StemCell Therapy

Electric motor on a Tesla Model X full electric car chassis demonstration model on display at ... [+] Brussels Expo in Brussels, Belgium. The platform is fitted with the electric motors for the rear and front wheels and shows the empty space in the middle where the battery packs are fitted on the production models. (Photo by Sjoerd van der Wal)

Concern over the longevity of the batteries powering Tesla electric cars seems to waning as the stock price pushes ever higher, and the Californa-based (for now) carmaker may soon offer drivers even more security in the form of a battery that will last for over a million miles worth of driving.

Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology, better known as CATL, which inked a supply deal with Tesla in February, claims it is ready to produce a new battery that will likely outlast an owners time with the car - a situation that has ramifications beyond just driving on electricity.

To be clear, CATLs battery tech doesnt give drivers a million miles on a single charge (that day is still a ways off), rather, the company claims that the battery will work for over 1.2 million driven miles over the course of sixteen years, or about 75,000 miles a year. Driving range will ultimately be determined by the size of the battery pack fitted to the car, but current Tesla models are giving drivers between 250 and 390 miles of range before needing a recharge. depending on configuration and model.

Most car owners in the U.S. drive their cars less than 20,000 miles per year on average. According to the BBC, most EV makers currently warranty their batteries for 60,000 to 150,000 miles.

CATL says it has a two-year contract with Tesla to start putting the new battery in Model 3 units. Terms of the contract were not specified. A company spokesperson told Bloomberg that they stand ready to begin production pending any orders they receive and that the new battery will be a 10% premium over their regular offerings. The BBC reports that CATL is looking to start producing batteries at a plant to be constructed near the German town of Erfurt in 2021. Tesla is also building a new Gigafactory in Germany and hopes to have it up and running in 2021. CATL also indicated they will offer the new batteries to car companies besides Tesla.

After The Car

While a million mile battery sounds impressive, its unlikely that a large number of electric car owners will ever drive their vehicle that distance, and in time, the rest of the vehicle may end up as unusable due to wear and tear, accidents or other service-ending reasons. At the point, the still-useful battery could find service in another role - or possibly in another vehicle as a used electric vehicle market begins to form. The batteries could also be repurposed as home energy storage units or as part of a large-scale battery array that provides power to a community or as power backup for a remote hospital.

The Electric Achilles Heel - For Now

Electric cars (and soon: trucks) continue to gain in popularity, with the now-obvious benefits of impressive performance, quiet operation, less maintenance and low operational costs becoming selling points. But the key component of electric vehicles - the battery - still needs to overcome several hurdles before it can compete squarely with gas-driven machines. Battery costs, charging times, capacity and longevity remain challenging technological problems, and while those problems will likely be solved in the next decade or so, the companies that can up with the solutions stand to reap enormous rewards as all sectors of transportation begin to shift away from fossil fuels. The quest for ever better batteries is driving research and innovation at numerous companies around the globe, with an almost unlimited market as the prize. CATLs battery tech is yet another possible step towards that eventual future.

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Chinese Company Linked To Tesla Says It Is Ready To Start Making Million-Mile EV Battery - Forbes

PORTSMOUTH Portsmouth City Council met Monday for their first meeting open to the press and public since COVID-19 precautions were established in March.

Council members and those present still practiced social distancing while the meeting took place at the Shawnee State University Ballroom. Council dispensed of the reading of the journal for May 26 and excused the absent member of council Tom Lowe.

From the legislative portion of the meeting council passed for first reading an ordinance enacting a new Chapter entitled Discrimination Prohibited, of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Portsmouth establishing a procedure to protect and safeguard the right and opportunity of all persons to be free from all forms of discrimination, including discrimination based on age, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or physical characteristics and an ordinance amending Section 125.03 (K) Procedures to Determine the Lowest and Best Bid for Construction of Public Improvements of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Portsmouth, Ohio, an Ordinance amending Chapter 171- Fair Housing Practices of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Portsmouth, Other items passed for their respective readings included an Ordinance amending Chapter 171- Fair Housing Practices of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Portsmouth, and an ordinance amending Section 541.08 Ethnic Intimidation of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Portsmouth.

An Ordinance authorizing approval of the consent legislation submitted by Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) determining the need for a guardrail project to update Type A end treatments along NHS routes within the corporation limits of Portsmouth and an ordinance authorizing the acceptance of the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance funding, under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (EBMJAG) to establish a dedicated account for this grant and to authorize the appropriation of such funding as received, and an ordinance authorizing the acceptance of the United States Department of Justice, and An Ordinance authorizing the employees in the positions of Police Chief and Fire Chief be afforded the same rates for longevity as bargaining unit members within the respective departments were each waived of the three reading rule and were passed by council.

An item added to the agenda to amend the salary ordinance as amended by ordinance no. 87 of 2019 to reflect a 2.75% wage increase for FOP lodge no. 33 and a 2.5% for ASME local 1039 received as of Jan. 1 2020 a 2.75% wage increase retroactive to Jan. 1 2020 for nonunion employees longevity increases to nonunion employees as authorized per ordinance no. 66 of 2017, the addition of parks of recreation director per ordinance no. 71 of 2019 and a wage increase for position of police chief as per 2020 budget ordinance no. 7 and repeal ordinance no. 87 of 2019 was also passed for a first reading by council.

During statements and remarks from citizens regarding items not on the agenda, Sharon Bender addressed council in regards to the death at the Scioto County Jail. Bender said that although the issue is that of the county, people arrested by the Portsmouth Police also go to the jail. There are a lot of questions that need answered, and I think all people within the city of Portsmouth should be concerned that a man has died. I dont really know how more too express other than I think there are irregularities in the photos Ive seen of the man, said Bender. Bender stated that everyone in Portsmouth should be concerned because there is potential for family members of anyone in Portsmouth to find themselves at the jail and that we must demand answers and for the situation to be further addressed. Carrie Duncan also addressed council and voiced her concerns for systematic racism, calling on members of council to use their positions to promote unity.

During his Mayors report, Councilmen Johnson suggested that council be given each a copy of Ms. Duncans questions to answer during next meetings conference in order to follow Sunshine Laws.

Reach: Ivy Potter (740) 353-3101 Extension 1932

2020 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved

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Council resumes meetings open to the public - Portsmouth Daily Times

Celebrities and public figures using Photoshop is a common occurrence. But when its Queen Elizabeth accused of sharing altered photos, its sure to raise a few eyebrows.

The photo in question got posted to the official British royal family Instagram account on June 10 in honor of Prince Philips 99th birthday. Its a milestone birthday even by royal family standards and theyre known for longevity.

The picture of the queen and Philip standing outside Windsor Castle is making rounds on social media not because the Duke of Edinburgh turned 99, but rather because many royal fans are saying its a total fake.

Part of the reason the photo became instantly popular is that Her Majesty and Prince Philip dont take many photos together anymore, especially after the Duke of Edinburgh retired from his public duties in 2017. The picture is the first glimpse of Prince Philip since he was spotted leaving a London hospital on Christmas Eve 2019.

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth is still very active in public life and ruling even during the current global pandemic.

At first glance, the Duke of Edinburghs birthday snapshot looks totally normal. He and Queen Elizabeth are standing on the lush, green lawn of Windsor Castle where she and her husband have been holed up since quarantine guidelines became mandatory.

But upon closer inspection, fans are noticing that theres somethingstrange about the picture. Theyre saying it looks like a bad Photoshopattempt.

Look at [the queens] hands its clearly photoshopped. I havea feeling they werent even physically together for this photo, one Facebook userin a royalfamily fan group shared. The more I look at it the more I can see what is wrong withthe photo, another agreed.

The main complaint about the photo is that the shadows on Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip dont match the sunny background, giving it an odd appearance that seems fake. Could it be that the photo was taken in front of a green screen with the backdrop added later? Maybe.

My guess is that they took the picture indoors and thensuperimposed it over the outdoors of Windsor Castle. Either that or its somesort of 3D photo, one commenter explained.

Others claim the couple looks too healthy in the picture. They are too young in that pic. He is much more frail, another person said. Am I the only one who thinks he had his jacked padded to appear healthier? one follower wondered. Philips hair looks touched up too! added another.

Between the global pandemic and civil unrest, people are feeling very nervous all around the globe. The royal family released the photo partly to celebrate the Duke of Edinburghs birthday and partly to remind the United Kingdom that Her Majesty is still working and still in charge.

