Category Archives: Futurism

Max Hodak wants us to create brand-new, "super exotic" dinosaurs.Paging Jeff Goldblum

Max Hodak, the Neuralink cofounder who recently made headlines for suggesting a religion that incorporates drugs and that his companys brain-computer interface would revolutionize gaming, is back and now hes calling for someone to build a real-world Jurassic Park.

We could probably build Jurassic Park if we wanted to, Hodak tweeted on Saturday. Wouldnt be genetically authentic dinosaurs but [shrugging emoji]. Maybe 15 years of breeding + engineering to get super exotic novel species.

For the uninitiated, Jurassic Park and Jurassic World make up a five-movie franchise with a sixth in the works all based on Michael Crichtons hit novel about how bad of an idea it was to open a place like Jurassic Park. Leveraging recent advances in genetic research to create entirely new creatures is certainly an enticing idea, though theres a big difference between something potentially being feasible and actually being a good idea.

But its not all fun and gameswhen youre playing god and creating new dinosaurs. Hodak later added that de-extinction could be a valuable tool for increasing biodiversity, perhaps because we find ourselves in the midst of an era of mass extinction.

Biodiversity (antifragility) is definitely valuable; conservation is important and makes sense, Hodak tweeted minutes later. But why do we stop there? Why dont we more intentionally try to generate novel diversity?

For years, conservationists have expressed concerns over resurrecting extinct species a process called de-extinction in part because the ecosystems those species lived in, for one reason or another, moved on without them. To that end, resurrecting species and especially creating brand new forms of biodiversity would functionally be the same as introducing a new invasive species to an ecosystem no longer equipped to support it.

In other words, its a cool idea, but it runs the risk of being extremely counterproductive just like in the movies.

More on Max Hodak: Neuralink Co-Founder Has an Idea for a New Religion

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Neuralink Co-Founder Says We Have the Tech to Build an Actual Jurassic Park - Futurism

The Poseidon 2M39 torpedo would sneak along the ocean floor before detonating a nuke.Testing Grounds

Russia appears to have developed a nuclear weapon capable of sneaking along the bottom of the sea and detonating along the coastline to flood the area with what one official described as radioactive tsunamis.

The nuclear weapon, called the Poseidon 2M39 torpedo, has experts concerned, CNN reports, as the radioactive waves could potentially devastate coastal cities and render huge portions of land uninhabitable for long periods of time. Though the weapon was considered a technologically-improbable farce for years, recent Russian military tests and other activity in the Arctic now lends new credibility to the threat.

Christopher A Ford, a former assistant secretary of state for International Security and Non-Proliferation, told CNN last year that the horrifying weapon is designed to inundate U.S. coastal cities with radioactive tsunamis.

The Poseidon 2M39 was first announced in 2015, CNN reports, but was considered by experts outside of Russia to be a paper tiger weapon, or a scary-sounding-but-ineffectual piece of technology meant to add gravitas to treaty negotiations instead of actually being used.

But now it seems that Russia is moving forward with Poseidon tests as well as those for other high-tech weapons like hypersonic missiles and experts are taking notice.

It is absolutely a project that will be used to scare, as a negotiation card in the future, perhaps in arms control talks, Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies international relations professor Katarzyna Zysk told CNN. But in order to do so, it has to be credible. This seems to be real.

A bomb that can trigger already-deadly tsunamis made of dangerously radioactive water in major cities is, objectively, terrifying. But military and sociopolitical implications aside, a Poseidon 2M39 strike would also cause severe environmental destruction that would last for decades.

We are ecologically worried. This is not only a theoretical thing: in fact, we have seen serious accidents in the last few years, Vice Admiral Nils Andreas Stensnes, head of Norwegian intelligence, told CNN. The potential of a nuclear contamination is absolutely there.

READ MORE: Satellite images show huge Russian military buildup in the Arctic [CNN]

More on nuclear weapons: Russia Says It Successfully Tested a Hypersonic Nuke

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New Russian Weapon Is Designed to Unleash "Radioactive Tsunamis" - Futurism

Now scientists just need to make it a reality.Simulation Theory

A team of scientists may have cracked the code for self-sustaining nuclear fusion reactors that actually produce more electricity than they consume an amazing accomplishment, at least in theory.

