Category Archives: Futurism

Spooky Action

Perhaps one of the most intriguing and interesting phenomena in quantum physics is what Einstein referred to as a spooky action at a distance also known as quantum entanglement. This quantum effect is behind what makes quantum computers work, as quantum bits (qubits) generally rely on entanglement to process data and information. Its also the working theory behind the possibility of quantum teleportation.

The long and short of it is this: entangled particles affect one another regardless of distance, where a measurement of the state of one would instantly influence the state of the other. However, it remains spooky because despite following the laws of quantum physics entanglement seems to reveal some deeper theory thats yet to be discovered. A number of physicists have been working on determining this deeper theory, butso far nothing definitive has come out.

As for entanglement itself, a very famous test was developed by physicist John Bell in 1964 to determine whether particles do, in fact, influence one another in this way. Simply put, the Bell testinvolves a pair of entangled particles: one is sent towards location A and the other to location B. At each of these points, a device measures the state of the particles. The settings in the measuring devices are set at random, so that its impossible for A to know the setting of B (and vice versa) at the time of measurement. Historically, the Bell test has supported the spooky theory.

Now, Lucien Hardy, a theoretical physicist from the Perimeter Institute in Canada, is suggesting that the measurements between A and B could be controlled by something that may potentially be separate from the material world: the human mind. His idea is derived from what French philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes called the mind-matter duality, [where] the mind is outside of regular physics and intervenes on the physical world, asHardy explained.

To do this, Hardy proposed a version of the Bell test involving 100 humans, each hooked up to EEG headsets that would read their brain activity. These devices would be used to switch the settings on the measuring devices for A and B, set at 100 kilometers apart. The radical possibility we wish to investigate is that, when humans are used to decide the settings (rather than various types of random number generators), we might then expect to see a violation of Quantum Theory in agreement with the relevant Bell inequality, Hardywrote in a paper published online earlier this month.

If the correlation between the measurements dont match previous Bell tests, then there could be a violation of quantum theory that suggests A and B are being controlled by factors outside the realm of standard physics. [If] you only saw a violation of quantum theory when you had systems that might be regarded as conscious, humans or other animals, that would certainly be exciting. I cant imagine a more striking experimental result in physics than that, Hardy said. Wed want to debate as to what that meant.

What it could mean is this: that the human mind (consciousness) isnt made up of the same matter governed by physics. Furthermore, it could suggest that the mind is capable of overcoming physics with free will. This could potentially be the first time scientists gain a firm grasp on the problem of consciousness. It wouldnt settle the question, but it would certainly have a strong bearing on the issue of free will, said Hardy.

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Scientists Have an Experiment to See If the Human Mind Is Bound to ... - Futurism

In Brief A team of researchers from MIT has developed a workout suit which incorporates microbial cells into flaps that allow it to self-ventilate. This new fabric melds biological systems and engineering perfectly and it comes with running shoes too. Alive and Breathing

If it was up to a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the next trend in sportswear would be clothes made out of living cells. You got that right, living microbial cells. With a design that looks like it came straight out of science fiction, the self-ventilating workout suit developed by the MIT researchers gives a new meaning to breathable and no-sweat clothing plus, it comes with a pair of running shoes lined with the same living cells on the inside.

[W]e propose to use genetically tractable microbial cells to create multifunctional, moisture-responsive interfaces, the researchers wrote in a study published in Science Advances. We hypothesized that microbial cells can be used as functional building blocks for constructing moisture-responsive materials.

The cells that researchers used are the most common nonpathogenic strain of E. coli, printed onto latex sheets. The cells were then designed into ventilating flaps in the workout suit. These tiny thumbnail- and finger-sized flaps open and close in reaction to the heat and sweat generated by an athletes body. The microbial cells respond to changes in humidity, expanding when the body begins to sweat and shrinking when it cools down. Furthermore, the microbial cells used are durable and also safe to touch or even consume (but please, dont).

Biologic from Tangible Media Group on Vimeo.

We can combine our cells with genetic tools to introduce other functionalities into these living cells, explained MITs Wen Wang, lead author of the study. We use fluorescence as an example, and this can let people know you are running in the dark. In the future we can combine odor-releasing functionalities through genetic engineering. So maybe after going to the gym, the shirt can release a nice-smelling odor.

While this biofabric is pretty cool, both literally and figuratively, we can expect even more cool stuff as researchers gain access to new and innovative materials. For example, biofabrication has already opened up doors into 3D-printing human organs, and the development ofbiodegradable shoes. Outside the realm of biomaterials, there are what are considered to bethe futures super materials most notably, graphene and its other iterations.

