NEUROPROSTHETIC BREAKTHROUGH
Scientists have developed a technology that allows people with paralysis to communicate even if they are unable to speak on their own
Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) is somewhat of a controversial topic when it comes to the moral and ethical use of this futuristic technology. If used ethically, however, BCI could have great applications in the future of healthcare. I have written about its use cases on previous occasions. The most recent one was in late 2020 when I touched on the First-ever Plug-and-play BCI device which translates brain activity into action. Then there was a similar story like today in 2019, where A Mind-reading exoskeleton let a completely paralyzed man walk.
Moving on to the most recent breakthrough is the development…
JUPITER’S AURORA
Astronomers have been observing Jupiter producing strong X-ray auroras for four decades but didn’t know how it happened
One thing that the recent observations around other planets in our solar system have confirmed is that northern lights aka aurora borealis or southern lights (aurora australis) as we know them are a far common occurrence than we may have believed previously. The “dancing lights” phenomenon as we see near the poles of our own planet occurs when charged particles from the Sun interact with the Earth’s atmosphere.
Last summer, I wrote about a similar phenomenon occurring around Mars, when ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) confirmed a Green Glow around the Red Planet, which was originally observed by the International…
WEEKLY BUSINESS ROUNDUP
The state of Financial markets & Economies, Weekly Charts, Business Trends & Statistics
Despite phenomenal earnings with a record number of companies in the S&P 500 beating analysts’ forecasts, investors are erring on the side of caution, as guidance for the current quarter and the rest of the year remains weak. At the same time, sweeping crackdowns across China against tech companies continued to send shockwaves across financial markets. U.S stocks posted modest losses on light summer volume Friday, with Amazon dropping the most in more than a year (7%) after reporting its first quarterly revenue miss in three years and providing disappointing guidance.
Nevertheless, the major U.S equity averages wrapped up a…
GENE THERAPY BREAKTHROUGH
A Phase 1 trial conducted on kids suffering from a very rare genetic disorder returned extraordinary successful results
Taking cues from their previous work on AADC gene therapy in patients with Parkinson’s disease, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospitals conducted a highly successful trial on children with an extremely rare and devastating genetic disorder. The AADC deficiency affects only 135 children globally — known to be missing the AADC enzyme, the disorder affects people of Asian descent disproportionately.
While previous studies conducted in Taiwan and Japan showed some clinical benefits, but they were not significant. The lead researcher of the current study, Krystof Bankiewicz, pioneered a gene therapy to treat Parkinson’s patients with…
CRYPTO TRADING
Recent data suggests that 75% of the absolute price gains & losses in Bitcoin since 2020 occurred in just 25% of the days
Ever wondered why there is so much talk around Bitcoin & crypto prices going up or down? That’s because most of the time, these moves happen n a short span combined with a lot of volatility — which is a trademark for digital assets. If you are like me, who has followed the crypto markets for many years now, you would know how the Bitcoin market switches into phases of extreme price change depending on supply and demand and the price ceiling or floor of these phases.
Looking back at the Bitcoin market action since Mar. 2020, we see these…
FUTURISTIC INFORMATION PROCESSING
This novel discovery may prove pivotal in improved data transfer among classical & quantum computers alike
As we head into a world where tons of data is produced every minute, the need for improved & seamless data transfer becomes ever more important — especially with the futuristic quantum computers on the horizon. Earlier in February, I wrote about how researchers were able to determine the minimum time for complex quantum operations to process. And this is where the most recent research about electronic gates garners so much importance.
Most of you, who have studied Physics at the school level should have a fair idea of how they function — these miniature circuits are basically gatekeepers for…
GLOBAL GDP PER CAPITA
Visualizing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of all the countries and analyzing the differences
Gross Domestic Product measures the market value of all the final goods and services produced in an economy within a year. While GDP per capita provides an understanding of how each country’s citizens live on average, showing a representation of the quantity of goods and services created per person. And currently, it provides one of the best metrics to measure a country’s wealth.
The standard of living in tandem with the GDP per capita has improved immensely over the past three decades with the recent pandemic creating a temporary roadblock. Projections for global growth in 2021 and 2022, covered earlier…
MICROBIAL LIFE
Methane levels detected in the icy plumes of Saturn’s sixth-largest moon point to the possible existence of microbial life
NASA’s landmark Cassini mission provided us with a treasure trove of data from the two gas giants, Jupiter & Saturn, and their moons. The 13-year mission provided valuable insights into the atmosphere and composition of the two biggest planets and their satellites. Astronomers have been short-listing candidates for the possible existence of microbial life on these alien worlds. One of the promising candidates is Enceladus — Saturn’s sixth-largest moon.
Earlier in 2019, I wrote about plumes of ice vapor that were discovered in the moon’s atmosphere — hydrothermal vents pull materials from the moon’s core, mix them through its massive…
CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY
In a novel study, researchers were able to block a protein called MDM2, which disables protein p53 — a tumor-suppressing agent
Immunotherapy has shown great promise to treat different kinds of cancers. Doctors around the world using it as an additional tool to treat the deadly disease in addition to conventional treatments. Back in 2019, I wrote about a major breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy which involved removing the patient’s T-cells & programming them to target individual cancer cells before injecting them back into the body. Researchers have continued to improve immunotherapy techniques and make them more effective.
Scientists at Karolinska Institute in Sweden have made another significant breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy. The team has blocked a protein that silences an important…
WEEKLY BUSINESS ROUNDUP
The state of Financial markets & Economies, Weekly Charts, Business Trends & Statistics
After a massive sell-off to begin the week last Monday, the major U.S. averages reached new heights as they posted four straight sessions of gains. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all closed at all-time highs, with the Dow finishing above 35,000 for the first time ever — bringing its 2021 gain to 14%, and rising 1% for the week. The S&P 500 rose 2% for the week and the Nasdaq Composite added 2.8%. The 10-year Treasury yield rebounded to 1.29% on Friday, easing concerns about the economy.
The change in sentiment from the beginning of the week, when worries…
Faisal Khan
A devout futurist keeping a keen eye on the latest in Emerging Tech, Global Economy, Space, Science, Cryptocurrencies & more
