VLC gets first major release across all platforms

VLC gets first major release across Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Windows RT, and Android TV

 

 

 

VideoLAN today launched what is arguably the biggest release of VLC to date: an update for the desktop coordinated with new versions across all major mobile platforms. The world’s most used media player just got massive a cross-platform push.

The company told VentureBeat that the releases are the result of more than a year of volunteer work on the VLC engine and thelibVLC library. As a result, VLC has gained numerous new features, has seen more than 1,000 bugs fixed, and has significantly increased its scope of supported formats.

Without further ado, here are the new releases:

VLC media player 2.2.0: Download fromvideolan.org/vlcVLC 2.4.1 for iOS: Download from Apple’s App StoreVLC 1.1.0 for Android: Download fromGoogle PlayVLC 1.1.0 beta for Android TV: Download from Google PlayVLC 1.1.0 beta for Windows Phone: Download from the Windows Phone StoreVLC 1.1.0 beta for Windows RT: Download from the Windows Store

One major cross-platform addition is that VLC now automatically detects rotated videos. It can then rotate them using hardware acceleration (supported for MP4/MOV, MKV, and raw H264) for proper consumption: no more stupid vertical videos!

For all platforms, the new version adds support for Digital Cinema Package to play native movie theater formats, compatibility for “a very large number of unusual codecs,” and “vastly improved compatibility” for UltraHD video codecs like VP9 and H265, including encoding, as well as problematic files in Ogg, MP4, and WMV. Now let’s take a closer look platform-by-platform.

Windows, Mac, and Linux

First and foremost, VLC media player 2.2.0 adds a feature that has been supported on VLC mobile for quite some time: resume playback where you left off. This might not seem like a big deal at first, but if you remember all those times you’ve accidentally closed VLC, or opened a new video and lost your place in the first one, you’ll love this addition.

Although extensions have been available for a long time now, VLC for the desktop now has an in-app downloader, similar to what is available in Mozilla Firefox. Oh, and there’s also an extension specifically for downloading subtitles.

The desktop app has also gained experimental support for Interactive Menus on BluRays (BD-J). Last but not least, Mac users will notice a new interface on OS X Yosemite.

Android

VLC for Android arrived in beta back in July 2012, and while VLC 1.0.0 was released briefly on Google Play earlier this month, VideoLAN told VentureBeat that was still a prerelease build meant for testers. Now it’s finally out of beta and available as a stable version to the masses after more than 30 months of development.

The changelog is as follows:

Port to 5.0 new APIsRewrite of most viewsGamepad controller support for navigationAsync load of fragments and searchOption to show videos as list in portraitSupport pull to refreshTracknumber, DiscNumber, and AlbumArtist tags support for audio filesHandle nowplaying for streamsSet Audio and Subs delayFix parsing of metadata with spaceFix popup context menu loaded for wrong filesMore than 60 bugs fixed

The biggest highlight on Android is that the user interface has been rewritten to align with Google’s Material Design mantra.

iOS

VLC for iOS has had a long, troubled history, including launching, being pulled, and relaunching on the App Store. Most recently, it properly returned in July 2013, wasredesigned for iOS 7 in January 2014, and then disappeared again in September 2014 around when iOS 8 arrived. Now it’s back, again.

The changelog is as follows:

Download of currently stored media via WiFi in addition to uploadDetection of external subtitles when streaming media via http or ftpFolder support for GDriveSupport for streaming from GDriveNative support for Plex media serversSupport for file sharing with further apps installed on deviceOption to download media from http/ftp/https instead of direct playback when requested through third-party appFolders synced through iTunes are correctly parsed nowOption to set text encoding used for FTP connectionsOption to set default playback speedMedia library searchImproved reliability when a call comes in during playbackImproved subtitles playback reliabilitySupport for redirected downloads via HTTPSupport for audio playback and subtitles delay for manual syncAdded improved interaction with third party apps through a x-callback-url based mechanismMedia Library is no longer reset on upgradeFix browsing of a number of UPnP devices such as HDHomeRun without sorting capabilitiesFix pseudo-random playback startsImproved passcode lock appearanceMinor UI improvementsNetwork stream history allows copying URLsImproved reliability when syncing media via WiFi or iTunesStability improvements for iOS 6.1New translation to Traditional Chinese

The biggest highlight on iOS is that support for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been added.

