Lifeboat Foundation

Watch These Embryonic Stem Cells Morph Into Neurons.

UCSF researchers have developed a method to precisely control embryonic stem cell differentiation with light — transforming them into neurons in response to an external cue. The research also revealed an internal timer within stem cells which can ‘tune out’ regular biological noise, but trigger rapid transformation when there is a strong and persistent signal.

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Two experts on robotics and machine learning will reveal breakthrough developments in humanlike robots and machine learning at the annual SXSW conference in Austin next March, in a proposed* panel called “The Holy Grail: Machine Learning + Extreme Robotics.”

Participants will interact with Hanson Robotics’ forthcoming state-of-the-art female Sophia robot as a participant on the panel as she spontaneously tracks human faces, listens to speech, and generates a natural-language response while participating in dialogue about the potential of genius machines.

This conversation on the future of advanced robotics combined with machine learning and cognitive science will feature visionary Hanson Robotics founder/CEO David Hanson and Microsoft executive Jim Kankanias, who heads Program Management for Information Management and Machine Learning in the Cloud + Enterprise Division at Microsoft. The panel will be moderated by Hanson Robotics consultant Eric Shuss.

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Dubai has given the green light to yet another outrageous building project — a 4,000-acre complex of towers inspired by characters from Arabian Nights, including Aladdin and Sinbad the Sailor.

“Aladdin City” will feature six towers, some designed to resemble Aladdin’s magic lamp, linked by air-conditioned bridges with moving walkways (magic carpets?).

Construction will begin next year, and although the total cost has yet to be revealed, Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director-General of Dubai Municipality, told the Future of Dubai website that it had the funds to finance the project.

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The Microsoft founder’s forecasts have proved eerily prescient–and a few of them could still turn out to be great startup ideas.

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1. The Habitat.

2. Farming in space.

Continue reading “7 real NASA technologies in sci-fi movie The Martian” »

California – Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has filed a patent application for a fuel cell system that could power a MacBook or an iPhone “for days or even weeks without refueling”. With batteries dying fast around the world the technology industry hasn’t been able to solve the problem entirely. But now the bitten fruit company has given the first step into what seems to be the cutting edge generation of battery design.

After the U.K based company, Intelligent Energy revealed an iPhone version packed with a prototype hydrogen fuel cell that would last for a week before needing to be charged, rumors began to resonate about close colaboration with Apple to include such technologies in their own products. And as it turns out, the patent presented by Apple in March confirms exactly that. However, this controversial fuel cells will need to be replaced once they have depleted.

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One day, all that internet fan fiction could be put to good use.

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No-A is a short student film directed by Liam Murphy. In it, a hulking robot risks everything to save its creator from an army of faceless soldiers. It’s a really neat CGI film with some really outstanding designs in it.

Overall, this feels like a bit of a sliver from a much larger story, and I hope that the creators and production team will add onto the story and continue it in another short film or maybe a longer feature. It seems like there’s a lot more story to uncover.

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One Apple analyst says that it’s “very likely” the company is working on a head-up display (HUD) for car windshields. The technology, which is currently used in jets, would project icons and information onto the windshield, according to the Washington Post.

Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry said that the launch of the device is “not imminent,” and he seems to be the only analyst predicting Apple’s entry into the head-up display space. Plus, Chowdhry has frequently read Apple’s tea leaves inaccurately.

Disclaimers aside, it’s not entirely unlikely that Apple is developing a high-tech answer to the distracting nature of a car dashboard. Apple does seem to be developing an all-electric minivan that may be self-driving under the codename “Project Titan,” according to reports by the Wall Street Journal. And since HUDs on windshields are already being touted by the auto industry as the next big thing, it’s reasonable Apple would want the technology in its potential car.

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