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Mar 23, 2020

Coronavirus may mean automation is coming sooner than we thought

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, robotics/AI

This movement towards a more automated society has some positives: it will help us stay healthy during times like the present, it will drive down the cost of goods and services, and it will grow our GDP in the long run. But by leaning into automation, will we be enabling a future that keeps us more physically, psychologically, and emotionally distant from each other?

We’re in a crisis, and desperate times call for desperate measures. We’re sheltering in place, practicing social distancing, and trying not to touch each other. And for most of us, this is really unpleasant and difficult. We can’t wait for it to be over.

For better or worse, this pandemic will likely make us pick up the pace on our path to automation, across many sectors and processes. The solutions people implement during this crisis won’t disappear when things go back to normal (and, depending who you talk to, they may never really do so).

Mar 23, 2020

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Alerts Consumers About Unauthorized Fraudulent COVID-19 Test Kits

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Mar 23, 2020

This model predicts the last day each state can act before the point of no return

Posted by in category: health

Public leaders & health officials:

The only thing that matters right now is the speed of your response.

Mar 23, 2020

Ancestor of all animals identified in Australian fossils

Posted by in category: futurism

A team led by UC Riverside geologists has discovered the first ancestor on the family tree that contains most familiar animals today, including humans.

The tiny, wormlike creature, named Ikaria wariootia, is the earliest bilaterian, or organism with a front and back, two symmetrical sides, and openings at either end connected by a gut. The paper is published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The earliest multicellular organisms, such as sponges and algal mats, had variable shapes. Collectively known as the Ediacaran Biota, this group contains the oldest fossils of complex, multicellular organisms. However, most of these are not directly related to animals around today, including lily pad-shaped creatures known as Dickinsonia that lack basic features of most animals, such as a mouth or gut.

Mar 23, 2020

China’s supersonic submarine, which could go from Shanghai to San Francisco in 100 minutes, creeps ever closer to reality

Posted by in categories: energy, military

O.,o circa 2014.


Researchers in China are reporting that they’ve taken a big step towards creating a supersonic submarine. This technology, which could just as easily be applied to weaponized torpedoes as military or civilian submarines, could theoretically get from Shanghai to San Francisco — about 6,000 miles — in just 100 minutes. If all this doesn’t sound crazy enough, get this: This new advance by the Chinese is based on supercavitation, which was originally developed by the Soviets in the ’60s, during the Cold War.

As you may already know, it’s a lot harder for an object to move quickly through water than air. This is mostly due to increased drag. Without getting into the complexities of fluid dynamics, water is simply much thicker and more viscous than air — and as a result it requires a lot more energy for an object to push through it. You can experience the increased drag of water yourself next time you’re in a swimming pool: Raise your hand above your head, and then let it fall towards the water. (Or alternatively, if there are people sunbathing nearby, do a belly flop.)

Continue reading “China’s supersonic submarine, which could go from Shanghai to San Francisco in 100 minutes, creeps ever closer to reality” »

Mar 23, 2020

Biologist discovers world’s highest-elevation mammal

Posted by in category: futurism

They had climbed for eight hours—Had it really been just eight? Nine, maybe? More?—after the avalanche risk of a snow-packed ravine on the main path had forced them onto a more circuitous, arduous route.

Up here, the summer weather of February felt uncomfortably similar to a Nebraska winter.

“Jay, hay un ratón!” (“Jay, there’s a !”)

Mar 23, 2020

2,000-year-old fountain uncovered in volcano-buried city Of Pompeii

Posted by in category: futurism

An ancient fountain has been found under volcanic debris in Pompeii which was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 A.D.

Mar 23, 2020

‘Favilavir’: First Approved Drug to Possibly Treat Coronavirus

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, government, health

As the COVID-19 cases continue to rise globally, the National Medical Products Administration of China has approved the first-ever antiviral medicine called Favilavir. This medicine is said to possibly treat the now-declared pandemic illness.

Over the weekend, Taizhou’s city government announced that Favilavir, which was initially formulated by a Chinese-owned pharmaceutical firm, is the first medicine authorized to stop the widespread of this fatal illness. At present, this drug is being promoted with the label, Avigan.

Continue reading “‘Favilavir’: First Approved Drug to Possibly Treat Coronavirus” »

Mar 23, 2020

‘Robotic Blacksmithing’: A Technology That Could Revive US Manufacturing

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

Now a new manufacturing method dubbed “robotic blacksmithing” has the potential to revolutionize the way high-quality structural parts are made, resulting in a new class of customized and optimized products. I am part of a loose coalition of engineers developing this process, a technique I believe can help revive U.S. manufacturing.

Today’s Technologies

Continue reading “‘Robotic Blacksmithing’: A Technology That Could Revive US Manufacturing” »

Mar 23, 2020

New brain reading technology could help the development of brainwave-controlled devices

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

A new method to accurately record brain activity at scale has been developed by researchers at the Crick, Stanford University and UCL. The technique could lead to new medical devices to help amputees, people with paralysis or people with neurological conditions such as motor neurone disease.

The research in mice, published in Science Advances, developed an accurate and scalable method to record brain activity across large areas, including on the surface and in deeper regions simultaneously.