Advancing Technologies: 2021

"The scientists identified brain protein changes related to the APOE4 genetic risk variant in young postmortem study participants (average age at death was 39 years) and compared these changes with those in the autopsied brains of people with Alzheimer’s and those without (average age at death was 89 years)." ... "Their findings show an experimental drug for liver cancer and Dasatinib, approved for chronic myeloid leukemia, act upon some of these Alzheimer’s disease related proteins, suggesting they could be potential Alzheimer’s therapies. The drugs also reduced neuroinflammation, amyloid secretion, and tau phosphorylation in cell culture experiments, underscoring their potential as candidates to be tested in Alzheimer’s clinical trials."

https://scitechdaily.com/potential-alzheimers-treatments-discovered-in-analysis-of-existing-cancer-drugs/

AI Can Now Model the Molecular Machines That Govern All Life

https://singularityhub.com/2021/11/16/ai-can-now-model-the-molecular-machines-that-govern-all-life/

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Promising New Approach To Treat Alzheimer’s Disease – And Also Vaccinate Against It

Well, this is promising:

“While the science is currently still at an early stage, if these results were to be replicated in human clinical trials, then it could be transformative. It opens up the possibility to not only treat Alzheimer’s once symptoms are detected, but also to potentially vaccinate against the disease before symptoms appear.”

https://scitechdaily.com/promising-new-approach-to-treat-alzheimers-disease-and-also-vaccinate-against-it/amp/

Mapping the Mouse Brain in Intricate Detail, and by Extension, the Human Brain Too

https://scitechdaily.com/mapping-the-mouse-brain-in-intricate-detail-and-by-extension-the-human-brain-too/

Binding Polymer Discovery Gives 3D-Printed Sand Super Strength

This should have fewer emissions than concrete:

https://scitechdaily.com/binding-polymer-discovery-gives-3d-printed-sand-super-strength/

Nuclear Fusion Is Close Enough to Start Dreaming

So things in fusion are picking up!

https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-11-11/nuclear-fusion-is-close-enough-to-start-dreaming-of-a-new-world

Fusion Breakthrough: At the Brink of Fusion Ignition at National Ignition Facility

Very encouraging:

https://scitechdaily.com/fusion-breakthrough-at-the-brink-of-fusion-ignition-at-national-ignition-facility/

Chinese Scientists Say They’ve Discovered Cheap New Way to Do Nuclear Fusion

https://futurism.com/china-cheap-nuclear-fusion

These Houses Are Affordable, Carbon Neutral, and Assembled Like IKEA Furniture

This really could use more pictures:

https://singularityhub.com/2021/11/11/these-earth-friendly-houses-are-assembled-like-ikea-furniture/

Thursday, November 11, 2021

The Cow That Could Feed the Planet

So promising for animal welfare:

https://time.com/6109450/sustainable-lab-grown-mosa-meat/

New Optical Switch Is Up to 1,000 Times Faster Than Silicon Transistors

https://singularityhub.com/2021/11/01/researchers-created-an-optical-switch-thats-up-to-1000-times-faster-than-silicon-transistors/

Stanford Phase-Change Memory Could Pave the Way to Ultrafast, Energy-Efficient Computing

https://scitechdaily.com/stanford-phase-change-memory-could-pave-the-way-to-ultrafast-energy-efficient-computing/

Time Until Alzheimer’s Dementia Symptoms Appear Can Be Estimated via Brain Scan

https://scitechdaily.com/time-until-alzheimers-dementia-symptoms-appear-can-be-estimated-via-brain-scan/

‘Yeah, we’re spooked’: AI starting to have big real-world impact, says expert

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/29/yeah-were-spooked-ai-starting-to-have-big-real-world-impact-says-expert

Scientists Identify the Cause of Alzheimer’s Progression in the Brain – Very Different Than Previously Thought

https://scitechdaily.com/scientists-identify-the-cause-of-alzheimers-progression-in-the-brain-very-different-than-previously-thought/

Forget Me Not: Target Identified for Preventing and Reversing Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias

https://scitechdaily.com/forget-me-not-target-identified-for-preventing-and-reversing-alzheimers-and-related-dementias/

Jetson One - Official Launch

Oh yeah! The future approaches:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzhREYOK0oo

and

https://singularityhub.com/2021/10/27/this-tiny-personal-aircraft-costs-under-100k-and-can-take-off-from-your-driveway/

A Balanced Intake of Antioxidants Could Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

https://scitechdaily.com/a-balanced-intake-of-antioxidants-could-prevent-alzheimers-disease/

New MIT Cancer Treatment Jump-Starts the Immune System

https://scitechdaily.com/new-mit-cancer-treatment-jump-starts-the-immune-system/

Not Science Fiction: German Scientists Harness the Power of Photosynthesis for New Way To “Breathe”

https://scitechdaily.com/not-science-fiction-german-scientists-harness-the-power-of-photosynthesis-for-new-way-to-breathe/

This Bipedal Drone Robot Can Walk, Fly, Skateboard, and Slackline

https://singularityhub.com/2021/10/08/this-bipedal-drone-robot-can-walk-fly-skateboard-and-slackline/

Microsoft’s Massive New Language AI Is Triple the Size of OpenAI’s GPT-3

https://singularityhub.com/2021/10/13/microsofts-massive-new-language-ai-is-triple-the-size-of-openais-gpt-3/

Sustainable Electricity-Free Air Conditioner Can Harness Solar Energy To Reduce Temperatures on Hot Days

This could be critical for many people surviving climate change:

https://scitechdaily.com/sustainable-electricity-free-air-conditioner-can-harness-solar-energy-to-reduce-temperatures-on-hot-days/

Could there be a parallel universe identical to our own?

