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Oct 30, 2015

FDA approves cancer-killing cold sore virus as therapy for late-stage melanoma

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on Oct. 27 that it has approved, for the first time, an oncolytic (cancer-killing) viral therapy in the United States. The drug was approved for use against late-stage melanoma, a deadly skin cancer that can be difficult to treat.

The approval came as the result of a recent Phase III study, which showed that more patients with late-stage melanoma, treated with a herpes cold sore virus designed to kill , had a better response when compared to a different treatment. Robert Andtbacka, M.D., from Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah and Howard L. Kaufman, M.D., from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, led the multisite study, published May 26 online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

According to Andtbacka, “The goal of this targeted therapy is to treat late stage patients more effectively and with fewer side effects.”

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Oct 30, 2015

NASA Adds to Evidence of Mysterious Ancient Earthworks

Posted by in category: space

Fascinating stuff!


Satellite photographs from 430 miles above Kazakhstan reveal colossal geometric figures that remain puzzling and largely unknown.

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Oct 30, 2015

Scientists design full-scale architecture for quantum computer in silicon

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

Australian scientists have designed a 3D silicon chip architecture based on single atom quantum bits, which is compatible with atomic-scale fabrication techniques — providing a blueprint to build a large-scale quantum computer.

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Oct 30, 2015

Are these artificial limbs better than the real thing?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, cyborgs, mobile phones, robotics/AI

These people have got a leg — or an arm — up on the future.

Thanks to the latest advancements in medical science, amputees are becoming part robot, with awe-inspiring artificial limbs that would make Luke Skywalker jealous.

These new limbs come armed with microprocessors and electrodes that sense muscle movement. Others can be controlled by a smartphone app. People missing limbs often tried to hide their prosthetics, but these New Yorkers are showing them off with pride.
Rebekah Marine.

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Oct 30, 2015

Hyperloop Station Animation

Posted by in category: transportation

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Oct 30, 2015

Bike Riding Robot

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Robots are now riding high-speed motorbikes.

Should the Stig be scared?

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Oct 30, 2015

Can Computers Be As Creative As A Human?

Posted by in categories: computing, entertainment, media & arts, open source

To many people, the introduction of the first Macintosh computer and its graphical user interface in 1984 is viewed as the dawn of creative computing. But if you ask Dr. Nick Montfort, a poet, computer scientist, and assistant professor of Digital Media at MIT, he’ll offer a different direction and definition for creative computing and its origins.

Defining Creative

Creative Computing was the name of a computer magazine that ran from 1974 through 1985. Even before micro-computing there was already this magazine extolling the capabilities of the computer to teach, to help people learn, help people explore and help them do different types of creative work, in literature, the arts, music and so on,” Montfort said.

“It was a time when people had a lot of hope that computing would enable people personally as artists and creators to do work. It was actually a different time than we’re in now. There are a few people working in those areas, but it’s not as widespread as hoped in the late 70’s or early 80s.”

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Oct 30, 2015

Philosophy will be the key that unlocks artificial intelligence — By David Deutsch | The Guardian

Posted by in categories: futurism, philosophy, robotics/AI

Human-brain-012

“AI is achievable, but it will take more than computer science and neuroscience to develop machines that think like people”

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Oct 30, 2015

The “Age” Age

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

A very interesting article about the state of funding for aging research and about Buck and ex Geron Mike West.


As I mentioned in last week’s letter, I traveled to San Francisco last Monday with my friend Patrick Cox, who writes our Transformational Technology Alert newsletter. We had dinner with Dr. Mike West of Biotime and then spent the next morning at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Pat and I decided we would jointly report on what we learned. He has already written his part, which was published last week. I am going to reproduce portions of that letter, which highlight the conversation with Brian Kennedy and his team at the Buck Institute, and then add my own thoughts about our conversation with Mike West the previous night.

(Note that I am excerpting Patrick’s paid letter, which includes comments on companies in his portfolio, rather than his free weekly Transformational Technologies Tech Digest service. We agreed that it was important to do so in this one case, given the huge significance of the research involved and the Buck Institute’s relationship to it.)

Continue reading “The ‘Age’ Age” »

Oct 30, 2015

3D-printing earthquake-proof towns, brick by brick

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, habitats

We can build structures that resettle after quakes, and self-cooling homes – the trick is to 3D print custom building blocks, not whole buildings.

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