In a series of simulations, the team from the Oak Ridge and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories and the private company General Atomics demonstrated how a tiny tokamak reactor could pave the way toward productive and sustainable fusion energy, according to Popular Mechanics. Now, of course, the trick is to actually build the thing.

A big, yet-unsolved challenge in the nuclear fusion field has been building a reactor stable and powerful enough to actually put out more energy than it takes in. The best in show right now, according to PopMech, is an experimental reactor that produces 67 percent as much electricity as it takes to power it up.

The new theoretical reactor is surprisingly compact: its just eight meters wide and highly compresses plasma to generate a net 200 megawatts of electricity, according to the research that the team published last month in the journal Nuclear Fusion. That would be enough electricity to power about 40,000 homes, give or take.

Unfortunately, a reactor like the one from the paper is probably still over a decade away from tangible reality, according to PopMech. Adding in the plasma pressurization that actually made it work well is even farther out.

But still, the simulations show that a plasma fusion reactor of this sort is theoretically possible and could work. That means that this paper could serve as roadmap toward a truly practical fusion reactor.

READ MORE: This Is the First Fusion Power Plant to Generate Net Electricity [Popular Mechanics]

More on nuclear fusion: MIT Researchers Say Their Fusion Reactor Is Very Likely to Work

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Simulation Shows This Fusion Reactor Doing Something Amazing - Futurism

An ancient collision may have left giant chunks of another world buried beneath our feet.Left Behind

Roughly 4.5 billion years ago, an ancient protoplanet called Theia likely crashed into the Earth, sending shrapnel and debris into space and ultimately forming the Moon.

But the crash also likely left pieces of Theia buried beneath the Earth in the form of two incredibly huge blobs of rock and metal, according to research by Arizona State University scientists. Now, in anew interview with Insider, the lead scientist behind that research has clarified their utterly unfathomable scale.

Those ancient, buried fragments are millions of times larger than Mount Everest in terms of volume, Arizona State researcher Qian Yuan told the site.

The gargantuan masses are 621 miles tall and two to three times as wide, according to Yuans research, scheduled to be published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. And the rock isnt just sitting there scientists have previously been able to study the blobs after their contents oozed up and out of Samoan and Icelandic volcanoes, according to Insider.

Studying that lava, according to Insider, is part of what led scientists to believe that the blobs are drastically different from the surrounding mantle, lending evidence to the idea they came from somewhere other than Earth.

If these underground blobs really are pieces of Theia, it would mean that Earth had a shockingly violent past. But it would also help explain where the Moon came from.

A hit-and-run theory of the Earth-Theia collision, Yuan told Insider, would say that the two planets glanced off each other and the pieces they flung into space eventually formed the Moon. Scientists have previously suggested there are pieces of Theia under the lunar surface, but the Moons composition is highly similar to Earth. Given that and the incredible size of the blobs that got buried, it seems most of the ancient planets surviving remains got stuck here instead.

READ MORE: Earth contains buried chunks of an alien world that are millions of times larger than Mount Everest, research suggests [Insider]

More on Theia: There Appears to be a Huge Chunk of an Ancient Planet Buried Inside Earth

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Pieces of Alien Planet Buried Inside Earth Are "Millions of Times Larger Than Mount Everest" - Futurism

Image by v2osk via Unsplash / Futurism

A blind patient regained their vision for over a year after getting a single injection of an experimental gene therapy directly into their eye.

The treatment uses RNA molecules that can infiltrate cells and reverse a specific mutation linked to Leber congenital amaurosis, an eye disease that causes blindness early in life, according to research published Thursday in the journal Nature Medicine. And interestingly, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers behind the treatment discovered its long-term effects largely by accident.

The mutation behind Leber congenital amaurosis prevents cells from producing the CEP290 protein, which is crucial for the eyes photoreceptor cells. The treatment sneaks RNA into those cells and triggers CEP290 production, essentially reversing the mutation for months at a time.

The researchers first tested out this gene therapy in 2019, according to a press release on the study, in an earlier experiment where patients were injected every three months. Those patients saw continual improvement in their eyesight because the RNA was repeatedly replenished. But one participant only got the initial injection and then backed out over concerns about potential side effects.

And what a lucky break that they did. The new study focuses on that patient alone and shows that the restored eyesight actually peaked two full months after the injection and lasted for over 15 months long-term trends that were masked by the other patients repeated treatments.

