TechKnow 130: Surveillance systems & algae as alt-energy

Persistent Surveillance Systems is a security company that has developed an "eye in the sky" camera system to help law enforcement patrol cities more effectively and cost-efficiently. By mounting cameras to a low-flying aircraft, PSS can take images of a 25-square mile radius and allow police to track victims, accomplices, and suspects in real-time or after a crime has been committed.

Heliae is an Arizona-based company working to develop algae-based products for agri-business nutritional supplements, cosmetics, and more. On their website, Heliae states that its collective goal is to "deliver on the promise of algae with quality technical solutions that drive value for our partners, benefit for society, and a restorative footprint on the planet." The company has been issued over 80 patents so far and continues to grow.

Two researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School professor Richard T. Lee and Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology professor Amy Wagers, have identified the protein GDF11 in the blood of mice that may hold the key to treating age-related heart failure in humans. When the protein was injected into mice with age-related heart thickening (similar to humans), the walls of their heart thinned and resembled those of younger, healthier mice.