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Research and Development


ReuKinChe
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As a consequence of the USNE's lavish spending on scientific research, and widespread scientifically-minded public attitudes, discoveries and advances are frequent, and the time from discovery to implementation is short. Recently, research into genetic engineering has begun to pay off. The following breakthroughs were made:

  • The refinement of a viral method, known as adoptive cell transfer, to treat leukaemia and aggressive lymphoma. It involves collecting T-cells from the patient's immune system, and infecting them with a specially designed virus, which reprograms the DNA of the T-cells to target cancer cells. The T-cells are then introduced into the bloodstream, where they will target the cancer cells. Work is being done to see if this treatment can be effectively translated to other types of cancer.
  • The development of a viral method to edit the DNA of a donated organ, so that it will not be rejected by the patient's immune system. Human organs have not yet been edited, but the method has proved successful in tests on mice. An edited pig lung was also successfully transplanted into a terminally ill human, and at least for now, the patient is healthy.
  • The discovery of some genes linked to intelligence.
  • The successful erasure of cystic fibrosis alleles from 94% of recessive allele-carrying human sperm cells in a sample.
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After building up the intellectual pool to innovate in quantum computing, the USNE's billion dollar investment began to pay off. In quantum computing, as well as in other fields, the following breakthroughs were made.

  • A 192-qubit fully reprogrammable computer was created, making it one of the largest so far.
  • A quantum computer was able to out-compete a classical computer by a factor of a million in prime factorisation, a crucial part of the decryption of data. (OOC: I'm not just pulling out big numbers from my head here. A factor of a million is weak sauce, compared to the potential of the technology.)
  • A quantum computer was used to accurately simulate the behaviour of benzene and other aromatics, right down to subatomic particles, making them the largest and most complex molecules yet to be simulated by a quantum computer.
  • Scientists tested a genetically modified virus on mice to rid them of cystic fibrosis. It removed the disorder from 64% of mice, but 38% of mice experienced health complications. 23% died. More animal testing will be necessary before human testing becomes ethical.
  • Research has found that precise electrical stimulation of parts of the brain can somewhat alleviate depression in some patients.
  • A similar method can also reduce anxiety and enhance competence in fast-paced, rapidly changing environments, at least for the next hour or so. When playing hyperrealistic VR first-person shooters, teams which received the stimulation defeated the placebo-affected team 73% of the time.
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Further advances were made, some of which are listed below.

  • Experiments were made in using quantum encryption, especially quantum key distribution. The results were mixed. More research is needed.
  • The factor of difference between quantum and classical computers in decryption was raised to 30 million.
  • A quantum computer was used to simulate a variety of chemical and physical reactions, right down to the subatomic interactions. The list of simulated reactions included the combustion of butane, the dissolution of sodium chloride, and the synthesis of chlorobenzene.
  • The virus was retested on mice with cystic fibrosis, this time with immunosuppressants. The disorder was removed from 77% of mice, but 13% of mice died from complications stemming from a weakened immune system. A refining of the process is necessary.
  • The terminally ill patient who received a genetically modified pig organ was released from hospital, and declared healthy. More terminally ill patients have received pig organs since.
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  • 3 weeks later...

The following advances were made:

  • The factor of difference between quantum and classical computers in decryption was raised to 100 million.
  • For the first time, a quantum computer was able to simulate chemical and physical reactions, as well as intermolecular forces, to a greater degree of speed and detail than a classical computer.
  • A quantum computer modelled a number of important neurotransmitters at the subatomic level, including their interactions with receptors. This is likely to help scientists come to a more detailed understanding of the nervous system.
  • In the hope of fast-tracking the development of medical treatments, a new open-access website has begun. It allows members of the public to model and create simulated molecules, which are then saved into a database if they are viable.
  • Using a quantum computer, the first truly random number generator was created.
  • Further experiments into quantum key distribution were undertaken in secret. This time, the results were more promising. Quantum key distribution opens up the possibility not only for almost totally secure communications, but for the ability to detect when someone is attempting to eavesdrop. Research is now being conducted to remove any weaknesses in the current method which can be exploited.
  • The virus was retested on mice with cystic fibrosis, with the assistance of adoptive cell transfer. The disorder was removed from 94% of mice, and only 1% of mice died from complications. Human testing has now been authorised.
  • A method of etching transistors onto graphene was discovered.
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Some important breakthroughs in fields other than medicine and computing also occurred.

  • Neuroscientists were able to create a simulation of a fruit fly's brain. By implanting a specifically tailored chip into a fruit fly's brain, they were able to control its movements and sense the environment around it.
  • Tests on the material properties of Darwin's bark spider silk were conducted, after a small shipment was brought in. Researchers confirmed that it is the toughest biological material known.
  • The genes responsible for silk production in spiders were isolated. When introduced into bacterial genomes, the bacteria could be made to secrete silk.
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  • 2 weeks later...

The following moves in science and technology were made:

  • The spider silk research was temporarily shelved, due to issues with production.
  • A non-obstructive earpiece was made which automatically translates speech from a foreign language into the user's spoken language. The civilian and military applications are obvious, and the USNE's efficiency in uniting linguistic groups is expected to skyrocket, boosting the economy. For now, the sale of devices is tightly restricted, with translators going to Canada, Masrani and the Tanakosin Empire only.
  • Tiny computer chips embedded in the brains of varying insects were able to finely coordinate movement and sense the environment, now with the ability to catch radio signals.
  • The human tests of the cure for cystic fibrosis have been wrapped up. With some fine-tuning for the human genome and immune system, it has 95% effectiveness. It has now entered medical practice in the USNE. Treatments for Huntington's, sickle-cell anaemia and other single gene disorders are on the way, following similar methods of delivery.
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