Category Archives: Futurism

In Brief Facebook's Aquila drone completed its second successful test flight. The solar drone stayed aloft for almost two hours, providing more data that will eventually help the Aquila team bring internet access to billions around the world. Second Successful Test Flight

Facebookssolar-powered Aquila drone completedits second successful flight Thursday near Yuma, Arizona. It stayed aloft for 1 hour and 46 minutes, cruising over the desert and gathering data the team will use to optimize its efficiency moving forward. After the flight was over, the drone landed smoothly without incident, Mark Zuckerberg reported in a Facebook post.

This was the latest step in the Aquila project which will eventually see an entire fleet of the drones staying in flight for months at a time. The unmanned drones will need to be completely optimized to make this kind of longer term performance possible, so these test flights are critically important.Zuckerberg said that Facebook intends to use the drone to increase the worlds access to the internet.

When Aquila is ready, it will be a fleet of solar-powered planes that will beam internet connectivity across the world, Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. Today, more than half the worlds population 4 billion people still cant access the internet. One day, Aquila will help change that.

Aquilas wingspan is wider than a Boeing 737, but it weighs less than 455 kg (1,000 pounds). To stay aloft, Aquilas solar panels collect power during the day and stores enough in a battery for the dark hours. It uses about 5,000 W of power at its cruising altitude, which will be about 18,300 meters (60,000 feet). Aquila cruises at a deliberately slow speed of about 129 km/h (80 m/h) to maximize efficiency.

Right now the Aquila team is working to make the craft lighter and trim down its power consumption. They also aim to more accurately assess how much power it will take to operate during the different altitudes and temperatures of take off, flight, and landing, and how those power demands will affect battery size, latitude range, solar panel performance, and seasonal performance. Additional test flights will also allow the team to assess actual in-flight dynamics and see how the massive drone batteries stress the large, flexible wings.

The Aquila fleet is just one way Facebook is working to connect people with technology. Zuckerberg has also revealed that the company is working on a brain-computer interface that will let uscommunicate using just ourminds.

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Facebook's Drone Is One Step Closer to Beaming Internet to the World - Futurism

In Brief Elon Musk told a Twitter follower asking about the final release date of the new Model 3 that he will release news this Sunday July 2. The first deliveries are expected by the end of July with scaled production to ramp up by the end of September.

If youve been waiting for more details about the Tesla Model 3 launch,youll want to stay tuned this Sunday, July 2. Late last night, Elon Musk responded to a Twitter users query about the exact release date of the latest Tesla model:

In the past, both Tesla as a company and Musk personally have stated that deliveries of the Model 3 will begin in July. Obviously, once the new models are in circulation, the final details will no longer be rumor, but verified fact. For instance, fans are waiting to see whether there will be a solar roof or windshield, and how much the cars final look will resemble leaked photos of prototypes.

Only the most hardcore Tesla loyalists and employees will be driving Model 3s from the first production run, but the plan has been for production toscale up by September. Sunday may also be when we find out what the configuration process looks like although Musk has already said it will be limited. In order to limit complexity and achieve an economy of scale, Model 3 buyers will probably choose their cars color and the size of its wheels.

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Elon Musk Says Details on Tesla 3 Will Be Released This Weekend - Futurism

In Brief During an appearance on an online radio show, SpaceX president and chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell revealed the company's upcoming plans for its Falcon Heavy rockets and more. As reusable rockets become the standard, space is becoming cheaper and more accessible.

SpaceX has no plans to relax following their recent successful weekend doubleheader. Serial entrepreneur Elon Musks space venture company is already looking ahead, beginning with a final upgrade to their Falcon 9 rocket scheduled for later this year.

We are flying Block 3s right now, SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell saidduring a June 22 appearance on the online radio program The Space Show. Block 4s start flying shortly, and then Block 5 at the end of this year. We definitely have gotten better [at] more smooth introducing of change. You dont see the big impacts to production weve had before when weve changed vehicle designs.

Block 5 is going to be the definitive version for the Falcon 9, Shotwell explained, and it is capable of being relaunched a dozen or so times. It would also not require refurbishing the reusable rocket would simply undergo inspections prior to launch.