Photoshoppedor not, its a lovely photo and positive gesture from the royals.

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Fans Claim Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip Posted a Fake Photo for His Birthday - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

We are Auburn Students and Community for Change. The purpose of the protest on Sunday, June 7, was to amplify the call to justice for the murder of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and the countless Black people who have lost their lives at the hands of police brutality.

We are heartbroken and enraged for every community that has lost someone to the cruelty of both the police and the systems that consistently and unremorsefully uphold the polices reign over Black lives.

Auburn Students and Community for Change would like to thank everyone for attending Sunday's protest and standing in solidarity with the Black community.

We would also like to extend our appreciation to the many people that have contributed to and supported the protest that were unable to be present with us. Your support does not go unnoticed.

Even though the protest on Sunday has ended, the Black Lives Matter movement and Auburn 4 Changes protest against police brutality, discrimination, and racism does not end here. If you care about this movement, we challenge you to take action every day to educate yourself and support organizations working toward equity and justice.

To our Allies:

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable as you stand in solidarity, advocate, and uplift Black voices within our community!

Please stop looking to Black people to fill voids in your knowledge about social and criminal injustice. You have the world wide web to educate yourself. Use it, and in turn, educate your non-Black peers.

Please continue or start calling out your friends, family, coworkers and professors making racist remarks or discriminating against minorities. You have the power to hold your city and University accountable, and to bring about drastic structural change.

By not speaking up you show that you agree. Continue to have discussions with Black people and practice Cultural Humility above all.

To the Black community:

Our voices will no longer be silenced! Our presence will be felt!

This is not a sprint but a marathon. We must continue to support each other and not give space to those who try to create division within our community.

Continue educating yourselves and finding where and how you can contribute to our movement.

We have a long history of Black liberationism and organizing to draw from, and our current mental health is also key for the longevity of our movement, locally and worldwide. Please continue to allow yourself to feel angry and demand change. It is time people are held accountable.

Lastly, remember why we all march. Remember what we fight for.

Yes, we fight for an end to police violence in the Black community. But even more, we fight against the insidious system of racism and oppression that gave rise to the violent policing culture that has existed so long. The insidious system upon which America, this state, and this city were built, and which must be dismantled to bring about a liberated world for all.

We fight against these systems so our children, and their children and their children after that can live in an America that is true to the values it has so long espoused.

The protest on Sunday has ended, but it was just one event. We ask: what are you doing today to combat systems of oppression? What will you do tomorrow? We have a long road ahead of us and a lot of work to do. Lets go.

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR | Sunday was just the beginning - The Auburn Plainsman

When Derrius Guice was selected from LSU in the second round by the Washington Redskins back in 2018, his fall from his expected draft position of the first round raised some eyebrows and led to discussions of if his off-field behavior was the cause for that fall.

While he was unable to suit up until 2019 due to a torn ACL suffered during the 2018 preseason, Derrius Guice is very much in the plans for the Redskins moving forward, and he fits perfectly into the plans for the longevity of their offense, being able to team up with quarterback Dwayne Haskins and wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

Derrius Guice suited up for five games in 2019, and even when he came back, he had to deal with incumbent RB Adrian Peterson as the bell cow back even with as long as he has been in the NFL.

Yet, with Derrius Guice coming into 2020 fully healthy, he still has to deal with a full stable of RBs looking for carries.

Besides Peterson and Derrius Guice, the team also has Stanford draftee Bryce Love (who has also dealt with ACL issues), former Seahawks scatback J.D. McKissic, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers back Peyton Barber, former Indianapolis Colts back Josh Ferguson, and rookie draftee Antonio Gibson out of Memphis. While they will most likely move forward with three to four of these backs for the regular season, nothing is promised for any of them.

Derrius Guice is the back with the most to prove on the roster, as his high draft status and pedigree should become the norm for this offense moving forward. His durability and longevity are going to be the biggest determining factors for how successful the Washington offense is this season, but if he remains healthy, he should be able to take over the starting role from Peterson and command lead-back abilities as soon as the first week of the season.

Both Haskins and McLaurin are going into their third seasons in the league, and they have been able to develop a solid rapport in the offense. While both were drafted in the same year after both having attended Ohio State University, so their chemistry was already more advanced than most rookie QB-WR combinations entering the league.

Expectations for the Redskins are low for their 20 season, as they commonly have been over the past five-plus seasons, but that element should play perfectly into the accelerated development of the Redskins on both sides of the ball, but specifically on offense with Derrius Guice.

The offensive line of the Redskins is a bit in shambles, as right guard Brandon Scherff and right tackle Morgan Moses look to be the only solid and incumbent OL starters that will be able to keep Haskins upright this year, which spells disaster. Derrius Guice cant feel comfortable about that situation.

With Haskins blindside currently being protected by projected starters Geron Christian Sr. at left tackle and Wes Schweitzer at left guard, as well as Chase Roullier at center, this offense may revolve around getting the ball out of Haskins hands early in the play and not relying on long-developing route trees and plays, which would help increase Guices involvement.

In his five games last year, Derrius Guice received nine targets, seven of which he caught that went for 79 yards and one of his three touchdowns, including a long of 45 yards. A 77.8 percent catch efficiency percentage is quite high for a running back, even if it is in a vacuum.

Derrius Guice has the hands to be a multi-faceted running back that can serve as a great compliment to what Peterson has provided this team so far, which is a power back that is starting wear down and cannot command 20+ touches each and every game because of needing to keep him fresh. And while Guice cannot be brought back necessarily in full capacity right away so he can try and build up his susceptibility to injuries, it would be in the teams best interest to move forward with him as their lead back from the jump.

Haskins is 24, Derrius Guice is 22, and McLaurin is 23, which is a prime age for this team to try and take advantage of up-and-coming players on their rookie deals. For the Redskins, their defense, which has been the constant focus of early draft picks lately, like Chase Young, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, and Montez Sweat, is at a pretty solid spot, especially with strong safety Landon Collins having come over from the divisional rival New York Giants, so the team is now for them to try and maximize their current roster on the offensive side of the ball.

The NFC East, or the NFC Least as it is so affectionately known as, continues to give 8-8 and 7-9 teams hope on a yearly basis to be able to either win the division or sneak into the postseason as the final Wild Card team while the Redskins still project as a sub-.500 franchise for this upcoming season, their chances at progressing up the standings in the division rest very heavily on the health of Derrius Guice, albeit not fully.

Ultimately, Derrius Guice will be looked at as the two-way player that he was drafted to be, even though it has taken much longer than expected to make that kind of impact. His abilities to give the run game another option that can help with outside runs, all while providing a solid screen game/dump-off/split-out option as a receiver will help give this offense another element and if he cannot, there are other options waiting in the wings to take his spot.

Washington will not be great this year again, as their first season under new head coach Ron Rivera will help dictate the future of this franchise and which direction they are heading. For Derrius Guice, while he is no Christian McCaffrey by any means, he can help fulfill that type of role for Rivera and his offense in a way; his role may actually resemble more of what DeAngelo Williams brought to the table for the Panthers. Peterson can have the role Jonathan Stewart owned as the bigger back who was used mainly for between the tackles.

Derrius Guice is the best running back on the roster based on ceiling and potential talent alone whether he realizes and reaches that remains to be seen, but his abilities to break out will dictate the kind of future success the Redskins offense has moving forward.

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Why Derrius Guice is the key to the future of the Redskins offense - ClutchPoints

Cheers to no fears!

A 104-year-old woman in the U.K. who recently recovered from the novel coronavirus has playfully credited her love of champagne to overcoming not only COVID-19, but surviving the Spanish flu and two world wars.

Jane Collins is back at The Gables care home where she resides in Derby, England after being hospitalized for the viral disease and reportedly recovering in just 10 days, news agency South West News Service (SWNS) reports.

Jane Collins, 104,recovered from the novel coronavirus has playfully credited her love of champagne to her incredible longevity. (SWNS)

GLOBAL CHAMPAGNE SALES FIZZLE AMID CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC BECAUSE PEOPLE AREN'T CELEBRATING

According to the outlet, Collins said shes doing very well and feeling stronger each day.

Im still tired but Im enjoying the cake and a little bit of champagne, the centenarian said.

Her great niece Sarah Balmforth also echoed that the golden bubbly is Collins secret to longevity.

