Lab

As anyone who's ever seen a science fiction movie knows, whipping up a black hole in a laboratory doesn't seem like such a good idea. But that didn't stop researchers in England who wanted to see if they could create something in the lab that would serve as a black hole analog and give them greater insights into the way spacetime curves near the galactic gravity gobblers.So researchers from the University of Nottingham (UN), King's College London, and Newcastle University turned to vortices in fluids, which can, in some…

Sakana AI, a Tokyo-based artificial intelligence startup founded by two prominent former Google researchers, released AI models on Wednesday it said were built using a novel method inspired by evolution, akin to breeding and natural selection.Sakana AI employed a technique called "model merging" which combines existing AI models to yield a new model, combining it with an approach inspired by evolution, leading to the creation of hundreds of model generations.Elevate Your Tech Prowess with High-Value Skill CoursesOffering…

A study published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Risk Analysis suggests a higher probability of COVID-19 originating from a laboratory rather than naturally.Research points to an unnatural origin as the likely source for COVID-19.The origin of COVID-19 is highly debated – most studies have focused on a zoonotic origin, but research from the journal Risk Analysis, examined the likelihood of an unnatural origin (i.e. from a laboratory.)The results indicate a greater likelihood of an unnatural than natural origin of…

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says it has tightened security of its Level-4 National Microbiology Lab (NML) in Winnipeg years after two scientists were escorted out over concerns about security breaches, but experts worry the back door may still be open to graduate and post-doctoral students affiliated with the University of Manitoba. "We had scientists from a hostile country not only potentially sharing highly problematic material … but in the process, likely, it appears China picked up key operational and…

As we approach the arrival of the Fallout TV adaptation, it’s not too much of a stretch to assume a lot of people in the gaming world will be thinking about Bethesda’s ongoing series. With that, don’t be surprised to learn that you can now get customized Xbox Series X|S controllers themed after the post-apocalyptic franchise. The latest news story over on Xbox Wire shows the control pads that have been given some Fallout love. I don’t mean they’re highly irradiated. Rather, there’s a bunch you can now get from the Design…

Neutron experiments helped reveal the one-carbon enzymatic mechanism that synthesizes vital food sources for cancer cells that depend on vitamin B6, providing key insights into designing novel drugs to slow the spread of aggressive cancers. Credit: Jill Hemman/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of EnergyScientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are advancing cancer treatment research by designing drugs that target the metabolic pathways cancer cells rely on for growth. By mapping the structure of a key enzyme with neutrons and X-rays,…

The ‘Meth Lab Oompa Loompa Lady,’ whose real name is Kirsty Paterson, has been through a lot over the past week, but even she wasn’t ready for the latest twist in her story. After being forced to learn an AI-generated script for a disastrous Willy Wonka-themed event in Scotland and facing hordes of hate on X/Twitter, Paterson got a message from someone she never expected: Chrissy Teigen.Let’s Eat a Chocolate Xbox Controller“Somebody get the Wonka meth lab girl on Cameo immediately—while it’s still hot,” Teigen said in a…

One of the scientists who was fired from Canada's top infectious disease laboratory "intentionally" shared scientific information with China — potentially putting people's health in jeopardy — says an assessment by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).  The intelligence assessment was released late Wednesday afternoon by the federal government, along with hundreds of other documents about the mysterious dismissal of Dr. Xiangguo Qiu and her husband Keding Cheng.The scientists and their students worked in the…

The release of 623 pages of documents on the firing of two scientists from the National Microbiology Lab in 2019 understandably generated excitement around Parliament Hill on Wednesday, setting off a race to discover and frame exactly what kind of scandal they revealed.What the documents tell us is certainly interesting and relevant, and will help us fill in a picture that has been frustratingly incomplete for more than three years.But the biggest problem here might still be the one that was obvious from the start: the…

A spare robotic hand for Canadarm2 tested at Ottawa's David Florida Laboratory in 2015. The Canadian Space Agency says the lab can run tests ranging from –25 to 60 C. (Canadian Space Agency)The Canadian Space Agency has confirmed a west Ottawa spacecraft laboratory it calls "Canada's national facility for spacecraft assembly  integration" is closing at the end of March 2025.The David Florida Laboratory officially opened in 1972 in the Shirley's Bay complex off Carling Avenue. It's one of the few complexes in the world…