Category Archives: Futurism

In BriefAstrophysicists have discovered a probable Earth-likeexoplanet that is 23 light-years closer than the Trappist-1 system.It has sparked new hope for finding extraterrestrial life in theuniverse. Hope for Exoplanets

Last year, the Trappist-1 system was discovered, and it reignitedhumanitys hope of finding planets that could one day (or currently) sustain life. Butthere has been much debate over the probability that planets within that system, which is located 39 light-years away,could hold life as we know it. While Trappist planets might fall within what is known as the habitable zone, other factors, such as the factthat they orbit a red dwarf, might make them less prone to sustaining life than initially thought.

This uncertainty might get you down until you read that astrophysicistsat the University of Texas at Arlington(UTA) have predicted the existence of a much closer planet that is Earth-like in nature. Published as Dynamics of a probable Earth-Like Planet in the GJ 832 System in The Astrophysical Journal, this planet is only 16 light-years away, within the star system Gliese 832, and it appears to be both stable and Earth-like.

Lead author Suman Satyal, UTA physics researcher, stated in an UTA press release that, According to our calculations, this hypothetical alien world would probably have a mass between 1 to 15 Earths masses.

This is an important breakthrough demonstrating the possible existence of a potential new planet orbiting a star close to our own, UTA Physics Chair Alexander Weiss said in the press release.The fact that Dr. Satyal was able to demonstrate that the planet could maintain a stable orbit in the habitable zone of a red dwarf for more than 1 billion years is extremely impressive and demonstrates the world class capabilities of our departments astrophysics group.

According to Satyal, The existence of this possible planet is supported by long-term orbital stability of the system, orbital dynamics and the synthetic radial velocity signal analysisAt the same time, a significantly large number of radial velocity observations, transit method studies, as well as direct imaging are still needed to confirm the presence of possible new planets in the Gliese 832 system.

So, it is not yet 100 percent certain that this unicorn of a planet exists. However, these predictions are strongly supported by evidence garnered by the research group. But what could this mean if and when these scientists prove the existence of such a planet?

Technologies which allow us to explore further and further into the cosmos continue to develop. From SpaceXs advances to the Breakthrough Initiatives, it is becoming ever-more possible to reach previously unseen corners of the universe. Now, Mars is only an average of 12.5 light-minutes from Earth, so 16 light-years might seem like an unconquerable distance.

However, compared to the distances of other promising exoplanets, this could be one of the best shots we have to survey and study an exoplanet that fits many habitable criteria. The exploration of the universe is a never-ending journey that will only continue to further our knowledge and curiosity.

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Astrophysicists Believe They've Found Another Earth-Like Planet in ... - Futurism

In Brief In an open letter addressed to a special convention set up by the United Nations to study the implications of autonomous weapons, a group of 116 AI experts urged decisive and immediate regulation. A Clear Danger

Elon Musk has long been warning us against the dangers he believes to be inherent to unregulated artificial intelligence (AI) development. Hes called the threathumankinds biggest risk, and even said that its greater than any threat posed by North Korea. While some AI experts have criticized Musk for this, the OpenAI CEO is hardly the only one in the industry thats offered warnings about the potential danger of AI systems.

In fact, 115 other experts including DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman have joinedMusk in calling for stronger regulation for AI. As companies building the technologies in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics that may be repurposed to develop autonomous weapons, we feel especially responsible in raising this alarm, the group wrote in an open letter to the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). Lethal autonomous weapons threaten to become the third revolution in warfare.

The UN has just created the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems (LAWS), which will discuss and study the implications of modern weapons powered by AI. Musk, Suleyman, and the other experts urge the UN to act decisively and clearly on the matter, urging them to work hard at finding means to prevent an arms race in these weapons, to protect civilians from their misuse, and to avoid the destabilizing effects of these technologies.

The group of experts, obviously, arent against developing AI after all, theyre all involved in AI work from 26 countries. The problem is how AI is used: the group is wary of is using the technology to build autonomous weapon systems, a trend thats already begun.

Unlike other potential manifestations of AI which still remain in the realm of science fiction, autonomous weapons systems are on the cusp of development right now and have a very real potential to cause significant harm to innocent people along with global instability, Clearpath Robotics founder and one of the signatories Ryan Gariepytold The Guardian.

Their letter continues: Once developed, they will permit armed conflict to be fought at a scale greater than ever, and at timescales faster than humans can comprehend. These can be weapons of terror, weapons that despots and terrorists use against innocent populations, and weapons hacked to behave in undesirable ways.