Windows Phone, Windows RT, and Android TV

While it may seem odd at first to lump these three platforms together, they do share one major thing in common: VLC was only offered on them as private test builds for select testers. Now the three are all getting their first public beta release.

Apps for Windows RT and Windows Phone have been a long time coming. In fact, aKickstarter for the Windows RT version (the Metro app that also works on Windows 8) successfully concluded in December 2012. Both apps have now been merged, and while there are no major features added (just bugs fixes and stability improvements), the beta tag isn’t quite ready to come off just yet.

The Android TV app is still very basic, although a lot of the core work is done since it is based on the main Android app. The main features right now are video and audio browsing, a settings page, and recommendations.

What’s next

“I’m very happy [with] these releases,” Jean-Baptiste Kempf, lead developer and president of VideoLAN, said in a statement. “Moving VLC to the mobile world was difficult, but the difficult is done. VLC runs everywhere, plays everything. We’re working on many new features for VLC 3.0.0 to finish what we’ve started here.”

VLC 3.0.0 is currently slated for release “later this year.” This next major release will bring hardware decoding and acceleration to more platforms, better support for MP4, adaptive streaming, and TS streams, as well as basic Google Chromecast integration.

VLC gets first major release across all platforms

10:16 PM android, ios, LINUX, Mac, videolan, VLC player, windows RT

Samsung announces 128GB Universal Flash Storage 2.0 memory chips for smartphones

Samsung 128GB memory

Samsung has announced that it has started mass producing the industry’s first ultra-fast 128GB memory chips based on the Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 2.0 specification. The announcement comes right before the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are set to be unveiled, with both devices expected to have a 128GB model (these UFS 2.0 chips also have 32 and 64GB versions, the other two storage variants that will be offered on the two flagships.)

Samsung’s language in the press release seems to suggest that we might see the microSD slot disappear from flagship devices, as higher capacity chips will begin to be mass produced and be easily available to OEMs in the mobile industry. In terms of performance, Samsung says the new ultra-fast UFS memory “conducts 19,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS) for random reading, which is 2.7 times faster than the most common embedded memory for high-end smartphones today, the eMMC 5.0.”

The new chips also consume less power and have higher random read speeds. With smartphones expected to be faster and more powerful in the coming months, this faster storage standard will no doubt come in handy in matching the performance improvements gained by other components like mobile CPUs and RAM chips.

Samsung announces 128GB Universal Flash Storage 2.0 memory chips for smartphones

5:27 PM 125gb memory, memory card, samsung, UFS

Facebook launches new suicide alert system to allow user to report their friends

Facebook has rolled out a new system to try and identify and help users having suicidal thoughts.

It allows concerned friends to report content for review. 

After reviewing a report and confirming that it may indicate suicidal feelings in a user, Facebook will send that user notifications stating that a friend has attempted to help and offering access to suicide prevention resources.

The San Francisco social network's new system allows concerned friends to to report content for review, and Facebook can then offer the user more help.

The San Francisco social network's new system allows concerned friends to to report content for review, and Facebook can then offer the user more help.

The tools build on a reporting feature implemented in 2011, which passed details to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the US, and the Samaritans in the UK.  

'Keeping you safe is our most important responsibility on Facebook,' said Rob Boyle of Facebook. 

'Today, at our fifth Compassion Research Day, we announced updated tools that provide more resources, advice and support to people who may be struggling with suicidal thoughts and their concerned friends and family members.'

The firm said it had worked with mental health organizations Forefront, Now Matters Now, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Save.org and others on the updates, and consulted with people who had lived experience with self-injury or suicide. 

'One of the first things these organizations discussed with us was how much connecting with people who care can help those in distress. 

'If someone on Facebook sees a direct threat of suicide, we ask that they contact their local emergency services immediately.

'We also ask them to report any troubling content to us.' 

Facebook has set up teams working around the world, 24/7, who review any report that comes in.

They prioritize the most serious reports, like self-injury, and send help and resources to those in distress.

The firm said it had worked with mental health organizations Forefront, Now Matters Now, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Save.org and others on the updates, and consulted with people who had lived experience with self-injury or suicide.

For those who may need help we have significantly expanded the support and resources that are available to them the next time they log on to Facebook after we review a report of something they’ve posted. 

Besides encouraging them to connect with a mental health expert at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, we now also give them the option of reaching out to a friend, and provide tips and advice on how they can work through these feelings. 

