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Could AI extend your life indefinitely? Futurist Ray Kurzweil thinks so

As AI infiltrates every aspect of our lives, who are some of the people behind this huge inflection point? In this special three-part series, you’ll hear from the people predicting and shaping our tech future. Host Manoush Zomorodi reports on the latest and revisits her favorite conversations with the minds crafting the digital world we live in today: what they’ve gotten right — and wrong — and where they think we’re headed next. Part 1 features futurist Ray Kurzweil and counterculture icon Stewart Brand. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted.

Protein Dynamics Predicted Rapidly with Generative AI Model, BioEmu

A newly developed generative AI model is helping researchers explore protein dynamics with increased speed. The deep learning system, called BioEmu, predicts the full range of conformations a protein can adopt, modeling the structural ensembles that underlie protein function.

The work, in a paper titled “Scalable emulation of protein equilibrium ensembles with generative deep learning,” was published in Science. Researchers developed BioEmu as a high-speed emulator of protein motion, capable of generating thousands of conformational states in just one GPU-hour, significantly outperforming traditional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.

Understanding protein function has been a challenge, often hinging not on a single structural component of the protein, but on the combined ensemble of shapes within the protein. Proteins frequently shift between different conformations depending on their interactions or environment, which has been a challenge for other methods to capture accurately.

Cancer drug candidate developed using supercomputing & AI blocks tumor growth without toxic side effect

A new cancer drug candidate developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), BBOT (BridgeBio Oncology Therapeutics) and the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) has demonstrated the ability to block tumor growth without triggering a common and debilitating side effect. In early clinical trials, the compound, known as BBO-10203, has shown promise in disrupting a key interaction between two cancer-driving proteins — RAS and PI3Kα — without causing hyperglycemia (high blood-sugar levels), which has historically hindered similar treatments. Published in Science

New AI tool gives a helping hand to X-ray diagnosis

Can artificial intelligence (AI) potentially transform health care for the better?

Now, rising to the challenge, an Arizona State University team of researchers has built a powerful new AI tool, called Ark+, to help doctors read chest X‑rays better and improve health care outcomes.

“Ark+ is designed to be an open, reliable and ultimately useful tool in real‑world health care systems,” said Jianming “Jimmy” Liang, an ASU professor from the College of Health Solutions, and lead author of the study recently published in Nature.

What Happens After Superintelligence? (with Anders Sandberg)

Anders Sandberg joins me to discuss superintelligence and its profound implications for human psychology, markets, and governance. We talk about physical bottlenecks, tensions between the technosphere and the biosphere, and the long-term cultural and physical forces shaping civilization. We conclude with Sandberg explaining the difficulties of designing reliable AI systems amidst rapid change and coordination risks.

Learn more about Anders’s work here: https://mimircenter.org/anders-sandberg.

Timestamps:
00:00:00 Preview and intro.
00:04:20 2030 superintelligence scenario.
00:11:55 Status, post-scarcity, and reshaping human psychology.
00:16:00 Physical limits: energy, datacenter, and waste-heat bottlenecks.
00:23:48 Technosphere vs biosphere.
00:28:42 Culture and physics as long-run drivers of civilization.
00:40:38 How superintelligence could upend markets and governments.
00:50:01 State inertia: why governments lag behind companies.
00:59:06 Value lock-in, censorship, and model alignment.
01:08:32 Emergent AI ecosystems and coordination-failure risks.
01:19:34 Predictability vs reliability: designing safe systems.
01:30:32 Crossing the reliability threshold.
01:38:25 Personal reflections on accelerating change.

Fake Gaming and AI Firms Push Malware on Cryptocurrency Users via Telegram and Discord

The attack chains begin when one of these adversary-controlled accounts messages a victim through X, Telegram, or Discord, urging them to test out their software in exchange for a cryptocurrency payment.

Should the target agree to the test, they are redirected to a fictitious website from where they are promoted to enter a registration code provided by the employee to download either a Windows Electron application or an Apple disk image (DMG) file, depending on the operating system used.

On Windows systems, opening the malicious application displays a Cloudflare verification screen to the victim while it covertly profiles the machine and proceeds to download and execute an MSI installer. Although the exact nature of the payload is unclear, it’s believed that an information stealer is run at this stage.

Dr. Thomas Ehmer, Ph.D. — Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany — Quantum Computing Innovation In Pharma

Quantum Computing Innovation In Pharma — Dr. Thomas Ehmer, Ph.D. — Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany


Dr. Thomas Ehmer, Ph.D. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tehmer/) is a seasoned technology strategist with over two decades of experience in IT innovation, business development, and R&D within the pharmaceutical industry, and co-founder of the Quantum Interest Group, at Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany (https://www.emdgroup.com/en).

Dr. Ehmer currently is in the Sector Data Office — AI Governance and Innovation Incubator at Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany, where he scouts emerging and disruptive technologies, demonstrating their potential value for R&D applications, with a focus on quantum technologies.

Throughout his career at Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany, Dr. Ehmer has played a pivotal role in shaping IT strategy, business process optimization, and digital transformation across the entire pharmaceutical value chain, currently focusing on transparent AI and how and where emerging technology can help patients live a better life. His expertise spans technology scouting, business analysis, and IT program leadership, having successfully driven major global projects.

Beyond his corporate career, Dr. Ehmer is an active private seed investor and has contributed to quantum computing research and applications in drug discovery, authoring publications on the potential of quantum computing and machine learning in pharmaceutical R&D (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9783527840748.ch26).

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