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Mar 26, 2017
Scientists Have Turned Spinach Into Beating Human Heart Tissue
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in category: biotech/medical
Researchers have successfully used spinach leaves to build functioning human heart tissue, complete with veins that can transport blood.
To tackle a chronic shortage of donor organs, scientists have been working on growing various tissues and even whole organs in the lab. But culturing a bunch of cells is only part of the solution — they simply won’t thrive without a constant blood supply.
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Mar 26, 2017
Google’s Plan to Engineer the Next Silicon Valleys — By Sandra Upson | Backchannel
Posted by Odette Bohr Dienel in category: business
“Transporting the magic of Silicon Valley to other cities is a trope so old, and so beloved by government bureaucrats, that these days it hardly quickens the pulse.”
Tag: Google
Mar 26, 2017
Scientists find a low-cost way to build genomes from scratch
Posted by Bryan Gatton in categories: biotech/medical, computing, genetics
To put it mildly, sequencing and building a genome from scratch isn’t cheap. It’s sometimes affordable for human genomes, but it’s often prohibitively expensive (hundreds of thousands of dollars) whenever you’re charting new territory — say, a specific person or an unfamiliar species. A chromosome can have hundreds of millions of genetic base pairs, after all. Scientists may have a way to make it affordable across the board, however. They’ve developed a new method, 3D genome assembly, that can sequence and build genomes from the ground up for less than $10,000.
Where earlier approaches saw researchers using computers to stick small pieces of genetic code together, the new technique takes advantages of folding maps (which show how a 6.5ft long genome can cram into a cell’s nucleus) to quickly build out a sequence. As you only need short reads of DNA to make this happen, the cost is much lower. You also don’t need to know much about your sample organism going in.
As an example of what’s possible, the team completely assembled the three chromosomes for the Aedes aegypti mosquito for the first time. More complex organisms would require more work, of course, but the dramatically lower cost makes that more practical than ever. Provided the approach finds widespread use, it could be incredibly valuable for both biology and medicine.
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Mar 26, 2017
Firefighter Helmets Now Have Built In Thermal Imaging
Posted by Shane Hinshaw in category: security
A fire protection and security company recently launched a new product called the “Scott Sight,” a face mask that incorporates thermal imaging with a display screen.
Tyco’s Scott Safety is bringing a big upgrade to the field of firefighting with their newly released product, the Scott Sight. This hands-free device is the first in the industry that incorporates an in-mask thermal intelligence system, according to an April 18th press release from the fire protection and security company.
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Mar 26, 2017
The Singularity Will Come In 2029
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: life extension, singularity
Mar 26, 2017
Facebook’s secret mind-reading device ‘to be unveiled next month’ that could let people share information ‘telepathically’
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in categories: futurism, robotics/AI
Facebook is developing at least four new consumer products that could be revealed at an April event, according to a new report.
The social network last year launched a futuristic hardware division called Building 8, which is said to be similar to Google X, the experimental lab behind the search company’s self-driving cars.
One of the prototypes created by Building 8 is a “brain computer interface” that sounds a lot like a platform once hinted at by Mark Zuckerberg, which would allow users to share information telepathically.
Mar 26, 2017
China Begins Development Of Reusable Rockets For Space Exploration
Posted by Andreas Matt in categories: futurism, space travel
China has signaled that its future lies with reusable rockets to reduce cost and pollution; although they won’t be copying SpaceX’s landing techniques.
SpaceX were the early pioneers of reusable rocket technology, successfully landing first stage boosters after delivering cargo into orbit, but it looks as though China are keen to follow suit with their own rockets after recognizing benefits of reusability.
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Mar 26, 2017
Expert Asserts ‘Kids Born Today Will Never Get to Drive a Car’
Posted by Shane Hinshaw in categories: robotics/AI, transportation
For many, learning how to drive is a rite of passage that teenagers pine for. Getting behind the wheel for the first time, passing drivers ed, getting your license, and buying your first car symbolize your first steps towards independence.
But one expert believes it’s a milestone that teens of the future won’t experience.
“My own prediction is that kids born today will never get to drive a car,” says Henrik Christensen, who heads UC San Diego’s Contextual Robotics Institute. “Autonomous, driverless cars are 10, 15 years out. All the automotive companies–Daimler, GM, Ford–are saying that within five years they will have autonomous, driverless cars on the road.”
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Mar 26, 2017
Tech world debate on robots and jobs heats up
Posted by Simon Waslander in categories: biotech/medical, employment, information science, robotics/AI
Are robots coming for your job?
Although technology has long affected the labor force, recent advances in artificial intelligence and robotics are heightening concerns about automation replacing a growing number of occupations, including highly skilled or “knowledge-based” jobs.
Just a few examples: self-driving technology may eliminate the need for taxi, Uber and truck drivers, algorithms are playing a growing role in journalism, robots are informing consumers as mall greeters, and medicine is adapting robotic surgery and artificial intelligence to detect cancer and heart conditions.