Category: Tech

In a breakthrough, Johnson & Johnson has developed an experimental pill that has shown promising results in a small human challenge trial against dengue fever. The drug is the first ever to show antiviral activity against dengue that has no specific treatments currently.

The trial, conducted in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, US, involved 10 volunteers who were administered a high dose of the pill five days before being injected with a type of dengue. They continued taking the pill for 21 days afterwards.

Remarkably, six of these participants showed no detectable dengue virus in their blood after exposure to the pathogen, nor any signs of an immune response to the infection over 85 days of monitoring.

The drug works by blocking the action of two viral proteins, thereby preventing the virus from replicating. It was well-tolerated by all trial participants, said the company after the trial. The early positive results support the ongoing Phase II trials of the pill, which is aimed at preventing the four types of dengue in real-world settings where the disease is prevalent. The next step will be testing the drug as a treatment.

In a groundbreaking medical achievement, Asia witnessed its first bloodless heart transplant, successfully executed in Ahmedabad. This landmark procedure has set a new precedent in the field of cardiac surgery, highlighting the city’s and the country’s prowess in innovative medical practices.

The operation was meticulously planned and carried out by a team of seasoned cardiac surgeons, anesthesiologists, and support staff. The patient, a Jehovah’s Witness, adhered to a faith that prohibits blood transfusion. Respecting these religious beliefs, the medical team employed advanced surgical techniques and blood conservation strategies to ensure a successful transplant without the need for blood products.

This surgical feat not only underscores the medical fraternity’s commitment to upholding patient values and beliefs but also showcases their ability to adapt and innovate in challenging circumstances. The successful outcome of this procedure has opened new avenues for bloodless surgeries in Asia, providing a beacon of hope for patients with similar beliefs and requirements.

Ahmedabad has thus etched its name in the annals of medical history, demonstrating that with skill, precision, and a commitment to patient-centered care, even the most challenging surgeries can be conducted smoothly, adhering to the highest standards of excellence. This success story from Ahmedabad is a testament to the progress and capabilities of Asian medicine, setting a shining example for the rest of the world.

Jeff Bezos’ aviation company Blue Origin has unveiled Blue Ring, a spacecraft platform focused on providing in-space logistics and delivery.

Blue Ring is part of a newly-formed Blue Origin business unit called In-Space Systems. It provides end-to-end services that span hosting, transportation, refueling, data relay, and logistics, including an “in-space” cloud computing capability, for missions in medium Earth orbit out to the cislunar region and beyond.

The platform can host payloads of more than 3,000 kg, and provides unprecedented delta-V capabilities and mission flexibility, the company said in a statement on October 16. It will be powered by a hybrid chemical and solar-electric propulsion system, designed and mostly manufactured by Blue Origin. It would harness electric power from roll-out solar arrays that span about 144 feet. A single Blue Ring could carry more than 6,660 pounds of payloads.

Blue Ring engines would not be repurposed from Blue Origin’s current engine line in use on the New Shepard suborbital system and other craft, said reports.

Headquartered in Kent, Washington, Blue Origin won a $3.4 billion NASA contract earlier this year to build a lunar lander for the US space agency’s astronauts.

Dubai Police plans to deploy fully electric, self-driving patrol cars equipped with artificial intelligence (AI). A prototype of the high-tech patrol car was unveiled in the five-day GITEX Global 2023 held at Dubai World Trade Centre from October 16-20.

These state-of-the-art patrol cars are equipped with sophisticated AI technology, enabling them to identify criminal activity, recognise individuals’ faces, and scan vehicle license plates. The design of these vehicles is tailored for deployment in residential areas, where the need for enhanced security is critical.

The vehicle has an advanced camera with a 360-degree capture capability. Its battery lasts up to 15 hours and can reach speeds of 5 to 7 kilometres per hour. It is also equipped with direct communication technologies, allowing it to liaise in real-time with the Command and Control Centre at the Dubai Police’s General Operations Department.

Notably, these innovative patrol cars come with an integrated drone, which can access areas that the vehicle cannot reach and maintains direct wireless communication with the patrol team once deployed.

Micropolis Robotics is responsible for the custom mechanical system of these vehicles, with each wheel having independent steering, braking, and throttle mechanisms. This unique set-up enables the patrol cars to move in multiple directions, including forward, backward, sideways, and even execute donut moves. Furthermore, these autonomous patrol cars operate almost silently, making them discreet in their surveillance efforts.

While the autonomous police patrol cars are currently undergoing further testing, they are expected to be patrolling the streets within the next year.

In a remarkable feat, a 21-year-old computer science student has harnessed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to decode letters from scorched scrolls dating back 2,000 years, which were once considered completely unreadable. The discovery was announced on October 19 by Professor Brent Seales, a computer scientist at the University of Kentucky, along with a team of collaborators.

They researchers initiated the Vesuvius challenge in March, an endeavour aimed at expediting the deciphering of these ancient texts. The challenge, supported by Silicon Valley investors, offered cash rewards to researchers, who could extract legible words from the carbonised scrolls.

The scrolls, comprising more than 1,800 charred papyrus documents known as the Herculaneum papyri, were unearthed in the 18th century in Italy. When the volcanic eruption in AD 79 reached the town of Herculaneum, it not only buried the Roman settlement, but also incinerated these scrolls in the library of a luxurious villa.

