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Feb 22, 2020

Tomb of Rome’s mythical founder Romulus unearthed

Posted by in category: futurism

A tomb that was buried thousands of years ago and revered by ancient Romans as the resting place of their city’s mythical founder Romulus has now been rediscovered beneath the Forum in Rome.

The underground tomb and the temple built around it are thought to date from the sixth century B.C., according to archaeologists.

Feb 22, 2020

MIT scientists create doomsday AI that will take over during end times

Posted by in categories: asteroid/comet impacts, existential risks, robotics/AI

A team of scientists at MIT have developed a computer program that will help humans decide how to best deal with the end of the world, so long as that comes in form of a catastrophic asteroid collision.

Experts say there as many as two or three new asteroids, sometimes called ‘Near Earth Objects,’ discovered every night.

Continue reading “MIT scientists create doomsday AI that will take over during end times” »

Feb 22, 2020

Why SENS makes sense

Posted by in categories: existential risks, finance, life extension

In this post, you’ll find why I think SENS Research Foundation (SRF) is great to finance from an EA perspective along with the interview questions I want to ask its Chief Science Officer, Aubrey de Grey. You are welcome to contribute with your own questions in the comments or through a private message. Here is a brief summary of each section:

Introduction: Aging research looks extremely good as a cause-area from an EA perspective. Under a total utilitarian view, it is probably second or third after existential risk mitigation. There are many reasons why it makes sense to donate to many EA cause-areas, such as to reduce risk, if there are particularly effective specific interventions, or if some cause-areas are already well funded.

SRF’s approach to aging research: SRF selects its research following the SENS general strategy, which divides aging into seven categories of damage, each having a corresponding line of research. This categorization is very similar to the one described in the landmark paper The Hallmarks of Aging. This sort of damage repair approach seems more effective and tractable than current geriatrics and biogerontology that are aimed at slowing down aging, as it enables LEV and many more QALYs. It makes rejuvenation possible instead of just slowing down aging as a best-case scenario, and it doesn’t require an in-depth knowledge of our metabolism, which is extremely complicated and full of unknown-unknowns.

Feb 22, 2020

The Robot in Aisle Five Isn’t Stalking You. No, Really

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Automatons are starting to cruise supermarkets looking for spills, counting soup cans and learning to make way for spooked humans.

Feb 22, 2020

Craig Venter Mapped The Genome. Now He’s Trying To Decode Death

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Craig Venter, the man who mapped the human genome, is back with a $25,000 physical he hopes can extend your life—and make him a billionaire.

Feb 22, 2020

Surgeons successfully treat brain aneurysms using a robot

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

Using a robot to treat brain aneurysms is feasible and could allow for improved precision when placing stents, coils and other devices, according to late breaking science presented today at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2020.

Robotic technology is used in surgery and cardiology, but not for brain vascular procedures. In this study, Canadian researchers report the results of the first robotic brain vascular procedures. They used a robotic system specifically adapted for neurovascular procedures. Software and hardware adaptations enable it to accommodate microcatheters, guidewires and the other devices used for endovascular procedures in the brain. These modifications also provide the operator additional precise fine-motor control compared to previous system models.

“This experience is the first step towards achieving our vision of remote neurovascular procedures,” said lead researcher Vitor Mendes Pereira, M.D., M.Sc., a neurosurgeon and neuroradiologist at the Toronto Western Hospital, and professor of medical imaging and surgery at the University of Toronto in Canada. “The ability to robotically perform intracranial treatment is a major step forward in neuro-endovascular intervention.”

Feb 22, 2020

Europe’s first fast food by drone service to begin in Dublin within weeks

Posted by in categories: drones, food

Europe’s first fast food delivery service by drone will start in south Dublin in a matter of weeks, according to Manna Aero founder, Bobby Healy.

Speaking today on Independent.ie’s technology podcast, The Big Tech Show, Mr Healy said that the public service will be launched in a south Dublin suburb with 30,000 people in March. He said that the three-minute service will deliver food from several chains.

“Camile Thai is a partner on the food side,” he said. “Next Tuesday, we will formally announce the name of a major online food player that everybody knows.”

Feb 22, 2020

Video Friday: Africa’s Lake Kivu Drone Challenge

Posted by in categories: drones, robotics/AI

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your Automaton bloggers. We’ll also be posting a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months; here’s what we have so far (send us your events!):

Let us know if you have suggestions for next week, and enjoy today’s videos.

Continue reading “Video Friday: Africa’s Lake Kivu Drone Challenge” »

Feb 22, 2020

Eerily-realistic child robot that can ‘feel pain’ created by scientists

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Affetto has been fitted with synthetic skin, which enables it to react to being touched. It is hoped such developments will allow robots to have a deeper interaction with humans.

Feb 22, 2020

‘Bio-ink’ could form a scaffold for growing human tissue

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, biotech/medical

3D printing and ‘bio-ink’ could help to could serve as scaffolds, or temporary structures to grow human tissues.