A Hegemonizing Swarm is a hypothetical living weapon, or self-replicating machine, which seeks to turn every last available bit of matter into more of itself…
Category: futurism – Page 393
Brain stimulation for treatment and enhancement in children: an ethical analysis
Davis (2014) called for “extreme caution” in the use of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) to treat neurological disorders in children, due to gaps in scientific knowledge. We are sympathetic to his position. However, we must also address the ethical implications of applying this technology to minors. Compensatory trade-offs associated with NIBS present a challenge to its use in children, insofar as these trade-offs have the effect of limiting the child’s future options. The distinction between treatment and enhancement has some normative force here. As the intervention moves away from being a treatment toward being an enhancement—and thus toward a more uncertain weighing of the benefits, risks, and costs—considerations of the child’s best interests (as judged by the parents) diminish, and the need to protect the child’s (future) autonomy looms larger. NIBS for enhancement involving trade-offs should therefore be delayed, if possible, until the child reaches a state of maturity and can make an informed, personal decision. NIBS for treatment, by contrast, is permissible insofar as it can be shown to be at least as safe and effective as currently approved treatments, which are (themselves) justified on a best interests standard.
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“We’re All Asgardians”: Scientists Discover New Clues About the Origin of Complex Life
The mythological Norse god Thor hails from the celestial city of Asgard, and according to revolutionary research published in the scientific journal, Nature, he’s not the only Asgardian. This new research suggests that we humans — along with eagles, starfish, daisies, and every complex organism on Earth — are, in a sense, Asgardians.
The research team at The University of Texas at Austin, along with collaborators from different institutions, conducted a genomic analysis of several hundreds of microorganisms known as archaea. Their findings revealed that eukaryotes – complex life forms with nuclei in their cells, including all flora, fauna, insects, and fungi across the globe – can trace their origins back to a common Asgard archaean ancestor.
That means eukaryotes are, in the parlance of evolutionary biologists, a “well-nested clade” within Asgard archaea, similar to how birds are one of several groups within a larger group called dinosaurs, sharing a common ancestor. The team has found that all eukaryotes share a common ancestor among the Asgards.
Dropships & Drop Pods
The ability to get a strike force anywhere and fast is of vast strategic value, and the future may dropships landing anywhere on a planet within minutes.
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Credits:
Dropships & Drop Pods.
Episode 405, July 27, 2023
Written, Produced & Narrated by:
Isaac Arthur.
Editors:
David McFarlane.
Konstantin Sokerin.
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OSIRIS-REx Mission: UArizona scientists get ready for return samples from asteroid Bennu
Scientists at the University of Arizona are counting down the days until a space probe carrying samples from an asteroid is back on Earth. FOX 10’s Steve Nielsen has more on the OSIRIS-REx mission, and why the samples are so important for researchers.
Of the 250 grams of samples, NASA officials will keep 75% of the samples in storage for future generations, whom might discover ways to test the rocks in ways we can’t even comprehend.
The secrets the samples hold could be endless.