As the study authors explain in the press release, thats a great sign for this specific treatment and the field of RNA-based gene therapies at large. Longer-lasting benefits would not only potentially drive down the medical bills associated with repeated injections but give scientists working on other conditions a promising avenue to explore for their own gene therapies.

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Gene Therapy Injected Into Eyeball Restores Blind Patient's Vision - Futurism

What if it's all just dark matter instead?Square One

Dark energy, the elusive energy that many physicists believe drives the continuous expansion of the universe, might not actually exist.

In conventional models of the universe, about 68 percent of the universe is made of dark energy, with most of the remainder being taken up by dark matter. But University of Copenhagen scientists suggest in new preprint research that theres no actual need for dark energy to exist theres a chance that its dark matter driving the universe apart instead. Its a bold claim that needs to thoroughly vetted before we assume its correct, but if it holds up it would dramatically rewrite what we thought we understood about the cosmos.

The scientists suggest that if dark matter had a few more properties like something resembling magnetism than existing models assume, it could accomplish everything thats currently attributed to dark energy.

If what we discovered is accurate, it would upend our belief that what we thought made up 70 percent of the universe does not actually exist, study coauthor Steen Harle Hansen said in a press release. We have removed dark energy from the equation and added in a few more properties for dark matter. This appears to have the same effect upon the universes expansion as dark energy.

Of course, any model that erases 68 percent of the universe with a Thanos-like snap deserves a hearty dose of skepticism. But Hansen also thinks dark energy, as a concept, is already pretty far out.

Honestly, our discovery may just be a coincidence, he said in the release. But if it isnt, it is truly incredible. It would change our understanding of the universes composition and why it is expanding. As far as our current knowledge, our ideas about dark matter with a type of magnetic force and the idea about dark energy are equally wild. Only more detailed observations will determine which of these models is the more realistic. So, it will be incredibly exciting to retest our result.

READ MORE: New study sews doubt about the composition of 70 percent of our universe [University of Copenhagen]

More on dark energy: Scientists Think Dark Energy Might Be Just an Illusion

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Dark Energy, Thought to Comprise Most of the Universe, Might Be Totally Fake - Futurism

The concept of a space elevator, a consistently popular topic in works of science fiction, has been around since at least the late 19th century.

The basic idea is to allow us to reach space by using a cable thats tethered to the Earth on one end and to a counterweight, orbiting the Earth, on the other.

But rather than having one end cemented in the Earth, scientists are now arguing that a more recently developed iteration of the space elevator design could be built much sooner. The design involves having both ends of the tether float entirely in space, making transportation of payloads from one orbit to the other much easier.

And, as George Zhu, professor of mechanical engineering at York University, tells The Academic Times, the concept isnt nearly as far fetched as we might think.

Technical-wise, its kind of ready, Zhu told the outlet. It just has small engineering [adjustments], and theres no fundamental difficulty to do that.

In his paper, published in the journal Acta Astronautica last month, Zhu argues that a partial space elevator that sends payloads from a lower to a higher Earth orbit is already mechanically feasible today.

In short, the idea is to send payloads to the lower reaches of space via rockets, attach them to the lower end of the tether, and have them be zipped up to the further reaches of Earths orbit via the elevator.

Such an elevator could use two, instead of one, cable tethers to keep the elevator stable.

Thats mainly to stop the Earths rotational force, the Coriolis effect, moving the cable back and forth, a phenomenon referred to by Zhu as libration.

Our idea is, when we put two tethers together, one cargo will be moving up and the other cargo will be moving down, so the forces will cancel each other, Zhu told The Academic Times.

Since both ends are floating in space, according to Zhu, the tension within the tether is limited. Current material can support that tension.

As a result of the significant fuel savings involved in only sending a rocket to the lower reaches of space, todays rockets could send up to ten times more payload by weight into space, according to the researcher.

There are several downsides to the approach, however. Zhu did admit to The Academic Times that a kilometers-long tether would make it very difficult for existing objects in Earths orbit to avoid debris.

For instance, the International Space Station routinely has to fire its thrusters to avoid oncoming bits of space junk. If it were tied to an extremely long tether, as Zhang suggests, such maneuvers would be near impossible.

While such a space elevator doesnt quite solve the issue of having to spend massive amounts of fuel to get off the ground and escape the Earths powerful gravitational pull, it could still cut the required journey short significantly, saving plenty of fuel in the process an intriguing possibility.

