Category Archives: Life Extension

New legislative and budget proposals could create more UW-Madison Division of Extension agents, who exemplify the Wisconsin Idea by bringing university research to agricultural communities across Wisconsin.

A Senate bill introduced Friday would require the UW Board of Regents to allocate $1 million in additional funding each year for Extension services at the UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS).

The proposal is supported by multiple groups representing the agriculture industry. The bill was referred to the Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges, but is not yet scheduled for a vote.

The bill would specifically direct funding toward applied agricultural research. Faculty members funded through Extension work with farmers at the county level Wisconsin to conduct research to solve problems and develop improved farming methods.

CALS currently has about 40 faculty that are partially funded by Extension. The number of faculty has been decreasing over the last 30 years due to a decline in state funding. These funding issues have only gotten worse in the wake of the pandemic, according to Associate Dean for External Relations and Advancement at CALS Heidi Zoerb.

Like other schools and colleges at UW-Madison, the pandemic has had a significant impact on our operations and had a negative impact on our budget. Along with the rest of the university, we are currently addressing a budget reduction of more than 4 percent for our research and instructional programs and our research and Extension programs, Zoerb said.

Patrick Robinson, Associate Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the Division of Extension, said the reduction in personnel led to a loss of expertise in all areas of the organization.

Gov. Tony Evers said Friday that he would propose funding for additional Extension specialists and county agents in his upcoming biennial budget. That proposal is part of his planned $43 million investment into agriculture.

In a January special session on agriculture, Evers asked for $2 million during the 2020-21 fiscal year to fund 20 county-based agriculture positions, but the bill did not pass. In their 2021-23 budget request, the Board of Regents asked for support for those 20 positions.

Douglas Reinemann, a UW-Madison professor and CALS Associate Dean for Outreach and Extension, said he hopes CALS would gain about six or seven faculty positions.

These faculty would be focused on research of benefit to Wisconsin farmers and educational programs to help farmers adopt new technologies and practices to make agriculture more sustainable environmentally, economically and socially, Reinemann said.

Robinson said increased funding would fill a lot of gaps related to faculty and outreach expertise.

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Its hard for me to overstate how important [the proposals] would be. It would be the biggest increase in funding that weve seen probably in my career, and Ive been in Extension for about 18 years, said Robinson. It would help tremendously.

Zoerb described the roles that Extension specialists play in the research and discovery arm for many Wisconsin agricultural sectors.

These faculty members develop new fruit and vegetable varieties that are better suited to specific climate and environmental conditions. They develop health guidelines for plants and animals and test practices to determine which will have the best overall returns for Wisconsin farmers, Zoerb explained. The discoveries made by these specialists will contribute to best practices that will improve the economic and environmental well-being of the agricultural sector they serve.

Zoerb added that agriculture and related sectors are vital components of Wisconsins economy, generating $104.8 billion in economic activity and 437,700 jobs.

UW-Madison Extension provides the conduit between research and practical solutions for farmers, business owners, nonprofits and families. Extension specialists at UW-Madison and other campuses and Extension educators based in local communities are operating in every county across the state, translating research for various farmers and business owners, Zoerb said.

Robinson, who is located on the UW-Green Bay campus, said Extension brings Wisconsinites from across the state together, with faculty members and educators in every county.

The value of that is we are able to leverage the great work that goes on in the research realm, especially at UW-Madison but on partner campuses as well, and bring that to the people of Wisconsin, Robinson said. We always say we are the Wisconsin idea in action.

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New proposals would boost Extension funding - Daily Cardinal

Kerry Rodtnick. Cover design by Gail Halleck

The Discovery 2020 cover featured the research of Bumpers student Clayton Parker, an agribusiness major, who looked at the economics of on-farm rice drying in Arkansas. Clayton is a fifth generation farmer on his family farm in Carlisle, Arkansas.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Discovery, the undergraduate research journal of the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences, produced by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, is inviting submissions for the Fall 2021 issue (Vol. 22).

Degree-seeking undergraduate students with a major or minor within Bumpers College are encouraged to submit their research papers by the deadline, May 4, 2021. Student authors must be conducting research with a faculty mentor at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville or the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's research arm.

