As Graphene Turns 15, It Is on Track to Deliver on Its Promises

Looking forward to it. It should change the world:

https://scitechdaily.com/as-graphene-turns-15-it-is-on-track-to-deliver-on-its-promises/

Kitty Hawk's Extremely Quiet Flying Car Has a 100-Mile Range

100x quieter than a helicopter. Very cool indeed:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/kitty-hawk-flying-car-heaviside

Paralysed man moves in mind-reading exoskeleton

The early beginning of proper bionics?

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-49907356

AI bests humans in medical diagnosis

And A.I. surpasses humans yet again:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/ai-bests-humans-medical-diagnosis?rebelltitem=1

A floating device created to clean up plastic from the ocean is finally doing its job, organizers say

Finally!

"Ocean Cleanup plans to build a fleet of these devices, and predicts it will be able to reduce the size of the patch by half every five years."

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/02/tech/ocean-cleanup-catching-plastic-scn-trnd/index.html

Algae might be a secret weapon to combatting climate change

Algea is FAR more efficient at absorbing CO2 than trees are:

https://qz.com/1718988/algae-might-be-a-secret-weapon-to-combatting-climate-change/

Some Black Holes May Actually Be Blobs of Dark Energy

Bizarre and unexpected:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/black-holes-dark-energy

NASA Designing Advanced Shapeshifting Robots for Saturn’s Moons

Impressive versatility here:

https://scitechdaily.com/nasa-designing-advanced-shapeshifting-robots-for-saturns-moons-video/

US Soldiers Could Receive Night Vision Eye Injections

They can call it "iSight":

https://futurism.com/the-byte/soldiers-night-vision-eye-injections

Watch Boston Dynamics’ Humanoid Nail a Tricky Gymnastics Routine

It seems like only a year or two ago Atlas was just walking. My, how fast they grow up:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/boston-dynamics-humanoid-gymnastics-routine

"First they came for Simone Biles, and I did not speak out because I was not a gymnast...."

The coming collapse of the industrial livestock industry

The end of factory farming and the vast majority of the meat industry may be 10-15 years away:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/livestock-disruption?rebelltitem=5

Immunity Against Cancer? Engineered Killer T Cells May Be the Key.

I could use a dose of this:

https://scitechdaily.com/immunity-against-cancer-engineered-killer-t-cells-may-be-the-key/

Bypassing Moore’s Law With High-Speed Photonic Computers

Another possible way to continue with Moore's Law:

https://scitechdaily.com/bypassing-moores-law-with-high-speed-photonic-computers/

Google Says It's Achieved Quantum Supremacy, a World-First

Impressive if true: "the company’s quantum processor can perform a calculation “in three minutes and 20 seconds that would take today’s most advanced classical computer, known as Summit, approximately 10,000 years”":

https://gizmodo.com/google-says-its-achieved-quantum-supremacy-a-world-fir-1838299829

A New Bioreactor Captures as Much Carbon as an Acre of Trees

Promising, but it needs to be scaled WAY up:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/bioreactor-captures-carbon-acre-trees

New Material – 14x Stronger & 8x Lighter Than Steel – May Lead to Next-Gen Military Armor

Surely the civilian applications should dwarf the military applications?

https://scitechdaily.com/new-material-14x-stronger-8x-lighter-than-steel-may-lead-to-next-gen-military-armor/

Watch This Flying Taxi Soar Over a German City

I think we'll see a lot of these before long:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/flying-taxi-volocopter-flight-german-city

Amazing New Material Combines Wood Fibers and Spider Silk

A potential strong and resilient biodegradable replacement for plastic:

https://scitechdaily.com/amazing-new-material-combines-wood-fibers-and-spider-silk/

Stanford Researchers Discover a New Route to Carbon-Neutral Fuels From Carbon Dioxide

Perhaps a good stopgap method:

https://scitechdaily.com/stanford-researchers-discover-a-new-route-to-carbon-neutral-fuels-from-carbon-dioxide/

Scientists propose ‘Spaceline’ elevator to the Moon

An elevator from the Moon (almost) to Earth might be done for a mere few billions of dollars:

https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/12/scientists-propose-spaceline-elevator-to-the-moon/

The world needs carbon-neutral flying. Here’s how to bring it one step closer

Sustainable fuels:

