Category Archives: Futurism

The Age of Commercial Spaceflight

Rocket science isnt easy. Ask any engineer. Rocket science isnt cheap. Just ask NASA. Fortunately, in recent years, a number of commercial spaceflight companies have stepped up to the plate in order to help national space agencies extend their reach into the final frontier.

Innovative companies like Elon Musks SpaceX and Jeff Bezos Blue Origin have accelerated the development of reusable rockets exponentially. In so doing, they have dramatically reduced the cost of leaving our pale blue dot, improving both our ability to explore the cosmos and scientists capacity to conduct research beyondEarth.

To be more specific, in 2012, SpaceX became the first private space company to deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). Previously, this monumental feat was something that had only been achieved by world governments.

At the present time, the company is working on the Crew Dragon, a next-generation spacecraft that is designed to ferry humans to the ISS. One day, SpaceX even plans to land on Mars, and if Musk has anything to say about it, humans will be on the Red Planetpossibly living there for goodin the next decade or so.

Ultimately, private spaceflight companies are leading our charge into the cosmos. This is because successfully reusing boosters is a critical part of bringing down the cost of launchesand its something that the worlds governments have failed to produce.

With this technology, we wont have to build a completely new rocket for every single mission. According to SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell,reusability could lower the cost of rocket launches by a staggering 30 percent.

Likewise, Musk asserts that such rockets are the key to a truly economically viable space industry: A fully reusable vehicle has never been done before. That really is the fundamental breakthrough needed to revolutionize access to space. If one can figure out how to effectively reuse rockets just like airplanes, the cost of access to space will be reduced by as much as a factor of a hundred.

And Blue Origin echoes these sentiments, with Bezos calling such technologies the Holy Grail of rocketry. After the first landing of Blue Origins New Shepard resuablerocket, Bezos wrote, I believe this is a new Golden Age of space exploration. The first Golden Age was the 60s. We have been treading water for a long time. We are on the verge of a new Golden Age in rocketry. I believe one day all rockets will have landing gear.

This means that we can have more frequent and cheaper launches. This, in turn, means faster progress in both commercial spaceflight and our off-world research and exploration. In short, private spaceflight is ushering in a new age in our voyage into the cosmos.

Yesterday, Musk stated that SpaceX would have a breaking announcement today at 4pm EST (1pm GMT). And he just revealed thatSpaceX will be sending two private citizens around the Moon.

The space company said in a statement that the two individuals have already paid a significant deposit to do a Moon mission. Initial training, along with health and fitness tests, are set to occur later this year, SpaceX continued.

Ultimately, this is the first flight to the Moon with a crew in more than 45 years, and SpaceX went to lengths to point out the significance of this work: Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration.

SpaceX also outlined the nature of the project and clarified the timeline:

SpaceX has been approached to fly two private citizens on a trip around the moon late next year. They have already paid a significant deposit to do a moon mission.We expect to conduct health and fitness tests, as well as begin initial training later this year. Other flight teams have also expressed strong interest and we expect more to follow. Additional information will be released about the flight teams, contingent upon their approval and confirmation of the health and fitness test results.

To break this down, to begin, SpaceX plans to launch the Crew Dragon (Dragon Version 2) spacecraft to the ISS without people on board this year, and then a subsequent mission with crew will fly in the second quarter of 2018. From there, the company will head to the Moon, an important milestone as they work towards the ultimate goaltransporting humans to Mars.

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BREAKING: Elon Musk And SpaceX Are Sending Humans to the Moon - Futurism

In Brief

With $30 million leaving the bank account over the next five years, NASA plans on setting up and supporting two institutes dedicated to extending humanitys reach in our solar system.

These Space Technology Research Institutes (STRIs) will each receive $15 million in NASA funding to develop technologies in biomaterials and biomanufacturing. Universities will lead multidisciplinary research programs in hopes of obtaining credible outcomes in the next five years. While the research is focused on expanding our species into space, the STRIs look to finding applications beyond just aerospace for the work.

Of the two STRIs, one is the Center for Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space (CUBES)which will focus on incorporating microbes into food, fuel, materials, and pharmaceuticals. This research is intended to ease the journey of space travel, by providing biomanufacturing for astronauts who can be more self-sustained.

The other of the two STRIs is the Institute for Ultra-Strong Composites by Computational Design (US-COMP), which aims to develop lightweight and super strong aerospace material with carbon-nanotube technology.

CUBES will be led by Adam Arkin Ph.D., a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, while US-COMP will be led by GregoryOdegard Ph.D.of Michigan Technological University.

