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Dec 23, 2018

Your Brain Is Constantly Searching for Problems to Fix

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Why do many problems in life seem to stubbornly stick around, no matter how hard people work to fix them? It turns out that a quirk in the way human brains process information means that when something becomes rare, we sometimes see it in more places than ever.

Think of a “neighborhood watch” made up of volunteers who call the police when they see anything suspicious. Imagine a new volunteer who joins the watch to help lower crime in the area. When they first start volunteering, they raise the alarm when they see signs of serious crimes, like assault or burglary.

Let’s assume these efforts help and, over time, assaults and burglaries become rarer in the neighborhood. What would the volunteer do next? One possibility is that they would relax and stop calling the police. After all, the serious crimes they used to worry about are a thing of the past.

Continue reading “Your Brain Is Constantly Searching for Problems to Fix” »

Dec 23, 2018

100 Notable Books of 2018

Posted by in category: futurism

The year’s notable fiction, poetry and nonfiction, selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review.

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Dec 23, 2018

2019: the year of moon missions, marijuana and mega-hub airports | The Economist

Posted by in categories: law, space, transportation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkyql8ZyPL4

From groundbreaking moon missions to growth in the legal-cannabis market, 2019 will be year of new highs. Here’s what to watch out for in the year ahead.

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Continue reading “2019: the year of moon missions, marijuana and mega-hub airports | The Economist” »

Dec 22, 2018

To the Moon and Back: Apollo 8 and the Future of Lunar Exploration

Posted by in categories: space, transportation

Muscle cars. Film cameras. Bell-bottoms. 8-tracks. It’s 1968. Astronauts Borman, Lovell and Anders get a call to cancel their holiday plans. By December, the three were suddenly farther away than any human had ever been from our home planet. Start your flashback here: https://go.nasa.gov/2Ey19dY

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Dec 22, 2018

China Has Built a Giant Floating Solar Power Plant

Posted by in categories: solar power, sustainability

We can barely believe our eyes – this solar power plant floats in a man-made lake… over what was once a filthy coal mine. (via World Economic Forum)

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Dec 22, 2018

A long-awaited battery that would cut electric-vehicle costs may finally be close

Posted by in categories: materials, transportation

24M is reducing manufacturing costs by stripping out extraneous materials—and just got $22 million to begin building its first commercial factory.

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Dec 22, 2018

LEAF Festive Fireside Chat 2018

Posted by in category: futurism

Join us for the LEAF Festive Fireside chat where we are talking about this years coolest science, our favourite moments and looking to our future goals.

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Dec 22, 2018

This 195-gigapixel photo of Shanghai is so huge you can zoom in from miles away and see people’s faces

Posted by in categories: mobile phones, transportation

Smartphone cameras have gotten so good that we struggle to find a reason to invest in a point-and-shoot, but there are still major advancements being made in camera tech that are light years ahead of anything you can fit in your pocket. A new panorama shot by China’s Jingkun Technology (calling themselves “Big Pixel”) is a great example of that, and its size is so jaw-dropping you could spend days staring at it.

The photo, taken from high on the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai, shows the surrounding landscape in stunning detail. From your virtual perch many stories above the ground, you can zoom in so far that you can read the license plates on cars and spot smiling faces greeting each other on the sidewalk.

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Dec 22, 2018

25 Genes Responsible for Extending Human Lifespan Have Been Identified

Posted by in category: life extension

Long live these genes!


Dec 22, 2018

What to eat for brain health as you age

Posted by in categories: food, health, neuroscience

Want to preserve memory? Leafy greens, berries and orange juice may help.

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