All of these resources were created in conjunction with our clinical and academic partners.

We’re also providing new resources and support to the person who flagged the troubling post, including options for them to call or message their distressed friend letting them know they care, or reaching out to another friend or a trained professional at a suicide hotline for support.  

Facebook launches new suicide alert system to allow user to report their friends

8:38 AM alert system, faceb app, facebook, suicidel thought, talk to some one

Food preservatives linked to obesity and gut disease

Mouse study suggests that emulsifiers alter gut bacteria, leading to the inflammatory bowel condition colitis

Chemicals known as emulsifiers are often added to processed foods such as ice cream. 

Artificial preservatives used in many processed foods could increase the risk of inflammatory bowel diseases and metabolic disorders, according to research published on 25 February in Nature. In a study done in mice, chemicals known as emulsifiers were found to alter the make-up of bacteria in the colon — the first time that these additives have been shown to affect health directly.

About 15 different emulsifiers are commonly used in processed Western foods for purposes such as smoothing the texture of ice cream and preventing mayonnaise from separating. Regulatory agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule that emulsifiers are “generally regarded as safe”, because there is no evidence that they increase the risk of cancer or have toxic effects in mammals.

But when immunologist Andrew Gewirtz at Georgia State University in Atlanta and his colleagues fed common emulsifiers carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80 to mice, they found evidence that the chemicals affected the animals' health. Although their diet was not otherwise changed, healthy mice whose water contained the chemicals became obese and developed metabolic problems such as glucose intolerance. In mice genetically engineered to be prone to inflammatory gut diseases, emulsifiers also seemed to increase the severity and frequency with which the animals developed inflammatory bowel disease.

The most severe health effects were seen in mice that consumed the chemicals at a level similar to a person whose diet consists of only ice cream, says Gewirtz. But the researchers saw effects even at one-tenth of the concentration of emulsifiers that the FDA allows in a food product.

Colonic colonies

To understand why emulsifiers affected the health of mice, researchers analysed bacteria from the animals' colons. They found less diversity in the microbial species than in healthy mice, and found evidence that the microbes had migrated closer the cells lining the gut. Gewirtz and his colleagues suspect that the emulsifiers can break down the heavy mucus that lines the mammalian gut and prevents bacteria from coming into contact with gut cells. If this happens, the bacteria cause inflammation in the gut, which can also lead to changes in metabolism.

Gewirtz says that previous studies may have missed these links because newly developed food additives are tested in large swathes of the population, masking any subtle effects in people whose genetics or gut-microbe composition predispose them to these diseases. For regulators, he says, “the idea that a subset of the population may be sensitive isn’t on the radar.”

This lack of specificity could explain why nutritionists and public-health agencies are constantly revising their dietary guidelines — just this month, for example, an advisory council to the US government recommended eliminating guidelines on cholesterol consumption. “If you look over a 50-year perspective, you would see that the recommendations go back and forth, back and forth,” says immunologist Eran Elinav of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. “No one is lying or cheating, many of these studies are well-designed studies, but they all look at large populations.”

Last year, Elinav and computational biologist Eran Segal, a colleague at the Weizmann Institute, found that artificial sweeteners such as saccharin can cause metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes by changing the make-up of bacteria in the gut in both mice and humans. They are now compiling a database of genetic and microbiome data from about 1,000 volunteers, measuring their metabolic response to different test foods. They hope that this will eventually allow nutritionists to make specific dietary recommendations for individuals based on these parameters.

Additive problems

Elinav and Segal hope to incorporate consumption of emulsifiers, sweeteners and other artificial additives into their study, but caution that there are many components to inflammatory and metabolic diseases. “This is for sure not the only driving factor” for inflammatory bowel disease, Elinav says.

Gewirtz says that many more human and animal studies need to be completed before regulatory agencies would consider changing how additives are approved — after all, removing preservatives from foods would cause them to rot sooner, posing a different health risk. He hopes to do a study in humans soon and is already collecting biopsies from surgery patients to study where different bacteria live in the colon.

But the findings have been enough to convince Gewirtz and co-author Benoit Chassaing, a microbiologist at Georgia State, to start checking the labels of the foods they buy, although both say they are not trying to eliminate emulsifiers entirely. It is not easy to find emulsifier-free food, Gewirtz says, and products marketed as 'organic' are just as likely to contain these agents. “When it comes to people making their own decisions, between our studies and others out there, it’s better to eat less processed food,” he says.

