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A group of scientists led by Artem Oganov of Skoltech and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, and Ivan Troyan of the Institute of Crystallography of RAS has succeeded in synthesizing thorium decahydride (ThH10), a new superconducting material with the very high critical temperature of 161 kelvins. The results of their study, supported by a Russian Science Foundation grant, were published in the journal Materials Today on November 6, 2019.

A truly remarkable property of quantum materials, superconductivity is the complete loss of electrical resistance under quite specific, and sometimes very harsh, conditions. Despite the tremendous potential for quantum computers and high-sensitivity detectors, the application of superconductors is hindered by the fact that their valuable properties typically manifest themselves at very low temperatures or extremely high pressures.

Until recently, the list of superconductors was topped by a mercury-containing cuprate, which becomes superconducting at 135 kelvins, or −138 degrees Celsius. This year, lanthanum decahydride, LaH10, set a new record of −13 C, which is very close to room temperature. Unfortunately, that superconductor requires pressures approaching 2 million atmospheres, which can hardly be maintained in real-life applications. Scientists, therefore, continue their quest for a superconductor that retains its properties at standard conditions.

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The Kidney Project, a national effort to develop an implantable bio-artificial kidney that could eliminate the need for dialysis, will announce a key milestone in a November 7, 2019 presentation at the American Society of Nephrology Kidney Week 2019 conference in Washington, DC.

The team will report that UC San Francisco scientists have successfully implanted a prototype bioreactor containing functional human into pigs without significant safety concerns. The device, which is about the size of a deck of cards, did not trigger an immune reaction or cause clots in the animals, an important milestone on the road to future human trials.

“This is the first demonstration that kidney cells can be implanted successfully in a large animal without immunosuppression and remain healthy enough to perform their function. This is a key milestone for us,” said Kidney Project co-lead Shuvo Roy, Ph.D., a faculty member in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, a joint department of the UCSF Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine. “Based on these results, we can now focus on scaling up the bioreactor and combining it with the blood filtration component of the artificial kidney.”

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While many high-school sophomores are busy partying and socializing, Jack Andraka developed a test for pancreatic cancer that is the first test that detects the disease and tumors before they get out of hand.

And with pancreatic cancer having the lowest survival rate of any cancer, he truly accomplished something amazing with his work.

Pancreatic cancer shows no symptoms in the early stages and affects more than 8,000 people each year in the Uk and 45,000 in the U.S. Due to poor testing procedures in the past, by the time the cancer is detected, 4 out of 5 people are inoperable.

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Ironically #AI has been proven to develop racial and gender bias. Gee, I wonder why?

For the second year in a row, more than a dozen AI researchers from African countries have been denied visas to a major AI conference in Canada.

Canada’s decision to refuse visas to African AI researchers seems ham-fisted, given that the country’s tech industry has been the beneficiary, in recent years, of America’s move toward isolationism. In 2017, Trudeau launched a visa program designed to attract high-tech workers—including those who found themselves unable to get into the US—by streamlining Canada’s visa-approval process. The recent decision to block access to NeurIPS for a diverse pool of talent appears to be a step in the opposite direction.

“It seems crazy,” says Joshua Gans, a professor at Toronto University’s Rotman School of Business who studies the impact of AI on innovation and economic growth. “What is the worst that happens? The scientists come here, stay here, and develop their AI here rather than in Africa?”\

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Questionable startups are claiming to be able to determine how smart a frozen IVF embryo will become if carried to term, and parents are taking the bait.

Genomic Prediction, the most prominent of these companies, offers tests to scan embryos for genetic diseases and other conditions — as well as genetic indicators that a future child will be in the bottom two percent of intelligence.

And MIT Technology Review reports that Genomic Prediction co-founder Stephen Hsu often uses media appearances to discuss future plans for a general intelligence test — something that, with current tech, is extremely unlikely to actually work.

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If Goldman Sachs’ new tool launches through Marcus, a human-digital hybrid approach would be a wise choice.

Goldman Sachs created a market-ready robo advisor and is mulling how to launch it, Financial Planning reports. The automated platform will represent Goldman’s digital entry into the smaller investor market, per Rachel Schnoll — who recently became the head of Goldman’s FinLife CX RIA platform — as cited by Financial Planning. The new robo advisor may be built in part on algorithms that Goldman acquired from financial life management firm United Capital, when it acquired the company for $750 million in May.

The new robo advisor could be introduced to the market via Goldman’s Marcus segment — here’s why it would be a good match. Goldman could extend a portion of the personal touch it brings to its Private Wealth Management clients to Marcus clients by offering them financial advice via the new robo advisor.

This could help elevate the bank’s play to target more retail banking customers, and could make up for the fact that the high interest rate Marcus boasts slipped from 2.25% to 1.9% since July. But Marcus isn’t the only potential route to market: Goldman is also considering launching its robo tech to financial advisors on the United Capital platform, per Schnoll.

Continue reading “Goldman Sachs has created a market-ready robo advisor” | >