This is the easiest explanation I've seen describing what science has discovered about the nature of the multiverse:

https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/multiverse-identical-parallel-universe/

World’s Smallest Brain-Inspired Computer – So Small That It Can Harvest Its Energy Itself

https://scitechdaily.com/worlds-smallest-brain-inspired-computer-so-small-that-it-can-harvest-its-energy-itself/

Saturday, September 25, 2021

New Extremely Energy-Efficient Optical “Transistor” Speeds Up Computation Up to 1,000 Times

https://scitechdaily.com/new-extremely-energy-efficient-optical-transistor-speeds-up-computation-up-to-1000-times/

The Race for Fusion Power Heats Up as Multiple Projects Hit New Milestones

Finally...?

https://singularityhub.com/2021/09/20/the-race-for-fusion-power-heats-up-as-multiple-projects-hit-new-milestones/

New High-Performance Solid-State Battery Surprises the Engineers Who Created It

https://scitechdaily.com/new-high-performance-solid-state-battery-surprises-the-engineers-who-created-it/

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Power of Light and Oxygen Clears Alzheimer’s Disease Protein in Brains of Live Mice

https://scitechdaily.com/power-of-light-and-oxygen-clears-alzheimers-disease-protein-in-brains-of-live-mice/

MXene Nanomaterial Offers Flexible and Stretchable High-Capacity Energy Storage

Supercapacitors are the way to go if they can be made viable for serious battery storage:

https://scitechdaily.com/mxene-nanomaterial-offers-flexible-and-stretchable-high-capacity-energy-storage/

Monday, September 6, 2021

Is Unreal Engine the Future of Filmmaking?

This has been my vision for creating a "virtual studio" to allow full creation of movies using just a desktop computer. It still needs to be simplified for accessibility for all screenwriters, but the technology is all here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-AV-bctI1o

AI Expert LOSES HIS MIND Over Tesla AI Day 🤯

Leaps forward in computer tech:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfFUtRwWr8A

Uncovering China's Battery Breakthrough

Unfortunately it's China, but it still sounds like an impressive breakthrough:

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

Better Than Batteries? A Startup That’s Storing Energy in Concrete Blocks Just Raised $100 Million

The simplicity of it is oddly amusing:

https://singularityhub.com/2021/09/01/better-than-batteries-a-startup-thats-storing-energy-in-concrete-blocks-just-raised-100-million/

StoreDot unveils Tesla-like 4680 battery cells they claim can charge in 10 minutes

Another potential game changer:

https://electrek.co/2021/09/01/storedot-tesla-like-4680-battery-cells-charge-10-minutes/

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Photonic Chip Breakthrough Opens a Path Toward Quantum Computing in Real-World Conditions

https://scitechdaily.com/photonic-chip-breakthrough-opens-a-path-toward-quantum-computing-in-real-world-conditions/

Monday, August 30, 2021

Why This 3D-Printed House Will Change The World

Made in Germany, so perhaps we'll build our new house this way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHSYEH133HA

Elon Musk says Tesla is working on humanoid robots

This is just vaporware for now, but it's REALLY what we all need:

https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/19/22633514/tesla-robot-prototype-elon-musk-humanoid-ai-day

Wednesday, August 18, 2021

A national lab just achieved a ‘Wright Brothers moment’ in nuclear fusion

Fusion power is always 30 years away. Perhaps this will change that:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/17/lawrence-livermore-lab-makes-significant-achievement-in-fusion.html

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Atlas | Partners in Parkour

The physical capabilities are all there. When the A.I. and battery life catch up...watch out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF4DML7FIWk

Sunday, August 15, 2021

OpenAI's Codex turns written language into computer code

Computer languages exist to allow programmers to program without knowing machine language. This appears to be the beginning of the next and more powerful step, allowing non-programmers to program without knowing computer languages:

https://www.axios.com/openai-codex-language-computer-programming-1cfb83d7-f28b-40b5-91ea-1717272a619c.html

The Waste Product That Could Help Mitigate Climate Change – Locking Carbon in the Soil “For Hundreds to Thousands of Years”

https://scitechdaily.com/the-waste-product-that-could-help-mitigate-climate-change-locking-carbon-in-the-soil-for-hundreds-to-thousands-of-years/

Friday, August 13, 2021

Chinese scientists develop world’s strongest glass that’s as hard as diamond

Impressive:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/china-strongest-glass-diamond-scientists-b1899243.html

Artificial Intelligence may diagnose dementia in a day

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-57934589

Decades of Research Brings Quantum Dots to Brink of Widespread Use in a Range of Technology Applications

https://scitechdaily.com/decades-of-research-brings-quantum-dots-to-brink-of-widespread-use-in-a-range-of-technology-applications/

Synthetic brain cells that store 'memories' are possible, new model reveals

https://www.livescience.com/artificial-neurons-memories.html

Form Energy’s New Low-Cost, Iron-Air Battery Runs for 100 Hours

https://singularityhub.com/2021/08/02/form-energys-new-low-cost-iron-based-battery-runs-for-100-hours/

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

This robot taught itself to run then set a record by running a 5k

https://singularityhub.com/2021/07/28/this-robot-taught-itself-to-run-then-set-a-record-by-running-a-5k/

Google’s ‘time crystals’ could be the greatest scientific achievement of our lifetimes

Bizarre. Fascinating:

https://thenextweb.com/news/google-may-have-achieved-breakthrough-time-crystals

Protein Folding AI Is Making a ‘Once in a Generation’ Advance in Biology

https://singularityhub.com/2021/07/20/new-protein-folding-ai-just-made-a-once-in-a-generation-advance-in-biology/