While many outspoken voices on humanitys survival state that we need to leave Earth, one of the most compelling reasons was given by Tesla and SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk. He believes that an extinction event isinevitableand that we must spread our species out if we aim to survive.

Others like Stephen Hawking are even more specific.Hawking believes that we only have 1000 years left on the Earth, and our only chance at survival is by setting up colonies elsewhere in the universe. Unlike Elon Musk, Hawking is skeptical of our ability to land on Mars in the next 200 or so years and behooves us to make steps to more fully address climate change, threats of nuclear war, and antibiotic resistance.

All in all, projects created by the STRIs will bring us closer to one-day extending humanitys reach.

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Two New NASA Institutes Will Prepare Us to Live Away From Earth - Futurism

58 Percent Cheaper

According to a recent report by Australian non-profitthe Climate Council, solar energy is now cheaper than retail power in most capital cities in Australia, with prices dropping 58 percent globally in the past five years. With costs expected to drop between 40 to 70 percent more by 2040, we can only expect a rise in adoption and usage in that country and others around the globe.

We are seeing more and more industrial-scale solar coming online across the country and the world. Hospitals, airports, farms and a variety of other businesses have embraced smarter and cleaner power, Greg Bourne, expert Councillor with the Climate Council, told SBS.

Nearly 7,000 solar batteries were installed in Australian homes last year, and that number is expected to triple in 2017. The Council adds in its report that industrial-scale solar plants are now providing cheaper power versus traditional coal plants. Twenty solar power plants are scheduled to be built around Australia, which will see an additional 3,700 megawatts of solar energy thats enough to power 600,000 homes. This will no doubt helpAustralia achieve its goal of reaching 20 gigawatts of solar generation in the next two decades.

Transitioning to renewable energy is not only necessary as we continue to see and feel the effects of climate change, it also makes economic sense.

For a country like Australia, where sunshine is abundant, supporting the growth of solar energy can create new jobs and new industries.More than 8,000 Australians already hold jobs in the solar industry, ranging from salespeople and manufacturers to electricians and installers. Projections expect that with renewable energy reaching 50 percent by 2030, Australia alonewill benefit from 28,000 new jobs.

Globally, 2.8 million people have jobs in the industry, which is more than those with coal jobs. In fact, in the United States, solar accounts for double the number of jobs as coal. The era of coal is over and global investment has moved firmly to renewable energy, added the Climate Council in a statement. Solar power is cheaper, has no fuel costs, is non-polluting and it is clear that it will be a key of Australias future.

Along with Australia, countries like China, the U.S., and Japan are at the forefront of renewable energy, with many other countries around the globe following suit. In 2015, a study showed that the U.S. could be completely powered by renewable energy by 2050. In 2016, almost all ofCosta Ricas electricity was generated using renewable sources. Germany, in an effort to phase out nuclear energy, is also well on its way to making other renewable energy sources more viable. As these individual efforts and global ones like the Paris Agreement take shape, we will hopefully see a tangible impact on our environment.

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The Price of Solar Has Dropped 58% in the Last 5 Years - Futurism

In Brief

Bitcoinis a term we often hear tossed around in the headlines. We know that it deals with money, online transactions, and just maybe the deep web. Back in 2014, the Washington Postestablished that only 24% of theAmerican public was aware of what bitcoin actually was. Meaning that almost three-quarters of the country had no idea. But maybe they just might want to start paying attention, especially now since it is at its all-time high value.

Bitcoin was introduced in 2008 by an anonymous group of programmers under the name of Satoshi Nakamotoand was eventually released to the public in 2009 as an open-source software. Unlike other online payment services like PayPal and Venmo, Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer network that takes place privately between two usersmeaning there is no intermediary involved. The cryptographic virtual currency is completely decentralized from any external influence while all transactions with the currency are accounted for through ablockchain ledger.

While bitcoin is thoroughly anonymous, the blockchain ledger has all transactions available publicly. Therefore, theoretically, if you know the time and date of a particular transaction, you may be able to match someones online address to their identity. On the other hand, all transactions made through bitcoin are encrypted with military grade cryptography, ensuring that all deals are secure. Sending and receiving bitcoins is as easy as sending an email, but does that mean its worth it?

With all that said and done, Bitcoin has made it far since its substantial price drop in 2013. Since then Bitcoin has stabilized around a margin of $250, with most experts believing it was doomed. However, it seems to have returned to a relatively stable rise since last year. This time last year bitcoin was valued at $367, with its steady rise,it is now valued at 1,177.18. Many speculate as to what is causing the recent trend from Congress to WallStreet to even sheer luck.