Shotwell said during her radio show appearance that SpaceXs much larger Falcon Heavysfirst mission in 2018 will be carrying a payload for Arabsat. Well be flying Arabsat to [geostationary transfer orbit] on the second Falcon Heavy flight, and then well be flying STP-2, an Air Force mission, she said. In total, the Falcon Heavy has three missions scheduled in the next 18 months, the first being a demonstrationlater in 2017.

SpaceX has much more planned for the months to come, including that commercial Moon roundtrip. Three years ago or so we were producing six rockets a year, Shotwell said. This year we are going to produce more than 20. When you consider that reusability is a key element of SpaceXs design, you can imagine just how many missions those rockets will be capable of handling in the coming years.

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SpaceX COO Claims the Company Will Produce 20 Rockets in 2017 - Futurism

Futurism only supports companiesthat we trust. Aura Premiumis one of those companies. We may collect a share of the sales from the items featured on this page. Sign up for Aura Premium here. A New Way to Think

Mindful meditation is becoming an increasingly popular tool, one that people use to manage both their emotional and mental health. The practice is,in essence, the art of not reactingthe art of finding inner stillness through the use of external stillness. Its taking the time to close your eyes, turn your focus inward, and put all of your energy into just breathing.

Its an incredibly simple practice that doesnt take much time at all, and it is incredibly helpful. Ina study published in Clinical Psychology Review,researchers at Boston University and Harvard Medical School found that the technique helps alleviateanxiety and allows individuals to better cope with stressfulsituations. Similarly, in a study fromFrontiers in Psychology, researchers found that individuals who meditate have more gray matter volume in their brains than those that do not.

Yet, only 18 million Americans report their participation. Unfortunately, the reality for many overworked Americans is that relaxation is a luxury. Indeed, 92 % of the country still hasnt caught onto the trend. Its a surprising statistic considering the fact that meditation has been proven to increase concentration, decrease anxiety, and even help to preserve the aging brain.

Over the last few years, there have been a variety of apps that have aimed to close the gap between people who make time for meditation and the people who dont know how to fit it into their lives. And while many of the apps that have hit the market have effective qualities, few are as impressive and progressive asAura Premiumthe app created by meditation teachers and therapists that actually gets to know you, so it can help you better.

The AI-infused app is programmed to take post-session feedback information and use it to become a dynamic tool that assists with your mental health. Each time you use the app, it creates more pathways for you to get better at finding your zen.

And while anyone whos into mindful meditation will appreciate the app for its relaxation enhancers, its most appealing for people who are new to meditation and need guidance. All users need is three minutes a day to practice, though you can also choose 7 and 10-minute meditation durations as well.

The app is mostly geared towards helping its users get into a better headspace through exercises, breathing routines, and key spoken wordsthough it also has the ability to track users moods to help them see patterns and form connections.

Aura is essentially like having a portable guide in your pocket. And its been so successful in helping its users find inner peace, it was rated the best new app for February 2017 with thousands of nearly perfect ratings. For $59.99 on StackSocial, you can get a lifetime subscription to the app and start your journeyto better mental health.

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There's A New Way to Use Meditation to Reshape Your Brain - Futurism

Living in a Post-Truth World

In this post-truth world plagued by fake news and alternative facts, a massive divide has emergedbetween the science communityand muchof society, and the problem isnt limited to just one issue, either.

Despite scientists telling them otherwise, asignificant number of people still believe genetically modifiedfoods are unsafe to eat, others are worriedthat vaccines do more harm than good, and an alarming number of people arent convinced that climate change is a man-made phenomenon.

The public is nervous. They worry, Are scientists trustworthy? Can industry be trusted?, Arthur Caplan, Founding Director of the Division of Medical Ethics at New York University, explains to Futurism.

Thankfully,Caplan believesthe scientific community has the power to regainthe publics trust.

According to Caplan,rebuilding trust starts with better communication.Scientists can spend years or even decades dedicated to one field of study, and their work can be extremely complicated. Not every research projectlends itself to snappy headlines and easily digestible results, so the science community needs to focus on finding people the public can trust to explain its work instead of relying on the press to act as the middleman.

We have to have more scientists learn how to communicate better, asserts Caplan. We dont have many good spokesmen. Out of hundreds of thousands of scientists, we have roughly six that can communicate.

Having more charismatic, trustworthyscience ambassadors like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Michio Kaku who can explain scientific facts and breakthroughs in a relatable way is especially important when it comes toareas of science in which ethics are a concern. Caplan cites gene editing as one such example.