New Inorganic Material Discovered With Lowest Thermal Conductivity Ever Reported

https://scitechdaily.com/new-inorganic-material-discovered-with-lowest-thermal-conductivity-ever-reported/

Advanced New Artificial Intelligence Software Can Compute Protein Structures in 10 Minutes

https://scitechdaily.com/advanced-new-artificial-intelligence-software-can-compute-protein-structures-in-10-minutes/

New Holographic Light Collector Boosts Solar Panel Efficiency

https://scitechdaily.com/new-holographic-light-collector-boosts-solar-panel-efficiency/

Say goodbye to air conditioning with new roofing material

Weird but intriguing:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/air-conditioning

AI Designs Quantum Physics Experiments beyond What Any Human Has Conceived

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ai-designs-quantum-physics-experiments-beyond-what-any-human-has-conceived/

Quantum Physics Helps Break DNA and Destroy Cancer Cells

https://scitechdaily.com/quantum-physics-helps-break-dna-and-destroy-cancer-cells/

By splicing animals together, scientists have shown that young blood rejuvenates old tissues. Now, they are testing whether it works for humans.

https://www.nature.com/articles/517426a

Sunday, July 11, 2021

1,000km Cable to the Stars - The Skyhook

This should be feasible with near-future technology, and could save over 95% on fuel use for sending ships throughout the solar system:

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

Goldilocks Planets “With a Tilt” Like Earth Are More Capable of Evolving Complex Life

Fortunately, a lot of planets appear to be tilty:

https://scitechdaily.com/goldilocks-planets-with-a-tilt-like-earth-are-more-capable-of-evolving-complex-life/

Thursday, July 8, 2021

New study darkens hope for Earth-like planets

This is disappointing:

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/exoplanet-photosynthesis

Monday, July 5, 2021

World’s First Flying Car Makes 35-Minute Debut Flight

It's taken a long time, but they're coming:

https://www.snopes.com/articles/353750/worlds-first-flying-car-debut/

Growing “Metallic Wood” to New Heights: Radically Decreasing a Material’s Density Without Sacrificing Strength

"The precise spacing of these gaps not only gives metallic wood the strength of titanium at a fraction of the weight, but unique optical properties. Because the spaces between gaps are the same size as the wavelengths of visible light, the light reflecting off of metallic wood interferes to enhance specific colors."

https://scitechdaily.com/growing-metallic-wood-to-new-heights-radically-decreasing-a-materials-density-without-sacrificing-strength/

No hope for life in Venus clouds, but maybe on Jupiter, study suggests

Alas, disappointment:

https://www.space.com/venus-clouds-life-not-enough-water

The US Military Will Test an Anti-Aging Pill Next Year

I'd test this:

https://futurism.com/neoscope/military-test-antiaging-pill

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

mRNA Vaccines Can Help Fight Cancer Tumors Too – Here’s How

https://scitechdaily.com/mrna-vaccines-can-help-fight-cancer-tumors-too-heres-how/

New research could help to reverse Alzheimer’s disease

At least mice should be able to keep their minds long enough to upload to a computer!

https://www.healtheuropa.eu/new-research-could-help-to-reverse-alzheimers-disease/109593/

Missing Piece Discovered in the Puzzle of Optical Quantum Computing

https://scitechdaily.com/missing-piece-discovered-in-the-puzzle-of-optical-quantum-computing/

Monday, June 28, 2021

Surprise Discovery Suggests Scientists May Need To Rethink Which Genes Control Aging

https://scitechdaily.com/surprise-discovery-suggests-scientists-may-need-to-rethink-which-genes-control-aging/

Are We Wrong About Alzheimer’s? Researchers Question Prevailing Theory After New Discovery

https://scitechdaily.com/are-we-wrong-about-alzheimers-researchers-question-prevailing-theory-after-new-discovery/

Habitable Planets With Earth-Like Biospheres May Be Much Rarer Than Thought

This is a bummer:

https://scitechdaily.com/habitable-planets-with-earth-like-biospheres-may-be-much-rarer-than-thought/

“Nuclear Batteries” Offer a New Approach to Carbon-Free Energy

https://scitechdaily.com/nuclear-batteries-offer-a-new-approach-to-carbon-free-energy/

Friday, June 25, 2021

Why Flying Cars Could Be Here Within the Decade

About damn time!

https://singularityhub.com/2021/06/21/why-flying-cars-could-be-here-within-the-decade/

An ‘Uncrashable’ Car? Luminar Says Its Lidar Can Get There

New and improved lidar at a lower price:

https://singularityhub.com/2021/06/23/an-uncrashable-car-luminar-says-its-lidar-can-get-there/

The Four Stages of Intelligent Matter That Will Bring Us Iron Man’s ‘Endgame’ Nanosuit

https://singularityhub.com/2021/06/22/four-stages-of-intelligent-matter-that-will-bring-us-iron-mans-endgame-nanosuit/

Blood test that finds 50 types of cancer is accurate enough to be rolled out

This is huge:

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/jun/25/blood-test-that-finds-50-types-of-cancer-is-accurate-enough-to-be-rolled-out

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Pupil size surprisingly linked to differences in intelligence

This is weird and interesting:

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/pupil-size-intelligence

MIT Makes a Significant Advance Toward the Full Realization of Quantum Computation

https://scitechdaily.com/mit-makes-a-significant-advance-toward-the-full-realization-of-quantum-computation/

Using Sunlight to Alleviate Global Warming: Breakthrough in Decomposing CO2 With High Efficiency

Converting carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide isn't ideal, but it's a start:

https://scitechdaily.com/using-sunlight-to-alleviate-global-warming-breakthrough-in-decomposing-co2-with-high-efficiency/

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Scientists turn cabbage into construction material stronger than concrete

"Chinese cabbage leaves ... produced a material over three times stronger than concrete."

