S. Australian Health & Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) by Woods Bagot

“Inspired by a pinecone, the skin simulates a living organism with sunshades that adapt and respond to the sun’s orientation to mitigate daylight, heat load, glare and wind noise, while enhancing views and natural lighting and reducing energy use. This external treatment was selected early on to optimize the building’s conflicting requirements of large spans, curved envelope and the stringent vibration conditions needed for sensitive laboratory equipment. This project also includes collection & recycling of water, reduction in energy loads and intelligent mechanical systems that draw air in from the cooler lower levels. “

When a laboratory can turn out like this, you know there were focused progressive people involved and committed all along the way. Read more.

Xenobots

Made from frog embryos, these new lifeforms are millimeter-wide “xenobots” that can move towards a target. They may also be able to pick up a payload, such as a medication, that can be delivered to a specific place inside a person. The xenobots can also heal themselves after being cut.

The future is here. Read more.

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Covid Detect (At Home Test Kit) - Jonathan Rothberg

Our daughter, Greta (16), shared this article from the New Yorker with us in the early Fall. Rothberg’s test will be a self administered/at home/rapid test (30mins.) that is less than $20. Approval and roll-out projections are for January 2021, it has a very high accuracy rate and will hopefully be a game changer - in the meantime, where a mask and give everyone lots of space.

Rothberg received the 2015 National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

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Immortal Jellyfish

About the size of an adult human fingernail, these organisms have a remarkable ability - they can reset from old age to new again, hence the immortal. Turns out, other jellyfish may have this unique Benjamin Button gift as well. More here.

This story was recommended by my daughter Piper.

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CRISPR - Nobel Prize 2020

Chemists, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier have been awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize for CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) their gene editing tool. Duodena has a post doc from CU Boulder. Read more here.

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UK architects propose mobile vaccination containers

Waugh Thistleton Architects has proposed creating 6,500 mobile vaccination centers in shipping containers that could travel around the UK and immunize the entire population against coronavirus in 16 weeks.

The idea is - this would keep people from overloading hospitals/doctors offices, as well as, reach the more rural areas. Having a plan for the eventual vaccine is key.

See/read more here.

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Counter Culture Labs - Independent R &D

Anthony DiFranco is a medical researcher, self-described bio-hacker, and cofounder of the Open Insulin Project that was started at the Counter Culture Labs in Oakland CA. He has Type 1 diabetes. DiFranco and his team are working on a protocol to extract insulin from genetically engineered yeast cells and produce a generic drug at a cost of around $10 for a month’s supply. He says users could even eventually produce the drug in their homes. Read more here.

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