Scientists can now bottle solar energy, turn it into liquid fuel

This is the first time I ever heard of such a technology:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/liquid-solar-fuel-storage

Too bad it's only really useful for heating houses or water, but it's still useful.

Why the Future of Solar Power Is from Space

The only major obstacle is price:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/12/31/why-the-future-of-solar-power-is-from-space/

New Equations Go Beyond Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity

https://scitechdaily.com/new-equations-go-beyond-einsteins-theory-of-general-relativity/

Alien Hunters, Stop Using the Drake Equation

I grew up believing the Drake Equation indicated the galaxy was surely filled with thousands of civilizations. Not so fast....

https://www.space.com/42739-stop-using-the-drake-equation.html

Quantum Communication Just Took a Great Leap Forward

"Large-scale quantum communication may now be possible sooner than we thought":

https://singularityhub.com/2018/12/26/quantum-communication-just-took-a-great-leap-forward/

Congress Passes $1.2 Billion Quantum Computing Bill

Very cool. Here's hoping that Trump doesn't fuck it up by not signing it into law:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/quantum-computing-bill-congress

New steps toward brain-like computing

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2018/12/17/new-steps-toward-brain-like-computing

MIT invents method to shrink objects to nanoscale using basic lab equipment

Using a laser to shrink simple objects to 1/1000 of its original size:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/17/us/mit-nanosize-technology-trnd/index.html

Researchers Use Gelatin to Make Powerful New Hydrogen Fuel Catalyst

https://scitechdaily.com/researchers-use-gelatin-to-make-powerful-new-hydrogen-fuel-catalyst/

Smart dust

This is the stuff that makes the privacy-free society envisioned in The Transparent Society (David Brin) possible, even likely:

https://qz.com/emails/quartz-obsession/1494837/

Tasting the World’s First Test-Tube Steak

We are graduating from lab-grown beef burgers and chicken nuggets to actual steaks, with accurate steak texture:

https://youtu.be/bjSe-0vSRMY

Revolutionary graphene lithium battery launched

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2018/12/10/revolutionary-graphene-lithium-battery-launched

Forbes | the World in 2033

Some perspectives on different aspects of culture in the future:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/forbes-the-world-in-2033

But I'm highly skeptical of the geologist weighing in on climate change.

A New Battery Could Store Ten Times the Power as Lithium-Ion

Exciting...but still probably a decade away, assuming it pans out:

https://futurism.com/new-battery-ten-times-power

“Sun in a box” would store renewable energy for the grid

Another potential game-changer in large-scale energy storage:

https://news.mit.edu/2018/liquid-silicon-store-renewable-energy-1206

Bizarre ‘dark fluid’ with negative mass could dominate the universe – what my research suggests

A solution to the dark energy and dark matter issue?

https://theconversation.com/bizarre-dark-fluid-with-negative-mass-could-dominate-the-universe-what-my-research-suggests-107922

Listen To An AI’s Nightmarish Beatboxing

Okay, so now we know the soundtrack to the A.I. takeover of the world:

https://futurism.com/ai-baby-spawn-holly-herndon-jlin-godmother

The Military Is Investing Millions in Exoskeleton “Super-Soldiers”

Another exoskeleton, but this one seems more focused on the most important task:

https://futurism.com/exoskeleton-super-soldiers-military

Researchers Just Overcame a Key Barrier to Fusion Power

Inching closer:

https://futurism.com/researchers-overcame-key-barrier-fusion-power

New AI Dreams Up Trippy Video Games Based on Real Life Video

A promise of things to come:

https://futurism.com/ai-dreams-trippy-video-games-based-real-life

Toyota taps Docomo 5G to remotely control its humanoid robot

"As for what such a robot might actual be good for (beyond knocking the snot out of pint-sized kaiju), Toyota sees potential in homes and healthcare, with an eye on “a prosperous society of mobility.”"

Oh, I can see many more uses than that! How about sending them into dangerous situations where human dexterity and agility are necessary? Like shutting down a radioactive power plant, fighting fires, dealing with active shooters, going into battle (like Predator and Reaper drones, only for foot soldiers), etc.:

https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/30/toyota-taps-docomo-5g-to-remotely-control-its-humanoid-robot/

This self-driving hotel room could revolutionize travel

Who wouldn't prefer to ride in what amounts to an RV when vehicles are self-driving?

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/autonomous-travel-suites/index.html

Humans Teamed up With a New Kind of AI to Crush a Notoriously Difficult Video Game

"So rest easy, streamers and speed runners — you’re safe from automation for now. It would seem, if this research is an indication of things to come, that the high scores (and solving of other complex problems) will probably be set by human-AI collaborations, not just machines working alone."

The key words there are "for now."

https://futurism.com/humanity-teamed-up-with-a-new-kind-of-ai-to-crush-a-notoriously-difficult-video-game

MIT Scientists Created A Plane That Flies With No Moving Parts

An electric airplane. It may not scale beyond drone size, but it's still impressive:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mit-scientists-creates-plane-that-flies-with-no-moving-parts_us_5bfc1a5be4b0771fb6bc4cfd

End of Space – Creating a Prison for Humanity

As in the movie Gravity...only this looks to be much worse by creating a permanent sphere of ultra-high-speed projectiles around the Earth:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS1ibDImAYU

It's now cheaper to build a new wind farm than to keep a coal plant running

Yes! Another tipping point:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/its-now-cheaper-to-build-a-new-wind-farm-than-to-keep-a-coal-plant-running/

Forget VR treadmills—Google patents motorized, omnidirectional VR sneakers

This might work...but probably not on carpet:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/11/forget-vr-treadmills-google-patents-motorized-omnidirectional-vr-sneakers/

The SpiNNaker Supercomputer, Modeled After the Human Brain, Is Up and Running

It only models 1% of the neurons in the human brain, but I think that's only about a decade or so of computer improvements:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/11/19/the-million-core-spinnaker-supercomputer-is-up-and-running/

“Little ogres”: A scientific discovery has unearthed a new kingdom of life

Just because it's momentous and cool:

https://qz.com/1467662/a-scientific-discovery-has-unearthed-a-whole-new-kind-of-creature/

How Quantum Computing is Enabling Breakthroughs in Chemistry

Quantum computing is finally becoming ready for prime time:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/11/15/how-quantum-computing-is-enabling-breakthroughs-in-chemistry/

The Spatial Web Will Map Our 3D World—And Change Everything In the Process

A good look at the next advance for the Internet:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/11/16/the-spatial-web-will-map-our-3d-world-and-change-everything-about-it-in-the-process/

MODEL 3 Water Heater by Heatworks

Not an exciting topic, but if you're looking to ultimately save water and energy with your next water heater:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcsoYWC4xKQ

Designer Babies, and Their Babies: How AI and Genomics Will Impact Reproduction

https://singularityhub.com/2018/11/14/designer-babies-and-their-babies-where-ai-and-genomics-could-take-us/

New Battery Design Extends the Life of Low-Cost, Lightweight Batteries

https://scitechdaily.com/new-battery-design-extends-the-life-of-low-cost-lightweight-batteries/

Yep, It’s Real: Your Next Rideshare Could Be Driverless in as Soon as a Month

https://futurism.com/report-waymo-unveil-first-driverless-rideshare

How Do We Teach Autonomous Cars To Drive Off the Beaten Path?

These situations will have to be covered before the steering wheel and pedals can go:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/11/09/how-do-we-teach-autonomous-cars-to-drive-off-the-beaten-path/

The Fascinating, Creepy New Research in Human Hibernation for Space Travel

This would be extremely helpful for long space flights and hibernating until needed technologies come along:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/11/08/the-fascinating-creepy-new-research-in-human-hibernation-for-space-travel/

New Supercomputer with 1 Million Processors Is World's Fastest Brain-Mimicking Machine

https://www.livescience.com/64005-worlds-largest-supercomputer-human-brain.html

Harvard scientists suggest 'Oumuamua is an alien device

Just because it's fun to contemplate:

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/oumuamua-spacecraft-alien-device

An Integrated System for Perception-Driven Autonomy with Modular Robots

Very cool self-configuring robot:

https://youtu.be/eJsnG9DZjgM

DARPA, Army Test Optionally Manned Helicopter

About time:

https://breakingdefense.com/2018/10/darpa-army-test-optionally-manned-helicopter-its-not-ai/

Electric Vehicles Will Destabilize the Automotive Industry

An interesting problem coming up:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/electric-vehicles-destabilize-automotive-industry-maryann-keller/

You Can Now Preorder a $150,000 Hoverbike

NOW we're getting somewhere!

https://futurism.com/the-byte/hoverbike-hoversurf-preorder

Still way too expensive, though. And battery technology needs to drastically improve.

Could Misbehaving Neutrinos Explain Why the Universe Exists?

