Researchers have synthesized new ingredients for the blueprint of life. Steven Benner, a pioneer in the field of synthetic biology, and his team created four new DNA letters, according a study out today in the journal Science. The new eight-letter genetic system, dubbed “hachimoji” (hachi meaning eight in Japanese and moji meaning letter), doubles the number of building blocks for life.
“A lot of people have hinted ...that the natural letters aren't the only sol ...read more
The Israeli spacecraft Beresheet launched is set to launch this evening on a trip to the moon, where it hopes to touch down in two months. This will be the first attempt at a lunar landing by a private company, and it's also the first launch by an Israeli spacecraft. Beresheet will take off from from Cape Canaveral on one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets at 8:45 Eastern time tonight.
Small Craft, Big Expectations
Beresheet’s creators are Israel Aerospace Industries and th ...read more
Scientists are still trying to figure out how the human body responds to long-duration spaceflight. It's an important and open research question as NASA moves toward more deep space missions. In particular, a mission to Mars could require at least a three-year round trip that would take a toll both physically and psychologically.
At the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference last week, researchers revealed new insights into the phy ...read more
Astronomers have discovered a star in the Andromeda galaxy that has been regularly erupting for the past million years, leaving behind one of the biggest shells of ejected material scientists have ever seen.
The new research, which was published last month in the journal Nature, not only marks the first discovery of such a super-remnant in another galaxy, it also paves the way for detecting a potentially massive population of repeatedly exploding stars, called recurrent novae, wh ...read more
Without those eight or so hours of precious shut-eye, many of us feel dazed, sluggish and downright useless. Sleep might be thought of as the great equalizer — birds do it, bees do it, every animal with a brain does it. But a new study suggests that might not be quite right after all.
A study published today in the journal Science Advances found that some members of a species of fruit fly could, to the jealousy of humans, function on practically no sleep. After being kept awake for severa ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine