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Nice paper on Neural Circuit structures.

Plasticity between neural connections plays a key role in our ability to process and store information. One of the fundamental questions on plasticity, is the extent to which local processes, affecting individual synapses, are responsible for large scale structures of neural connectivity. Here we focus on two types of structures: synfire chains and self connected assemblies. These structures are often proposed as forms of neural connectivity that can support brain functions such as memory and generation of motor activity. We show that an important plasticity mechanism, spike timing dependent plasticity, can lead to autonomous emergence of these large scale structures in the brain: in contrast to previous theoretical proposals, we show that the emergence can occur autonomously even if instructive signals are not fed into the neural network while its form is shaped by synaptic plasticity.

Citation: Ravid Tannenbaum N, Burak Y (2016) Shaping Neural Circuits by High Order Synaptic Interactions. PLoS Comput Biol 12: e1005056. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005056

Editor: Peter E. Latham, UCL, UNITED KINGDOM

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3D Printing for the skull.

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Ceramics are a particularly interesting material in 3D printing, I think. When one thinks of ceramics, one typically thinks of china, pottery, coffee mugs, etc. The material is used in a much wider range of applications than most people realize, though, and the Ceramaker 3D printer has been demonstrating the versatility of ceramics while satisfying customers across multiple industries.

Developed by French company 3DCeram, the Ceramaker first caught our attention when it was displayed at Euromold last year. The printer utilizes pastes made from photopolymers combined with alumina, zirconia or hydroxypatite (HA), and 3DCeram is consistently working on developing new materials – they also offer custom formulations tailored to the needs of customers. Even without extra customization, though, the Ceramaker’s materials almost tailor themselves to a variety of applications in a number of industries.

Continue reading “3DCeram 3D Prints Custom-Designed, Biocompatible Cranial Prostheses” | >

Wonder when someone will attempt to 3D Print Atlantis; or recreate the ancient Colossus of Rhodes.

Rio 2016 is a much-awaited event of people from all over the world that has already been happening in Brazil. On the other hand, the Summer Olympics that was held in Atlanta in 1996 has celebrated their 20th anniversary by creating a replica of Zeus using 3D printing technology. The statue of Zeus that was taken from Olympia is commonly used to represent the Olympics. As a matter of fact, it is also considered as a part of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.

The Use of 3D Printing in Reviving the Statue of Zeus in Olympia

The statue of Zeus can be seen in the heart of the Olympics that was founded in Olympia in 776 BC. The Olympic Games is known to be the most significant event that happened in Greece that brought Greeks together with their religious and cultural bond. They have organized the games in respect to Zeus who is the king of the gods and ruled Mount Olympus. The events happen every four years for more than thousands of years that takes five days. During this event, you will notice how they give it importance because of the peace that people experience despite the wars that they have to fight.

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WILLIAMSBURG, Va.: The Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, Frank Kendall, warned today that the US might hobble itself in future warfare by insisting on human control of thinking weapons if our adversaries just let their robots pull the trigger. Kendall even worries that Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work is being too optimistic when Work says humans and machines working together will beat robots without oversight.

These are unnerving ideas — and top Army leaders swiftly responded with concern that robots would shoot civilians if you take the human out of the loop. This is what Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Paul Selva calls the Terminator Conundrum: “When do we want to cross that line as humans? And who wants to cross it first? Those are really hard ethical questions.” They are also a fundamental question of combat effectiveness.

“Even in a more conventional conflict, we’re quite careful about not killing innocent civilians,” said Kendall. “I don’t expect our adversaries to all behave that way, and the advantage you have if you don’t worry about that as much, is you make decisions more quickly” — which can spell the difference between victory and defeat.

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Researchers have developed a wireless device small enough to be implanted in individual nerves, and capable of detecting the electrical activity of nerves and muscles deep within the body, according to DARPA, which funded the work.

The millimeter-scale sensor and external ultrasonic transceiver that powers the implant and communicates with it is called a “neural dust” system. The team, led by the University of California, Berkeley’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, completed the first in vivo tests of this technology in rodents and reported them in the journal Neuron.

The sensor can be implanted into either a nerve or muscle, and consists of a piezoelectric crystal, a single custom transistor, and a pair of recording electrodes. The system reported both electroneurogram (ENG) recordings from the sciatic nerve and electromyographic (EMG) recordings from the gastrocnemius muscle, according to the journal article.

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Scientists have just found a way to make use of plasma, the fourth state of matter, to improve bone development. Using cold fusion, researchers were able to initiate increased bone growth.

It is a bit ironic that plasma is the least known state of matter, when in fact it is the most abundant in the universe. It is found in our Sun and all other stars, lightning, in our TVs, fluorescent light, and neon signs, and (purportedly) even in our favorite fictional weapon in the Star Wars universe, the lightsaber.

Plasma can be classified according to the degree of ionization, temperature, etc, but whatever form it may take, plasma has been used in various fields, such as in spacecraft propulsion, agriculture, and quite recently, in medicine.

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Recent findings indicating the possible discovery of a previously unknown subatomic particle may be evidence of a fifth fundamental force of nature, according to a paper published in the journal Physical Review Letters by theoretical physicists at the University of California, Irvine.

“If true, it’s revolutionary,” said Jonathan Feng, professor of physics & astronomy. “For decades, we’ve known of four fundamental forces: gravitation, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces. If confirmed by further experiments, this discovery of a possible fifth force would completely change our understanding of the universe, with consequences for the unification of forces and dark matter.”

The UCI researchers came upon a mid-2015 study by experimental nuclear physicists at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences who were searching for “dark photons,” particles that would signify unseen dark matter, which physicists say makes up about 85 percent of the universe’s mass. The Hungarians’ work uncovered a radioactive decay anomaly that points to the existence of a light particle just 30 times heavier than an electron.

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Leading AI scientist Ben Goertzel says, “In the future, an AI will tutor your children and take care of your grandma. It won’t be Terminator robots marching down the street.” Watch Episode 2 of “Future First” with Popular Science.

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My exclusive interview with Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson on some hard science & tech issues, including transhumanism, longevity, AI, and gene editing. This is also my first story for Futurism. For the record, I am trying, along with millions of others, to get Gary Johnson into the Presidentia l debates! No matter who you plan to vote for, it would be good for America to have him in the debates so a third voice is heard:

Libertarian Presidentia l candidate Gary Johnson wants humans to live a lot longer and isn’t worried about AI becoming the Terminator. Here, Futurist Zoltan Istvan gains an exclusive interview with Johnson, who is polling double digits nationally and hopes to be in the Presidentia l debates with Trump and Clinton in October.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily represent the views of Futurism or its affiliates.

I recently sat down with Libertarian Presidentia l candidate Gary Johnson at his home in New Mexico and watched an episode of Orphan Black, the hit sci-fi show. Between his CNN Town Hall meetings and endless speeches on the campaign trail, you’re probably asking: How did Gary get the time to watch a television show? It’s a good question, but the former Governor made the time, because he’s interested in the future and willing to explore how it might unfold.

Continue reading “Gary Johnson Wants Driverless Secret Service Cars and a US-Led Gene Editing Revolution” | >