If antimatter didn't form, the universe would contain three BILLION times as much matter as it currently does:

https://www.livescience.com/63907-misbehaving-neutrinos-why-universe-exists.html

Finally, the drug that keeps you young

Improved health as we age may be more likely than longer life...at least until we get robot bodies:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612284/finally-the-drug-that-keeps-you-young/

Should a self-driving car kill the baby or the grandma? Depends on where you’re from

It's not easy to program moral choices into self-driving cars when moral values vary by culture:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612341/a-global-ethics-study-aims-to-help-ai-solve-the-self-driving-trolley-problem/

A Stem Cell Transplant Let a Wheelchair-Bound Man Dance Again

An example of a major stem cell transplant success:

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/after-stem-cell-transplant-man-with-ms-able-to-walk-and-dance-for-first-time-in-10-years/

NASA Wants to Send Humans to Venus. Here’s Why That’s a Brilliant Idea

Apparently living on an airship floating high above the surface would be tenable:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/10/26/nasa-wants-to-send-humans-to-venus-heres-why-thats-a-brilliant-idea/

This machine can make gallons of fresh drinking water right out of thin air

This type of device will become critical over the next few decades, I think:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/25/world/fresh-water-green-machine-trnd/index.html

De-Extinction Is Now a Thing—Starting With Passenger Pigeons

At least extinction isn't necessarily forever:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/10/23/de-extinction-is-now-a-thing-starting-with-passenger-pigeons/

From Quantum Computing to a Quantum Internet—a Roadmap

https://singularityhub.com/2018/10/22/from-quantum-computing-to-a-quantum-internet-a-roadmap/

Giant fans that suck CO2 out of the air are operational in Italy

Not very effective yet...but it's the right track:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/climeworks-italy-co2

Autonomous Tidying-up Robot System

We're getting closer to a functional "maid" robot:

https://youtu.be/geub-Nuu-Vw

A Chinese City Plans To Replace Its Streetlights With An Artificial Moon

Oh boy:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/artificial-moon-china

But that is a huge energy savings.

Magic Leap's new AI assistant looks alarmingly human

Very realistic indeed. (Watch the video):

https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/12/tech/magic-leap-ai-assistant/index.html

You Have No Idea What Artificial Intelligence Really Does

A pessimistic view of the state of artificial intelligence:

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence-hype

Boston Dynamics' Robodog dancing

And now robots are going to take the jobs from professional dancers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=kHBcVlqpvZ8

These 3D Printed Homes Can Be Made In 24 Hours

This isn't about just homes, but a wide variety of products from vehicles to body organs:

http://digg.com/video/3d-printed-homes-made-in-a-day

This weird robot has 32 legs and is shaped like a lumpy sphere

This looks a lot like a "utility foglet," but doesn't serve the same purpose:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/mochibot-robot-32-legs

The Boston Dynamics robot Atlas is now a parkour master

Atlas is getting scary. Imagine him coming after you like this:

https://youtu.be/LikxFZZO2sk

Innovative Solution to Solving a Longstanding Fusion Challenge

Fusion power is (still) only 20 years away! Or maybe not:

https://scitechdaily.com/innovative-solution-to-solving-a-longstanding-fusion-challenge/

US scientists have laid out a plan to search for life in the universe

https://qz.com/1418576/us-scientists-lay-out-plan-to-search-for-life-in-universe/

Geoengineering Is Inevitable

When things get desperate enough:

https://earther.gizmodo.com/geoengineering-is-inevitable-1829623031

The Case for Making Cities Out of Wood

Wood as strong as steel, but six times lighter:

http://nautil.us/blog/-the-case-for-making-cities-out-of-wood

New 700-mph hyperloop pod can go from L.A. to San Francisco in 30 minutes

I'm highly dubious this will work as advertised, but I hope it does:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/hyperloop-transportation-technologies-quintero-one

How BrainNet Enabled 3 People to Directly Transmit Thoughts

Rudimentary telepathy...but it's a start:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/10/09/how-brainnet-enabled-3-people-to-directly-transmit-thoughts/

The 7 Wild Energy Technologies That Just Got a Billion-Dollar Boost

This is what all billionaires should be doing:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/10/08/the-7-wild-energy-technologies-that-just-got-a-billion-dollar-boost/

Wind Farms Might Heat up the Planet, After All

Damn it!

https://futurism.com/wind-farms-heat-planet-climate

New Materials Are Powering the Battery Revolution

https://singularityhub.com/2018/10/05/new-materials-are-powering-the-battery-revolution/

This Humanoid Robot Can (Slowly) Install Drywall All by Itself

Something mundanely practical:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/construction-robot-drywall

Scientists Used CRISPR to Domesticate This Delicate Fruit

We could see all kinds of new fruits and vegetables coming out soon:

https://futurism.com/crispr-groundcherries

DeepMind's AI will learn inside Unity's video game worlds

This is massively more efficient than real-world testing...assuming the virtual worlds are sufficiently accurate analogs:

https://www.fastcompany.com/90240010/deepminds-ai-will-learn-inside-unitys-video-game-worlds

How Zinc Batteries Could Change Energy Storage

"NantEnergy said that at $100 per kilowatt-hour, the cost of zinc air batteries compared favorably with that of lithium-ion batteries, which can be $250 per kilowatt-hour but are more typically $300 to $400"

However,

"At the present rate of production of zinc, zinc reserves will last about 25 years. So it is not clear from the reserves available if we will have enough zinc to support the enormous need that will result from the demand for grid-scale batteries."

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/business/energy-environment/zinc-battery-explain.html

When Will We Have Artificial Intelligence As Smart as a Human? Here’s What Experts Think

https://futurism.com/human-level-artificial-intelligence-agi

New Lithium-Based Battery Design Makes Use of Greenhouse Gas

Yet another battery option:

https://scitechdaily.com/new-lithium-based-battery-design-makes-use-of-greenhouse-gas/

Polestar unveils first production EV with aim to overtake Tesla

Ambitious:

https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/21/polestar-unveils-first-production-ev-with-aim-to-overtake-tesla/

The World’s First Practical Quantum Computer May Be Just Five Years Away

https://futurism.com/quantum-computer-first-practical/

“Synthetic Skin” Could Give Prosthesis Users a Superhuman Sense of Touch

Not just touch...superhuman touch. Nice:

https://futurism.com/synthetic-skin-prosthesis-superhuman/

Thinking Like a Human: What It Means to Give AI a Theory of Mind

https://singularityhub.com/2018/09/19/thinking-like-a-human-what-it-means-to-give-ai-a-theory-of-mind/

This Creepy Toddler-Sized Robot Will Haunt Your Dreams

Telerobotics still has a way to go:

https://futurism.com/creepy-toddler-sized-robot/

Imagine how future soldiers would benefit from this concept.

Quantum computing is on the way

Deterministic teleportation of a quantum gate achieved:

https://bigthink.com/quantum-computing-teleportation-logic-gate

Germany Just Rolled Out the World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Trains

A very practical application for hydrogen power:

https://futurism.com/hydrogen-powered-trains/

How Electronic Tattoos Will Change The World — And Ourselves

Cool uses for 3D printing in the near future (and it's about a lot more than mere tattoos):

https://futurism.com/glimpse-electronic-tattoos/

Scientists Are Developing New Ways to Treat Disease With Cells, Not Drugs

Specifically stem cells:

http://time.com/5394912/stem-cell-treatment/

Why Rigetti’s New Quantum Hybrid Cloud Service Is a Big Deal

https://singularityhub.com/2018/09/13/why-rigettis-new-quantum-hybrid-cloud-service-is-a-pretty-big-deal/

MIT CSAIL uses AI to teach robots to manipulate objects they’ve never seen before

Another important step in the development of a general-purpose home robot:

https://venturebeat.com/2018/09/09/mit-csail-uses-ai-to-teach-robots-how-to-manipulate-objects-theyve-never-seen-before/

The Pentagon plans to spend $2 billion to put more artificial intelligence into its weaponry

It's a good start, DARPA...although I'd rather this not be so military:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/8/17833160/pentagon-darpa-artificial-intelligence-ai-investment

This Battery Is Made of Paper and Powered by Bacteria

Clean and biodegradable:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/09/06/this-battery-is-made-of-paper-and-powered-by-bacteria/

Japan Takes Tiny First Step Toward Space Elevator

Baby steps...but it's happening:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-take-tiny-first-step-toward-space-elevator-180970212/

In Europe, Scientists Need to Share Their Research for Free if They Want Government Funding

This should be a boon to science (although what about weapons and other necessarily secret research?):

https://futurism.com/open-access-science-europe/

Tech Can Sustainably Feed Developing World Cities of the Future. Here’s How

A good summary of all the likely measures:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/09/05/tech-can-sustainably-feed-developing-world-cities-of-the-future-heres-how/

Jobs changing with AI but no mass unemployment expected

I would never bet on this long-term:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/jobs-changing-with-ai-but-no-mass-unemployment-expected-un-labour-experts/articleshow/65682669.cms

Researchers use nanotechnology to develop new super-dense drive

"Using nanotechnology and computer engineering, physicists at the University of Alberta have developed a solid-state drive with 1,000 times more storage capacity than before."

