Category Archives: Futurism

In BriefMore than 80 percent of bitcoin miners have expressed supportfor BIP91, a protocol update that represents a compromise betweenwhat miners and developers want for the future of thecryptocurrency. If fully adopted, it could help Bitcoin avoid the"civil war" that many have been predicting. This Way or That Way?

Like a season premiere of the popular HBO seriesGame of Thrones, the financeworld is eyeing July 31 with both anticipation and slight trepidation.

Anongoing disagreement between miners and developersover the future of Bitcoins blockchainhas had many Bitcoin analysts, investors, and enthusiasts fearing a potential split in the cryptocurrency at the end of this month. However,as a moderate solution seems more likely to be accepted, fears of a network hard fork are beginning to die down.

As previously reported, the Bitcoin crisis is the result of a clash of ideas for the future of the popular cryptocurrency and its blockchains transactional capacity. Miners wanted to increase Bitcoins block limit, while developers proposed moving data off the main blockchain network.

The more moderate solution, which was activated on July 22, isBitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) 91. This protocol update prevents a hard fork from occurring by providing a compromise between what miners and developers want.Last week, more than 80 percent of bitcoinminers expressed support for BIP91, passing the threshold required for implementation.

This is definitely good news,but the potential for chaos hasnt been entirely avoided. Its only July 25, so five days remain before the required July 31 lock in. More than 51 percent of miners must begin usingthe BIP91 protocol by then for it to be fully adopted.

For now, though, it seems less and less likely that a hard fork is coming between July 31 and August 2. As if anticipating future smooth sailing, bitcoins value has risento $2,729 as of this writing. Thats a $570 increase over last weeks value.

Still, some are quick to point out that this current period of peace couldbe temporary.

Segwit2X locked-in on July 21st with +90% miner support so many people could now be tempted to assume that the scaling debate is over and Bitcoin is now good to scale to the masses, Juan Manini-Rios, CEO of SHA256 Trading, wrote in a Medium post. Unfortunately, that is not the case at all and a Bitcoin fork is still almost certain.

For AQR Capital Management former managing director Aaron Brown, a currency split may not be that bad for Bitcoin. It is the rule, not the exception, that currencies evaporate due to hyperinflation, government default or expropriation, or a losing a war, he told MIT Tech Review. People do not use them because they have faith in their long-term survival, but because they can facilitate transactions today.

Disclosure: Several members of the Futurism team, including the editors of this piece, are personal investors in a number of cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.

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A Bitcoin Civil War Has Been Avoided, at Least Temporarily - Futurism

In Brief New research from Brown University suggests that huge amounts of water may be found under the surface of the Moon. The presence of water in the Moon's mantle could provide insight to how water got to Earth and help sustain future deep space missions. A Wet Mantle

Scientists have long speculated about the presence of water on the Moon. Previous studies found traces of water in the icy shadowed regions of the Moons poles, but a recent study from Brown University suggests that there may be substantial amounts of water hiding inside the lunar rock.

Unlike the water in the lunar poles, which could have been caused byhydrogen coming from solar winds, the water in the mantle came very early in theMoonsformation, Brown University geologist Ralph Milliken said in an interview withSpace.com. In their study published in the journal Nature Geoscience, Milliken and his team examined pyroclastic deposits rock layers which were probably formed from large volcanic eruptions using satellite data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper instrument on the Indian Chandrayaan-1 probe.

Our work shows that nearly all of the large pyroclastic deposits also contain water, so this seems to be a common characteristic of magmas that come from the deep lunar interior, Milliken said in the interview. That is, most of the mantle of the moon may be wet.'

How large amounts of water ended up under the Moons surface remains unclear. Understanding it the water got there, possibly delivered after the giant impact event, as Millikens team thinks, could help explain how water came to be on Earth.

Even more interesting is the potential help lunar water could give to future exploration on the Moon and beyond. These deposits may be much easier to access than potential water ice in shadowed regions at the lunar poles, Milliken added in the interview. Water is heavy and expensive to take from Earth to space, so any bit of water that you can get on the moon instead of bringing with you from Earth is a big deal and opens up possibilities for sustained human presence on the moon.

This would be especially useful since some Mars missions in the works right now notably NASAs involve using the Moon as a jump off point. A potential lunar base would be easier to maintain given the presence of water on Earths satellite.