Food preservatives linked to obesity and gut disease

8:53 AM colon, diseases, emulsifiers, FDA, featured, food, food preservatives, obesity

NASCAR: Google launching satellite to moon

Google Moon Mission NASCAR

The Lunar XPrize is a $30 million competition for a privately-funded mission to get to the moon, land a rover, and travel across the Moon sending back images and telemetry. The Google-sponsored prize has been around since 2007, but it looks like first place is going to come down to a mad dash across the lunar surface.

The HAKUTO And Astrobotic

Although there's technically a bunch of teams remaining in the competition, two of the frontrunners - the Japanese HAKUTO team, and Astrobotic - have teamed up to deploy their missions to the moon next year, aboard the same SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. First place in the Lunar X competition will go to the first robot that explores at least 500 meters and transmits HD video and images back to Earth. You can see where this is going.

In a press release, Astrobotic's CEO said that "we envision a 'NASCAR on the Moon' scenario, where competing teams land together, and countries can cheer on their team to the finish line. HAKUTO is the first team signed to fulfill our dream of the first race beyond Earth's orbit."

Although travelling 500 meters doesn't sound like much of a race, you have to bear in mind the kind of vehicles being used here. NASA's Curiosityrover, for example, the most technologically advanced vehicle to land on Mars, is cruising along at a barnstorming 30 metres per hour.

Then you've got the other challenges to consider - getting into orbit sans explosion, landing successfully, and not breaking down in the first 100 meters. If these brand-new companies without the budget or experience of NASA can pull it off, it will be a major milestone for private space exploration - not to mention a whole new world of commercial opportunity for NASCAR

NASCAR: Google launching satellite to moon

8:43 AM astrobotic, Google, Google satellite, HAKUTO, Lunar XPrize, moon, Moon mission, NASA, NASCAR, satellite

Full Charge in One Minute, New battery for smartphone on the way!

Smart phone battery that charge full in a minute

Somebody tell me they wouldn't love to be able to charge their smartphone battery from 0 to 100 in one minute. That is like an impossible dream right? Well actually, it just might come true sometime next year.

The Nanotechnology- The StoreDot

The nanotechnology department at Tel Aviv University stumbled upon the technology while looking into Alzheimer's disease. Apparently a particular peptide molecule can absorb a charge much faster than regular smartphone batteries. They company developing the battery is called StoreDot, and they also reside in Israel.

The downside is the capacity of StoreDot will be much lower than traditional smartphone batteries, but if you can charge it to 100% within a minute, that might be a decent trade off. On the other hand, the total life of the batteries are likely to also be lower.

An Unusual Charger

The other factor is that that a special charger would be required. Doron Myersdorf of StoreDot said, “The charger itself is not a normal charger. We need to pump 40/50 and up to 80 amps of current into this battery in order to charge in one minute. No normal charger can do that. So we had to develop a very strong charger that is, first of all, cost effective but also small enough to be carried in your pocket.” It also appears that some sort of special software would need to reside on the phone in order to manage the power efficiently.

The good news is that we aren't too far off from seeing this technology in our smartphones. StoreDot is working with 15 different manufacturers to bring their battery to smartphones by the end of next year

Full Charge in One Minute, New battery for smartphone on the way!

9:54 PM battery, charger, fast charging battery, smart phones, StoreDot

Samsung Norway Published Yet Another Galaxy S6 Teaser, A See-Through All-Glass Phone

A see-through All-Glass Mobile Phone

Samsung’s marketing machine has been working round the clock lately in order to hype up the company’s upcoming Galaxy S6 flagship(s). 

Samsung is going to unveil their next-gen Galaxy S smartphone, or should we say smartphones (Galaxy S6 Edge will also get launched quite probably), on March 1st in Barcelona as part of MWC (Mobile World Congress). Samsung has already scheduled their Unpacked event and they’ve been throwing teasers at us back and forth for a while now. Well, another one arrived, this time from Samsung Norway.

Samsung Norway has released yet another teaser

 After teasing displays and stereo speakers, the site is now teasing the glass surface of the Galaxy S6 handset, which could cover the metal chassis of the Galaxy S6. As you can see in the image, this teaser is just totally off, on purpose. Samsung basically showed us a see-through phone made out of glass entirely which won’t look like that for sure, but it’s good enough to tease the materials the company will use in their upcoming phone, or at least totally confuse us. This might as well be a decoy, Samsung’s way to mock the rumors that have been thrown around recently. Speaking of which, do you think this is Samsung playing with us, or could the upcoming Galaxy S6 truly be covered in glass (other than the screen, of course)? What are your thoughts here?

