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Breakthrough: FDA Approves Injection to Prevent HIV
The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Gilead Sciences’ twice-yearly injection to prevent HIV – a move the company hailed as a major breakthrough in the fight against the sexually transmitted virus.
Drugs to prevent HIV transmission, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, have existed for more than a decade. But because they typically require taking a daily pill, they have yet to make a significant dent in global infections.
“This is a historic day in the decades-long fight against HIV,” Gilead chairman and chief executive Daniel O’Day said in a statement.
DARPA program sets distance record for power beaming
Previously, the greatest reported distance records for an appreciable amount of optical power (1 microwatt) were 230 watts of average power at 1.7 kilometers for 25 seconds and a lesser (but undisclosed) amount of power at 3.7 kilometers.
“It is beyond a doubt that we absolutely obliterated all previously reported optical power beaming demonstrations for power and distance,” said POWER Program Manager Paul Jaffe after the results were confirmed. The DARPA-led team brought together industry and government, including the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF) at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range.
Energy is a fundamental requirement for military operations, and traditional means of getting energy to the edge (battlefields, disaster zones, etc.) are often incredibly slow, risky, and resource intensive. These tests, referred to as PRAD (POWER Receiver Array Demo), mark an important step towards the POWER program’s long-term goal of being able to instantly beam power from a location where it can be easily generated to wherever it’s needed, opening a novel design space for platform capabilities unbounded by fuel limitations.
Watt’s Next? The AI Bros Discuss AI’s Impact On Entertainment And Energy
In this engaging new eighth episode of the AI Bros podcast, hosts John Lawson III and Bruce Burke delve into the dynamic world of artificial intelligence and its profound impact on various industries. The conversation kicks off with a discussion on the latest developments in AI, highlighting the massive investments being made by tech giants like Mark Zuckerberg, who recently acquired a significant stake in Scale AI. This move underscores the growing importance of data labeling in training AI models and the relentless pursuit of achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
The hosts explore the implications of AI on global infrastructure, particularly focusing on the energy demands required to support AI advancements. They discuss the necessity of building new data centers and the potential role of nuclear energy in meeting these demands. The conversation touches on the strategic moves by companies to secure energy resources, emphasizing the critical need for the U.S. to catch up with countries like China in terms of infrastructure development.
Transitioning to the realm of marketing and content creation, John and Bruce highlight how AI is revolutionizing these fields. They share insights into how AI tools are being used to automate tasks that were traditionally outsourced, such as virtual assistance, graphic generation, and scriptwriting. The hosts discuss the potential of AI to create high-quality content quickly and cost-effectively, as demonstrated by a recent AI-generated commercial aired during the NBA finals.
The episode also addresses the broader societal implications of AI, including the potential need for universal basic income (UBI) as AI continues to displace jobs. The hosts debate the feasibility of UBI in the U.S. and the challenges of implementing such a system. They reflect on historical technological advancements and the new job opportunities that AI might create, while acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding the pace and scale of these changes.
Throughout the episode, John and Bruce provide a balanced perspective on the opportunities and challenges presented by AI. They emphasize the importance of staying informed and adaptable in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. The hosts conclude with a forward-looking discussion on the future of AI in entertainment, speculating on the possibility of AI-generated feature films and the evolving role of AI in creative industries.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of technology, business, and society. It offers valuable insights into the transformative power of AI and its potential to reshape our world.
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MIT engineers grow “high-rise” 3D chips
The electronics industry is approaching a limit to the number of transistors that can be packed onto the surface of a computer chip. So, chip manufacturers are looking to build up rather than out.
Instead of squeezing ever-smaller transistors onto a single surface, the industry is aiming to stack multiple surfaces of transistors and semiconducting elements — akin to turning a ranch house into a high-rise. Such multilayered chips could handle exponentially more data and carry out many more complex functions than today’s electronics.
MIT researchers fabricated 3D chips with alternating layers of semiconducting material grown directly on top of each other. The method eliminates thick silicon between layers, leading to better and faster computation, for applications like more efficient AI hardware.
Volcano erupts in popular vacation spot: travel warnings issued by foreign office
A sudden volcano eruption has shaken a beloved vacation paradise, turning a dream getaway into a scene of danger and disruption. On the scenic island of Flores in Indonesia, the Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano has erupted, casting a thick ash plume high into the sky and prompting urgent travel warnings from the German foreign office. If you were planning a trip to this stunning island near Bali, now is the time to pause and reconsider.
The Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano, standing nearly 5,200 feet tall, sent a towering cloud of ash nearly 6 miles above its summit, according to Indonesia’s agency for volcanic and geological hazards. This spectacular but ominous plume has blanketed the area, forcing closures and safety zones as ash drifts across the island’s lush landscapes.
After 185 years, the Asian small-clawed otter—world’s tiniest otter—rediscovered in Nepal