Her great niece Sarah Balmforth also echoed that the golden bubbly is Collins secret to longevity. (iStock)

Balmforth, 53, works as a nurse and said the family was terrified when Collins was diagnosed with the coronavirus in late April.

When she was admitted to hospital, we were told to expect the worst due to her age and frailty, the niece said. She went into hospital with extreme lethargy and 24 hours later it was confirmed she had coronavirus. She was given superb care and she got stronger and stronger each day.

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It was worrying because you wonder if a 104-year-old still has enough in her to survive, but she absolutely did, Balmforth continued. She had an iron constitution and she was strong willed. She loved red wine and a glass of champagne thats her secret.

Collins worked in the health care industry for many years, and in a twist of fate, was once even employed at the Royal Derby Hospital where she fought COVID-19, SWNS reports.

The fiercely independent woman has been widowed for about 50 years and continued driving until she was 101. Collins even lived alone until she was 102, before moving into The Gables.

Im still tired but Im enjoying the cake and a little bit of champagne, the centenarian said of her recovery from COVID-19. (SWNS)

According to her Balmforth, who affectionately calls her great aunt a second mum, Collins loved ones are not surprised that she has recovered from the coronavirus after surviving the Spanish flu and two world wars in the 20th century.

CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS' CONTINUING CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

Shes always been a strong willed woman. Shes a source of pride for me, shes as sharp as shes ever been and still has her wits about her, the proud niece said. Its not surprising at all that she has survived everything that she has, I think itll take quite a bit more.

Jane was always a character. She used to tell me shed wait for everyone to get into church so she could make an entrance, Balmforth joked. And even today, her nails and hair are always immaculate.

Excerpt from:
Coronavirus survivor, 104, jokes that champagne is her secret to longevity - Fox News

The COVID-19 pandemic will change the global business landscape to its core. Investors are switching their attention from what was previously considered important sectors such as real estate, tourism and hospitality to what is truly important: human health.

The pandemic clearly will provide a tremendous boost to the biotech and bio-medicine industries, with a particular emphasis on preventive medicine.Recently, for example, two venture-funded rounds of more than $1 billion each (Arch Venture Partners and Qiming Venture Partners) were finalized. Meanwhile, several biotech companies closed sizeable funding rounds (e.g., Mabwell biotechs recent $278.5 million Series A injection, iTeos Therapeutics recent $125 million Series B2 financing, Affinivax's recent $120 million Series B round, among others).

Accordingly, expect to see a dramatic rise in the volume of investments going to healthcare in general, and preventive medicine in particular, including diagnostic and prognostic technologies. Money will also be earmarked for the detection and neutralization of diseases in advance of their pathological progression. All of this funding has one major goal: to strengthen the performance of the human immune system.

Promoting a healthy life in all its forms: physical; psychological and financial

Our frontier technology-focused consortium, Deep Knowledge Group, understands the scale and scope of the progressive healthcare and longevity industry, and of what longevity actually means in practice. Specifically, instead of focusing exclusively on what can be considered as core geroscience (R&D-stage therapies focused on treating the hallmarks, or root causes, of biological aging), our framework includes other relevant sectors, ranging from the biomedical to the technological and financial. In our view, the longevity industry encompasses anything promoting a healthy life in all its forms: physical; psychological and financial.

Read: Why virus stocks are driving market volatility

From a biomedical perspective, one of the biggest factors is optimizing the performance of the human immune system. You cannot live long if you are not properly protected from pandemic threats. For example, supercentenarians people who have lived at least 110 years possess certain features fostering a strengthened immune system, thus neutralizing diseases early in their lives and enabling greater protection from microbes, bacteria and viruses.

To advance such understanding, we expect investors to prioritize the sub-sectors with the greatest potential for disruptive impact: digital health; biomarkers of longevity, and in particular, artificial intelligence for healthcare, drug discovery, preventive medicine, and longevity, which is a major priority for our longevity-focused investment fund, Longevity.Capital.

Enhanced immunity is one of the most fundamental ways to improve health outcomes in the elderly, the group most at risk for infection, pathology and death during pandemics. Anti-pandemic (immune system optimizing) strategies and approaches for maximizing healthy longevity go hand-in-hand another reason why the current pandemic will lead to a rise in longevity-focused investment.

COVID-19 will reshape biotech, preventive medicine, precision health and longevity efforts in substantial and largely positive ways. One of the secondary goals behind the creation of Deep Knowledge Groups new COVID-19 MedTech Analytics IT-Platform was exactly this obtaining a deeper and more tangible understanding of how trends in biotech investment and industry development generally will change and adapt in the wake of the current COVID pandemic.

This platform is designed to serve as a comprehensive database of the most relevant entities, technologies, and developments in the COVID-19 MedTech ecosystem aggregating, profiling and visualizing the companies, organizations, scientists and technologies at the forefront of neutralizing the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring the health and safety of individuals and nations. The platform aims to cover all major sectors and relevant activities in the global COVID-19 MedTech landscape, from science to technology, R&D, treatment, diagnostic and vaccine development, and practical applications occurring globally, providing data on particular scientific and technological sectors and geographical regions.

The COVID-19 pandemic will bring significant investments and developments to the biotech and bio-medicine industries, as well as a shift from treatment and healthcare (which can in practice be viewed as sick care) towards early-stage prevention, diagnosis, and tangible, data science-driven enhancement of the immune system and extension of the healthy period of life. This trend in turn will lead to an increase in global financial growth and stability by reducing the economic burden of age-related diseases, and by neutralizing the significant risks an aging population poses to the health, stability and vitality of national economies.

Our previous assessment of the longevity industrys growth predicted a market value of $27 trillion by 2026. Yet considering the impact that COVID-19 is making on biotech investments, we see this figure as being much larger. COVID-19 will grow the rate and size of biotech investments generally, and investments in preventive medicine, precision health and healthy longevity in particular.

Health is the new wealth. The pandemic is causing many people to realize what is truly important in life, and to view their personal health and longevity as the most valuable asset class of all.

Dmitry Kaminskiy is founder of Deep Knowledge Group and founding partner of Longevity.Capital. He is co-author of Longevity Industry 1.0: Defining the Biggest and Most Complex Industry in Human History

Kate Batz is managing partner of Longevity.Capital and director of strategy and business development at Deep Knowledge Ventures.

More: Everything you need to know about the Oxford University vaccine and other efforts to beat coronavirus

Plus: Good news for older Americans: 70 is the new 60 (but not for everyone)

Continue reading here:
Biotechs smart money is already focused on disease prevention, boosting immune systems and longevity - MarketWatch

On the West Coast of the United States, the coastal redwoods in Northern California can live more than 2,000 years. Giant sequoias in central California routinely reach over 3,000 years in age. The oldest living organism in the world old Methuselah, a bristlecone pine tree has survived for over 4,700 years.

Millenia-old trees have held their place on Earth long and steady, and scientists have been curious about how theyre able to survive for so long. Native to China, the Ginkgo biloba can also survive over 1,000 years. By studying these long-living trees, a team of collaborating scientists between China and the United States identified specific genes that explain how the trees stay virtually immortal and thriving. They published their results in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Ginkgo trees are biologically unique. Fossils resembling their elegant fan-shaped leaves date back over 200 million years. Paleobotanists have concluded the modern ginkgo tree has barely changed throughout their long history. The tree's closest relatives have all died out: Ginkgos are evolutionarily isolated, [so theyre] the single surviving species of a lineage that completely died out, explains Judy Jernstedt, a plant anatomist who studies ginkgo shoot architecture at the University of California, Davis and was not involved in the study.

But out of these distinct qualities, their most intriguing trait remains their longevity.

We went to a very local area in Hubei Province, explains Jinxing Lin, a plant biologist at Beijing Forestry University and a senior author of the study. To try to understand the biological reasons for how the trees could live for so long, the researchers wanted to compare genetic samples between young and old trees to bring back to their lab. However, they had to first determine the trees ages and find fitting samples to analyze.

Leaves, you know, can fall down every year and could not reflect the real age. So, we used the old vascular cambium, Lin said.

The vascular cambium is a ring of cells that form a layer underneath the bark. Theyre cells without specialized roles that will continuously divide and grow, either inwards towards the trunk as wood or outwards as bark. Even centuries-old ginkgo trees, can still divide several cells each year from the cambium, added Lin.

As a tree grows, the vascular cambium increases the girth of the trunk. Seasonal changes and growth patterns mean that this growth will produce about one additional ring in the trunks patterning every year.