Samsung will launch their flagship in less than a week now

And we’ll surely see more similar leaks before that. The company is expected to launch the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge handsets on March 1st, and according to previous benchmark leaks, both of those handsets are expected to sport a quadHD display over 5-inches in size, 3 or 4GB of RAM and multiple storage variants. Samsung’s very own 14nm Exynos 7420 64-bit octa-core processor will power on the Galaxy S6 handset(s), and 16 or 20-megapixel camera will be a part of the package as well. You can also expect Android Lollipop to come pre-installed here, with Samsung’s TouchWiz on top of Google’s operating system, of course.

Samsung Norway Published Yet Another Galaxy S6 Teaser, A See-Through All-Glass Phone

6:21 PM galaxy 6, samsung, see through all glass mobile, transparent mobile

24 Amazing Benefits Of Carrot Juice

Carrots are not just for Bugs Bunny! It is a rich source of necessary nutrients and minerals. It is one of those miracle concoctions that is good for various purposes. It helps treat and prevent diseases and helps improve our vision, skin, hair, nail etc. Drinking carrot juice daily i2s a habit that everyone should start, as it is both healthy and tasty as well. Not a combination that is easy to find! Flip through any diet plan and you will definitely come across carrot juice!

Health Benefits Of Carrot Juice:

What makes Carrot Juice so nutritious is that it contains a large amount of beta-carotene, vitamins and potassium in it.

Improves Immunity And Controls Heart Diseases:

 Beta-carotene makes it a rich source of vitamin A. It also helps improve the immune system. The abundance of vitamin A in carrot juice can help improve your sight and the daily intake can prevent the onset of heart diseases and strokes. Vitamin A in addition keeps the lining of the int1ernal organs healthy in order to prevent it from being infected by pathogenic organisms.

Reduces Cholesterol: 

Here comes an amazing benefit of carrot juice.The potassium present in carrot juice can reduce cholesterol levels. It is good for the liver as it reduces fat and bile in it. Potassium, along with manganese and magnesium stabilizes blood sugar level, thus helping to reduce the risk of diabetes.

Aids In Clotting Of Blood:

 Vitamin K present in carrot juice helps blood to clot.

Heals External Wounds And Gums:

Vitamin C helps to heal wounds and keeps the gums healthy.

Prevents Cancer:

 It also acts like an anti-cancer agent. Increased intake of carotenoids in carrot juice has been said to decrease instances of bladder, prostate, colon and breast cancer.

Protein Building and Bone Health:

Vitamin K, present in Carrot juice is essential for the protein building process in the body. It also helps in the binding of calcium that in turn leads to the faster healing of broken bones. Potassium present in carrot also helps to improve bone health.

Cleanses the Liver:

 Carrot juice cleanses and detoxifies the liver. Toxins in the liver are released from the system and excreted after regular consumption of carrot juice. The bloodstream cannot rid the body of toxins and bile through the kidneys. This has to be ejected from the skin. Carrot juice aids this process and ensures harmful bile is removed from the body. When the liver functions well, it prevents the accumulation of fat and aids in its rapid digestion, preventing weight gain and obesity.

Beauty Benefits Of Carrot Juice:

But for the women, carrot juice is not just about good health, but also about looking beautiful. Beauty benefits include:

Reduces Dryness And Scarring:

Potassium helps reduce sk1in dryness and reduces scars and blemishes. It also gives life to your skin by improving the skin tone. It will also help improve hydration and thus keep your skin moisturized.

Prevents Acne: 

Since it is high in essential oils, it also helps prevent acne by detoxifying your body.

Source Of Vitamins Needed For Skin:

This juice effectively acts as a vitamin supplement for your skin. It also contains so many healthy nutrients that it can reduce skin related problems like eczema which is caused by deficiency of vitamin A, dermatitis and rashes.

Controls Sun Damage: 

The beta-carotenoids which help in photosynthesis in plants, help reduce sunburn and also increase the skin’s resistance towards sun damage.