READ MORE: Far from science fiction, space elevators may be nearing deployment [The Academic Times]

More on space elevators: These Researchers Want to Run a Cable From the Earth to the Moon

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Professor Says We Could Already Build a Floating Space Elevator - Futurism

Harshad AjoomalA carved vegetable ivory (Tagua Nut) cocktail ring in 18-karat yellow gold set with diamonds, and briolettes of amethysts, spinel and pink tourmaline. By H. Ajoomal Fine JewelleryA pair of icy platinum earrings embellished with round and emerald-cut diamonds from the Modern Vintage line. By H. Ajoomal Fine JewelleryA snap-on black onyx bracelet decorated with yellow gold finials, diamonds, tanzanite and citrines. By H. Ajoomal Fine Jewellery

A broad bracelet patterned with white and grey mother-of-pearl sticks held in a circle with natural Italian corals framed in diamonds. By H. Ajoomal Fine Jewellery

Tell us about your family were they related to the world of jewellery?My paternal family had oil and cotton seed processing units and factories. So, I wasnt exposed to jewellery in that sense. But, yes, a few of my cousins and uncles got into the diamond and jewellery trade after immigrating from Pakistan during the partition in 1947. I started out by taking up a gemmology course one summer at the Gemmological Institute of India (GII) where my professor also happened to be my first cousin, Navin Jashnani.

I had never been exposed to gemstones and diamonds and it was an eye-opener for me. After I completed the course, Navin asked me if I would be interested to learn manufacturing and metalsmithing.

I was 19 years old, and after attending college in the morning, I had ample time on hand. So, I agreed. There were no institutes in those days that taught jewellery manufacturing, so Navin got me to apprentice with Shishir Nevatia, founder of Sunjewels. In the one year spent there, I learned the technical aspects of jewellery making on the bench.

Did your early experience in the industry make you realise that you had a designer hidden in you?After my apprenticeship at Sunjewels, I joined Navins Sama Jewellery, and started manufacturing and wholesaling jewellery. I always knew I had a creative side to me as I was attracted to art, sculpture and architecture from a young age. I travelled a lot as a child with my parents all over Europe and I remember my visits to museums those memories stayed with me forever.

It was only when I began working on jewellery and creating something that I realised my calling.

My education also came from travelling to international jewellery shows in Vicenza, Valencia, Hong Kong, and reading books on jewellery of different periods.

Jewellery making has been a creative outlet for me. I also enjoy manufacturing gemstones.

I am largely a self-trained designer, barring a couple of short courses that I took in Milan and Mumbai. I keep reading about architectural rendering, and I think thats helped me explain my ideas to my artisans. Its been almost 30 years and I have been enjoying the process and learning something new all the time.

A beaded multi-row necklace featuring tumbled peridot and tanzanite beads with side clasps in wood and brushed yellow and white gold set with diamonds. By H. Ajoomal Fine Jewellery

An 18-karat white gold cocktail ring inspired by the overflowing icing on a cake set with mint green tsavorites and Mandarin garnets. By H. Ajoomal Fine Jewellery

A pair of curvaceous white gold earrings set with round and baguette diamonds. By H. Ajoomal Fine Jewellery

White gold diamond ear pendants fashioned with fancy-cut diamonds. By H. Ajoomal Fine Jewellery

When did you start your own eponymous brand, and who was your target audience? After working for many years in the business-to-business trade where I headed the creative department in Sama Jewellery, and partnering with designers like Farah Khan for almost nine years, I decided out to venture on my own. In 2006, I started my eponymous brand H. Ajoomal to cater to a discerning consumer.

While at Sama, we tested our products with end consumers and realised that they were more discerning than jewellery retailers, who were reluctant to experiment. Thats when I felt I could cater to an audience who wanted something out of the ordinary without compromising on manufacturing and gem quality.

Your jewellery sits on the cusp of fine jewellery and high fashion. Tell us how you have managed to create a signature label such as this? How much influence does fashion have in conceiving the collections? Yes, our pieces are a mix of fine jewellery and high fashion. We also do prt and demi-fine jewellery. Fashion has definitely been one of the big influences other than architecture, sculpture, and pop art. Being a scuba diver, I also am inspired by underwater life.

One cannot follow fashion blindly, I feel one has to find ones own signature style; it is important to know if your client prefers high fashion or high street fashion; what type of jewellery will go with her attire, her lifestyle. Besides design, its important to build trust so that clients are sure about what they are buying from you.