Youve got to go in there and use a bore to go right into the center of tree and then pull it out, explains Richard Dixon, a biologist at University of North Texas and a senior author of the study, and then youve got to do the aging of the tree based on the rings.

With this method, the researchers collected samples from 34 ginkgo trees between 15- and 667-years old. They compared the ginkgo trees RNA in the vascular cambium to observe how their genetic activity changed between different age points.

In the 600-year old trees, genes associated with defenses against pathogens and disease resistance remained steadily active. The activity of other genes related to producing antioxidants, antimicrobials, and stress-response signals also didn't seem to be declining either. In other words, the older ginkgo trees appeared just as hardy as the younger trees. We really couldnt tell the profile for a 600-year old tree from a 20-year old tree, marvels Dixon.

Gene activity related to senescence the stage of life where cells lose their ability to divide and the tree begins to deteriorate and die also stayed consistent in the older trees, showing no signs of increasing with age. We thought after several hundred years they should go into senescence, recalls Lin. But genetically, the old ginkgo trees appeared as youthful as ever. We found the trees can still produce very good seeds and pollen, and theyre still in a healthy state.

These results are some of the first pieces of evidence pointing scientists towards the molecular underpinnings of aging, or a lack of it, in trees. Although the oldest trees in the study were about 600 years old, Dixon believes even older ginkgo trees estimated to be over 1,000 years old would show similar patterns of health and youth.

Bristlecone pine, redwood, sequioa, and gingko trees can all live for thousands of years

Photo by Juvian Duff on Unsplash

Similar genetic mechanisms could possibly be responsible for longevity in other long-living trees as well. Maybe people will now be doing these kinds of experiments in redwoods or in...yew trees or bristlecone pine trees, says Dixon.

To add to the ginkgo's list of quirks, the species is also notoriously hardy. Theyre unusually resistant to diseases, pests, and pollution, making them popular for city planners in urban settings. Famously, a small stand of ginkgo trees survived the nuclear blast from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and even flowered the next spring.

This biological phenomenon shapes new questions for Dixon and Lin. They say the next planned step for their research group is to study the somatic mutation rate of ginkgo trees. Somatic mutations are changes in DNA that are not inherited from sperm or egg cells, but rather acquired later on from environmental factors such as ultraviolet light or radiation. What protects the integrity of the ginkgo genome so well? For the genetic profile of a mature ginkgo tree to closely resemble a young one, does that mean somatic mutations are slower to accumulate?

Or, does something that lives a thousand years have to have a better DNA repair mechanism? Dixon wonders, If it did, that would be phenomenal, I think.

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The genes of 600-year-old gingko trees are just as active as their teenage counterparts - Massive Science

The naked mole rat never develops age-related diseases. It stays active and enjoys good bone health, reproductive success and mental acuity for its lifespan of up to 30 years.

Two of many reasons for this creatures healthy longevity are its low body temperature and slow metabolic rate.

For the first time, researchers from the Institute of Gerontology in Kiev and Prof. Vadim Fraifelds Lab for the Biology of Aging at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel have replicated those conditions in lab mice. A naked mole rat generally lives about eight times longer than a mouse despite its similar size.

The research results, published in Biogerontology, have intriguing implications for increasing longevity and decreasing major pathologies in humans as well.

According to the scientists, the naked mole rats burrows are poorly ventilated, keeping oxygen levels are low and carbon dioxide levels high. This may cause the reduction in the naked mole rats body temperature by 3-4 degrees as compared to mice and slow its metabolism significantly.

A naked mole rat in its burrow. Photo by Neil Bromhall via Shutterstock.com

Subjecting laboratory mice to the same conditions called a hypoxic-hypercapnic environment (HHE) successfully reduced their body temperature and metabolic intensity for weeks and even months.

And the mice in the HHE voluntarily consumed less food, which is one of the well-known factors in increased longevity.

Unexpectedly, the HHE accelerated skin wound healing, despite the lower energy expenditure, the researchers also noted.

All in all, a chronic exposure to HHE offers a potential of being a lifespan-extending intervention as well as an efficient tool for treating the overweight and associated metabolic disorders.

The scientists explain that at one point in history, the Earth contained much lower levels of oxygen and higher levels of carbon dioxide.

There is still some memory in our cells of that period and therefore it should be possible in the future to induce such a state for longer periods, they said.

Moreover, they believe that HHE conditions could be used to help fight obesity, diabetes and perhaps even cancer.

Secrets of long life

The naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber), a rodent native to East Africa, has long been the subject of study because of its unusual healthy longevity and particularly its resistance to cancer.

In 2012, Tel Aviv University evolutionary biologist Dorothee Huchon and colleagues at the Texas Health Science Center and the City College of New York determined another reason for the naked mole rats unusual life expectancy: very high levels of a neuro-protective protein called Neuregulin 1 (NRG-1) in its brain.

Because NRG-1 is also found in the human brain, Huchon and her fellow researchers suggested that learning more about how aging and NRG-1 are related could be significant.

Fraifeld studies many aspects of human aging genomics. Graduate students in his Lab for the Biology of Aging at BGU won an award for their study on longevity genes, genetic protective factors that some people are lucky enough to inherit.

By modulating the activity of these genes in advanced age, it could be possible to combat major diseases.

Although an apparent paradox, it appears that the most effective way to delay or even to avert age-related diseases is to live longer, Fraifeld told ISRAEL21c.

Another prominent Israeli longevity researcher, Bar-Ilan Universitys Haim Cohen, recently published a study showing that SIRT6, considered a longevity-related protein, is involved in regulating biological processes including aging, obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation and metabolism. His team hopes to identify therapeutic approaches that target and activate SIRT6.

Ben-Gurion University researcher Debbie Toiber specializes in studying SIRT6 and DNA repair as models of age-related diseases.

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Researchers can extend the lifespan of mice: Are WE next? - ISRAEL21c

As coronavirus-induced mortality rates feature persistently in the nightly news, life feels more fleeting and fragile than before. Yet Israeli and Azerbaijani researchers are among those investigating the secrets behind longevity.High in the mountain forests of Eurasias Caucasus region and down in the leafy lowlands of Azerbaijan, clusters of superagers generally those age 90 and above have inspired generations of documentarians and scientists alike to plumb the mysteries of living a long life.Storytellers long have circulated tales of groups of Azerbaijanis living to be more than 120; a museum in the city of Lankaran honors the countrys long livers. Since the 1970s, Azerbaijans overall life expectancy has settled into the global-average range of 71. Still, an unusual number of Azerbaijanis, primarily in remote areas, have overwhelmingly defied the average.What exactly affords Azerbaijans superagers the ability to keep on living?ClustersWhy have clusters of superagers not just isolated superagers appeared in Azerbaijan and elsewhere in the world? Genes and family history come into play. Looking at the clusters in Azerbaijan may add to the body of knowledge of medical factors and family patterns that proactively contribute to longevity.A growing number of scientists consider aging to be a preventable condition that can be addressed by gene therapy. Such an approach contrasts with the medical communitys traditional focus on the risk factors that pose impediments to long life. Lessons to be learned from Azerbaijan and elsewhere may contribute to our ability to prolong life.GeneticsThe New York-based Albert Einstein College of Medicines Dr. Nir Barzilai, an eminent leader in longevity research, has not personally examined the Azerbaijani case but points to his long-term research on Ashkenazi Jews in discussing the issue of clusters.Israeli-born Barzilai, founding director of the colleges Institute for Aging Studies and scientific director of the American Federation for Aging Research, has identified or corroborated longevity-associated gene markers that include the cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene (CETP). In one form, CETP correlates with slower memory decline, lower dementia risk, and significant protection against heart disease. CETPs appearance is affiliated with higher good cholesterol (HDL). Scientists and pharmaceutical companies such as Merck have looked to CETP and other identifying markers as means to interrupt age-related diseases.Barzilais study of the largely homogeneous Ashkenazi Jewish population has revealed shared genetic elements resulting in patterns. The research has helped Barzilai and others develop mitochondria-based therapeutics for diseases associated with aging.LifestyleLifestyle matters, scientists and laypeople generally agree. Whether it be taking daily walks or turning off the news, people who live a life focused (but not overly focused) on healthy habits tend to live longer.Dr. Anatoly Khaimovich Rafailov, a surgeon with more than 40 years of experience who leads the Azerbaijan-Israel Inter-Parliamentary Work Group in the Azerbaijani Parliament, attributes the high life expectancy in some regions of Azerbaijan to two factors. First: the residents of those regions widely use Berberis (Barberry) in their everyday meal. The anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and other healing properties of Berberis are well-known since ancient times, he says. The second factor is that people there are very active physically daily, they walk about 18-20 kilometers (11-12 miles). And motion is life.Many Azerbaijanis cite a diet centered on unprocessed, organic foods and a lack of involvement in harried debate as keys to long life. Dr. Tahir Amiraslanov, president of the Azerbaijan National Culinary Association and editor-in-chief of the Kulina scientific journal, says, People eat what they grow, use clean water and fresh air, live in a house with a large, multigenerational family, and overall live a natural life and try to do good things.Professor Ulduz Hashimova, director of the Institute of Physiology at the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences in the countrys capital of Baku, shares that her institute has made understanding superaging an institutional priority for several years. The institutes comprehensive research has spanned disciplines, from genealogy to ecology, neurology, biochemistry, and beyond. Most published works deriving from this effort are written in Russian, which may partially explain the Wests general lack of familiarity with this research.From the pandemic to the futureAzerbaijan has fostered significant partnerships in the humanities and other disciplines, and the West is building an understanding of Azerbaijani culture and contributions. Amid the pandemic and in the coming years, the US scientific community may look to Israel and Azerbaijan who are partners in technical and other arenas for breakthroughs in the understanding of aging.The Azerbaijani superaging phenomenon may also be of particular interest to social scientists, given major societal changes during the past century. Consider this: Someone over the age of 100 might have witnessed what is now the Republic of Azerbaijan as a portion of the Russian Empire, a part of the early Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, and as an S.S.R. of the Soviet Union.As societies become increasingly heterogeneous, we can learn from families and communities with shared characteristics. We may unlock more life-extending therapies. Meanwhile, as research progresses, we can make the lifestyle changes already identified as keys to longevity.Diana Cohen Altman, principal of Cultural Diplomacy Associates, L.L.C., and former executive director of the US cultural non-profit Karabakh Foundation, writes extensively about Azerbaijani cultural and civil-society topics.