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Bitcoin Prices Have Surged to an All-Time High - Futurism

Typing With Thought

Researchers from Stanford University have built a new brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows paralyzed people to type with their brains at a rate faster than was previously possible.

For their study, they worked with threeparticipants with severe limb weakness, two due to Lou Gehrigs disease and one with limited movement due to a spinal cord injury. All three participants had electrode arrays embedded in their brains to record signals from the motor cortex, which controls muscle movement. A cable then transmitted the brain signals to a computer, and they were then translated by algorithms into point-and-click commands that prompted a cursor to move over letters. Basically, participants were able to move the cursor by imagining their own hand movements.

While it took some training, the subjects were able to achieve BCI results that outperformed any available platform today. One patient was able to type 39 correct characters per minute, which is around eight words per minute, proving that BCIs have the potential to enhance communication among people with impaired movement. It should be noted that these typing-rates were achieved without the use of automatic word-completion.

The performance is really exciting. Were achieving communication rates that many people with arm and hand paralysis would find useful. Thats a critical step for making devices that could be suitable for real-world use, says Chethan Pandarinath, one of the authors of the paper, told Stanford.

The Stanford teams contribution toward advancing peoples ability to control machines with just their thoughts reflects the progressbeing made in this field. In addition to this breakthrough, a team from the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva, Switzerland, built a BCI that can decipher thoughts of people with complete locked-in syndrome, giving them the ability to answer yes or no questions. Meanwhile, researchers at Harvard are using BCI tech to restore sight in the blind.

In the U.S. alone, millions of people suffer from paralysis, some from degenerative conditions like ALS and others from unfortunate accidents that cause severe spinal cord injury.This point-and-click approach developed at Stanford could be the key to making a more efficient BCI geared toward improving the quality of life for those people. It could restore their ability to communicate while teams like that at the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE)work on ways to use BCIs to help the paralyzed walk again.

With some modifications, the team believes its system could be applied to other devices, including smartphones or tablets. Were approaching half of what, for example, I could probably type on a cell phone, neurosurgeon and co-senior authorJaimie Henderson of Stanford University told Scientific American. This study reports the highest speed and accuracy, by a factor of three, over whats been shown before. In the future, the team hopes to refine the technology so that it becomes wireless, fully implanted, and self-calibrating, thus being able to provide around-the-clock support.

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New Brain-Reading Computers Let the Paralyzed Communicate Using Their Thoughts - Futurism

On the Hunt for Code

Those of you who followed the first season of HBOs Westworld know that one of the things that made an artificially intelligent (AI) host in the show truly intelligent, so to speak, was the ability to write its own code. Its a form of reasoning with itself something that current AI technology is still far from capable of doing. One company is trying to close that gap viadeep learning algorithms that use probabilistic programming,and now, researchers from Microsoft and the University of Cambridge are bringing us closer to self-coding AI with a system they call DeepCoder.

DeepCoder is a machine learning system that can write its own code. It does this using a technique called program synthesis. Essentially, it creates new programs by combining existing lines of code taken from other software, which is what human coders do. With a particular output in mind, DeepCoder was able to determinewhich lines or pieces of code would be particularly useful.

The approach is to train a neural network to predict properties of the program that generated the outputs from the inputs. We use the neural networks predictions to augment search techniques from the programming languages community, including enumerative search and an SMT-based solver, writes the research team, which is led by Alexander Gaunt from Microsoft Research and Matej Balog from Cambridge. Their study is currently being reviewed for the 5th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2017) this coming April.

DeepCoder successfully plowed through the basic, input-output style challenges usually set by programming competitions. It was able to search through lines of code more thoroughly and widely than a human coder could, piecing together code in a manner humans might not think of and more quickly. And because DeepCoder is essentially a deep learning algorithm, every time its given a new problem, it gets better at combining lines from source codes.

Ultimately, this algorithm can make programming accessible to non-coders, allowing anyone to easilybuild simple programs. Researcher Marc Brockschmidt, one of DeepCoders creators from Microsoft Research in Cambridge, UK, believes that their approach would make it possible for non-coders to just describe a program and leave the system to build it. All of a sudden, people could be so much more productive, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) associate professor Armando Solar-Lezama, who wasnt part of the research,told New Scientist. They could build systems that it [would be] impossible to build before.

