Lifeboat News: The Blog – Safeguarding Humanity

Neuromorphic supercomputer has 16 million neurons

Posted by Klaus Baldauf in information science, neuroscience, robotics/AI, supercomputing

Mar 29
2016

Today, Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) and IBM announced the development of a new Scale-up Synaptic Supercomputer (NS16e) that highly integrates 16 TrueNorth Chips in a 4×4 array to deliver 16 million neurons and 256 million synapses. LLNL will also receive an end-to-end software ecosystem that consists of a simulator; a programming language; an integrated programming environment; a library of algorithms as well as applications; firmware; tools for composing neural networks for deep learning; a teaching curriculum; and cloud enablement.

The $1 million computer has 16 IBM microprocessors designed to mimic the way the brain works.

IBM says it will be five to seven years before TrueNorth sees widespread commercial use, but the Lawrence Livermore test is a big step in that direction.

Moonbase by 2022 For $10 Billion, Says NASA

Posted by Klaus Baldauf in space

Mar 29
2016

According to a series of articles produced by NASA and industry specialists, a lunar base could be built in a few years for just $10 billion.

The Rise of VPUs: Giving eyes to machines

Posted by Shailesh Prasad in computing

Mar 28
2016

VPUs or Vision Processing Units, allow machines to understand the scene set in front of them.

Quarks To Quasars Photo 3

Posted by Shailesh Prasad in particle physics, space

Mar 28
2016

Smart Pen

Posted by Shailesh Prasad in computing

Mar 28
2016

This smart pen transcribes your handwriting into computer text.

Scientists create largest map of brain connections to date

Posted by Shailesh Prasad in neuroscience

Mar 28
2016

Map of mouse visual cortex shows some striking functional connections.

Scientists Made a New Metal, and it Makes Nuclear Reactors Even Stronger

Posted by Shailesh Prasad in materials, nuclear energy

Mar 28
2016

An international team of researchers has developed a new type of metal alloy that could make nuclear reactors safer and more stable in the long term. The new material is stronger and lasts longer than steel.

Scientists have developed a new kind of high quality metal alloy that is suitable to use in building nuclear reactors. While it might not be a metal that has been invented entirely from scratch, it’s only recently that we have been able to produce this kind (this quality) of metal. And it could mean great things for nuclear technologies.

Harvesting Nuclear Power

One of the primary problems with nuclear power is that steel typically only lasts around 40 years before it weakens and becomes too defective to use. High-entropy alloys could be the solution to this current problem, as this material is stronger (and safer) than steel.

WinSun Global 3D prints world’s first office for Dubai’s Museum of the Future

Posted by Shailesh Prasad in 3D printing, habitats

Mar 28
2016

WinSun Global, the Chinese company that just last year made headlines for building the world’s first 3D printed villa and the tallest 3D printed apartment block, has now partnered with the city of Dubai to construct what is being hailed as the world’s first 3D printed office.

New terahertz source could strengthen sensing applications

Posted by Karen Hurst in electronics, security, space travel

Mar 28
2016

Researchers have developed a room temperature, continuous wave, monolithic tunable terahertz source that could lead to advances in biosensing, homeland security, and space exploration.

Neuroscientists Fight Brain Damage with Gut Microbes

Posted by Karen Hurst in biological, neuroscience

Mar 28
2016

New answer for stroke victims.

Hacking the body’s inflammatory immune response via the gut microbiome.