A global research team has built five new synthetic yeast chromosomes, meaning that 30 percent of a key organism’s genetic material has now been swapped out for engineered replacements. This is one of several findings of a package of seven papers published March 10 as the cover story for Science. Led by NYU Langone geneticist Jef Boeke, PhD, and a team of more than 200 authors, the […]
Troy Toman, director of engineering at Planet Labs, explains how his organization effectively uses both AWS and Google Cloud. (via PCMag)
ABU DHABI // The number of Emirati students opting to enrol in Stem courses is slowly increasing, educators say. While about 70 per cent of students choose to study business or business-related subjects, more are looking at the benefits of choosing science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses, said Dr Warren Fox, head of higher education in Dubai’s education regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority. “There’s change […]
Comcast has completed its acquisition of Icontrol Networks’ Converge business, which creates Internet of Things (IoT) and connected home security solutions. Converge already powers Comcast’s XFinity Home, in that it allows Comcast to communicate with and manage security sensors that are part of Xfinity Home, and also supports home-automation devices like cameras and thermostats. While the terms of the deal remain undisclosed, Comcast SVP and XFinity Home […]
Qatar Airways will not take delivery of any Airbus A320neo aircraft this year as it looks to change its order to larger A321neos, Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said. The Gulf carrier has refused to take delivery of Airbus A320neos since December 2015, initially after performance issues with the aircraft’s new engines. “I have to scream at Airbus to get my planes faster. I am nearly eight […]
China’s Uber rival Didi Chuxing announced that it has officially opened its first US-based research and development lab in Mountain View, California this week. Didi Labs will seek out engineering talent and focus on artificial intelligence (AI)-based security and intelligent driving technologies, according to a statement made by the company. Founder, chairman, and CEO of Didi Chuxing, Cheng Wei said the company’s vision is to build an […]
Google Cloud Platform may not be the only cloud provider in an enterprise, but it’s willing to offer discounts to make sure it gets its share. (Image: Google Cloud/YouTube) Google Cloud Platform rolled out Committed Use Discounts, which are designed to pass along savings to enterprises for a one- or three-year purchase commitment to Google Compute Engine. Special Feature Cloud Computing: Moving to IaaS Infrastructure as a […]
By Ben Hirschler | LONDON LONDON Scientists have taken a big step toward designing complex forms of life from scratch by constructing five new artificial chromosomes of baker’s yeast, representing a third of the micro-organism’s genome, or genetic blueprint. The international team used computers to create laboratory-made versions of the threadlike structures that carry genetic code inside cells. Synthesizing genomes may alarm some who see biotechnologists “playing […]
Engineers Successfully Test the Parachutes for NASA’s Orion Spacecraft at the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground Source link
By Jessica DiNapoli and Makiko Yamazaki | NEW YORK/TOKYO NEW YORK/TOKYO U.S. nuclear firm Westinghouse Electric Co LLC has hired bankruptcy attorneys, in a sign that owner Toshiba Corp (6502.T) is more seriously weighing a Chapter 11 filing as an option to help it rein in a multibillion dollar financial maelstrom. People familiar with the matter said the nuclear engineering company had brought in law firm Weil […]
ABU DHABI // “You are better than us and you have to be better than us – there is no option, you have to be better than your fathers and grandfathers.” With these words, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed urged youths to learn skills that will make them globally competitive. The UAE will need generations of young engineers and scientists as it shifts from oil towards a knowledge-based […]
Uber has pledged to end the use of its “greyball” system for blocking officials from booking cars with its app — less than a week after the tool was made public. An investigation into its employees’ handling of the tool, which Uber has insisted is fully legal and has other uses, follows several inquiries from regulators about the technology. Last week’s revelation that Uber offices around the […]
Biomedical engineering researchers have developed inexpensive paper pumps that use capillary action to power portable microfluidic devices, opening the door to a range of biomedical tools. (via WSJ)
Dubai-based private ride-hailing app Careem is to extend maternity leave from 45 days to three months as part of plans to close the gender gap. By the end of 2017, Careem also aims to hire an increased percentage of female engineers, it said in a statement. The company said women currently make up 26 percent of Careem’s total workforce and 8 percent of senior leadership roles. Careem […]
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed addresses the Mohammed Bin Zayed Majlis for Future Generations. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court – Abu Dhabi The UAE will need generations of young engineers and scientists as it shifts from oil towards a knowledge-based economy, said Sheikh Mohammed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Hamad Al Kaabi / Crown Prince Court – Abu Dhabi […]
Continue reading the main story But the agent has his passport and has refused to refund his recruitment fee, he said. He has no money for a plane ticket. “There is a huge dependence on migrant workers who have employment terms that are no different than indentured servitude,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch, an advocacy […]
An international research team has engineered a molecule that uses light or electricity to convert the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide — a carbon-neutral fuel source — more efficiently than any other method of “carbon reduction.” The discovery is a new milestone in the quest to recycle carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere into carbon-neutral fuels and others materials. (via WSJ)
Today at the inaugural Udacity Intersect conference, the online education startup announced new robotics and digital marketing variants of its popular Nanodegrees — an effort to expand its corpus of 21st century skills-based courses. In addition to the new degrees, Udacity is adding 21 new hiring partners spanning the automotive, defense, tech, hardware and telecommunications industries. And, lastly, the company is partnering with Didi Chuxing for a new $100,000 competition to […]
A medical device developed at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) is set to help surgeons navigate complex and delicate procedures by acting as a robotic aid for accuracy. Created at UAEU’s College of Engineering, the Manipulator for Surgical Tools – for which patent approval has now been secured – employs a compactor robotic manipulator, which is specially configured with a remote “centre-of-motion” function that effectively gives the […]
A new study has documented the use of CRISPR-Cas9 mediated genome editing in the third domain of life, Archaea, for the first time. Their groundbreaking work has the potential to vastly accelerate future studies of these organisms, with implications for research including global climate change. (via WSJ)
Confide, a messaging app used inside the White House and touted for its ability to allow staffers to privately leak to the press, isn’t as secure as the company claims. The multi-platform app, which first broke onto the security scene three years ago but only recently made headlines for its use across the Trump administration, claims that nobody can intercept and read messages that disappear after they […]
By Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kubo | TOKYO TOKYO Rattled by North Korean military advances, influential Japanese lawmakers are pushing harder for Japan to develop the ability to strike preemptively at the missile facilities of its nuclear-armed neighbour. Japan has so far avoided taking the controversial and costly step of acquiring bombers or weapons such as cruise missiles with enough range to strike other countries, relying instead […]
Hey, it’s boss week here at Local Edition. This week, we’re going to spend a little time with a Florida editor who doesn’t fit many molds (started as a designer, doesn’t care for sandy beaches, etc.) As a reminder, this is week three in our four-week conversation about why we’re still in journalism. (You can subscribe here.) Hang around after the boss talk for a peek at […]
The inner workings of the CIA’s cyber-espionage operations were at risk of being laid bare on Tuesday, after WikiLeaks published what it claimed was the first part of a large trove of documents detailing the US agency’s techniques for hacking into smartphones, internet-connected TVs and other devices. The documents purported to reveal a stockpile of malware used by the CIA to break into some of today’s most […]
