, 2 min read
Science and Technology links (June 2nd, 2017)
Methylene blue rejuvenates old skin. You can buy methylene blue on Amazon and spray it on your face. It is reportedly safe, even in high concentration. Of course, you are likely to turn blue.
A school in the UK is offering a degree in eSport (video games).
There are 20 CRISPR (gene editing) clinic trials going on right now.
According to Bloom et al., ideas and in particular the exponential growth they imply are getting harder and harder to find.
Microgravity spurs genetic mutation.
The US pulled out of the Paris Agreement on climate change. What does that mean in concrete terms?
(…) since Paris was an entirely voluntary deal, Trump’s climate policies weren’t constrained in any meaningful way by our participation in it. Conversely, his climate policies won’t be substantively different now that we’re pulling out of Paris.
Samsung plans to make processors with 4nm features in 2020. As far as I know, this is half as small as any current processor.
Solar power is now cheaper than coal power in India.
The cortex is the part of the brain of mammals that is responsible for most higher-level brain functions. We sometimes lose some of the neurons in the cortex which, if this damage accumulate, can lead to serious cognitive problems. French researchers have shown that we can replenish these neurons using stem cells.
Japan is facing a decade-long period of stagnation, and it is running out of workers. So it is reportedly moving to legalize drone deliveries by 2020.
Some company claims that the blood plasma from young people can rejuvenate older people. This seems highly speculative and I would not recommend you try it. I would bet that the results are wrong. I am sure we can rejuvenate old human beings, but probably not through plasma transfusions.