Cosmic Log
Researchers at the University of Washington have cracked the code for producing molecular structures with tiny pockets – structures that are likely to expand the repertoire for custom-designed proteins.
The structures, technically known as beta sheets, are thought to have an effect on metabolic pathways and cell signaling. Knowing how to produce them synthetically in precise configurations could lead to new treatments for maladies such as AIDS, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
Two astronauts made quick work of a battery upgrade today during the International Space Station’s second spacewalk in a week.
NASA’s Shane Kimbrough and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet installed three new adapter plates and hooked up three new lithium-ion batteries during an outing that lasted nearly six hours.
They finished up their primary tasks in less than three hours, leaving plenty of time for “get-ahead” maintenance tasks.
As SpaceX prepares for its first Falcon 9 rocket launch in five months, a new report about the company’s finances is pointing to the importance of getting back to routine operations – and the importance of SpaceX’s satellite operation in the Seattle area.
Today’s report in The Wall Street Journal is based on a look at the privately held company’s internal financial documents. Those documents indicate that the company lost $260 million on revenues of nearly $1 billion in 2015.
The main factor behind that loss was the schedule disruption caused by the breakup of a Falcon 9 shortly after liftoff in June of that year.
Stanford geneticist Michael Snyder’s research into wearable biosensors has turned into a case study demonstrating the promise of predictive medicine – with Snyder as the star subject.
Snyder had himself and 59 other people hooked up with an array of up to seven biosensors that are designed to monitor heart rate, skin temperature, oxygen uptake, body activity and other health metrics.
The continuous sensor readings were supplemented by periodic lab tests, focusing on factors ranging from blood chemistry to gene expression. It’s similar to the personalized approach to wellness that’s being pioneered by Seattle-based Arivale.
“We want to study people at an individual level,” Snyder explained in a report on the study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
The study, published today in PLOS Biology, shows that it’s possible to associate deviations from a health baseline with environmental conditions, illnesses or other factors that affect a person’s health. Once those deviations are distilled into algorithms, wearable sensors could provide an early warning about conditions ranging from common infections to the early signs of diabetes.
For years, drug experts have issued warnings about marijuana, but an authoritative report issued today acknowledges its potential benefits – and says one of the biggest risks is not knowing more about marijuana’s health effects.
The report, issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, says the scarcity of research is “a significant public health concern for vulnerable populations such as adolescents and pregnant women.”
Sixteen experts in public health and related fields spent months reviewing thousands of studies that have been done to date, and cited evidence that marijuana and its cannabinoid spin-offs can alleviate chronic pain in adults. Short-term use can help alleviate muscle spasms related to multiple sclerosis, or the nausea and vomiting related to chemotherapy.
On the flip side, the report confirms that driving and marijuana don’t mix, and that unintentional ingestion of the drug leads to overdoses in children.
If renewable energy is on the rise in America, why should we even bother with nuclear power? Seattle tech maverick Nathan Myhrvold, who’s backing a next-generation nuclear venture called TerraPower, explains the rationale in terms of toasters.
Myhrvold lays out his toaster analogy in an extended video clip from “Nova: The Nuclear Option,” a PBS documentary that premieres tonight.
The program looks at the prospects for nuclear power five years after an earthquake and tsunami dealt a crippling blow to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant. Fukushima’s foul-up dealt a blow to nuclear power’s image as well, but tonight’s show focuses on next-generation technologies aimed at making fission-generated power safer and easier to manage.
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, held back from a commitment to continue supporting transit projects that are already in the pipeline for the Seattle region during today’s Senate confirmation hearing.
The opportunity to do so came during questioning by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who made reference to Washington state’s rapid economic growth.
“We have growth, we have an economic engine, but we desperately, desperately, desperately, desperately need the infrastructure investment,” Cantwell told Chao.
In November, voters in King, Pierce Snohomish counties approved a $54 billion package to expand Sound Transit bus and rail service over the next 25 years. However, the Sound Transit 3 package assumes that the federal government will kick in $4.7 billion to cover some of the construction costs.
President-elect Donald Trump says he’ll turn to the tech industry leaders he met with last month to help his administration come up with better measures to guard against hackers in Russia and elsewhere.
During today’s first formal news conference since his surprise win since the presidential election, Trump referred to the summit that he had at Trump Tower in Manhattan with such luminaries as Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
He said that meeting attracted “some of the greatest computer minds” in the world.
“We’re going to get those minds together, and we’re going to form a defense” against future computer intrusions, Trump said.
Later on, Trump gave a timetable: “Within 90 days, we will be coming up with a major report on hacking defense,” he said. “How do we stop this new phenomenon, this fairly new phenomenon, because the United States is hacked by everybody. That includes Russia, and China, and everybody.”
Alabama GOP Sen. Jeff Sessions faced a wide range of questions during today’s Senate hearing on his confirmation as attorney general, including a few that point to potential pressure points in Washington state and other parts of Cascadia.
We’ll focus on three of them here: marijuana, immigration issues and cybersecurity issues.
The University of Washington’s Hyperloop team is getting ready to compete in a set of pod races aimed at blazing a trail for a new means of near-supersonic travel – but they need a little help to get to the starting line in California.
This week, team members kicked off a crowdfunding campaign on UW’s Useed online platform to raise $20,000 for their quest.
“it’s paramount for our current and future success,” Luke Marcoe, the team’s marketing and public relations lead, told GeekWire in an email.
The campaign already has gotten into high gear: More than $10,000 was raised on the first day, thanks to contributions from just two donors.