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/carbon-neutral-flying/

Low-Cost Device Generates Electricity Naturally in the Dark

Solar power is so yesterday. Dark power is the next big thing:

https://scitechdaily.com/low-cost-device-generates-electricity-naturally-in-the-dark/

Electric vehicles won't save us from climate change

This is not encouraging, but it also doesn't take into account advancing technologies:

https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/460496-electric-vehicles-wont-save-us-from-climate-change

Why This Earth-Like Planet is a Big Step Forward in the Search for Life

The best chance for extraterrestrial life yet:

https://time.com/5674014/life-exoplanet-k2-18b/

Using a DNA Construction Kit to Replace Expensive Antibody Medication

This could cut costs drastically:

https://scitechdaily.com/using-a-dna-construction-kit-to-replace-expensive-antibody-medication/

Reprogrammable Ink That Lets Objects Change Colors Like a Chameleon

Just because it's cool:

https://scitechdaily.com/reprogrammable-ink-that-lets-objects-change-colors-like-a-chameleon-video/

Tesla Researcher Says New Battery Could Last One Million Miles

That would be a huge help for solar storage too:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-new-battery-last-one-million-miles

What did Earth look like ______ years ago?

This is just a very cool way to view the world over the past up to 750 million years, and to see where the place you live used to be:

http://dinosaurpictures.org/ancient-earth#0

In One-Year Study, Drug Cocktail Appears To Reverse “Genetic Age”

Very exciting prospect:

https://futurism.com/neoscope/study-drug-cocktail-reverse-genetic-age

The end of anonymity

It seems David Brin's "The Transparent Society" is coming to be:

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-deep-dives-54d9b1ac-c774-4f8f-bbca-a750039f4563.html?chunk=0&utm_term=emshare#story0

If Will Smith had said yes to 'The Matrix' instead of Keanue Reeves

Deep fakes are getting better and better:

https://youtu.be/1h-yy3h1u04

Catalytic Reactor Turns Greenhouse Gas Into Pure Liquid Fuel

This sounds promising, although CO2 is the byproduct of the fuel use:

https://scitechdaily.com/catalytic-reactor-turns-greenhouse-gas-into-pure-liquid-fuel/

Aristo A.I. scores ‘A’ on 8th-grade science test

A.I. is rapidly catching up in yet another field:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/aristo-ai-test

We're One Step Closer to a Blood Test that Predicts When a Person Will Die

Interesting concept:

https://time.com/5656767/blood-test-longevity/

Lab-Made Mini Brains Produce Brain Waves Just Like Those of Preterm Babies

Sounds like a good analog for testing brain modifications and treatments:

https://www.livescience.com/mini-lab-brains-produce-waves.html

Advanced Microprocessor Built Out of Carbon Nanotubes

This is a huge advance in using nanotechnology in computers:

https://scitechdaily.com/advanced-microprocessor-built-out-of-carbon-nanotubes/

Quantum Gravity Could Reverse Cause and Effect

More from the bizarre world of quantum mechanics:

https://www.livescience.com/quantum-gravity-could-scramble-cause-and-effect.html

These Researchers Want to Run a Cable From the Earth to the Moon

I'm familiar with the space elevator concept and how it wouldn't work for Earth, but this "partial" space elevator system just might work:

https://futurism.com/scientists-cable-earth-moon

Nanoparticles Grant Superpower: Infrared Night Vision

It would make it hard for people who can't sleep with the lights on:

https://scitechdaily.com/nanoparticles-grant-superpower-infrared-night-vision/

KFC partners with Beyond Meat to test plant-based nuggets, wings

Great to see this trend continuing:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yum-brands-beyond-meat/kfc-partners-with-beyond-meat-to-test-plant-based-nuggets-wings-idUSKCN1VG1CG

Physicists Create World’s Smallest Engine – 10 Billion Times Smaller Than a Car Engine

A component of nanotech!

https://scitechdaily.com/physicists-create-worlds-smallest-engine-10-billion-times-smaller-than-a-car-engine/

Why self-driving car companies are spilling their secrets

Interesting cooperation:

https://www.axios.com/why-av-companies-spilling-secrets-1fab42a4-6e22-4269-8bf8-42b4886d093b.html