Fights Ageing: 

The beta-carotenoid when entering the body changes into vitamin A and reduces cell degeneration and thus slows down the aging of the body. It largely improves the amount of collagen in the skin and thus helps in maintaining elasticity and hence reducing the visible signs of aging like sagging skin and wrinkles, as collagen is what accumulates in our body and keeps it firm and healthy.

Hair Care: 

It also increases hair growth.

Nail Care:

 It also increases nail strength.

Carrot Juice For Prenatal Care:

Carrot juice is especially considered to be beneficial for prenatal care as it improves the health of the expectant mother and child.

Lactation: 

Carrot juice intake during pregnancy improves the quality of their breast milk, as it will be enriched in vitamin A. Since vitamin A helps in cell growth it is especially beneficial in fetal growth.

Prevents Infections In Unborn Child:

When taken during the last 3 months of pregnancy, it reduces the chance of dangerous infections in the child.

Calcium Supply: 

It also acts as a very rich source of calcium.

Carrot Juice and Weight loss:

Definitely an eye catching topic among the uses for carrot juice! Carrot juice is extremely filling, and because of low calorie count, it is the best natural health drink for a person who is trying to lose weight. It contains a large amount of natural sugar, so you don’t have to add additional sugar to it. Juicing together carrot, apple, celery andcucumber is a very healthy recipe for a good weight loss drink.

Muscle Growth: 

Vitamin A helps our body to heal after a strenuous workout and aid in muscle growth. Phosphorous in carrot juice builds, repairs, and maintains muscle;

Increases Metabolism:

 Carrot Juice also contains a large amount of Vitamin B complexes which help in breaking down glucose, fat and protein. So it helps in building muscle, increasing our metabolism and thus helping in weight loss. Vitamin B complexes also help to reduce stress and depression, which usually holds back weight loss. Phosphorous in Carrot juice boosts the body’s metabolic rate; ensures optimal use of energy in the body and decreases pain after a workout.

Increases Oxygen Carrying Capacity:

The amount of Iron in carrot juice can increase the oxygen carrying capacity of the body, thus helping us do more workouts to lose weight.

Energy Consumption:

 Phosphorous helps the body to use up more energy while doing work.

Controls Sugar Levels: 

Magnesium and Manganese present in Carrot Juice can stabilize sugar levels and help to reduce weight due to diabetes.

Aids Digestion: 

Since carrot contains a large amount of fiber, it can help in digestion and makes you feel fuller for longer.

Cleanses the Body: 

Carrot juice cleanses the body and rids it of any toxins, aiding weight loss. Fresh raw carrot juice cleanses the digestive tract of toxins, waste, indigestible material, which in turn cures and prevents obesity.

How to Consume it Right?

It should be mentioned that although carrot is such a healthy vegetable, eating carrot as Halwa with loads of ghee, sugar, cashew and raisins cannot be considered healthy. No matter how healthy you say it is, it will never be as good as carrot juice with no added sugar and milk. Yes, No carrot milk either. But it’s just as yummy without the milk too.

Many people love the natural taste of carrot juice, but you can also add other fresh juices, such as orange, lemon, ginger or mint to give it a different flavor. Juice of carrot and cinnamon together forms a very healthy antioxidant rich drink which can reduce cancer, high blood pressure and diabetes. It is said that drinking fresh carrot juice is better than eating it raw because the nutrient content will be even more concentrated in the juice.

 

Ensure you drink at least one tall glass of carrot juice each day to burn fat and get the fab, svelte body you have always yearned for! Get that glowing and beautiful skin you love!

Do you drink juice as part of your weight loss regime? Is carrot juice a part of your diet? Do share with us in the comments section.

 

24 Amazing Benefits Of Carrot Juice

8:50 AM carrot and health, good growth, health, lose weight, nutrition

Scientists Create Sperm and Eggs from Skin Cells, Regardless of Donor Gender

Sperm and Eggs from Skin Cells

Researchers in Japan have successfully bred mice using sperm and egg cells grown in the lab from the skin cells of another adult mouse.

Stem cells and Primodial germ cell(PGC)

Over the past decade, Mitinori Saitou at Kyoto University in Japan has been teasing apart the genetic cascade that prompts a stem cell to turn into a primordial germ cell (PGC), the cells that generate thousands of eggs in a woman and millions of sperm in a man. He has succeeded, with incredible implications for the future of human reproduction.