And many other fruits and vegetables can be similarly used:

https://www.cnet.com/news/scientists-turn-cabbage-into-construction-material-stronger-than-concrete/

High Capacity DNA Data Storage: Could All Your Digital Photos Be Stored As DNA?

"A coffee mug full of DNA could theoretically store all of the world’s data":

https://scitechdaily.com/high-capacity-dna-data-storage-could-all-your-digital-photos-be-stored-as-dna/

Friday, June 18, 2021

Quantum Breakthrough: New Invention Keeps Qubits of Light Stable at Room Temperature

https://scitechdaily.com/quantum-breakthrough-new-invention-keeps-qubits-of-light-stable-at-room-temperature/

Thursday, June 17, 2021

We're winning the war on cancer

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/were-winning-war-on-cancer

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Artificial Photosynthesis Promises Clean, Sustainable Source of Energy

"The closest process to artificial photosynthesis humans have today is photovoltaic technology, where a solar cell converts the sun’s energy into electricity. That process is famously inefficient, able to capture only about 20% of the sun’s energy. Photosynthesis, on the other hand, is radically more efficient; it is capable of storing 60% of the sun’s energy as chemical energy in associated biomolecules."

https://scitechdaily.com/artificial-photosynthesis-promises-clean-sustainable-source-of-energy/

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Photoactivatable Metabolic Warheads: Light-Sensitive Drug Acts As Trojan Horse to Kill Cancer Cells

https://scitechdaily.com/photoactivatable-metabolic-warheads-light-sensitive-drug-acts-as-trojan-horse-to-kill-cancer-cells/

Monday, June 14, 2021

Innovative Battery Technology Puts Flying Cars on the Horizon

https://scitechdaily.com/innovative-battery-technology-puts-flying-cars-on-the-horizon/

Breakthrough Understanding of Limb and Organ Regeneration – Closer to the Development of Regenerative Medicine Therapies

Growing back body parts would revolutionize medicine. Cancer in a limb? Hack it off and let it grow back. Heart disease? Install an artificial heart while your new one grows back:

https://scitechdaily.com/breakthrough-understanding-of-limb-and-organ-regeneration-closer-to-the-development-of-regenerative-medicine-therapies/

A New Era of Spaceflight? Exciting Advances in Rocket Propulsion

Just a good summary of what's available:

https://scitechdaily.com/a-new-era-of-spaceflight-exciting-advances-in-rocket-propulsion/

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

Major Scientific Leap: Quantum Microscope Created That Can See the Impossible

"The quantum entanglement in our microscope provides 35 percent improved clarity without destroying the cell, allowing us to see minute biological structures that would otherwise be invisible."

https://scitechdaily.com/major-scientific-leap-quantum-microscope-created-that-can-see-the-impossible/

Ultra-high-density hard drives made with graphene store ten times more data

Sweet!

https://phys.org/news/2021-06-ultra-high-density-hard-graphene-ten.html

Monday, June 7, 2021

F.D.A. Approves Alzheimer’s Drug Despite Fierce Debate Over Whether It Works

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/07/health/aduhelm-fda-alzheimers-drug.html

Quantum Computing and Sensing: Engineers Demonstrate a Quantum Advantage

https://scitechdaily.com/quantum-computing-and-sensing-engineers-demonstrate-a-quantum-advantage/

Scientists reprogrammed bacteria to be immune to viruses

"Cells normally only use 20 building blocks, called amino acids, to build all their proteins, but now, scientists can introduce "unnatural amino acids" for use in protein construction, which have the same basic backbone as all amino acids, but novel side chains."

https://www.livescience.com/designer-e-coli-resists-viral-infection.html

Friday, June 4, 2021

A Self-Driving Truck Got a Shipment Cross-Country 10 Hours Faster Than a Human Driver

With a general update on the state of driverless vehicles:

https://singularityhub.com/2021/06/01/a-driverless-truck-took-a-load-of-watermelons-cross-country-42-faster-than-a-human-driver/

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Revolutionary Self-Aware Materials Build the Foundation for Living Structures

https://scitechdaily.com/revolutionary-self-aware-materials-build-the-foundation-for-living-structures/

Hexagonal Boron Nitride’s Incredible Toughness Unmasked – “What We Observed … Is Remarkable!”

https://scitechdaily.com/hexagonal-boron-nitrides-incredible-toughness-unmasked-what-we-observed-is-remarkable/

Yeah, scientists just went there and came up with a faster way to create artificial DNA

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/scientists-came-up-with-a-faster-way-artificial-dna

Strategies for Constructing and Operating DNA Origami Linear Actuators

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.202007704

Trials begin on lozenge that rebuilds tooth enamel

Oh, I hope this comes to market soon:

https://dental.washington.edu/trials-begin-on-lozenge-that-rebuilds-tooth-enamel/

Monday, May 31, 2021

A Quantum Leap for Quantum Computing

https://scitechdaily.com/a-quantum-leap-for-quantum-computing/

New Transparent Electrode Developed That Boosts Solar Cell Efficiency

https://scitechdaily.com/new-transparent-electrode-developed-that-boosts-solar-cell-efficiency/

New Research Shows How to Boost Muscle Regeneration and Rebuild Tissue

https://scitechdaily.com/new-research-shows-how-to-boost-muscle-regeneration-and-rebuild-tissue/

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Batteries Not Required: The Future of the IoT (Internet of Things)

https://scitechdaily.com/batteries-not-required-the-future-of-the-iot-internet-of-things/