And asMusk has been sayingin regards to AI all along nows the best time do implement all the regulation necessary. We do not have long to act, he said earlier this month, Once this Pandoras box is opened, it will be hard to close.

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Elon Musk Leads AI Experts With Letter Urging UN to Consider Threat of Autonomous Weapons - Futurism

In Brief After 6 years, China is reclaiming its title for the world's fastest train. In September, a new series of bullet trains capable of reaching speeds of 400 km/h (248 mph) will go into operation.

China once held the title for the worlds fastest train, but a devastating crash in 2011 forced the country to slow down their transits, lest they experience another tragic event.

Next month, however, China will regain is lost title, as it plans to introduce several new bullet trains that will move at the speeds necessary to once again be the worlds fastest. Prior to the aforementioned accident, Chinas bullet trains traveled at 350 km/h (217 mph), but were then reduced to 250-300 km/h (155-186 mph).

Come September 21, when the new trains are up and running, speeds will return to 350 km/h, but will be capable of going 400 km/h (248 mph). For comparison, the still-in-development Hyperloop One recently reached speeds of 308 km/h (192 mph), though the plan is to hit 402 km/h (250 mph) while still in testing.

Zhao Jian, Beijing Jiaotong University professor and a leading researcher on Chinas high-speed railway network, told the South China Morning Post that in order to avoid more accidents at higher speeds, the railway operator will need to reduce the number of trains in use at one time.

According to the Associated Press, China has laid over 20,000 kilometers (12,400 miles) of high-speed rail, and intends to add another 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles) by 2020. To date, over $360 billion has been spent on the railways creation.

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China Is Reviving the World's Fastest Train - Futurism

In Brief Innovative artificial womb technology successfully incubated lambs for one week and might soon be helping preterm babies to fully develop. The device and its accompanying unique method was developed by a collaboration of scientists from Australia, Japan, and elsewhere. An Innovation in Artificial Incubation

Around 15 million babies are born preterm or premature every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This number is expected to rise, bringing moreinfants into the world before completing 37 weeks of gestation. How we are going to care for a growing number of premature infants is a real concern: preterm birth complications were responsible for almost a million deaths in 2015, making it the leading cause of death among children below 5 years of age.

Thankfully, there are a number of interventionsthat can help, many of whichinvolve developing better incubation chambers evenartificial wombs and placentaswhere the premature infants can continue their growth outside the womb. One of these is an artificial womb developed by a combined team of researchers from the Women and Infants Research Foundation, the University of Western Australia, and Tohoku University Hospital, Japan.

Designing treatment strategies for extremely preterm infants is a challenge, lead researcher Matt Kemp said in a press release. At this gestational age the lungs are often too structurally and functionally under-developed for the baby to breathe easily. Their work, published in The American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, took a different approach. The key was treating the preterm infants not as babies,but as fetuses.

Their device and method successfully incubated healthy baby lambs in an ex-vivo uterine environment (EVE) for a one-week period. At its core, our equipment is essentially is a high-tech amniotic fluid bath combined with an artificial placenta. Put those together, and with careful maintenance what youve got is an artificial womb, Kemp explained.

He added in the press release, By providing an alternative means of gas exchange for the fetus, we hoped to spare the extremely preterm cardiopulmonary system from ventilation-derived injury, and save the lives of those babies whose lungs are too immature to breathe properly. The end goal is to provide preterm babies the chance to better develop their lungs and other important organs before being brought into the world. Its this approach that makes it revolutionary.

The scientists hope that this EVE therapy could soon help bring preterm human babies to term. We now have a much better understanding of what works and what doesnt, and although significant development is required, a life support system based around EVE therapy may provide an avenue to improve outcomes for extremely preterm infants, Kemp said.

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Further Research into Artificial Wombs Brings Us Closer to a Future Where Babies Grow Outside the Body - Futurism

In BriefFor any Mars exploration plans, surviving on the Red Planet isas important as getting there. This is why NASA is looking forwardto its Mars 2020 Rover mission, which would include a test formaking oxygen on the Red Planet's surface. Small Steps for Man

Getting humans to land on Mars is the biggest space project this generation will ever see. Such a bold endeavorgetting humans to another worldcomes with a cornucopia of nitty-gritty details to iron out. These details need to be set before we can even begin to proceed with a manned mission.

The most obvious is the needto build rockets and spacecraft able to ferry probes (carrying food and other supplies) and people. For NASAs mission to Mars, this also entails the construction of a lunar space station thatll serve as a jump-off point to the rest of the solar system.Click to View Full Infographic

Speaking to Futurism after the successful launch of SpaceXs CRS-12 mission on Monday, NASA Acting Chief Administrator Robert Lightfoot, Jr. explained how getting to Mars requires small, incremental steps, and he noted that NASA has a remarkable project in the works. When you look at our plans today [for getting to Mars], we use the International Space Station as much as we canfor example, our life support systems, we test them up there. He added that the Moon would be the next logical step in this process.

