Microsoft is starting to submerge its servers in liquid to improve their performance and energy efficiency. A rack of servers is now being used for production loads in what looks like a liquid bath. Microsoft claims it’s “the first cloud provider that is running two-phase immersion cooling in a production environment.” The fluorocarbon-based liquid works by removing heat as it directly hits components and the fluid reaches a lower boiling point to condense and fall back into the bath as a raining liquid. This creates a closed-loop cooling system, reducing costs as no energy is needed to move the liquid around the tank, and no chiller is needed for the condenser either.
With the $5 washable and reusable microchip, scientists can watch self-organising brain samples, known as brain organoids, growing in real time. The device, also dubbed a ‘microfluidic bioreactor’, includes wells in which the brain organoids grow. Each is filled with nutrient-rich fluid that gets pumped in and out automatically, like the fluids that flush through the human brain. The scientists placed human brain-differentiated stem cells in the wells and programmed fluid flow through the chip. Using a microscope above the platform, they could watch the brain tissue develop for a full week – essentially, until the organoids ran out of space in their tiny wells.
By using nanomaterial layers to package insulin, researchers have developed a stable and effective method for administering the hormone orally to rats without subjecting it to destruction by stomach acids. “Our work overcomes insulin oral delivery barriers by using insulin-loaded nCOF nanoparticles, which exhibit insulin protection in the stomach, as well as a glucose-responsive release.” The nanomaterials are also capable of holding and packaging up to 65% of their own weight in insulin. Because sugar itself triggers the release of insulin by the nanomaterials, the medicine and the body form a feedback loop that prevents overdosing.
A new study used botox to show that feedback from individual nerve cells controls the release of dopamine. The team collected dopamine neurons from dozens of mice and injected some of the brain cells with Botox, a toxin that blocks nerve cells from sending chemical messages to neurons and other cells. By injecting Botox into single neurons, the researchers hoped to show whether any signal to continue or stop dopamine release could only come from outside the “paralyzed” cell. The findings revealed a 75 percent drop in dopamine outflow, suggesting that dopamine neurons largely rely on their own discharge to determine release rate of the hormone.
United Airlines has started accepting applications for its flight academy, part of a push to hire 10,000 pilots by 2030 as more of its aviators reach the federally mandated retirement age of 65. United’s flight school is meant to provide training to pilots with little-to-no experience. United said it wants to train 5,000 pilots and aims for half of them to be women and people of color. United would fund $1.2 million in scholarships “to break down the financial barriers that limited access to the airline pilot career path for generations of women and people of color. JPMorgan Chase said it will provide another $1.2 million in scholarships to help increase diversity.
Toms is on the comeback trail with a different profit-sharing setup and a new image. A chunky soled version of its slip-ons, aimed at Gen Z-ers cool enough to wear them with their socks pulled up, will hit the shops this summer. Toms’ “one-for-one” shoe-giving promise, where it worked with humanitarian organisations to give a pair to children in poverty, has been replaced with a commitment to give a third of its profits to charity. This is as much as it can give away “while still keeping the lights on” with grants directed to community groups promoting mental health, trying to end gun violence and improving access to education.
Police in Belgium say they have seized almost 28 tons of cocaine with a street value of 1.4 billion euros after gaining access to an encrypted phone network. Since February 20, police seized 27.64 tons of cocaine at the port of Antwerp, including a record shipment of almost 11 tons overnight from 2-3 April. Police specialists gained access to encrypted messages from an encrypted messaging service called Sky ECC, which revealed detailed information about cocaine shipments. “This data provides elements in current files, but also opened up new criminal offenses. The international smuggling of cocaine batches plays a prominent role in intercepted reports.”
Paris officials have blamed a “political smear campaign” after angry comments and pictures of filthy streets spread on social media criticising a “trashed Paris”. The hashtag “saccage Paris” went viral over Easter, with many of the messages accusing the city’s Socialist leadership of ruining the capital. They complained of uncollected rubbish, damaged pavements and graffiti. The Paris deputy mayor said keeping the city clean had always been a problem. Among the thousands of tweets, Cyrille Capuano said that for years Paris had not lived up to its reputation as the city of light, and he accused Mayor Anne Hidalgo of turning it into a public dump.