Complex Quantum Teleportation Achieved for the First Time

Another advance toward quantum computing:

https://scitechdaily.com/complex-quantum-teleportation-achieved-for-the-first-time/

Bioprinting Complex Living Tissue in Just a Few Seconds

Impressive step forward in creating replacement organs and bones:

https://scitechdaily.com/bioprinting-complex-living-tissue-in-just-a-few-seconds-video/

An Artificial Intelligence Program Just Beat 5 Poker Professionals in a Texas Hold'em Tournament casino theme, poker game, aces casino

A.I. keeps getting better and better over humans:

https://time.com/5624968/facebook-ai-beats-professional-cardplayers/

AI hubris

A.I. research may be insufficiently diverse in its focus:

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-future-8fd2e463-177d-4dfb-b81f-2477f21ba3f8.html?chunk=0&utm_term=emshare#story0

Astronomers Create 8 Million Baby Universes Inside a Computer and Watch Them Grow. Here's What They Learned.

Cool experiment:

https://www.livescience.com/universe-machine-probes-dark-matter.html

Seeking Big A.I. Advances, a Startup Turns to a Huge Computer Chip

"Cerebras’s chip is fifty-seven times the size of the leading chip from Nvidia, the “V100,” which dominates today’s A.I. And it has more memory circuits than have ever been put on a chip: 18 gigabytes, which is 3,000 times as much as the Nvidia part."

https://fortune.com/2019/08/19/ai-artificial-intelligence-cerebras-wafer-scale-chip/?fbclid=IwAR2K88MPSs20qHdBVq3RztyYWP4mDKJKpkr_CyhGIH2KUlhGE81-v0jSp9A

The end of the world: a history of how a silent cosmos led humans to fear the worst

Just an interesting exploration of the zeitgeist of the perceived existence of extraterrestrials throughout history:

https://theconversation.com/the-end-of-the-world-a-history-of-how-a-silent-cosmos-led-humans-to-fear-the-worst-120193

MIT Scientists Achieve New Breakthrough in Alzheimer’s Research

Very promising:

https://scitechdaily.com/mit-scientists-achieve-new-breakthrough-in-alzheimers-research/

The robots are coming — but take a breath

Another person thinking very near term, not keeping in mind that once A.I. supersedes ALL areas of human intelligence, there will likely be no jobs for humans:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/automation-robot-jobs?rebelltitem=2

Report: The World’s First Solar Road is an Absolute Disaster

Bummer but no surprise, unfortunately:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/worlds-first-solar-road-disaster

Physicist advances a radical theory of gravity

The nice thing is it doesn't need dark matter:

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/physicist-radical-theory-of-gravity

Engineers Create Smart Robodog With AI Brain

An effective robot dog isn't too far away:

https://scitechdaily.com/engineers-create-smart-robodog-with-ai-brain/

Most Accurate Estimate of Earth-Like Planets Around Sun-Like Stars

"Based on their simulations, the researchers estimate that planets very close to Earth in size, from three-quarters to one-and-a-half times the size of earth, with orbital periods ranging from 237 to 500 days, occur around approximately one in four stars. Importantly, their model quantifies the uncertainty in that estimate. They recommend that future planet-finding missions plan for a true rate that ranges from as low about one planet for every 33 stars to as high as nearly one planet for every two stars."

https://scitechdaily.com/most-accurate-estimate-of-earth-like-planets-around-sun-like-stars/

‘MacGyver’ Robot Can Build Own Tools By Assessing Supplies

A.I. is getting quite clever:

https://scitechdaily.com/macgyver-robot-can-build-own-tools-by-assessing-supplies/

Israeli scientists develop nano-vaccine against melanoma

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2019/8/6/israeli-scientists-develop-nano-vaccine-against-melanoma?

