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Apr 2, 2018

Why the Nobel Prize might need a makeover

Posted by in category: futurism

In Losing the Nobel Prize, astrophysicist Brian Keating discusses the downsides of science’s top honor.

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Apr 2, 2018

Supernova shot ‘runaway star’ into space at high speed

Posted by in categories: cosmology, space travel

Astronomer Kathryn Neugent discusses how scientists found the supermassive star moving at 300,000 miles per hour—and what caused its speedy travel.

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Apr 2, 2018

What Artificial Intelligence Will Do to Creativity

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Humans plus machines equals heightened creativity.

By Elizabeth Kiehner

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Apr 2, 2018

DNA tests for IQ are coming, but it might not be smart to take one

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, education, neuroscience

Scientists have linked hundreds of genes to intelligence. One psychologist says it’s time to test school kids.

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Apr 2, 2018

Scientists invent cheaper and greener wastewater treatment

Posted by in category: energy

A new energy-efficient process developed at Murdoch University is set to revolutionise wastewater treatment by significantly reducing the industry’s electricity consumption.

Dr. Ralf Cord-Ruwisch and Dr. Wipa Charles, along with two Phd students have collaborated with engineers Professor Liang Cheng and Dr. Lee Walker to form BioFilmTec Pty. Ltd – a research team designing and developing a new system that requires less than half the electricity to operate.

With current wastewater technology in Australia more than 100 years old, Dr. Cord-Ruwisch believes the time is right for a more energy-efficient approach.

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Apr 2, 2018

Aiming to fill skill gaps in AI, Microsoft makes training courses available to the public

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Microsoft announces the Microsoft Professional Program in AI, the latest learning track teaching artificial intelligence skills open to the public.

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Apr 2, 2018

A Flawed Study Shows How Little We Understand Crispr’s Effects

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical

Flaws in a study about unintended gene editing snips have led to its retraction. But that’s not the end of the story.

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Apr 2, 2018

Hubble space telescope

Posted by in category: space

Icarus is a blue supergiant, a rare type of star that is larger than the Sun and far more luminous.

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Apr 2, 2018

This weird-looking plane isn’t a joke

Posted by in categories: humor, internet

Technically Incorrect offers a slightly twisted take on the tech that’s taken over our lives.

With so much fake news slithering around the web all year, is it still possible to enjoy April Fools’ Day?

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Apr 2, 2018

A Blockchain For Mars

Posted by in categories: bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, finance, space travel

Outside John Snow Pub, arguably one of the best pubs to visit on a rainy November day in Soho, London, I was having a beer with my dear friend Alex, discussing tech and cryptocurrency like we always do. The thing that struck me the most from the conversation that Alex brought up was the technical challenges of Mars to have its own blockchain due to speed of light delays between Earth and Mars. It took me on a little journey of determining what might a blockchain on Mars look like, what are the challenges brought upon by speed of light and other factors, and how to push forward the efforts of colonizing the Red Planet.

The past few years and especially 2017 have brought cryptocurrency to the mainstream. Everyone and their grandmother can be seen at one point asking around “How can one buy bitcoin?” and “Would you buy Ripple?” among other questions. Every day, someone armed with a badly-edited whitepaper (a paper outlining how the technology works) will raise millions of dollars in Initial Coin Offerings, or ICOs (the cryptocurrency version of a stock market IPO). By now, one can see that, while 99% of the coins will probably fail due to bad planning, overpromised marketing, or because of their scammy nature, there is no doubt that the future of the cryptocurrency market is bright and it has a lot of room for growth.

The race to Mars is on going. SpaceX still is leading the efforts to allow humans for colonization of the Red Planet, most recently with their two simultaneous Falcon Heavy rocket landings.

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