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Category Archives: Transhuman News

Space Station Live: Imaging Earth from the Station – Video

Posted: May 8, 2014 at 12:48 pm


Space Station Live: Imaging Earth from the Station
Marshall Space Flight Center Public Affairs Officer Lori Meggs interviews Burgess Howell, the principal investigator and payload developer for the ISS Environmental Research and Visualization...

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International Space Station captures new HD images of Earth – Video

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International Space Station captures new HD images of Earth
Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/reuterssubscribe NASA releases new images of Earth after it tests its new high definition cameras from the exterior of the International Space Station. Jillian...

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space station — Encyclopedia Britannica

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space station,an artificial structure placed in orbit and having the pressurized enclosure, power, supplies, and environmental systems necessary to support human habitation for extended periods. Depending on its configuration, a space station can serve as a base for a variety of activities. These include observations of the Sun and other astronomical objects, study of Earths resources and environment, military reconnaissance, and long-term investigations of the behaviour of materials and biological systemsincluding human physiology and biochemistryin a state of weightlessness, or microgravity.

Small space stations are launched fully assembled, but larger stations are sent up in modules and assembled in orbit. To make the most efficient use of its carrier vehicles capacity, a space station is launched vacant, and its crew membersand sometimes additional equipmentfollow in separate vehicles. A space stations operation, therefore, requires a transportation system to ferry crews and hardware and to replenish the propellant, air, water, food, and such other items as are consumed during routine operations. Space stations use large panels of solar cells and banks of storage batteries as their source of electrical power. They also employ geostationary relay satellites for continuous communication with mission controllers on the ground and ... (200 of 4,801 words)

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Sunpower Cryocoolers Delivered to International Space Station

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ATHENS, OH Two CryoTel CT-F cryocoolers, designed and manufactured by Sunpower Inc., Athens, OH, were delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a SpaceX mission, which docked with the space station on April 20, 2014.The unmanned SpaceX mission, dubbed CRS-3, delivered 5,000 pounds of science experiments, a pair of high-tech legs for Robonaut 2, a high-definition Earth-observing camera suite, a laser communications experiment, spare parts, food, clothing and other supplies.

The Sunpower CryoTel CT-F cryocoolers were incorporated into the General Laboratory Active Cryogenic International Space Station Experiment Refrigerator (GLACIER) from the University of Alabama's (UAB) Birmingham Center for Biophysical Sciences and Engineering. The cryogenic refrigerator is used aboard the ISS to conduct scientific experiments. The current experiment involves protein crystal growth in zero gravity.

The GLACIER refrigerator was developed to provide cryogenic preservation of samples aboard the ISS and to transport cryogenic samples to and from space station. The refrigerator is able to achieve temperatures from 4oC (39oF) to -185oC (-301oF).

Measuring less than two feet on all sides, the refrigerator fits within the stations mid-deck size constraints and is able to support up to 22 pounds of research samples. The GLACIERs sophisticated telemetry capabilities allow NASAs Huntsville Operations Support Center, the Johnson Space Center in Houston and UAB to continually monitor its status aboard the ISS.

Each of the GLACIERs Sunpower CryoTel CT-F cryocoolers has been qualified for 10 launch missions by UAB without any maintenance or requalification needed, enabling NASA to make many return trips with scientific payloads. UAB has successfully launched 16 CryoTel CT-F units to the ISS to date.

Sunpower's high-reliability cryocoolers are suitable for use anywhere liquid nitrogen is used. They provide cryogenic cooling for such applications as radioisotope detection, materials research, high-temperature superconductivity, cryogenic preservation, laser cooling and medical devices.

Sunpower is a unit within AMETEK Advanced Measurerment Technologies (AMT), which is a division of AMETEK, Inc, a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with annual sales of $3.6 billion. More information is available at http://www.sunpower.com

Contact: Jimmy Wader (704) 594-2221, ext. 1071 E-mail: jimmy.wade@ametek.com

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A greenhouse on Mars? Scientists propose plant experiment for next rover.

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Researchers have proposed putting a plant-growth experiment on NASA's next Mars rover, which is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet in 2021.

Plant life may touch down on Mars in 2021.

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Researchers have proposed putting a plant-growth experiment on NASA's next Mars rover, which is scheduled to launch in mid-2020 and land on the Red Planet in early 2021. The investigation, known as the Mars Plant Experiment (MPX), could help lay the foundation for thecolonization of Mars, its designers say.

