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Nov 16, 2019

Why Mercedes’s Self-Driving Trucks Are Set to Overtake Its Robotaxis

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

Safety and cost concerns have led Mercedes-maker Daimler to predict revenues from autonomous trucks before self-driving cars become a thing.

Nov 16, 2019

From ‘Jeopardy’ to poker to reading comprehension, robots have managed to beat humans in all of these contests in the past decade

Posted by in categories: entertainment, robotics/AI

Kind of a recap of the big highlights of AI in the 2010’s.


Thanks to leaps and bounds in the field of artificial intelligence in the past decade, robots are increasingly beating humans at our own games.

Nov 16, 2019

‘Transhumanist’ eternal life? No thanks, I’d rather learn not to fear death

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension, transhumanism

While the transhumanism movement is making progress, it isn’t without its skeptics. Some don’t think it will ever work the way we want it to, because it asks science to turn back a natural process of aging that has an uncountable number of manifestations. Critics of anti-aging research envision any number of dystopian futures, in which we defeat many of the causes of death before very old age, leaving only the most ghastly and intractable — but not directly lethal — maladies.


Lest you think this concept is limited to snake-oil salesmen and science-fiction writers, the idea that aging is not inevitable is now in the mainstream of modern medical research at major institutions around the world. The journal Nature dubbed research from the University of California at Los Angeles a “hint that the body’s ‘biological age’ can be reversed.” According to reporting by Scientific American on research at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies: “Aging Is Reversible — at Least in Human Cells and Live Mice.”

Nov 16, 2019

You’ve heard of CRISPR, now meet its newer, savvier cousin CRISPR Prime

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

CRISPR, the revolutionary ability to snip out and alter genes with scissor-like precision, has exploded in popularity over the last few years and is generally seen as the standalone wizard of modern gene-editing. However, it’s not a perfect system, sometimes cutting at the wrong place, not working as intended and leaving scientists scratching their heads. Well, now there’s a new, more exacting upgrade to CRISPR called Prime, with the ability to, in theory, snip out more than 90% of all genetic diseases.

Just what is this new method and how does it work? We turned to IEEE fellow, biomedical researcher and dean of graduate education at Tuft University’s school of engineering Karen Panetta for an explanation.

Nov 16, 2019

Link between inflammation and mental sluggishness shown

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Summary: Inflammation appears to have a negative impact on attention and cognition. Source: University of BirminghamScientists at the University of Birmingham in collaboration with the Universi.

Nov 16, 2019

A Revolution in the Creation of Scientific Workplaces

Posted by in category: futurism

So-called “convergence” research brings many disciplines together to solve problems—and the right lab design can make that much quicker and easier.

Nov 15, 2019

Does Telomere Testing Really Work, Enhancing Longevity & Much More

Posted by in categories: biological, life extension

Is it accurate?

Does it really show your so-called “biological vs. chronological” age?

And once you do get your results, how can you lengthen your telomeres?

Nov 15, 2019

China Reports 2 Cases Of The Most Dangerous Type Of Plague

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Bubonic Plague’s Most Dangerous Strain Reported By Chinese Authorities : Goats and Soda Authorities have censored Chinese-language news of the hospitalization of a couple who traveled from Mongolia to Beijing for treatment, perhaps to tamp down fears.

Nov 15, 2019

Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food

Posted by in categories: food, neuroscience

Think about it. Your brain is always “on.” It takes care of your thoughts and movements, your breathing and heartbeat, your senses — it works hard 24/7, even while you’re asleep. This means your brain requires a constant supply of fuel. That “fuel” comes from the foods you eat — and what’s in that fuel makes all the difference. Put simply, what you eat directly affects the structure and function of your brain and, ultimately, your mood.

Like an expensive car, your brain functions best when it gets only premium fuel. Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — the “waste” (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.

Unfortunately, just like an expensive car, your brain can be damaged if you ingest anything other than premium fuel. If substances from “low-premium” fuel (such as what you get from processed or refined foods) get to the brain, it has little ability to get rid of them. Diets high in refined sugars, for example, are harmful to the brain. In addition to worsening your body’s regulation of insulin, they also promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.

Nov 15, 2019

How Tesla’s first Gigafactory is changing Reno, Nevada

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, sustainability, transportation

Tesla’s first Gigafactory in Reno, Nevada, has a well-documented place in the company’s history, both for how it helped Elon Musk ship his first mass-market electric car and because production problems there nearly doomed the automaker. But what’s been harder to come by is an account of the impact the factory has had on the town it was built for — until this week, that is. USA Today’s The City podcast spent an episode vividly retelling how Tesla’s first Gigafactory came to Reno with a deep dive into the way it’s changed the city.