CRISPR Gene Editing Is Being Tested in Human Patients, and the Results Could Revolutionize Health Care

If there are no serious side effects, this therapy could change everything:

https://time.com/5642755/crispr-gene-editing-humans/

There’s No Fire Alarm for Artificial General Intelligence

A bit rambling, but makes the point that technological advancements that are expected to take forever can just suddenly become available, so better prepare in advance:

https://intelligence.org/2017/10/13/fire-alarm/

CGI faces will soon be indistinguishable from real ones. Here’s how

Avatars are about to get "realer":

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/cubic-motion-scanning-technology/

French ‘bird-man’ Franky Zapata successfully crosses English Channel on flyboard

Another milestone in personal aircraft performance:

https://abcnews.go.com/International/french-bird-man-franky-zapata-successfully-crosses-english/story?id=64763747

New Blood Test Could Detect Alzheimer's 20 Years Before Symptoms

This could be critical:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/alzheimers-blood-test-20-years-early

A solar-powered system can turn salt water into fresh drinking water for 25,000 people per day

This is a game-changer:

https://www.businessinsider.com/solar-powered-device-turns-salt-water-into-fresh-drinking-water-2019-7

$500,000 for a solar-powered plant to supply 25,000 people daily with almost 20,000 gallons of fresh water made from seawater. That's just a $20 per person one-time expense. Wait...but that's less than a gallon daily per person. Not enough for Americans, who use an average high of 100 gallons daily. So we would spend $2,500 per person for the same plant. But the plant price is supposed to drop to $100,000, so $500 per American. Not bad.

Quantum Darwinism, which may explain our reality, passes tests

Trippy:

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/quantum-mechanics-which-may-explain-our-reality-passes-tests?rebelltitem=2

Watch a SpaceX Rocket Generate 2 Sonic Booms and Land in This Amazing Video

Very cool video:

https://www.space.com/spacex-falcon-9-rocket-breaks-sound-barrier-crs-18-video.html

Is The Movement To Eat Less Meat Actually Making A Difference?

Yes:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/eat-less-meat-environmental-effect_l_5d39d84fe4b020cd99501f2d

Scientist have made a contact lens that lets you zoom in by blinking

That would have been science fiction mere weeks ago:

https://thenextweb.com/science/2019/07/29/scientist-have-made-a-contact-lens-that-lets-you-zoom-in-by-blinking/

Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time

I love seeing these milestones passed:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/25/us/texas-wind-energy-trnd/index.html

The tricky business of improving human brains

Science fiction creeps ever closer to science fact:

https://www.axios.com/neurotechnology-improving-brains-98fb08e8-7ab6-405a-a575-3f24e2e6994c.html

Scientists Have Created a Prosthetic Arm That Lets Patients Feel Touch Again

Feeling bionics, an important step:

https://gizmodo.com/scientists-have-created-a-prosthetic-arm-that-lets-pati-1836669048

Mind-Bending “Quantum Darwinism” Theory Passes Experimental Tests

A possible way to reconcile quantum mechanics with general relativity:

https://futurism.com/quantum-darwinism-theory-experimental-tests

The Human Brain Project Hasn’t Lived Up to Its Promise

R.I.P.:

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/ten-years-human-brain-project-simulation-markram-ted-talk/594493/

Kenya launches Africa's largest wind farm

At least Obama's birthplace gets it. ;-)

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/kenya-wind-farm

Taking the sting out: Australian gene editing is crossing the pain threshold

This is pretty incredible:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/21/taking-the-sting-out-australian-gene-editing-is-crossing-the-pain-threshold

A Finnish company is making food out of thin air

This is likely the most sustainable, eco-friendly food one can make:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/protein-from-air

Forget Qubits — Scientists Just Built a Quantum Gate With Qudits

I'd never heard of qudits (with a D, not a B) before this:

https://futurism.com/forget-qubits-quantum-scientists-building-qudits

New Super-Charged Treatment Boosts T-Cell Therapy

This is really promising for defeating cancer:

https://scitechdaily.com/new-super-charged-treatment-boosts-t-cell-therapy/

Headed to Mars? Pack Some Aerogel—You Know, for Terraforming

An interesting midway solution:

https://www.wired.com/story/headed-to-mars-pack-some-aerogelyou-know-for-terraforming/

An Artificial Intelligence Program Just Beat 5 Poker Professionals In a Texas Hold'em Tournament

A.I. can now bluff? Or notice bluffing? Or is bluffing irrelevant?

https://time.com/5624968/facebook-ai-beats-professional-cardplayers/

Apparently, it can indeed bluff:

https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/11/20690078/ai-poker-pluribus-facebook-cmu-texas-hold-em-six-player-no-limit

Engineers develop chip that converts wasted heat to usable energy

Cool systems down while generating electricity:

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2019/7/10/engineers-develop-chip-that-converts-wasted-heat-to-usable-energy

7 new things we’ve learned about the brain

Just some interesting discoveries:

https://bigthink.com/mind-brain/brain

Getting more heat out of sunlight

Another interesting use for aerogel:

http://news.mit.edu/2019/aerogel-passive-heat-sunlight-0702

It seems to me that if it can easily generate over 200 degree C temperatures, that can be used to generate power with a steam turbine engine. So solar power could provide hot water, home heating and electricity, all without a single solar cell.