Discovery offers students an opportunity to publish research accomplishments in a citable format, to develop skills needed in graduate school, to enhance the value of a bachelor's degree in the job market, and to prepare for careers in the areas of food, agriculture, the environment and human quality of life.

Please visit the Discovery journal ScholarWorks website to find instructions for authors, previous editions of Discovery and other helpful information: scholarworks.uark.edu/discoverymag.

Students should submit through ScholarWorks@UARK when the submit button becomes available for this issue. Students who intend to submit should contact the managing editor, Gail Halleck, Division of Agriculture Communications, ghalleck@uark.edu.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: aaes.uark.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and Instagram at ArkAgResearch.

About the Division of Agriculture:The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation's historic land grant education system.

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences:Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability, and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policymakers, and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit ourwebsite,and follow us on Twitter at@BumpersCollegeand Instagram atBumpersCollege.

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Deadline for Submitting to the Discovery Journal Is May 4 - University of Arkansas Newswire

A leader in regenerative and net positive design, Kirstin works with owners, cities and integrated teams to create living, resilient built environments where people and ecosystems thrive together. She has led some of the most cited studies on green roof performance and cost-effectiveness for clients such as the US GSA, Walmart and City and County of San Francisco.

After over a decade at Arup delivering sustainable office, mixed-use, civic and education projects, Kirstin launched Bio Studio, an ecological design consultancy based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Kirstin knows more about the economics of green roofs than just about anyone, and I was fortunate to catch her at her home office for this edition of On The Roof With.

Steven W. Peck (SWP): Kirstin, you've been involved in a number of very important economic studies about green roofs for both public and private sector clients over the past decade? Many of the benefits of green roofs are context specific, both in terms of the objectives for the green roof on the building and the policy context of the jurisdiction. Generally speaking from a private sector perspective, where does the business case for green roof investment principally lie - in savings, revenue generation or both?

Kirstin Weeks (KW): I would say that the business case depends heavily on context. All green roofs will tend to produce returns like building energy savings and protection and life extension of the roof membrane, saving money on reroofing over time. But some of the biggest potential returns come from human experience. In an average office, for example, the investment made in peoples salaries and benefits might be 100x the cost of utility bills. Studies have repeatedly shown increased satisfaction and productivity when people have views of nature. Taking a short break in a natural setting can reduce stress levels for hours afterward. So if a green roof is visible or accessible, weve seen that the small uptick in productivity has the potential to pay back the entire investment in the green roof in a year or less, whereas the utility savings would tend to take decades. Another scenario where green roofs can pay back quickly is in new buildings that are subject to stormwater management or open space regulations. In some policy environments and on certain sites, it is actually cheaper to build a building with a green roof than to meet the regulations without one.

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On The Roof With...Green Roof Performance Expert Kirstin Weeks Living Architecture Monitor - Living Architecture Monitor magazine

The Life Extension Foundation (LEF) is a company that sells supplements and vitamins. Its claimed goals are to extend the healthy human lifespan by discovering methods to control aging and eradicate disease. It is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It also has a call center location in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the late 1990s, LEF sold "antiaging nostrums like DHEA and melatonin," whose "antiaging benefits" mainstream researchers asserted were "dubious or nonexistent".[1]

More recently, it has been involved in providing $5 million in funding to the Stasis Foundation,[2] an organization which aims to build a "Timeship" which would aid in the "cryopreservation of patients, organs, the DNA of humans and endangered species," but had been threatened with the loss of nonprofit status due to the lack of construction up to the year 2011.[3] In 2016, the Stasis Foundation claimed to have begun work on the Timeship.[4]

The Life Extension Foundation also donated $3.5 million to 21st Century Medicine, a for-profit company that specializes in living systems preservation technology[2] that was founded by Saul Kent.[1]

It was founded by Saul Kent and William Faloon in 1980.[1][5]

In 1987, the FDA raided the Life Extension Foundation's warehouse, and charged Kent and Faloon with 27 counts, including that of distributing unapproved drugs, in later dropped charges. In response Kent and Faloon opened the FDA Holocaust Museum, a one-room museum that contains "books and articles about life extension" and comparisons between the FDA and the Nazis.[6]

