Surgeons transplanted a pig kidney into a human in a world first

SpaceX launches are causing ‘falling debris’ and ‘unplanned fires’ in Boca Chica, China’s new FAST telescope could detect alien probes in our solar system Oct 20, 2021 # Good morning. In a milestone achievement that offers a glimmer of hope to thousands of people desperately waiting for organ transplants, surgeons successfully transplanted a pig's kidney into a human patient. Also in today’s issue, some people voiced their dissent on SpaceX’s roaring launches, which they say cause “falling debris” and “unplanned fires” in Boca Chica. Additionally, China’s new and gigantic radio telescope could detect alien probes of the most apocalyptic variety in and beyond our solar system. Fingers crossed things will stay quiet on this interstellar front. This is The Blueprint. Happy reading. CULTURE [SpaceX Launches Are Causing ‘Falling Debris’ and 'Unplanned Fires' in Boca Chica]( [SpaceX's Starship, fully stacked.]( Turns out, launching rockets can seriously change the neighborhood, and not everyone enjoys having front-row tickets to the world’s biggest space shows while trying to drink their morning coffee. Who among us? - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) [held a public hearing on Monday]( for members of the public to express their views on SpaceX's next Starship flights, which will resume at the company's Boca Chica, Texas facility. Some people had sharp comments about Elon Musk's aerospace firm. The flip side of the coin. One of these speakers was Sharon Wilcox, a Texas-based representative for a conservation nonprofit called Defenders of Wildlife. She said the group was "deeply concerned about the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts" of the launches, including "unplanned fires, debris fall, and debris removal.” Another local who lives only a few miles from the forthcoming launch site argued that her concerns about [noise from the rockets]( were relevant. "This is a project that is profoundly going to change our area," she said. "Please do your job and stop it." - These and other statements raised during the hearing were critical of SpaceX, but most weren't, especially the ones from people who didn't live in Texas. What’s next? Another public hearing, the final one, is scheduled for later today at 6:00 PM EDT, as the FAA nears the completion of its environmental evaluation of SpaceX's Texas aerospace facilities. The hearings and [the FAA's further assessment]( are among the final obstacles Elon Musk's firm faces before it can receive the "all-clear" to execute launch operations within its Boca Chica site. [Read More]( HEALTH [Surgeons Successfully Transplanted a Pig Kidney into a Human Patient In a World First]( [An illustration of a kidney.]( A surgical team led by Robert Montgomery, a doctor at the New York University's Langone Health center, [successfully transplanted a pig kidney]( into a human recipient last month, marking a scientific breakthrough that could one day yield a massive new supply of organs for severely ill patients. - Why is this so important? This is the first time a kidney from a different organism has been transplanted and not been rejected by the human host's immune system. The road to this milestone achievement was not easy. Pig cells produce a sugar called alpha-galactose, which is found in all mammals except humans. So, when a regular pig organ is transplanted into a human, it comes with alpha-galactose, which is a foreign substance to the human immune system. Because of this, the human body attacks and eventually rejects the transplant. To combat this problem, a team of researchers from Revivicor, a biotech firm, engineered the genetic make-up of pigs to eliminate the alpha-galactose gene, raising a herd of 100 [genetically modified pigs]( at a contained facility in Iowa. - The operation. The operation was carried out on a brain-dead patient. Following her death, her body was placed on a ventilator, and a kidney from one of Revivicor's special pigs was attached to blood vessels in the upper leg outside the abdomen. During the 54 hours it was observed, the organ continued to function perfectly as blood flowed through it. There was no evidence of organ rejection. Room for optimism. This successful demonstration offers a ray of hope to hundreds of thousands of Americans who are currently on waiting lists for organ transplants. Today, there are roughly [90,240 people waiting]( for a suitable kidney donor, and estimates suggest 12 people die every day while waiting on a suitable organ. By sourcing them from pigs, we could shorten the wait and improve the quality of life for thousands of people. While Revivicor has received FDA approval for gene modification, the company still has a long way to go [before the organs can be transplanted]( into living humans. So far, no scientific data on the recent kidney transplant has been released, and it will require technical examination before it’s declared a complete success. [Read More]( INNOVATION [China's New FAST Telescope Could Detect Alien Probes in Our Solar System]( [China's FAST radio telescope.]( Hear us out: Self-replicating probes from an alien civilization may sound far-fetched, but they could become a serious nuisance to budding planetary societies like ours. - This is pure speculation. However, we have an ace in the hole: China's new massive radio telescope [might be capable of detecting swarms of alien probes]( at relatively vast distances from our Sun. And when it comes to galactic annihilation by alien probe swarms, a word of warning in advance would be greatly appreciated! Also called von Neumann probes, the idea of a self-replicating swarm of robots from an alien world has remained science fiction for decades, possibly because we haven't really looked for them. But this might change thanks to China’s new [Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope]( (FAST). And, calculations in the study suggest that this colossal observational platform could detect swarms of von Neumann probes, even if they're comparably far from our sun. - Machines consuming the galaxy? Zaza Osmanov of the Free University of Tbilisi in Georgia wrote a study that showed how von Neumann probe swarms could be visible in the radio spectral band that is the specialty of FAST. But to assist in this search for extraterrestrial swarms, Osmanov employed two frameworks to limit possible solutions. First off was the notion of Kardashev civilizations (a concept emphasizing the total energy used by a civilization, with tiered milestones of advancement), and second were estimates of the electromagnetic and thermal emissions profiles of such a hypothetical swarm of alien probes. There's much more to reflect on about Osmanov's study, like calculating the distance (and thus time to defend ourselves or flee the solar system), but in the most basic sense, this means that astronomy is rising to the level of passive participation in the galactic neighborhood, thanks to China's novel telescope and many others. Let's just hope that an apocalypse by alien probe swarms remains speculation — at least until humanity reaches [a much more advanced technological stage](. [Read More]( QUOTE OF THE DAY “ We know very little, and yet it is astonishing that we know so much, and still more astonishing that so little knowledge can give us so much power. ” Bertrand Russell, in ‘The A B C of Relativity’ [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Watch an RC B-17 Bomber Take Fire From a Massive Apple Cannon]( Will it survive? [Watch an RC B-17 Bomber Take Fire From a Massive Apple Cannon]( AND ANOTHER THING... - Russia successfully launched its new 3M22 Zircon (Tsirkon) hypersonic missile from a nuclear submarine, and for the first time in a long while, the U.S. [might be playing catch-up]( in defense technology. - Billionaires in the United States [gained $2.1 trillion]( as millions lost their jobs during the pandemic. And, to add insult to the injury, Musk, Bezos, and Bloomberg have not paid any tax in recent years. - [Can skeletons have a racial identity]( Some forensic researchers are questioning how the field interprets the geographic ancestry of human remains. (New York Times $) - Brain-computer interfaces are evolving to help people with paralysis. [Here’s how they work](. - After a search of neutron stars finds preliminary evidence for hypothetical dark matter particles called axions, astrophysicists [are devising new ways to spot them](. (Quanta Magazine) - Here’s how [a tiny Swedish sub took down an entire U.S. aircraft carrier]( during the war games of 2005. - Meditation, vodka, and vinegar: Could [the morning routines of the rich and famous]( make you a more productive person? (The Guardian) Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? [Subscribe]( [About Us]( | [Advertise]( | [Contact Us]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Youtube]( [Linkedin]( [Instagram]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to our newsletter. 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