Astronauts on the ISS are looking for solutions to problems that may arise during a long flight
The flight of Russian cosmonauts and NASA astronauts, participants of the 70th long-term expedition, continues at the International Space Station. A long stay in space causes physical changes in the human body. For example, the condition of bones and muscles deteriorates. Therefore, the health of astronauts is closely studied by doctors and scientists.
Saturn’s moons: organic compounds discovered on Enceladus; Mimas has a subglacial ocean
The Cassini probe delivered new information about the moons of Saturn. In the subglacial ocean of Enceladus, Saturn’s moon, many organic compounds involved in the synthesis of proteins and DNA were discovered. This is very similar to the “primordial soup” that existed on Earth billions of years ago. There may be life on a distant, icy world at the edge of the solar system. Saturn has 146 moons, the most in the solar system. The largest one, Titan, has long been considered the most interesting. The Huygens lander was sent to it as part of the Cassini mission in 2005. Behind the dense atmosphere, the probe saw a lifeless, cold world, shrouded in smog, with seas and lakes of methane. Some evidence suggests that there is an ocean below the surface.
Scientists have grown a mini-biocomputer from human stem cells – Brainoware
Bioengineers from Indiana University in the US have combined lab-grown human brain tissue with microelectrodes. The scientists called their creation Brainoware. The biocomputer is in its early stages of development, but can already perform complex tasks such as voice recognition. Lead researcher Dr Feng Guo hopes his lighter-than-usual software will help advance artificial intelligence technology. This could also mean that AI hardware uses much less power than using silicon chips alone.
Scientists from Shanghai are developing a method for growing mammalian offspring from a single egg
It is still very difficult to carry out the “virgin fertilization” procedure on a large scale in practice – it is impossible to edit with equal efficiency all the regions in the genome responsible for suppressing part of the genome, that is, for genomic imprinting. There is a high probability that at least one of them will not be “corrected” – and this immediately reduces the viability of the resulting new organism.
Heredity determines the age at which old age sets in
Humans, giant tortoises, and other animals have genes responsible for DNA repair, namely for the correct repair and self-destruction of cells that have received severe mutations.
The next breakthrough in the field of genetics – obtaining offspring of a certain sex and an artificial form of life
A new type of artificial life is called a “living programmable organism”: xenobots, millimeter-sized.
Russia will store and collect genetic information for research
In the Russian Federation, a National Genetic Information Database will be created by 2024, and in 2009 a “forensic” genetic information database was formed.