DeepCoders current version only allows it to handle programming challenges with around five lines of code. Brockschmidt said that future versions of DeepCode could facilitate building routine programs that do information scraping from websites without the need for human coders.The potential for automation that this kind of technology offers could really signify an enormous [reduction] in the amount of effort it takes to develop code, Solar-Lezama said. No need for programmers to start updating their resumes, though, as this tech wouldnt replace humans. Instead, DeepCoder could handle the more tedious parts of programming, while human coders could focus on more sophisticated work.

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Our Computers Are Learning How to Code Themselves - Futurism

Genetic Editing for All

We are all subject tothe genetic lottery. Thats how its always been, and for a while, we thought that was how it would always be.

Then, in 2014, a gene-editing technology called CRISPR was introduced. With CRISPR, geneticists could edit sections of the genome to alter, add, or remove parts of the DNA sequence. To date, it is by far the easiest way weve found to manipulate the genetic code, and itis already paving the way for more efficient and effective treatments of conditions with a genetic component. However, the technology brings with it the potential to manipulate and remove simply unwanted genes.

While most of the proposed CRISPR applications are focused on editing somatic (non-reproductive) cells, altering germline (reproductive) cells is also a very real possibility. This prospect of editing germline cells and making changes that would be passed on from generation to generation has sparked a heated ethical debate.

The potential to change someones DNA even before they are born has led to claims that CRISPR will be used to create designer babies. Detractors were appalled at the hubris of science being used to engineer the human race. Supporters, on the other hand, are saying this ability should be a human right.

To be fair, most advocates of genetic editing arent rallying for support so CRISPR can be used to create a superior human race. Rather, they believe people should have free access to technology that is capable of curing diseases. Its not about rigging the genetic game its about putting the technique to good use while following a set of ethical recommendations.

To that end, a panel made up of experts chosen by the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine released a series of guidelines that essentially gives gene editing a yellow light. These guidelines supports gene editing on the premise that it follows a set of stringent rules and is conducted with proper oversight and precaution.

Obviously, genetic enhancement would not be supported under these guidelines, which leaves some proponents miffed. Josiah Zaynor, whose online company The ODINsells kits allowing people to conduct simple genetic engineering experiments at home, is among those who are adamant that gene editing should be a human right. He expressed his views on the subject in an interview with The Outline:

We are at the first time in the history of humanity where we can no longer be stuck with the genes we are dealt. As a society we have begun to see how choice is a right, but for some reason when it comes to genetics, some people think we shouldnt have a choice. I can be smart and attractive, but everyone else should be ugly, fat, and short because those are the genes they were dealt and they should just deal with it.

However, scientific institutions continue to caution against such lax views of genetic editings implications. Apart from the ethical questions it raises, CRISPR also facesopposition from various religious sects and legal concerns regarding the technology. Governments seem divided on the issue, with nations like China advancing research, while countries like the U.K., Germany, and the U.S. seem more concerned about regulating it.

The immense potential of gene editing to change humanity means the technology will continue to be plagued byethical and philosophical concerns. Given the pace of advancement, however, its good that were having this debate on what and who it should be used for right now.

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Should Gene Editing Be a Human Right? - Futurism

In Brief

From its incorporation ofsolar glass technologyto its affordable $35,000 price tag, the Tesla Model 3 has been making headlines since it was announced. In the 36 hours following that announcement, Tesla secured over 270,000 preorders for the vehicle,but whats even more exciting is the fact that this highly anticipated zero-emission car may actually arrive on time.

According to a letter to investors, the Model 3 is expected to begin production in July, and deliverieswill begin later in 2017. Tesla is already building prototypes of the vehicle, and the company has noted that production will begin at 5,000 vehicles per week and slowly ramp up to 10,000 vehicles per week in 2018.

With that said, Teslas Gigafactory will be booming. With 550 new hires and an additional $350 million investment, the Nevada factory will produce the electric motors and gear boxes for the newest and most affordable Tesla, while other parts will be manufactured in California.

Teslas most recent rollout,the Model S, costs around $70,000, so the Model 3 will be just what the company needs to finally be able to compete with other affordable electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt, which sit within a similar price range of the Model 3.

All we have to do now is count the seconds until the second half of 2017.

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Tesla Is on Track to Deliver Us Into the Next Age in Energy - Futurism

Buried in the side of a mountain in Svalbard,a Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole, the Global Seed Vault stores virtually every kindof seed.

And on Wednesday, that seed vault got even more seeds almost 50,000 new samples to help preserve biodiversity. Those returning samples include the ones sent out in 2015 to replace a collection that had been damaged by the Syrian civil war.

