A Big Grab For Humanity

Re-generatively cooled RL10 Thrust Chamber Assembly test validates 3D printing process

West Palm Beach FL (SPX) Jun 18, 2018 Aerojet Rocketdyne recently achieved a significant milestone by successfully completing a series of hot-fire tests of an advanced, next-generation RL10 engine thrust chamber design that was built almost entirely using additive manufacturing; commonly known as 3-D printing. “This recent series of hot-fire tests conducted under our RL10C-X development program demonstrated the large-scale add Full article

Science gets one horsepower fast

Who Needs Hard Drives? Scientists Store Film Clip in DNA

In a first, researchers converted a movie into a DNA sequence and inserted it into bacteria. They hope to someday use the technology to record cell behavior.

It was one of the very first motion pictures ever made: a galloping mare filmed in 1878 by the British photographer Eadweard Muybridge, who was trying to learn whether horses in motion ever become truly airborne.

More than a century later, that clip has rejoined the cutting edge. It is now the first movie ever to be encoded in the DNA of a living cell, where it can be retrieved at will and multiplied indefinitely as the host divides and grows.

The advance, reported on Wednesday in the journal Nature by researchers at Harvard Medical School, is the latest and perhaps most astonishing example of the genome’s potential as a vast storage device.

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Researchers Find New DNA Structure in Living Human Cells

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Your daily selection of the latest science news!

According to Breaking Science News

A team of scientists from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Universities of New South Wales and Sydney has identified a new DNA structure — called the intercalated motif (i-motif) — inside living human cells.

Deep inside the cells in our body lies our DNA. The information in the DNA code — all 6 billion A, C, G and T letters — provides precise instructions for how our bodies are built, and how they work.

The iconic ‘double helix’ shape of DNA has captured the public imagination since 1953, when James Watson and Francis Crick famously uncovered the structure of DNA.

However, it’s now known that short stretches of DNA can exist in other shapes, in the laboratory at least — and scientists suspect that these different shapes might play an important role in how and when the DNA code is ‘read.’

“When most of us think of DNA, we think of the double helix. This research reminds us that totally different DNA structures exist — and could well be important for our cells,” said co-lead author Dr. Daniel Christ, from the Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and St Vincent’s Clinical School at the University of New South Wales.

“The i-motif is a four-stranded ‘knot’ of DNA,” added co-lead author Dr. Marcel Dinger, also from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the University of New South Wales.

“In the knot structure, C letters on the same strand of DNA bind to each other — so this is very different from a double helix, where ‘letters’ on opposite strands recognize each other, and where Cs bind to Gs [guanines].”

Although researchers have seen the i-motif before and have studied it in detail, it has only been witnessed in vitro — that is, under artificial conditions in the laboratory, and not inside cells. In fact, they have debated whether i-motif DNA structures would exist at all inside living things — a question that is resolved by the new findings.

To detect the i-motifs inside cells, Dr. Christ, Dr. Dinger and their colleagues developed a precise new tool — a fragment of an antibody molecule — that could specifically recognize and attach to i-motifs with a very high affinity.

Until now, the lack of an antibody that is specific for i-motifs has severely hampered the understanding of their role.

Crucially, the antibody fragment didn’t detect DNA in helical form, nor did it recognize ‘G-quadruplex structures’ (a structurally similar four-stranded DNA arrangement).

With the new tool, the team uncovered the location of ‘i-motifs’ in a range of human cell lines.

Using fluorescence techniques to pinpoint where the i-motifs were located, the study authors identified numerous spots of green within the nucleus, which indicate the position of i-motifs.

The scientists showed that i-motifs mostly form at a particular point in the cell’s ‘life cycle’ — the late G1 phase, when DNA is being actively ‘read.’

They also showed that i-motifs appear in some promoter regions — areas of DNA that control whether genes are switched on or off — and in telomeres, ‘end sections’ of chromosomes that are important in the aging process.

“We think the coming and going of the i-motifs is a clue to what they do. It seems likely that they are there to help switch genes on or off, and to affect whether a gene is actively read or not,” said study first author Dr. Mahdi Zeraati, also from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the University of New South Wales.

“We also think the transient nature of the i-motifs explains why they have been so very difficult to track down in cells until now,” Dr. Christ added.

“It’s exciting to uncover a whole new form of DNA in cells — and these findings will set the stage for a whole new push to understand what this new DNA shape is really for, and whether it will impact on health and disease,” Dr. Dinger said.

The team’s results appear in the journal Nature Chemistry.

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This article and images were originally posted on [Breaking Science News] April 24, 2018 at 03:11PM. Credit to Author and Breaking Science News | ESIST.T>G>S Recommended Articles Of The Day

Well, money is usually made from paper.

