DNA writing cheaper and faster.

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