"In order to do a long-term, sustainable base on Mars, you would want to be able to establish that plants can at least grow on Mars," MPX deputy principal investigator Heather Smith, of NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, said April 24 at the Humans 2 Mars conference in Washington, D.C. "This would be the first step in that we just send the seeds there and watch them grow." [The Boldest Mars Missions in History]

The MPX team led by fellow Ames scientist Chris McKay isn't suggesting that the2020 Mars rovershould play gardener, digging a hole with its robotic arm and planting seeds in the Red Planet's dirt. Rather, the experiment would be entirely self-contained, eliminating the chance that Earth life could escape and perhaps get a foothold on Mars.

MPX would employ a clear "CubeSat" box the case for a cheap and tiny satellite which would be affixed to the exterior of the 2020 rover. This box would hold Earth air and about 200 seeds ofArabidopsis, a small flowering plant that's commonly used in scientific research.

The seeds would receive water when the rover touched down on Mars, and would then be allowed to grow for two weeks or so.

"In 15 days, we'll have a little greenhouse on Mars," Smith said.

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Private Mars One Colony Project: 705 Astronaut Candidates Pass Latest Cut

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Several hundred would-be Mars colonists have just had their hopes and dreams dashed.

The Netherlands-based nonprofit Mars One, which aims to establish a Red Planet settlement beginning in 2025, announced Monday (May 5) that it had sliced its pool of potential colonists from 1,058 down to 705. The remaining astronaut candidates now advance to an interview round with Mars One's selection committee.

"Were incredibly excited to start the next phase of Round 2, where we begin to better understand our candidates who aspire to take such a daring trip," Mars One chief medical officer Norbert Kraft said in a statement. "They will have to show their knowledge, intelligence, adaptability and personality." [Images of Mars One's Red Planet Colony Project]

The Dutch nonprofit Mars One aims to land four colonists on the Red Planet in 2023. Do you want to be one of them?

The 353 people who didn't make it were eliminated for personal or medical reasons, Mars One representatives said. The 418 men and 287 women who survived this latest cut come from all over the world, with 313 hailing from the Americas, 187 from Europe, 136 from Asia, 41 from Africa and 28 from Oceania.

Mars One plans to launch its first crew of four Mars colonists in 2024, with touchdown on the Red Planet coming in 2025. Additional crews will blast off in two-year increments thereafter, gradually building up the off-world settlement. At the moment, there are no plans to bring these pioneers back to Earth.

The organization will mount several unmanned Mars missions in the next decade to demonstrate technologies and prepare for the arrival of people. For example, it aims to launch a robotic lander and orbiter in 2018, a scouting rover in 2020 and six cargo missions in 2022.

Mars One plans to pay for all this by organizing a global media event around the Mars colonization effort, from astronaut selection through the settlers' time on the Red Planet. It's already negotiating with media companies about showing Round 2 of the selection process on TV, representatives said.

"Once the television deal is finalized and the interviews begin, the stories of the 705 aspiring Martians will be shared with the world," Mars One said in a press release Monday.

More than 200,000 people applied to become Mars One astronauts. In December, the organization slashed this pool down to 1,058 candidates.

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Vermont governor to sign GMO labeling bill

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Vermont Governor Pat Shumlin intends to sign legislation requiring the labeling of foods that contain ingredients that are genetically modified (GMOs) or produced with genetic engineering. The governors office announced via Twitter that the signing will take place Thursday, May 8. Once the bill is signed, Vermont will become the first state to require mandatory GMO labeling.

The Vermont House approved the bill as amended by the Senate by a vote of 114-30 on April 24. The proposed effective date is July 1, 2016.

It is estimated that 80% of all food sold in the United States is at least partially produced from genetic engineering. The bill would require labeling on all such food sold at retail in Vermont, regardless of whether the food was manufactured in the state. Vermont lawmakers included a $1.5 million legal defense fund in the bill because they expect the law to face legal challenges after the signing.

While the bill exempts processing aids and milk from cows that have been fed GMO feed, many dairy products and other foods that incorporate milk would be affected unless they were made with organic ingredients.

New York GMO bill advances

The New York General Assemblys Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection advanced a bill on Tuesday that would require the labeling of GMOs. The committee voted 9-6 to approve AB 3525 and now will send the bill to the Committee on Codes. The bill is similar to Vermonts legislation as it would take effect without needing the surrounding states to pass labeling bills.