Airships for city hops could cut flying’s CO2 emissions by 90%

I would like to see a world where airships are the main mode of flight for relatively short hops:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/26/airships-for-city-hops-could-cut-flyings-co2-emissions-by-90

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Not Graphene: New Type of Atomically Thin Carbon Material Discovered

Very cool. More variety in molecular carbon configurations:

https://scitechdaily.com/not-graphene-new-type-of-atomically-thin-carbon-material-discovered/

Monday, May 24, 2021

Groundbreaking Research Optimizes Body’s Own Immune System to Fight Cancer

https://scitechdaily.com/groundbreaking-research-optimizes-bodys-own-immune-system-to-fight-cancer/

Incredible Microscope Sees Atoms at Record Resolution

https://scitechdaily.com/incredible-microscope-sees-atoms-at-record-resolution/

Nanotechnology Advance Enables Tinier Transistors With Extraordinary Performance

https://scitechdaily.com/nanotechnology-advance-enables-tinier-transistors-with-extraordinary-performance/

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

New Technology Makes Cancer Tumors Eliminate Themselves

https://scitechdaily.com/new-technology-makes-cancer-tumors-eliminate-themselves/

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Nobel Winner: Artificial Intelligence Will Crush Humans, “It’s Not Even Close”

This is why we will probably have to merge with our machines:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/nobel-winner-artificial-intelligence-crush-humans

Harvesting Light Like Nature Does: Synthesizing a New Class of Bio-Inspired, Light-Capturing Nanomaterials

https://scitechdaily.com/harvesting-light-like-nature-does-synthesizing-a-new-class-of-bio-inspired-light-capturing-nanomaterials/

Molecular Machines: NanoGear – Mechanics of the Infinitely Small

https://scitechdaily.com/molecular-machines-nanogear-mechanics-of-the-infinitely-small/

New Propulsion System Could Enable Flying at Speeds Up to Mach 17

Very cool:

https://scitechdaily.com/new-propulsion-system-could-enable-flying-at-speeds-up-to-mach-17/

World-First Concept for Rechargeable Cement-Based Batteries – Imagine a 20-Story Building That Stores Energy Like a Giant Battery

Still has a long way to go to store significant electricity:

https://scitechdaily.com/world-first-concept-for-rechargeable-cement-based-batteries-imagine-a-20-story-building-that-stores-energy-like-a-giant-battery/

Monday, May 17, 2021

Warp Drives and Negative Energy: Physicists Give Chances of Faster-Than-Light Space Travel a Boost

Some encouragement:

https://scitechdaily.com/warp-drives-and-negative-energy-physicists-give-chances-of-faster-than-light-space-travel-a-boost/

“Molecular Glue” Boosts Efficiency and Makes Perovskite Solar Cells Dramatically More Reliable Over Time

https://scitechdaily.com/molecular-glue-boosts-efficiency-and-makes-perovskite-solar-cells-dramatically-more-reliable-over-time/

AI Is Harder Than We Think: 4 Key Fallacies in AI Research

Unfortunate problems:

https://singularityhub.com/2021/05/06/to-advance-ai-we-need-to-better-understand-human-intelligence-and-address-these-4-fallacies/

Friday, May 14, 2021

Citrus Derivative Makes Transparent Wood 100% Renewable

Transparent wood? Now that's interesting:

https://scitechdaily.com/citrus-derivative-makes-transparent-wood-100-renewable/

A New Gene Editing Tool Could Rival CRISPR, and Makes Millions of Edits at Once

https://singularityhub.com/2021/05/11/a-new-gene-editing-tool-rivals-crispr-and-can-make-millions-of-edits-at-once/

IBM’s New Chip Technology Shows Off the Next Big Step in Moore’s Law

As long as it doesn't slow down significantly...

https://singularityhub.com/2021/05/09/ibms-next-generation-chip-tech-shows-off-next-step-in-moores-law/

Monday, May 10, 2021

Nanotechnology Breakthrough: A Material-Keyboard Made of Graphene

https://scitechdaily.com/nanotechnology-breakthrough-a-material-keyboard-made-of-graphene/

Friday, May 7, 2021

MIT: On Course to Create a Fusion Power Plant

They keep plugging along...

https://scitechdaily.com/mit-on-course-to-create-a-fusion-power-plant/

Thursday, May 6, 2021

GridScale: Storing Renewable Energy in Stones Instead of Lithium Batteries

Interesting. I'd never heard of this option before:

https://scitechdaily.com/gridscale-storing-renewable-energy-in-stones-instead-of-lithium-batteries/

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

World's 1st multinode quantum network is a breakthrough for the quantum internet

https://www.livescience.com/three-node-quantum-network.html

Friday, April 30, 2021

A New CRISPR Tool Flips Genes On and Off Like a Light Switch

Rather than destroying them, they can just be switched off, then switched on again if needed:

https://singularityhub.com/2021/04/27/a-new-crispr-tool-flips-genes-on-and-off-like-a-light-switch/

Advancing AI With a Supercomputer: A Blueprint for an Optoelectronic ‘Brain’

https://singularityhub.com/2021/04/26/the-next-supercomputer-a-blueprint-for-an-optoelectronic-brain/

The World’s Biggest AI Chip Now Comes Stock With 2.6 Trillion Transistors

It basically speeds up A.I. performance:

https://singularityhub.com/2021/04/25/the-worlds-biggest-ai-chip-now-comes-stock-with-2-6-trillion-transistors/

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Smart Glass Has a Bright Future: Daylight Steering Provide Huge Energy Savings

https://scitechdaily.com/smart-glass-has-a-bright-future-daylight-steering-provide-huge-energy-savings/

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Making Renewable Energy From Water With Nanoporous Cubic Silicon Carbide

Hydrogen can be the replacement for petroleum fuel:

https://scitechdaily.com/making-renewable-energy-from-water-with-nanoporous-cubic-silicon-carbide/

More Compact and Efficient Vertical Turbines Could Be the Future for Wind Farms

https://scitechdaily.com/more-compact-and-efficient-vertical-turbines-could-be-the-future-for-wind-farms/

Man Sighted Flying Through City on Giant Drone

Want! It would be an easy way to get down to the lake from my house:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/man-flying-giant-drone

Monday, April 26, 2021

Watch robots build houses at incredible speed. 3D printing meets AI.

