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The Boeing Starliner spacecraft is suffering more problems and it means that the astronauts it carried to the International Space Station are currently stuck there.
The issues have left Boeing scrambling to examine the capsule remotely to try to work out the cause, and ensure a safe return.
NASA has said that Starliner can stay docked at the ISS for up to 45 days, but if absolutely necessary, it could stay docked for up to 72 days by relying on various backup systems.
The two astronauts were meant to come home on 14th June but that’s been delayed multiple times – and now neither Nasa or Boeing have announced when it will eventually launch.
Professor Kendrick does stress that no one should make the decision to stop taking their antidepressants without consulting their doctor or prescriber, as coming off them without the proper advice and support could put individuals at risk of withdrawal effects, or relapse.
Scientists are now calling on NHS England to set up a national helpline to support those wanting to get off antidepressants.
Scientists have made faces for robots out of living skin.
A team from Tokyo University made the breakthrough by copying tissue structures in people, and say the new method can work on complex, curved and even moving surfaces.
The artificial skin is made in a lab using living cells, it’s soft like real skin and is able to repair itself.
Researchers say it could pave the way for making more convincingly realistic humanoids in the future.
And the rest:
Albert Einstein atomic bomb letter to be auctioned, why Madagascan lemur ‘honks’ are music to our ears, and everything you need to know about Fortnite Reload.
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Here’s a fully automated transcript of today’s episode:
Hi, I’m Rochelle Travers and this is The Standard’s Tech and Science Daily podcast.
Coming up, robots with faces made from living skin.
Now, let’s get into it.
The Boeing Starliner spacecraft is suffering even more problems, and it means that the astronauts it carried to the International Space Station are currently stuck there.
The issues have left Boeing scrambling to examine the capsule remotely, to try to work out the cause and ensure a safe return.
NASA has said that Starliner can be docked at the ISS for up to 45 days, but if absolutely necessary, it could stay docked up to 72 days by relying on various backup systems.
The two astronauts were meant to come home on the 14th of June, but that’s been delayed multiple times, and now neither NASA or Boeing have announced when it will eventually launch.
Research suggests that almost half of Brits on antidepressants could be able to quit, as long as they are well and at low risk of relapse.
So there’s been a lot of concern about people getting stuck on antidepressants long term.
Half of people taking them have been on them for more than two years, and there’s serious concern that they could be just as well stopping them, but they’re afraid to stop them because they may relapse or get withdrawal symptoms.
That’s Tony Kendrick, professor of primary care at the University of Southampton and lead author of the study. He’s also a retired GP.
What we did in the Reduce trial was to, first of all, test a simple review by the family doctor of the long-term antidepressant and the provision of advice, so giving the person advice about how they could taper off their treatment over some weeks or months and warning that if they started to get withdrawal or symptoms of depression, then they should come back.
It’s important to note that people involved in the Reduce trial were well and considered low risk of relapse by their doctors.
In the experimental arm of the Reduce trial, we provided patients with internet support, a special website called Advisor, and telephone support, three calls from a clinical psychologist, in addition to the review by their family doctor and the advice from the family doctor.
And we found that with the internet and telephone support, people had less depression, they had fewer withdrawal symptoms, and better mental well-being.
Professor Kendrick wants to stress that no one should make the decision to stop taking their antidepressants without consulting their doctor or prescriber, as coming off them without the proper advice and support could put individuals at risk of withdrawal effects or relapse.
I would emphasise to people that they should think about whether they want to stay on treatment, they should think about the potential for getting side effects as they get older. People over 65 on long-term antidepressants can suffer quite a lot of side effects. Some of them can be quite serious.
So, if you’re well and you’re not at high risk of relapse and you want to try coming off the antidepressant, you can be confident that having a discussion with your family doctor and attempting to taper off the medication is pretty much 100% safe.
If you start to get problems with withdrawal or problems with recurrence of depression, you can go back up in dose back onto the treatment as long as you’re being monitored. And in up to half the cases, you will succeed in coming off your antidepressant. So, we urge both patients who are taking antidepressants and the doctors who are prescribing them to think more often about embarking on attempting to help people come off.
Scientists are now calling on NHS England to set up a national helpline to support those wanting to get off antidepressants.
Now in a story that sounds like the beginning of the Terminator franchise, scientists have made faces for robots out of living skin.
A team from Tokyo University made the breakthrough by copying tissue structures in people and say the new method can work on complex, curved and even moving surfaces.
The artificial skin is made in a lab using living cells. It’s soft like real skin and is able to repair itself.
Looking at the images though, I’d say we’re not exactly going to be mistaking robots for people anytime soon. Think cartoon smiley faces or, as some have described them, ‘Haribo’.
But the researchers say it paves the way for making more convincingly realistic humanoids in the future.
Let’s go to the ads.
Coming up, Einstein’s atomic bomb letter goes to auction and everything new in the Fortnite reload update.
Welcome back.
A letter signed by Albert Einstein encouraging the US to develop the world’s first nuclear bombs is going up for auction.
It was addressed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939 and warned that Nazi Germany might be able to create such weapons.
Three years later, America began the Manhattan Project, which led to the first ever use of atomic weapons.
The letter was actually written by Hungarian physicist Leo Szilard, with help from other prominent scientists.
It was signed by Einstein to help get the president’s attention.
It’s been given an estimated value of between $4 million and $6 million.
Scientists have found that Madagascan lemurs produce rhythmic honks to warn their friends and family of danger.
Clip their courtesy of the University of Turin, who, along with researchers from the University of Warwick, say the creature’s unique alarm calls are helping shed new light on how human music evolved.
The Indris, also known as singing lemurs, have a natural ability to sing on beat, which is a rare trait only otherwise seen in songbirds, gibbons and humans.
The study found that the lemurs’ sense of rhythm cannot just be witnessed in their songs, but also in their alarm calls, a more primitive type of communication.
And finally…
Epic Games surprised Fortnite fans by abruptly releasing a new game mode inspired by Call of Duty Warzone’s resurgence, called Fortnite Reload.
The game pits squads of players against each other in tight shootouts on a brand new map.
The goal is to help your four-player team stay alive by wiping out opposing squads and rebooting your teammates.
If you’re killed before being revived, you’ll be left waiting to resurrect for 30-40 seconds based on the stage of the match.
Crucially, your buddies can slice precious seconds off the timer by downing an opponent, eliminating one, or better yet, offing an entire squad.
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Tech and Science Daily will be back tomorrow at 1pm.
See you then.