In May 2013, the Internal Revenue Service revoked the Life Extension Foundations tax-exempt status, retroactive to 2006.[7] Forbes reported that "The IRS problem with the Foundation is [...] an entirely worldly one: it asserts the membership organizations operations seem to be too entwined with the for-profit Life Extension Buyers Club."[2] LEF filed a Complaint for Declaratory Judgment on August 7, 2013, in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the IRS' allegations.[8] In 2018 the exemption was reinstated retroactive to the date it was revoked (May 2013).[9][10] (Employer Identification Number 591746396)

Its most recent tax filing at the time stated that it had assets of over $25 million and netted more than $3 million on revenue of more than $18 million that year.[2]

On February 8, 2018 the name of the Life Extension Foundation, Inc was changed to Biomedical Research and Longevity Society, Inc.[11]

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Life Extension Foundation - Wikipedia

Compostable packaging producer TIPA and shelf-life extension specialist PerfoTec have partnered to offer compostable packaging that reportedly extends the shelf-life of fresh produce.

TIPA and PerfoTec say that their solutions, which utilise laser microperforated compostable films, have been found to extend the shelf-life of fruit, vegetables and flowers by up to two times.

According to TIPA, its compostable packaging performs like a conventional plastic, but decomposes in compost back into the soil with no toxic residue, microplastics or other pollutants. The company also says that its solutions mesh with existing industry machinery and manufacturing practices.

Meanwhile, PerfoTecs patented High Precision Laser Technology facilitates longer shelf-life by adapting the permeability of food packaging.

TIPA predicts that the growing market share for alternatives to conventional plastic, like compostable films, will be a key contributor to the growth of the global flexible packaging market. The size of the market is expected to increase from $160.8 billion to $200.5 billion by 2025.

PerfoTecs CEO, Bas Groeneweg, said: After months of trials with this film, we realised that TIPAs compostable film combined with PerfoTecs patented laser perforation provided the best shelf-life for fruits, vegetables and flowers by far. It provides longer shelf-life and freshness which means fewer quality losses, less food waste and cost savings for producers and retailers.

Partnering with TIPA to create compostable packaging that can outperform conventional plastic is a hugely exciting step forward for sustainable packaging. Were delighted to be playing our part in the stride against quality losses, food waste and plastic pollution.

Ayellet Zinger, VP of sales for TIPA, added: In combining our technologies, TIPA and PerfoTec form a synergistic partnership that optimises flexible packaging for produce.

We have created an exceptional product that extends the shelf-life of fruit, vegetables and flowers with a protective and fully compostable film that decomposes just like the product its packaging. TIPA and PerfoTec bring huge added value for flexible produce packaging, reducing food and packaging waste, and providing solutions for the future of sustainable packaging.

Originally posted here:

TIPA and PerfoTec collaborate to create compostable packs that extend shelf-life - Packaging Europe

Building on its 163-year tradition of innovation, Oppy is set to conduct two independent trials exploring the viability of new technologies that aim to further advance strawberry production practices by offering solutions to persistent issues faced by the industry.

The premier grower, marketer and distributor of fresh produce from around the world will work with the University of California, Santa Cruz on the first of the trials, a USDA-funded research project that aims to test a systems-based approach to pest and disease mitigation. The study will explore alternative treatments to mitigate pervasive and detrimental soil-borne pathogens during strawberry cultivation, includingFusarium oxysporumandMacrophomina phaseolina.

Were extremely excited to be working on finding solutions to challenges facing the strawberry industry as a whole, Oppys VP of Categories, Berries and Greenhouse Jason Fung said. Oppys participation in this research project has the potential to be transformative, as most soilborne pathogens are lethal to strawberry crops, so any improvements in reducing this will have a tremendous impact on our business on multiple fronts.

The second trial aims to improve operational efficiencies in strawberry cultivation through a robotic harvester. Oppy and its partners will examine if the new harvester can assist in solving some of the industrys difficulties with labor scarcity, which have only been amplified during the pandemic. The trial will determine if robotic picking is more efficient and cost-effective than traditional methods, as well as assess the harvesters ability to select fruit based on specific standards, and understand which varieties work best with this machine.

