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This is a low-effort post. I mostly want to get other people’s takes and express concern about the lack of detailed and publicly available plans so far. This post reflects my personal opinion and not necessarily that of other members of Apollo Research. I’d like to thank Ryan Greenblatt, Bronson Schoen, Josh Clymer, Buck Shlegeris, Dan Braun, Mikita Balesni, Jérémy Scheurer, and Cody Rushing for comments and discussion.
I think short timelines, e.g. AIs that can replace a top researcher at an AGI lab without losses in capabilities by 2027, are plausible. Some people have posted ideas on what a reasonable plan to reduce AI risk for such timelines might look like (e.g. Sam Bowman’s checklist, or Holden Karnofsky’s list in his 2022 nearcast), but I find them insufficient for the magnitude of the stakes (to be clear, I don’t think these example lists were intended to be an extensive plan).
Jan 3, 2025
Chinese scientists find common blood pressure drug could cure rare brain tumour
Posted by Paul Battista in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience
Chinese scientists have found a common hypertension drug could prove potent in treating a rare but highly invasive brain tumour.
Although craniopharyngioma is a benign tumour, it can cause complications due to its growth along the critical nerve structures of the brain close to the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland.
Given its location, the tumour can cause hormone dysfunction and metabolic disorders, like obesity, diabetes and hypothyroidism.
Jan 3, 2025
Revolutionizing Quantum Tech: Scientists Achieve Collective Motion in Macroscopic Oscillators
Posted by Paul Battista in categories: computing, mobile phones, quantum physics
Scientists at EPFL achieved a breakthrough by synchronizing six mechanical oscillators into a collective quantum state, enabling observations of unique phenomena like quantum sideband asymmetry. This advance paves the way for innovations in quantum computing and sensing.
Quantum technologies are revolutionizing our understanding of the universe, and one promising area involves macroscopic mechanical oscillators. These devices, already integral to quartz watches, mobile phones, and telecommunications lasers, could play a transformative role in the quantum realm. At the quantum scale, macroscopic oscillators have the potential to enable ultra-sensitive sensors and advanced components for quantum computing, unlocking groundbreaking innovations across multiple industries.
Achieving control over mechanical oscillators at the quantum level is a critical step toward realizing these future technologies. However, managing them collectively poses significant challenges, as it demands nearly identical units with exceptional precision.
Jan 3, 2025
“Quantum black holes” help make the universe a predictable place
Posted by Paul Battista in categories: cosmology, quantum physics
Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity has revolutionized our understanding of gravity and the universe. However, it leaves some unanswered questions, particularly about singularities and black holes.
Recent studies suggest quantum mechanics could help resolve these mysteries and offer new insights into the fundamental nature of space-time and black holes.
General relativity is a theory developed by Albert Einstein to explain how gravity works.
Jan 2, 2025
Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever
Posted by Chris Smedley in categories: education, life extension
In this documentary, wealthy entrepreneur Bryan Johnson puts his body and fortune on the line to defy aging and extend his life beyond all known limits.
Jan 2, 2025
How Altered States of Consciousness Change Time Perception
Posted by Jose Ruben Rodriguez Fuentes in category: neuroscience
Summary: Time perception varies depending on context, often slowing in emergencies or unfamiliar settings and speeding up during absorption or as we age. Time expansion experiences (Tees) occur when seconds stretch into minutes, frequently in accidents, sports, or moments of calm. These experiences, often tied to altered states of consciousness, allow people to process more information and act decisively.
While theories link Tees to noradrenaline release or evolutionary adaptation, their occurrence in peaceful states suggests a deeper connection to changes in self-perception and awareness. Understanding Tees could offer insights into human cognition and survival mechanisms.
Jan 2, 2025
Researchers take a glimpse at the structure of rare tetraquarks
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: mathematics, particle physics
A new study explores tetraquarks, predicts new exotic particles, and offers deeper insights into their complex structure and behavior.
A new study offers significant advancements in the understanding of tetraquarks — a rare and complex type of particle.
By developing a new approach that combines advanced mathematical methods with a simpler model of how particles interact, the researchers have made important discoveries about the inner structure and mass of these particles.
Jan 2, 2025
Black Hole Technologies & Quasar Cannons
Posted by Dan Breeden in categories: cosmology, media & arts
Black holes are objects of mystery and dread from which nothing can escape… but could they also be the foundations of future civilizations of unimaginable might and size.
Watch my exclusive video Topopolis: The Eternal River: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur–…
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur.
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Jan 2, 2025
Sleep microstructure organizes memory replay
Posted by Cecile G. Tamura in category: neuroscience
How sleep microstructure organizes memory replay.
T occur in isolation; older memories are also replayed during sleep, raising an intriguing challenge: how does the brain avoid interference between fragile new memories and stable old ones?” + To explore this question, researchers developed a groundbreaking method to study both hippocampal activity and sleep dynamics simultaneously in naturally sleeping mice. Using a technique called pupillometry, which measures oscillatory changes in pupil size, they uncovered a previously unknown “microstructure” within non-REM sleep that helps the brain manage memory replay.
They discovered that memory replay is organized into distinct substates of non-REM sleep:
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