Many people dont understand what thetechnology is all about, he explains. They fear its going to be used by bad people to do bad things, and they dont really understand the upside or the benefits. The public needs to see that scientists arent egomaniacs trying to play God with genetics, but regular people who see ways the technology could save lives.

By focusing first on building better lines of communication, the science community has a chance to regain the publics trust, and the implications of thatwould be extraordinary.

For example, addressing the issue of climate change would be much easier ifan additional 37 percent of the public believed it wasprimarily caused by man (bringing the rate in line with that of the science community in the Pew Research survey). If politicians wanted to be re-elected, theyd be forced to write legislationaddressing the issue, and an additional third of the population would be more likely to make changes on an individual level to address the problem, such as transitioning to electric cars.

Even more important than regaining the publics trust, however, might be building it from the ground up with future generations, particularly in regards to controversial areas of study. Todays youth may not have the established biases of older generations, andcurrently, the science community does little to connect with them.

We need some serious ethical and science-related discussion related to [these topics] in high school. After all, its the next generation that will answer many of these issues, and most of them dont get any discussion of these topics even though theyre keenly interested in all of them, says Caplan. We neglect high school, and if you produce an illiterate population with respect to science, you suffer the consequences.

This interview has been slightly edited for clarity and brevity.

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The Public Doesn't Trust Science. It's 2017. We Need to Fix This. - Futurism

In Brief Director James Cameron is currently developing a 3D format for his Avatar sequels that will do away with the need for special glasses. If it comes to fruition, the technology could cause as big a revolution in visual media as the initial groundbreaking film did. A Better Experience

Avatarwas a cinema juggernaut, catalyzing the integration of 3D technology into theaters and homes alike. However, the sequels director James Cameron has planned the first of which will be released in 2020may take the technology to an entirely new level by utilizinga new RGB laser projection system designed by Christie Digitalthat would eliminate the need for viewers to wear glasses.

Two pieces of news fuel the speculation that Cameron is pursuing glasses-free 3D. The first comes directly from Cameron himself, whosaid as much during an acceptance speech in November:Im still very bullish on 3D, but we need brighter projection, and ultimately I think it can happen with no glasses. Well get there. Then in March, his Lightstorm Entertainment production companyrenewed a five-year agreement withChristie Digital.

However, very few details regarding how the technology would work other than the fact that Christie Digitals projectors are capable of using 60,000 lumens to solve the problem of blur and distortion in high frame rateshave been announced.

Although systems already exist that are capable of rudimentary versions of glasses-less 3D, none have had the mainstream awareness that James Camerons backing would grant the technology plenty of cinemas across the country onlyinstalled 3D systems afterAvatar was released.If the technology is developed, it could change the screen-based visual entertainment industry fundamentally.

Although 3D technology has its share of issues, the biggest is arguably the glasses, which many people find uncomfortable, impractical, and too expensive. If a glasses-less 3D system comes to fruition, it might result in wider adoption of 3D technology.

As what Cameron is proposing is effectively a screen-produced hologram,this technology could also have uses far beyond the theater. Gamers could use it as an alternative to virtual reality (VR), which is often criticized for its cumbersome headsets, architects could use it to show their plans to clients, and shoppers could see 3D versions of the items theyre thinking of buying online.

Regardless of whether the tech is ready in time for Avatar 2, its poised to have a major impact on the viewing experiences of the future.

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Avatar Sequels Could Be Shown in 3D That Doesn't Require Glasses - Futurism

In BriefA new report has found that the cost of solar energy isdropping at a staggering rate of 4.4 percent worldwide each year.However, it cites some worrying causes as to why the power sourcehas become so cheap. The Solar Price Slump

Solar energy is becoming much cheaper all over the world according to a GTM Researchstudy by solar analyst Ben Gallagher. He predicts that the price of constructing solar power technologywill decrease by 4.4 percent each year, meaning that by 2022 the price of projects will have dropped by 27 percent. This decrease in cost is causing more countries to adopt solar power as a viable means of supplying energy.

Gallagher attributes the falling price to the globalization of the tools and resources needed to construct the systems like the investors, labor cost, modules, and trackers which has meant that regional hardware pricing [has] been eroded by market forces, he wrote in the study.