Automation in agriculture has been catapulted into the spotlight thanks to the unique challenges posed by the pandemic, Oppys Senior Manager of Insights and Innovation Garland Perkins said. By assessing the first ever commercially available robotic harvester for strawberries, Oppy has once again taken a leading role in exploring the future of our industry. Engaging with our stakeholders across the supply chain is necessary for the success of these trials, and reflects the collaborative approach that is essential for innovation.

Oppy has placed a renewed focus on innovation over the past few years, investing in numerous trials of a wide range of technologies and across categories. These include shelf life extension, varietal development, automation and more.

Link:

University and grower together research strawberry technologies - hortidaily.com

Building on its 163-year tradition of innovation, Oppy is set to conduct two independent trials exploring the viability of new technologies that aim to further advance strawberry production practices by offering solutions to persistent issues faced by the industry.

The premier grower, marketer and distributor of fresh produce from around the world will work with the University of California, Santa Cruz on the first of the trials, a USDA-funded research project that aims to test a systems-based approach to pest and disease mitigation. The study will explore alternative treatments to mitigate pervasive and detrimental soil-borne pathogens during strawberry cultivation, includingFusarium oxysporumandMacrophomina phaseolina.

Were extremely excited to be working on finding cutting edge solutions to challenges facing the strawberry industry as a whole, Oppys VP of Categories, Berries and Greenhouse Jason Fung said. Oppys participation in this research project has the potential to be truly transformative, as most soilborne pathogens are lethal to strawberry crops, so any improvements in reducing this will have a tremendous impact on our business on multiple fronts.

The second trial aims to improve operational efficiencies in strawberry cultivation through a state-of-the-art robotic harvester. Oppy and its partners will examine if the new harvester can assist in solving some of the industrys difficulties with labor scarcity, which have only been amplified during the pandemic. The trial will determine if robotic picking is more efficient and cost-effective than traditional methods, as well as assess the harvesters ability to select fruit based on specific standards, and understand which varieties work best with this machine.

Automation in agriculture has been catapulted into the spotlight thanks to the unique challenges posed by the pandemic, Oppys Senior Manager of Insights and Innovation Garland Perkins said. By assessing the first ever commercially available robotic harvester for strawberries, Oppy has once again taken a leading role in exploring the future of our industry. Engaging with our stakeholders across the supply chain is necessary for the success of these trials, and reflects the collaborative approach that is essential for innovation.

Oppy has placed a renewed focus on innovation over the past few years, investing in numerous trials of a wide range of technologies and across categories. These include shelf life extension, varietal development, automation and more.

About Oppy

Growing, marketing and distributing fresh produce from around the globe for more than 160 years, Vancouver, BC-based Oppy discovers and delivers the best of the worlds harvest. With over 50 million boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables grown on every continent moving through its supply chain annually, Oppy offers popular favorites from avocados and berries to apples and oranges year-round, alongside innovative seasonal specialties. Over the years, Oppy has introduced North Americans to a number of items across its diverse produce range, including Granny Smith, JAZZ and Envy apples, as well as green and gold kiwifruit. Go to oppy.com to learn more.

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Oppy Continues Pioneering Research With Two Trials for Innovative Strawberry Technologies - PerishableNews

The decision puts at threat 700 jobs in the Illawarra region, $714 million in royalties, taxes and rates and an economic impact of about $2.8 billion.

South32 sought planning approval to extend the life of Dendrobium longwall mine until the end of 2048 and extract an additional 78 million tonnes of run-of-mine coal from two additional areas near Avon and Cordeaux Dams.

The IPC said significant concerns were raised about the proposed mine design, subsidence, ground and surface water impacts, biodiversity and upland swamps, Aboriginal cultural heritage and greenhouse gas emissions.

A whole-of-government assessment by the Department of Planning, Industry & Environment concluded the Dendrobium Extension Project was "approvable", finding its benefits "significantly outweigh its residual costs, and that it is in the public interest".

However, the IPC decided to refuse the state significant development application, finding the risks of adverse impacts on the environment were high, and those impacts were not appropriately manageable or likely to be irreversible.

"[A]fter careful examination of all the evidence and weighing all relevant considerations, the commission has found that the longwall mine design put forward by South32 does not achieve a balance between maximising the recovery of a coal resource of state significance and managing, minimising or mitigating the impacts on the water resources and biodiversity and other environmental values of the Metropolitan Special Area," the IPC's Statement of Reasons for Decision says.

