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Mar 19, 2020

Astronomers determine chemical composition of a nearby stellar stream

Posted by in categories: evolution, space

Stellar streams are long, thin filaments of orbiting galaxies, produced by the stretching action of tidal forces. For astronomers, observation of these structures could be crucial to test various galaxy formation models.

Located most likely some 420 light-years away in the Milky Way’s disk, Pisces–Eridanus (or Psc–Eri for short) is a cylindrically shaped stream of almost 1,400 identified stars distributed across about 2,300 light-years. Due to its relative proximity and , it is perceived as an excellent laboratory to study and test theories of chemical and dynamical evolution of stellar systems.

Mar 19, 2020

Intel to Release Neuromorphic-Computing System

Posted by in categories: business, computing, government, neuroscience

Intel Corp. is releasing an experimental research system for neuromorphic computing, a cutting-edge method that simulates the way human brains work to perform computations faster, using significantly less energy.

The system, called Pohoiki Springs, will be made available this month over the cloud to members of the Intel Neuromorphic Research Community, which includes academic researchers, government labs and about a dozen companies such as Accenture PLC and Airbus SE.

Others, including International Business Machines Corp., are also researching the technique.

Mar 19, 2020

Why are Russian military aircraft flying in Irish airspace?

Posted by in category: military

Analysis: there have been reports of recent incursions of Russian bombers like the Tupolev TU–95 in airspace controlled by Ireland

There have been a number of recent incursions into Irish controlled airspace by the Russian air force. Most recently Tupolev TU–95, the so called “Bear” strategic bomber aircraft, triggered UK Royal Air Force fighter jets to scramble in order to confront the Russian aircraft. Reliable sources indicate that there is an agreement between the UK and Ireland permitting the Royal Air Force to enter Irish airspace if deemed necessary, though the specific nature of this arrangement is not clear.

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Mar 19, 2020

The world’s first new coronavirus vaccine was injected into the left arm of inventor Chen Wei

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Dare to be the first in the world, seven Communist Party members of the expert group were vaccinated against the new coronavirus!

Mar 19, 2020

Diemut Strebe

Posted by in categories: futurism, robotics/AI

I hadn’t seen anything about this thing in about 5+ years, and it was pretty bad back then. Now they have it singing, although i’d like to just see it talking or trying to hold a conversation. Anyhow, the Mouth of your future humanoid robot:


The Prayer is presented in the show “Neurons, Simulated Intelligence”, at Centre Pompidou, Paris, curated by Frédéric Migayrou and Camille Lenglois from 26 February — 26 April 2020.
The Prayer is an art-installation that tries to explore the supernatural through artificial intelligence with a long-term experimental set up. A robot — installation operates a talking mouth, that is part of a computer system, creating and voicing prayers, that are generated in every very moment by the self-learning system itself, exploring ‘the divine’ the supernatural or ‘the noumenal’ as the mystery of ‘the unknown’, using deep learning.
How would a divine epiphany appear to an artificial intelligence? The focus of the project could maybe shed light on the difference between humans and AI machines in the debate about mind and matter and allows a speculative stance on the future of humans in the age of AI technology and AGI ambitions.
Above an anticipation of AI Singing with AI generated texts, since singing is a major religious practice.

Continue reading “Diemut Strebe” »

Mar 19, 2020

Frequently Asked Questions on the Ethics of Lifespan and Healthspan Extension

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, ethics, life extension, policy

The mission of healthy life extension, or healthy longevity promotion, raises a broad variety of questions and tasks, relating to science and technology, individual and communal ethics, and public policy, especially health and science policy. Despite the wide variety, the related questions may be classified into three groups. The first group of questions concerns the feasibility of the accomplishment of life extension. Is it theoretically and technologically possible? What are our grounds for optimism? What are the means to ensure that the life extension will be healthy life extension? The second group concerns the desirability of the accomplishment of life extension for the individual and the society, provided it will become some day possible through scientific intervention.

How will then life extension affect the perception of personhood? How will it affect the availability of resources for the population? Yet, the third and final group can be termed normative. What actions should we take? Assuming that life extension is scientifically possible and socially desirable, and that its implications are either demonstrably positive or, in case of a negative forecast, they are amenable – what practical implications should these determinations have for public policy, in particular health policy and research policy, in a democratic society? Should we pursue the goal of life extension? If yes, then how? How can we make it an individual and social priority? Given the rapid population aging and the increasing incidence and burden of age-related diseases, on the pessimistic side, and the rapid development of medical technologies, on the optimistic side, these become vital questions of social responsibility. And indeed, these questions are often asked by almost any person thinking about the possibility of human life extension, its meaning for oneself, for the people in one’s close circle, for the entire global community. Many of these questions are rather standard, and the answers to them are also often quite standard. Below some of those frequently asked questions and frequently given answers are given, with specific reference to the possibility and desirability of healthy human life extension, and the normative actions that can be undertaken, by the individual and the society, to achieve this goal.

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Mar 19, 2020

Rep. Andy Biggs voted against coronavirus bill because it gives sick leave to same-sex partners

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, sex

“It’s really hard to define a committed relationship and it’s really hard to define anything related to that,” Biggs said on Monday.

Mar 19, 2020

Meet the Robin Hood of Science, Alexandra Elbakyan

Posted by in categories: open access, science

How one researcher created a pirate bay for science more powerful than even libraries at top universities.

Mar 19, 2020

Coronavirus (COVID-19) and brain tumours

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Brian tumors and the coronavirus.


We hope this information will help address some of our community’s concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Mar 19, 2020

We’re almost eight billion, nobody can stop us!

Posted by in categories: economics, finance

The space renaissance newsletter: WE’RE ALMOST EIGHT BILLIONS: NOTHING CAN STOP US!


Why are governments useful in times of big crisis? Because they can recover the economy, printing currency, supporting stock markets after catastrophic events, such as pandemics.