But getting to Mars and surviving there are two disparate yet equally important aspects of the same mission. We try and make sure that, when we do a science mission or a human spaceflight mission, that we have a cross between the science and the human exploration, Lightfoot explained.

Now no one wants to fly to Mars, land on the ground, yawp I did it!and then turn around and head home. Space exploration is more than symbolic pretense. We want to stay on Mars and install a colony. Of course, the eventual plan is to terraform Mars, but that could take thousands ofyears to accomplish if its at all possible.

So, in Lightfoots mind, we ought to start small, and theres nothing more basic for survival on Mars (or anywhere) than having a secure source of air to breathe. The next lander that is going to Mars, Mars 2020, has an experiment where we are going to try and actually generate oxygen out of the atmosphere on Mars, clearly thats for human capability down the road, Lightfoot said.

What we know is that the Red Planets atmosphere is thinner than Earths, with some 95.32 percent carbon dioxide, 2.7 percent nitrogen, 1.6 percent argon, and about 0.13 oxygen, plus a bunch of other elements in even smaller amounts. By contrast, the Earths atmosphere has 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen. Water wont be much of a problem, though.

Is it possible to make oxygen from Mars atmosphere? NASAs had plans for this since 2014, when it first revealed the Mars 2020 Rover. It involves bringing some microbial life to Mars, perhaps bacteria or algae, that would would use Martian soil as fuel and then pump out oxygen as a product. The oxygen could then be harnessed and made available for breathing and also to make rocket fuel for return flights to Earth.

It may sound like science fiction right now, but lab experiments have shown that its possible. Thats why the Mars 2020 Rover mission is crucial. Other efforts to make Mars habitable include plans of building a magnetic shield around the planet, similar to Earths, building a nuclear reactor, as well as growing potatoeslike in Matt Damon inThe Martian.

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NASA: We're Going to Try and Make Oxygen From the Atmosphere on Mars - Futurism

In Brief CRISPR co-discoverer Jennifer Doudna stressed the importance of using the technology with proper consideration at CrisprCon this week. Pushing the Pace

The CRISPR gene editing tool has already been used to perform some incredible feats of science, from manipulating the social behavior of ants to making superbugs kill themselves. Its an incredibly powerful asset, but this week at CrisprCon, there was plenty of discussion about where we should draw a line on its usage.

Ive never seen science move at the pace its moving right now, said CRISP co-discoverer Jennifer Doudna, who has spent recent months touring the world campaigning for a global consensus on appropriate implementations of gene-editing technologies. Which means we cant put off these conversations.

CRISPR has already been used to edit harmful conditions out of animals and even viable human embryos. From this point, it wouldnt take a great leap to start using the technology to enhance healthy organisms which is why now is the time for discussions about the consequences.

While medical uses of CRISPR are perhaps the most ethically urgent, the conversation about its usage goes beyond medicine. Companies like Monsanto and Cargill have already licensed CRISPR technologies to help with their agricultural efforts. However, early attempts at genetically modified crops struggled to gain mainstream acceptance, and thats something these firms need to keep in mind as they implement the latest techniques.

It was a convenience item for farmers, observed organic farmer Tom Wiley at the convention, according to Wired. And a profit center for corporations. To combat genetically modified foods perception problem, companies using CRISPR will have to make sure that the technology benefits the consumer, not just the production process.

The convention addressed CRISPR usage in many different fields: from the importance of ensuringit is used to address the widest range of medical conditions as possible, to the potentially damaging effects of gene drives on a delicate ecosystem.

Science is moving at a rapid pace, and CRISPR is too but if we dont carefully consider which applications are safe and valid, it could quickly cause as many problems as it solves.

Crispr is not a light on the nation, its a mirror, said CrisprCon keynote speaker Greg Simon, director of the Biden Cancer Initiative;Wiredreporter Megan Molteni interpreted those words as,its just another technology thats only as good as the people using it.

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CRISPR Co-Discoverer: I've Never Seen Science Move at the Pace It's Moving Now - Futurism

In Brief Bitcoin software company Blockstream announced that its Blockstream Satellite network will transmit the cryptocurrency down from space, enabling people in places with little support for the blockchain network to access bitcoin. Blockstream Satellite Network

On August 15, Blockstream, a Bitcoin software company, announced the launch of its Blockstream Satellite network that broadcasts bitcoin to people just about anywhere in the world irrespective of their internet connection for free. This will make the cryptocurrency more accessible to almost anyone, even in places where data costs are high and living standards and incomes are low.

