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Feb 19, 2020

Scientists Built a Genius Device That Generates Electricity ‘Out of Thin Air’

Posted by in categories: biological, nanotechnology

They found it buried in the muddy shores of the Potomac River more than three decades ago: a strange “sediment organism” that could do things nobody had ever seen before in bacteria.

This unusual microbe, belonging to the Geobacter genus, was first noted for its ability to produce magnetite in the absence of oxygen, but with time scientists found it could make other things too, like bacterial nanowires that conduct electricity.

For years, researchers have been trying to figure out ways to usefully exploit that natural gift, and they might have just hit pay-dirt with a device they’re calling the Air-gen. According to the team, their device can create electricity out of… well, almost nothing.

Feb 19, 2020

Homo Sapiens 2.0? We need a species-wide conversation about the future of human genetic enhancement

Posted by in categories: genetics, space travel

And the revolution has already begun.

Today’s genetic moment is not the stuff of science fiction. It’s not Jules Verne’s fanciful 1865 prediction of a moon landing a century before it occurred. It’s more equivalent to President Kennedy’s 1962 announcement that America would send men to the moon within a decade. All of the science was in place when Kennedy gave his Houston speech. The realization was inevitable; only the timing was at issue. Neil Armstrong climbed down the Apollo 11 ladder seven years later.

Continue reading “Homo Sapiens 2.0? We need a species-wide conversation about the future of human genetic enhancement” »

Feb 19, 2020

Wood could be the next petroleoum

Posted by in category: energy

Not quite green energy, but a step in the right direction.

Feb 19, 2020

The breakthrough material that can turn any surface into a solar cell

Posted by in categories: quantum physics, solar power, sustainability

Researchers have developed quantum dot solar cells that can be made into thin, flexible films and used to generate electricity even in low-light conditions.

Feb 19, 2020

Pentagon to Adopt Detailed Principles for Using AI

Posted by in categories: government, military, policy, robotics/AI

I am not naive — I’ve worked as an aerospace engineer for 35 years — I realize that PR can differ from reality. However, this indication gives me some hope:

“The draft recommendations emphasized human control of AI systems. “Human beings should exercise appropriate levels of judgment and remain responsible for the development, deployment, use, and outcomes of DoD AI systems,” it reads.”

This is far from a Ban on Killer Robots, however, given how many advances are being overturned in the US federal government (example: the US will now use landmines, after over 30 years of not employing them in war), this is somewhat encouraging.

Continue reading “Pentagon to Adopt Detailed Principles for Using AI” »

Feb 19, 2020

New study finds the egg may actually ‘choose’ the sperm

Posted by in category: futurism

Here’s the first evidence to challenge the “fastest sperm” narrative.

Feb 19, 2020

Russian billionaire ‘100% confident’ he can make humans IMMORTAL by 2045

Posted by in categories: business, holograms, internet, life extension, robotics/AI

A BONKERS Russian billionaire claims he’ll make you immortal by 2045.

Internet businessman Dmitry Itskov, 38, is bankrolling a far-fetched plan to uploaded people’s personalities to artificial brains.

These “brains” can then be jammed into robots or holograms, allowing us to live on forever as artificial versions of ourselves, Dmitry claims.

Feb 19, 2020

‎Kelvin Dafiaghor‎ to Lifeboat Foundation

Posted by in categories: futurism, lifeboat

My mission is to prepare kids in Africa with future skills. I am open to ideas.

Feb 19, 2020

Cosmology: Uncovering the Story of the Universe

Posted by in categories: cosmology, physics

Cosmology draws on many branches of physics to study the universe’s history. And what it’s found has forever changed how we understand our position in the cosmos.

Feb 19, 2020

Long-term offenders have different brain structure, study says

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Study found differences compared with those who did not offend or who only transgressed as adolescents.