The better we understand how much water is there, then the better we can estimate the processes responsible and the usefulness of the deposits for future human exploration, Milliken said to Space.com.

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Scientists Have Discovered That There is Water Under the Moon's Surface - Futurism

Futurism only supports companies that we like and trust. Biostrapis one of those companies. We may collect a share of the sales from the items featured on this page.Learn about Biostraphere, and use code FUTURISM for free shipping. A New Kind of Tracking

We have reached the point where fitness tracking is ubiquitous in our society. For a relatively low price, its easy to find a wearable device that does basic tracking of how many steps you take, what your heart rate is, what your sleep patterns are, and so on. Such technology has become baseline in wearables. And if youre just looking for help counting your steps, or some inspiration to put more effort into getting a goodnights sleep, the products on the market are just fine they do the trick.

But with only one piece of equipment used to gather data, youre not getting a full picture or really advanced reading of your bodys movements and metrics. To this end, unfortunately, wearing a popular fitness tracker is nothing like going to the doctor and getting a checkup.

Most trackers fall short for this reason: While the consumer industry leaders like Fitbit, Nike Fuel Band, and Misfit have enough technology to document steps and pulses, they dont have the ability to put together the bigger picture of their users health. Essentially, theyre not dynamic enough to be clinical-quality. And when youre looking to track your vitals, why settle for anything short of what a doctor might use?

Thats where Biostrap comes in. They assert that their aim is to change the industry standard, and to this end, they have created a device with biometrics so advanced that physicians actually use the same tech to monitor their patients physical health. So you can count on an accurate and dependable recording, and wearing a Biostrapfeels like youre going to the doctor.

Investing in a Biostrap is taking a fast-track road to getting into shape. While its a bit more expensive than the other trackers on the market, priced at $249, its a serious device thats perfect for people who want to get (or already are) serious about their health.

The Biostrap is a platform of two different devices that work in tandem to capture all of your bodys efforts. Together, the wristband and shoe clip create a precise picture of your every move. To break down the specifics, the Biostrap extracts more than 29 parameters to offer reliable accounts of users Heart Rate Variability, Oxygen Saturation, Respiratory Rate, and more. And because exercise is more than just steps taken in a day its programmed to recognize over 20 different kinds of physical activities. From squats, to strides on the elliptical, to butterfly strokes in the poolthe Biostrap is counting every physical activity its users engage in.

And if it doesnt recognize what theyre doing, they can teach it to. After recording a few reps of the movement, the Biostrap will remember it for the future. Youll never again have to wonder: if you work out and no one else is at the gym, have you even worked out at all? If youre wearing a Biostrap, its always watching. Want one? Use code FUTURISM for free shipping here.

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The Most Advanced Wearable Fitness Device Is Finally Here - Futurism

In Brief Facebook has filed a patent application for a modular consumer electronic device that could function as a smartphone, GPS, microphone, speaker, and touch display. This device will be similar to the failed Google Project ARA device if it succeeds. Plug-and-Play Smartphones

On Thursday July 20, Facebook published its patent application for a modular electromechanical device that includes a phone, GPS, microphone, speaker, and touch display. This kind of modular consumer hardware would allow users to combine several differentcomponents together on a single device a kind of plug-and-play smartphone.

This sort of modular design is also of interest to Google, who has already made one unsuccessful attemptto bring its Project Ara smartphone to market. Some members of the Project Ara team are now at Facebooks Building 8 including Regina Dugan, the leader of the research lab.Building 8 is Facebookslab for consumer technologies and the epicenter of its futuristic projects.

Several Building 8 employees were named on the patent application. Thefour employees had previously worked for Nascent Objects, a startup that prototyped modular gadgets using 3D printing. Facebook acquired Nascent Objects last year, and a spokesperson confirmed to Tech Insider that the technologies in the patent application were part of that acquisition.

According to the patent application, the device could work as a phone, or it could work more like Amazons Alexa doesin terms of its music speaker function. The application also notes that the components of millions of connected devices could be loaded with various kinds of software as pieces are swapped out.

The modular system also appears to be a move towards more efficient and long-term use of consumer electronics. The application reads, Typically, the hardware components included in the consumer electronics that are considered outdated are still useable. However, the hardware components can no longer be re-used since consumer electronics are designed as closed systems. From a consumer prospective, the life cycle of conventional consumer electronics is expensive and wasteful.

