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Jul 31, 2015
WHO: Trials show new Ebola vaccine is ‘highly effective’
Posted by Bryan Gatton in categories: biotech/medical, health
A newly developed vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus being trialled in Guinea is “highly effective,” the World Health Organization said Friday.
Jul 31, 2015
Can a baby have three biological parents?
Posted by Bryan Gatton in categories: genetics, transhumanism
The genetic material from two parents combines to form a child. Can we throw a third set of genes into the mix?
RIP = “Return If Possible” is an excellent meme for Singularity, Cryonics & Longevity enthusiasts. [NB: phrase/acronym attributed to India’s former President, late Dr.A P J Abdul Kalam;- (15 October 1931 – 27 July 2015)].
Jul 30, 2015
Astronomers find star with three super-Earths
Posted by Sean Brazell in category: space
Astronomers said Thursday they had found a planetary system with three super-Earths orbiting a bright, dwarf star — one of them likely a volcanic world of molten rock. The four-planet system had been hiding out in the M-shaped, northern hemisphere constellation Cassiopeia, “just” 21 light years from Earth, a team reported in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Super-Earths have a mass higher than Earth’s but are lighter than gas giants like Neptune, Saturn or Jupiter. They can be made of gas, rock, or both.
Jul 30, 2015
The unintended consequences of rationality — By Leah Burrows | Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Posted by Odette Bohr Dienel in categories: economics, robotics/AI
“The idea of rationality is a shared construct between AI and economics. When we frame questions in AI, we say: what are the objectives, what should be optimized and what do we know about the world we’re in? The AI/economics interface has become quite fertile because there is a shared language of utility, probability, and reasoning about others.”
Jul 30, 2015
Leading Experts Sign an Open Letter Calling For a Ban On AI Weapons
Posted by Sean Brazell in category: robotics/AI
More than a thousand prominent thinkers and leading AI and robotics researchers have signed an open letter calling for a ban on “offensive autonomous weapons beyond meaningful human control.”
Jul 30, 2015
Graphene kirigami could lead to flexible, nanoscale machines
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: nanotechnology, physics
Jul 30, 2015
Solar Now Cheaper Than Fossil Fuels for Many Small Businesses
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: energy, sustainability
SolarCity is expanding its services to small and medium-sized businesses. This move allows local businesses to save money with renewable energy. Going solar.