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2018/9/3/researchers-use-nanotechnology-to-develop-new-super-dense-drive

This Autonomous Drone Is Ready to Defend the Great Barrier Reef From Predators

I could see the world being filled with such monitoring robots (of all sorts) within a couple decades:

https://futurism.com/rangerbot-autonomous-drone-reef/

The New AI Tech Turning Heads in Video Manipulation

Creating fake but realistic videos (using alternative audio or video, or even still images) keeps getting better and better:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/09/03/the-new-ai-tech-turning-heads-in-video-manipulation-2/

Anybody have a video of Trump they can have fun with? ;-)

New Artificial Intelligence Does Something Extraordinary — It Remembers

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence-remember-agi/

Would You Eat ‘Meat’ from a Lab? Consumers Aren’t Necessarily Sold on ‘Cultured Meat’

It's not encouraging now, but I'll bet that changes. It always seems to:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/08/31/would-you-eat-meat-from-a-lab-consumers-arent-necessarily-sold-on-cultured-meat/

How China Is Quickly Becoming an AI Superpower

Ugh. Looks like the US lead in AI is about to go bye-bye bigly:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/08/29/china-ai-superpower/

California Lawmakers Pass Historic Bill Mandating Only Carbon-Free Power By 2045

This is one reason I love living in CA:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-100-percent-clean-energy_us_5b219200e4b09d7a3d79fbba

China added as much battery-storage capacity in 2018 as all previous years combined

Come on, 'Merka!

https://qz.com/1371099/china-added-as-much-battery-storage-capacity-in-2018-as-all-previous-years-combined/

If We Ever Want Artificial General Intelligence, Governments Need To Invest In It

Some projects just need the resources and broader spectrum a government can provide (although I'm not sure I buy the argument that private industry won't want to create AI or that it's that far away):

https://futurism.com/artificial-general-intelligence-governments-invest/

It’s the year 2038–here’s how we’ll eat 20 years in the future

https://www.fastcompany.com/90222618/what-the-future-of-food-will-look-like-in-2038

Sony's New Aibo Robot Dog Is Nearly $3,000, But It Can Tell How You're Feeling

Robot pets are getting better and better:

http://time.com/5376649/sony-aibo-robot-dog-america/

Will Machine Learning AI Make Human Translators An Endangered Species?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/08/24/will-machine-learning-ai-make-human-translators-an-endangered-species/#2606c3902315

The Future of Cars Is Electric, Autonomous, and Shared—Here’s How We’ll Get There

https://singularityhub.com/2018/08/23/the-future-of-cars-is-electric-autonomous-and-shared-heres-how-well-get-there/

Why the Future Is Arriving Faster Than You Think

Predictions from Peter Diamandis:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/08/22/why-the-future-is-arriving-faster-than-you-think/

Landmark FDA Approval Brings Powerful Gene Silencing Method to Market

"Earlier this month, the FDA approved an entirely new family of drugs, one so powerful that it could put CRISPR-based gene therapy to shame."

https://singularityhub.com/2018/08/21/landmark-fda-approval-brings-powerful-gene-silencing-method-to-market

Algorithms Outpace Moore’s Law for AI

"Professor Martin Groetschel observed that a linear programming problem that would take 82 years to solve in 1988 could be solved in one minute in 2003. Hardware accounted for 1,000 times speedup, while algorithmic advance accounted for 43,000 times. Similarly, MIT professor Dimitris Bertsimas showed that the algorithm speedup between 1991 and 2013 for mixed integer solvers was 580,000 times, while the hardware speedup of peak supercomputers increased only a meager 320,000 times."

https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1333617

Could this mean AI may arrive a lot sooner than anticipated?

Machine learning: Japan to boost English teaching in schools with AI robots

$227,000 for a robot to teach English? Um...isn't there a free app for that (#Duolingo)?

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/2160678/circuits-love-japan-boost-english-schools-ai-robots

Yuval Noah Harari on what the year 2050 has in store for humankind

How we should change education to fit a rapidly-changing society:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/yuval-noah-harari-extract-21-lessons-for-the-21st-century

Stacking concrete blocks is a surprisingly efficient way to store energy

This seems so clunky, yet it's almost as efficient as lithium-ion batteries:

https://qz.com/1355672/stacking-concrete-blocks-is-a-surprisingly-efficient-way-to-store-energy/

You Can Now Buy The World’s First Graphene Jacket, And It’s Everything You Want It To Be

At $695 it's too expensive right now...but that'll change:

https://futurism.com/graphene-jacket-vollebak/

What if A.I. is coming for jobs faster than we thought?

This is more like I was thinking it would be:

https://bigthink.com/alex-salkever/what-if-ai-is-coming-for-jobs-faster-than-we-thought

The next major innovation in batteries might be here

This innovation to DOUBLE battery energy storage is a little more promising than most:

https://qz.com/1349245/the-next-major-innovation-in-batteries-might-be-here/

DARPA will fund 18 month experiments of potential AI breakthroughs

Yay DARPA:

https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2018-07-20a

Why China will win the global race for complete AI dominance

They're serious about A.I. because it's the one technology they can do as well as anyone:

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/why-china-will-win-the-global-battle-for-ai-dominance

Graphene and Beyond: The Astonishing Properties and Promise of 2D Materials

https://singularityhub.com/2018/08/05/beyond-graphene-the-promise-of-2d-materials/

Your Life in 2027: A Look at the Future | Vivek Wadhwa

This is a great summary of what technology we can expect to see over the next decade or so:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0wy0YYzU0s

In the Future, We’ll Know Everything—Thanks to This Tech

Sensors will be ubiquitous:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/08/02/in-the-future-well-know-everything-thanks-to-this-tech/

Five of the scariest predictions about artificial intelligence

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/01/five-of-the-scariest-predictions-for-ai.html

An AI-driven robot hand spent a hundred years teaching itself to rotate a cube

A more efficient approach than brute programming:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611724/artificial-intelligence-driven-robot-hand-spends-a-hundred-years-teaching-itself-to-rotate/

This Mind-Controlled Robotic Limb Lets You Multitask With Three Arms

Apparently our brains are capable of controlling three arms. How cool is that?

https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/31/this-prosthesis-lets-you-multitask-with-three-arms/

Next-Gen Nuclear Is Coming—If Society Wants It

Yeah, don't forget nuclear power:

https://www.wired.com/story/next-gen-nuclear/

Can a Robot Be a Very Good Doggo? Boston Dynamics Hopes So

https://www.inverse.com/article/47137-boston-dynamics-plans-for-robot-dogs-in-2019

4 Billion New Minds Online: The Coming Era of Connectivity

100% high-bandwidth global connectivity by 2025?

https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/27/4-billion-new-minds-online-the-coming-era-of-connectivity/

DNA Computing Gets a Boost With This Machine Learning Hack

https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/24/dna-computing-gets-a-boost-with-this-machine-learning-hack/

Making Sense of Solar Energy Innovations

A summary of the solar technologies in the works:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/making-sense-solar-energy-innovations-georges-sassine/

Virtual Reality Has Reached A “Tipping Point.” It’s Officially Here to Stay.

https://futurism.com/virtual-reality-tipping-point/

And a VR game custom designed to scare the shit out of you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGB_ehJy4K0&feature=youtu.be

DARPA To Fund New AI Concepts With Millions

Nice to see funding to speed A.I. research:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/samshead/2018/07/23/darpa-to-fund-new-ai-concepts-with-millions/#2928d44b251f

New Study Sounds a Note of Caution in the Development of CRISPR Gene Therapies

Crispy cancer:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/23/new-study-sounds-a-note-of-caution-in-the-development-of-crispr-gene-therapies/

We live in a time when robots paint better than us

It was going to happen sooner or later:

https://www.cnn.com/ampstories/us/we-live-in-a-time-when-robots-paint-better-than-us

From Here to Human-Level Artificial General Intelligence in Four (Not All That) Simple Steps

"I do believe they are achievable within our lifetime, maybe even in the next 5-10 years."

https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/22/from-here-to-human-level-artificial-general-intelligence-in-four-not-all-that-simple-steps/

Evolutionary algorithm outperforms deep-learning machines at video games

Who needs programming when evolution can do the job for you?

