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Sep 12, 2015
$11mn, 36-hour historic head transplant to be carried out in China in 2017
Posted by Dan Kummer in category: biotech/medical
Italian doctor Sergio Canavero, along with his Chinese colleague Ren Xiaoping, is set to conduct the world’s first head transplant on a 30-year-old Russian patient suffering from a rare disease. The operation is planned for December 2017.
The project was first announced in 2013, and the man who volunteered for the procedure is Russian Valery Spiridonov, who suffers from the extremely rare, progressive Werdnig-Hoffmann disease.
“Canavero initially joked it would be a Christmas present, but now this is becoming a reality.
Continue reading “$11mn, 36-hour historic head transplant to be carried out in China in 2017” »
Sep 12, 2015
Silicon Valley is raiding tech academia: “Uber would like to buy your Robotics Department”
Posted by Scott Davis in categories: robotics/AI, transportation
Your next Uber driver may not be human.
Silicon Valley is raiding technology departments of universities around the U.S.—can tech academia survive?
Sep 12, 2015
Scientists discover cause of and potential treatment for muscle weakness and loss due to aging
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: chemistry, life extension
As we grow older, we lose strength and muscle mass. However, the cause of age-related muscle weakness and atrophy has remained a mystery.
Scientists at the University of Iowa have discovered the first example of a protein that causes muscle weakness and loss during aging. The protein, ATF4, is a transcription factor that alters gene expression in skeletal muscle, causing reduction of muscle protein synthesis, strength, and mass. The UI study also identifies two natural compounds, one found in apples and one found in green tomatoes, which reduce ATF4 activity in aged skeletal muscle. The findings, which were published online Sept. 3 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, could lead to new therapies for age-related muscle weakness and atrophy.
Sep 12, 2015
How curly nanowires can absorb more light to power nanoscale electronic circuits
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: electronics, energy, materials, nanotechnology, solar power, sustainability
This illustration shows a prototype device comprising bare nanospring photodetectors placed on a glass substrate, with metal contacts to collect charges (credit: Tural Khudiyev and Mehmet Bayindir/Applied Optics)
Researchers from Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, have shown that twisting straight nanowires into springs can increase the amount of light the wires absorb by up to 23 percent. Absorbing more light is important because one application of nanowires is turning light into electricity, for example, to power tiny sensors instead of requiring batteries.
If nanowires are made from a semiconductor like silicon, light striking the wire will dislodge electrons from the crystal lattice, leaving positively charged “holes” behind. Both the electrons and the holes move through the material to generate electricity. The more light the wire absorbs; the more electricity it generates. (A device that converts light into electricity can function as either a solar cell or a photosensor.)
Sep 12, 2015
Our Aging World: Wave Goodbye To The Population Pyramid
Posted by Roy in category: life extension
https://youtube.com/watch?v=QwfH1gYkXTw
The young have always outnumbered the old, but as fertility rates drop and lifespans go up, this is starting to change.
Sep 12, 2015
Introduction to Quantum Computers (2014, 1080p)
Posted by Early Boykins III in categories: computing, quantum physics
Sep 12, 2015
Quantum Computing – Artificial Intelligence Is Here
Posted by Early Boykins III in categories: computing, quantum physics, robotics/AI
Geordie Rose, Founder of D-Wave (recent clients are Google and NASA) believes that the power of quantum computing is that we can ‘exploit parallel universes’ to solve problems that we have no other means of confirming. Simply put, quantum computers can think exponentially faster and simultaneously such that as they mature they will out pace us. Listen to his talk now!
Sep 12, 2015
Will Bitcoin End the Reign of Government?
Posted by Philip Raymond in categories: bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, economics, government
When my daughter was just starting primary school, she would look inside a book for the pictures before reading the text. She was old enough to read without pictures, but she wanted to get a quick synopsis before diving in. “Look, Dad! a bunny is carrying a giant clock into a rabbit hole.”
This is my first article without pictures. At least none of Bitcoin, because the copper coin metaphors are tired and inaccurate. At the user level, owning bitcoin is simply your stake in a widely distributed ledger. Ownership exists only as strings of secret code and public code. There is no physical coin.
Since the only pictures in this post show a white rabbit with a big clock, let me give you the quick synopsis: The answer is “No”. Bitcoin will not end government, nor its ability to tax, spend—or even enforce compliance.
But there is an irony: Most lawmakers and regulators have not yet figured this out. They perceive a great threat to their national interests. That’s why Andreas M. Antonopoulos runs around the world. He briefs prime ministers, cabinets and legislators with the noble purpose of demystifying and de-boogieing Bitcoin.
Continue reading “Will Bitcoin End the Reign of Government?” »
Sep 11, 2015
Polaroid’s Latest Instant Camera Doesn’t Need Ink — By Margaret Rhodes | Wired
Posted by Odette Bohr Dienel in category: media & arts
“The Snap—Ammunition’s third design for Polaroid, after last year’s Cube action camera and Zip instant mobile printer—is a decidedly modern instant camera. Unlike its predecessors, it doesn’t use ink cartridges. Instead, it uses inkless printing tech developed by a company called Zink. Heat from the printer reacts with dye crystals embedded in the photo paper to create the image.”
