Menu

Blog

Page 2701

Jan 7, 2023

Google’s Sergey Brin talks AI safety efforts to prevent ‘sci-fi style sentience’

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, Elon Musk, information science, robotics/AI

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has taken a rather similar stance as Tesla CEO Elon Musk on artificial intelligence, emphasizing AI dangers in a recent investor communication. According to the Russian-born billionaire, the present day is an era of possibilities, but it is also a time when responsibility has to be practiced, particularly when it comes to emerging technologies.

“We’re in an era of great inspiration and possibility, but with this opportunity comes the need for tremendous thoughtfulness and responsibility as technology is deeply and irrevocably interwoven into our societies,” he wrote.

Brin’s statements were outlined in Alphabet’s recent Founders’ Letter, where the 44-year-old billionaire described how Google is utilizing bleeding-edge technology for its ventures. While AI as a discipline is still an emerging field, Brin noted that there are already a lot of everyday applications for the technology. Among these are the algorithms utilized by Waymo’s self-driving cars, the smart cooling units of Google’s data centers, and of course, Google Translate and YouTube’s automatic captions.

Jan 7, 2023

Historic Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough

Posted by in category: innovation

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2XBSC3hX0U4

Fusion is the key to the next era of humanity’s advancement in all sectors and the solution to almost every single problem ongoing in the world currently. Al…

Jan 7, 2023

We’ve just discovered a new part of the brain’s waste disposal system

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

In 2012, Nedergaard also helped to discover a network of thin tubes that collect waste fluid from brain cells, known as the glymphatic system. These tubes may drain into the outgoing cerebrospinal fluid, says Nedergaard.

The waste products of brain cells include proteins called beta-amyloid and tau that are thought to be involved in Alzheimer’s disease when they build up in excessive amounts.

In both mice and people, the SLYM also contains immune cells, so it may allow them to detect signs of infection present in the cerebrospinal fluid, says Nedergaard. “It is loaded with immune cells.”

Jan 7, 2023

Lobsters don’t die from old age — they die from exhaustion

Posted by in category: futurism

Being mortal makes life so much sweeter.

Jan 7, 2023

Inside the factory making a flying car ready for take off — BBC News

Posted by in categories: energy, transportation

A flying car could be tested by the public in America as early as next year.

Jet-ski champion and over-water hoverboard inventor Franky Zapata’s latest innovation is the JetRacer, a single-seat car that can fly.

Continue reading “Inside the factory making a flying car ready for take off — BBC News” »

Jan 7, 2023

A New Approach to Halting the Effects of Aging: Boosting Immune Cells Improves Brain Waste Clearance

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

Many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease is a disease that attacks the brain, causing a decline in mental ability that worsens over time. It is the most common form of dementia and accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases. There is no current cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but there are medications that can help ease the symptoms.

Jan 7, 2023

Researchers Discover That Our Ancient Ancestors Were More Complex Than Previously Thought

Posted by in categories: evolution, food

A new study by researchers at the University of Nottingham has shed light on the complexity of our ancient ancestors, solving an important piece of the animal evolution puzzle.

A new study by researchers at the University of Nottingham has revealed that our ancient ancestors were more complex than originally thought, solving an important piece of the animal evolution puzzle.

In the distant past, animals underwent a significant evolution by developing bilateral symmetry and two gut openings. This allowed them to move faster through the early seas, find food and extract nutrients more efficiently, and protect themselves from predators. The success of this trait can be seen in the diverse range of animals that still possess bilateral symmetry and two gut openings today, including humans, starfish, sea cucumbers, elephants, crickets, and snails. Additionally, a group of simple marine worms called Xenacoelomorphs also exhibit this trait, despite lacking the complex features of other animals.

Jan 7, 2023

Arctic Sinkholes I Full Documentary I NOVA I PBS

Posted by in categories: climatology, education, sustainability

As the Artic warms permafrost (carbon frozen in time) is melting, what we once thought to be stable ground.

As the permafrost melts with warming temperatures sinkholes are on the rise which release methane gas.

Continue reading “Arctic Sinkholes I Full Documentary I NOVA I PBS” »

Jan 7, 2023

First Quantum Entanglement Between Dissimilar Particles Provides A View Inside Atomic Nuclei

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

Positively and negatively charged versions of the same particle have been entangled for the first time, allowing us to map the hearts of atoms more precisely and opening the doors to more powerful communication tools.

The neutrons and protons that make up the nuclei of atoms are, in turn, composed of quarks. However, quarks alone would be unstable; they need gluons, the carriers of the strong force, to hold them together. Gluons are orders of magnitude too small to see, even with the most powerful microscopes – but they can still interact with photons to produce exceptionally short-lived rho particles that decay to charged two-quark particles called pions.

By measuring the angles and speed at which the positive and negative pions (π+ and π-) emerge, scientists at the Brookhaven National Laboratory have created a map of gluon distribution within the nuclei of gold and uranium atoms. They report this map to be the most precise description of the inner workings of an atomic nucleus.

Jan 7, 2023

Jeff Lichtman (Harvard) Part 2: Neuromuscular Connectomics

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience, robotics/AI

https://www.ibiology.org/neuroscience/connectome/#part-2

Talk Overview: The human brain is extremely complex with much greater structural and functional diversity than other organs and this complexity is determined both by one’s experiences and one’s genes. In Part 1 of his talk, Lichtman explains how mapping the connections in the brain (the connectome) may lead to a better understanding of brain function. Together with his colleagues, Lichtman has developed tools to label individual cells in the nervous system with different colors producing beautiful and revealing maps of the neuronal connections.
Using transgenic mice with differently colored, fluorescently labeled proteins in each neuron (Brainbow mice), Lichtman and his colleagues were able to follow the formation and destruction of neuromuscular junctions during mouse development. This work is the focus of Part 2.
In Part 3, Lichtman asks whether some day it might be possible to map all of the neural connections in the brain. He describes the technical advances that have allowed him and his colleagues to begin this endeavor as well as the enormous challenges to deciphering the brain connectome.

Continue reading “Jeff Lichtman (Harvard) Part 2: Neuromuscular Connectomics” »