Saitou partnered with colleague Katsuhiko Hayashi from the University of Cambridge in the UK to take mature skin cells from an adult mouse and turn them into induced pluripotent stem cells. These pluripotent stem cells could also be turned into PGCs.

Regardless of Donor Gender

Then came the ultimate test of their discovery. They implanted the PGCs into sterile mice. About one mouse in four became fertile again—male mice began producing sperm, and female mice began producing eggs. Hayashi harvested these sperm and eggs and combined them in the lab to produce living embryos, which he placed into surrogate mouse mothers.

Children of Mice

The mouse babies were born fertile and healthy, with a success rate around one-third that of current in-vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques. To illustrate what he’d accomplished, Hayashi took a skin cell from a normally-colored mouse and used it to grow egg cells in an albino mouse. When the babies were born, they had the dark coloring of their genetic parent.

However, their own naturally-occurring PGCs were fragile and misshapen, and any offspring they might have would carry a high risk of genetic diseases.

“While it is exciting that artificial primordial germ cells express the same markers as natural cells, there is much work to be done before we can conclude that the [sperm and eggs] derived from these cells can be considered fully functional,” said Dr. Alan B. Copperman, Director of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center, in an interview with Healthline.

Copperman is worried about certain markers that attach themselves to DNA, called epigenetic markers, which affect how DNA is expressed in cells. These markers become attached to DNA strands as the result of very early experiences in the womb and during childhood. These markers are normally erased and replaced by a new set when a PGC creates a sperm or egg cell, giving offspring a fresh chance to interact with its environment. With artificial PGCs, flawed epigenetics may be causing the high rate of failure.

A Brave New World?

Saitou and Hayashi began their experiment to learn how to create PGCs in the lab, not to revolutionize fertility research. Nonetheless, the implications of their discovery are far-reaching.

Using their techniques, sperm or egg cells could be created from the skin cells of a person of either sex. This could someday offer a way for same-sex couples to have a biological child together. It also gives new hope to couples struggling with infertility and to women who’ve had no luck with IVF.

However, “Our work is still at a purely basic level using the mouse, and it would take many more years to apply this work to humans,” Saitou told Healthline.

Scientists would first have to test the technique in monkeys and other primates and observe their offspring for several generations to see if there are any lasting epigenetic problems. How long would this take? No one knows for sure.  

Simply unlocking the monkeys’ genetic pathway to create PGCs could take another decade. For scientists to establish safety in monkeys and then discover the human genetic pathway, the wait might be more than 50 years.

The new discovery raises a slew of ethical questions as well. In theory, a mouse could be self-fertilized with both sperm and an egg made from its own DNA. Saitou and Hayashi did not attempt this.

“Abuse and misuse of any new technology—such as artificial creation of primordial germ cells—could send us down a slippery slope which could impact society by introducing the possibility of routine cloning, or positive and negative eugenic selection of future generations,” said Copperman. “While I am enthusiastic about the basic science implications of these findings, today’s reproductive biologists have a responsibility unparalleled in our history to act judiciously, transparently, and cautiously, as they pursue germ cell research

Scientists Create Sperm and Eggs from Skin Cells, Regardless of Donor Gender

8:39 AM artficial eggs and sperm, IVF, PGC, Primodial germ cells, STEM cells

Flexible Wrist Worn Fever Alarm Shows Off Possibilities of Organic Electronics

Fever alarm that can worn on Wrist

Engineers at the University of Tokyo have developed a flexible wearable temperature sensor based on an organic (carbon-based) electronic circuit and organic components. While this seems to be more an exercise in making novel electronics rather than a practical proof-of-concept device, the technology shows that a whole new wave of healthcare applications is ahead for organic electronics.

Organic electronics

The “fever band” is totally autonomous, having flexible solar cells on its exterior to provide power and an organic audio speaker that can warn of rising temperatures.

“Our fever alarm armband demonstrates that it is possible to produce flexible, disposable devices that can greatly enhance the amount of information available to carers in healthcare settings,” said Professor Takao Someya from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering. “We have demonstrated the technology with a temperature sensor and fever alarm, but the system could also be adapted to provide audible feedback on body temperature, or combined with other sensors to register wetness, pressure or heart rate.”

The researchers are presenting the technology at the  2015 IEEE International Solid State Circuits Conference San Francisco.

Flexible Wrist Worn Fever Alarm Shows Off Possibilities of Organic Electronics

8:31 AM fever alarm wrist band, wearable gadgets