“If everyone already agrees it's a great idea, you're probably too late. Our job is to recognize the people and missions that will seem obvious in hindsight, long before they become consensus."
“For the very first time, biologists packed nonliving components into a cell-like membrane, piece by piece, and witnessed the bag of molecules start to behave like life. The lab-made synthetic cell grew, replicated its DNA, and divided, demonstrating the basic functions of a cell cycle.
It’s “an impressive step,” said Jack Szostak, who studies the origins of life at the University of Chicago and was not involved in the research. “I don’t know of any other effort to put together an artificial cell from biological components that has progressed so far.”
The cell is not alive by any definition. It can’t survive without constant deliveries of food and ribosomes, the machinery needed to make proteins. It has no defenses or a good waste removal system. But it’s the strongest demonstration yet that it is possible to generate life from nonlife, a goal that synthetic biologists have been chasing for decades.
An Esh-Tech DroneLite system mounted on what appears to be a variant of FFG’s PMMC G5. Image: Esh-Tech
Esh-Tech, a new Israeli defense startup, unveiled its DroneLight laser defense system, aimed at countering unmanned aerial vehicles, at the Eurosatory exposition last month.
DroneLight combines high effectivity with very low energy consumption and a cost structure that is dramatically lower than traditional laser systems. The technology is based on a pulsed laser that uses only 4kw of energy and was developed internally by Esh-Tech.
“Most other lasers are continuous-wave systems that burn the target, meaning you need 10-15 seconds on target,”Erex Riahi, the CEO of Esh-Tech said. “[DroneLight] is making holes in the target like a bullet, but with light. There are no munitions limitations. We do five pulses per second and create multiple holes in a drone, which allows us to kill it efficiently.” (via BreakingDefense)
The White House goes all in on aliens with new UAP Science Advisory Council / OpenAI proposed donating 5% of its equity to a US sovereign wealth fund / Anonymous GitHub account mass-dropping undisclosed 0-days / AI Is Designing Radio Chips That Humans Couldn't Even Imagine / Can China build its own ASML? / The Boeing 747 Begins Its Final Descent / AI boom risks global financial crash, warn central bankers / In San Francisco, Even $180k Tech Salaries Are No Longer Enough / Scammers Sell Seeds for Exotic AI-Generated Flowers That Don't Exist / Something Is Wrong with Modern Longevity Science / Physical disc production ending in Jan 2028 for new games on PlayStation / Japan has 41% of the 100-year companies – secrets of 1,447-year survival / Why jet engines aren't made in China / How do wombats poop cubes? Scientists get to the bottom of the mystery / Meta Caps Internal AI Token Spending After Costs Approach Billions in 2026 / After 80 Years, Mathematicians Give Famed 'Erdős Method' an Upgrade / Dark web survey reveals Tor is smaller, shakier and more duplicated than expected / Scientists have only discovered a tiny fraction of living insect species / US govt lifts restrictions on powerful AI models, Anthropic says / The "Father of the Internet" is finally retiring / The Gooner Music Video Boom Is Here / Ancient Roman scrolls destroyed by Mount Vesuvius digitally unrolled in full for first time / Truckloads of Tesla Batteries Keep Getting Stolen Before They Even Leave the Factory / The Anti-Data-Center Movement Is Reshaping Michigan Politics / Gene-editing startups are using CRISPR to treat diseases / Should every baby's DNA be sequenced? / Building tech in the world's secret R&D hub / Agriculture is ready for AI, but its data isn't / Opinion: Venture capital's software bias constrains materials start-ups / SpaceX Alum Have Raised $9.2B, New Data Shows / Rocket Lab continues buying spree by acquiring satellite company Iridium / Arena, the AI leaderboard everyone uses, is now a $100M business
