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May 14, 2018

Spacecraft May Have Flown Right Through a Plume of Water on Jupiter’s Moon Europa

Posted by in category: space travel

Sometimes, scientists have the answers all along—they just don’t think to ask the question. For example, it appears that in 1997, the Galileo orbiter flew through a jet of water shooting out from Jupiter’s moon Europa without even trying.

Scientists think that Europa has an ocean below its icy surface, which could be a big deal. When we hear water, we think “life,” and maybe life found a way in Europa’s ocean. Recent Hubble space telescope images appeared to show evidence for this ocean in the form of plumes of water shooting forth from cracks in the moon’s surface ice. So, a team of researchers in the U.S. thought, maybe there’s more evidence for these plumes elsewhere, like in 20-year-old data from the Galileo orbiter.

“This wasn’t planned out,” study author Xianzhe Jia from the University of Michigan told Gizmodo. “It just so happened that the spacecraft passed through a region where we saw plumes. It was fortuitous.”

Continue reading “Spacecraft May Have Flown Right Through a Plume of Water on Jupiter’s Moon Europa” »

May 14, 2018

The Multiverse Could Be Teeming With Life But Is Also Problematic, Says New Study

Posted by in category: cosmology

According to the current dominant theory, if there are other universes out there, they’re not likely to have life. But now an international team of researchers has demonstrated that the Multiverse is more hospitable than we thought.

The Multiverse hypothesis — wherein our observable Universe is just one of many universes — is a proposed explanation for the not-large-enough amount of dark energy in the empty space in our Universe.

We don’t really know what dark energy is — it’s the name we give to the force that drives the expansion of our Universe, which, contrary to pretty much everything else we observe, accelerates over time instead of slowing down.

Continue reading “The Multiverse Could Be Teeming With Life But Is Also Problematic, Says New Study” »

May 14, 2018

Transhumanism: A Wail of Despair in the Night

Posted by in categories: life extension, transhumanism

A new critical story on #transhumanism out in the National Review:


Its promise of a kind of immortality is an ersatz version of Christian hope for a resurrection in a glorified body.

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May 14, 2018

Six 3D Printing Companies Changing the Future of Humans in Space

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, engineering, space

https://youtube.com/watch?v=e2N1i7_13QM

Engineering.com lists some of the most exciting companies that are using 3D printing to take humans into space.

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May 14, 2018

Computer scientists made a chip that processes information like neurons, but works with light

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

These types of chips push the boundaries of artificial intelligence even further.


Intelligent Machines.

Silicon Photonic Neural Network Unveiled.

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May 14, 2018

Why the Discovery of Room-Temperature Superconductors Would Unleash Amazing Technologies

Posted by in categories: energy, quantum physics, sustainability

Superconductors are among the most bizarre and exciting materials yet discovered. Counterintuitive quantum-mechanical effects mean that, below a critical temperature, they have zero electrical resistance. This property alone is more than enough to spark the imagination.

A current that could flow forever without losing any energy means transmission of power with virtually no losses in the cables. When renewable energy sources start to dominate the grid and high-voltage transmission across continents becomes important to overcome intermittency, lossless cables will result in substantial savings.

What’s more, a superconducting wire carrying a current that never, ever diminishes would act as a perfect store of electrical energy. Unlike batteries, which degrade over time, if the resistance is truly zero, you could return to the superconductor in a billion years and find that same old current flowing through it. Energy could be captured and stored indefinitely!

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May 14, 2018

Neuroscientists see a new way to manipulate minds

Posted by in categories: computing, economics, health, neuroscience

Is it possible to exercise the same kind of control over the most complex network we know of: the human brain?


Rewriting Life.

How network neuroscience is creating a new era of mind control.

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May 14, 2018

Reason – Fight Aging! blog and Repair Biotechnologies

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, economics, finance, life extension

An interview on rejuvenation science, advocacy, and more with Reason from the blog Fight Aging!.


Most people interested in rejuvenation and life extension are familiar with Fight Aging!, one of the very first rejuvenation advocacy blogs dating back all the way to the early 2000s; if you’re one of them, then you certainly are familiar with Reason, the man behind FA!.

Over the years, Reason has been a patient yet relentless advocate, acting not only as an information provider for the public but also helping out innumerable organizations and companies in the field of rejuvenation biotechnology in financial and other ways. Back in the day when SRF didn’t exist yet, Reason was a volunteer for Methuselah Foundation; eventually, he helped fund companies such as Oisìn Biotechnologies, CellAge, and LysoCLEAR; and, earlier this month, Reason and Bill Cherman co-founded Repair Biotechnologies, a company focused on gene therapy for rejuvenation, as announced on FA!.

Continue reading “Reason – Fight Aging! blog and Repair Biotechnologies” »

May 14, 2018

Elon Musk says LA-area test tunnel almost complete (Update)

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, transportation

Billionaire Elon Musk says he’s almost completed a tunnel under a Los Angeles suburb to test a novel transportation system that would scoot commuters underground on electric sleds called skates.

Musk tweeted Thursday that, pending regulatory approvals, free rides will be offered to the public in a few months. He also posted an Instagram video of the interior of the tunnel.

Last year, the Hawthorne City Council approved an approximately 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) test tunnel from Musk’s SpaceX rocket plant to a point east of Los Angeles International Airport.

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May 14, 2018

If we can’t recycle it, why not turn our waste plastic into fuel?

Posted by in categories: energy, food, sustainability

Australia’s recycling crisis needs us to look into waste management options beyond just recycling and landfilling. Some of our waste, like paper or organic matter, can be composted. Some, like glass, metal and rigid plastics, can be recycled. But we have no immediate solution for non-recyclable plastic waste except landfill.

At a meeting last month, federal and state environment ministers endorsed an ambitious target to make all Australian packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025. But the ministers also showed support for processes to turn our into energy, although they did not specifically discuss plastic waste as an energy source.

The 100% goal could easily be achieved if all packaging were made of paper or wood-based materials. But realistically, plastic will continue to dominate our packaging, especially for food, because it is moisture-proof, airtight, and hygienic.

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