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The Fermi Paradox ask us how in a Universe so vast and ancient we seem to be the only intelligent civilization around, with no older interstellar alien empires visible in the galaxy. But could extinction play a role in that, or might extinction events instead drive evolution forward?

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MONDAY, Dec. 19, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Patients with a high-risk bladder cancer now have a new option to treat it.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved a gene therapy called Adstiladrin, which is designed to work for patients who have what’s called high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) that hasn’t responded to the standard treatment, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), but hasn’t spread. BCG is a vaccine typically used for tuberculosis.

“This approval provides health care professionals with an innovative treatment option for patients with high-risk NMIBC that is unresponsive to BCG therapy,” Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release. “Today’s action addresses an area of critical need. The FDA remains committed to facilitating the development and approval of safe and effective cancer treatments.”

Dec. 14, 2021 — A new FDA-approved eyedrop medicine could replace reading glasses for millions of Americans who have age-related blurry vision.

The product, called Vuity, was approved by the FDA in October and went on the market last week. The new medicine begins working in about 15 minutes and provides sharper vision for 6 to 10 hours.

Vuity is the first FDA-approved eyedrop to treat the condition known as presbyopia, which tends to affect people ages 40 and older. The prescription drug uses the eye’s natural ability to reduce its pupil size.

Around 38% of the world’s total landmass is used for agriculture – yet hunger is worsening, and food security is in crisis, threatened by pressures including climate change, conflict and global recessions.

While there’s no one-stop solution, technology can help to fill some of the gaps. Mechanical engineer Josie Hughes is on a mission to show how robotics can play a role in our everyday lives, particularly when it comes to food. Starting with LEGO robots as a child, the Cambridge graduate now leads the Computational Robot Design & Fabrication Lab (CREATE) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), where she’s one of the youngest researchers to join as a tenure-track assistant professor.

One of her innovations, a raspberry-picking robot powered by artificial intelligence, could help make farming more efficient and cost-effective, and solve labor shortages – which in the UK alone left £60 million ($74 million) worth of fruit and vegetables rotting in fields this summer. CNN spoke with Hughes about her research, and when robots might be harvesting your next meal.

Check out all the on-demand sessions from the Intelligent Security Summit here.

The adoption of a password-free future is hyped by some of the biggest tech companies, with Apple, Google, and Microsoft committing to support the FIDO standard this past May. Along with the Digital ID Bill reintroduced to Congress this past July, we’re poised to take a giant leap away from the password to a seemingly more secure digital future. But as we approach a post-password world, we still have a long way to go in ensuring the security of our digital lives.

As companies continue developing solutions to bridge us to a passwordless world, many have prioritized convenience over security. Methods of two-factor authentication (2FA) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) such as SMS or email verification — or even the use of biometrics — have emerged as leading alternatives to the traditional username/password. But here’s the catch: Most of these companies are validating devices alone and aren’t properly leveraging this technology, leaving the door open for bad actors.

A gene therapy gel for a blistering skin disease developed at Stanford Medicine has worked wonders in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

The gel, called B-VEC, was intended to treat dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a skin disease that results in large open wounds that last for decades. The condition is extremely painful, and the medical treatment is mostly limited to palliative care.