The leader in this global price decrease is India which, according to the report, can produce solar energy at 65 cents per watt. This is the lowest price of solar energy that the world has ever recorded, in any region.

Japan had the highest construction cost worldwide, although its costs are still falling overall, with each watt of energy costing around $2. The price of construction for Japan, therefore, is roughly double the U.S.s $1.10 and the U.K.s $1, which was the lowest priced solar power in western Europe.

On one hand, a decrease in the price of solar energy and that of other renewable sourceslike wind energy is a positive,because environmentally friendly options are unlikely to be accepted into general use unless they are also economically attractive. The lower cost means that both the environment and society benefit mutually, and that we can maintain our current standard of living without relying on fuels that cause severe damage to the planet.

However, on the other hand, this decrease in the price of solar energy may not be as promising as it first seems, as it may be caused by unethically cutting corners during construction. Gallagher claims in the report that the high level of market competition has lead to suspicion that many of the new solar tech, in India particularly, were hastily constructed using poor-quality components. In addition, the low cost may be due to paying workers very little.

Mark Twain once wrote, There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics we must be careful that we are not seduced by attractive figures without digging into the reasons and causes behind them. If we are to succeed in making the planet greener, we must ensure it is due to technological innovation rather than unethical manipulation of humans and poor construction.

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The Cost of Solar Will Drop Another 25% by 2022 - Futurism

In Brief Dubai is set to shake up the taxi and travel sector at the end of the year by introducing an autonomous airborne taxi service that will transport passengers along set routes. Given the growing population, innovative transportation solutions like Dubai's will be an integral part of future society.

As part of Dubais bid to be a city of the future, they plan to have 25 percent of their public transport autonomously controlled by 2030. An exciting aspect of this is the autonomous aerial taxi (AAT) service they announced in February.

Now, theyve provided an updated timeline for the services implementation, announcing that testing will begin toward the end of this year. It will continue for approximately five years until legislation is in place to facilitate a larger expansion.

The goal of the AAT is to eliminate the growing problem of traffic within the city. The service was due to launch at the end of Julywith the single-seater EHang 184, but theplan now it to use the two-seater Volocopter. Implementation has been delayedto ensure the technology is as safe as it possibly can be.

Dubai will be the first city to use air taxis, and its experiment will have a profound effect on the future of transport, as other cities and companies will be judging the applicability of the idea based on Dubais successes or failures. A particularly interested party will be Uber, which is planning to develop an autonomous airborne taxi service of its own.

A key question the transportation industry currently faces is how to deal with the congestion caused by an ever-increasing demand on infrastructure. Although air taxis are one solution, Elon Musk has been boring tunnels under cities, Dubai is developing a hyperloop, and autonomous cars are being programmed specifically to prevent traffic jams.

Whether one of these approaches proves better than the others or we end up using some combination of two or more, well need to be innovative when planning the transportation of the future.

Disclosure: The Dubai Future Foundation works in collaboration with Futurism as a sponsor and does not hold a seat on our editorial board.

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Dubai's Autonomous Flying Taxi Service Will Be Ready for Takeoff This Year - Futurism

In BriefIn 2016 researchers said that there is a limit to the humanlifespan, of about 115 years. Meanwhile, 5 teams of scientists havepublished rebuttals to the 2016 study, and other researcherscontinue to push the aging envelope with new technologies. The Claim And Criticisms

In October 2016, molecular geneticist Jan Vijg published a paper claiming that the human lifespan was limited to 115 years. This kindled a vigorous controversy among scientists, and on June 28 of this year, five groups of scientists published formal rebuttals to the claim.

Vijgs work analyzed demographic data from the 20th century, taken all over the world, and demonstrated that peak age plateaued at about 115 years starting in the mid-1990s. Based on their results, the authors concluded that the natural human age limit is 115 years old and that there is the probability of less than 1 in 10,000 of living to be more than 125 years old.

You could probably guess, not everyone in the scientific community agrees. Most criticisms arise from the way the Vijg team handled their data, and their process for drawing conclusions. First, the Vijg team tested their data to prove whether or not the plateau they felt they observed after 1995 was in fact present. In other words, they generated a hypothesis and then tested it using the same dataset, which is typically unacceptable, as it causes inaccurate results due to severe overfitting, a fit based on error or noise, not a real relationship.