I keep experimenting with new material, trying out new processes. I also do classic and bespoke jewellery, but employ new manufacturing techniques; and figure different ways of wearing those pieces.

The use of unusual gemstones is another aspect that distinguishes your brand from others. Do you have a gem-cutting lapidary as well? Yes, I love unusual gemstones and spend considerable time sourcing them. Of course, we use rubies, emeralds, tanzanite and more, but I also experiment with kunzites, morganite, Mandarin garnets, purple garnets, and spinels. I love opals from Ethiopia and Australia. I also use vegetable ivory, tagua, fossils, and meteorites. I found a supplier for meteorite and I intend using it in fine jewellery.

I dont have my own lapidary, but I work with a team of trained gem cutters worldwide who custom-cut gems for me.

I try as much as possible to find out about the sourcing of the gemstones that I use. Are they sustainable? Are they empowering those local communities? Is it imported and sourced from the right organizations? These aspects are important for me.

Tell us more about the latest lines that you have come up with. It has been a really unusual year for all of us. Travelling is restricted and people are opting to go for open spaces with a small group, who they feel safe to be with. Thats why we are concentrating on the demi-fine jewellery line, which is more fun and colourful, by using the Pantone yellows and greys or other unusual combinations. This line has been doing well for us this past year.

Some of our important pieces have been sold through auctions as well.

We are working currently with Mandarin garnets and spinels an atypical combination of orange and pink shades. Ive also been working a lot with peridot and rough material, and gems like jasper, which bear natural earthy patterns; and combinations of jasper with tanzanite or agate.

I have recently come back from the African Safari, and I visited Lewa in the North and was mesmerised by the spectacular landscape where I saw 20 different shades of grass! I am trying to work on a colour scheme similar to it with an earthier feel in my demi-fine line.

Another collection is being made with uncut diamonds, labradorites, tanzanites and rough emeralds.

We are working a collection in aluminium and plating of aluminium and titanium in combination with gold and gemstones. We are also coming up with our own black gold alloy, and working on various shades of gold, too.

Could you give us an indication about trend directions?I think the younger consumer will identify with pieces that have symbols or are more personalised.

In terms of diamond cuts, we will see more fancy shapes including trapezoids and triangles; and ovals and emerald-cuts, especially for engagement rings and wedding bands. Emerald cuts have been in fashion for a long time. But again, its the way we are setting them is more modern.

In the coloured gemstone segment, the definition of what is considered a gem is changing rapidly. One cannot define what is precious or semi-precious. Its up to the consumer to decide about the rarity of the material, its sourcing, the design, whether it is organic or not there is a thin line now dividing precious and semi-precious gemstones.

Its all about how a gemstone is used in a piece of jewellery that really makes it rare.

We will also see different ways of selling jewellery.

Even at auctions, which earlier sold only vintage pieces, we are finding young designers who are putting their fresh pieces under the hammer for an evolved clientele.

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The futurist: Harshad Ajoomal - Times of India

Since the stone, bronze, and iron ages, humans have found new means to protect themselves and kill one another. Weapons like iron swords, tanks, and nuclear weapons transformed the globe, while others only merit mention on a Gizmodo listicle. At the same time, peaceful technologies like the printing press, the power loom, and computers disrupted economies, societies, and even governments. Today, a whole host of technologies from fifth-generation wireless communication to artificial intelligence and quantum computing all have broad implications for society, economies, and warfare.

Technological change is not new. Nor does a focus on technology at this particular moment make one a blinkered futurist. Technology is an instrument of national power that feeds and in turn is fed by other elements of national power. With so many technologies with potentially transformative applications emerging at once, focusing on understanding, developing, and leveraging these technologies is well justified, even if it seems myopic at times.

These technologies are emerging at the same time as between China and the United States. In War on the Rocks, John Speed Meyers and David Jackson argue that a divide exists between those who believe these technologies are critical to that conflict (futurists) and those who do not (traditionalists). While the authors offer some excellent recommendations and their essay is worth a read, they present a false choice. Meyers and Jackson would certainly classify me as a futurist I write, speak, and am quoted in news media frequently on drones, drone swarms, and artificial intelligence and frequently cite scientific literature in my analysis. However, I certainly do not believe technology is the only aspect of the U.S.-Chinese competition. Sure, I and other researchers may focus on technology to the exclusion of other elements of national power, but so too may other researchers emphasize diplomacy, trade, or military organization above other elements of national power. It just so happens that right now, the technological face of national power is changing drastically.

