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River Transportation Could It Be The Answer To America’s Traffic Chaos?

With populations increasing at a rapid rate, the number of cars, buses and trucks filling our roads have reached record highs. Unable to cope with vehicle pressure, traffic jams are building up. They cause major delays, stress and anger for frustrated commuters daily.

Now, a solution has been put forward to help combat traffic congestion and decrease travel time. A French start-up has developed a flying river taxi called Seabubbles that will hopefully enable users a smooth and quick ride to their destination avoiding traffic chaos along the way.

Boldbusiness.com looks at a bold idea that could soon revolutionize land-based vehicle travel in the United States and beyond.

According to Bloomberg Technology, interest has already been shown in test driving the Seabubbles river taxi service in Paris and the San Francisco Bay Area. In fact, these two interests are helping to secure a third round of funding in less than a year. It will, therefore, help them get the project up and running.

The concept put forward by founders Alain Thebault and Anders Bringdal is to build battery powered ‘bubbles’. It will hover, a bit like a hydroplane, a few inches above the water level. This will therefore reduce the amount of drag on the water. Each Seabubble can carry up to six passengers to their destination in a smooth and uninterrupted journey.

The concept was born following a similar technique that propelled Thebault and Bringdal to world record heights in their Hydroptere sailboat.

So far, the makers have managed to raise just over 4 million USD. They are hoping to raise at least ten times that amount. It will help to get the project off the ground in the United States.

In the San Francisco Bay area, Seabubbles may save commuters at least an hour a day in travel time. The distance is from downtown to the Silicon Valley and back.

River Transportation May Launch Here

San Francisco is one of the key areas the makers have pitched for both investment and potential customers. A place they envisage developing innovative additions to their business like autonomous driving and battery-charging.

Part of the development include the Seabubbles themselves, recharging docks and a river taxi-hailing app. They will be ready to test in Paris in June, according to the founders.

There were astounding efforts for initial funding. French insurer Maif, drone-maker Parrot SA, Partech Ventures all did their part. Also, through the effort of French government-backed BPI fund. Fans of the concept include Larry Page, Prince Albert of Monaco and Betrand Piccard. The third-round of funding is likely to come to fruition this year.

With calls for a revolutionary new off-road vehicle concept being sought within the United States, experts predict that Seabubbles could prove majorly beneficial to commuters and help decrease congestion on the roads.

It is bold ideas like this that take innovation to the next level, and will help relieve the headaches encountered by road users daily.

Researching ‘Telomeres’ To Halt The Signs Of Aging And Prevent Disease

The elusive search for the fountain of youth has been a story told since the beginning of time. Now, humanity has moved one step closer to discovering the secrets to both eternal youth and illness after scientists identified a revolutionary new procedure that defies the signs of aging and prevents disease.

Here, boldbusiness.com looks at scientific research that proves manipulating cells can turn back aging and help prevent the onset of disease.


Researchers at Stanford University of Medicine have pinpointed an area in our DNA linked to aging and disease and have managed to increase the length of human telomeres, the areas at the end of each chromosome that protect it from deterioration or fusion with nearby cells.

According to the Stanford University website, Scientists delivered a modified ribonucleic acid (RNA) that encodes a telomere-extending protein to cultured human cells. “The treated cells behave as if they are much younger than untreated cells, multiplying with abandon in the laboratory dish rather than stagnating or dying,” the website claims.

Once tested, the procedure enabled skin cells with lengthened telomeres to divide up to 40 times more than untreated cells. Scientists determined that “the research may point to new ways to treat diseases caused by shortened telomeres.”

A paper describing the research was published in the FASEB Journal and the results have sent waves of hope through the scientific community. The breakthrough is an important one because it will improve the ability of researchers to generate large numbers of cells for further study or drug development purposes.

Dr. Helen Blau, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford, and her colleagues pioneered the research after previous work showed that “the muscle stem cells of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy had telomeres that were shorter than those without the disease.” Therefore, the team developed the process of lengthening the telomeres for testing.

The new technique has an important advantage over other methods because it’s temporary. The modified RNA reduces the cell’s immune response to treatment and disappears within 48 hours. In medicine, ensuring the cells don’t go on to divide for eternity is important to prevent further diseases like cancer.

Scientists are now able to manipulate the area of our DNA responsible for aging and disease, helping to treat and prevent age old diseases that have eluded doctors for centuries.

It’s pioneering research like this that will make a bold impact on the lives of millions around the world, not just to those suffering with life threatening diseases, and will also benefit the medical profession as a whole.

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