All sorts of house 3D printing options:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEH4pMnpgps

How Bioenergy With Carbon Capture and Storage Could Help Stabilize the Climate Without Breaking the Bank

https://scitechdaily.com/how-bioenergy-with-carbon-capture-and-storage-could-help-stabilize-the-climate-without-breaking-the-bank/

How and Why Humans Became the Best Throwers on the Planet

Just because it's cool:

https://scitechdaily.com/how-and-why-humans-became-the-best-throwers-on-the-planet/

New Warp Drive Research Dashes Faster-Than-Light Travel Dreams—but Reveals Stranger Possibilities

Well, bummer:

https://singularityhub.com/2021/04/18/new-warp-drive-research-dashes-faster-than-light-travel-dreams-but-reveals-stranger-possibilities/

Monday, April 19, 2021

Transparent Nanolayers for More Solar Power: Silicon Solar Cells With More Than 26% Efficiency

https://scitechdaily.com/transparent-nanolayers-for-more-solar-power-silicon-solar-cells-with-more-than-26-efficiency/

The Whitest Paint Is Here & It’s the Coolest – Could Help Curb Global Warming

"Using high-accuracy temperature reading equipment called thermocouples, the researchers demonstrated outdoors that the paint can keep surfaces 19 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than their ambient surroundings at night. It can also cool surfaces 8 degrees Fahrenheit below their surroundings under strong sunlight during noon hours.

The paint’s solar reflectance is so effective, it even worked in the middle of winter. During an outdoor test with an ambient temperature of 43 degrees Fahrenheit, the paint still managed to lower the sample temperature by 18 degrees Fahrenheit."

"Cool" concept...but does that last sentence actually mean the temperature dropped well below freezing?

https://scitechdaily.com/the-whitest-paint-is-here-its-the-coolest-could-help-curb-global-warming/

Friday, April 16, 2021

This Robot Taught Itself to Walk in a Simulation—Then Went for a Stroll in Berkeley

Self-learning is the key to easy robot training:

https://singularityhub.com/2021/04/11/this-robot-taught-itself-to-walk-in-a-simulation-then-went-for-a-stroll-in-berkeley/

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

The 'Iron Man' body armour many of us may soon be wearing

"The powered suit, which is being tried out by Delta freight-handling, maintenance and ground support staff, can lift weights of up to 14st (90kg) for eight hours at a time."

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-56660644

Friday, April 9, 2021

New Type of Battery Created That Can Charge 10x Faster Than Lithium-Ion Batteries

"A battery manufactured using our polymer will charge in seconds – about ten times faster than a traditional lithium-ion battery. This has already been demonstrated through a series of experiments. However, at this stage, it is still lagging behind in terms of capacity – 30 to 40% lower than in lithium-ion batteries."

https://scitechdaily.com/new-type-of-battery-created-that-can-charge-10x-faster-than-lithium-ion-batteries/

Powerful Algorithms Used by Netflix, Amazon and Facebook Could “Crack the Language of Cancer and Alzheimer’s”

https://scitechdaily.com/powerful-algorithms-used-by-netflix-amazon-and-facebook-could-crack-the-language-of-cancer-and-alzheimers/

Genetic Engineering 2.0: An On-Off Switch for Gene Editing

“The big story here is we now have a simple tool that can silence the vast majority of genes,” says Weissman, who is also a professor of biology at MIT and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. “We can do this for multiple genes at the same time without any DNA damage, with great deal of homogeneity, and in a way that can be reversed. It’s a great tool for controlling gene expression.”

https://scitechdaily.com/genetic-engineering-2-0-an-on-off-switch-for-gene-editing/

CO2 Mitigation on Earth and Magnesium Civilization on Mars – Just Add Water

https://scitechdaily.com/co2-mitigation-on-earth-and-magnesium-civilization-on-mars-just-add-water/

Friday, April 2, 2021

How Scientists Used Ultrasound to Read Monkeys’ Minds

https://singularityhub.com/2021/03/30/how-scientists-used-ultrasound-to-read-monkeys-minds/

Thursday, April 1, 2021

Gearing Up Nanoscale Machines: Molecular-Scale Gear Trains for Transmitting Rotational Force

https://scitechdaily.com/gearing-up-nanoscale-machines-molecular-scale-gear-trains-for-transmitting-rotational-force/

Friday, March 26, 2021

U.S. pledges to slash solar energy costs by 60% in a decade

Nice!