The Blockstream Satellite network will transmit the cryptocurrency down from space, enabling people in places where few people are supporting a blockchain network with their computers to access bitcoin anyway. And, because Bitcoin is decentralized, it works as users run full nodes on their computers all over the world. These nodes contribute to community decisions about the blockchain, keep the network safe, and confirm transactions.

While running a full node is easy where the internet is fairly cheap and accessible, it does demand that you have a complete version of the Bitcoin blockchain, with all records of each bitcoin transaction since 2009 on your machine constantly. This task becomes very costly, or even impossible in some areas, either because the internet is too difficult to access, or because the people local to the area do not have 100$ every month so spend on running bitcoin nodes.

With the help of Blockstreams satellite network, it is now possible to receive this cryptocurrency directly from space for free, but only after investing in some fairly expensive hardware. The projects GitHub documentation indicates that to run a bitcoinnode, youll need a computer, a receiver, a TV satellite dish, and a USB stick that allows your computer to pick up radio frequencies.

According to Blockstream, current satellite coverage by the network includes much of the US, Africa, Latin America, and parts of Europe. Blockstream CEO Adam Back told Motherboard Vice that the company plans to extend that coverage to envelope most of the world within a year, although he joked, I guess there might be some research scientists in Antarctica who wont be able to use bitcoin.

Several members of the Futurism team are personal investors in a number of cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.

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Bitcoin Now Comes From Satellites in Space. Welcome to the Future. - Futurism

In Brief Australian company Euclideon has created the first real multi-user hologram table in the world, and it's going to change gaming, business, and so much more. This new tech solves previous problems with holographic images using motion-tracking glasses. Interactive Holographic Images

A working prototype of what will be the first real multi-user hologram table in the world has been created by theAustralian company Euclideon. Wearing only a small pair of glasses, up to four people can interact with the tables holographic images and each other, making this a major advancement from the experience provided by current AR technology. The company estimates that in 2018, the table will be up for sale for $60,000 Australian.

The concept of the hologram table in film and science fiction is hardly new, but because of the many technical difficulties inherent to executing the concept, the idea has yet to be realized. This difficulty originates from the fact that holograms are computer-generated stereo images, dependent on the perspective of the viewer. When a group of people in different positions look at a hologram, the illusion breaks as they dont get the same perspective on it and it doesnt change as they move. Computer-generated holograms work by tracking the viewer but which viewer does the computer track when theres more than one?

Euclideon has solved this riddle in a worlds first without a gigantic helmet that no one wants to wear, which is the fatal flaw of many multi-user VR/AR systems. After all, its hard to interact with your friends if youre all inside helmets.

The Unlimited Detail (UD) 3D graphics processing engine is what first brought Euclideon renown in the gaming community. The UD engine made it possible for users to be immersed in huge, amazingly detailed, 3D virtual environments, without special graphics cards or high-end computers. And while it didnt excel with the dynamic motion of objects or physics, its strength in geospatial imaging forms the basis for the new table.

Euclideons table requires that users wear only a small, light pair of motion-trackable glasses, which look and feel a lot like 3D glasses. These are much more practical for meetings and social events than huge VR/AR helmets, not to mention more comfortable. As users wear the glasses, the table tracks their eye positions, building a custom image for a potential total of eight user eyes. The table itself is a screen, and the device is made up of projectors that rest beneath a unique film which is sandwiched between two pieces of glass. The result is a mass of mixed up, colored images that the glasses separate out for users, enabling them to see binocular stereo holograms specific to their location.

The glasses themselves have special crystal film layers over them, which can change the frequencies of light waves. When users wear the glasses, the computer can tell which light waves belong to which users. The glasses have small boxes at the temples which contain tiny microcomputers and microchips similar to the VR headsets tracking jiggers, signaling the users position to the table.

Euclideon is currently about to begin the manufacturing process and expects their tables to be ready in February of 2018.

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The First Truly Applicable Hologram Tech is Here - Futurism

In BriefRetired astrophysicist Daniel Whitmire re-examined the FermiParadox, and why the universe is silent if there is alien life outthere. He believes that it's possible that humanity was the firstto have become technologically advanced. The Sound of Silence

For retired astrophysicist Daniel Whitmire, currently a mathematics professor at the University of Arkansas (UARK), humanity is typical. Not exactly in the sense that were ordinary; were typical in a statistical sense, following a concept in modern cosmology called the principle of mediocrity. This principle suggests that in the absence of evidence to the contrary, we should consider humanity to be a typical member of a certain reference class.

