Important Innovations Collection

US Mail Tests Autonomous Truck Deliveries Source:  TuSimple Autonomous Truck Autonomous Mail Delivery The US Postal Service has started a two week test, driving mail across three southwestern states using self-driving trucks.  This is a big move forward to commercialize the use of autonomous vehicle technology to haul freight long distances. TuSimple Startup Autonomous Trucks A San Diego startup TuSimple is deploying its self-driving trucks for the mail hauling tests.  The route is between Phoenix and Dallas.  The test is to see if the system improves delivery times and costs.  A human safety driver is behind the wheel to intervene if necessary  and an engineer is riding in the passenger seat. Future of Autonomous Freight This test is about the future class of autonomous vehicles hauling freight long distances and the potential of new technologies.  The pilot program involves five round trips each at 2100 miles and 45 hours of driving.

World's Largest Aircraft's First Flight Source:  Stratolaunch Systems Wingspan the Size of a Professional Football Field The world's largest aircraft flew over the Mojave Desert in California this past weekend.  It was the first flight for the carbon-composite plane built by Stratolaunch Systems, the company started by the late Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft.  It was a great success for the company as it enters the crowded and very lucrative commercial space travel market.  The plane is an air launch system. Roc The plane is an extraordinary piece of technology.  It's powered by six engines on two fuselages.  The wingspan is immense - the length of a football field.  The plane, named Roc, flew two hours and landed safely.  The company says Roc is designed to be a flexible alternative to land based space launch systems.

First Test for CTE in the Living Source:  Stock Image Game-changing Discovery by Boston University Scientists Boston University research scientists have just announced a big breakthrough in brain research on CTE, Chronic Traumatic Encepthalopathy.  CTE is a fatal brain condition caused by blows to the head, particularly common in football and other sports. Until now, there was no way to diagnose it in the living. BU Discovered An Abnormal Protein Tau Linked to CTE The researchers examined the brains of ex-NFL players who died and found the abnormal protein tau that is an indicator of CTE in many of their brains.  The breakthrough is, for the first time, the scientists are able to detect signs of CTE through the presence of tau in living patients.  BU scientists brain scanned 26 living, ex-NFL players and 31 ordinary people with no history of brain injuries. The scans lit up much more frequently for tau in the football players indicating they are suffering ...

Breakthrough:  Australian Researchers Develop 10 Minute Cancer Test Source:  Cancer Cells Noninvasive, Inexpensive, Universal Cancer Test The 10 minute test can detect cancer anyplace in the body.  The test was developed after scientists at the University of Queensland discovered that cancer forms a unique DNA structure when placed in water. The test works by identifying the presence of that structure. DNA Cancerous DNA molecules form entirely different 3D nanostructures than normal DNA molecules do.  That discovery enabled the scientists to innovate a new, noninvasive approach to detect cancer in any tissue including blood. Easy Test They say their test is inexpensive, portable and possibly may be performed with a mobile phone.  It's believed the test could detect cancer much earlier, which is a key to successful outcomes.  Their work was published in the journal Nature Communications.