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611568/evolutionary-algorithm-outperforms-deep-learning-machines-at-video-games/

Why the chess community actually grew when computers learned to play

"Humans have a deep appreciation for other humans doing remarkable things. Because of this, there will always be a demand for outstanding chess players, artists, and anyone pushing the boundaries of what is humanly possible. Even if computers can win every chess game, or create incredible art in every form, the fact that a machine did it is actually diminishing. We like the constraint of being human, and seeing what’s possible from within those boundaries. When we see a performance, we don’t just see it for what it is. We see the entire history, the years of training that led up to them being able to perform with such excellence."

https://work.qz.com/1329974/jobs-and-ai-if-you-are-worried-about-human-obsolescence-consider-chess/

Vivek Wadhwa: Get Ready for The Next Wave of Tech Disruptions

Disruptions galore:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czNzulNl31s&feature=youtu.be

This Drug Combo Extends Lifespan and Healthspan in Mice by Killing ‘Zombie’ Cells

This is a pretty stunning potential game-changer:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/17/this-drug-combo-extends-lifespan-and-healthspan-in-mice-by-killing-zombie-cells/

Why Most of Us Fail to Grasp Coming Exponential Gains in AI

This article explains the problems with exponential growth charts (I myself have been guilty of misunderstanding the "dog leg" of exponential increase):

https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/15/why-most-of-us-fail-to-grasp-coming-exponential-gains-in-ai/

Four Challenges for LiDAR on the Road to Autonomous Vehicles

The adoption of self-driving cars has some snags we don't think about:

https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/four-challenges-lidar-on-road-autonomous-vehicles/213073188758977

New DNA Synthesis Method Could Soon Build a Genome in a Day

https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/10/new-dna-synthesis-method-could-soon-build-a-genome-in-a-day/

How do the Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3 compare?

https://pluginamerica.org/how-do-chevy-bolt-and-tesla-model-3-compare/

Inside a $1 Billion Real Estate Company Operating Entirely in VR

A taste of what working remotely is like in VR:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/08/inside-a-1-billion-real-estate-company-operating-entirely-in-vr/

An Overview of National AI Strategies

This worldwide push toward A.I. is why calls to keep the genie bottled up won't work:

https://medium.com/politics-ai/an-overview-of-national-ai-strategies-2a70ec6edfd

An AI learnt to drive an autonomous car in 20 minutes

It's breakthroughs like this that make me doubt autonomous car pessimists:

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/an-ai-learnt-to-drive-an-autonomous-car-in-20-minutes/

This Map Shows the Fastest-Growing Job in Every State — and What Each One Pays

Solar and wind power jobs lead the way:

http://time.com/money/5325812/fastest-growing-job-map/

Three Huge Ways Tech Is Overhauling Healthcare

VERY nice:

"We are on the brink of a revolution in healthcare. AI is making the drug discovery process >100X faster and cheaper, and 90 percent more likely to succeed in clinical trials. Mobile health is predicted to become a $102 billion market by 2022, putting a virtual doctor, on-demand, in your back pocket. And the cost of sequencing your genome (3.2 billion base pairs) has decreased 100,000-fold over 13 years, a staggering speed that is 3 times faster than the rate of Moore’s Law."

https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/06/three-huge-ways-tech-is-overhauling-healthcare

Discovering new drugs and materials by ‘touching’ molecules in virtual reality

Very science fictiony way to design new materials:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/discovering-new-drugs-and-materials-by-touching-molecules-in-virtual-reality

The Infinadeck Omnidirectional Treadmill - Smarter Every Day 192 (VR Series)

You can see the future of VR gaming here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvu5FxKuqdQ

MIT’s Cheetah 3 blind robot can climb a staircase littered with debris, leap, and gallop across rough terrain

https://youtu.be/QZ1DaQgg3lE

We may have answered the Fermi Paradox: We are alone in the universe

This would suck...and make preserving out planet even more imperative:

https://qz.com/1314111/we-may-have-answered-the-fermi-paradox-we-are-alone-in-the-universe/

China's New Laser Gun Can Zap You with a Silent, Carbonizing Beam

I suspect this is bullshit, but here's the claim:

https://www.livescience.com/62973-china-laser-guns.html

Skeptics weigh in:

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2153791/laser-ak-47-chinese-developer-answers-sceptics-videos

Update: Yeah, certainly bullshit:

https://bigthink.com/news/we-call-bullshit-on-that-chinese-army-laser-gun-thats-making-the-rounds

Self-Driving Cars are Headed Toward an AI Roadblock

I really hope this isn't the case:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/3/17530232/self-driving-ai-winter-full-autonomy-waymo-tesla-uber

The New Energy Storage Tech Gates, Bezos, Ma, and Branson Are Investing In

Another potential avenue for solving the battery problem:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/07/02/the-new-energy-storage-tech-gates-bezos-ma-and-branson-are-investing-in/

One of these has to pay off sooner or later.

Disney Imagineering has created autonomous robot stunt doubles

Just because it's cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENa98h7M7qY

New material eliminates need for motors or actuators in future robots, other devices

"It can exert a force of up to 3000 times its own weight — producing stress and speed comparable to mammalian skeletal muscles, according to the researchers."

http://www.kurzweilai.net/new-material-eliminates-need-for-motors-or-actuators-in-future-robots-other-devices

A New Cloaking Approach Could Potentially Make Objects Invisible From Every Direction

No products yet, though:

https://futurism.com/cloaking-device-invisibility/

Organic Compounds Bubble Up from the Depths of Enceladus

And more encouragement for extraterrestrial life closer to home:

https://scitechdaily.com/organic-compounds-bubble-up-from-depths-of-enceladus/

Astronomers Discover More Clues That Earth-Like Exoplanets Are Indeed Earth-Like

This is encouraging for the prospects of extraterrestrial life:

https://scitechdaily.com/astronomers-discover-more-clues-that-earth-like-exoplanets-are-indeed-earth-like/

Nuclear Fusion Power Could Be Here by 2030, One Company Says

Well this is a step up from fusion power always being 30 years in the future:

https://www.livescience.com/62929-plasma-fusion-reactor-tokamak.html

The Smart Road Tech That’s Making Driving Faster, Safer, And Just Better

Very slick. Now if they can just integrate solar power:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/06/27/the-smart-road-tech-thats-making-driving-faster-safer-and-just-better/

Aliens May Be Rearranging Stars to Fight Dark Energy, Awesome Study Suggests

One way to possibly discover highly advanced alien life by simply looking at the stars:

https://www.livescience.com/62917-aliens-rearrange-stars-fight-dark-energy.html

DARPA Literally Reinvented The Wheel

Another very science-fictiony piece of tech:

https://taskandpurpose.com/darpa-wheel-combat-vehicles/

What it’s like to watch an IBM AI successfully debate humans

I watched a documentary on this. The amount of not just knowledge but ability to understand spoken debate and respond to it in kind is pretty amazing:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/18/17477686/ibm-project-debater-ai

Flying Dragon Robot Transforms Itself to Squeeze Through Gaps

Very science-fictiony cool (watch the video):

https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/drones/flying-dragon-robot-transforms-itself-to-squeeze-through-gaps

Lab-Grown Neanderthal Minibrains Reveal How They’re Different From Humans’

https://futurism.com/lab-grown-neanderthal-minibrains-communicate/

Transdifferentiation Can Create An Endless Supply of Brain Cells—And Fast

A potential cure for aging?

https://singularityhub.com/2018/06/26/transdifferentiation-can-create-an-endless-supply-of-brain-cells-and-fast/

Electronic Skin Lets Amputees Feel Pain Through Their Prosthetics

An important step in truly useful bionics:

https://futurism.com/e-dermis-electronic-skin-pain/

This Jet Suit Agility Test Looks Like Something Straight Out Of An Action Film

More out of science fiction than an action film. Cool either way:

http://digg.com/video/jet-suit-testing

Hyundai teams up with VW's Audi to boost hydrogen cars

I think electric batteries are ultimately the way to go, but it's good to see alternatives being worked on:

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-hyundai-audi/hyundai-teams-up-with-vws-audi-to-boost-hydrogen-cars-idUKKBN1JG0MM?il=0

CRISPR Doesn’t Cause Unintended Mutations in Monkeys, Study Finds

Good news:

https://futurism.com/crispr-off-target-mutations-monkeys/

Is AI on Track to Achieving Superintelligence?

Some fascinating developments...like being able to tell what a person looks like and much more from voice alone:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls1_tqlpMww&feature=youtu.be

Artificial intelligence wins a debate against a human—twice

http://bigthink.com/brandon-weber/ibm-computer-wins-debate-against-humans

My conversation with an AI sexbot

It's happening. Slowly, and definitely not there yet, but surely:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pKczGG19uo&feature=youtu.be

Here Are The Best Candidates in the Competition to Design A Personal Flying Device

Just such a contest worked for robot cars in 2004 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Grand_Challenge), so maybe we'll all have personal flying machines within 15-20 years:

https://futurism.com/boeing-gofly-competition-personal-flying-transport-vehicle/

Video Gamers May Soon Be Paid More Than Top Pro Athletes

Revenge of the nerds:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/06/14/video-gamers-may-soon-be-paid-more-than-top-pro-athletes/

Can Turning Air into Gasoline Really Reverse Climate Change?

It may be too expensive right now...but ultimately sucking carbon out of the air is going to have to happen:

https://www.livescience.com/62784-co2-suck-climate-gasoline-air.html

Tesla Will “Enable Full Self-Driving Features” in August. Here’s What That Actually Means.

This could be interesting:

https://futurism.com/tesla-full-self-driving-features-august/

Brain-Based Circuitry Just Made Artificial Intelligence A Whole Lot Faster

100 times less energy needed:

https://futurism.com/brain-based-circuitry-just-made-artificial-intelligence-faster/

The technologies which are revolutionizing batteries

Nanotech is creeping into batteries, but there are roadblocks:

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2018/6/13/the-technologies-which-are-revolutionizing-batteries/

This wild, AI-generated film is the next step in “whole-movie puppetry”

Filmmakers need not fear being replaced by A.I....yet:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/06/this-wild-ai-generated-film-is-the-next-step-in-whole-movie-puppetry/

New PPA In Arizona Locks In Lowest Solar Prices In US As Demise Of Navajo Station Looms

Solar WITH battery comes out cheaper than coal here:

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/06/11/new-ppa-in-arizona-locks-in-lowest-solar-prices-in-us-as-demise-of-navajo-station-looms/

First contact: what if we find not organic life but ET’s AI?