The New York legislation contains the same exemptions for processing aids and milk from cows that have been fed GMO feed or treated with GMO material. The bill must be approved by both the Assembly and the state Senate before the June 19 recess date and signed by the governor before it can become law.

The Food and Drug Administration, American Medical Association, World Health Organization, USDA and the National Academy of Sciences all have said that GMO ingredients are safe and there are no negative health effects associated with their use.

The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and many other trade organizations oppose individual state legislation on GMO labeling and fully supportThe Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2014introduced last month by Reps. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and G.K. Butterfield (D-NC). This bill would preempt states from requiring mandatory labeling and establish a federal standard for voluntary labeling of food and beverage products made with GMOs.

IDFA is working with the Safe and Affordable Food Coalition, headed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, on issues related to GMO labeling.

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Health screening for low-income women under health care reform: Better or worse?

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

8-May-2014

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, May 8, 2014When Massachusetts enacted its own statewide health insurance reform in 2006, low-income women transitioned from receiving free, federally subsidized screening for breast and cervical cancer and cardiovascular disease risk to an insurance-based payment system. The effects on screening rates in this vulnerable population are explored in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Women's Health website at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/jwh.2013.4612.

A group of authors from Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and several women's health centers and community hospitals in Boston, MA gathered data to evaluate whether the prevalence of screening mammography, Pap smear, and blood pressure measurement improved, stayed the same, or declined pre- and post-health insurance reform. In the article "Preventive Care for Low-Income Women in Massachusetts Post-Health Reform," the authors reviewed screening information for women treated at five community health centers between 2004 and 2010, spanning the period before and after the introduction of health reform.

"There are lessons learned from the Massachusetts experience of health care reform that can help inform health care changes nationally," says Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women's Health, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women's Health, Richmond, VA, and President of the Academy of Women's Health.

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About the Journal

Journal of Women's Health, published monthly, is a core multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the diseases and conditions that hold greater risk for or are more prevalent among women, as well as diseases that present differently in women. The Journal covers the latest advances and clinical applications of new diagnostic procedures and therapeutic protocols for the prevention and management of women's healthcare issues. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Women's Health website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jwh. Journal of Women's Health is the official journal of the Academy of Women's Health and the Society for Women's Health Research.

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Promising role for interleukin-10 in scarless wound healing

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

8-May-2014

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, May 8, 2014The powerful anti-inflammatory compound interleukin-10 (IL-10) plays a crucial role in regenerative, scarless healing of fetal skin. Studies of IL-10 in postnatal skin wounds have demonstrated its promise as an anti-scarring therapeutic agent, as described in a Critical Review article published in Advances in Wound Care, a monthly peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers and an Official Journal of the Wound Healing Society. The article is available free on the Advances in Wound Care website.

In "Regenerative Wound Healing: The Role of Interleukin-10," Sundeep Keswani and co-authors, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (OH), and Children's Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, review the complex processes, cell types, growth factors, and other agents needed for successful wound healing. The authors explore the ability of fetal skin to heal without scars and describe the results of ongoing studies to develop IL-10 as an anti-scarring agent.

"Regenerative healing in adults is approachable through lessons learnt from fetal wounds," says Editor-in-Chief Chandan K. Sen, PhD, Professor of Surgery and Director of the Comprehensive Wound Center and the Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cell-Based Therapies at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH.

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About the Journal

Advances in Wound Care is a monthly peer-reviewed journal published online and in print that reports the latest scientific discoveries, translational research, and clinical developments in acute and chronic wound care. Each issue provides a digest of the latest research findings, innovative wound care strategies, industry product pipeline, and developments in biomaterials and skin and tissue regeneration to optimize patient outcomes. The broad scope of applications covered includes limb salvage, chronic ulcers, burns, trauma, blast injuries, surgical repair, skin bioengineering, dressings, anti-scar strategies, diabetic ulcers, ostomy, bedsores, biofilms, and military wound care. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Advances in Wound Care website.

About the Publisher

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Genetics – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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This article is about the general scientific term. For the scientific journal, see Genetics (journal).

