Lifeboat Foundation

It’s more likely than you think.

When it comes to interstellar missions, however, there are no plans for crewed missions on the table. While there are proposals for sending robotic missions, sending astronauts to nearby stars and exoplanets simply isn’t feasible yet.

Continue reading “Tardigrades: Why water bears could be the first interstellar astronauts” »

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

In a neighboring star cluster called NGC 1,850, astronomers spotted a small black hole tugging on the orbit of a star — a discovery that could lead us to others.

Companies like Facebook parent Meta and Google parent Alphabet have all experienced major A.I. bias blunders, sometimes involving computer vision technology misidentifying Black people with primates. Numerous high-profile academic studies, articles in mainstream news outlets, and proposed regulations by lawmakers in the European Union and elsewhere continue to bring the issue to the forefront.

On a personal note, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve had to write variations of the phrase “facial recognition software that works better on white males than women and people of color” in articles about A.I. bias.

Many companies are experimenting with AI, often in many different areas of the company. But experimentation is not enough. It’s essential to have a bold corporate strategy driven from the top. The AI strategy needs to be coordinated throughout the company in tight alignment with the overall business strategy.

AI can be scary for employees, and many are worried about their jobs (see another jobs?). The most successful AI-fueled organizations lead with change management to enable AI systems to succeed.

A key factor for successful change management is trust. Companies that focus on relationship-building, collaboration, and training engender trust. Successful companies help employees understand that most AI replaces tasks, not jobs. Those companies are aiming to augment jobs so that AI and employees work together. If AI is going to replace jobs, management needs to be clear about exactly how that will play out for the employees and provide opportunities for them to upskill or reskill.

Continue reading “4 Ways Successful Enterprises Are Driving Success In AI” »

Volcanic eruptions contributed to the collapse of dynasties in China in the last 2,000 years by temporarily cooling the climate and affecting agriculture, according to a news release by Rutgers University.

In a study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, scientists reconstructed the magnitude of 156 explosive volcanic eruptions from 1 A.D. to 1915 by examining elevated sulfate levels in ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica. They also analyzed historical documents from China on 68 dynasties and examined warfare there between 850 and 1911.

Scientists found that smaller volcanic “shocks” to the climate may cause dynasties to collapse when political and socioeconomic stress is already high. Larger shocks may lead to collapses without substantial pre-existing stress. Other factors include poor leadership, administrative corruption and demographic pressures.

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says AI is the most powerful technology in the world, and the company is using it to create some impressive new products.

In one of the mysteries of mammalian development, every cell in the early female embryo shuts down one of its two copies of the X chromosome, leaving just one functional. For years, the mechanics behind this X chromosome inactivation have been murky, but scientists from the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have now taken a major step forward in understanding the process.

Their findings, based on research on mouse stem cells, upend previous assumptions about how X inactivation is initiated in female embryos and could lead to new ways to treat some genetic disorders, as well as a better understanding of how genes on other chromosomes are silenced.

“X inactivation is one of the most fundamentally important processes in development, and I think this study is a slam dunk in finally understanding it,” said Kathrin Plath, a professor of biological chemistry and senior author of the paper, published in the journal Cell.

“Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary defended Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s massive fortune in an interview on “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Saturday.

The O’Leary Funds boss — whose nickname is “Mr Wonderful” — also attributed the recent surge in asset prices to aggressive fiscal stimulus, and predicted that many people who worked from home during the pandemic won’t return to their companies’ offices.