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Scientists’ accidental find reveals Vitamin C kills tuberculosis bacteria

“Scientists said Tuesday they had managed to kill lab-grown tuberculosis (TB) bacteria with good old Vitamin C — an ‘unexpected’ discovery they hope will lead to better, cheaper drugs. A team from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York made the accidental find while researching how TB bacteria become resistant to the TB drug isoniazid. The researchers added isoniazid and a ‘reducing agent’ known as cysteine to the TB in a test tube, expecting the bacteria to develop drug resistance. Instead, the team ‘ended up killing off the culture’. In the lab tests, the bacteria never developed resistance to Vitamin C — ‘almost like the dream drug’, Jacobs said.” Continue reading →

NASA taps 3-D printer firm for ‘Star Trek’-style food replicator

“U.S. space agency NASA has tapped 3-D printer firm Systems & Materials Research Corporation (SMRC) to create the first-ever ‘Star Trek’-style food replicator using 3-D printing technology. According to Quartz, NASA gave the company a six month, $125,000 grant contract to focus on developing 3-D printers that use cartridges full of carbohydrates, protein powders and oils that can be combined in layers to produce food.
Grocery stores could be gradually transformed to ultra-cheap cartridge retailers while non-nutrient edible products are phased out by market forces.” Continue reading →

Company develops new fiber-reinforced wood, concrete ink for 3D printing

“Emerging Objects has developed a wealth of new materials, such as paper (made from recycled newsprint) as well as a printable salt material. The company has also developed a cement polymer that can be reinforced with fiber, which means the objects can be stronger than standard concrete. Some other materials used for printing are nylon — so you can 3D-print your dog some new bones, presumably — acrylic, and wood (which is made from hard and soft recycled wood) which can also be fiber-reinforced in order to provide it with extra strength.” Continue reading →

‘Campaign to Stop Killer Robots’ calling for ban on ‘fully autonomous weapons’

“The idea of autonomous killer robots may seem like the stuff of science fiction, but human rights groups are already preparing for what appears to be the future of weaponry. The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, a coalition of international groups, is preparing for a global summit in Geneva Switzerland on Wednesday, May 29 that will review a U.N. report on these types of weapons that was released earlier this week. The Campaign hopes to convince nations to sign on to an international ban on autonomous weapons.” Continue reading →

Federal appeals court rules bin Laden death photos can remain classified

“A US appeals court ruled Tuesday that the federal government is not required to release photos that were taken of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden after he was killed by special forces. The Al-Qaeda leader was slain at his Pakistani compound in May 2011 by US Navy SEAL commandos, who took pictures of their target’s corpse in order to confirm the success of their mission. In a 14 page opinion, the judges wrote that The Central Intelligence Agency had refused to release the photos ‘on the ground that the images were classified Top Secret. We affirm because the images were properly classified and hence are exempt from disclosure,’ they ruled.” Continue reading →

Fort Hood shooting suspect paid $278,000 by Pentagon while in jail

“In a response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the station, the Defense Department confirmed that Nidal Hasan has continued to receive his usual salary while awaiting trial for an attack killing 13 service members and wounding 32 others due to a clause in the Military Code of Justice preventing his salary from being suspended unless he is proven guilty. Jury selection for Hasan’s trial is scheduled for May 29, with testimony set to begin on July 1. At the same time, the station reported that the Army has refused to classify the victims’ injuries as ‘combat-related,’ denying them wartime benefits accorded to service members and combat-related pay.” Continue reading →

Cannes Film Festival rocked as $1 million worth of red carpet ‘loaner’ jewels are stolen

“Jewellery worth more than $1 million due to be loaned to stars treading the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival was stolen in a pre-dawn heist on Friday but the coveted Palme d’Or trophy was safe, officials said. In a scenario itself worthy of a movie, thieves broke into the room of an American employee of Swiss bijoutier Chopard, ripped a safe off the wall and made off with the jewels, according to police reports. Last year, thieves made off with four watches worth 400,000 euros ($513,000) belonging to football stars Souleymane Diawara and Mamadou Niang who were in Cannes for the festival.” Continue reading →

Hell Freezes Over? French Support Spending Cuts by Overwhelming 4-1 Margin

“According to new polling data from Pew, the people of France support spending cuts over spending increases by a margin of 81-18, an astounding result. I’m also surprised that the Spaniards and Italians support spending cuts. The polling results are especially impressive considering that Pew asked the question in a very biased way, presupposing that Keynesian economics actually works. The fact that so many Europeans saw through this inaccurate wording is very encouraging.” Continue reading →