"[T]he level of risk posed by the project has not been properly quantified and based on the potential for long-term and irreversible impacts - particularly on the integrity of a vital drinking water source for the Macarthur and Illawarra regions, the Wollondilly Shire and Metropolitan Sydney - it is not in the public interest."

The IPC noted the applicant had not appropriately addressed concerns in relation to the proposed mine design.

"The applicant was aware of concerns raised by WaterNSW and others regarding its mine design and the associated impacts," it said.

"The applicant has made minor amendments; however, the impacts remain significant.

"The commission notes the applicant has offered mitigation measures for remediation of selected key stream features, financial offsets for water losses and water quality impacts and an upland swamp offset site, however, a number of these measures have not been considered acceptable by the responsible statutory agencies."

A South32 spokesman said the company acknowledged the assessment report from the IPC and was reviewing its findings.

"We will continue to engage with key stakeholders including the New South Wales government and the community in relation to the Dendrobium Mine Extension Project," he said.

"As outlined during the IPC public hearings, the Dendrobium Mine Extension Project would provide major economic and social benefits for Wollongong, the Illawarra region and for New South Wales.

"It would support the continued employment of 400 existing personnel and a further 100 personnel once the project is operational. An additional 200 jobs would be created during the construction and development phase. The project would ensure the continued supply of high-quality metallurgical coal for steelmaking.

"The project is forecast to contribute $714 million in royalties, taxes and rates, and deliver a net benefit of $2.8 billion to the New South Wales economy.

"During public exhibition of the project's Environmental Impact Statement, the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment received more than 750 submissions from members of the public, organisations and government agencies. Eighty-one percent of public submissions expressed support for the project."

On the topic of water use by the Dendrobium Mine Extension Project, the spokesman said the company understood the sensitivities of working within the Greater Sydney water catchment and the Metropolitan Special Area.

"We have committed to offset any surface water losses from the Dendrobium Mine Extension Project to ensure the project would be a positive contributor to the metropolitan water supply," he said.

"The extension project would not mine beneath dams, named watercourses or key stream features and has been designed to have a neutral or beneficial effect on water quality within water catchment areas."

Greenpeace Australia Pacific spokesman Martin Zavan said the project would have risked contaminating a major source of drinking water for tens of thousands of Sydney residents, as well as contributed to the ongoing climate crisis.

"Coal is the number one driver of climate change, which turbocharged the 2019-20 bushfires that destroyed so much of the land that Australian wildlife call home in NSW," he said.

"This project would have further exacerbated the climate crisis and put more pressure on our precious wildlife.

"Thankfully the IPC has made the right decision to prioritise Sydneysiders' drinking water over the declining profits of coal mining companies."

NSW Minerals Council CEO Stephen Galilee said the Illawarra simply could not afford to "lose this critically important project".

"The refusal of this project will cost 700 direct local jobs at the Dendrobium mine and put the jobs of thousands more people at risk, including local contractors and suppliers, as well as thousands of jobs at the BlueScope Steelworks dependent on coal from the mine," he said.

"The NSW government must intervene to ensure this project is approved and can proceed, as recommended by its own Department of Planning.

"To do anything less will demonstrate a willingness to throw away billions in investment and the jobs of thousands of people at a time of significant economic need."

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Dendrobium extension knocked back on water catchment concerns - http://www.miningmonthly.com

The AIM-traded firm said its current bank loans were scheduled to be fully repaid in the second quarter of 2021.

It said it had cash of $11m at the end of the quarter, up from $9m three months prior, with total bank debt standing at $13m, down by $6m during the quarter, with a gold inventory value of about $4m.

The board reported a total recordable injury frequency rate of 0.82, exceeding its target of a rate lower than 2.5 for 2020.

A total of $2m was received from the Mali government as part payment for their acquisition of an additional 10% stake in Yanfolila, as announced on 2 February 2017.

On the production front, 22,012 ounces of gold was poured in the quarter, broadly in line with the 24,722 ounces poured in the third quarter, with full-year production for 2020 standing at 101,069 ounces of gold .

The company reported an all-in sustaining cash cost (AISC) on gold sold in the quarter of $1,496 per ounce, up from $1,283 per ounce in the third quarter, as its full-year AISC came in at $1,147 per ounce.