At U.S. Gov’t Lab, Scientists Hope To Open A Portal To A Parallel Universe

Science fiction coming true...at least on the very, very small scale:

https://mavenroundtable.io/theintellectualist/science/at-u-s-gov-t-lab-scientists-hope-to-open-a-portal-to-a-parallel-universe-yH8tcXWDrkiez9HSKYn7YA/

Planting a Trillion Trees May Be the Best Way to Fight Climate Change, Study Says

This would be a force multiplier for habitat restoration, too:

https://time.com/5620706/plant-trillion-trees-climate-change/

A tiny tweak in California law is creating a strange thing: carbon-negative oil

This could actually reverse climate change:

https://qz.com/1638096/the-story-behind-the-worlds-first-large-direct-air-capture-plant/

For first time, U.S. renewable energies surpass coal

Only briefly due to the season, but it's a milestone:

https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/renewables-coal

Researchers say they’re closer to finding cure for HIV after using CRISPR technology to eliminate disease in live mice for the first time

This could be a huge breakthrough. More rawdogging it! Woot!

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/02/researchers-used-crispr-technology-to-cure-hiv-in-living-mice.html

World’s Smallest MRI Machine Means We Can Now Scan Individual Atoms

Not sure where this will lead, really, but cool nevertheless:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/worlds-smallest-mri-scans-individual-atoms

U.S. Army to deploy tiny helicopter drones in Afghanistan

I can imagine this being a HUGE advantage:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/tiny-military-drones

The long-range electrics have arrived

Quite a few models available!

https://pluginamerica.org/the-long-range-electrics-have-arrived/

Jet Engines Strapped to Feet Going 103.4 MPH!

I keep thinking this is a hoax, but Snopes says it isn't:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kB-BGMXxZc&feature=youtu.be

Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/jet-powered-flight-feet/

Making graphene from gum trees

"The new method could reduce the cost of production from $USD100 per gram to a staggering $USD0.5 per gram."

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2019/6/24/making-graphene-from-gum-trees

Cryonics

A good primer on the cryonics movement:

https://qz.com/emails/quartz-obsession/1651411/

Could an Injection of Dead Cells Help Fight Cancer?

A bit gross but if it works...

https://www.livescience.com/65768-dying-cells-injection-cancer.html

Forget Moore's Law — Quantum Computers Are Improving According to a Spooky 'Doubly Exponential Rate

Oh, I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes:

https://www.livescience.com/65651-quantum-computers-get-scary-fast.html

Here's how to prove that you are a simulation and nothing is real

The computing power he talks about could be MUCH lower than he estimated, since really only YOU need to be a simulated consciousness. Everyone else could be non-sentient characters that are run only when you encounter them. Other countries and their populations need not be simulated at all if you never go there, and presumably your programmer could interfere with your desire or ability to go there. Suddenly the simulation becomes MUCH simpler:

https://bigthink.com/mind-brain/are-we-living-in-a-simulation?rebelltitem=7#rebelltitem7

Astronomers have found two new planets that could potentially support life

Closer and closer to finding extraterrestrial life:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/us/planets-life-habitable-space-nearby-star-trnd/index.html

This Robot Artist Just Became the First to Stage a Solo Exhibition. What Does That Say About Creativity?

We're not there yet, but I do like some of the artwork:

https://time.com/5607191/robot-artist-ai-da-artificial-intelligence-creativity/

Scientists Develop New Laser That Can Find and Destroy Cancer Cells in the Blood

Promising:

https://www.livescience.com/65723-laser-find-destroy-cancer-cells.html

Boston Dynamics: New Robots Now Fight Back

I just had to post this :-) :

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

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCuG-KJacp8