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Nov 30, 2018

China set to launch first-ever spacecraft to the far side of the Moon

Posted by in category: space

Chang’e-4 mission will test plant growth on the Moon, and listen for radio emissions normally blocked by Earth’s atmosphere. Instruments on board the lander will carry out the first radio astronomy observations from the Moon’s far surface.

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Nov 30, 2018

This robot cafe in Tokyo is remotely controlled by disabled staff, and it’s incredible

Posted by in categories: food, habitats, robotics/AI

Being waited on by robot is something that we all imagine might be possible in the distant future, but one cafe in Tokyo is already offering just that… with a twist. As Fast Company reports, a visit to the “Dawn ver.β” will put you face-to-face with robot waiters that take orders from customers and deliver food to their tables.

It’s all very futuristic, but the twist here is that the robots aren’t powered by AI or some advanced automation system. Instead, they’re controlled remotely by human staff with severe disabilities working right from their own homes. The cafe, which is the result of a partnership between the Nippon Foundation, Ory Lab Inc, and ANA Holdings, is already a big hit, and its creators have big plans for the future.

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Nov 30, 2018

Artificial intelligence faithfully recreates paintings with a 3D printer

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, media & arts, robotics/AI

Replicas of famous paintings are routinely created with printers that use only four inks – cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. RePaint, a new technique developed at MIT, combines artificial intelligence, 3D printing, and a rich 10-ink palette for much more faithful results in any lighting condition.

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Nov 30, 2018

Researchers Turn Lobster Shells Into Biodegradable Plastic

Posted by in categories: cyborgs, materials

Plastic is a resilient and versatile material, but it’s not that great for the environment — not plastic that’s made from petroleum, anyway. But scientists are cooking up a better alternative.

Chitin, like plastic, is resilient and versatile. Chitin is found in everything from lobster and shrimp shells, insect exoskeletons, and squid beaks. Thanks to a team of Canadian researchers it may soon be found in plastic, too.

Scientists at McGill University in Montreal have developed a process that allows them to process chitinous things into eco-friendly plastic. Associate Professor of Applied Chemistry Audrey Moores told the CBC “it remains biodegradeable, so if it goes in the environment it’s not going to pollute.”

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Nov 30, 2018

In a galaxy far away, an old star exploded and became a supernova

Posted by in category: cosmology

About 170 million years later, the light emanating from the explosion was received by an arsenal of high-powered telescopes here at Earth. While the telescopes observed, a few of those stars ended their long lives in dramatic explosions. See what we learned: https://go.nasa.gov/2rcIaOr&h=AT2ywbQrtay_XNW6uqmtoFtsirkvbj…cfHXkJ10lQ

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Nov 30, 2018

Ira Pastor — IdeaXme — Longevity Ambasador

Posted by in categories: aging, bioengineering, biotech/medical, cryonics, DNA, futurism, genetics, health, science, transhumanism

Very excited to join IdeaXme (http://radioideaxme.com/) as Longevity Ambassador, utilizing this wonderful media platform to help expand global awareness of the people engineering a future free of aging, disease, degeneration, and suffering.

Nov 30, 2018

This dark

Posted by in categories: cosmology, materials

This dark, tangled web spotted by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is a supernova remnant, created after a massive star ended its life in an explosion and threw its constituent material out into surrounding space. Discover more: https://go.nasa.gov/2G0nVgS&h=AT0m92-1V7h2Z6pdebGy-JSLFW…CsgI5QIBpg

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Nov 30, 2018

Russia Announces Plans to Establish Moon Colony by 2040

Posted by in category: space travel

The first stage foresees the launch of a module to orbit the moon, the RBC news website reported, citing Nikolai Sevastyanov, the head of Russia’s TsNIIMash federal rocket and spaceсraft development corporation.

The second phase will reportedly involve sending the country’s first manned mission to the moon and starting construction of a long-term base between 2025 and 2034. The program’s third stage envisions the completion of the base’s construction by 2040 and the establishment of an “integrated manned moon exploration system.”

Construction of the moon colony is set to begin late in 2025, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited Yevgeny Mikrin, Russia’s chief designer of manned space programs, as saying during a presentation of the draft lunar program on Wednesday.

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Nov 30, 2018

Tesla will live and die by the Gigafactory

Posted by in categories: space, sustainability, transportation

Right now, in the desert just east of Reno, Nevada, Tesla is drilling into recently laid asphalt to install more electric vehicle chargers in the parking lot of the Gigafactory. The company has hired so many new workers in recent years that it needs more space to let them charge their Nissan Leafs, Chevy Bolts, Toyota Priuses, and, of course, Teslas. But before long, those chargers will be ripped right back out, along with the asphalt, and moved to a new spot to make room for more factory space.

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Nov 30, 2018

Using Artificial Intelligence to fix healthcare

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

Surgery filmed in 360° and live-streamed to remote doctors could already be happening in a hospital near you.

The healthcare industry should be using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to a far greater degree than at present, but progress has been painfully slow. The same factors that make the healthcare system so attractive to AI developers – fragmented or non-existent data repositories, outdated computer systems and doctor shortages – are the same things that have stopped AI from providing the gains that should be created.

The healthcare sector also presents unique obstacles for AI: data must flow freely through AI systems to achieve real results, but extracting data from handwritten patient files or PDFs is cumbersome for us, and difficult for AI. Despite technical and operational challenges, new research suggests that the arrival of the tech giants into the industry may provide the data and the capital required to digitize this fairly untapped market.

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