A total of 24,285 ounces of gold was sold in the fourth quarter, at an average realised price of $1,862 per ounce.

Looking ahead, Hummingbird issued 2021 production guidance of between 100,000 and 110,000 ounces of gold, with an AISC of $1,250 to $1,350 per ounce on gold sold.

Its production profile would be weighted towards the second half of the year, with part of the KE pit to be mined out in the period, and a focus to move to the Komana West pit, where higher grades were lower in the orebody and were not expected to be accessed until the late part of 2021.

Mali development capital expenditure of $7m was planned for 2021, focussing on the Gonka, SW and KEUG deposits for future production, including the haul roads to SE and SW currently under construction.

The companys exploration and mine life extension budget in Mali was doubled to $10m, focussing on SE drilling and permitting to increase the confidence of current geology, and expand on the existing resources of around 62,000 ounces, as well as KEUG drilling and permitting requirements, to be finalised with a view to be in production by 2022.

It expected KEUG to contribute to the base load production profile for the firm at greater than three grams per tonne, with the mine life potential looking to be extended with the current year's exploration and drilling programmes.

The budget would also be used for SW follow-up drilling of high-grade zones identified in 2020, to further increase current resources of around 138,000 ounces, as well as initial green field exploration drilling at the Diaban target, and further metallurgical work at the Kabaya South deposit.

Updated company mineral resources estimate models would be released at the end of the first quarter, and were expected to be updated annually to capture the progress of each years' programmes.

Hummingbird was also undertaking pre-development, optimisation and exploration planning in Guinea, focussing on the ongoing pre-development work to de-risk and optimise the project, including completion of front-end engineering and design, and the contract tendering process.

Exploration planning was ongoing for programmes to increase confidence and the extent of the current resource base of around 1.18 million ounces at three grams per tonne.

A number of high-priority targets had been identified to focus on at the key deposits KK and KnK, the board said.

Finally, Hummingbird aid Junction Contract Mining was expected to be appointed as the mining contractor at Yanfolila in Mali, on similar terms to the current contractor, whose contract was ending this year.

2020 has been a challenging year in which to operate and many of these logistical challenges remain, said chief executive officer Dan Betts.

However, Hummingbird ends the year in a solid net cash balance sheet position, with a strong internal growth pipeline including the development of Kouroussa and the exciting 2021 exploration and drilling campaign at Yanfolila ahead of us.

We have a more modest 2021 production outlook which we believe is achievable and will establish a solid footing for the company as we generate circa $70m of project level EBITDA at current gold prices.

Betts said its pre-development plans at Kouroussa continued, with its confidence of the exploration and mineral resource growth potential increasing the more work it did on the project.

Additionally, we are excited about the progress at our Dugbe Gold project in Liberia with earn-in partners Pasofino.

I believe the foundations are set for 2021 to be a strong year for the Company as we capitalise on the organic growth opportunities ahead of us and continue to progress towards our goal of being a multi-asset, multi-jurisdiction producing resources company.

At 1304 GMT, shares in Hummingbird Resources were down 9.05% at 28.65p.

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Hummingbird Resources pleased with fourth quarter performance - ShareCast

Earlier this month, Alphabet (GOOG) took the air out of its Loon subsidiary, a former moonshot project for deploying internet around the world using high-flying balloons. Apparently, the economics just didnt work out. No word on how much Googles parent company spent on Loon, but SoftBank had sunk $125 million into the business in 2019. This seems like the latest sign that the tech giant is tightening its belt a bit in an increasingly risky regulatory environment. That made us wonder whats happening with another venture that isnt contributing anything to its bottom line. Lets dive into Calico, a subsidiary focused on life extension research and development.

Calico is pretty much the opposite of Verily Life Sciences, the Alphabet unit working to digitize healthcare in every possible way. Verily is one of the few companies that does generate some revenue among the $461 million that its sideline subsidiaries earned through the first nine months of 2020. Some of the joint ventures connected to Verily are developing apps or new medical devices, with a certain amount of publicity and transparency. Calico operates more like a nonprofit research center thats secretly working on some biotech version of the Manhattan Project, so most of what we read is pretty superficial and saccharine.

