AI allows paralysed man to write with his mind

Science reports: [edited]

Some people who are paralyzed by stroke or neurological disease have trouble trying to communicate even a single sentence. Electrodes implanted in a part of the brain involved in motion have allowed some patients to move a cursor and select onscreen letters with their thoughts. Users have typed up to 39 characters per minute, but that’s still about three times slower than natural handwriting.

In new experiments, a volunteer paralysed from the neck down imagined moving his arm to write each letter of the alphabet. That brain activity helped train a computer model known as a neural network to interpret the commands, tracing the intended trajectory of his imagined pen tip to create letters.

Eventually, the computer could read out the volunteer’s imagined sentences with roughly 95% accuracy at a speed of about 66 characters per minute.

The researchers expect the speed to increase with more practice. As they refine the technology, they will also use their neural recordings to better understand how the brain plans and orchestrates fine motor movements.

Image: Frank Willett
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'Prime Editing' Crispr Tool

Nature reports: [edited]

For all the ease with which the wildly popular CRISPR–Cas9 gene-editing tool alters genomes, it’s still somewhat clunky and prone to errors and unintended effects. Now, a recently developed alternative offers greater control over genome edits.

The alternative method, called prime editing, improves the chances that researchers will end up with only the edits they want, instead of a mix of changes that they can’t predict.

CRISPR–Cas9 and prime editing both work by cutting DNA at a specific point in the genome. CRISPR–Cas9 breaks both strands of the DNA double helix and then relies on the cell’s own repair system to patch the damage and make the edits. This can lead to an uncontrollable mixture of edits that vary between cells.

In addition, the DNA repair system in most cells is far more likely to make those small, random insertions or deletions than to add a specific DNA sequence to the genome. That makes it difficult for researchers to use CRISPR–Cas9 to overwrite one piece of DNA with a sequence of their choosing.

Prime editing bypasses these problems. Although it also uses Cas9 to recognize specific DNA sequences — just like CRISPR–Cas9 does — the Cas9 enzyme in the prime editing tool is modified to nick only one DNA strand. Then, a second enzyme called reverse transcriptase and guided by a strand of RNA, makes the edits at the site of the cut.

The prime editing enzymes don’t have to break both strands of DNA to make changes, freeing researchers from relying on the cell’s DNA repair system — which they can’t control — to make the edits that they want. This means that prime editing could enable the development of treatments for genetic diseases caused by mutations that aren’t easily addressed by existing gene-editing tools.

But Liu’s team and others will now need to carefully evaluate how well the system works in a variety of cells and organisms. “This first study is just the beginning — rather than the end — of a long-standing aspiration in the life sciences to be able to make any DNA change at any position in an organism,” says Liu.

Image courtesy of  David Clode
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Uniti One Electric City Car

Auto Express reports: [edited]

The Uniti One is a Swedish-designed, UK-engineered, all-electric city car, which features an unconventional one-plus-two seating layout out and a maximum range of 186 miles. Prices start from £15,100 (after the £3,500 government plug-in car grant), with first deliveries expected by mid-2020.

Standard equipment includes LED daytime running lights, power-adjustable side mirrors, an electrochromic panoramic sunroof, tinted electric windows, a heated front windscreen and a rear-view camera. Inside, buyers get a customisable ambient lighting system, a touchscreen infotainment system and the choice of either dark- or light-coloured upholstery.

The Uniti One is fitted with split-folding rear bench seat as standard, in a bid to maximise its practicality. With the bench in place, the Uniti One offer 155 litres of boot space – but with the rear seat stowed the Swedish EV offers an impressive 760-litres of storage capacity.

Optional extras for the Uniti One EV include LED headlamps, a heated driver’s seat, air conditioning and an upgraded six-speaker stereo system. Buyers can also choose from either a comfort-spec interior (which is clad in carpet) or a utility-spec interior (which features durable rubber matting).

It’s powered by a 12kWh lithium-ion battery pack as standard, which supplies power to a rear-mounted electric motor. The system has a maximum output of 67bhp and 85Nm of torque, which provides a 0–31mph time of 4.1 seconds, a 0–62mph time of 9.9 seconds and a top speed of 75mph.

