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

The Coming Age of Genetic Therapy

A reminder how quickly editing genetics is coming along:

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/daylightatheism/2019/06/the-coming-age-of-genetic-therapy/

California Man Becomes the First ‘Death With Dignity’ Patient to Undergo Cryonic Preservation

This is a very helpful step:

https://gizmodo.com/california-man-becomes-the-first-death-with-dignity-p-1831652934

How Will Cultured Meat and Meat Alternatives Disrupt the Agricultural and Food Industry?

Lots of good details here:

https://www.atkearney.com/retail/article/?/a/how-will-cultured-meat-and-meat-alternatives-disrupt-the-agricultural-and-food-industry

America's renewable energy capacity is now greater than coal

Yes!

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/11/business/renewable-energy-coal-capacity/index.html

Upgrade Your Memory With a Surgically Implanted Chip

An interesting option for aging brains:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-10/upgrade-your-memory-with-a-surgically-implanted-chip

Yeah, Young Blood Transfusions Do Seem to Fight Aging

Damn, I sold my van and my candy. Now how am I supposed to get me some young-blooded young-uns?

https://futurism.com/the-byte/young-blood-transfusions-fight-aging

Zapping Elderly People’s Brains Supercharges Their Working Memory

Electrifying. I would get a charge out of this:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/zapping-brains-elderly-working-memory

This Tank-Like Machine Gun Robot Is Straight out Of "Terminator"

When Skynet comes online, its soldiers will be waiting:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/tank-robot-terminator

Renewable Energy Costs Take Another Tumble, Making Fossil Fuels Look More Expensive Than Ever

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dominicdudley/2019/05/29/renewable-energy-costs-tumble/#23ebd949e8ce

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Flying Car Has a Range of 400 Miles

A shuttlecraft! I want one!

https://futurism.com/the-byte/hydrogen-fuel-cell-flying-car

Unsettling Sex Robot Looks Almost Exactly Like a Real Person

They're getting there...

https://futurism.com/the-byte/sex-robot-real-person-video

One lucky destroyer crew will officially be the first to rock the Navy's newest laser weapon

https://taskandpurpose.com/uss-preble-laser-weapon-system

Driverless Cars Are 90% Here. Another 90% Is Left to Go.

Well, this is disheartening:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/driverless-cars-are-90-here-theres-another-90-left-to-go-11558717322

‘Protein Coat’ Makes Viruses More Infectious, Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

Another hopeful path to a cure:

https://scitechdaily.com/protein-coat-makes-viruses-more-infectious-linked-to-alzheimers-disease/

Scientists 'Clear' Alzheimer's Plaque From Mice Using Only Light And Sound

A surprisingly effective treatment...in mice:

https://www.sciencealert.com/astonishing-new-study-treats-alzheimer-s-in-mice-with-a-light-and-sound-show

A.I. can now create fake videos of people from a single picture

Deep fakes are getting even more sophisticated and easy to create:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/new-ai-can-create-fake-videos-of-people-from-a-single-picture

That Mona Lisa is impressive!

The Race Is On to Build a Better Battery

The various pathways being pursued:

http://fortune.com/longform/race-build-better-battery/

The Government Is Serious About Creating Mind-Controlled Weapons

Vaporware so far, but still:

https://www.livescience.com/65546-darpa-mind-controlled-weapons.html

Ford might have out-creeped Boston Dynamics with a 2-legged delivery robot

https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-reveals-autonomous-delivery-robot-digit-2019-5

We Have No Idea What Having Sex With Robots Might Do to Us

I'm pretty sure sex with robots will be no problem, but here are some concerns:

https://futurism.com/sex-robots-health

Report: Tesla Autopilot “Far Less Competent” Than Human Driver

Well this is disappointing news:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-autopilot-less-competent

Electron Beam Manipulates Atoms One at a Time

Could this be used to build the first practical replicator/assembler?

