Brine Is Your Friend 

Promethean Rebirth by ChaosFissure

Wind tunnel testing plays a major role in the planning of many space missions. Here a model of the Mars Sample Return Orbiter is tested at Mach 10 to determine the heat shield’s response to aerobraking off Mars’ atmosphere. The colors are the result of electron beam fluorescence, in which an electron gun is used to ionize molecules in the flow, which causes them to emit photons (light). The technique can be used for flow visualization–as in the case of the shock waves shown here–or to measure flow characteristics like density, temperature, and velocity. (Photo credit: Thierry Pot/DAFE/ONERA)

SCIENCE IS COMING.

In honor of the release of Game of Thrones Season 6 today, check out these amazing House designs made by students from the Albert Einstein Institute. Each Game of Thrones inspired sigil celebrates a different changing project in physics and space exploration. 

House Hubble - Hubble Space Telescope

House ISS - International Space Station

House ITER - Nuclear Fusion Project 

House LHC - Large Hadron Collider

House Curiosity - Mars Science Laboratory

House LISA - Laser Interferometer Space Antenna

House JWST - James Webb Space Telescope

House VLA - Very Large Array

I’m super torn because while I’m #teamradioforever, I’m also a lifelong #hubblehugger. I guess if I’m forced to chose, it might have to be House VLA. 

- Summer

[HT Charee Peters]  

Creatures of the Mechazoic Era,

Chase Black

CRISPR/Cas Just Got About One Hundred Million Dollars Hotter

CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated announced  that they will be entering into a 105 million USD strategic research collaboration focused on developing therapeutics for genetic disease.

In more detail, what does that mean? A number of genetic mutations are responsible for inherited diseases, and two examples of this are cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutations within the CFTR gene which lead to a broken or non-folding protein, this in turn prevents the proper dilution of mucosal secretions and thus leads to numerous pathologies. Sickle cell anaemia/disease, by contrast, is due to mutations within the gene coding for haemoglobin leading to protein aggregation and disruption of red blood cell structures. It is predominantly found in descendants from malaria-prone areas, as the mutation – at least in heterozygotes – provides innate resistance against malarial infection.

The collaboration between Vertex and CRISPR will initially focus on developing therapeutics for cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia, with other unspecified genes also on the target list

Full Story: Syniobeta

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