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Do Azerbaijan and Israel possess the secrets of a long life? - The Jerusalem Post

Beating coronavirus, especially when youre older and considered high-risk, is worthy of a celebration.

Some COVID-19 survivors are also 100-years-old and older, which means theyve also lived through and survived their fair share of pandemics, like the Spanish Flu, World Wars, and the Great Depression.

The New York Post reached out to the survivors to get one answer -- whats the secret to longevity?

Walter Reed of East Rockaway, LI said he believes that in order to have a long life, you need a good diet. I never smoked. I watched my diet, he said.

Reed also maintained a positive outlook on life: I always try to do the right things: You never hear me cussing I dont get angry, I hold my temper down. I walk away and have a good relationship with everybody.

A positive attitude and resilience is credited with helping 104-year-old Ida Acconciamessa, who, in addition to overcoming COVID, also survived stage 4 melanoma, the Spanish Flu, and recovered from two broken hips.

Meanwhile, 101-year-old Rose Leigh-Manuell of West Sayville, LI, credits her faith with getting her through the hard times.

God takes good care of me, the devout Protestant told the publication.

She had such an upbeat attitude about everything. One of her favorite sayings when things go bad: This too shall pass, her son, Gary said.

The grandmother of eight, who loves to snack on Oreos, also notes its important to spend time with your loved ones and prioritizes weekly dinners with her son.

Gary said his mother seemed young despite her age: she worked in a fish market up until she was 95, so that would have been six years ago. And the only reason she stopped working is the fish market closed.

Having something to look forward to and a family to come home to is equally as important.

WWII veteran Vincent Simeone, 99, made sure nothing got in the way of attending his granddaughters wedding, not even COVID.

"It was a huge surprise and it was great to see him standing and waving, smiling," his granddaughter Amy Zimmerman Scudieri of his attendance.

Some are just born with it, according to 104-year-old Lilian Menendez who believes her longevity is due to her strong genes.

My mother was 98 and she didnt have a gray hair in her head she was jet black, Mendez recalls.

Staying active is key, says Dave Stejna, the grandson of 103-year-old Jennie Stejna.

Shes the most high-energy person I ever met, he said adding, Into her 90s, I would go places with her and I could barely keep up.

Stejna manages to refuel with a cold beer, which Dave says shed often indulge in on a hot summer day.

Its no coincidence that when she celebrated her recent recovery from coronavirus by enjoying an ice cold Bud Light!

We'll cheers to that!

Trending Coronavirus Coverage FromRADIO.COMYou canfinally call the IRSabout your stimulus checkDisney Worldpartially reopensto lines after blunt warning to customersHair Stylistworked for 8 days at Great Clipslocation despite having COVID-19 symptomsPerson infected with COVID-19exposed 180 peopleduring church servicePoll: Many Americanswont returnto gyms or dining outMillions of coronavirus stimulus checks to be issued onprepaid debit cardsCoronavirus survivorshares alarming body transformation photowhile in the hospitalAresmokers at less riskfor contracting the coronavirus?

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100-Year-Old Coronavirus Survivors Reveal the Secrets to a Long and Healthy Life - WWJ Newsradio 950

BYDs Blade Battery Factory in Chongqing

BYD allowed outsiders for the first time on Wednesday into its Chongqing, China factory that produces its Blade Battery.

More than 100 media and industry experts toured the FinDreams Battery Factory, which began production of the new battery on March 29.

The electric vehicle manufacturer developed much of the production equipment at a total investment of 10 billion yuan, or $1.4 billion USD, and has an annual production capacity of 20GWH.

The Blade Battery can be charged from 10% to 80% capacity in 33 minutes, supporting the BYD Han EVs acceleration of zero to 100 km/h, or 62 mph, in 3.9 seconds. Its accumulated mileage can reach 1.2 million km, or 745,645 mph, after 3,000 cycles of charging and discharging.

In short, the Blade Battery outpaces ternary lithium batteries and traditional lithium iron phosphate batteries among the metrics of longevity, power and strength, BYD said.

The Han EV is BYDs flagship sedan model is slated for launch later this month.

BYDs Han EV is the first electric vehicle equipped with the Blade Battery, possessing a cruising range of 605 km (375 mph) with a single charge, said Li Yunfei, vice general manager of BYD Auto Sales.

The factory has a highly specialized environment, reaching the same standards as LCD screen production.

The nature of the factorys environment can be seen in the core production process, BYD said in a statement.

Sun Huajun, vice general manager of the FinDreams Battery Factory, said the strict conditions are a necessary foundation to the Blade Batterys high safety standards.

The nearly one-meter-long pole piece can achieve tolerances of within 0.3mm, and the accuracy and speed of a single-piece lamination have an efficiency of 0.3s/pcs. This is the first of its kind in the world. This form of lamination comes from BYDs completely independent development of its equipment and cutting-edge solutions aspects that are uncopiable, he said.

The Blade Battery is a single-cell battery that can be placed in an array and inserted into a battery pack like a blade.

Compared with ternary lithium batteries and traditional lithium iron phosphate batteries, it holds notable advantages in its high safety, long range and enduring longevity, BYD said.

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BYD gives first glimpse of Blade Battery factory in China - The Fourth Revolution

When a WNBA team is drafting in the middle of the second round, its probably not expecting to land a major contributor. A rebounding or 3-point specialist, perhaps a player who could earn a roster spot if things go right in training camp but would ultimately struggle to stick around for very long.

This is what makes Tammy Sutton-Browns story so special. Drafted at out of Rutgers at No. 18 overall, Sutton-Brown was never known as a stats monster or superstar player, yet she still became a model of steady play and longevity across her 12 WNBA seasons.

When it was all said and done, Sutton-Brown had played 388 games and nearly 10,000 minutes. She still ranks near the top of the historical WNBA leaderboards in several categories, namely total offensive rebounds (708; 18th in WNBA history) and blocked shots (555; 7th).

The 6-foot-4 Sutton-Brown began her WNBA career in Charlotte, where she was drafted by the Sting in 2001. While Sutton-Browns draft position of No. 18 overall has not typically been kind to rookies over the years, Sting head coach Anne Donovan entrusted her with 20.8 minutes played and 21 starts.

