Category Archives: Futurism

The investigators dispatched to China by the World Health Organization to investigate the coronaviruss origins are finally getting to work.

Two weeks after entering the country which was a whole can of worms in itself the team has emerged from the Wuhan hotel where it quarantined, the Associated Press reports. Now, finally, thescientists can get to work and try to figure out where, when, and how the COVID-19 outbreak first began.

For now, the teams plans are being kept under wraps, according to the AP. However, there are some locations the team will likely visit, including the Wuhan seafood market where the outbreak is widely believed to have originated and the mine shaft 1,000 miles away where scientists found the closest known relative to the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

But the trajectory and ultimate outcome of the investigation still relies heavily on Chinas cooperation. As the AP notes, top officials have been reluctant to allow access to anything that might result in criticism against how China handled the coronavirus, especially during the earliest months as it grew from a local outbreak to a full-blown pandemic.

Wherever they end up going, the goal is to collect samples from key locations in and around Wuhan to try and eventually piece together COVID-19s history.

If history is any example, though, it will likely be years before we know how and when the coronavirus first began infecting people if we ever get a satisfying answer. Tracking down the origins of SARS, for example, took decades, and scientists still arent positive where Ebola came from. But that said, the formal beginning of the investigation is a crucial first step toward getting some answers.

Link:
WHO Team Hits the Streets to Investigate COVID Origins in China - Futurism

Pharma giant Johnson & Johnson finally shared data on how well its single-injection coronavirus vaccine works, and while it seems to clear the bar for FDA approval, it didnt blow experts out of the water like Moderna and Pfizers vaccines did.

Overall, the vaccine was 85 percent effective at preventing severe cases of COVID-19, The Washington Post reports, and Johnson & Johnson says that its vaccine seems to totally prevent coronavirus-related deaths and hospitalizations.

But the vaccine fared worse against the new, highly-infectious strains of SARS-CoV-2 that have emerged around the world it was 72 percent effective in the United States, 66 percent effective in Latin America, and just 57 percent effective in South Africa. But experts maintain that finally ending the COVID pandemic will take every weapon in our arsenal, meaning the logistical advantages of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine cant be overlooked.

The big deal is that the new vaccine works after only one shot. That means the process of actually administering it to a patient is much simpler than the other vaccines, which require a second injection weeks later. And as these new strains spread, moving quickly will be crucial.

Plus, The Washington Post reports, the new vaccine can survive for months at refrigerator temperatures making it vastly easier to transport and store with less risk of wastage.

Weve got to get the first dose to as many people as possible, Yale University virologist Akiko Iwasaki told STAT News. These variants that are more transmissible and potentially even more lethal are on the rise. I think time is really what were fighting against.

And, to be fair to the new vaccine, Iwasaki added that Johnson & Johnson was the only one of the three pharmaceutical companies to not include mild coronavirus cases in its data, an omission that may have skewed its results in the negative direction.

Back in July and August, I was hoping we would see a vaccine that was 60 percent effective in my mind, that would be great, Jonathan Temte, a vaccine expert at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health told The Washington Post. And now we have had two that have hit the ball out of the park and set expectations spectacularly high, and thats not fair because we dont need a home run all the times were up to bat.

Excerpt from:
The Single Shot Vaccine Is Far Less Effective, But Still Pretty Good - Futurism

The American Booksellers Association has announced the keynote lineup as well as the appearing authors for the2021 Winter Institute, which will be held virtually from Thursday, February 18, through Saturday, February 20.Registration is open now. Winter Institute is once again supported by lead sponsor Ingram Content Group.

Day one will feature a special opening day keynote address, to be announced soon.

On day two, bestselling authors Lauren Groff, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Colson Whitehead will discuss the state of literature and what the future holds for the novelist in the aftermath of political upheaval in the keynote Novelist as Citizen, moderated by Michelle Malonzo from Changing Hands Bookstorein Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona.