As for the self-ventilating workout suit, its definitely at the forefront of biofabrication and the use of biomaterials. This work is an example of harnessing the power of biology to design new materials and devices and achieve new functions, said Xuanhe Zhao, a co-author of the study. We believe this new field of living materials and devices will find important applications at the interface between engineering and biological systems.

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This Living Clothing Keeps You Cool by Breathing - Futurism

In Brief Bitcoin has set record after record as a global currency. It also has the potential to become a universal currency. But, what are the realities behind the impressive figures? The Rise of Bitcoin

Bitcoin (for its history, see this infographic) has experienced unprecedented success since their domain name was registered on anonymousspeech.com. Monday, it was reported that the single bitcoin hit a landmark point, reaching $2,251.61 dollars, which far exceeds the price of gold. Its exchange rate has increased in 23 of its past 26 sessions. It has been the top performing currency every year since 2010 (besides 2014). By the summer, it will be accepted at more than 260,000 stores in Japan, since it is officiallylegal tender in the country. The verdict against the Winklevoss Twins to not allow it to enter the U.S stock exchange may, in the wake of this success, be overturned.

All of this seems to point to Bitcoin becoming a currency on par with the Dollar, Pound, Yen or Euro; or because of its decentralized and digital nature it could become the global currency.

These figures, however, may not tell us the whole story. All that glitters is not gold.

The first thing that Bitcoin will have to do to continue its rise is to become more stable. The reason Bitcoin is so successful is also the reason it could fail. It has the ability to swing and shift extremely quickly: we need only look at when it dropped 15% in a matter of minutes in response to the Winklevoss Twins ETF verdict. One key characteristic of a successful currency, rather than its worth as an asset, is stability, which Bitcoin has not yet achieved.

Second, it will need to increase its transaction speed. In comparison with payment processors like Visa, the number of transactions Bitcoin can process is tiny: around 7 compared to thousands. This is because of each transaction has to be validated and verified by an individual due to it being part of a blockchain. And, even though it has the potential to stretch to 27, unless this value is increased there will forever be a serious limitation to how much bitcoin can grow.

Third, these exciting new figures may be artificially caused by an indirect centralization (centralization not through the legal process, but by market means similar to a hostile takeover of a company). While Bitcoin is an uncentralized currency, if an individual miner (or collection of miners) take control of most of the mining then they are able to abuse the majority loophole, created as a democratic foundation of the currency. This would also allow the individual or group to rewrite the blockchain. As the majority of the miners are Chinese companies, and demand for the currency is increasing in the country due to the value of domestic currency falling, some fearthe rise of state control in a system designed to be anti-state.

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Bitcoin Surges Past $2,200 - Futurism - Futurism

In Brief German scientists from the Technical University of Munich have developed an imaging technology that uses Wi-Fi signals to construct 3D hologram images. This could be used to assist in search and rescue operations after disasters. A Whole New View

If youve played any of the recent Batman video games, youre probably already familiar with his ability to scan through walls using one of the many gadgets he has at his disposal. In real life, German scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) may have developed a technology that could give you a similarBatman-esqueskill. What makes it even cooler?Basically all it takes is a Wi-Fi signal.

It can basically scan a room with someones Wi-Fi transmission, Philipp Holl said, speaking toBusiness Insider. Holl and TUM professor Friedemann Reinhard developed theconcept behind the technology and published their findings in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Its surprisingly simple,exploiting Wi-Fis ability to pass through walls. Using two antennas, they record a Wi-Fi field around a particular room. The antennas capture the intensity and the phase of the Wi-Fi field both from its source spot and the placesit bounces off from. The result is a holographic image of the room that, while its not yet vivid,proves that the concept worksin practice rather than just theory.

The ability to see through walls might be a littleunsettling at first,as it could open up potential privacy exploitation issues. Of course, this raises privacy questions. After all, to a certain degree even encrypted signals transmit an image of their surroundings to the outside world, Reinhard saidina press release from TUM, However, it is rather unlikely that this process will be used for the view into foreign bedrooms in the near future. For that, you would need to go around the building with a large antenna, which would hardly go unnoticed. There are simpler ways available.

The tech could also have many beneficial if not life-saving applications. Apart from the potential to be used by spy agencies for legitimate operations requiring the scanning of buildings, it could also be an asset torescue operations after a disaster such as an earthquake or an avalanche. The antennas couldbe placed in a truck and then driven around the rubble or debris are to survey and look for survivors.