It remains to be seen whether Facebook will succeed where Google failed; just because a patient application is filed, theres no guarantee that a device willactually get made.

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Facebook Just Filed a Patent for a Modular Consumer Device - Futurism

In Brief A nine-year-old child from South Africa has reportedly been "virtually cured" of HIV, as signs and symptoms of the dreaded infection hasn't been seen since the child received treatment shortly after being born in 2007. But how was this child cured? Nine Years and Counting

At the on-going Paris conference of the International AIDS Society (IAS), a team of scientists is presenting details of a remarkable development that could improve HIV treatment. The case is that of a nine-year-old South African child who was infected with HIV at birth. After receiving a burst of treatment soon after being born, the child has since been free of any symptoms or activesigns of the menacing virus without any further treatment.

HIV, which is known to affect more than36.7 million people worldwide, is one of the deadliest viruses around today since it was discovered, its taken the lives of more than 35 million victims, according to the World Health Organization. This South African case, however, is a glimmer of hope.

[T]his new case strengthens our hope that by treating HIV-infected children for a brief period beginning in infancy, we may be able to spare them the burden of lifelong therapy and the health consequences of long-term immune activation typically associated with HIV disease, Anthony Fauci, directorNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), told The Guardian.

While the doctors report detectingtiny fraction of immune cells that still have the virus integrated into them, the childs immune system remains healthy, and there is no sign of HIV infection.

The South African child was part of a NIAID-funded trial in 2007for treating infants with HIV. Scientists and doctors, however, haveyet to understand why and how the 40-week treatment (which was also given to 142 other children) worked for this child, whose identity remains anonymous.

We dont believe that antiretroviral therapy alone can lead to remission, Avy Violari, pediatric research head at the Perinal HIV Research Unit in Johannesburg, told the BBC. We dont really know whats the reason why this child has achieved remission we believe its either genetic or immune system-related.

Still, the mere fact that something like this is possible is a cause for hope. Unlike other cases where supposedly cured infants later on demonstrated latent HIV in the immune system, this South African case is the third reported virtually cured child. Speaking to The Guardian, Caroline Tiemessen from Johannesburgs National Institute of Communicable Diseases said, By further studying the child, we may expand our understanding of how the immune system controls HIV replication.

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Scientists Assert That A Child has Officially Been Virtually Cured of HIV - Futurism

In Brief Ripple and its token, XRP, have dominated the crypto currency market during the first half of 2017 as XRP finished the second quarter up 3,977 percent. This is an example of cryptocurrencies booming during an overall digital currency renaissance. Ripple Exploding In Q2

The digital currency market has been dominated by Ripples XRP for the first half of the year. XRP finished itssecond financial quarter up 3,977 percent from the beginning of the year at $0.26. It has now dropped to about $0.19, but this is still an impressive display of growth and strength.

Ripple and XRP are just part of the latest example of cryptocurrencies booming during an overall digital currency renaissance. Right now, various countries are experimenting with cryptocurrencies, acknowledging their role in the future of finance and looking to secure their place in that future. For example, the South African Reserve Bank, the countrys central bank, is trying on Bitcoin regulation for size; China is testing a national cryptocurrency a sensible option in a country that has gone almost totally cashless in urban areas; andEthereum Island may be coming to the African coast as Mauritius moves to take its place as a cryptocurrency and blockchain technology hub.

Meanwhile, despite some rocky days, many experts think that now is the best time to invest in cryptocurrencies whichever platform appeals to you. While some are worried that the cryptocurrency market might be experiencing a bubble, others see this period of rapid growth as a sign of larger changes in the world economy. As countries like China and Japan sway the cryptocurrency market, it becomes clearer that close attention to technological advancement, a desire to achieve cybersecurity, and a need to control ones money are the decisive factors for many cryptocurrency investors.

This makes Ripples focus on international payments seem shrewd, and feel like a strong explanatory factor in XRPs current strong position in the cryptocurrency market.

Disclosure: Several members of the Futurism team, including the editors of this piece, are personal investors in a number of cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.

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The Third-Largest Cryptocurrency, Ripple's XRP, Up Almost 4000% in Second Quarter - Futurism

In BriefAfter generating a lot of hype over the past weeks, the sourceof the mysterious signal from Ross 128 has finally been confirmed.A second observation concluded that the signal isn't some form ofalien communication, but instead satellite transmissions. Surprise, Surprise!