Day three will feature futurist and author Brian David Johnson and ABA CEO Allison K Hill in the conversation How to Think Like a Futurist, about the future of bookselling and how we can help shape it. Topics related to this keynote will be announced in the coming weeks for booksellers to use as prompts in the bookseller breakout sessions. Booksellers can send questions ahead of time via video or email to greg@bookweb.org; video questions may be played during the Q&A, but all questions will be answered during or after the keynote.

ABA has also invited a number poets to read during poetry interludes throughout the three days, including Amanda Gorman, who presented a poem at President Joe Bidens inauguration, as well as Ross Gay, torrin a. greathouse, Chris Martin, and Warsan Shire.

The lineup of more than 120 authors includes names such as S.K. Ali, Alison Bechdel, Sayantani DasGupta, Shannon Hale, Simon Hanselmann, Zakiya Dalila Harris, Erin Entrada Kelly, Jenny Lawson, Kwame Mbalia, Brittney Morris, Julie Murphy, LeUyen Pham, Natasha Pulley, and Nicola Yoon.

Booksellers can visit the Winter Institute landing page at that time to register for the event, which costs $35 per person. Booksellers will also have the opportunity to register for the February 17 Paz & Associates Introduction to Retail Bookselling workshop, which costs $149 and includes admission to Winter Institute. There is no cap on attendance to Winter Institute, and registration closes January 29.

Just before the event, each attendee signing up with a unique email address will receive a unique link to sign in; attendee links cannot be used by more than one person, so all booksellers who wish to attend should be sure to sign up individually and with a unique email address.Rep picks, keynote presentations, and educational sessions will be available as recordings in the weeks following Winter Institute, but all other Winter Institute programming (including the publisher and vendor expo, poetry interludes, discussion groups, virtual hangouts, and interactive chats) are only available to those attending live.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation services will be provided for education sessions, keynotes, and rep picks sessions; closed captioning will be available on these recordings following the event. American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting services are provided by Handwriter Ink and brought to you in part by Biblio.com and the Book Industry Charitable Foundation.

Questions about the event can be sent to winterinstitute@bookweb.org.

Booksellers should also mark their calendars for March 17-18, when the virtual IndieCommerce Institute will take place. Registration is slated to open at the start of February; watch BTW for details.

Link:
Sign Up for Virtual Winter Institute to See Notable Keynote Speakers and Chat With 120+ Authors - BTW

According to a new study by a team of theoretical physicists, high-energy X-ray emissions emanating from a group of neutron stars may be caused by axions, a hypothetical elementary particle thats currently one of the top candidates for dark matter.

The team, led by Berkeley Lab Physics Division theoretical physicist Benjamin Safdi, found that a number of neutron stars known as the Magnificent Seven presented a promising way to test for the presence of these theorized particles.

Neutron stars are the collapsed remnants of high mass stars and normally light up in X-ray observations, caused by material falling into them.

These seven neutron stars, however, are the source of an unexplained excess of X-ray emissions yet at the same time they werent classified as pulsars, which are rotating neutron stars that pulse radiation at regular intervals. In other words, if they were pulsars, the excess of emissions could be explained.

In their study, the team argues that if the neutron stars were pulsars, the observed X-ray emissions would be drowned out by other signals.Instead, they emit an excess of X-ray signals regardless, puzzling scientists.

Thats why Safdi is arguing there might be another explanation that cant be accounted for using existing methods.

We are pretty confident this excess exists, and very confident theres something new among this excess, Safdi said in a statement. If we were 100% sure that what we are seeing is a new particle, that would be huge. That would be revolutionary in physics.

Its possible, he says, that axions could be causing this excess of X-ray emissions. Axions are hypothetical elementary particles that were first postulated in 1977, and many scientists consider them to be a dark-matter candidate.

Dark matter is believed to make up 85 percent of the stuff found in the observable universe, but we have yet to observe it directly. Dark matter also doesnt appear to interact with surrounding material, making it extremely difficult to detect.

Were not claiming that weve made the discovery of the axion yet, but were saying that the extra X-ray photons can be explained by axions, Raymond Co, a University of Minnesota postdoctoral researcher who was involved in the research, said in the statement.