An interesting exploration into the possibility of discovering machine life:

https://aeon.co/essays/first-contact-what-if-we-find-not-organic-life-but-ets-ai

The world’s most powerful supercomputer is tailor made for the AI era

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611077/the-worlds-most-powerful-supercomputer-is-tailor-made-for-the-ai-era/

Waymo announces 7 million miles of testing, putting it far ahead of rivals

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/06/waymo-announces-7-million-miles-of-testing-putting-it-far-ahead-of-rivals/

The incredible inventions of intuitive AI | Maurice Conti

Enjoyable TED Talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR5N2Jl8k14

This box sucks pure water out of dry desert air

All of us out west may be using this sort of a device before too long:

https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/08/this-box-sucks-pure-water-out-of-dry-desert-air/

Engineers Develop New System to Provide Low-Cost Drinking Water

This could add a massive amount to our drinking water supply:

https://scitechdaily.com/engineers-develop-new-system-to-provide-low-cost-drinking-water/

NASA Found Evidence of Organic Matter on Mars. Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal.

Very cool news!

https://futurism.com/curiosity-nasa-new-studies/

5 Reasons Car Companies Are Betting Big on Energy Storage

Makes a lot of sense to me:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/06/07/5-reasons-car-companies-are-betting-big-on-energy-storage/

To put things into perspective, a typical house easily runs on a 13.5 kWh Tesla Powerwall 2 all evening and more, and a Tesla car has a minimum of a 70 kWh battery.

Thank A Rare Fungus For The Sustainable Solar Cell Of The Future

A biological approach to solar power:

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/06/06/thank-a-rare-fungus-for-the-sustainable-solar-cell-of-the-future/

We took an exclusive ride in a flying car

A flying car made with drone technology to make it extremely simple to learn:

http://money.cnn.com/2018/06/06/technology/flying-car-las-vegas-kitty-hawk/index.html

AI can transfer human facial movements from one video to another

Further evolution in the creation of realistic fake videos. Pretty impressive...and bound to cause problems politically sooner or later:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=21&v=qc5P2bvfl44

Why the solar revolution is in grave danger—and how it can be saved

Stupidity must not prevail:

https://qz.com/1295679/why-the-solar-revolution-is-in-grave-danger-and-how-it-can-be-saved/

Robots Will Be Able to Feel Touch With This Artificial Nerve

https://singularityhub.com/2018/06/05/robots-will-be-able-to-feel-touch-with-this-artificial-nerve/#sm.0001p9abvhotbf0jwc02kzluw8213

How Cyanobacteria Could Help Save the Planet

Ultimately, I think we're going to need nanotech to pull carbon from the atmosphere and make it into useful products, but this may be helpful in the meantime:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/06/04/how-cyanobacteria-could-help-save-the-planet/

That natural gas power plant with no carbon emissions or air pollution? It works.

This sounds like a serious game-changer:

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/6/1/17416444/net-power-natural-gas-carbon-air-pollution-allam-cycle

A Fruity Visual Metaphor Helps Explain Fermi’s Paradox

Simple illustrations for why we haven't detected any aliens out there:

https://futurism.com/videos/fermis-paradox-fruit-metaphor/

A Graphene Aerogel Is 99.8% Air and as Strong as Steel

I imagine aerogels would make great insulating structural supports for houses and perhaps vehicles:

https://futurism.com/videos/near-indestructible-gel-air/

High-quality carbon nanotubes made from carbon dioxide in the air break the manufacturing cost barrier

http://www.kurzweilai.net/high-quality-carbon-nanotubes-made-from-carbon-dioxide-in-the-air-break-the-manufacturing-cost-barrier

Batteries Still Suck, But Researchers Are Working on It

https://www.wired.com/story/building-a-better-battery/

Research Shows Advanced Biofuels Can Be Produced Extremely Efficiently

https://scitechdaily.com/research-shows-advanced-biofuels-can-be-produced-extremely-efficiently/

Revolutionary 3D nanohybrid lithium-ion battery could allow for charging in just seconds

Another potential game-changer:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/revolutionary-3d-nanohybrid-lithium-ion-battery-could-allow-for-charging-in-just-seconds

Outperforming steel and spider silk: The world's strongest bio-material

If wood is a good building material, this should be far better:

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2018/5/16/outperforming-steel-and-spider-silk-the-worlds-strongest-bio-material/

Scientists Transferred Memories From One Snail to Another. Someday, They Could Do The Same in Humans.

The earliest steps of downloading memories to our brains?

https://futurism.com/memory-snail-human-brain/

Researchers Develop A Fuel Cell That Uses Lignin

A renewable fuel cell fuel:

https://scitechdaily.com/researchers-develop-fuel-cell-that-uses-lignin/

Why the Discovery of Room-Temperature Superconductors Would Unleash Amazing Technologies

https://singularityhub.com/2018/05/13/the-search-for-high-temperature-superconductors/

You’ll Be Able to Buy a Boston Dynamics SpotMini Soon, Please Don’t Teach It To Kill

Mount a camera and a semi-automatic shotgun with a remote control trigger, and look out burglars, neighbors, and pretty much anyone else who might annoy you:

https://futurism.com/its-all-fun-and-games-until-private-security-turns-a-spotmini-into-a-killing-machine/

The LAPD’s Terrifying Palantir-Powered Policing Algorithm Was Just Uncovered and Yes It’s Basically ‘Minority Report’

This is concerning enough in the US. Imagine it used in an autocratic society to target dissent:

https://futurism.com/lapd-documents-show-their-policing-algorithms-continue-to-target-minorities-and-past-offenders/

How California’s Incredible New Solar Panel Law Is Historic for Green Energy

More on California's mandate for new housing to go solar:

https://futurism.com/california-solar-mandate/

Boston Dynamics’ Robot Just Went For A Cool Jog In The Garden, Like It’s No Big Deal

These critters are getting more and more Terminator-esque:

https://futurism.com/boston-dynamics-atlas-jogging/

Every Google search results in CO2 emissions. This real-time data viz shows how much

"One study from 2015 suggests internet activity results in as much CO2 emissions as the global aviation industry."

Yikes:

https://qz.com/1267709/every-google-search-results-in-co2-emissions-this-real-time-dataviz-shows-how-much/

Holograms Can Now Program Brain Activity—Are Fake Experiences Next?

This could lead to some pretty creepy scenarios:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/05/09/holograms-can-now-program-brain-activity-are-fake-experiences-next/

First Look: Google Lens

Cell phones truly are magic wands:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oywp4Uerd-4

Leapfrogging Tech Is Changing Millions of Lives. Here’s How

Skipping over the steps advanced nations used to get where they are saves time, money, energy, the environment, etc.:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/05/06/leapfrogging-tech-is-changing-millions-of-lives-heres-how/

Everyone Is Flipping Out About Google’s AI Assistant That Just Booked A Haircut On The Phone

The next logical step in artificial assistants:

https://futurism.com/google-assistant-booked-haircut-duplex/

This NYC Luxury Building Has The Air-Purifying Power Of 500 Trees

Way too many cities desperately need technology like this:

https://quartzy.qz.com/1269569/this-nyc-luxury-building-has-the-air-purifying-power-of-500-trees/

Prediction machines: Why A.I.’s true potential is learning to read the future

One of the more effective uses of A.I.:

http://bigthink.com/videos/ajay-agrawal-why-predictive-ai-leads-to-better-decision-making

Stephen Hawking’s (almost) last paper: putting an end to the beginning of the universe

This hypothesis is pretty mind blowing. It also includes a good simple explanation of cosmic inflation:

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/05/stephen-hawking-s-almost-last-paper-putting-end-beginning-universe

Delivering VR in Perfect Focus With Nanostructure Meta-lenses

An important step in the development of virtual worlds indistinguishable from reality:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/05/04/delivering-vr-in-perfect-focus-with-nanostructure-meta-lenses/

California to become first U.S. state mandating solar on new homes

Woot!

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/05/04/california-to-become-first-u-s-state-mandating-solar-on-new-homes/

Biology Will be the Next Great Computing Platform

How CRISPR is moving into services and products:

https://www.wired.com/story/biology-will-be-the-next-great-computing-platform/

Scientists Announce Plan to Create Virus-Proof Cells

A rather drastic cure for the common cold:

http://time.com/5261777/scientists-virus-proof-cells/

3 Major Shifts Are About to Transform Manufacturing as We Know It

I look forward to designing my own products:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/05/01/3-major-shifts-are-about-to-transform-manufacturing-as-we-know-it/

The future is about manufacturing.

Cheap Hydrogen Fuel Was A Failed Promise. But Its Time May Have Arrived.