These antennas dont need to be big. They can be very small, like the ones in a smartphone, Holl said, meaning they could be easily wielded even in the smallest, most remote,spaces.

Further research, such as on the transparency of specific materials, is needed to refine the technology. But its exciting to think that superhero technology could come to life in such a way, especially with potentially life-saving applications.

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New Tech Uses WiFi and Holograms to Let You See Through Walls - Futurism

In Brief In a Monday Tweetstorm, Elon Musk spoke about including a wireless hotspot and 360-degree cameras in new Teslas. Other updates coming soon include improvements to the Autopilot system. Update Possibilities

Today on Twitter, Elon Musk got into an interesting conversation with some Tesla fans. First, he was asked about the possibility of adding a wireless hotspot:

The idea was popular, and led to an additional request for a 360-degree view:

This function, which is already in development, could allow for a complete 360-degree view while driving. And,as Electrek reports, the idea of the hotspot is not new, but fan popularity might give it more traction.

Musk has also been talking about Tesla updates to the Autopilot system that are coming soon.

Originally, Musks plan was to have every Tesla fully autonomous by sometime in 2017. Tesla will be conducting a coast to coast test drive this year, during which the human driver is expected not to take over control at all. At TED 2017, Musk confirmed that future Teslas on the road may be as autonomous as the coast to coast test car.

According to Inverse, Musk has already stated that if autonomous driving demands upgrades to the computers in any of the Tesla models, the design should make the process simple. The updates are going to make Teslas even safer, so its easy to see why fans are so excited.

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Tesla's Next Update Could Include In-Car WiFi and a 360-Degree View - Futurism

In Brief Flooding due to the melting of permafrost surrounding the Svalbard Global Seed Vault has put the seed bank to the test. The seeds were not harmed, but the event stands as an example of the dire circumstances in which global warming places us. Not So Permafrost

Its a sad state of affairs when a structure designed to withstand the apocalypse cant handle the current condition of our planet. The Svalbard Global Seed Vaultis supposed to withstandend of the world-caliber events, but it seems that the Earths current condition is already too much for it to handle as water from melting permafrost spilled into the entrance tunnel last week.

The flooding did not reach any of the seeds stored for safekeeping, so the vault has passed that major test. Cary Fowler, a figure instrumental in the creation of the seed vault, is confident in its ability to withstand this threat. He told Popular Science, If there was a worst case scenario where there was so much water, or the pumping systems failed, that it made its way uphill to the seed vault, then it would encounter minus 18 [degrees celsius] and freeze again. Then theres another barrier [the ice] for entry into the seed vault.

The vault has already proven its usefulness when researchers in the Middle East made the first withdrawal from the backups stored at Svalbard back in 2015. They would traditionally retrieve their needed specimens from a facility in Aleppo, but instability in the city made those seeds impossible to extract. The vault provided the researchers with116,000 samples so they could continue their research on drought-resistant crops.

Science has been warning of the dangers of global climate change for decades, and we are beginning to see the widespread results of years of inaction. Last year was the hottest on record, and 2017 looks like it will also be one for the record books.

The area housing the doomsday vault is particularly vulnerable. As Ketil Isaksen from Norways Meteorological Institutetold Norwegian newspaperDagbladet, The Arctic and especially Svalbard warms up faster than the rest of the world. The climate is changing dramatically, and we are all amazed at how quickly it is going.

Truly, this breach says more about the state of the planet than it does the vaults construction.The structure is meant to be a stronghold to protect plant life in their seed form to ensure the survival of crop diversity, and even it cant keep up with global warming.

To mitigate these effects, Norway is working on making some improvements to the area surrounding the vault to ensure proper drainage away from it. As smund Asdal at the Nordic Genetic Resource Centre told The Guardian, We have to find solutions. It is a big responsibility and we take it very seriously. We are doing this for the world. This is supposed to last for eternity.

Systemic changes across the entire globe are the only real way to not only ensure the safety of the stored seeds but also lessen the probability that well need to call upon the vaults services.

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Melting Permafrost Threatens The Doomsday Seed Bunker - Futurism

In Brief A prototype car took home the top trophy for a fuel efficiency competition organized by Shell: it gets an incredible 2,713 miles per gallon. Extreme Fuel Efficiency

While electric vehicles (EVs) are steadily gaining ground, the majority of the cars on the road todayare still gas-powered. Gas prices, however, arent exactly getting cheaper. So, while we work towards transitioning from fossil fuel-based vehicles tocleaner alternatives, it certainly helps to find ways to make the cars we have now more fuel efficient. Students from the Universit Laval might just have a solution.