With the 12kWh battery pack fitted, the Uniti One has a claimed range of 93 miles. However, the Swedish brand offers a larger 24kWh battery pack as an optional extra, which extends the One EV’s maximum range to 186 miles.

Both battery packs can be charged using a domestic 7kW wall box or a commercially available 50kW fast charger. When using the latter system, the 12kWh battery can be charged from 20 percent to 80 percent in just nine minutes, while the 24kWh unit recovers the same amount of charge in seventeen minutes.
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London - Somerset - London, 05 & 06-10-19

London to Somerset
Soldier Girl - The Polyphonic Spree
You're Moving Out Today - Carole Bayer Sager
California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg) - Katy Perry
Drink The Elixir - Salad
Hips Don't Lie - Shakira Feat. Wyclef Jean
Around the World (Radio) - Daft Punk
Why can't we be friends - Sublime
Indestructable - Alisha's Attic
What's Up [Radio Edit] - 4 Non Blondes - DJ Miko Version
Radar Detector - Darwin Deez
Stella - Ida Maria
Don't You Want Me - The Human League
Uptown Girl (Remastered) - Billy Joel
Dreamer - Supertramp
Street Tuff (Scar Radio Mix) - Rebel MC & Double Trouble
Murder on the dance floor - Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Jealous (I Ain't With It) - Chromeo
Unwell - Matchbox Twenty
Whiskey In The Jar - Thin Lizzy
Even Better Than The Real Thing [Perfecto Mix] - U2
You Only Live Once - The Strokes
Hi Jo Hi - Deaf School
Right Back - Maxine Nightingale
King Kunta - Kendrick Lamar
Got To Get - Rob 'N' Raz feat. Leila K
You're Not Alone - Olive
Love Shack - The B-52's
Us - Regina Spektor
Nothing To Find - The War on Drugs
Boys - Lizzo
Airport - The Motors
Do I Worry? - The Ink Spots
In The Morning - Razorlight
Suicide Blonde - INXS
What's New Pussycat? - Tom Jones
Strict Machine - Goldfrapp
Sixteen Saltines - Jack White
Echo Beach - Martha & the Muffins
Touchdown Turnaround (Don't Give Up On Me) - Hellogoodbye
Devotion (feat. Cameron Hayes) - Dimension
Shake It Off - Taylor Swift
Brand New Lover - Dead Or Alive
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - The Andrews Sisters
In For The Kill - La Roux
Pacific 707 (single) - 808 State
This Is The World We Live In - Alcazar

Somerset to London
Untouched - The Veronicas
Cinnamon - The Long Winters
Roadrunner - Jonathan Richman
Super Trouper - A-Teens
1985 - Bowling For Soup
A Bar In Amsterdam - Katzenjammer
Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat - Aristocats
I Feel For You - Chaka Khan
B.A.B.Y - Rachel Sweet
Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
C Moon - Paul McCartney & Wings
The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) - Cher
Pass This On - The Knife
Stutter - Elastica
Me No Pop I - Coati Mundi
You Make My Dreams - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Banquet - Bloc Party
Like Toy Soldiers (clean) - Eminem
Tongue Twisters - Danny Kaye
Young Love (Ft Laura Marling) - Mystery Jets
Song 4 Mutya - Groove Armada Ft. Mutya
The Ketchup Song (Asereje) - Las Ketchup
I Won't Change You - Sophie Ellis-Bextor
The Wire - HAIM
A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off - The Magnetic Fields
Wuthering Heights - China Drum
(There's) Always Something There To Remind Me - Sandie Shaw
Crying At the Discoteque (Radio Edit) - Alcazar
Moonlight shadow (trance remix) - Mike Oldfield
Gonna Get Along Without You Now - Skeeter Davis
Pass Out - Tinie Tempah
Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo) - Black Kids
Don't Bring Me Down - Electric Light Orchestra
I Will Never Love You More - SoKo
Lazy Sunday - Small Faces
Kim & Jessie - M83
Lipstick On Your Collar - Connie Francis
Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic feat. Felly
The First Picture Of You - Lotus Eaters
Seems Fine - The Concretes
I Can't Wait - Stevie Nicks
Don't Look Back Into The Sun - The Libertines
New Sensation - INXS
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