It's about damn time!

https://futurism.com/ammonia-hydrogen-fuel/

Watch Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin launch its space tourism rocket

So the private space travel competition remains on:

https://qz.com/1265087/watch-jeff-bezos-space-company-blue-origin-launch-its-space-tourism-rocket-new-shepard/

Scientists Discover How to Harness the Power of Quantum Spookiness by Entangling Clouds of Atoms

https://singularityhub.com/2018/04/27/scientists-discover-how-to-harness-the-power-of-quantum-spookiness-by-entangling-clouds-of-atoms/

Stuff 3.0: The Era of Programmable Matter

A long-time nanotech promise:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/04/29/stuff-3-0-the-era-of-programmable-matter/

New Tech Marries the Best of Photonics and Electronics on the Same Silicon Chip

https://singularityhub.com/2018/04/30/new-tech-marries-the-best-of-photonics-and-electronics-on-the-same-silicon-chip/

Electric Buses Are Hurting the Oil Industry

This is significant:

"China had about 99 percent of the 385,000 electric buses on the roads worldwide in 2017, accounting for 17 percent of the country’s entire fleet. Every five weeks, Chinese cities add 9,500 of the zero-emissions transporters—the equivalent of London’s entire working fleet, according Bloomberg New Energy Finance."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-23/electric-buses-are-hurting-the-oil-industry

A Data Storage Revolution? DNA Can Store Near Limitless Data in Almost Zero Space

"If we were to send a single exabyte of data (one billion gigabytes) to Mars using silicon binary media, it would take five Falcon Heavy rockets and cost $486 million in freight alone.

With DNA, we would need five cubic centimeters."

https://singularityhub.com/2018/04/26/the-answer-to-the-digital-data-tsunami-is-literally-in-our-dna/

Novel antioxidant makes old blood vessels seem young again

This sounds highly promising:

https://www.colorado.edu/today/2018/04/19/novel-antioxidant-makes-old-blood-vessels-seem-young-again

Frontier AI: How far are we from artificial “general” intelligence, really?

An interesting assessment. Things have been moving very quickly in the past year:

https://hackernoon.com/frontier-ai-how-far-are-we-from-artificial-general-intelligence-really-5b13b1ebcd4e

The Impossible Burger Looks, Tastes, and Smells Traditional – But Is Vegan

I wanted to try this meat substitute for myself, so I found a local restaurant that serves it. I have to say, that was a perfectly good burger and I would never have guessed it was vegan. Smell, taste, mouthfeel...all seemed like genuine beef:

https://futurism.com/videos/impossible-burger-traditional-vegan/

Assassin drones

The future of warfare will likely look a lot like this (click on "read more" on the Advancing Technologies page to see the embedded video):

Mini-Brains Just Grew Their Own Blood Vessels—Here’s Why That’s Great News

Ew. But rather cool. I wonder if mini-brains could be used to augment one's own brain?

https://singularityhub.com/2018/04/18/mini-brains-just-grew-their-own-blood-vessels-heres-why-thats-great-news/#sm.0001p9abvhotbf0jwc02kzluw8213

How your mini 'clone' heart could be grown in a jar

A variety of advances being made by combining biology with technology:

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2018/4/17/how-your-mini-clone-heart-could-be-grown-in-a-jar/

Engineers Develop New Manufacturing Process That Spools Out Strips of Graphene

Boring, but finding ways to make inexpensive graphene and nanotubes are critical to tomorrow's manufacturing:

https://scitechdaily.com/engineers-develop-new-manufacturing-process-that-spools-out-strips-of-graphene/

A future ultraminiature computer the size of a pinhead?

http://www.kurzweilai.net/a-future-ultraminiature-computer-the-size-of-a-pinhead

Toyota to launch 'talking' vehicles in United States in 2021

Best way to cut down on vehicle accidents, I'd say:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-communications-toyota/toyota-to-launch-talking-vehicles-in-united-states-in-2021-idUSKBN1HN2GJ

Carbon Fiber Artificial Muscles Lift 12,600 Times Their Weight

I want to replace my muscles with this:

https://scitechdaily.com/carbon-fiber-artificial-muscles-lift-12600-times-their-weight/

Solar panels have gotten thinner than a human hair. Soon they’ll be everywhere.

I'm looking forward to this:

https://www.vox.com/2016/6/23/11998908/ultra-thin-solar-cells

World's largest solar battery? Tesla's may get beat

I like seeing solar farms try to outdo each other:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/04/11/worlds-largest-solar-battery-tesla-may-get-beat/504963002/

Biologically Inspired Membrane Separates and Captures Greenhouse Gases

A stopgap option, but not a long-term one:

https://scitechdaily.com/biologically-inspired-membrane-separates-and-captures-greenhouse-gases/

Alzheimer's Disease Gene Successfully Removed From Human Brain: Is This The Cure We've Been Waiting For?

This could be huge:

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/224863/20180411/alzheimers-disease-gene-successfully-removed-from-human-brain-is-this-the-cure-weve-been-waiting-for.htm

Are We Quantum Computers?

Cool concept. Does it open the possibility for free will? Or just randomness?

http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2018/018840/are-we-quantum-computers

The Era of Fake Video Begins

Already there are videos that have been manipulated, and it likely won't be long before most video evidence can't be trusted:

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/05/realitys-end/556877/

This Memory Prosthesis Boosts Recall in Humans by Roughly 40 Percent

More detail on that memory enhancer:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/04/10/this-memory-prosthesis-boosts-recall-in-humans-by-roughly-40-percent/

Apple says its global facilities are now powered by 100-percent clean energy

Three cheers:

https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/09/apple-says-its-global-facilities-are-now-powered-by-100-percent-clean-energy/

A Global Arms Race for Killer Robots Is Transforming the Battlefield

People may have already been killed by weaponized robots making their own decisions:

http://time.com/5230567/killer-robots/

A New AI “Journalist” Is Rewriting the News to Remove Bias

This is a great idea...but it's not off to a great start:

https://futurism.com/ai-journalist-media-bias-news-knowhere/

Elon Musk Worries That AI Research Will Create an 'Immortal Dictator'

I think this is alarmist, but it does pay to be cautious with any potential existential threat:

https://www.livescience.com/62239-elon-musk-immortal-artificial-intelligence-dictator.html

Here’s how the US needs to prepare for the age of artificial intelligence

Of course, the Trump administration isn’t even interested:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/610379/heres-how-the-us-needs-to-prepare-for-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence/

Intelligence-augmentation device lets users ‘speak silently’ with a computer by just thinking

http://www.kurzweilai.net/intelligence-augmentation-device-lets-users-speak-silently-with-a-computer-by-just-thinking

This Study Could Explain Why Our Brains Perform Worse As We Age

Keeping up the blood flow in the brain is yet ANOTHER reason to work out hard:

http://time.com/5228142/brain-nerve-cells-age/

New Bionic Arm Blurs Line Between Self and Machine for Wearers

A big step closer to "real" bionic limbs:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/04/04/new-bionic-arm-blurs-line-between-self-and-machine-for-wearers/

DARPA-funded prosthetic memory system successful in humans, study finds

The ability to enhance memory using a prosthetic. Impressive:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/darpa-funded-prosthetic-memory-system-successful-in-humans-study-finds

A Journal Retracted A Controversial Paper About CRISPR. The Damage Might Already Be Done.

Ugh, I hate it when politics, religion and just plain misinformation hinder science!

https://futurism.com/retract-study-gene-editing-causes-mutations/

SpaceX Has Launched an Experimental Space Junk Sweeper Into Orbit

This had to happen sooner or later:

http://time.com/5225670/spacex-space-junk-cleaner-launch/

This Planned Solar Farm in Saudi Arabia Would Be 100 Times Bigger Than Any in the World

This project alone, if it happens, will equal the entire world solar generation for 2015:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/04/03/this-planned-solar-farm-in-saudi-arabia-would-be-100-times-bigger-than-any-in-the-world

Mind-Controlled Mice Navigate Mazes, No Longer Crave Food

The next step in mind control:

https://futurism.com/mind-controlled-mice-food/

Robot Exoskeletons, Artificial Muscles, Handheld Printers — Here Are the Top 6 Advances in Tech (So Far)

https://futurism.com/videos/six-technology-advancements-future/

Spot the Fake: Artificial Intelligence Can Produce Lifelike Photographs

It won't be long before models and then actors will go out of business:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/spot-the-fake-artificial-intelligence-can-produce-lifelike-photographs/

Can a Mediterranean Diet Pattern Slow Aging?

