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Dec 25, 2016

Now You Can Make Movies of Living Cells With Your Smartphone!

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, biotech/medical, mobile phones

Very cool; I do look forward to see where we land in the next 5 years on mobile imaging systems.

Years ago I remember developing software for a mobile blood gas analyzer to help researchers and doctors in some of the world’s most remote locations. And, the technology then did improve survival rates for so many. And, I see advances like this one doing so much for many who do not have access or the luxury of centralize labs, or hospitals, etc.

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Dec 25, 2016

Russia offers technology to keep hackers at bay

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, encryption, finance, government, neuroscience, quantum physics

Russian Quantum Center (RQC) said that it is ready to collaborate with India and offer its quantum technology that will prevent hackers from breaking into bank accounts. RQC plans to offer ‘quantum cryptography’ that could propel India to the forefront of hack proof communication in sectors such as banking and national and homeland security.

“We are ready to work with Indian colleagues. It (the technology) can’t be bought from the United States as it deals with the government and security,” said Ruslan Yunusov, chief executive at RQC, in an interview.

Established by Russia’s largest global technology hub, Skolkovo in 2010, RQC conducts scientific research that could lead to a new class of technologies. These include developing ‘unbreakable cryptography’ for the banks and the government organisations. It also involves research in areas such as materials with superior properties and new systems for ultrasensitive imaging of the brain. The research is mostly funded by the government money.

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Dec 25, 2016

The Edge of Physics: Do Gravitons Really Exist?

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

Einstein’s theory of relativity described gravity as the distortion of space and time—which bend and stretch based on the masses of objects within them as well as the energy released from the phenomena. A few years later however, we gained awareness of the confusing world of quantum physics as physicists discovered the existence of very small particles—which were later found to affect even the biggest, most powerful phenomena in the universe.

This led to the discovery of force-carrier particles, or bosons, behind three of the fundamental forces governing the universe: the electromagnetic field has photons, the strong nuclear force has gluons, and the weak force is carried by W and Z bosons. This leaves gravity out. Physicists hypothesize that, if the other three fundamental forces have a corresponding quantum theory, there must be a particle behind gravity too.

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Dec 25, 2016

Jülich Installs New QPACE3 Supercomputer for Quantum Chromodynamics

Posted by in categories: augmented reality, cosmology, particle physics, quantum physics, robotics/AI, supercomputing

A new supercomputer has been deployed at the Jülich Supercomputing Center (JSC) in Germany. Called QPACE3, the new 447 Teraflop machine is named for “QCD Parallel Computing on the Cell.”

QPACE3 is being used by the University of Regensburg for a joint research project with the University of Wuppertal and the Jülich Supercomputing Center for numerical simulations of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), which is one of the fundamental theories of elementary particle physics. Such simulations serve, among other things, to understand the state of the universe shortly after the Big Bang, for which a very high computing power is required.

The demand for high performance computers to solve complex applications has risen exponentially, but unfortunately so has their consumption of power. Many supercomputers require more than a megawatt of electricity to operate and annual electricity costs can easily run into millions of Euros. The energy supply is therefore a significant part of the operating costs of a data center. According to recent analyst studies, this represents the second-largest factor in addition to personnel and maintenance costs. The upcoming boom with (3D) video streaming, augmented reality, image recognition and artificial intelligence is driving up the demand for data center capabilities, thereby placing new challenges in the power supply sector.

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Dec 25, 2016

Quantum Computing Update: Coherent Electron-Photon Coupling Achieved, May Help Build Scalable Devices

Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

Over 6 months ago we reported the electron-photon coupling discovery which makes scalable QC possibly. This article provides some additional content around the experiment.


The silicon-based device, created by researchers at Princeton University, could eventually help build viable and robust quantum computers.

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Dec 25, 2016

The Chatbot Will See You Now

Posted by in categories: health, robotics/AI

Could artificial intelligence help address the mental-health crisis among Syrian refugees?

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Dec 25, 2016

Imperial College of London makes world’s most heat resistant material at 4232 kelvin

Posted by in categories: nuclear energy, space, transportation

Researchers have discovered that tantalum carbide and hafnium carbide materials can withstand scorching temperatures of nearly 4000 degrees Celsius.

Being able to withstand temperatures of nearly 4000°C could pave the way for both materials to be used in ever more extreme environments, such as in heat resistant shielding for the next generation of hypersonic space vehicles.

Tantalum carbide (TaC) and hafnium carbide (HfC) are refractory ceramics, meaning they are extraordinarily resistant to heat. Their ability to withstand extremely harsh environments means that refractory ceramics could be used in thermal protection systems on high-speed vehicles and as fuel cladding in the super-heated environments of nuclear reactors. However, there hasn’t been the technology available to test the melting point of TaC and HfC in the lab to determine how truly extreme an environment they could function in.

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Dec 25, 2016

“AI Day” Will Never Replace Christmas

Posted by in categories: geopolitics, robotics/AI, transhumanism

The National Review via Wesley J. Smith commenting on my “AI Day replacing Christmas” story: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/443337/ai-day-supplent-christmas #transhumanism #robots #future #AI


Scrooge’s Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come never saw this coming.

The transhumanist popularizer and pseudo presidential candidate, Zoltan Istvan, claims that “AI Day” will soon replace Christmas as the world’s most beloved holiday. From his piece in the Huffington Post:

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Dec 25, 2016

How Do We Colonize Saturn’s Moons?

Posted by in category: space

The idea of colonization of Saturn’s moons is attractive and presents many benefits, even if it is a challenging and distant prospect.

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Dec 25, 2016

Just a SmidgION: Oxford Nanopore announce iPhone-powered sequencing

Posted by in category: mobile phones

CTO Clive Brown announces new Oxford Nanopore sequencing and library prep devices during his keynote address to the company’s user group conference

Stop the presses! Not something we call on a regular bases at FLG towers because, well, our work is largely digital. But when the latest news from Oxford Nanopore landed on our desks this afternoon, this old print journalism adage felt rather apt.

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