Genetics (from the Ancient Greek genetikos meaning "genitive"/"generative", in turn from genesis meaning "origin"),[1][2][3] a field in biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms.[4][5]

Genetics is the process of trait inheritance from parents to offspring, including the molecular structure and function of genes, gene behavior in the context of a cell or organism (e.g. dominance and epigenetics), gene distribution and variation and change in populations. Given that genes are universal to living organisms, genetics can be applied to the study of all living systems, including bacteria, plants, animals, and humans. The observation that living things inherit traits from their parents has been used since prehistoric times to improve crop plants and animals through selective breeding.[6] The modern science of genetics, seeking to understand this process, began with the work of Gregor Mendel in the mid-19th century.[7]

Mendel observed that organisms inherit traits by way of discrete "units of inheritance". This term, still used today, is a somewhat ambiguous definition of a gene. A more modern working definition of a gene is a portion (or sequence) of DNA that codes for a known cellular function. This portion of DNA is variable, it may be small or large, have a few subregions or many subregions. The word "gene" refers to portions of DNA that are required for a single cellular process or single function, more than the word refers to a single tangible item. A quick idiom that is often used (but not always true) is "one gene, one protein" meaning a singular gene codes for a singular protein type in a cell. Another analogy is that a "gene" is like a "sentence" and "nucleotides" are like "letters". A series of nucleotides can be put together without forming a gene (non-coding regions of DNA), like a string of letters can be put together without forming a sentence (babble). Nonetheless, all sentences must have letters, like all genes must have nucleotides.

The sequence of nucleotides in a gene is read and translated by a cell to produce a chain of amino acids which in turn spontaneously folds into a protein. The order of amino acids in a protein corresponds to the order of nucleotides in the gene. This relationship between nucleotide sequence and amino acid sequence is known as the genetic code. The amino acids in a protein determine how it folds into its unique three-dimensional shape, a structure that is ultimately responsible for the protein's function. Proteins carry out many of the functions needed for cells to live. A change to the DNA in a gene can change a protein's amino acid sequence, thereby changing its shape and function and rendering the protein ineffective or even malignant (as, for example, in sickle cell anemia). Changes to genes are called mutations.

Genetics acts in combination with an organism's environment and experiences to influence development and behavior. Genes may be activated or inactivated, as determined by a cell's or organism's intra- or extra-cellular environment. For example, while genes play a role in determining human height, an individual's nutrition and health during childhood also have a large effect.

Although the science of genetics began with the applied and theoretical work of Gregor Mendel in the mid-19th century, other theories of inheritance preceded Mendel. A popular theory during Mendel's time was the concept of blending inheritance: the idea that individuals inherit a smooth blend of traits from their parents.[8] Mendel's work provided examples where traits were definitely not blended after hybridization, showing that traits are produced by combinations of distinct genes rather than a continuous blend. Blending of traits in the progeny is now explained by the action of multiple genes with quantitative effects. Another theory that had some support at that time was the inheritance of acquired characteristics: the belief that individuals inherit traits strengthened by their parents. This theory (commonly associated with Jean-Baptiste Lamarck) is now known to be wrongthe experiences of individuals do not affect the genes they pass to their children,[9] although evidence in the field of epigenetics has revived some aspects of Lamarck's theory.[10] Other theories included the pangenesis of Charles Darwin (which had both acquired and inherited aspects) and Francis Galton's reformulation of pangenesis as both particulate and inherited.[11]

Modern genetics started with Gregor Johann Mendel, a German-Czech Augustinian monk and scientist who studied the nature of inheritance in plants. In his paper "Versuche ber Pflanzenhybriden" ("Experiments on Plant Hybridization"), presented in 1865 to the Naturforschender Verein (Society for Research in Nature) in Brnn, Mendel traced the inheritance patterns of certain traits in pea plants and described them mathematically.[12] Although this pattern of inheritance could only be observed for a few traits, Mendel's work suggested that heredity was particulate, not acquired, and that the inheritance patterns of many traits could be explained through simple rules and ratios.

The importance of Mendel's work did not gain wide understanding until the 1890s, after his death, when other scientists working on similar problems re-discovered his research. William Bateson, a proponent of Mendel's work, coined the word genetics in 1905.[13][14] (The adjective genetic, derived from the Greek word genesis, "origin", predates the noun and was first used in a biological sense in 1860.)[15] Bateson popularized the usage of the word genetics to describe the study of inheritance in his inaugural address to the Third International Conference on Plant Hybridization in London, England, in 1906.[16]

After the rediscovery of Mendel's work, scientists tried to determine which molecules in the cell were responsible for inheritance. In 1911, Thomas Hunt Morgan argued that genes are on chromosomes, based on observations of a sex-linked white eye mutation in fruit flies.[17] In 1913, his student Alfred Sturtevant used the phenomenon of genetic linkage to show that genes are arranged linearly on the chromosome.[18]

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