The detection ofpeculiar radio signalsfrom a dim star roughly 11 light-years away from Earth had the public speculating wildly last week about the possibility that wed finally detected an alien communication.

After looking further into the signals with a little help from theSearch for ExtraTerrestrial Life (SETI) Institute, astronomers at thePlanetary Habitability Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo are ready to confirm the source of the signals from Ross 128, and its not ET.

We are now confident about the source of the Weird! Signal, Abel Mendez, director of the PHL, wrote in a blog post on Friday. The best explanation is that the signals are transmissions from one or more geostationary satellites.

The signal officially named the Weird! Signal was only spotted near Ross 128, one of several red dwarf stars Mendez and his team have been studying, because Ross 128 is close to the celestial equator where many geostationary satellites are placed, Mendez explained.

The PHL also conductedan informal survey of almost 800 participants, including more than 60 astronomers, to find out what people thought was causing the Weird! Signal. Most said it was likely astronomical in nature. This is interesting since in the absence of solid information about the signal, most astronomers would think that [radio interference or instrumental failures] would probably be the most likely explanation, Mendez noted.

Unexplained signals, like the more popular and recently resolved Wow! signal, draw significant attention because many people are hopeful that well find some trace of alien life. Indeed, the unofficial public survey showed that roughly 200 of the 800 participants believed the Weird! Signal was communication from intelligent alien life.

However, as Mendez explained, Unexplained here does not mean inexplicable; it just means we are not able to tell which is the precise source from many possibilities.

Just like the Wow! Signal, the Weird! Signal from Ross 128 demonstrates that theres likely to be some non-alienanswer to many of the mysteries we uncover from the universe.

Of course, this doesnt mean that the search for alien life isnt worth it. Before we can consider any such explanation, however, we need to explore all stellar and astronomical possibilities. Sometimes, these possibilities may take 40 years to be completely explored, as was the case with the Wow! Signal, but such is the nature of scientific inquiry.

This was a great experience of open science, Mendez wrote. Sometimes projects, observational campaigns, or missions do not necessarily reach their objectives. The lesson here is that we all need to continue exploring and sharing results openly. Some people prefer to only learn about the successes, but others prefer science in real-time, no matter the end result.

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Source of Weird! Signal From Nearby Star Finally Confirmed - Futurism

In Brief According to Porsche's CEO, by 2023, half of the cars rolling off the company's production line will be electric. With this statement, Porsche joins other major automakers like Volvo and GM in betting on a future in which EVs are far more widely adopted.

Porsche CEOOliver Blumehas told Manager Magazin that up to half of the cars the company produces by 2023 will be electric.

According to The Drive, Porsches opening gambit in the bid will be the Mission E slated for release in 2019 followed by an electric crossover coupe, and then a new generation Macan crossover in 2022. The Macan will prove to be the make or break EV for the German car company, as its current gasoline incarnation is Porsches bestseller, with roughly 100,000 vehicles sold in 2016.

Porsche joins a growing number of car companies making ambitious plans totransition to electric in the coming decade. Volvo CEO Hkan Samuelssonsaid in a video on Twitter that the future of Volvo is electric, and to that end, the company plans to make every car off the production line either partially or entirely electricfrom 2019 onwards.

While no other carmaker has announced plans as ambitious as Porsche or Volvos yet, all major playershave or will soon have an EV on the market. General Motors has already released the Chevy Boltand plans to release 10 electric models in the Chinese market by 2020. By that same year, Ford has promised they will release an electric SUV, and Volkswagen saystheir I.D.will be hitting the roads in 2020 as well. Looks likes widespread EV adoption is just a few years away.

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Porsche's CEO Just Announced the Company's Big Plans to Transition to Electric Cars - Futurism

In BriefHumanity is diligently searching the skies for signs of alienlife through efforts like SETI and the Breakthrough Listeninitiative, but when will we finally find what we are looking for?Here is a timeline for when you can expect a confirmation that weare not alone in the universe. Decade of Discovery

In the Milky Way alone, there arean estimated 300 billion starsthathost about9 billionhabitable, Earth-size planets. Could some form of alien life have taken root on any of these planets? Projects like Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) have scoured the skies for signs to answer this question, and we asked Futurism readers when they thought these efforts would finally be successful.

