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Sep 11, 2015

The 5 common traits of negligibly senescent species

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, food, life extension, neuroscience

The biology of aging is traditionally studied in fast-living organisms such as mice, worms and fruit flies. Short-lived species certainly have a role to play in this field, but they are only the tip of the iceberg.

Within the natural ecosystem, organisms display a range of aging processes, most often accelerated aging, or gradual aging (in the case of humans), but also, a range of species with slow or even negligible aging, which is known as negligible senescence. Unlike humans, such species have a constant mortality rate for the duration of their lifespan, as well as a constant or even increasing fertility rate. The number of negligibly senescent species which we are currently aware of is likely to grow as more and more are studied and discovered, both in the wild and in the lab.

By studying the processes which give these creatures longer lifespans, there is the possibility that they could be recreated in humans in order to extend our own. How negligible senescence is achieved by each individual species varies, but here are five of the most common traits.

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Sep 11, 2015

5 Reasons Why The International Space Station (ISS) Should Really Orbit The Moon

Posted by in categories: space, space travel

If the $100 billion International Space Station (ISS) had been constructed to orbit our Moon instead of Earth, prospects for the U.S.’ human spaceflight program would arguably be much brighter than today.

Here are a few reasons why:

An International Lunar Space Station (ILSS) would have guaranteed the U.S. maintained its Apollo-era global dominance in terms of crewed interplanetary transport.

Continue reading “5 Reasons Why The International Space Station (ISS) Should Really Orbit The Moon” »

Sep 10, 2015

A Brief History Of Star Wars Canon, Old And New — By James Whitbrook | io9

Posted by in categories: business, media & arts

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“When a franchise is around for four decades, it can get impossibly unwieldy to try and grasp its lore — and Star Wars canon is no exception. Here’s a guide to the origins of Star Wars Canon, the rise and fall of one of the most prominent Expanded Universes in fiction, and where the saga stands with Disney today.”

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Sep 10, 2015

Forget The Coffin: These Organic Pods Will Turn You Into A Tree When You Die

Posted by in category: sustainability

What a genius idea!

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Sep 10, 2015

What scientists say about Elon Musk’s idea to nuke Mars

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space

Elon Musk might think it’s a good idea to warm up Mars with thermonuclear weapons so humans can live on it, but scientists are raising red flags about the idea.

The CEO of Hawthorne-based SpaceX talked Mars colonization, among other topics, on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Wednesday.

When Colbert asked how he would eventually transform the Red Planet into a livable place, Musk said it would need to be warmed up.

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Sep 10, 2015

Scale of the Universe revisits “Powers of Ten”

Posted by in categories: astronomy, cosmology, physics, space travel

As a follow-up to Shailesh Prasad’s thought provoking video (just below this article), I offer two equally impressive visualizations of the scope and magnificence of our universe. These videos are the epitome of a teachable moment. And it’s fun, too!

Check out this simple, one-button interactive Scale of the Universe by Cary Huang. Simply pull a slider left or right to zoom in or out. It covers the Universe from 1027 meters down to 10-35 meters (from the entire universe to the Plank length and quantum foam).

Charles and Ray Eames

Charles and Ray Eames

Unlike the classic film by Charles & Ray Eames (more about that later), the zoom doesn’t really take viewers closer or further away. Rather, it compares relative size by allowing users navigate by magnitudes (a circle indicates each power-of-ten).

Continue reading “Scale of the Universe revisits ‘Powers of Ten’” »

Sep 10, 2015

This 3-minute animation will change the way you see the universe

Posted by in category: space

The Universe.


This 3-minute animation will change the way you see the universe.

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Sep 10, 2015

Humanoid Robot Thinks Taking Over The World Isn’t Worth the Effort

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Bina48’s responses were both intelligent and unpredictable.


Advanced social robot Bina48 sometimes feels like a “living puppet”.

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Sep 10, 2015

20 Things You Didn’t Know About… Immortality

Posted by in category: life extension

Humans continue to seek after it, but other life forms have already achieved it.

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Sep 10, 2015

When robots start acting like humans you can expect the worst

Posted by in categories: entertainment, robotics/AI

Corporations aren’t inherently evil, they’re only as greedy as the humans behind them. It’s the same thing with robots. Robots have no emotions—they’re just a pile of metal, screws and circuits—but they will be as mean, selfish, and avaricious as the people programming them.

Wire Cutters is a brilliantly crafted student film directed and animated by Jack Anderson. It tells the story of two robots from rival mining companies that meet by chance in a desolate planet.

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