Sutton-Browns volume increased in her second season, and with it her per-game stats. She averaged 11.9 points on 53.1 percent shooting in 2002, along with 6.0 rebounds (2.4 offensive) per game. It earned her a trip to the 2002 WNBA All-Star Game, representing the Eastern Conference alongside fellow up-and-comers Tamika Catchings and Penny Taylor.

Of course, Sutton-Brown never reached the legendary status of those players, but remained remarkably consistent for the Sting as their starting center. Per 36 minutes, she never averaged fewer than 11.7 points or 7.3 rebounds during her time in Charlotte, with her usage falling between 20.0 percent and 21.6 percent in each season. Sutton-Brown also became one of the better rim protectors in the WNBA, finishing outside of the leagues top 10 in blocked shots only once.

The unfortunate folding of the Sting franchise in early 2007 spelled the end of Sutton-Browns time in Charlotte, but her contract with the Sting had expired anyway, and she was thus ineligible for the ensuing dispersal draft.

Instead, Sutton-Brown signed a contract with the Indiana Fever, for whom she continued her steady play. Sutton-Brown was named to her second and final All-Star game in 2007, a season in which she averaged a career-best 17.1 points per 36 minutes for the 21-13 Fever.

While Sutton-Browns 2007 season was her last big one her usage rate declined from a career-high 24.3 percent in 2007 to 20.3 percent in 2008, 19.8 in 2009 and 17.1 in 2010 she continued to start for the Fever, and the Fever continued to win. Indiana made the 2009 WNBA Finals (where the Fever lost in five games to the Phoenix Mercury) and won at least 21 games in each of the following three seasons.

By 2012, Sutton-Brown was 34 years old, and while she kept starting on yet another successful Fever team, her on-court contributions were lessening. Sutton-Browns starting spot was usurped by Erlana Larkins in the 2012 playoffs, a move that proved crucial to Indianas upset of the Minnesota Lynx in the Finals.

The Fevers championship was a storybook ending for Sutton-Brown, who decided to retire following the 2012 season. She had been a solid WNBA starter for many years, falling just short of the ultimate goal in several of them, so it was only right that she finally won a title in the twilight of her career. Sutton-Browns WNBA story is remembered as one of both longevity and consistency, and to this day she remains the only No. 18 overall pick to be named a WNBA All-Star.

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Tammy Sutton-Browns WNBA career was a long and successful one - Swish Appeal

Ice Cube stars as Jack Robertson in The High Note, a Focus Features release. (Photo credit: Glen Wilson / Focus Features)

The new movieThe High Note, starring Tracee Ellis Ross, Ice Cube and Kelvin Harrison Jr., is a story about taking chances and following your heart. The film follows superstar Grace Davis (Ross) as she struggles with her next career move. The audience sees the dynamic between Davis and music manager Jack Robertson (Ice Cube) play out as he tries to convince her to play it safe.

Rolling out had the opportunity to speak with veteran actor Ice Cube about taking on the role, what it takes to conquer the music industry and building a legacy.

What drew you to the role of music manager Jack Robertson in The High Note?

Just being able to see behind the curtain of the music industry. I think being an artist myself, its a million stories you can tell about what happens backstage and offstage and so [I wanted] to be able to show that in the movie. I thought the most amazing relationship in the movie was between Grace Davis and Maggie, her assistant. Everybody wants to go work for somebody famous and for their favorite artists, but do you really? You never know what youre going to get. Knowing that [producer] Rodney Jerkins was doing the music, I knew the music would be on point. Just getting a chance to play a character like Jack was fun.

The High Note focuses on the theme of career evolution. How important is reinvention to the longevity of a career in the entertainment industry?

I think its important to think about the direction that you are going and want to go to. Longevity is something we all want, but theres a path to longevity. Definitely a trust from the audience. You have to give good work, but you also have to give people what they dont expect, so thats reinventing yourself sometimes.

Continue to the next page to read more.

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Ice Cube discusses new role in 'The High Note' and the key to career longevity - Rolling Out

Hardwood athletic floors have beenhardwoodmuchlonger thanthey havebeenathletic.

Todays high shock-absorption, resilient floors are vastly different than the subfloor assemblies prominent in the late 1800s when basketball,squash andvolleyball were being introduced. Floors used for athletic activities during that time period were really designed for warehouse andindustrial settings, and carried over to serve as gymnasium floors for many years to followwith no added cushioning below subfloor assemblies.

Even with the emergence of cushioned floors in the 1950s, the industrial use of non-shock absorbing floors from the turn of the century continued to be installed in gymnasiums well into the 1980s.

Hardwoodathletic floorsinstalled in todays gymnasiums are apt to include some type of resilient pad or foam cushion support. Sport floor systems thatare provided and installed byindustry professionalstypically include high levels ofshockabsorption. Shock absorption is measured and verified by third-party, independent laboratories that have equipment designed to measure characteristics that include force reduction,verticaldeflection andbasketballrebound.

One of the benefits of hardwood floors is longevity. Hardwood floors can provide wear-life lasting upwards of 70 years. Due to hardwoods longevity, there are many gym floors still in use today that are based on the 100-year-old warehouse orindustrialfloor designs. The rigid response to athletic impacts when playing on such floors still in usetodayare the same as when playing on such non-resilient wood floors long before the NBA wasformed.

When was the last time you watched a track event raced on cinder tracks? Do you notice the small, rubber infilled granules sprinkled to the surface when watchingfootball on artificialturffields?Advancements in thosesports surfacesareobvious and can be seen by the human eye.Thecombination of elastic components and subfloor configurations below todays hardwood athletic floors is nearly limitlessbutalways concealed.

The long life of maple flooring offers numeroussandings, after whichyouare left with a clean slate. The floor can be finished with basic gameline uptowhat sometimes look likeworks of art using a mix of stains, paint anddifferent floor grades. The design component is true whether youare on a hardwood floor system going back generations and designed for industrial applications, or on a true hardwood athletic floor designed specifically for sports and recreational activities.

The sayingYou cant tell a book by its cover especially pertains to hardwood athletic floors. You could be playing on the most advanced resilient hardwood athletic floor available or on a rigid floor system designed well before the introduction of the jump shot andglass backboard.

Randy Randjelovic is the technical advisor at Aacer Flooring with over 40 years of experience in the hardwood floor industry. For more information, email randyr@aacerflooring.com.

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Hardwood Athletic Floors, Then and Now - Campus Rec Magazine

Wed like to think that the lockdown has motivated us to pay attention to what we put in our body. Health and a balanced diet have climbed back up the priority ladder as home cooking rose to the occasion. It isnt news that the Mediterranean diet, rich in seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, is one of the healthiest diets in the world for longevity.

So we decided to tweak a classic Mediterranean dish, and make it with only Indian GI-tagged ingredients.

What you will need:

Directions:

Heat up a saucepan and add the chulli oil, hill garlic and chicken meat, and saut for a couple of minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, olives, cumin, pepper and chilies, and cook for another minute, until combined. Pour in the lemon juice and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes until the sauce is reduced and chicken cooked. Add salt to taste and serve atop some Manipuri black rice!

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Mediterranean Meets the Indian GI - Outlook India

06/04 Update below. This post was originally published on June 3

iPhone and iPad problems have increased for users in recent weeks with ongoing bugs and major security vulnerabilities, with Apple playing a game of Whack-a-Mole twice in quick succession. But now the company is planning to reward iPhone owners who stick with them.

Apple looks set to extend it's already unmatched iOS longevity for millions of iPhone owners

New information attained by The Verifier reveals plans to continue support for all iOS 13-compatible iPhones with iOS 14. The Verifier states this information comes via access to a build of iOS 14 which was subsequently verified by a trusted source in Apples development team. Given the numerous problems in iOS 13, particularly early releases, ongoing software and security support would be a major reason for owners of older iPhones to stick with the company.

06/03 Update: details from future iOS updates continue to leak. Spotted by 9to5Mac, code inside Apple's iOS 13.5.5 beta software reveals the company is preparing to launch new service bundles. The terms "bundle offer" and "bundle subscription" are contained in the release with packages expected to combine Apple Music ($9.99 per month), Apple TV+ ($4.99 pm) and Apple News+ ($9.99 pm). No price has been revealed for any bundle ($15-20 would seem a likely price range), but with Apple Music significantly more popular than the other two, it makes sense for Apple to try and bolster its others services as a package. The arrival of Apple service bundles alongside surprisingly affordable new 5G iPhones again confirms the company's aggressive new strategy of undercutting rivals on price this year. Based on what we already know about the new iPhone 12 range, this hardware + software value-based combination could prove unstoppable.

