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Jul192021 by adminNo Comments

Jeff Bezos wants flight Tuesday to expand ‘new frontiers’ in space

Science

July 19 (UPI) -- The man who made e-commerce the "economy's new frontier" plans to fly into space Tuesday in an effort to make tourism far above the Earth the new frontier. Time magazine recognized Bezos as "Person of the Year" in 1999 for his founding of the Amazon retail website, saying, "Some people must be genetically predisposed explore the frontiers." Bezos has been one of the richest and most famous people on the planet since he launched Amazon in 1994 at age 30. After amassing billions of dollars from the Amazon venture, Bezos decided to make childhood dreams of spaceflight personal and founded the Blue Origin space company in 2000, two years before fellow businessman Elon Musk founded SpaceX. "I posted our first job opening 25 years ago today, when I hadn't even settled on the n...

Jun252021 by adminNo Comments

Engineered yeast may expand possible biofuel sources, researchers say

Science

June 25 (UPI) -- Researchers at MIT said Friday that they have developed a way to expand potential sources of biofuels to include straw and woody plants that, historically, proved challenging to effectively process. Their approach involves a technique designed to improve yeast cells' tolerance to a wide range of alcohols, they said. In large quantities, alcohols are toxic to yeast, the microbes most commonly used to produce biofuels such as ethanol. However, by using specific compounds that strengthen the membrane of the yeast, the microbes were able to survive much longer in high concentrations of ethanol, the researchers said. Using this approach, they were able to improve the traditional fuel ethanol yield of a high-performing strain of yeast by about 80%, they said. Their findings we...

Apr92021 by adminNo Comments

Biden seeks extra $400 a year in Pell grants for college and to expand aid to Dreamers

Finance

Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesPresident Joe Biden asked Congress for a $ 400 annual increase in maximum Pell grants for college students as part of a budget proposal issued Friday.The president also called to broaden eligibility to undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers.Pell grants are available to undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need. Unlike loans, they generally don't have to be repaid.More from Personal Finance:New college grad job outlook looks promising for Class of 2021Biden tax plan may lead to more Roth retirement accountsMore colleges move to make vaccines mandatory for studentsIf adopted by Congress, Biden's budget would yield the largest one-time annual increase to the federal grants since 2009, according to the proposal, signed by Shal...

Apr62021 by adminNo Comments

As states expand vaccines, prisoners still lack access

Health

This week, Florida expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines to all residents 16 and older. But across the state, more than 70,000 people still don’t have access to the vaccine. Those men and women are Florida state prisoners.More than half the country has opened up vaccine eligibility, vastly expanding the ability for most Americans to get the shots, whatever their age or medical conditions. But inside prisons, it’s a different story: Prisoners, not free to seek out vaccines, still lack access on the whole.Nationwide, less than 20% of state and federal prisoners have been vaccinated, according to data collected by The Marshall Project and The Associated Press. In some states, prisoners and advocates have resorted to lawsuits to get access. And even when they are eligible, they ar...

Aug232020 by adminNo Comments

Medicare coverage could expand under a Biden presidency

Finance

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks at a June 25 campaign event in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.Mark Makela | ReutersHealth insurance for the nation's older population could undergo some changes if Joe Biden wins the presidential election in November.The Democrat nominee wants to expand both Medicare coverage and eligibility for the program, as well as ease costs for prescription drugs. At the same time, however, there are challenges at play.For starters, Medicare funding is under pressure due to reduced revenue coming in during the pandemic-induced economic downturn. Basically, the trust fund that supports Medicare Part A (hospital coverage) could be insolvent — i.e., its revenue would not be enough to cover expenses — several years earlier than 2026 as last projected, experts s...