Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Blog – Page 2311

Worldwide, more than one billion people are obese. Obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers. But permanently losing weight isn’t easy: complex interactions between body systems such as gut physiology, hormones, and the brain are known to work against it. One method for weight loss is intermittent energy restriction (IER), where days of relative fasting alternate with days of eating normally.

“Here we show that an IER diet changes the human brain-gut-microbiome axis. The observed changes in the gut microbiome and in the activity in addition-related brain regions during and after weight loss are highly dynamic and coupled over time,” said last author Dr. Qiang Zeng, a researcher at the Health Management Institute of the PLA General Hospital in Beijing. The study has been published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.

The authors used metagenomics on stool samples, blood measurements, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study changes in the composition of the gut microbiome, physiological parameters and serum composition, and brain activity in 25 obese Chinese women and men on an IER diet. Participants were on average 27 years old, with a BMI between 28 and 45.

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By Chuck Brooks

Every new year creates a new opportunity for optimism and predictions. In the past couple of years, emerging technology has permeated almost all areas of our lives. There is much to explore! In this article, I focus on three evolving technology areas that are already impacting our future but are only at the early stages of true potential: artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space systems.

In addition to my own thoughts and perspectives, I reached out to several well-known subject matter experts on those very topic areas to share their valued insights.

Artificial Intelligence is on the Cusp of Transforming Civilization

Continue reading “Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, and Space are 3 Tech areas to Watch in 2024” | >

The intrusions are part of a broader effort to develop ways to sow chaos or snarl logistics in the event of a U.S.-China conflict in the Pacific, officials say.

While both China and the United States of America have accused each other of conducting cyberattacks for years now, recently, China’s People’s Liberation Army allegedly involved in a series of cyber intrusions referred to as “Volt Typhoon.”

The Washington Post reported earlier this morning that these attacks targeted critical American infrastructure, including water utility systems in Hawaii, major ports on the West Coast, and an oil and gas pipeline, according to experts.

Allegedly breaching Texas power grid

Continue reading “Chinese hackers allegedly target US infrastructure as ‘Volt Typhoon’” | >

Starlink has around 5,000 satellites in orbit, far more than any other provider.

According to Cloudflare, Starlink’s internet traffic has nearly tripled in 2023 compared to 2022. In the US, the traffic has grown by 250%, while in Brazil, where Starlink launched last year, the traffic has surged by 1700%.

Bridging the divide, one satellite at a time

Imagine blazing fiber-optic speeds delivered not by cables but by a twinkling swarm of satellites in the sky. That’s the reach of Starlink, and it’s captivated over 50 countries, from Brazil’s staggering 17-fold traffic surge to Kenya’s newfound online access and countries like the Philippines, and Zambia. This exponential growth has cemented Starlink’s position as the undisputed king of satellite internet.

Continue reading “Starlink triples its internet traffic amid geopolitical tensions” | >

The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are about to get a serious upgrade, thanks to Meta’s AI smarts finally learning to see and hear.

Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has announced some exciting new features for its Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses that will make them more useful and interactive. The company is testing a new “multimodal” AI assistant that can respond to your queries based on what you see and hear through the glasses’ camera and microphones.

Multimodal AI at play

The multimodal AI assistant can suggest outfits, translate text, caption images, and describe objects you point the glasses at. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg showed off some of these capabilities in an Instagram reel, asking the glasses to recommend pants that would go well with a shirt he was holding. The assistant gave him two options and described the shirt’s color and pattern.

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The new video demonstrates that Optimus has enhanced its balance and body control and can move more naturally and gracefully.

Perhaps the most impressive advancement lies in its dexterous “brand new hands.” Whereas the Gen 1 prototype struggled with even basic manipulation, Optimus Gen 2 handles delicate objects with surprising finesse. The video showcasing its gentle handling of an egg serves as a testament to its improved dexterity, paving the way for broader applications in the future.

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