At face value, Calico is pure anti-aging R&D, starting at the very beginning of the problem with what is aging? For example, one of its public-facing projects involves studying how yeast ages, apparently without in situ experiments involving a teenagers room. The premise (in very broad strokes) is that if we can understand how yeast age at the cellular level, we could all one day look like Brad Pitt forever. But the biggest news to emerge is that Calico scientists created a bit of new technology to help analyze the yeast cells, enabling genome-wide characterization of the aging process, which certainly sounds significant and was published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The Miniature-chemostat Aging Device (MAD) purifies 50 million old cells in a single test tube to speed up the search for genetic biomarkers of aging. An additional platform that sounds similar to the technology used in lab-on-a-chip solutions developed by companies like Berkeley Lights (BLI) allows scientists to observe the entire aging process in single cells hundreds of thousands each week allowing them to screen for lifespan-extending modifications that can increase the yeast lifespan beyond that of your ordinary lab yeast. The company integrated computer vision and machine learning to recognize cell division from time-lapse images or to measure the age of a cell directly from static images.

While a new cell-counting gizmo using AI sounds great, thats certainly not something out of reach for any large research university. Calico is a company that has at least $2.5 billion in funding thanks to its most high-profile partnership with AbbVie (ABBV), a pharmaceutical company with a market cap of nearly $200 billion as of late January 2021.

The companies first joined forces in September 2014. Three years later, Calico and AbbVie had already burned through $1 billion, but that didnt stop the duo from extending their research collaboration and kicking in another $500 million each, according to the San Francisco Business Times. So you would think theres some high-pressure expectation to produce an anti-aging Brad Pitt pill or something significant. What has all that money produced? According to the company, the partnership has resulted in two dozen early-stage programs addressing disease states across oncology and neuroscience and new insights into the biology of aging.

The 2018 deal makes Calico responsible for research and early development until 2022 and for advanced collaboration projects through Phase 2a clinical trials through 2027. In fact, theres actually a whisper of something finally gaining traction. Endpoints News was the first to report that a team from Calico and AbbVie is conducting a phase 1 safety study to test a drug called ABBV-CLS-579 for treating solid tumors. The article also noted how one of the companys principal investigators just published a paper in Nature on how Calico is using AI to predict genome folding from DNA sequence alone.

Calico is mining for answers to longevity in human DNA by creating its own hardware and software to automate and accelerate that search. One of its other high-profile ventures, in fact, involved mining the genetic database of Ancestry.com for three years. The Holy Grail was to find genetic commonalities among those who live longer, but research delivered some unexpected results. Another study based on the Ancestry data in another prestigious journal, Genetics, found that while longevity runs in families, DNA isnt as strong an influence on how long an individual lives, so just because Grandpa Joe lived to 103 doesnt mean youre going to outlive a lifetime of junk food.

Other ongoing collaborations include the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and C4 Therapeutics (CCCC), a small-cap biotech company focused on treating diseases of aging, including cancer, by degrading proteins known to drive disease.

Pretty much every story on Calico refers to the fact that the former Genentech CEO Art Levinson, who has a PhD in biochemistry, is in charge of the Alphabet subsidiary. Acquired by Roche for nearly $47 billion about a dozen years ago, Genentech was considered the worlds oldest and most successful biotechnology company. Its also worth noting that he serves on the boards of Apple and the Broad Institute, as well as formerly served on the boards of small-cap biotechs, including Amyris Biotechnologies, a synthetic biology stock. He is also an advisor on a bunch of scientific boards. So the assumption is that this guy knows what hes doing in terms of his scientific expertise needed to lead one of the most well-funded, private, anti-aging R&D labs in the world.

As we told you more than five years ago, Calico will likely forever be an innovation lab similar to Alphabets DeepMind AI lab in London. The only thing close to a pure-play in the longevity theme is perhaps C4 Therapeutics, which has developed a novel platform for harnessing the bodys natural mechanisms for regulating protein levels to fight diseases of aging. But the Boston area biopharmaceutical company is on pace to double its losses in 2020 from 2019, and it gets all of its revenue from collaboration agreements like the one with Calico. Well just have to wait for a Brad Pitt pill and make our money on the market the old-fashioned way over time.

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Calico Purring Right Along With Life Extension Research - Nanalyze