Science - It's life Jim but not as we know it...

Hadron Collider to be switched back on after a 3 year upgrade.

Exciting times.

 

stopped watching Big Bang theory after season 5 so not really bothered about this news tbh

 

Look up in the sky at the right moment this weekend and you could see two of the solar system's brightest planets almost touching.

Venus and Jupiter will be millions of miles apart, but from Earth they will appear close to colliding.

This planetary conjunction happens annually but this year they will appear much closer than usual.

The same spectacle won't occur again like this until 2039.

Just the naked eye or binoculars should be enough to see it in a clear sky.

After Saturday, the two planets will go their separate ways as they drift apart in the coming days.

"It's very exciting for astronomers and it's a really great opportunity for people to get out and have a look," explains space scientist and chief stargazer at the Society for Popular Astronomy Prof Lucie Green.

 

The insect population in the UK has decreased by as much as 60% in some areas.

How do they know this?

Because they had lots of volunteers counting how many were splat on their registration plates when driving.

^^^^^true story

Why was I interested in this story?

Because here's the reporter...

please log in to view this image

^^^^^ true story

 

What's the last thing that goes through an insects mind as it impacts the windscreen

Its arse

 

Released by NASA today, the first real image of Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the centre of our galaxy.

 

Our galaxy's anus. How cute.

 

Isn't nature amazing, Global warming depleted the ice shelves in Antarctica for two decades (due to human caused global warming) yet a shift in wind patterns has reversed that in 20 years (two decades). I wonder how the World survived without us monitoring these things

https://news.sky.com/story/parts-of...s-of-significant-loss-study-suggests-12611332

 

I'm going to put this in here instead of the rona thread only bcos it doesn't deserve to get lost among the conspiracy bollox.

I was listening to a molecular biologist on the radio talking about something called the drug delivery system which she specialises in and not only was her work incredible, but as she carried on explaining it, she opened up the implications for future cures as a result of her (and others') work on the Covid vaccine.

She began with mRNA - the thing that actually gives instructions to our cells to make the spike protein that's part of the coronavirus. The moment that mRNA is inside a cell, that cell knows it has to look at the code and make the protein associated with it. But as soon as that protein is made, the cell knows it doesn't belong there so pushes it out and holds it outside of the cell. This is to alert our immune system and when they come over and have a look at the spike protein and they know it doesn't belong there so they make antibodies which bind specifically to that protein spike. So that when coronavirus enters our body those antibodies are then ready to bind to the same spike proteins in the coronavirus, it then gets walled off from its surroundings - it can't interact with the lungs or other organs- and then it gets flushed out of our body.

All standard stuff...

However, the problem with using mRNA is that we've never been able to get it to go to the right places in our body. It goes into our bloodstream but we need it to go inside of our cells. mRNA is very fragile and it never makes it to the cells. Our bodies destroy it pretty quickly. She described it like a glass vase you're trying to have delivered without any packaging or bubble wrap. It'll get broken well before it reaches its destination, AND without a box and a label, the postman won't know where to take it anyway.

This is where she (and ppl in her specific field) comes in...

They've been working on a delivery system (the packaging material and label) for mRNA for 50 years. Through trial and error they've delivered in-tact vases to the wrong address, and broken vases to the right address. And packages that "return to sender". Until they got it right with something called Lipid Nanoparticles.

She explained that these are made up of lipids which is simply put - fat molecules. Fat is great packing material for several reasons. Firstly it's nice and bouncy... like bubblewrap. Secondly our cells are surrounded by fat to keep them flexible and protected. So they had the idea of using lipid nanoparticles around the mRNA as a trojan horse. Because the cell walls are similar to the lipid nanoparticles, they allow them to come inside. And that's when the mRNA is released into the cell.

So how do they make these balls of fat?

There are 2 lipids that are naturally occurring in our cells - Phospholipids - these form layers, but they're so loose they'll fall apart on their own. But then, there's a lipid called cholesterol. Yep, cholesterol. This provides the structural support so the nanoparticles don't fall apart. So they can make it from our bloodstream to our cells. In fact cholesterol is so important, that all of our cell membranes would collapse if they didn't have cholesterol and we'd be a pile of blubber on the floor.

Then there's something called the ionisable lipid. This takes on a charge and although it wasn't clear, I'm guessing it's a negative charge which then is attracted to the positive charge in the cells so it knows where to go.

It's the ionisable lipid that is made in the lab. And because every lab makes its own ionisable lipid, they have ownership of it. And it's THIS that gives each company propriety over their vaccine. So Moderna/Pfizer created their own ionisable lipid, Astrazeneca created theirs and so on. And this is the only important component that differs between the vaccines.

Finally there's something called the PEG which just acts like packing tape.

But here's the best part...

For mRNA therapeutics this is only the beginning. You can take that nanoparticle packaging and simply switch the mRNA you put inside it. Different mRNA can be used to treat many diseases. In the future she specifically quoted Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy and Sickle Cell Anaemia. She said we'll have treatment for cancer specific to each - breast, blood, lung, you name it. We'll put in mRNA that will teach those cells to find and kill cancer cells.

And then... we'll have vaccines against the deadliest viruses out there - including HIV.

And before you think I'm spunking my load, some of these treatments are already in clinical trials.

And it's Covid, our response to it through the vaccine, which will pave the way to these treatments. Without Covid we wouldn't have made such rapid progress to treat all kinds of diseases mentioned above. It was the pandemic which was the only thing that caused her and others in her field to use this mRNA technology. Because funnily enough, they didn't have many other options.

Humans eh... when we're at our best we're fcking awesome

 

The futures so awesome in brave new world init.

 

Appreciate you reading it, but there's a reason it's on here and not the other thread so let's not go there thanks Aber.

 

You trust science I get it.........no conspiracies in that field no siree.

Dont worry I'll let you lick you balls in private lol

 

K mate, thanks yeh.

 

Yous is kool......I'm outta anyways.....have a nice evening

 

The good thing about science is it's peer reviewed for accuracy and repeatable; it's testable for accuracy, and if it's not repeatable or accurate it's deemed false.

Compare that to conspiracy theories. It's not reviewed by experts. It's not repeatable. If it's proven false then that is considered positive affirmation that the government is converting it up so it must be true.

Science or Conspiracy theories... I put my trust in science.

 

The bad thing about science is it's highly dependant on grants and some feel pressured to find the results their benefactors are looking/hoping for.

Far from the majority but it does happen.

 

It does happen. And some people post bogus results, but the good thing about studies being published and in the open is anyone else can test to see if you're telling porkies.

 

This is Aber you're talking about. If he'd been around 100,000 years ago grass huts would've been part of a conspiracy to stop people getting vitamin D.

 

Peer reviews are a set up fella......and like Diego said depends on who is pumping in money for the results