Engineers from Penn State Applied Research Laboratory have a new approach for supercavitation which could enable submarines traveling at hundreds of miles per hour. In theory, a supercavitating vessel could reach the speed of sound underwater, or about 5,800km/h, which would reduce the journey time for a transatlantic underwater cruise to less than an hour, …
Researchers at Mayo Clinic have shown that senescent cells – cells that no longer divide and accumulate with age – negatively impact health and shorten lifespan by as much as 35 percent in normal mice. The results, which appear today in Nature, demonstrate that clearance of senescent cells delays tumor formation, preserves tissue and organ …
Genetically modified mosquitoes that would help fight the Zika virus are getting urgent attention from U.S. regulators as global health officials raise alarms about the pathogen’s spread. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is in the final stages of reviewing an application from Intrexon Corp.’s Oxitec unit to conduct a field trial in the Florida …
A thin coating of graphene nanoribbons in epoxy developed at Rice University has proven effective at melting ice on a helicopter blade. The coating by the Rice lab of chemist James Tour may be an effective real-time de-icer for aircraft, wind turbines, transmission lines and other surfaces exposed to winter weather, according to a new …
The star KIC8462852 (TYC 3162-665-1) is apparently a perfectly normal star, with no spectral peculiarities, appearing in the original Cygnus/Lyra field studied with the Kepler spacecraft. But then, the Planet Hunters project discovered in the Kepler light curve that KIC8462852 displays a unique series of aperiodic dips in brightness. There is a collection of ≈500,000 …
A proof-of-concept, phase 2 trial by an international research team has found promising results for a myostatin antibody in treating the decline in muscle mass and power associated with aging. “Myostatin is a natural protein produced within the body that inhibits muscle growth,” said Stuart Warden, a member of the research team who is also …
“Human performance will be as important, if not more important, than technology in 2030,” predicted a high-level Army intelligence expert. The reason is that “we’ve seen an erosion in our technological advantage to overmatch adversaries,” a trend that will continue, said Thomas Greco, G-2 for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Greco and Dr. …
Pakistan will build four of the eight submarines it plans to purchase from China, potentially speeding up the timeframe for delivery of the class to the Pakistan Navy, according to Rana Tanveer Hussain, minister for defence production. The minister did not specify when the construction would begin, but said it would be happening soon. A …
A team from Israel called SpaceIL has signed a contract to launch its robotic lunar lander toward the moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the second half of 2017. SpaceIL is therefore a strong contender to win the $20 million top prize in the Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP), contest organizers said. The …
A new navel hull, first noted under construction in imagery captured on 10 March, is in an advanced state of assembly at Dalian shipyard. China was reported to be ready to launch its first domestically built aircraft carrier, known as the Type 001A, on Dec. 26 according to Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao. IHS Jane’s …
China is building two aircraft carriers that will be the same size as its sole carrier, a 60,000-tonne refurbished Soviet-era ship, according to a new Taiwanese Defence Ministry report on the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Little is known about China’s aircraft carrier program, which is a state secret, although Chinese state media …