Two computer science students, Luke Farritor in Nebraska and Youssef Nader in Berlin, took up the Vesuvius challenge. They significantly improved the search process and, remarkably, both independently arrived at the same deciphered word. Farritor was the first to identify a word and was awarded $40,000, while Nader also succeeded and secured a $10,000 prize. Subsequently, more letters from these ancient scrolls have been uncovered by researchers.

Software company Adobe, at its annual MAX conference, unveiled a new futuristic “digital dress” that lets wearers change patterns on its surface on the go.At the conference, from October 10 to 12, in Los Angeles, California, Adobe showed major new AI capabilities, highlighting how generative AI can be used by design professionals in their daily workflow.

The dress, developed under Adobe’s Project Primrose, is made of sequins that are “reflective light-diffuser modules” built using liquid crystals such as those used in smart lighting. The sequins are basically tiny screens built using smart materials.

A video from the conference showed Adobe researcher Christine Dierk wearing the strapless outfit. The patterns on the dress begin to shift with the touch of a remote button. The dress not only had static changes, but also animated designs with patterns fading in and out. The researcher, who designed and stitched the dress, demonstrated that the outfit will even respond to movement.

The reflective-backed polymer-dispersed liquid crystal used in the dress is a material commonly used in smart windows. This low-power non-emissive material can be cut to any shape, and dynamically diffuses light. Designers can use this technology into clothing, furniture, and other surfaces for unlimited style possibilities such as the ability to download and wear the latest design from a favourite designer.

A mobile tower has been installed for the first time at Siachen Glacier, the world’s highest battlefield. In collaboration with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the army personnel established the base transceiver station (BTS) at forward posts on October 6 to extend mobile communication for the soldiers deployed at more than 15,500 feet, said XIV Corps or Fire and Fury Corps responsible for guarding borders with China and Pakistan.

Fire and Fury Corps posted the news on social media platform X on October 12. Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications, Government of India, and industrialist Anand Mahindra were among eminent people who also took to the social media platform to laud the significant development.

The new BTS has fulfilled the long pending requirement of mobile connectivity to the soldiers deployed in the most trying circumstances to guard borders with China and Pakistan.

Earlier, the 3,000 troops deployed at Siachen communicated through satellite phones and landlines. Mobile connectivity now gives them unhindered access to the rest of the world. It would also facilitate quick transfer of data and images from posts situated upwards of the Siachen base camp, where a soldier remains posted for 90 days due to the extreme harsh weather conditions. 

IIT-Bombay and Laurus Labs backed ImmunoACT have received the approval for India’s first CAR-T cell therapy, NexCAR19 (Actalycabtagene autoleucel) — a breakthrough treatment for some types of cancers — from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

NexCAR19 has been approved for relapsed-refractory B-cell lymphoma and leukemia.

The approval will offer hope to thousands of blood cancer and lymphoma (cancers of the lymph system) patients in the country who cannot afford to travel abroad to avail the cutting-edge therapy, an advanced form of immunotherapy first launched in the US in 2017. So far, most Indian patients went to the US where it cost around $400,000 or over Rs. 3.3 crore.

Patients who are eligible for the treatment can register with the hospitals offering the treatment for it, said the ImmunoACT in a statement on October 13.  To begin with, the therapy would be available in around 20 government and private hospitals treating cancer across most of the major cities, at around Rs 30-35 lakh per patient, it added.

As part of the phase 1 and 2 trial of the therapy in India, 60 patients underwent treatment across various hospitals, such as Tata Memorial Hospitals’ Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer in Mumbai.

The India-Pakistan ICC World Cup match on October 14 set a global streaming record with more than 3.5 crore people watching the clash on Disney+Hotstar. The new global streaming viewership record has beaten the record set by the Indian Premier League (IPL) final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans on May 29 with a viewership of 3.2 crore viewers.

In the match played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets to register its 8th World Cup victory against the team in a historic rivalry that has been on since 1991. With the massive win, India dethroned New Zealand from the top of the ICC World Cup 2023 points table. 

Indian bowlers dominated the game, as the Pakistan team was all-out on a low score of 191 runs all out in 42.5 overs. Apart from Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja all got two wickets each.

The batters reached the target in 30.3 overs. Indian captain Rohit Sharma blazed a 36-ball half-century and Shreyas Iyer gave the finishing touches with an unbeaten 50 runs. Sharma scored 86 runs off 63 balls, including six fours and six sixes.

Amazon’s first pair of prototype satellites for its planned Kuiper internet network was launched into space on October 6 from Florida, US. It is the company’s first step towards its mission of deploying thousands more satellites into orbit to beam internet service globally.

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket carrying the satellites lifted off from Cape Canaveral shortly after 2 p.m. Eastern time (1800 GMT). The mission aims to test Amazon’s first pieces of technology in space. The e-commerce and web services giant plans to deploy 3,236 more satellites in the next few years and offer broadband internet globally.

The two satellites were built at the US company’s satellite plant in Redmond, Washington. It later said that the satellites were deployed, and its mission operations center had made contact with them.

Amazon has pledged to invest $10 billion into its Kuiper project, which was announced in 2019. The US Federal Communications Commission has asked the company to deploy half its planned satellite constellation by 2026.

To deploy the rest of the Kuiper network, Amazon last year announced a bulk launch deal for 83 rockets. The largest commercial rocket procurement ever, the company will get the rockets from various companies, including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, ULA and Europe’s Arianespace.