As an entry for this years Shell Eco-marathon Americas, the Laval students developed a prototype vehicle that could run for 2,713 miles per gallon (mpg) on a Detroit, Michigan test track. Their vehicles outstanding performance landed them this years top trophy. The competition gives students a chance to design vehicle concepts that maximizes efficiency using various fuels, including everythingfrom gasoline to hydrogen fuel cells.

In winning the overall competition, Universit Laval defeated 114 other rivals vying to see whose vehicle could travel the farthest distance on the equivalent of a gallon of gas, according to a press release for the event. While the Laval teams achievement was no small feat, it wasnt able to outperform last years champion car from the University of Toronto which covered an astounding 3,421 mpg.

Better fuel efficiency could translate to less fossil fuel vehicle consumption. While this could count as a win for the environment, fossil fuels remain one of the leading contributors to climate-warming emissions. As such, doing away with them completely is athe ultimate goal.

While it may feel like it, its not an impossible task: over the past months, fossil fuels are losing valuein terms of price, and seeing reducedefficiency compared to their renewable counterparts. EVs, while still only covering a relatively small share of the automobile industry, are set for a major take over. The increased interest from veteran automakers likeVolkswagen, Chevrolet, and Honda is a testament to the future of EVs. And soon, they may not evenbe the only alternatively fueled vehicles available: one automaker in China is working on a car that runs on solar power.

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Students Made a Car That Gets a Staggering 2,713 Miles per Gallon - Futurism

In BriefOver the weekend, the so-called "alien megastructure" star orTabby's Star resumed its unusual behavior. Astronomers hope thatnew data from this recent dips in light would help explain thisbizarre phenomenon. A Series of Excited Tweets

When astronomers turn to Twitter to ask everyone who has access to a big enough telescope to look at the sky, you know something is up. Indeed, something was up this past weekend, as one of the Universes most mysterious stars reignited some baffling behavior. Tabbys Star, also known as KIC 8462852, once again started the unusual pattern of dimming its lights, a behavior first observed in 2015.

As far as I can tell, every telescope that can look at it right now is looking at it right now, Tennessee State University astronomer Matt Muterspaugh told Loren Grush at The Verge. Mutterspaugh, like fellow astronomer Jason Wright from Penn State University, noticed the dip in KIC 8462852s light emissions this past weekend.

[W]e are officially on alert and we are asking astronomers on telescopes to please take spectra (light measurements) of the star, Wright told CNet. As early as Friday, he already observed that Tabbys Star had dimmed by three percent in just a couple of days.

Discovered in 2009, KIC 8462852 came to be known as Tabbys Star because a team of astronomers, led by Tabetha Boyajian from Yale University, noticed the unusual way its light dims. Its not uncommon for a stars light to dim when planets orbiting around it pass in front of it relative to Earth. Tabbys Star, however, didnt follow the usual pattern of such dips in light, suggesting no periodic orbiting of planets or other cosmic bodies.

Naturally, such a phenomenon tugged on the curiosity of astronomers, and a number of possible explanations have been suggested. The most common, and perhaps popular among these you guessed it is that something alien is the cause. One astronomer thinks that a Dyson Sphere is causing the strange dips, thereby nicknaming Tabbys Star as the alien megastructure star.

However, as much as wed (maybe) love to find aliens at the root of this strange obvservation, other astronomers have found, and are developing, other explanations. Aliens should always be the very last hypothesis you consider, Wright told The Atlantic back then. Though, it doesnt hurt to be on the lookout.

Some think that comet swarms,debris from a devoured planet, or possibly even space dustfloating around the star are causing the unusual light emissions. Still, others suggest that it could all just be flawed data, which is why nothing conclusive has been said yet about Tabbys Star. Simply, there wasnt enough data from two years ago to say anything definitively.

We were kind of stuck in a spot where we couldnt do anything, Boyajian told The Verge. We had all the data we could, and to learn anything more, we needed to catch it in action again.

Now, there is now a lot more data to use, but it would take timefor researchers to fully consider what the information could tell us about Tabbys Star. Its also possible that the new data wont result in anything definitive, but its worth a shot. Some data is better than no data at all. At the very least, itll help us to better understand curiosities in the cosmos like KIC 8462852.

