Science

First all-private crewed orbital mission returns to Earth

Innovation4, the first all-private crewed mission into space, has returned to Earth. The Crew Dragon capsule chartered by billionaire Jared Isaacman splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida after three days in orbit.

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Landmark study presents evidence Alzheimer’s disease begins in the liver

An impressive new study is presenting robust evidence showing the toxic proteins thought to be the cause of Alzheimer’s disease may be produced in the liver and travel through the blood before landing in the brain causing neuron damage.

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SpaceX’s first all-private crewed space mission lifts off

The Inspiration4 mission has lifted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission differs from any previous crewed mission in that it is the first conducted entirely as a private venture.

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New jean-dying process shouldn’t give the environment the blues

While we may think of blue jeans as kind of earthy, basic clothing, the process by which they're dyed is definitely not eco-friendly. That may soon no longer be the case, however, thanks to the development of a new coloration technique.

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Engineers 3D print force-sensing metamaterial structures

Though you can make objects smarter by adding sensors to them, a team of MIT engineers has managed to 3D print metamaterial structures with electrodes directly integrated into them to allow objects to sense user interaction.

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Bioartificial kidney prototype aces lab tests, could replace dialysis

Patients with kidney failure require regular dialysis, an invasive and potentially risky treatment. But now researchers have successfully demonstrated a prototype bioartificial kidney, which can be implanted and works without the need for drugs.

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Kinky class of ceramics self-heals cracks at room temperature

Ceramic materials are strong and can stand up to heat very well, but they’re notoriously fragile. Now, researchers at Texas A&M have uncovered a previously unknown self-healing mechanism in a certain type of ceramic, which works at room temperature.

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Dental implant could heal infected gums by generating electricity

While implanted artificial teeth do offer a longer-term alternative to dentures, they may need to be surgically replaced if gum infections occur. Scientists are thus working on a better implant, that would generate electricity via mouth movements.

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Study finds that moth wingtips serve as bat-foiling “acoustic decoys”

Because both bats and moths are nocturnal, bats use echolocation to zero in on the insects when hunting them in the dark. A new study, however, suggests that some moths have evolved special wingtips to avoid becoming a meal.

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