https://scitechdaily.com/electron-beam-manipulates-atoms-one-at-a-time/

Plant-based burger maker Impossible Foods is debuting its second product — meatless sausage crumbles — on Little Caesars pizza

And here's the next new fake meat that should taste real:

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-am-74073df9-5836-4a06-9eff-ce37006939ee.html?chunk=9&utm_term=emshare#story9

Artificial Intelligence Accelerates Development of Limitless Fusion Energy

A.I. was always promised to be the accelerator of the Singularity, so this shouldn't be surprising:

https://scitechdaily.com/artificial-intelligence-accelerates-development-of-limitless-fusion-energy/

The quest for Alzheimer's drugs

The quest for a cure isn't going well:

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-deep-dives-614fb345-39c1-4c93-8a5c-88769ec9c25b.html?chunk=2&utm_term=emshare#story2

Deep fake Faux Rogan

Deep fake voices have almost been perfected. Here is a test to see whether you can tell the difference between real and fake Joe Rogan:

http://fakejoerogan.com/

It's not too hard to tell the real voices if you pay attention to inflection and emotion...but the fakes are harder to spot.

The Lilium Jet five seater all-electric air taxi

We're almost there!

https://lilium.com/newsroom-detail/lilium-reveals-new-air-taxi-as-it-celebrates-maiden-flight

And see the video of it in action here:

https://youtu.be/8qotuu8JjQM

Dynetics-Lockheed team beats out Raytheon to build 100-kilowatt laser weapon

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2019/05/16/dynetics-lockheed-team-beats-out-raytheon-to-build-100-kilowatt-laser-weapon/

US Army exoskeletons: which companies are designing military suits?

A summary of what's been and is being developed:

https://defence.nridigital.com/global_defence_technology_apr19/military_exoskeletons_the_next_phase

Drugs That Kill “Zombie Cells” Could Prevent Aging

A highly encouraging discovery:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/drugs-kill-zombie-cells-prevent-aging

IHMC Atlas Autonomous Path Planning Across Narrow Terrain

Robots are getting more and more adroit (get it?):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=popvnHUu3uU&feature=youtu.be

Another Gravity Industries Iron Man Suit Test Flight

I'd love to try this out:

https://youtu.be/hla5u3JgNjc

Avoiding the AI weapons race

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-future-ff9a6c85-71d2-4077-a083-671f1152e1af.html?chunk=0&utm_term=emshare#story0

Massive 10-Petawatt Laser Can Vaporize Matter

Wow:

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/290863-massive-10-petawatt-laser-can-vaporize-matter?source=Extreme

Graphene aerogel sponge promises battery boost

Lithium sulfur batteries are improving in the number of recharge cycles, which has been their weakness:

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2019/5/3/graphene-aerogel-sponge-promises-battery-boost

AI Is About to Completely Change the Face of Entertainment

We have a lot to look forward to:

https://singularityhub.com/2019/05/03/ai-is-about-to-completely-change-the-face-of-entertainment/#sm.0001p9abvhotbf0jwc02kzluw8213

Could Herpes Viruses Play a Role in Alzheimer's? New Study Backs Theory

Hard to avoid herpes:

https://www.livescience.com/62883-herpes-viruses-alzheimers.html

The Challenge of Abundance: Boredom, Meaning, and the Struggle of Mental Freedom

A philosophical look at the consequences of abundance:

https://singularityhub.com/2019/05/05/the-challenge-of-abundance-boredom-meaning-and-the-struggle-of-mental-freedom/#sm.0001p9abvhotbf0jwc02kzluw8213

Machine set to see if lithium can help bring fusion to Earth

https://phys.org/news/2019-05-machine-lithium-fusion-earth.html

Of course...now we're running low on lithium....

What if Air Conditioners Could Help Save the Planet Instead of Destroying It?