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-solar-idUSKBN2BH2ME

New Design Could Enable Longer Lasting, More Powerful Lithium-Ion Batteries

https://scitechdaily.com/new-design-could-enable-longer-lasting-more-powerful-lithium-ion-batteries/

New Perovskite Fabrication Method for Solar Cells Paves Way to Low-Cost, Large-Scale Production

https://scitechdaily.com/new-perovskite-fabrication-method-for-solar-cells-paves-way-to-low-cost-large-scale-production/

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Alzheimer’s Patients Saw Improved Cognition and Memory With Sargramostim, a Medication Commonly Used After Chemotherapy

https://scitechdaily.com/alzheimers-patients-saw-improved-cognition-and-memory-with-sargramostim-a-medication-commonly-used-after-chemotherapy/

Big Breakthrough for “Massless” Energy Storage: Structural Battery That Performs 10x Better Than All Previous Versions

Fascinating concept:

"The batteries in today’s electric cars constitute a large part of the vehicles’ weight, without fulfilling any load-bearing function. A structural battery, on the other hand, is one that works as both a power source and as part of the structure – for example, in a car body. This is termed ‘massless’ energy storage, because in essence the battery’s weight vanishes when it becomes part of the load-bearing structure. Calculations show that this type of multifunctional battery could greatly reduce the weight of an electric vehicle."

https://scitechdaily.com/big-breakthrough-for-massless-energy-storage-structural-battery-that-performs-10x-better-than-all-previous-versions/

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Analysis Reveals Plunge in Lithium-Ion Battery Costs – Further Steep Declines Possible

Wow: "The price of Li-ion battery technologies has had a 97% price decline since 1991."

https://scitechdaily.com/analysis-reveals-plunge-in-lithium-ion-battery-costs-further-steep-declines-possible/

Monday, March 22, 2021

Worlds With Underground Oceans – Like Europa, Titan, and Enceladus – May Be More Conducive to Supporting Life Than Earth

Interesting:

https://scitechdaily.com/worlds-with-underground-oceans-like-europa-titan-and-enceladus-may-be-more-conducive-to-supporting-life-than-earth/

New Ultrafast Control Scheme for Energy-Efficient Data Storage of the Future

https://scitechdaily.com/new-ultrafast-control-scheme-for-energy-efficient-data-storage-of-the-future/

Cheaper Carbon Capture Is on the Way – Marathon Research Effort Drives Down Cost

This is critical:

https://scitechdaily.com/cheaper-carbon-capture-is-on-the-way-marathon-research-effort-drives-down-cost/

Moore's Law for Everything

An encouraging prognostication:

https://moores.samaltman.com/

Friday, March 19, 2021

Genetic Scalpel Invented for Microalgae to Efficiently Turn CO2 Into Biofuel

https://scitechdaily.com/genetic-scalpel-invented-for-microalgae-to-efficiently-turn-co2-into-biofuel/

Breakthrough Means a Sustainable, Powerful Micro-Supercapacitor May Be on the Horizon

https://scitechdaily.com/breakthrough-means-a-sustainable-powerful-micro-supercapacitor-may-be-on-the-horizon/

The first 3D-printed housing community in the US is being built in the California desert

This is a big step forward:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/18/business/california-3d-printed-neighborhood-trnd/index.html

Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Plants Would Grow Well in Solar Cell Greenhouses – Generating Electricity Without Reducing Plant Growth

Well, this solves the problem of nothing being able to grow under solar panels, which could be a big deal in huge solar farms:

https://scitechdaily.com/plants-would-grow-well-in-solar-cell-greenhouses-generating-electricity-without-reducing-plant-growth/

Climate change: Jet fuel from waste 'dramatically lowers' emissions

"The authors of the new study say the fuel cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 165% compared to fossil energy."

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56408603

Monday, March 15, 2021

Machine Learning for Virtually Unlimited Solar Cell Experiments

Machine learning will accelerate all sorts of technologies:

https://scitechdaily.com/machine-learning-for-virtually-unlimited-solar-cell-experiments/

Friday, March 12, 2021

Scientists Discover Ways of Making Old Blood New Again

Very cool potential!

"Restoring blood component regeneration process could curb disease, lengthen health span"

https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/scientists-discover-ways-of-making-old-blood-new-again

As Moore’s Law Slows, Chip Specialization Could Undermine Computing Progress

We're surely going to need a new paradigm if we want advanced nanotech and the technological singularity to happen:

https://singularityhub.com/2021/03/08/as-moores-law-slows-chip-specialization-could-undermine-computing-progress/

Thursday, March 11, 2021

Breaking the Warp Barrier for Faster-Than-Light Travel: New Theoretical Hyper-Fast Solitons Discovered

This may actually be possible?

https://scitechdaily.com/breaking-the-warp-barrier-for-faster-than-light-travel-new-theoretical-hyper-fast-solitons-discovered/

Monday, March 8, 2021

Radiative Cooling and Solar Heating From One System – No Electricity Needed

A cool energy saver:

https://scitechdaily.com/radiative-cooling-and-solar-heating-from-one-system-no-electricity-needed/

Friday, March 5, 2021

Graphene ‘Nano-Origami’ Could Take Us Past the End of Moore’s Law

https://singularityhub.com/2021/03/01/graphene-nano-origami-could-take-us-past-the-end-of-moores-law/

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Meeting the Meat Needs of the Future: Innovative Biofabrication of Beef Muscle Tissue in the Lab

Ethical meat continues to progress:

https://scitechdaily.com/meeting-the-meat-needs-of-the-future-innovative-biofabrication-of-beef-muscle-tissue-in-the-lab/

Is an electric car better for the planet?

"Only when connected to the dirtiest, coal-heavy electric grids do gasoline internal combustion engines become comparable to EVs on a greenhouse gas basis."

https://www.livescience.com/electric-cars-environment.html

Sunday, February 28, 2021

Artificial “Magnetic Texture” Induced in Graphene – May Lead to Powerful Quantum Computers

https://scitechdaily.com/artificial-magnetic-texture-induced-in-graphene-may-lead-to-powerful-quantum-computers/

How Google's hot air balloon surprised its creators

"Algorithms using artificial intelligence are discovering unexpected tricks to solve problems that astonish their developers. But it is also raising concerns about our ability to control them."