This was Whitmires conclusion, in a study published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, when he revisited his thoughts on the Fermi Paradox that we havent encountered alien life, despite the high probability of it existing and again asked if theres alien life out there. With all the billions of stars in billions of galaxies, chances are theres bound to be other intelligent life in the cosmos. So, where are they?

I used to tell my students that by statistics, we have to be the dumbest guys in the galaxy,Whitmire said in a UARK press release. After all, we have only been technological for about 100 years, while other civilizations could be more technologically advanced than us by millions or billions of years.

But Whitmire changed his mind on this concept based on two observations: Firstly, that humanity was the first technologically advanced civilization that evolvedon Earth, and were currently in our early technological development. (Technological, here, is to be understood as biological species that developed electronic devices and are capable of significantly changing the planet.)

On the surface, this may seem like an obvious observation. However, based on the Earths habitable time span from around 5 billion years ago, and for an estimated billion years in the future it would have been possible for other technological civilizations to precede us on this planet. The thing is, theres no geologic record that shows someone else came before us. Wed leave a heck of a fingerprint if we disappeared overnight, Whitmire said.

But what about life outside of the Earth? Following the same principle of mediocrity, technological civilizations that lasts millions of years or longer are atypical, Whitmire says. If one considers a bell curve of all supposedly extant technological civilizations in the universe, humanity would fall in the middle 95 percent.

If that is the case, the lack of communication from similar civilizations around us does not bode well. Whitmire explains the silence of the cosmosas a product of how typical technological civilizations work: They usually go extinct after attaining technological knowledge. This is the same explanation held by other scientists, and one even suggests that we should look for traces of alien technology instead of alien life.

The Great Filter hypothesis is another possible explanation. It suggests that before any life in the universe becomes technological or before technological life goes beyond the bounds of its own planet, it had to overcome some extremely difficult evolutionary threshold. Some even think that climate change is humanitys great filter.

For resident Science Guy Bill Nye, the Fermi Paradox should push humanity to explore further. The reason why we havent found intelligent extraterrestrial life or even simple alien life is because we havent been looking hard enough. Theres still a big chance that theyre somewhere out there.

Yet these theories assume that were not a typical representative of life in the cosmos. If were not typical then my initial observation would be correct, Whitmire said. We would be the dumbest guys in the galaxy by the numbers.

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A New Theory Suggests We May be the Only Technologically Advanced Civilization Still Around - Futurism

In Brief Vincross hopes to bring advanced robotics to the masses with HEXA, a spider-like robot small enough to fit in a backpack. The robot is sold with a software developer kit that owners can use to program new capabilities for it, which they can then share with other owners via a Skills Store. Six Legs Can Be Better Than Two

Consumer robotics company Vincross has introduced a new bot to the world, and people with entomophobia might want to steer clear of it.

HEXA is a small, six-legged robot that resembles a crab or a spider to the point that it even moves at the same deliberate pace. The bot is just under 12 centimeters (4.72 inches) tall and 50.8 centimeters (20 inches) in diameter, which makes itcompact enough to fit in your backpack, according to the Vincross website.

While moving around on itssix legs, HEXAuses a range of sensors to see. These include a 720p camera with night vision, a 3-axis accelerometer, a distance-measuring sensor, and an infrared transmitter. Vincross claims the device has a high degree of maneuverability and can nimbly handle different environments and terrains. Again, much like a spider.

HEXA doesnt compare to therealness of some humanoid robotsor match the complexity ofrobots like ANYmal or the ostrich-like Cassie, but thats not Vincross goal. Instead, the company is hoping to use HEXA to help bring robotics to the masses.

Advanced robotics are costlyand building them can require access to expensive equipment and advanced engineering knowledge. Those barriers are enough to make the field intimidating, and they limit the number of people who can contribute to the robotics industrys growth.

Vincross is circumventing those complexities by providing consumers with not just HEXA, but also MIND, the bots operating system and software developer kit.

Based on Linux, MIND will let people create new movements and applications (or Skills), thereby expanding the robots capabilities. A Skills Store willhost these programs, making it easy for HEXA owners to share and test new programs and ideas. The store can be accessed via the HEXA app, which is also used to control HEXAs movements.

A Kickstarter is up now to help fund the projects development, and $499 will get you a HEXA, the complete software developer kit, a cable charger, and a few other bonus gifts. Theyve already raised more than$82,000 with 28 days left in the campaign, so the odds that Vincross reaches their goal of $100,000are looking good.

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HEXA Is an Agile, Spider-Like Robot That You Can Program Yourself - Futurism