Great idea:

https://www.wired.com/story/what-if-air-conditioners-could-help-save-the-planet/

The UK’s New “Dragonfire” Laser Weapon Is Weirdly Steampunk

What happens if the flywheel housing is hit?

https://futurism.com/uk-laser-weapon-dragonfire-energy-flywheel

New cancer ‘vaccine’ helps immune system find, kill disease

"We inject one tumor and we see all of the other tumors just melt away."

https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/cancer-vaccine

America is running out of Impossible Burgers

I don't know whether I should post this under my Political Venom blog, Die Slower blog or this blog, since there's a lot of overlap, really. But it's nice to see meatless meat catching on so well:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/30/business/impossible-meat-shortage/index.html

America's renewable energy set to surpass coal for the first month ever

Woot!

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/29/business/renewable-energy-coal-solar/index.html

DARPA is Eyeing a High-Tech Contact Lens Straight Out of 'Mission: Impossible'

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/darpa-eyeing-high-tech-contact-lens-straight-out-mission-impossible-54617

Fusion power start-ups go small in effort to bring commercial reactors to life

One of these days, damn it!

https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/fusion-power-start-ups-go-small-effort-bring-commercial-reactors-ncna998451

Burger King's Meatless 'Impossible Whopper' Is Going Nationwide

Meatless meat continues to spread (that sounds wrong, but whatever):

http://time.com/5579687/burger-king-impossible-burger-whopper/

Marc Raibert shows off a close-to-production Spot Mini

Highly versatile robot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBt2aTjCNmI&feature=youtu.be

Futuristic inventions and emerging technologies that will change the world

Light on details, but topics to keep an eye on:

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/future-inventions?rebelltitem=9#rebelltitem9

Scientists Take a Step Toward Decoding Speech from the Brain

This likely could be easily modified to allow what amounts to functional telepathy between people over any distance!

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-take-a-step-toward-decoding-speech-from-the-brain/

Ticklish Robot Interacts with Crowd

A useless robot, but its movements are fast and fluid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMfHMmHhA3w&feature=youtu.be

New aircraft rises 'like a balloon'

Cool concept:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-48013519

Scientists: New Device Appears to Defy the Laws of Thermodynamics

Some seriously odd science here:

https://futurism.com/device-defy-laws-thermodynamics

This Quantum Computer Can See the Future — All 16 of Them

https://www.livescience.com/65271-quantum-computer-sees-16-futures.html

Electric Car Price Tag Shrinks Along With Battery Cost

Parity with ICE vehicles could happen in 2020?

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/opinion/articles/2019-04-12/electric-vehicle-battery-shrinks-and-so-does-the-total-cost

Delivering cancer chemotherapy when and where doctors desire

A better way to kill cancer cells:

https://nano-magazine.com/news/2019/4/18/delivering-cancer-chemotherapy-when-and-where-doctors-desire

Scientists Generated Nuclear Fusion With a Tabletop Device

Well, if they can make anything practical out of this, it would change the world:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-nuclear-fusion-device-smaller

The US Has Officially Started Using CRISPR on Humans

And now it begins!

https://futurism.com/the-byte/us-human-crispr-cancer-patients

The Tangled Web of Turning Spider Silk Into a Super Material

https://singularityhub.com/2019/04/11/the-tangled-web-of-turning-spider-silk-into-a-super-material/

Are we living in a computer simulation? I don’t know. Probably.

A good explanation of the concepts:

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/10/18275618/simulation-hypothesis-matrix-rizwan-virk

NASA 360 Presents - From Science Fiction to Science Fact

The visions of NIAC:

https://youtu.be/1cXrpSdcTEg

Scientists Say New Quantum Material Could "'Download' Your Brain"

A path to uploading a brain?

https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-quantum-material-download-brain

Tesla Says Autopilot Is Statistically Safer Than a Human Driver

If so...then the time has come:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-safety-autopilot-safer-human

Chinese Scientists Gene-Hacked Super Smart Human-Monkey Hybrids

Okay, here we go....

https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-scientists-super-monkeys-human-brain-genes

The problem with automation

Automation is evidently not creating more jobs than it's destroying:

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-future-465ec948-f0e0-4532-8f75-54945eeed331.html