Second, the teams actual data set was very small because in each year they counted only the oldest person who died. They then subjected this inordinately small sample to standard linear regression techniques, which was not appropriate based both on the small sample size, and the additional fact that the individuals being counted were outliers who should have been subject to extreme event analysis. In fact, the decline suggested in the 2016 conclusions appears to be suggested by a single death in the data set.

Moreover, other scientists reanalyzed the data and found it consistent with multiple lifespan trajectories, not just the one reported in 2016. Finally, several scientists in their rebuttals point to the overall body of work on the biology of aging over the past few decades which suggests that the human lifespan has been far more flexible than previously believed; which alone indicates that the proposed limit should be viewed with extreme caution.

The authors of the original study stand by their work and disagree with the criticisms of the statistical methods used. Vijg also believes that the real cause of the outcry is not the data, which is convincing, but the fact that aging cant be stopped and there is a limit to human life: I guess the main message is that a lot of people have difficulty accepting that everything now points toward an end in the increase of maximum lifespan, Vijg told The Scientist.

University of Illinois at Chicago professor of public health Jay Olshansky, who was involved in neither the original study nor the rebuttals, thinks the criticizing scientists are missing the real point of the 2016 study, which he clarified for The Scientist: The most important message to get across, in my view, is that we should not be trying to make ourselves live longer, we should only be trying to extend the period of healthy life.

However, there are many others pushing the limits of human longevity right now who disagree strongly enough to put their money where their philosophy is. Since research has demonstrated that transfusions of younger blood, or parabiosis, was able to rehabilitate cognitive abilities in mice, a startup called Ambrosia has started to offer a human clinical trial of parabiosis for paying clients. Peter Diamandis of the genotype research facility, Human Longevity, Inc., is searching for the key to using nanomachines or stem cells to regenerate our bodies. And Metformin, which has been shown to prevent cancer and extend life in animals, began clinical testing as an anti-aging drug in February.

There are so many possibilities in motion that it does seem hard to agree with a firm limit to the human lifespan. In the end, time will resolve the controversy once and for all. Ironically, well only be here to see it if the critics are right.

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There May Be No Limits to How Long Humans Can Live - Futurism

In Brief Industry leaders have estimated that the cost of producing energy using wind farms has dropped to around $100 per megawatt hour, making the energy source as cost effective as coal and nuclear energy. The Plummeting Price of Wind Energy

Bent Christensen, who is responsible for cost projection for Siemenss wind power division, has estimated that Europes offshore wind industry has reached a milestone three to four years ahead of schedule: achieving wind energy at 100 ($113) per megawatt hour (MWh). This means that offshore wind farms could be built without government subsidy because they are economically viable without additional support.

In wind energy, there has been a fast reduction in price over the last three years, falling 27 percent since 2014. According to a Lazard survey in 2016, this means that the energy source has become either cheaper or equal to coal-fired generators, nuclear reactors, and rooftop solar arrays.

Some even predict a further reduction in price estimating that in the future it will be possible to deliver wind energy at 75 ($84) and 62 ($70) MWh. But this hopeful advancement depends on turbine, cable, and converter technology developing much further. Siemens Gamesa and MHI Vestas Offshore Wind plan to have such technology in place in time for the 2024-2025 North Sea projects completion.

Wind powers fall in price marks a major victory for renewable energy because it makes the power source attractive economically as well as environmentally, which is crucial for its widespread adoption. Other promising news that could advance the trend for adopting wind-power is Denmark providing all their power for a day using the source, and the development of record-breaking turbines capable of producing 216,000 kWh of energy in a 24 hour period.

The decreasing price of renewable energy, however, is not just reserved for wind-power: similar victories are also taking place in the solar energy sector. A recent report by Bloomberg has estimated that in four years solar will be cheaper than coal worldwide, having dropped in price by 58 percent within the last five years.

It is unlikely that our world will use less power as populations increase and industry hasto keep up. Therefore, in order to save our planet from pollution and the progression of climate change,we must tinker with the other side of the formula making the energy we use cleaner and greener. Advances in wind and solar power, in particular, are especiallypromising, as they lay the path for renewables creating both individual and collective gain.

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Wind Energy Has Officially Become Cheaper Than Fossil Fuels - Futurism