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210222-how-googles-hot-air-balloon-surprised-its-creators

Data Limits Could Vanish With New Optical Antennas and “Rings of Light”

https://scitechdaily.com/data-limits-could-vanish-with-new-optical-antennas-and-rings-of-light/

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Breakthrough Boost for Solar-Powered Fuel Made by Splitting Water

https://scitechdaily.com/breakthrough-boost-for-solar-powered-fuel-made-by-splitting-water/

US Army Is Building The World’s ‘Most Powerful’ Laser Weapon

"The new system is being designed to reach a terawatt for a short 200 femtoseconds — or one quadrillionth of a second. In that time, the UPSL would be able to vaporize a drone. On top of that, the hope is that it’ll also be able to disrupt electronic systems in its vicinity, turning it also into a functional electromagnetic pulse (EMP)."

https://www.technologytimes.pk/2021/02/24/us-army-is-building-the-worlds-most-powerful-laser-weapon/

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

New Material Breakthrough for Stable High-Voltage Long-Life Solid-State Batteries

https://scitechdaily.com/new-material-breakthrough-for-stable-high-voltage-long-life-solid-state-batteries/

Monday, February 22, 2021

Getting to Net Zero Carbon Emissions – and Even Net Negative – Is Surprisingly Feasible and Affordable

Very encouraging:

https://scitechdaily.com/getting-to-net-zero-carbon-emissions-and-even-net-negative-is-surprisingly-feasible-and-affordable/

Humans colonizing Mars? Not so fast, NASA research says

"https://academictimes.com/humans-colonizing-mars-not-so-fast-nasa-research-says/"

https://academictimes.com/humans-colonizing-mars-not-so-fast-nasa-research-says/

Friday, February 19, 2021

IBM’s New Software Will Make Quantum Programs Run 100 Times Faster

https://singularityhub.com/2021/02/15/ibms-new-software-will-make-quantum-programs-run-100-times-faster/

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Graphene “Nano-Origami” Creates Tiniest Microchips Yet – Could Make Computers and Phones Thousands of Times Faster

https://scitechdaily.com/graphene-nano-origami-creates-tiniest-microchips-yet-could-make-computers-and-phones-thousands-of-times-faster/

Monday, February 15, 2021

Terminator Salvation? New Artificial Intelligence Program to Accelerate Clean Energy Generation

Ultimately, harnessing A.I. to solve major technical hurdles is the way to go:

https://scitechdaily.com/terminator-salvation-new-artificial-intelligence-program-to-accelerate-clean-energy-generation/

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

U.S. Navy controls inventions that claim to change "fabric of reality"

Very impressive...if any of it works:

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/us-navy-inventions-change-reality

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

US-China tech war: the battle for 6G dominance

The advantages of 6G explained:

https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-war/article/3121076/us-china-tech-war-battle-6g-dominance

Monday, February 8, 2021

Next-Generation Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal Solar Technology Efficiency Limits

https://scitechdaily.com/next-generation-hybrid-photovoltaic-thermal-solar-technology-efficiency-limits/

Friday, February 5, 2021

First commercial 3D printed house in the US now on sale for $300,000

"The 3D printed home will feature over 1,400 square feet of living space, plus a 750 square foot 2 ½ car garage on a ¼ acre. This home includes 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, and features an open floor plan. Built with concrete, this home will deliver strength and durability that conventional wood-frame construction cannot match. SQ4D will be including a 50-year limited warranty on their 3D printed structures."

"At $299,999, this home is priced 50% below the cost of comparable newly-constructed homes in Riverhead, NY"

Very nice indeed.

https://www.3dprintingmedia.network/first-commercial-3d-printed-house-in-the-us-now-on-sale-for-300000/

IBM Algorithm Can Tell Who's Going to Get Alzheimer's by Reading Their Writing

It would have been nice to start this procedure many years ago:

https://futurism.com/neoscope/ibm-algorithm-alzheimers-reading-writing

New ‘Liquid’ AI Learns Continuously From Its Experience of the World

https://singularityhub.com/2021/01/31/new-liquid-ai-learns-as-it-experiences-the-world-in-real-time/

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Russia is building a futuristic combat suit it claims can stop .50 caliber bullets

Seriously impressive if true:

https://taskandpurpose.com/military-tech/russia-sotnik-combat-armor-development/

Spot's Got an Arm!

Keeps getting more and more useful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zbhvaac68Y&feature=emb_logo

Friday, January 29, 2021

Technological Breakthrough Allows Seamless Conversion of Ammonia to Green Hydrogen

A good idea, since the ammonia distribution system is already in place for other reasons:

https://scitechdaily.com/technological-breakthrough-allows-seamless-conversion-of-ammonia-to-green-hydrogen/

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Game-Changer in Future Solar Technology: New Perovskite Solar Modules With Greater Size, Power and Stability

https://scitechdaily.com/game-changer-in-future-solar-technology-new-perovskite-solar-modules-with-greater-size-power-and-stability/

High Efficiency at Low Cost: New Catalyst Moves Seawater Desalination, Hydrogen Production Closer to Commercialization

https://scitechdaily.com/high-efficiency-at-low-cost-new-catalyst-moves-seawater-desalination-hydrogen-production-closer-to-commercialization/

Navy "UFO Patent" Documents Talk Of "Spacetime Modification Weapon," Detail Experimental Testing

Well yikes:

"The materials even include mention of a "Spacetime Modification Weapon (SMW- a weapon that can make the Hydrogen bomb seem more like a firecracker, in comparison)."

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/38937/navy-ufo-patent-documents-talk-of-spacetime-modification-weapon-detail-experimental-testing