First health, now aging:

https://scitechdaily.com/can-a-mediterranean-diet-pattern-slow-aging/

Why the Next Person Hit by a Driverless Car Might Not Be Able to Sue

The interesting driverless car testing dilemma:

http://time.com/5221393/uber-autonomous-vehicle-death-settlement/

Stunning drops in solar, wind costs mean economic case for coal, gas is ‘crumbling’

It looks like we're on the cusp of abandoning coal and gas for good:

https://thinkprogress.org/solar-wind-power-prices-are-beating-natural-gas-c9912054400c/

The brain learns completely differently than we’ve assumed, new learning theory says

http://www.kurzweilai.net/the-brain-learns-completely-differently-than-weve-assumed-new-learning-theory-says

The Alt Rocket Tech That May One Day Take Humans to Mars

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/28/the-alt-rocket-tech-that-will-one-day-take-humans-to-mars/

Europe’s AI delusion

Europe may be ignoring the threats and opportunities involved in A.I.:

https://www.politico.eu/article/opinion-europes-ai-delusion/

Dragonfly-inspired nano coating kills bacteria upon contact

A mechanical alternative to antibiotics:

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2018/3/28/dragonfly-inspired-nano-coating-kills-bacteria-upon-contact/

How Your Gut Controls Your Mind and What to Do About It

Interesting, although I'm skeptical of the test:

https://futurism.com/sponsored-viome-how-your-gut-controls-your-mind-and-what-to-do-about-it/

Nanotweezers Open the Door to New Innovations in Medicine, Mobile Tech

There would need to be a lot of these working in tandem to achieve advanced nanotech...but this looks like a promising path:

https://scitechdaily.com/nanotweezers-open-door-to-innovations-in-medicine-mobile-tech/

Recording data from one million neurons in real time

"“A considerable benefit of this architecture and data format is that it doesn’t require further translation, as the brain’s [spiking] signals are translated directly into bitcode,” making it available for computer processing and dramatically increasing the processing speed and database storage capacity."

http://www.kurzweilai.net/recording-data-from-one-million-neurons-in-real-time

IBM’s New Computer Is the Size of a Grain of Salt and Costs Less Than 10 Cents

"Despite its diminutive size, the company claims the computer has the same amount of power as an x86 chip from 1990."

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/26/ibms-new-computer-is-the-size-of-a-grain-of-salt-and-costs-less-than-10-cents/

“Game Changing” Antibiotic is Capable of Killing Superbugs

Another weapon needed as antibiotic resistance spreads:

https://scitechdaily.com/game-changing-antibiotic-is-capable-of-killing-superbugs/

Is there anything hackers can't hack? Now there is, thanks to a new way of coding.

This is becoming increasingly vital:

http://bigthink.com/videos/kathleen-fisher-how-coders-are-creating-software-thats-impossible-to-hack

New MIT Device Can Harvest Water From Desert Air

This invention may be coming just in time to allow the survival of hundreds of millions of people living in the increasing desertification caused by climate change:

https://scitechdaily.com/new-mit-device-can-harvest-water-from-desert-air/

Scientists Identify The Key Region of ‘Immortality and Aging’ Enzyme

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-identify-key-region-of-immortality-and-aging-enzyme/

How the Wild New Materials of the Future Will Be Discovered With AI

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/22/how-the-wild-new-materials-of-the-future-will-be-discovered-with-ai/#sm.0001p9abvhotbf0jwc02kzluw8213

The Meat Industry Has Some Serious Beef With Those 'Bleeding' Plant-Based Burgers

Of course "big meat" is upset:

http://time.com/5181524/impossible-burger-plant-based/

But the technology will only get better.

This is the moment when we decide that human lives matter more than cars

From here: https://www.curbed.com/transportation/2018/3/20/17142090/uber-fatal-crash-driverless-pedestrian-safety

"If an autonomous vehicle is not several magnitudes better than a human driver at detecting a pedestrian and preventing the loss of human life, it cannot be on the road."

I think this is exactly the wrong way to look at the problem. As soon as autonomous vehicles are simply BETTER than human drivers, they SHOULD be on the road.

Powerful New Algorithm Is a Big Step Towards Whole-Brain Simulation

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/21/powerful-new-algorithm-is-a-big-step-towards-whole-brain-simulation

$10 million XPRIZE Aims for Robot Avatars That Let You See, Hear, and Feel by 2021

Creating the ultimate waldo (remote manipulator):

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/19/robot-avatars-that-let-you-see-hear-and-feel-could-be-here-by-2021/

This Robot is Better at Basketball Than You

https://nerdist.com/this-robot-is-better-at-basketball-than-you/

Decline in World Fertility Rates Lowers Risks of Mass Starvation

Some good news for those who have been dreading overpopulation:

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-03-16/decline-in-world-fertility-rates-lowers-risks-of-mass-starvation

How Exercising Into Old Age Can Keep Your Immune System Young

How to keep your immune system at the peak it was in your 20s:

http://time.com/5193032/cycling-old-age-immune-system/

Self-Driving Uber Involved In Arizona Pedestrian Death

Damn. Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. But the few exceptions should prove the rule:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/self-driving-uber-involved-in-pedestrian-death-in-arizona_us_5aafeabbe4b0697dfe193348

Neuroscientists devise scheme for mind-uploading centuries in the future

The options start to emerge:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/neuroscientists-devise-scheme-for-mind-uploading-centuries-in-the-future

In Landmark Study, Human Stem Cells Restore Monkeys’ Movement After Spinal Cord Injury

If the reverse works, there will be a lot of unhappy monkeys:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/14/in-landmark-study-human-stem-cells-restore-monkeys-movement-after-spinal-cord-injury/

Scientists Create New Method of Fusion Energy, Without the Old Complications

There's one catch...

"The problem with hydrogen-boron fusion has been that it required temperatures 200 times hotter than the core of the Sun."

http://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/new-technique-creates-fusion-by-powerful-lasers-with-no-radioactive-waste

What’s A Proton Battery? Three Things You Need To Know.

Sounds like more than just a potential game changer...but still 5-10 years out:

https://futurism.com/proton-battery/

If Energy Becomes Free in the Future, How Will That Affect Our Lives?

Nuclear power was supposed to make electricity too cheap to meter, and that didn’t work out, but solar and batteries could change that:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/11/if-energy-becomes-free-in-the-future-how-will-that-affect-our-lives/

Scientists Successfully Complete World-First Firing of Air-Breathing Electric Thruster

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-complete-world-first-firing-of-air-breathing-electric-thruster/

Female inventor creates 'Nanowood' — a material that could (really) save the planet

No, it's not nanotech, but it could be a game-changing construction material:

http://bigthink.com/articles/female-inventor-creates-nanowood-a-material-that-could-really-save-the-planet

Your Shopping Experience Is on the Verge of a Major Transformation. Here’s Why.

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/09/your-shopping-experience-is-on-the-verge-of-a-major-transformation-heres-why/

Nuclear fusion on brink of being realised, say MIT scientists

Here's to hoping so:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/09/nuclear-fusion-on-brink-of-being-realised-say-mit-scientists

Graphene Could Be the Superconductor Scientists Always Dreamed Of

Room temperature superconductors? Game changer:

https://futurism.com/graphene-superconductor-scientists-dreamed/

People Are Reportedly Attacking Driverless Cars in California

Ugh. Don't forget about the Luddites...

https://futurism.com/people-attacking-driverless-cars-california/

This Sensor Lets Scientists See Neuron-Level Brain Activity in Real Time

Sounds useful in the process to reverse-engineer the human brain:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/07/this-sensor-protein-shows-neuron-level-brain-activity-in-real-time/

A Brief History of Boston Dynamics’ Future-Forward (And Surreal) Robots

Enjoy watching the progression:

https://futurism.com/videos/a-brief-history-of-boston-dynamics-future-forward-and-surreal-robots/

Hyperloop and Flying Cars Are Battling It Out for the Future of Transportation

Without nanotech to drive the price of tunneling WAY down, I don't see the hyperloop as happening, but I can see flying cars for certain short hops as being worthwhile very soon. At least I would buy one as a quick way of getting down to the lake and back. :-)

https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/05/hyperloop-and-flying-cars-are-battling-it-out-for-the-future-of-transportation/

Is an Anti-Aging Pill on the Horizon?

Nad+ sounds promising...but it's not quite there yet. Some pros and cons:

http://time.com/5159879/is-an-anti-aging-pill-on-the-horizon/

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/534636/the-anti-aging-pill/

https://www.wired.com/2016/07/confused-elysiums-anti-aging-drug-yeah-fda/

How close are we to a hamburger grown in a lab?

I would have no hesitation eating clean meat:

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/01/health/clean-in-vitro-meat-food/index.html

The largest coal-fired power plant in North America being demolished to make way for a solar farm

Nice to see:

https://www.facebook.com/CREDO/posts/10157225339545968

What If We Could Literally Rewrite the Human Genome?

