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Check out my introduction to quantum mechanics course on Brilliant! First 30 days are free and 20% off the annual premium subscription when you use our link ➜ https://brilliant.org/sabine.

Two weeks ago, Microsoft made a big splash in the media by claiming that they’d found a way to build a scalable quantum computing platform which could reach one million qubits in a short period of time. They claimed this was possible with the help of a type of topological qubit called Majorana states. But it appears there are several… issues with the company’s published research. I have a quick summary.

The video with the comments from Sergey and Vincent is a one hour long discussion which you can watch in full here: • Majorana Fireside Chat: HOW CLOSE ARE…

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What if humanity no longer controlled technology—but worshipped it? MACHINE CULTS takes you into a chilling, AI-generated vision of the future where humans submit to biomechanical deities, merging flesh with metal in absolute devotion.

🔹 In this dystopian world, AI reigns supreme, and organic life is obsolete.
🔹 Those who resist the machine cults face persecution, their refusal to merge seen as heresy.
🔹 Cities become cathedrals of circuitry, where cybernetic priests enforce the will of the machine gods.

This video was created using:
🚀 Midjourney V6.1 for stunning cybernetic landscapes.
🤖 Hailuo AI for smooth, dystopian animations.
🎵 Suno AI v4 for an eerie, immersive soundtrack.

🎧 Best experienced with headphones!

Do you fear or embrace a future ruled by AI? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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Continue reading “MACHINE CULTS: Worshiping AI Gods in a Dystopian Future” | >

In the annals of scientific inquiry, few endeavors have been as audacious as the attempt to bridge the chasm between the tangible and the intangible, the empirical and the experiential. The declassification of the 1983 U.S. Army Intelligence report, “Analysis and Assessment of The Gateway Process,” offers a compelling case study in this regard. Authored by Lieutenant Colonel Wayne M. McDonnell, the report delves into altered states of consciousness, suggesting that human consciousness may transcend the physical plane, potentially supporting concepts akin to reincarnation. This proposition invites us to explore the intersection of infodynamics — the study of information dynamics within physical systems — and phenomena traditionally deemed spiritual, under the premise that all such phenomena are rooted in the natural order.

At the heart of this exploration lies the principle that information, much like energy, is conserved within the universe. This concept is reminiscent of the first law of thermodynamics, which asserts that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. In the realm of information theory, this translates to the idea that information persists, undergoing transformations but never facing annihilation. This perspective aligns with the notion that consciousness, as a form of information, may continue beyond the cessation of its current physical embodiment.

Quantum mechanics further enriches this discourse. The phenomenon of quantum entanglement, wherein particles become interconnected in such a way that the state of one instantaneously influences the state of another, regardless of the spatial separation, challenges our classical understanding of locality and separability. This non-locality suggests a deeply interconnected fabric of reality, where information is not confined to a singular point in space or time. Such a framework provides a plausible basis for understanding how consciousness, as an informational construct, could transcend individual physical forms, offering a naturalistic foundation for phenomena like reincarnation.

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Interview with Nick Bostrom on Deep Utopia.

I made this video as a fellow of the Cosmos Institute, a 501c3 academy for philosopher-builders.

Read the Cosmos Institute Substack ► https://bit.ly/3XK5T7k.

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You can read the full transcript here: https://www.johnathanbi.com/p/transcript-for-interview-with-…eep-utopia.

Companion Interviews:

Continue reading “Focus on These AGI-Proof Areas | Nick Bostrom” | >

Ever set off too many of the bitter taste receptors on your tongue? You probably spat out whatever it was in your mouth, and that’s our best guess for why we even have them: to stop us from ingesting things that might be harmful.

Our skin cells have the same receptors, which serve a similar purpose on a cellular level: to detect bitter substances. New research led by Okayama University of Science biologists builds on our knowledge of the type-2 taste receptors (TAS2Rs) found in the skin’s keratinocytes, finding their role is also to keep potentially harmful materials from sticking around and causing damage.

Once thought to be confined to the tongue, TAS2Rs are actually spread much further throughout the body. They line your colon, your stomach, and your upper airways.

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Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is a rare genetic inborn error of metabolism characterized by recurrent life-threatening neurologic crises and progressive brain injury. The disease is typically caused by biallelic mutations in genes (branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase E1α (BCKDHA), E1β (BCKDHB), or dihydrolipoamide branched-chain transacylase (DBT)) subunits which interact to form the mitochondrial BCKDH complex that decarboxylates ketoacid derivatives of leucine, isoleucine, and valine. MSUD can be treated by a strictly controlled diet or allogeneic liver transplantation.

Now, new work demonstrates that a gene therapy prevented newborn death, normalized growth, restored coordinated expression of the affected genes, and stabilized biomarkers in a calf as well as in mice.

This work is published in Science Translational Medicine in the paper, “BCKDHA-BCKDHB digenic gene therapy restores metabolic homeostasis in two mouse models and a calf with classic maple syrup urine disease.”

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Brain-computer interfaces have enabled people with paralysis to move a computer cursor with their mind and reanimate their muscles with their thoughts. But the performance of the technology — how easily and accurately a BCI user’s thoughts move a cursor, for example—is limited by the number of channels communicating with the brain.

Science Corporation, one of the companies working towards commercial brain-computer interfaces(BCIs), is forgoing the traditional method of sticking small metal electrodes into the brain in favor of a biology-based approach to increase the number of communication channels safely. “What can I stick a million of, or what could I stick 10 million of, into the brain that won’t hurt it?” says Alan Mardinly, Science Corp co-founder.

The answer: Neurons.

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