SpaceX Mechazilla, Diabetes Cure, Dream Communication, Neuralink, Genome Data Storage - Speciale Focus #23
Science is Awesome.
The Giant Tower Catches the Heaviest Man Made Flying Object Mid-Air!
SpaceX successfully launched and landed its Starship rocket during the historic Flight 5 on October 13, 2024. The mission featured a groundbreaking maneuver: the Super Heavy booster, the first stage of the 400-foot-tall rocket, was caught by the "chopstick" arms of the launch tower after a bull's-eye landing. This marked the first time SpaceX managed to capture the booster mid-flight, marking a significant step toward reusable spaceflight. The second stage, Starship, reached space but was not recovered, as expected. SpaceX aims to use Starship for missions to the moon and Mars in the future. Read More.
Cure for Diabetes?
A first-in-human clinical trial reported promising results in using chemically induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived islets (CiPSC islets) to treat type 1 diabetes. The patient in the study, after receiving autologous transplantation of CiPSC islets under the abdominal rectus sheath, achieved sustained insulin independence within 75 days. Over the course of a year, the patient showed excellent glycemic control, with time-in-target glucose range over 98% and normal glycated hemoglobin levels. No safety issues were observed, supporting further exploration of this therapy for diabetes treatment. Read more here.
Communication Via Dreams - Sci-Fi Much!
REMspace, a Silicon Valley startup, claims to have achieved a groundbreaking milestone on September 24, 2024, by enabling communication between two people in lucid dreams. Using specialized brain wave sensors and their dream language, Remmyo, participants successfully exchanged a word while asleep. This has huge potential to revolutionize communication, with future goals of real-time dream communication. After five years of research, REMspace is now focusing on commercial applications of lucid dreaming technology. Read more here.
The Blind can NOW SEE - Science is Awesomeeee!
The Blindsight device from Neuralink will enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see. Provided the visual cortex is intact, it will even enable those who have been blind from birth to see for the first time. To set expectations correctly, the vision will be at first be low resolution, like Atari graphics, but eventually it has the potential be better than natural vision and enable you to see in infrared, ultraviolet or even radar wavelengths, like Geordi La Forge.
-Elon Musk
We wanted to keep the announcement as is! Read more here.
Store Human Genome on Crystals that Last a Billion Years - It’s the Alt-Jurassic Park Guys!!!
Scientists from the University of Southampton have successfully stored the full human genome on a 5D memory crystal, which can last billions of years without degradation. This revolutionary data storage method could help preserve the genomes of endangered species and potentially aid in bringing humanity back from extinction in the distant future. The crystal, made of durable fused quartz, holds up to 360 terabytes of data and can withstand extreme conditions. It has been stored in the Memory of Mankind archive in Austria for future retrieval. Read more here.
This month has been awesome! Viva La Vida! Viva La Science!
We’ll leave you with this for the month and come back soon with another set of wow reads specially curated for the curious you!
Until then, Team Speciale signing off!