Health. NASA Discovers New Life: Arsenic Bacteria With DNA Completely Alien To What We Know. Scientist creates lifelike cells out of metal. Scientists trying to create artificial life generally work under the assumption that life must be carbon-based, but what if a living thing could be made from another element?
One British researcher may have proven that theory, potentially rewriting the book of life. Lee Cronin of the University of Glasgow has created lifelike cells from metal — a feat few believed feasible. The discovery opens the door to the possibility that there may be life forms in the universe not based on carbon, reports New Scientist. Even more remarkable, Cronin has hinted that the metal-based cells may be replicating themselves and evolving. "I am 100 percent positive that we can get evolution to work outside organic biology," he said. MIT Creates New Energy Source. This is some pretty exciting news.
It seems that researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the most prestigious science and engineering schools in the United States, has created a new energy source -- and it's clean and renewable. The odd thing is that the only way you can see this energy source is with a very powerful microscope, because it is created by using nanotechnology. For a few years now, we have been hearing about the possibilities offered by the new field of nanotechnology. Now it looks like the first usable breakthrough has been accomplished. MIT has devised a process to generate electricity using nanotechnology. The researchers built tiny wires out of carbon nanotubes. The nanotechnology batteries will have a couple of other advantages over current batteries.
Second, these batteries are non-toxic since they are made of carbon. Computers, cell phones and other electronic devices will be the first to benefit from the nanotechnology batteries.
Space Exploration. Radical new birth control for men: 100% effective for 10 years. When it comes to birth control, it's a lot harder figuring out how to stop a bajillion little sperm than one little egg, but a scientist in India has managed to develop an injection for men that has so far proven to be 100% effective and completely reversible with no side effects.
Sign me up. The injection is called RISUG, which stands for "reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance. " Let's just get the uncomfortable bit out of the way first: you can't just be injected anywhere, the doctor has to stick a needle into your scrotum. Twice. Yeah, bad times, but you'll deal, and here's why: after two tiny injections taking all of 15 minutes, study after study has shown that the injection is 100% effective at preventing pregnancy. Weight Loss Discovery Making National Headlines. Last Updated: 4/06/2014 20:52 PST Did you know you can lose weight without traditional dieting?
That’s what one new weight loss product wants you to believe. It’s called the SENSA® Weight Loss System, and it’s one of the most talked-about weight loss products on the market today – featured in The New York Times, Time Magazine, and Dateline NBC. SENSA® boldly claims to help users lose weight. Researcher: oxygen free radicals don't cause aging. 'Bullet-Proof Skin', Made With Spider Silk And Goat's Milk, Created By Scientists. Here's why you NEED aerobic exercise.
Let’s face it.
Cardio is boring. Scientists discover the Couch Potato gene. A group of researchers, from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, have mapped out 23 specific chromosomal locations that account for 84% of the behavioral differences between low activity (see lazy) mice and high activity mice (see type A super achievers) – sorry, no human tests yet.
Link to Study # 1 Link to Study # 2 Initially, the researchers thought that the difference between the lazy and active mice was due to a genetic effect on the way energy is used by the muscle tissue. This was proven false. Okay then, moving on. This led the researchers to look at how genetic differences in brain chemistry might be causing this propensity towards laziness. Success! The Studies. Scientists Discover How to Create "Anti-Obesity" Brown Fat. Brown Fat Mitochondria or Modern Art?
Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have been researching ways to generate fat loss by stimulating brown fat production. In a recent study (published in Nature), they have shown that a protein called BMP-7 can promote the development of brown fat. This is good news. While the white fat cells that cover our doughy North American bodies are seen as the bane of our collective overweight existence, their brown fat cousins are superstars at burning calories. What? Yep. The primary function of brown fat is to generate body heat. In contrast to white fat cells, which contain a single lipid (fat) droplet, brown adipocytes contain numerous smaller droplets and a much higher number of mitochondria.
But more importantly, the main role of brown fat is to burn calories by generating heat. Sadly, brown fat cells largely disappear by adulthood in humans, but their precursors still remain in the body. Brown Fat Distribution Patterns - Adult / Baby. TED: Ideas worth spreading.