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Dec 18, 2015

Meteor Fireball Terrorizes Georgia Residents: NASA Confirms Asteroid Chunk Flying Near Atlanta, Other Sightings

Posted by in categories: alien life, existential risks

Don’t panic.

Unless the dolphins start leaving the planet.

At that point, by all mean panic.

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Dec 18, 2015

We Finally Know What’s Inside These Mysterious Black Hole Clouds

Posted by in category: cosmology

Awe inspiring stuff, this.


Black holes are some of the strangest objects in the universe. But, just as impenetrable a mystery? The heavy cloud cover encircling some black holes. Now, for the first time, researchers say they’ve managed to get a glimpse inside of one of those clouds. And what they found has some serious implications for our most basic understanding of black holes.

Some black holes are shielded by heavy clouds of gas and dust that are so thick that they’re impossible to see through with our telescopes. The reasons why have plagued scientists. But a brand new X-ray view taken by a joint team from NASA and the European Space Agency of galaxy NGC 1068, and the black hole that lies at its center, just changed all that.

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Dec 18, 2015

This is the flying car the FAA just approved for test flights in US airspace

Posted by in category: transportation

Finally, a flying car!

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Dec 17, 2015

Scientists have built a functional ‘hybrid’ logic gate for use in quantum computers

Posted by in categories: computing, particle physics, quantum physics

As conventional computers draw ever closer to their theoretical limit, the race is on to build a machine that can truly harness the unprecedented processing power of quantum computing. And now two research teams have independently demonstrated how entangling atoms from different elements can address the problem of quantum memory errors while functioning within a logic gate framework, and also pass the all-important test of true entanglement.

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Dec 17, 2015

US military to use AI to create cybersoldiers and help fly its F-35

Posted by in categories: military, robotics/AI

US military reveals it hopes to use artificial intelligence to create cybersoldiers and even help fly its F-35 fighter jet — but admits it is ALREADY playing catch up.

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Dec 17, 2015

New XPRIZE competition looks for a better underwater robot

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

XPRIZE has partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Shell to create new robots to explore the ocean floor.

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Dec 17, 2015

#Work Work Work #Intentio Pro Hodie Cras #Inspire And Be Inspired #Ad GIF — Find & Share on GIPHY

Posted by in category: futurism

Discover & Share this #Work Work Work #Intentio Pro Hodie Cras #Inspire And Be Inspired #Ad GIF with everyone you know. GIPHY is how you search, share, discover, and create GIFs.

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Dec 17, 2015

You Too Can Explore Mars (In VR) Just Like Mark Watney

Posted by in categories: habitats, space, virtual reality

Conduct missions inside a habitat and rovers on the red planet’s surface in Mars 2030.

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Dec 17, 2015

Four genes discovered that will help you live beyond 100

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

Scanning the genomes of centenarians showed that four genes help them live longer. The discovery could boost the search for ways to protect against age-related diseases.

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Dec 17, 2015

Ethics on the near-future battlefield

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, cyborgs, ethics, food, genetics, military, neuroscience, robotics/AI

US army’s report visualises augmented soldiers & killer robots.


The US Army’s recent report “Visualizing the Tactical Ground Battlefield in the Year 2050” describes a number of future war scenarios that raise vexing ethical dilemmas. Among the many tactical developments envisioned by the authors, a group of experts brought together by the US Army Research laboratory, three stand out as both plausible and fraught with moral challenges: augmented humans, directed-energy weapons, and autonomous killer robots. The first two technologies affect humans directly, and therefore present both military and medical ethical challenges. The third development, robots, would replace humans, and thus poses hard questions about implementing the law of war without any attending sense of justice.

Augmented humans. Drugs, brain-machine interfaces, neural prostheses, and genetic engineering are all technologies that may be used in the next few decades to enhance the fighting capability of soldiers, keep them alert, help them survive longer on less food, alleviate pain, and sharpen and strengthen their cognitive and physical capabilities. All raise serious ethical and bioethical difficulties.

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