If money did grow on trees, we’d probably be more concerned about protecting the environment.

Hunt for Huntington!

Possible Biomarker for Huntington’s Identified

A new discovery of a potential biomarker for Huntington’s disease (HD) could mean a more effective way of evaluating the effectiveness of treatments for this neurological disease. The findings may provide insight into treatments that could postpone the death of neurons in people who carry the HD gene mutation, but who do not yet show symptoms of the disease.

Gene discovery unlocks mysteries to our immunity

"It's exciting to consider that C6 has existed for more than 500 million years, preserved and passed down from simple organisms all the way to humans. But only now are we gaining insights into its importance."

Australia’s national science agency CSIRO has identified a new gene that plays a critical role in regulating the body’s immune response to infection and disease.

The discovery could lead to the development of new treatments for influenza, arthritis and even cancer.

The gene, called C6orf106 or “C6”, controls the production of proteins involved in infectious diseases, cancer and diabetes. The gene has existed for 500 million years, but its potential is only now understood.

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LISTEN UP YALL

scientists are saying we have about three years before all climate change effects are completely irreversible (meaning we are absolutely FUCKED). that’s just to avoid the worst of it (yes, all this shit with the fires and hurricanes is NOT the worst of it). so, i made a quick list of things people can do to start reducing their energy use and in turn, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and what not! -line/hang dry clothing - dryers use so much energy as it is and switching to the actually makes your clothing last so much longer! aka less energy spent on manufacturing and shipping clothing. -eat less meat - when i say this, it’s not specifically for the save the animals idea, but that is a huge bonus! factories that slaughter, process, and package meat use an insane amount of energy (another reason to switch to local as much as possible!!) -use less hot water - wash clothes in cold water, take shorter showers (or cold ones if you can handle that) -switch to reusable grocery bags -efficient light bulbs -carpool, walk, ride a bike, public transit -unplug electronics not in use - don’t leave things charging for too long. unplug your tv when it’s not being used. 40% of an item’s energy use is spent when it’s on standby!! -buy only what you need (look into minimalism guys, it’s real neat and saves money) -recycle -get a reusable water bottle instead of buying cases of plastic bottles - i bought one at walmart for 98 cents and i use it every single day. -plant your own garden or start a community garden! -composting -maintain air in car tires for better gas mileage -drive instead of taking airplanes -buy used items if they’re in good condition - why spend $20 on a shirt that you can find at goodwill for $1? same goes for books, CDs, and pretty much anything! save money AND cut down on energy use! -yall know that saying “reduce, reuse, recycle” -most importantly: TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT THIS ISSUE - i mean your friends, your family, your local government, everyone!! these are all small things and it’s just a start but if we can get everyone in on habits like these, we could reduce the population’s carbon footprint by SO MUCH! we don’t wanna end up like that movie wall-e guys. this is serious!!

) ... i mean ;)

Hmm

Two most important phenomens to live for: coffee and ISS in the space

Coffee in Space: Keeping Crew Members Grounded in Flight

Happy National Coffee Day, coffee lovers! 

On Earth, a double shot mocha latte with soymilk, low-fat whip and a caramel drizzle is just about as complicated as a cup of coffee gets. Aboard the International Space Station, however, even just a simple cup of black coffee presents obstacles for crew members.

Understanding how fluids behave in microgravity is crucial to bringing the joys of the coffee bean to the orbiting laboratory. Astronaut Don Pettit crafted a DIY space cup using a folded piece of overhead transparency film. Surface tension keeps the scalding liquid inside the cup, and the shape wicks the liquid up the sides of the device into the drinker’s mouth.

The Capillary Beverage investigation explored the process of drinking from specially designed containers that use fluid dynamics to mimic the effect of gravity. While fun, this study could provide information useful to engineers who design fuel tanks for commercial satellites!

The capillary beverage cup allows astronauts to drink much like they would on Earth. Rather than drinking from a shiny bag and straw, the cup allows the crew member to enjoy the aroma of the beverage they’re consuming.

On Earth, liquid is held in the cup by gravity. In microgravity, surface tension keeps the liquid stable in the container.

The ISSpresso machine brought the comforts of freshly-brewed coffees and teas to the space station. European astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti enjoyed the first cup of espresso brewed using the ISSpresso machine during Expedition 43.

Now, during Expedition 53, European astronaut Paolo Nespoli enjoys the same comforts. 

Astronaut Kjell Lindgren celebrated National Coffee Day during Expedition 45 by brewing the first cup of hand brewed coffee in space.

We have a latte going on over on our Snapchat account, so give us a follow to stay up to date! Also be sure to follow @ISS_Research on Twitter for your daily dose of space station science.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.