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/