It is an exciting discovery of the excess in the X-ray photons, and its an exciting possibility thats already consistent with our interpretation of axions, he added.

If axions were found to exist, they would likely behave like neutrinos, one of the most abundant subatomic particles in the universe that only interact very weakly with other matter.

The theory goes that neutron stars could be filled to the brim with axions, which technically would be able to travel outside of these stars, at which point they are converted into light by extremely strong magnetic fields.

The team is now eying white dwarf stars, stellar core remnants caused by the collapse of low mass stars, for evidence of the existence of axions.

This starts to be pretty compelling that this is something beyond the Standard Model if we see an X-ray excess there, too, Safdi said.

READ MORE: X-rays surrounding Magnificent 7 may be traces of sought-after particle [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory]

More on dark matter: Scientists Claim Black Holes Are Made of Collapsed Universes

Read the rest here:
Distant Neutron Stars May Offer Clue About the Truth of Dark Matter - Futurism

Blockchain Boy

Its been days since Bloomberg declared Elon Musk to be the richest person on Earth, surpassing even Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with an estimated net worth north of $200 billion.

Now, the billionaire has an idea on how to make some extra cash not that hed probably need it. Responding to writer Ben Mezrich, who said that hes never turning down getting paid in bitcoin again in a Friday tweet, Musk replied with me neither.

Musks remark, which appears to imply that hed be happy to get paid in bitcoin, comes after the cryptocurrency ballooned to a value of over $40,000, setting new all-time records. In March last year, for perspective, one bitcoin was worth only $5,000.

Ironically, two days after Musks tweet, bitcoin slid a devastating 21 percent from Sunday into Monday, the biggest two-day drop since March, as Bloomberg reports.

Arguably, its the perfect illustration of the internet moneys continuing shortcomings as an actual unit of currency.

Time to take some money off the table, Guggenheim global chief investment officer Scott Minerd tweeted following the plunge early this morning.

Even if Musk were to take his salary in the form of bitcoin going forward, hed still have of cash and stocks left over to live out a lavish lifestyle (or head to Mars).

But thats not the case for anybody. Gambling away your earnings on volatile cryptocurrencies is inherently risky but then again, chances are Musk is perfectly aware of that.

More on Musk:Elon Musk Is Now The Richest Person In The World

The rest is here:
Elon Musk Says He Would Take a Salary in Bitcoin - Futurism

Whether its a funky dance move everyone wants to try or a catchy song that we cant get out of our heads, each year presents us with a handful of new trends that seem to go viral almost overnight.

You can expect 2021 to be no different.

If youre one to keep up on all the latest crazes, like resident trend aficionado and CBC Kids News contributor Alexia Sabau, youre also probably dying to know what the new year will have in store for us.

Jim Carroll, a Canadian futurist whose job it is to predict social changes to the world we live in, knows a thing or two about spotting potential trends before they happen.

Become an information sponge, Carroll told Alexia from his home in Toronto.

[Keep] an open mind and [realize] that the world youre going to be in in 10 years is not going to look anything like it does today.

Looking back over the last decade, its easy to remember some of the biggest trends that swept the social media world.

From 2012s Cup Song (inspired by the film Pitch Perfect) to the ALS ice bucket challenge in the summer of 2014 to last years viral Renegade TikTok dance, social media users have flocked to the internet year after year to join the fun.

From left: The Cup Song, ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Renegade dance. (Image credit: @itscarolpacheco/Instagram, @predsnhl/Instagram, @charli.and.addi/Instagram)

According to Carroll, many of these trends catch fire simply because of the positive vibes they give us.

After a pandemic-ridden year like 2020, fun memes, dances and conversations on social media might be exactly what we need.

Were all trying to cope every day, were all trying to get in a headspace that we can survive this, said Carroll. So we are drawn to humour and little diversions that help us to get through.

Check out this Hey Alexia, Whats Trending? video to see what other trends from the past decade made Alexias countdown list.

Alexia also shares her predictions for 2021 trends, which include new presidential memes featuring U.S. president-elect Joe Biden.