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Alien Megastructure Star Resumes Its Bizarre Behavior After 2-Year Hiatus - Futurism

In Brief

On Wednesday, May 24, Dubai will launch a new police robot that marks the first phase of the integration of robots into the police force. Thismodified version of the REEM robot (Designed by PAL robotics and unveiled in 2011) is capable of feeding video to a command center, forwarding reported crimes to police, settling fines, facial recognition, and speaking nine languages. It will operate at most malls and tourist attractions.

Dubai hopes robots will constitute 25percent of its police force by 2030, with the next stage being to use them as receptionists in police stations. Brigadier Khalid Nasser Alrazooqi, General Director of Dubai Polices Smart Services Department, told CNN that they eventually want to release a fully-functional robot that can work as [a] normal police officer.

Robotic police officers or soldiers are old sci-fi idea, but they arebecoming more and more of a reality. In February, China started using the AnBot that uses facial recognition to identify criminals and is capable of following them until the police arrive. The Russian robot, Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research (FEDOR), has prompted comparisons to Robocop when a video showed it shooting with deadly accuracy, lifting dumbbells, and walking.

The biggest ethical concern raised by these developments concerns who is culpable if a robot makes the wrong decision and hurts someone in a criminal situation. Elon Musk, Steven Hawking, and other prolific scientists have identified AI as a serious existential risk, arguing that robots should never be allowed to kill people.

Alan Winfield,professor of robot ethics at the University of West England, writes about this issue on his Blog. The problem is that you cant make a machine responsible for its mistakes, Winfeild said in an interview with CNN. How do you punish it? How do you sanction it? You cant.

Disclosure: The Dubai Future Foundation works in collaboration with Futurism and is one of our sponsors.

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Dubai Wants Robots to Make up 25% of Its Police Force by 2030 - Futurism

Improving the Odds

Swipe right. Match. Meet over coffee.

No, we arent talking about Tinder. Introducing Shapr,a free app thathelps people with synergistic professional goals and skill sets easily meet and collaborate.

Shapris a completely free tool for building your professional network.Whether looking to grow your network in a new industry, seeking cofounders and investors for your startup idea or just hoping tograb acoffee with someone new, Shapr introduces professionals who are equally interested in expanding their networks.The companystates that their goal is ultimately to encourage professionals to learn from each other and find ways to work together.

The appuses an algorithm to parse the profiles of users and provide you with possible matches based on professional experience, location,and, tagged interests. Each day, Shapr produces a personalized selection of 10-15potential opportunities.

Users swipe right if theyre interested, and they swipe left if theyre not. Once the interest is mutual, you can message with your match and set up a time to meet. That conversation could take place over coffee, Skype, or whatever communication you prefer but the point is to get people meeting face to face.

In the modern age, we tend to spend a lot more time living in the digital world than living in the real world. In a number of ways, this is great, as it makes communication and collaboration faster than everafter all, it takes only a few seconds to send a text. However, the age of the Internet also has its problems. Its really easy to network and communicate, but difficulties arise when one considers whether or not they are actually networking with valuable individuals and whether a social media connection is worth much.

This is where Shapr comes in.

The company has shared hundreds ofsuccess stories,and they assert that they have already made 1.5 million matches this year. For example, an Atlanta-based user named Sarah found a skilled collaborator on Shapr in just three days after spending a staggering three years of unsuccessful searching. Jessica, a New-York-based journalist looking for mentoring and advice, found two more senior journalists to advise her, thanks to the app.

To be clear, there are plenty of existing ways to put yourself out there online and network with LinkedIn being one of the most notable examples. So what makes this app different from AngelList orMeetup? To begin with, Shapr is meant to be more active. The appis full of relevant professionals who want to actually take a conversation offline.

In addition, the algorithm does the work for you on Shapr there is no sourcing or endless browsing of profiles. You can check your daily batch of 10-15 connections in less than two minutes a day. The app focuses on quality matches, so that you spend time speaking to the right people and taking those conversations offline rather than just collecting business cards.

This mindful networking approach is an efficient way to hack networking and make it moremeaningful, inspiring and fun. Technology has already drastically altered the way we search for jobs. Why shouldnt it impact the way we make meaningful, professional connections?Test it out for yourself Shapr is free for iOS and Android.

Futurism curates the products that could help reshape our world. This post has been sponsored by theteam behind Shapr.

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LinkedIn Meets Tinder in This Mindful Networking App - Futurism