Technology as an Element of National Power

Technology is clearly at the core of most military power. Technology enables the acquisition, improvement, and sustainment of military capabilities. A dirigible fleet might have made some sense in 1921, but states have fighter aircraft, bombers, and helicopters now. These capabilities matter for hard power-based strategies too. Deterrence requires a state to have the capability to follow through with a threat. Nuclear deterrence is the ultimate expression of how technology shapes military power and strategy because it revolves around the possession of nuclear weapons enabled by submarines, missiles, bombers, and other supporting systems. Whether a particular technology actually matters is an important question, but technology is still central.

Better technology also means more demand for and impact in foreign military assistance. States benefit more when they are provided with cutting-edge weapons. Military assistance can also help the United States and others improve and build relationships with weapon recipients and exercise influence. After the success of the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drone in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Ukraine bought the system from Turkey too. Providing drones and other weapons to a state creates a level of dependency for future maintenance, parts, and upgrades.

Technology also enables diplomatic power in other ways. In 2010, I lived in a poor neighborhood in Damascus, Syria, and yet I could easily buy the latest Hollywood blockbusters from a shop down the street. The film was bootlegged, to be sure, but computers, the internet, and DVDs made possible its presence in a Damascus slum. More broadly, American and Soviet Union battles over propaganda, news, and culture during the Cold War were only possible because of the radio. The voice of America needs a megaphone to be heard across the globe.

Technology also helps build and transform economies. Computers and the internet are a particularly extreme example. In 2018, Apple became the first publicly traded company worth $1 trillion and crossed $2 trillion in market value in 2020. Microsoft hit the $1 trillion mark in April 2019 and Alphabet, Googles parent company, followed in January 2020. That wealth helps enable specific levers of influence like economic sanctions.

Other Elements of National Power Support Technology

As technology supports military, diplomatic, and economic power, so too do those elements of power support technology.

The quest for military superiority has long driven innovation. The Global Positioning System (GPS) used throughout the civilian world is fundamentally a U.S. military system the U.S. Space Force designs, develops, and sustains the 24 satellites that comprise the GPS constellation. Military funding made possible a host of other transformative inventions from the internet to the walkie-talkie. Although the private sector now drives the current explosion of artificial intelligence, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency funding over the past decades helped make that explosion possible. In fact, a lack of military funding was an important contributor to the so-called AI winter where progress stalled considerably during the mid-1980s.

Diplomacy helps technology too. The United States funds scientific research around collective global problems like climate change and disease, hosts scientific exchanges, and embarks on joint ventures like the International Space Station, none of which would be possible without American diplomatic resources. The United States also inks research and development agreements to pool resources, access specialized expertise, and generally respond to shared threats. Technology-specific opportunities exist too, such as trading datasets to create larger, more diverse datasets to train AI algorithms.

A wealthy, free country draws innovation. Innovation requires the resource commitment to experiment, quickly decide if the experiment is worthwhile, and if it is, transition the innovation to operations, organization, and strategy. Researchers also must have the flexibility and freedom to explore new ideas, even ones that may upend the status quo. People need resources and freedom too. A prosperous, free state draws the best and brightest from around the world, especially when talent for major technology like artificial intelligence comes from abroad.

Todays Technology Focus

Focusing on technology is appropriate because it is changing in major ways, with significant implications for broader national power. Artificial intelligence has broad applications across warfare, from improving financial management and payroll systems to streamlining logistics, building sophisticated autonomous drone swarms, and identifying nuclear submarines. 3-D printers are producing COVID-19 masks, mobile trailers, drones, and parts for the International Space Station. Technology evangelists claim 3-D printing could revolutionize manufacturing. At the same time, CRISPR-CAS9 (short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) enables easier genetic engineering to improve agricultural research and develop better cancer medications, and it may enable the acquisition of current and novel biological weapons agents, enhance the capabilities of those agents, and potentially create genetically engineered super soldiers. Regardless of whether these technologies are about to turn Star Trek from science fiction into reality, there are clearly opportunities and risks that the United States should identify, exploit, and counter as appropriate.