Cary Fowler, the man considered the father of the seed vault and a former executive director of the international nonprofit organization Crop Trust, compares it to asafety deposit box:the point of the vault is not for apocalyptic scenarios, but servesmore asa sort of back-up drive.

Fowler told Business Insider in Octoberthat the vault is used to store duplicates of existing seed banks that have been collecting seeds for 100 years. That way, if a regional seed vault loses something, the Svalbard collection can replace the sample.

Take a look inside the vault:

The vault is located in Svalbard, an archipelago thats part of Norway. Its a cold area filled with polar bears and snow scooters, along with brightly colored houses.

The archipelago is located in the Arctic Ocean, midway between the North Pole and Norway, where the warmest temperature this year was 58 degrees Fahrenheit. The winters remain below 0 and -1 degrees Fahrenheit.

The entrance to the vault sticks out of a mountain, illuminated with a light installation by Dyveke Sanne.

Inside the entrance, theres a tunnel that runs from the entrance to the vaults rooms, 426 feet deep into the mountain.

Fowler said there are some misconceptions about what the vault is used for. People will say, how can you have enough seeds up there? Thats not the point, its not for planting. This is really a genetic resource for plant breeding.

Svalbard was an ideal location. Because its so cold, the seeds can stay frozen in the permafrost. Importantly, says Fowler, the seeds dont have to be used as is. Instead, researchers can use them to study potentially beneficial traits, like those for withstanding disease or climate change, and hopefully one day incorporate those into current crops.

Every year, gene-banks provide samples to crop breeders to test out, which in turn becomes different varieties of crops. Below, people taste tomatoes at a Seed Savers Exchange in the US.

We dont need to experience apocalypse in order for the Seed Vault to be useful and to repay its costs many times over, Fowler wrote in his book. We were not anticipating the end of the world. We were pragmatists. We wanted to address a problem we were already experiencing: the loss of diversity in individual gene-banks.

Fowler said the sample of the seeds taken out and now replaced from Syria are a great example of the banks function. It illustrates why we built it, Fowler said. Loss of that collection would be irreplaceable. I tell people its a great story a sad story of the seed vault functioning as an insurance policy.

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Norway Just Added 50000 More Seeds to Its Doomsday Vault - Futurism

In Brief

Looks like the Ghostbusters have some competition, and its renowned physicistand science communicator Brian Cox. But rather than bust some ghosts, it looks like hes more in the business of destroying the idea of the paranormal entirely. He wasnt justlooking to spread some knowledge to the4 in 10 Americans who believe in ghosts, though he was sharing a simple conclusion he has reached by working with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

The LHC is the largest and most powerful particle accelerator that humanity has ever built. Itfeatures a ring 27 kilometers (16 miles) long with superconducting magnets and accelerating structures specifically built to boost the energy of particles that scientists hope to study. Within the accelerator, two high-energy beams are forced to collide from opposite directions at speeds close to the speed of light. Agood analogy for this would be firing two needles toward each other from 10 kilometers (6 miles) apart with a precision that makes sure they meet halfway.

Over 10,000 scientists and engineers from over 100 countries work together at this structure below the France-Switzerland border to help us learn aboutthe fundamental properties of physics. They testdifferent properties of elementary particles, and thus far, they have learned about particle decay, found hints of new particles, and reexamined what we know about the Big Bang. Its from this evidence-based research that Brain Cox believes he can dismiss the existence of the paranormal entirely.

Brian Cox made the claim during a recent broadcast of BBC Radio Fours The Infinite Monkey Cage that focused on the intersection of science and the paranormal:

If we want some sort of pattern that carries information about our living cells to persist then we must specify precisely what medium carries that pattern and how it interacts with the matter particles out of which our bodies are made. We must, in other words, invent an extension to the Standard Model of Particle Physics that has escaped detection at the Large Hadron Collider. Thats almost inconceivable at the energy scales typical of the particle interactions in our bodies.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, who was also on the show, went on to press him for a clarification: If I understand what you just declared, you just asserted that CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, disproved the existence of ghosts. Cox replied with a simple Yes.

Coxs point relies heavily on the LHCs ability to pick up the tiniest bursts of energy found in particle collisions. That mean that any energy signatures from paranormal entities should be easy to detect. Thus far, no such evidence has been found. Does this mean that you can no longer enjoy horror movies? No, it just means you dont have to be scared.

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Brian Cox: The LHC Disproves the Existence of Ghosts and the Paranormal - Futurism