A great breakdown TED Talk for how CRISPR works:

https://futurism.com/videos/what-if-we-could-literally-rewrite-the-human-genome/

Scientists Discover a High-Performance, Low-Cost Sodium-Ion Battery

And yet another potential game changer:

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-confirm-century-old-speculation-chemistry-high-performance-battery/

Nanostructure Increases Solar-to-Hydrogen Conversion Efficiency by a Factor of Eleven

Another potential game changer:

https://scitechdaily.com/nanostructure-increases-solar-to-hydrogen-conversion-efficiency-by-a-factor-of-eleven/

Not Just Gene Editing—CRISPR Toolkit Expands With Trio of New Tricks

https://singularityhub.com/2018/02/27/not-just-gene-editing-crispr-toolkit-expands-with-trio-of-new-tricks/

Low-cost EEG can now be used to reconstruct images of what you see

Getting closer to mind reading:

http://www.kurzweilai.net/low-cost-eeg-can-now-be-used-to-reconstruct-images-of-what-you-see

The Verdict Is In: AI Outperforms Human Lawyers in Reviewing Legal Documents

Another domino falls:

https://futurism.com/ai-contracts-lawyers-lawgeex/

Wind and Solar Power Could Generate Most But Not All of the Electricity in the USA

https://scitechdaily.com/wind-and-solar-power-could-generate-most-but-not-all-electricity-in-the-united-states/

Artificial Photosynthesis Is Solar Energy’s Forgotten Cousin—and It’s Making a Comeback

https://singularityhub.com/2018/02/25/artificial-photosynthesis-is-solar-energys-forgotten-cousin-and-its-making-a-comeback/

Putting AI in Your Pocket: MIT Chip Cuts Neural Network Power Consumption by 95%

https://singularityhub.com/2018/02/26/putting-ai-in-your-pocket-mit-chip-cuts-neural-network-power-consumption-by-95/

Cubic Crystal Layer Improves Lithium Ion Battery Efficiency

Yet another potential improvement. One of these days something has to break out:

https://scitechdaily.com/cubic-crystal-layer-improves-lithium-ion-battery-efficiency/

Silicon Valley Is Winning the Race to Build the First Driverless Cars

Imminent from one of them, I'd say!

https://singularityhub.com/2018/02/23/silicon-valley-is-winning-the-race-to-build-the-first-driverless-cars/

Man-Made Whirlpool Can Power Homes Without Harming Wildlife

Very cool alternative...to those not living in drought-prone areas:

https://futurism.com/videos/whirlpool-electricity-power-wildlife/

Tech companies should stop pretending AI won’t destroy jobs

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/610298/tech-companies-should-stop-pretending-ai-wont-destroy-jobs/?mc_cid=d2ce1380d7&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c

Boston Dynamics is teaching its robot dog to fight back against humans

"It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop...ever, until you are dead!"

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/feb/21/boston-dynamics-teaching-robot-dog-fight-back-humans

Cancer Vaccines May Overhaul Cancer Therapy in the Next Decade

VERY encouraging:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/02/21/cancer-vaccines-may-overhaul-cancer-therapy-in-the-next-decade/

Tesla's latest smart power grid experiment begins in Canada

Cool to see. It's been working very well for me:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-apos-latest-smart-power-220500916.html

New Sensor Reveals Lithium-Ion Batteries Can Safely Charge 5 Times Faster

Well this is a major battery advance that should be doable right now:

https://scitechdaily.com/new-sensor-reveals-lithium-ion-batteries-can-safely-charge-5-times-faster/

How Exercise May Help Protect Your Brain From Cognitive Decline and Dementia

If you want to live long enough to live forever, you gotta protect the brain:

http://time.com/5162477/exercise-risk-dementia/

The “Father of Artificial Intelligence” Says Singularity Is 30 Years Away

Several futurists predicting the technological singularity within a few decades:

https://futurism.com/father-artificial-intelligence-singularity-decades-away/

SunPower solar panels and Tesla Powerwall battery system information

For anyone thinking of getting a home solar system, here's an update you may find interesting and hopefully useful:

I live in Northern CA, and in 2017 I decided to go solar. I bought a 4.1kW system (twelve 345W panels) for $16.5K (actual cost about $11K after tax breaks). Any power I don't use is fed to the grid, and at the end of the year the amount of grid power I've used vs. the amount I've sent to the grid is calculated to determine whether I have to pay or whether I get paid something (it's best to put into the grid exactly as much power as you use, since the amount PG&E pays for any overproduction is paltry). Regardless, there is a $10 per month service charge just to remain connected to the grid.

Although the system works fine, there is no way to know how much power you're producing vs. using until the end of the year. Also, if the grid power ever suffers an outage during the day, the solar system ceases to function (apparently it needs SOME grid power to access the solar production...which is strange and annoying).

So I looked into getting a battery system. The Tesla Powerwall 2 had recently come onto the market, and although it's expensive (around $12K fully installed), here in CA it came with a huge tax break and a rebate, reducing the cost to less than $5K. I was one of the first few hundred people in CA to order a Powerwall.

The battery holds a 13.5 kWh charge. To put that into perspective, that's enough energy to power my home for around 30 hours of normal use.

So the way this works is you set the Tesla phone app to the percentage you always want to remain in reserve for power outages. I've set mine to 25%, since outages are extremely rare and never for more than a few hours (FYI, in case of an outage, the switch to battery power is almost instantaneous and without any interruption). The remaining 75% is more flexible, and is used to power my home whenever there is insufficient or no solar power generation.

During the shortest day of the year, the battery uses a maximum of about 60% of its charge to get me through the darkest hours. It only gets better than that every other day of the year, weather permitting. As long as the sky isn't covered with dark clouds during the day (thin cloud cover is okay), there's enough solar power generated to refill the battery. That keeps me 99% free of grid power, although I'm still connected to the grid (for $10/month) for the times when it's too cloudy for too long or if I need to put more of a drain on the system than the battery can handle (that includes, unfortunately, most air conditioning systems if they need to run when there's insufficient solar power generation). I also need a grid connection to feed excess power to the grid (which should pay for that monthly fee, although we'll see once air conditioning season hits).

So for about $16K, I have a solar and battery system that should pay for itself within a decade or so (although it's hard to say for sure yet, since I don't have a full year on the system to properly calculate the costs). Your costs may vary, but it may be worth looking into such a system.

Attached are some pictures of the Tesla app (which is unexpectedly addicting, since you can see which appliances are using the most electricity by watching the usage in almost real time). The first pic shows the percentage of power available in the Powerwall, as well as whether it's charging, discharging or standing by. The second pic shows the power flowing from the solar to the house and the battery. The third pic shows the power flowing from the solar to the house, with excess power feeding to the grid (because the battery is full). The fourth pic shows the battery discharging to power the house at night. And the fifth pic shows how you can monitor the daily power dynamics for solar, house, battery and grid.

FYI, a TV, receiver, DVR, fridge and a few lights use about 0.3 kW (it varies somewhat). A microwave or a treadmill can add around 1 kW. Oddly enough, a computer with a couple monitors, a space heater or a hair dryer add almost nothing. I don't think I've ever used more than about 2.5 kW at a time, and I average about 10 kWh per day (that'll go up during A/C season).

I hope you find this info useful.

Why the Rise of Self-Driving Vehicles Will Actually Increase Car Ownership

Yeah, I never really bought the idea that car ownership will drop off with autonomous cars. I would add to this list the fact that some people (myself included) don't enjoy sitting in a seat that thousands of others have sat in:

https://singularityhub.com/2018/02/14/why-the-rise-of-self-driving-vehicles-will-actually-increase-car-ownership/

We Read This 800-Page Report on the State of Longevity Research So You Don’t Have To

https://singularityhub.com/2018/02/14/we-read-this-800-page-report-on-longevity-research-so-you-dont-have-to/

The cancer-fighting nanorobots that seek and destroy tumors

Not exactly the kind of droids we're looking for, but they evidently do the trick:

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2018/2/14/the-cancer-fighting-nanorobots-that-seek-and-destroy-tumors/

New Process Allows 3-D Printing of Nanoscale Metal Structures

It can't be that much farther before they're assembling individual molecules...and that's where the promise of nanotech begins:

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2018/2/12/new-process-allows-3-d-printing-of-nanoscale-metal-structures/

Hey Buddy, Can You Give Me a Hand?

Robots can be polite:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUyU3lKzoio

New therapy cures cancer with just one injection

http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/new-therapy-cures-cancer-with-just-one-injection

How the United States Plans to Reclaim Its Supercomputer Dominance

I'm not sure the claims here add up, but...

https://futurism.com/how-united-states-plans-reclaim-supercomputer-dominance/

The 10 Grand Challenges Facing Robotics in the Next Decade

https://singularityhub.com/2018/02/06/the-10-grand-challenges-facing-robotics-in-the-next-decade/

For the First Time Ever, Scientists Found Alien Worlds in Another Galaxy

Truly a mind-boggling feat for a bunch of naked apes:

https://futurism.com/first-time-ever-scientists-found-alien-worlds-another-galaxy/

Texas A&M Chemists Develop Powerful New Type of Battery

Another potential battery game-changer:

https://scitechdaily.com/chemists-develop-powerful-new-type-of-battery/

Caltech Discovery Moves Solar Fuel Production Closer to Reality

A potential game-changer for producing hydrogen fuel through solar power:

https://scitechdaily.com/caltech-discovery-moves-solar-fuel-production-closer-to-reality/

The Driverless Revolution Isn’t Coming Anytime Soon

A reality check?

https://medium.com/@parismarx/the-driverless-revolution-isnt-coming-anytime-soon-fdf569cd6c6f?mc_cid=68b92f9877&mc_eid=c4215c6c8c

Penn researchers create first optical transistor comparable to an electronic transistor

http://www.kurzweilai.net/penn-researchers-create-first-optical-transistor-comparable-to-an-electronic-transistor