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A lightning bolt that struck a tree on Florida’s west coast has produced a fascinating type of phosphorus material we haven’t seen on Earth before: one that could represent a whole new mineral group, bridging the gap between space minerals and minerals found on Earth.

The material, which is a close match for calcium phosphite (CaHPO3), was found trapped inside a fulgurite – a “metal glob” formed by the reaction of the ultra-hot lightning bolt with the sand around the roots of its target.

These ‘fossilized lightning’ fulgurites often occur when lightning strikes certain types of sand, silica, and rock. What’s much less common is to find something so unique hidden inside one of these structures.

Neuroscientists at MIT have discovered a way to potentially reverse neurodegeneration and other issues related to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a news release from the school.

Researchers, experimenting on mice, found that interfering with an enzyme that is typically overactive in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s can reverse the degeneration in the brain.

Join top executives in San Francisco on July 11–12, to hear how leaders are integrating and optimizing AI investments for success. Learn More

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing industries, streamlining processes, and, hopefully, on its way to improving the quality of life for people around the world — all very exciting news. That said, with the increasing influence of AI systems, it’s crucial to ensure that these technologies are developed and implemented responsibly.

Responsible AI is not just about adhering to regulations and ethical guidelines; it is the key to creating more accurate and effective AI models.

The Singularity is a technological event horizon beyond which we cannot see – a moment in future history when exponential progress makes the impossible possible. This video discusses the concept of the Singularity, related technologies including AI, synthetic biology, cybernetics and quantum computing, and their potential implications.

My previous video “AI, Robots & the Future” is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaGIo_Viazs.

The episode on “The Metaverse: A Facebook Fantasy?” is here:

And I have a video on “Nanotechnology 2.0” here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X14sRtcHJXs.

Links to websites shown in the video are as follows:

Amyris (synthetic biology pioneer):

Visit http://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized Talk recommendations and more.

The cells in your body are like computer software: they’re “programmed” to carry out specific functions at specific times. If we can better understand this process, we could unlock the ability to reprogram cells ourselves, says computational biologist Sara-Jane Dunn. In a talk from the cutting-edge of science, she explains how her team is studying embryonic stem cells to gain a new understanding of the biological programs that power life — and develop “living software” that could transform medicine, agriculture and energy.

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