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British scientists could experiment with techniques to block sunlight as part of a £50 million government funded scheme to combat global warming. The geo-engineering project is set to be given the go-ahead within weeks and could see scientists explore techniques including launching clouds of reflective particles into the atmosphere or using seawater sprays to make clouds brighter. Another method involves thinning natural cirrus clouds, which act as heat-trapping blankets. If successful, less sunlight will reach the earth’s surface and in turn temporarily cool the surface of earth. It’s thought to be a relatively cheap way to cool the…

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“Second Variety” is a science fiction novelette by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in Space Science Fiction magazine, in May 1953. Set in a world where war between the Soviet Union and United Nations has reduced most of the world to a barren wasteland, the story concerns the discovery, by the few remaining soldiers left, that self-replicating robots originally built to assassinate Soviet agents have gained sentience and are now plotting against both sides. It is one of many stories by Dick to examine the implications of nuclear war, particularly after it has destroyed much or all of the planet. The story was adapted into the movie Screamers in 1995. 00:00 Intro 01:03 Peek into the plot 03:33 Self-Replication and Technological Autonomy 06:51 Current Autonomous Warfare Capabilities 10:30 Space Warfare and the Projection of Terrestrial Conflict 13:14 Current State of Space Warfare 15:22 Wrapping Up =============== 🎬 Loitering munitions system WARMATE • Loitering munitions system WARMATE 📙 🇺🇸 Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies https://bookshop.org/a/98861/97801987… The Human Terrain Project — PENTAGON’S attempt to understand The Enemy | ENDEVR Documentary • The Human Terrain Project — PENTAGON’… 📙 🇺🇸 War in the Age of Intelligent Machines https://monoskop.org/images/c/c0/DeLa… =============== Buy the book featured in this video: 📙 🇺🇸 Buy the book Second Variety https://bookshop.org/a/98861/97988883… 🎧 Free Audiobook • Post-Apocalyptic Story “Second Variet… =============== You can find my take on things summarised in the books I wrote. 📙🇺🇸Chronicles of the Machine — Simulated conversations with Philip K. Dick https://buchshop.bod.ch/chronicles-of… 📙🇺🇸Zero Person: Reframing Autistic Cognition Beyond the Self https://buchshop.bod.ch/zero-person-e… 📙🇩🇪Zero Person: Autistische Kognition jenseits des Selbst https://buchshop.bod.ch/zero-person-e… 📙🇺🇸Book order: The end of the I https://www.bod.ch/buchshop/the-end-o… 📙🇩🇪Book order: Das Ende des Ichs https://www.bod.ch/buchshop/das-ende–… 📙🇺🇸 #actuallyautistic — Living with Autism – A Poetic Exploration of the Spectrum https://buchshop.bod.ch/actuallyautis… =============== Image credits: Freepik.

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The first genetically engineered synapses have been implanted in a mammal’s brain. Chemical brain signals have been bypassed in the brains of mice and replaced with electrical signals, changing their behaviour in incredible ways. Not only did they become more sociable, they were also less anxious and exhibited fewer OCD-like symptoms. This work has sparked hope that one day we could use this technology to help humans with mental health conditions. But would you want someone making permanent edits to your brain?

For the first time, climate scientists can now link specific fossil fuel companies to climate-related economic damages in particular places. A new method has been developed that can show the exact impact these companies are having on our environment — which the world’s top five emitters linked to trillions of dollars of economic losses. Find out how scientists have managed to piece this together — and whether these companies are about to face massive lawsuits.

As we reflect on the death of Pope Francis, we explore his legacy on scientific issues and his transformative stance on climate change. As the spiritual leader of 1.4 billion Catholics, he became an influential figure in advocating for better care to be taken of our planet. Will his legacy continue with the next Pope?

Chapters:
00:00 Intro.
00:28 First brain engineering in a mammal.
10:57 Landmark in fossil fuel lawsuits.
19:33 Climate legacy of Pope Francis.

Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Alexandra Thompson, James Dinneen, William Schafer, Chris Callahan, Justin Mankin and Miles Pattenden.
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Learn more ➤ https://www.newscientist.com/podcasts.

Subscribe ➤ https://bit.ly/NSYTSUBS

Continue reading “Scientists find way to rewire the brain” | >

03/14/56, episode 42
This episode provided by the Old Time Radio Researchers Group.
www.otrr.org.

I’ve had bad mornings, but not like this. Guy Berkhart wakes up screaming on June 15. He dreams of an explosion and something hitting his head. The same thing happens again the next day, and the next day, and the next. IEEEEEE. Only two people aren’t affected by this “deja vu all over again.” (Quoting Yogi Berra, not the writer of this story, Frederik Pohl.) A combination of Halloween III, Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, and Groundhog Day. You’re led to think one thing, then another, then another twist. (from “The Critical X Minus One” by Jim Fanisher)

Credits (Goldin): Frederick Pohl (author), Fred Collins (announcer), George Lefferts (adaptor), John Larkin (narrator), Daniel Sutter (director), Les Damon, Ginger Jones, Bob Hastings, Connie Lembcke, Stan Early, Kermit Murdock, William Welch (producer)

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An animated introduction to the Fourier Transform.
Help fund future projects: https://www.patreon.com/3blue1brown.
An equally valuable form of support is to simply share some of the videos.
Special thanks to these supporters: http://3b1b.co/fourier-thanks.
Learn more about Janestreet: https://janestreet.com/3b1b.

Follow-on video about the uncertainty principle: https://youtu.be/MBnnXbOM5S4

Interactive made by a viewer inspired by this video:
https://prajwalsouza.github.io/Experiments/Fourier-Transform-Visualization.html.

Also, take a look at this Jupyter notebook implementing this idea in a way you can play with:
https://github.com/thatSaneKid/fourier/blob/master/Fourier%2…tion.ipynb.

Thanks to these viewers for their contributions to translations.
Hebrew: Omer Tuchfeld.
Russian: xX-Masik-Xx.
Vietnamese: @ngvutuan2811

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Continue reading “But what is the Fourier Transform? A visual introduction” | >

A new study found that a gene recently recognized as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease is actually a cause of it, due to its previously unknown secondary function. Researchers at the University of California San Diego used artificial intelligence to help both unravel this mystery of Alzheimer’s disease and discover a potential treatment that obstructs the gene’s moonlighting role.

The research team published their results on April 23 in the journal Cell.

About one in nine people aged 65 and older has Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia. While some particular , when mutated, can lead to Alzheimer’s, that connection only accounts for a small percentage of all Alzheimer’s patients. The vast majority of patients do not have a mutation in a known disease-causing gene; instead, they have “spontaneous” Alzheimer’s, and the causes for that are unclear.

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In today’s interconnected world, infectious diseases pose an escalating threat, as demonstrated by the coronavirus pandemic and outbreaks of H1N1, SARS, Ebola, Zika, and H5N1 (bird flu) viruses—all of which have had significant global health and economic impacts.

But more common viral diseases also contribute to global health challenges and economic costs. For example, seasonal influenza epidemics occur annually, causing a substantial global disease burden and economic losses exceeding $11.2 billion each year in the United States alone. Meanwhile, herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), spread primarily through oral contact, infects over two-thirds of the global population and is the leading cause of infectious blindness in Western countries.

Low vaccination rates for influenza viruses and the lack of an HSV vaccine underscore the need for a new approach—one that targets reducing viral loads at the sites where transmission occurs. And for viruses like these, which are transmitted more efficiently through the mouth than the nose, this means focusing on the oral cavity.

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