Pioneering work into DNA damage and repair

Tomas Lindahl, an unsung Hero, was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize for Chemistry along with Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar. I watched his 4 min short video. A humble man who decided to be in the the field of research. dedicating his entire life for a good cause. 

I would like to remind one more thing. Its the Seventh Nobel Prize and adds to Cancer Research UK tally of Nobel Prizes. A creative genius and a visionary. 

You can read more about it on  http://blueskiesbenchspace.org/index.php?pag=4

NASA releases global maps of six of Saturn's moons

NASA releases global maps of six of Saturn's moons. Over the past decade the Cassini-Huygens mission has done a great deal in order to keep it under intense examination. The global maps also represents the end of one of the legendary spacecraft's key mission objectives. During 1980s, the twin Voyager spacecraft provided some low-resolution maps of some of the bodies orbiting around the giant planet. But there were concerns which lead astronomers and scientists to explore more. And now, Cassini became the answer for their prayers, and over the past 10 years had found new moons, also gave us insight into the formation of Saturn's rings etc. Cassini helped in creation of stunningly-detailed maps of Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione, Rhea and Lapetus. 

Lapetus as mapped by the Cassini spacecraft

Rhea as mapped by the Cassini spacecraft

Dione as mapped by the Voyager mission

Tethys as mapped by the Voyager missions

Enceladus

Mimas

Rosetta mission reaches the next phase

Rosetta reaches the next phase. Over the next course of year, Rosetta will orbit around and observe a comet (first of its kind & the first to do so)  as it approaches the sun. You can read more on Rosetta mission

A Glue? Instead of Stitches for Heart? Really???

Human Heart

Researchers have developed a glue that might be an alternate for stitches for defects in heart. Jeffrey Karp, a post-doctoral researcher at MIT along with del Nido - a cardiac surgeon and a team of surgeons and engineers worked together to develop the new glue which was recently tested in hearts of living rats and pigs.

Jeffrey Karp have been working on new biodegradable polymers in his entire life time. He ultimately developed a material as a scaffold for growing artificial organs. Currently he is working as researcher with Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. In Boston, he met a cardiac surgeon named Pedro del Nido of Boston Children's Hospital. Pedro who specialized in sealing up children's heart defects asked Karp whether there can be an alternative solution for sealing up, something like a glue. But there were a lot of issues such as the glue have to be biodegradable, safe for use inside body, a but stretchy, and strong enough to hold onto a beating muscle which is continually awash in blood. This lead to the incredible invention. Karp's previous experience with cell scaffolding played an important role in the new development. The glue is made of friendly chemicals that cells produce. In the future this glue can be a gentler alternative to the stitching doctors for many surgeries.  

A blood vessel sealed with the New Surgical Glue

Its time to re-think about our energy sources: See this example!!!

The TidGen Power System takes advantage of one of nature's most consistent energy sources, "The Tide". It sits on the floor of a bay of or deep river, where water rotates the foils that drive a permanent magnet generator, sending about 150 kilowatts of electricity to the shore. The first TidGen Unit, was installed off the coast of Maine last, as a part of the ocean energy project connected to US Grid. Few weeks before an assessment was released and it showed there is no impact on the marine ecosystem. 

I think its time to take a look on to our energy sources, their capabilities and work for the future. Its not late yet... :)