A bit of innovation hype is a good thing. With any emerging technology, the actual importance is difficult (if not impossible) to know a priori. A great example is French versus German use of tanks in World War II, during which French commanders saw tanks as an adjunct to infantry while Germany made the tank central to its strategy. Had France realized how the tank could be used, perhaps it would have not been soundly defeated. Hype builds the excitement to ask: Well, what could a tank or any other emerging technology do? Hype promises the potential for promotion, wealth, and advancing national security by finding a great answer. Perhaps dreams of a city of gold manifest as a small chest of silver, a simple technological application that makes real but not transformative change. But that chest would never have been found without the motivation to seek it in the first place. As long as expectations adapt to subsequent evidence about the most effective and realistic applications of a given technology, the risk of wasting money, time, and people on a fruitless or overhyped technology can be effectively managed.

Integrating Technology

With the advent of AI and robotics, hypersonic missiles, quantum computing, synthetic biology, genetic engineering, and other novelties, technology is changing rapidly. The United States needs to ensure this element of national power is well integrated with military, diplomatic, and economic power. Specifically, the United States should undertake the following steps.

Search for Synergies

The United States should search for opportunities to connect technology and other instruments of national power. With the increasing focus on China, the United States could seek out new research collaboration with regional allies. For example, Taiwans investment in a new AI business park shows the country desires a more robust AI capability. Encouraging U.S. companies, universities, and agencies to find opportunities for joint AI development could generate wealth for both the United States and Taiwan, lead to military-relevant innovations, support U.S.-Taiwanese relations, and strengthen overall an important partner. Likewise, the United States could aim to encourage friends and allies to create and expand similar types of efforts, such as India and Japans cooperation on unmanned ground vehicles. Bilateralism could be extended to multilateralism to create a regional technology forum for friends and allies to share their work and identify new opportunities for collaboration.

Align Technology to Objectives

If technology is a core component of national power, investment, research, acquisition, policy, and strategy around technology should be aligned to support national objectives. Various thinkers have proposed some form of U.S. national technology strategy. I agree. Such a strategy should emphasize not only which technologies matter, but how best to integrate the national security bureaucracy to serve broader objectives. In the last few years, the United States has established the Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, the Army Futures Command, the State Department Bureau for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies, and the new post of deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology. An effective strategy should answer several questions How best can these organizations work together and with existing technology-related organizations? And how best can the bureaucracy accelerate the technology pipeline, moving from an initial concept to working prototype to testing and verification to operations across the military, national security complex, and society as a whole?

Technology is just one element of national power. The American government must consider how technology best serves its objectives in conjunction with other capabilities. That means the government needs folks to think about the implications of emerging technology, just as it needs folks to think about global changes in trade regimes, international organizations, and military strategy. Creating an artificial divide between emerging technology and everything else is a mistake.

Zachary Kallenborn is a research affiliate with the Unconventional Weapons and Technology Division of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), a policy fellow at the Schar School of Policy and Government, a U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Mad Scientist, and national security consultant. His work has been published in a wide range of peer-reviewed, trade, and popular outlets, including Foreign Policy, Slate, War on the Rocks, and the Nonproliferation Review. Journalists have written about and shared that research in Forbes, Popular Mechanics, Wired, The Federalist, Yahoo News!, the National Interest, and MSN.

The views expressed above do not necessarily represent the views of any current or former funder, employer, or affiliate.

Image: Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Huey D. Younger, Jr.

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According to new research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, front liners who have been fully vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccines produced by Moderna and Pfizer no longer carry the virus and show an extremely reduced risk of infection.

Were vaccinating so very fast, our data from the CDC today suggests that vaccinated people do not carry the virus, dont get sick, and that its not just in the clinical trials but its also in real world data, CDC director Rochelle Walensky told MSNBCs Rachel Maddow this week.

Thats very good news, considering that the CDC has been warning those who had been vaccinated to still be cautious, wear masks, and socially distance.

The studyexamined 3,950 vaccinated healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential workers across eight locations in the country over a period of 13 weeks. After a second dose of the vaccine, risk of infection was reduced by an astonishing 90 percent.

This study shows that our national vaccination efforts are working, Walensky said in an official statement.

These findings should offer hope to the millions of Americans receiving COVID-19 vaccines each day and to those who will have the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated in the weeks ahead, Walensky added. The authorized vaccines are the key tool that will help bring an end to this devastating pandemic.

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Vaccinated People Don't Appear to Spread COVID, and That's Incredible News - Futurism