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Taming the Machine, with Nell Watson

Those who rush to leverage AI’s power without adequate preparation face difficult blowback, scandals, and could provoke harsh regulatory measures. However, those who have a balanced, informed view on the risks and benefits of AI, and who, with care and knowledge, avoid either complacent optimism or defeatist pessimism, can harness AI’s potential, and tap into an incredible variety of services of an ever-improving quality.

These are some words from the introduction of the new book, “Taming the machine: ethically harness the power of AI”, whose author, Nell Watson, joins us in this episode.

Nell’s many roles include: Chair of IEEE’s Transparency Experts Focus Group, Executive Consultant on philosophical matters for Apple, and President of the European Responsible Artificial Intelligence Office. She also leads several organizations such as EthicsNet.org, which aims to teach machines prosocial behaviours, and CulturalPeace.org, which crafts Geneva Conventions-style rules for cultural conflict.

Selected follow-ups:

• Nell Watson’s website (https://www.nellwatson.com/)
• Taming the Machine (https://tamingthemachine.com/) — book website.
• BodiData (https://www.bodidata.com/) (corporation)
• Post Office Horizon scandal: Why hundreds were wrongly prosecuted (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-5…) — BBC News.
• Dutch scandal serves as a warning for Europe over risks of using algorithms (https://www.politico.eu/article/dutch…) — Politico.
• Robodebt: Illegal Australian welfare hunt drove people to despair (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-aust…) — BBC News.
• What is the infected blood scandal and will victims get compensation? (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-485…) — BBC News.
• MIRI 2024 Mission and Strategy Update (https://intelligence.org/2024/01/04/m…) — from the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI)
• British engineering giant Arup revealed as $25 million deepfake scam victim (https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/16/te…) — CNN
• Zersetzung psychological warfare technique (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zersetzung) — Wikipedia.

Music: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration.

Targeted Covalent Inhibition of Telomerase

I think this could lead to immortality basically allowing for limited growth of dna structures but still offering unlimited lifespan. In short this also prevents cancer aswell.


Telomerase is a ribonuceloprotein complex responsible for maintaining telomeres and protecting chromosomal integrity. The human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is expressed in ∼90% of cancer cells where it confers the capacity for limitless proliferation. Along with its established role in telomere lengthening, telomerase also serves noncanonical extra-telomeric roles in oncogenic signaling, resistance to apoptosis, and enhanced DNA damage response. We report a new class of natural-product-inspired covalent inhibitors of telomerase that target the catalytic active site.

Comparative genomics of mortal and immortal cnidarians unveils novel keys behind rejuvenation

Though hardly conclusive, this study strongly suggests that boosting NAD+ levels in humans could have incredible health benefits.

That’s where Basis comes in.

Created by Elysium Health, Basis is a proprietary formulation of crystalline nicotinamide riboside and pterostilbene, which the human body converts into NAD+. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, it was demonstrated that, on average, Basis increases NAD+ levels by 40 percent. These elevated NAD+ levels won’t necessarily stop the aging process. But they will certainly maximize cellular health, boost energy, and support healthy sleep. This in turn should allow people who are in good health to maintain it longer, and thus age better.

New Study Of Cancer Cells Hopes To Improve Diagnosis & Treatment

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem say they have developed a way to accurately predict the behavior of cancer cells, which will advance diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

The new diagnostic tool uses AI machine learning combined with nanoinformatics (observing nanomaterials) to classify cancer cell behavior in individual patient biopsies, potentially paving the way for personalized monitoring of the progression of the disease and the impact of treatments.

The study was led by Hebrew University doctoral student Yoel Goldstein and Prof. Ofra Benny from its School of Pharmacy in the Faculty of Medicine, working with Prof. Tommy Kaplan, the head of the Department of Computational Biology at the School of Engineering and Computer Science.

Tiny Implant Revolutionizes Treatment For Heart Failure Patients

A groundbreaking way of measuring fluid buildup in the body allows chronic heart failure patients to monitor their condition and treat it independently with a physician-approved response.

Tel Aviv-based startup Vectorious has created a tiny pressure sensor that is implanted directly into the heart. It is the only sensor in the world that measures the pressure in the left atrium (one of the heart’s two upper chambers) and is able to identify increases in that pressure caused by a buildup of fluid in the body.

This data on the left atrial pressure (LAP) is then transmitted to an app for the patient and their doctor.