The poll shows that more than halfof responders believe we will discover extraterrestrial life in the first half of the 21st century, and the decade that received the most votes (about 27 percent) is actually the soonest the 2020s. This was the prediction ofMichael Barker, who wrote,Technology is seriously Sci-fi these days.If an alien so much as farts in space in the next decade, well be able to hear it. In all seriousness. The sensors we have today are very broad in their capability, and are very versatile.

While little work has been published detecting bodily sounds fromother planets, our ability to look for different signs of life is rapidly advancing. Examples of our improved technology include theJames Webb Space Telescope, which is seven times stronger than the Hubble telescope, and the equipment used for the Breakthrough Listen initiative.

The initiative is conducting a 10-year survey for signs of life fromthe 1millionstars closest to Earth using the most powerful instruments available.The Breakthrough website claims that their spectroscopic equipment could detect a 100 watt laser (the energy of a normal household bulb) from 25 trillion miles away.

In fact, Breakthrough Listen researchers have already published 11 events they believe could have been caused by aliens. Other interstellar signals like fast radio bursts have some scientists, Douglas Vakoch, director of Interstellar Message Composition at the SETI Institute, thinking that we may be on the verge of confirming the existence of aliens.

[T]he chances are getting better with every passing year, Vakoch said in an interview with Space.com.He addedthat within the next decade, we may well discover were not alone in the universe.

But the extraterrestrial life we discover may not be an advanced civilization, many experts believe. Astronomy researcherChris Impey said inan interview with Futurism, I put my money on detecting microbial life in 10 to 15 years, but not at all detecting intelligent life.

While the increasing sophistication of our technology has many astronomers optimistic about our prospects of discovering alien life, this is of course contingent on whether there is indeed alien life to find.That, and the possibility that we may have wrong ideas about how aliens will communicate are strong reasons for caution, arguesMichael Michaud, a member of the International Academy of Astronautics.

There is no way to predict when contact will take place, Michaud said to Space.com. The only generalization I can offer is that expanding ways of searching while continuing to send out our own signals both intentional and unintentional may make contact more likely. Until we have solid evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence, we must live with uncertainty.

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When Will We Discover Some Form of Alien Life? - Futurism

Rasheedah Phillips and Camae Ayewa of Black Quantum Futurism. Photo via Instagram.

DIASPORAOver the course of July well be publishing shortprofiles, essays and interviews onthe themeof Afrofutures. Together these stories will bea deep dive into the way African and diaspora thinkers, technologists and artists view a future for Africans in the world and outside of it.

Take a look at our introduction to Afrofuturismhere.

Throughout thismonth, well also highlight and celebrate young, leading talents who already put into practice what a future with black people look like through their work in our daily profile series, NextGen.

In our tenthedition, meet the minds behind the Black Quantum Futurism collective.

Afrofuturism can be expressed far beyond music, art, fashion or film it can be a method of activism and community building. That is exactly what Black Quantum Futurism, a women-led organization based in Philly, aspires to do, with the help of art, history and teaching.

Founded by poet Camae Ayewa of musical outfit Moor Mother, and Rasheedah Phillips of The Afrofuturist Affair, Black Quantum Futurism focuses on spreading healing, justice and memory through activism, DIY culture and art, primarily but not exclusively to people that may not have access to the internet.

Afrofuturism can be used by disenfranchised communities to create safe space for dialogue, visioning, and testing of ideas around community sustainability, resilience, and resistanceand as a technology for the actual implementation of those visions and ideas, Ayewa says in an interview with Thump. (It also sets) an example for other advocates and policymakers on how to creatively approach these issues using social practice and community-engaged art. Thats what Black Quantum Futurism is. Its all practicalthats the main point.

At this summers Moogfest, a music, art and tech festival in Durham, North Carolina, Black Quantum Futurism and The Afrofuturist Affair curated workshops, performances and talks around empowerment through Afrofuturism. There was Discovering Your Secret Superpower, which helps people channel their inner superhero personas and 14 hours, a 14-hour performance by Ayewa. Workshops and performances aside, BQF has published books, created a designated community space called Community Futures Lab in North Philly, has conducted residences and held talks around the world.

Black Quantum Futurism proves that we can write our own futures into existence, by remembering the past and envisioning a brighter present. Its interesting how communities all over the world are understanding how important it is to move [away] from social constructs. One model that you read in some book, or some person was talking about on Facebook, may not be the model for you. We have to take the agency to define our own thing that keeps us chill, keeps our head above water.

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07.21.17 - Okayafrica