06/04 Update: 9to5Mac has discovered more new features hidden inside a leaked build of iOS 14. These include a built-in translator for Safari (which works offline with all translations happening on-device) and, most significantly, support for the Apple Pencil. In the early iOS 14 build 9to5Mac attained, Pencil support is limited to websites but it is not limited to navigation with both drawing and markup supported. Having long been removed as a potential feature limited to new iPhone hardware, it would be big news if Pencil support becomes available to all iPhone owners with iOS 14. Needless to say, features from early software can just as easily be removed as added so there is no guarantee it will make the final release but it would be a very welcome addition, if it survives.

For those in doubt, iOS 13 currently supports the iPhone 6S and newer and the 7th generation iPod touch. The Verifier doesnt confirm whether iPadOS 14 will be so generous (iPadOS 13 supports the 2014 iPad Air 2 and newer), but it would seem like a good bet. Interestingly, the report also backs up an early leak from iPhoneSoft.fr which made the same claim in January though with the caveat that Apples decision at the time was not yet final.

If correct, this news could not be better timed for iPhone owners. Aside from being a thank you for sticking with the company through its problems with iOS 13, it would show Apple is not blind to the considerable challenges in 2020 and the fact they put many owners of older iPhones in a difficult financial position where they may not be able to justify an upgrade this year.

Apple iOS 13 devices all look set to receive iOS 14 support

Of course, the flipside is iOS 15 may well drop two generations of iPhone in 2021 (iOS 13 dropped support for both the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), but that is a problem for another time. Troubled as iOS updates have been in recent years, the longevity of their support remains a key differentiator. With the iPhone 12 also set to undercut 5G Android rivals on price, Apple may just have played its winning hand.

___

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Apple Just Gave Millions Of Users A Reason To Keep Their iPhones - Forbes

Even before the coronavirus pandemic erupted, retirement savings were at risk, according to Building Better Retirement Systems in the Wake of the Global Pandemic, a working paper issued by the Pension Research Council of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

The paper points out that the World Economic Forum estimates the retirement savings gap will grow 5% each year to reach approximately $400 trillion by 2050adding an additional $28 billion to the deficit each day.

Defined benefit (DB) plans around the world have long been facing rising underfunding, in part due to an aging population and a shrinking working age population on which contributions, or taxes, can be levied. Exacerbating this, many DB plan sponsors have underestimated retiree longevity, and some have failed to add their required contributions to plans.

Moreover, the paper says, DB plans have tended to invest in risky assets including equities, hedge funds and alternative investmentsnone of which were selected to defease, or match, benefit promises. Prior to the COVID-19 market downturn, U.S. public DB plan underfunding had swelled to $4 trillion. Globally, that deficit is estimated to be $34 trillion.

Defined contribution (DC) plans shift the responsibility to save and choose investments to participants. The paper says that these participants also bear longevity risk, particularly if they draw down their assets too quickly. These workers may not even participate in their DC plan, or contribute too little, the paper says. Part-time or lower-paid workers may not even be offered a retirement savings plan.

Further complicating the outlook for both DB and DC plan participants is that interest rates have been very low for the past several years, the paper says. This reality has contributed to severe DB underfunding, particularly when actual returns fall far below those assumed when computing contribution obligations, the paper says. DC plans, which are now the norm in many countries, face even more complex challenges, since they do not have explicit funding targets, yet they also suffer when capital markets underperform.

Then came the coronavirus outbreak in late 2019 in China. As the outbreak entered the United States, U.S. equity markets began crashing on February 24, and in March, global stock markets lost trillions.

The paper notes that the COVID-19 pandemic could depress returns for decades. Citing one researcher who looked into the effects of past European pandemics, the after-effects persist for roughly 40 years, with real rates of return substantially depressed.

In the U.S., the employment to population ratio fell from 60% in January to 52% in April, leading the federal government to increase its debt levels to offer relief. But that raises worries about U.S. fiscal sustainability, the paper notes.

The effect of the coronavirus on the markets has made DB underfunding far worse, although, the paper notes, because accounting procedures permit these plans to smooth their funding patterns over several years, it will take time before the full impact of their investment losses are fully recognized.

U.S. state and local pensions are also suffering, where plan funding has fallen from an estimated 52% to 37%, the paper continues. Even larger drops are foreseen for Connecticut (28%), Kentucky (25%), New Jersey (24%) and Illinois (20%), leaving only a few years of assets with which to pay benefits.

Corporate DB plans underfunding went from $329 billion at the end of 2019 to $619 billion in March, according to Morgan Stanley.

And the U.S. Social Security system is projected to be able to pay only three-quarters of scheduled benefits within a dozen years, but the pandemic might hasten that contraction to as soon as 2029.

Because of rising unemployment, many employers are permitting their workers to take out larger loans from their DC plans. In the U.S., a participant can take out as much as $100,000. The paper says that, by one estimate, half of U.S. workers have already dipped or plan to dip into their DC retirement funds.

On top of this, some employers are reducing or stopping their 401(k) matches, and as many as 200,000 firms may terminate their DC plans completely.

Because COVID-19 has exposed so many people to catastrophically expensive health problems, some financial advisers are revising the recommendation that retirees withdraw 4% of their assets each year to 2.4%.

In the U.S. the cost of retirement, or the amount of money one would need to save in order to generate a payment of $1 a year for 25 years has risen by 14%, from $21 for a target retirement in 2040 in 2019, to nearly $24 in March.

How can people offset these challenges? One option is to work longer and postpone a potential retirement date. A March survey of Americans between the ages of 55 and 60 found that 44% would like to work longer. However, that may not be possible in the near term, as there could be massive unemployment for some time to come, according to the paper. And those who decide to take their pensions early are likely to find their benefits reduced.

The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, which was passed last year, permits private sector employers to establish multiple employer pension plans and requires them to give part-time and part-year workers access to DC plans.

Six states are now offering state-based DC plans that employers are required to offer if they do not already have a retirement plan. These are helpful in covering lower-paid workers at small firms, the paper says.

The pandemic will likely result in fewer pension plans in the U.S., as they struggle to pay benefits and maintain adequate funding following the pandemic, according to the paper. Some might remain in place but make cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs).

Since DC plans will become even more pronounced if there are fewer pension plans, it is expected that more of them will adopt automatic enrollment and automatic escalation. If returns remain low, as they are expected to, workers will need to save more. One researcher says that if returns are 2% and a worker has only 20 years to save, they will need to save as much as 33%, or even 48%, of their pay. Someone with 30 years to save would need to save 15% to 16% of their pay.

Target-date funds (TDFs) can boost retirement wealth by as much as 50% over a 30-year savings horizon. The paper suggests that robo-advice may be used in retirement plans to help guide workers on how to allocate their savings.

The paper also says that with governments making such massive fiscal expenditures due to the coronavirus, they may decide to make all DC plans Roth plans, so they can collect the taxes on the front end.

The paper also expects that DC plans will begin to help workers with the decumulation phase, perhaps converting their savings into annuities that guarantee lifetime income.

In sum, post COVID-19, it will be challenging but critical to provide more retirees access to low-cost annuities and high-quality but low-cost investment advice, the paper says. Additional research and product development will be required, to make the retirement decumulation process easier for retirees to manage.

Insurers could more accurately price longevity risk if policymakers found a way to provide more granular data about mortality and morbidity patterns. And Social Security and pensions need to be better funded, the paper says. Policymakers could encourage delayed retirement and employers could also delink health care benefits from employment and, instead, make them available through associations or multiple employer plans.

Finally, policymakers should ensure that more people are educated about the importance of saving for retirement. With more information, people do a better job planning, saving and decumulating during retirement, the paper says.

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COVID-19 Has Made the Retirement System Weaker - PLANSPONSOR

We are focused on accelerating the necessary dialogue for the benefit of advisors, their firms, and most importantly their clients.

NEW YORK (PRWEB) June 04, 2020

The Money Management Institute (MMI) and Financial Advisor Magazine are joining forces to take on the Next Big Thing the transition of the financial advice industry to managing retirement. The initiative, Next Chapter, will focus on the long-heralded retirement age wave with specific efforts to support financial advisors, investment managers, income product companies, and service, technology, and planning providers.

