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Jun 25, 2018

‘Space kingdom’ seeks citizens for life beyond Earth very soon

Posted by in category: space

VIENNA (Reuters) — Feel like the world is going to the dogs? Want to get away from it all? Here’s a solution: become a citizen of the nation of Asgardia and hope it makes good on its promise to colonize the moon.

Lembit Opik, Asgardia’s Head of Nation Igor Ashurbeyli and Yun Zhao attend the inauguration ceremony of Asgardia’s first Head of Nation in Vienna, Austria June 25, 2018. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner.

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Jun 25, 2018

Genetically modified bacteria enlisted in fight against disease

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

Engineered strains of E. coli and other microbes are being tested in humans to combat a slew of illnesses.

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Jun 25, 2018

Oculus launches its first app focused on watching television

Posted by in category: electronics

Oculus is launching a TV app for users to check out streaming video content on a big virtual screen on the Oculus Go headset.

The company highlighted Oculus TV at Facebook’s F8 developer conference as one of four new Oculus-built apps that would allow users to get the most out of the inexpensive headset. The app was supposed to launch by the end of May, but we’re finally getting to take a look at it.

Facebook wants a big selling point of the $199 Oculus Go to be that it’s the cheapest home theater you can buy. Oculus TV is a sizable step toward making all of the features related to conventional video viewing available easily. The app will be a free download for existing users of the headset and will come pre-installed on the device moving forward.

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Jun 25, 2018

See astronauts escape from Earth in thrilling launch video

Posted by in category: futurism

The FIFA World Cup 2018 mascot goes along for the ride, too.

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Jun 25, 2018

Instagram star isn’t what she seems. But brands are buying in

Posted by in category: futurism

Crazy.


Like many other influencers, Lil Miquela Miquela posts photos of herself wearing high-end designer clothing with cleverly crafted captions. But there’s one major thing that’s different about her.

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Jun 25, 2018

UF-oh no? We may be the only intelligent life out there, study finds

Posted by in categories: alien life, existential risks

If intelligent life is so likely to exist elsewhere in the universe, why haven’t we found it? Well, the chances of us coming across extraterrestrials are not looking good, according to a new study.

Scientists from the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University have revealed that we are probably the only advanced civilization out there, although they can’t say for sure. The team came to their conclusion after realizing that Fermi’s paradox and its supporting theories are somewhat flawed. The paradox is the conflict between the probability that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe and the lack of evidence of such.

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Jun 25, 2018

Antioxidant inhibitor might be a regulator of aging

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

TRX-1 inhibitor TXNIP might be implicated in increased oxidative stress as we age.


According to scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, or DKFZ), the enzyme TXNIP, which inhibits the enzyme TRX-1, might be a regulator of aging and might be a viable candidate for future interventions against age-related diseases [1].

Study summary

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Jun 25, 2018

Volvo is making a true ‘Autopilot’ that’ll let you eat, sleep, or watch movies – coming in 3 years

Posted by in categories: food, mobile phones, robotics/AI

Self-driving cars have gone from DARPA project to roaming our streets much faster than anyone predicted, but if you bring the topic up with a grouchy truck nuts-owning uncle, the response is probably going to be “Yeah, but when can I buy one?”

Volvo is making a more concrete (and realistic!) pledge than most of its competitors: to have a Level 4 autonomous car in showrooms, buyable and usable, by 2021. Level 4 doesn’t mean full autonomy, but what it does mean is that you can have the bulk of your commute completely automated.

Don’t Miss : Get the wireless charger that should’ve come with your phone for $13.

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Jun 25, 2018

Australian cities are lagging behind in greening up their buildings

Posted by in categories: business, energy, habitats, policy

Covering roofs and walls of buildings with vegetation is a good way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And these green roofs and walls make cities look nicer. Toronto’s central business district adopted a policy of establishing green roofs on around half of all city buildings in 2009. Research shows this could reduce maximum city temperatures by up to 5℃.

We spent the past 12 months analysing the case for more greenery on Australian city buildings, drawing on international comparisons. We’ve shown that a mandatory policy, coupled with incentives to encourage new and retrofitted and walls, will provide environmental, social and business benefits.

These include improved air quality, energy conservation and reductions in stormwater run-off from buildings, which would decrease flash flooding. Green roofs and walls also become new habitats for biodiversity and can be pleasant spaces for social interaction in dense urban areas.

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Jun 25, 2018

Low-cost plastic sensors could monitor a range of health conditions

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, solar power, sustainability

An international team of researchers have developed a low-cost sensor made from semiconducting plastic that can be used to diagnose or monitor a wide range of health conditions, such as surgical complications or neurodegenerative diseases.

The sensor can measure the amount of critical metabolites, such as lactate or glucose, that are present in sweat, tears, saliva or blood, and, when incorporated into a , could allow to be monitored quickly, cheaply and accurately. The new device has a far simpler design than existing sensors, and opens up a wide range of new possibilities for health monitoring down to the cellular level. The results are reported in the journal Science Advances.

The device was developed by a team led by the University of Cambridge and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. Semiconducting plastics such as those used in the current work are being developed for use in solar cells and flexible electronics, but have not yet seen widespread use in biological applications.

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