Frying tumors using ultrasound

Plus: NASA's Artemis I launch is delayed once again Apr 19, 2022 [View in browser]( You’ve heard of ultrasound before as way to take a sneak peek at babies in the womb. But this sound wave-based technique is also so much more. Now it’s capable of breaking down tumors and clearing the way for immune defenses to finish the job, in a one-two punch of modern medicine. Employing targeted ultrasound, scientists managed to eliminate up to 75 percent of the volume of a liver tumor. But, before delving deeper into the novel method, let’s watch today’s video to uncover the tragic reason why the world’s only supersonic seaplane never took off. Good morning. I’m Derya, an editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s dive in. [Video]VIDEO OF THE DAY [The tragic reason why the world’s only supersonic seaplane never took off]( Landing on aircraft carriers was a no-go. [The tragic reason why the world’s only supersonic seaplane never took off]( HEALTH [A new technique successfully fried up to 75 percent of tumors using ultrasound]( [Ultrasound.]( We just took a bite out of cancer. With ultrasound waves. Scientists from the University of Michigan [used a new technique to whittle away]( at tumors inside rats — by employing noninvasive ultrasound waves. - The new treatment is called "histotripsy," and it noninvasively directs ultrasound waves so that the target tissue is mechanically destroyed — down to millimeter precision. There were no adverse side effects, like chemotherapy and radiation poisoning. Noninvasive sound technology. Early tests suggested that the sound waves successfully decimated up to 75 percent of liver tumor material in the rat bodies, which enabled the little critters' immune systems to jump into action and beat the leftover cancerous tissues out of existence, preventing reemergence. With the novel technique presently being deployed in a human liver cancer trial in both the U.S. and Europe, it could be just a matter of time before it's publicly available. Cancer has had a long, dark, and stubborn history in the human race, but it seems [every month we take a step closer]( to kicking it out of our lives, for good. [Read More]( INNOVATION [The US Navy successfully takes down a drone with an all-electric laser for the first time]( [Laser weapon system demonstration.]( A cruise missile surrogate was one of the many targets that the U.S. Navy's Layered Laser Defense (LLD) [system successfully brought down]( during trials in February this year. - Designed and built by Lockheed Martin, the LLD system is meant for use across different domains and platforms. Deploying a high-resolution telescope to track in-bound threats, the system can target fast-attack boats and unmanned aerial systems or drones. While the LLD is not scheduled to be fielded any time soon, the U.S. Army has plans to field directed energy weapons as part of its short-range defense systems (SHORAD) as early as this year. Around the world. The French Navy is also planning laser-based weapons to strengthen its defenses against aerial and floating objects. Additionally, last week, [Israel successfully tested the Iron Beam]( the successor to its Iron Dome air defense system that uses a laser as ammunition. [Read More]( SCIENCE [NASA's Artemis I launch is delayed once again, what's wrong with SLS?]( [NASA's SLS rocket.]( NASA's first Space Launch System (SLS) rocket launch hit some snags and ended prematurely — again. - The space agency [announced on Saturday, April 16]( that it will roll its SLS back from the launch pad for repairs due to upgrades required at an off-site supplier of gaseous nitrogen used for the test. Problems related to the supply of gaseous nitrogen had scuppered two previous countdown rehearsals. No launch date in sight. SLS's maiden launch has been hit by a long string of delays in recent months. It's a state of affairs that has led some to suggest the space agency is "[sh**ting the bed]( over the fact that its technology is behind that of SpaceX's Starship. Still, SLS is NASA's most powerful rocket yet. NASA's first operational SLS launch for mission Artemis I will take the uncrewed rocket around the moon. Artemis II will send a crew of NASA astronauts around the moon, while Artemis III [will perform the first crewed moon landing]( since the 1970s. [Read More]( MAIL & MUSINGS Private aerospace firms have played an increasingly major role in space exploration of late, displacing the operations of government space agencies. Can the privatization of space eclipse NASA? Be sure you check back tomorrow for the results! [Yes, and that’s not a bad thing.]( [No. Billionaires with the deepest pockets shouldn’t own space travel.]( [The key is a joint effort of private-sector capabilities and lucrative contracts.]( [Hold your horses. Let’s focus on Earth first.]( Yesterday’s Results We asked which oft-overlooked planet is your favorite. The results make you question the expression “out of sight, out of mind.” Neptune. 32% Pluto. 28% Uranus. 20% Mercury. 19% TRANSPORTATION [A timber cargo ship could sail entire oceans without fossil fuels]( [A timber cargo ship.]( In a special feature for PLANET SOLVERS, IE’s Earth Day 2022 edition, writer Eric James Beyer interviews Danielle Doggett, who is building [timber cargo ships that could sail entire oceans]( without needing fossil fuels. - “Roughly 11 billion tons of goods are transported by ship every year, which amounts to approximately 1.4 tons per person on the planet. The shipping industry forms the base of much of the modern global economy, but we hear relatively little about efforts to decarbonize it,” writes Beyer. “Enter SailCargo INC., an ambitious company whose goal is to make emissions-free shipping a reality by building up a fleet of eco-friendly vessels that address the most egregious environmental offenses plaguing the industry.” [Read More]( QUOTE OF THE DAY “ The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in dewdrops on the grass, or even in one drop of water. ” Japanese Buddhist monk Dogen Kigen in John M. Koller’s “Asian Philosophies” (2007) AND ANOTHER THING... - Elon Musk thinks there will likely be [a humanoid robot in every home]( by 2050. - This architect wants to suspend buildings in midair. [It’s not as impossible as it sounds](. (Fast Company) - Scientists from Beijing set a new [quantum secure direct communication world record]( of roughly 64 miles (102.2 km). - The global chip shortage has triggered a surge in demand for [prized, pricey, and used electric vehicles](. And it's only just beginning. (WIRED $) - Here’s everything you should know about the brilliant engineering of the U.S.'s fastest bomber jet, [the XB-70 Valkyrie](. - [Which computational universe do we live in]( Cryptographers want to know which of five possible worlds we inhabit, which will reveal whether truly secure cryptography is even possible. (Quanta Magazine) - A new non-surgical treatment [can help restore vision loss]( with ultrasound waves. Prepared by Derya Ozdemir and Brad Bergan Enjoy reading? Don't forget to forward to a friend! Was this email forwarded to you? 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