Financial Advisor has a rich history of providing thought leadership and best practice guidance to advisors. As the leading industry association representing financial services firms that provide investment advice and solutions, MMI facilitates collaboration among investment managers, broker-dealers, FinTech providers, and most recently insurance and annuity companies.

The new partnership is aimed directly at helping advisors and their firms work better together and deliver investment advisory solutions that effectively integrate human and digital capabilities.

For years weve talked about the coming decumulation phase for Baby Boomer clients, said Craig Pfeiffer, President and CEO of MMI. Weve reached a demographic tipping point where half of the Baby Boomer population is at the age 65 target point or beyond it. We are focused on accelerating the necessary dialogue for the benefit of advisors, their firms, and most importantly their clients. Its time to take real action, especially in light of our current challenging times.

The best financial advisors are already leading the way by providing solutions for their clients that account for the challenges of longevity. With Next Chapter, we plan to provide them with greater support and more innovation, added Gary Holland, CEO of Charter Financial Publishing Network, the parent company of Financial Advisor.

COVID-19 burst the bull market bubble and reframed retirement and planning. Wealth is now tied to health, and we are all re-assessing our life priorities. What does that Next Chapter hold for clients, their advisors, and the firms that supply critical resources and innovation? We are taking action to drive better outcomes, said Steve Gresham, who will serve as Managing Partner of the Next Chapter initiative.

Next Chapters direction and programming will be guided by two steering councils a Leadership Council, which includes Pfeiffer, Holland, and Gresham, and an Advisory Council. Both groups are comprised of senior executives from firms across the investment advice industry infrastructure.

The Next Chapter leadership team includes Evan Simonoff, Editor-in-Chief of Financial Advisor, David Smith, Co-Founder and Group Publisher of Charter Financial Publishing Network, and Joan Lensing, Chief Programming Officer of MMI.

Background

Hidden behind the March 2020 bear market and the COVID-19 pandemic is a new golden age of financial advice that provides a unique opportunity for the advisors and firms willing to answer the call. Baby Boomers have driven the modern economy and are now moving en masse from accumulation to distribution just as pundits have been forecasting for thirty years.

Added Gresham, We are smack in the middle of the demographic bell curve with the median Boomer at 64. An advice industry built to help clients invest for retirement has been slow to adjust to the demands of managing and funding that retirement which is a much different and more complex endeavor than investing. To best serve the rapidly evolving needs of this demographic, the industry must come to grips with a new normal, The Retirement Income Age.

Objectives: The Four Pillars of Next Chapter

Next Chapter will focus on delivering content and programming that addresses four key areas:

Delivery

COVID-19 has created a more robust and connected virtual community. FA and MMI hope to gather their separate constituents in person when safe to do so, but will in the short-term focus on virtual delivery of educational and development tracks for members of the unified retirement income profession:

Join us!

For more information on how you can get involved, contact Steve Gresham, Managing Partner, Next Chapter at steve@theexecutionproject.com or (203) 623-2265.

About the Money Management Institute (MMI): Established in 1997, the Money Management Institute (MMI) is the industry association representing financial services firms that provide financial advice and investment advisory solutions to investors. Through conferences, educational resources, and thought leadership, MMI facilitates peer-to-peer connections, fosters industry knowledge and professionalism, and supports the development of the next generation of industry leadership. MMI member firms are dedicated to helping individual and institutional investors, at every level of assets, plan for and fulfill their financial goals. For more information, visit http://www.MMInst.org.

About Financial Advisor (FA): Reaching more than 135,000 qualified readers each month, Financial Advisor delivers essential market information and strategies that advisors need to succeed in their increasingly complex environment. FA focuses on sophisticated planning and investment strategies to help advisors better serve their affluent clients, as well as practice management ideas to help advisors build their firms. FA goes in-depth to challenge traditional planning wisdom by introducing readers to new approaches to help them better counsel clients. To achieve these goals, FA continuously seeks to bring together the best team of editors and contributing writers to provide the most compelling publication for the top decision-makers in the financial advisory field. For more information, visit http://www.fa-mag.com.

About The Execution Project: The Execution Project is a consulting firm focused on better execution of wealth management, leveraging the four key drivers of success adapting to the demands of aging clients, advisor practice management including technology, effective use of data and AI, and effective organizational alignment to support digital and human capabilities. For more information, visit http://www.theexecutionproject.com.

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Two Industry Champions Take Up the Challenge of Advising Clients' Next Chapter - PR Web

Humans are living longer than ever before, but with the increases in lifespan there are also increases in the occurrence of ageing related diseases such as dementia, frailty, and cancer. Gaining a better understanding of the biology of aging and knowing the genes and proteins involved in these processes will help to increase our healthspan to go along with longevity to live as healthy as we can for as long as we can.

In a recent study, the novel anti-aging protein Gaf1 was identified, it was found to control protein metabolism which has been implicated in aging and disease; cells without Gaf1 were found to have a shorter lifespan.

The complex process of aging depends on genetic and environmental factors such as diet. Calorie restricted diets have been shown to promote prolonged lifespans, and this holds true for a variety of organisms with short term studies suggesting that it also helps to improve human health.

Emerging evidence now suggests that it may actually be the quantity of specific nutrients such as amino acids that are linked to the increased longevity rather than the amount of calories consumed. Cells can sense the amount of nutrients in their environment through specific molecules within the cells such as TOR which senses the amount of amino acids that are present in the body and available to the cells.

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, when our body has an ample supply the TOR enzyme will trigger our metabolism to instruct the cells to grow by making a lot of proteins, this process is called protein translation. However, if amino acids are low TOR will instruct the body to be on alert which is referred to as a mild stress response that is thought to be beneficial for the cells and the organism overall while increased protein translation and turnover is detrimental.

Longevity is related to an organisms ability to find a way to effectively manage both internal and external stressors. Cells that are on alert have been shown to cope better, as when a cell invests in protein translation and growth it lowers its defenses and is not able to cope with stress as effectively.

A recent study analyzing the turnover of proteins within cells of different animals with lifespans ranging from 4-200 years found that the longer lived animals had lower protein turnover and energy demand within their cells as compared to the shorter lived animals.

DNA carries genetic information, genes are pieces of DNA and many are responsible for making proteins. For a protein to be made the cell needs to produce a mRNA copy of the corresponding gene through a transcription process; mRNA guides the cell ribosomes on the order that amino acids should be linked together to make proteins.

Cells also require ATP energy, amino acids, and small tRNA molecules for protein translation which takes a lot of energy; each cell may need tens of thousands of ribosomes to translate its proteins. The more food a cell has the more active TOR will be instructing the cell to grow and divide. When TOR is inactive as in dietary restriction it will stop translation by preventing existing ribosomes from functioning, as well as stopping the production of new ribosomes.

Scientists recently discovered new function of the Gaf1 protein which is a transcription factor that is able to bind on cell DNA and activate/repress specific genes. When TOR is active Gaf1 can be found in the cytoplasm of the cell and it does not bind on the DNA, but when TOR is inactivated Gaf1 can travel to the nucleus and bind to DNA. When it binds to DNA it stops all the genes that are responsible for making tRNAs as well as other genes needed for translation. This is done by controlling a network of genes that are responsible for providing all of the building blocks for making proteins to stop the cell from putting energy into translation by preventing it from making the components needed for the process; but this is only temporary as when amino acids are available this halt is reversed.

Cells lacking in Gaf1 have been found to be short-lived; TOR signals cells to grow which contributes to aging, but when TOR is inhibited the growth is halted and extends lifespan. When Gaf1 is not present growth is not halted and the observed extension in lifespan is not taking place fully, meaning a molecule was found by the scientists that mediates some of the beneficial effects of dietary restriction.

This study was examining yeasts, but proteins similar to Gaf1 exist in many animals which includes humans, and they have been shown to control development as well as stem cells which are important in whether we develop diseases. It may be possible that these proteins have the same functions in humans that were observed with Gaf1 in yeast.

TOR function, cell growth and protein production are important to physiology and healthspan but they can also contribute to the development of certain diseases. This study has demonstrated how dietary restriction is controlled down to the cells genes, and the findings may allow for the examination of how specific drugs or diets can work to enhance the function of these factors for beneficial effects that may even increase human healthspan.

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Anti-Aging Protein Shown To Slow Cell Growth Important To Longevity - Anti Aging News