And have you heard of his charming, masked grandson? Stay tuned!

Let us know what you think will go viral this year at cbckidsnews@cbc.ca!

TOP IMAGE CREDIT: design by Philip Street/CBC

Read the rest here:
WATCH What trends to watch for in 2021: We asked a futurist - CBC.ca

Locked Out

With recent highs in the price of Bitcoin, an unfortunate phenomenon is emerging: People who accrued vast fortunes in the cryptocurrency are realizing that theyve long since lost the passwords to their encrypted digital wallets.

Take Stefan Thomas, a programmer in San Francisco, who told The New York Times that he has 7,002 Bitcoin tucked away currently worth about $236 million, nearly a quarter billion dollars but that he has no idea how to access it and can only guess two more passwords before being locked out forever.

Even setting aside the long term prospects for crypto, the key message of these horror stories is that taking digital finances into your own hands is a huge risk if you cant manage your passwords.

The problem of buying or mining crypto and then forgetting how to access it is so widespread that theres a whole industry emerging for cybersecurity experts who can help the would-be wealthy actually access their fortunes after forgetting their passwords.

Even sophisticated investors have been completely incapable of doing any kind of management of private keys, Diogo Monica, cofounder of the crypto security startup Anchorage told the NYT.

For Thomas and others in his situation, having millions of dollars just out of reach has soured the whole idea of decentralized currency like Bitcoin, according to the NYT.

This whole idea of being your own bank let me put it this way, Do you make your own shoes?' Thomas told the NYT. The reason we have banks is that we dont want to deal with all those things that banks do.

READ MORE: Lost Passwords Lock Millionaires Out of Their Bitcoin Fortunes [The New York Times]

More on crypto: Crypto Thief Stole $54 Million by Guessing Weak Passwords

See the original post here:
Man Has Only Two Password Guesses Left to Recover $236 Million in Bitcoin - Futurism

Ganymede Signal

NASAs Juno space probe has made an exciting discovery in Jupiters orbit,according to a NASA ambassador: the small spacecraft reportedly detected an FM radio signal coming from the Jupiters largest moon, Ganymede.

Its almost certainly a natural signal, the ambassador said.

Its not E.T, Patrick Wiggins, one of NASAs Ambassadors to Utah, told local Utah news station KTVX reports. Its more of a natural function.

The intriguing blurb remains shrouded in mystery. No other outlet appears to have confirmed Wiggins remarks, and there doesnt appear to be any scientific paper or press release that corresponds with Wiggins claims. Futurism has reached out to Wiggins and NASA for more details on the claim, and well update the story if we hear back.

The signal was likely caused by electrons oscillating at a lower rate than their spin, amplifying radio waves considerably, according to KTVXs reporting. The process, known as cyclotron maser instability (CMI), is also behind the auroras on Jupiter that by Juno observed in 2017.

In other words, the discovery didnt come as a shock, especially considering they were picked up near Jupiters polar regions, where magnetic field lines connect to Ganymede.

Weve known about this decametric radio emission emanating from Jupiter since the 1960s. On Earth, these signals roughly coincide with the Wi-Fi signals we use to surf the web, as ABC4 points out.

Juno was only able to spot the radio emission for five seconds as it was orbiting Jupiter at 50 kilometers per second, Wiggins said.

READ MORE: FM radio signal found coming from Jupiter moon [KTVX]

More on Juno: NASA Detects Bright Flashes of Light on Jupiter

Originally posted here:
NASA Reportedly Detects Signal Coming From One of Jupiter's Moons - Futurism

Weather Delays

A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship was supposed to autonomously undock from the International Space Station and head home on Monday morning, but bad weather down on Earth has left it temporarily stranded.

For now, the cargo ship remains attached to the ISS while NASA and SpaceX work on a backup schedule to send it home, Space.com reports. This mission was supposed to mark the first autonomous undocking from the ISS, but for now it remains on hold.

Earlier Dragon cargo ships had to splashdown in the Pacific, which meant there was a longer wait between landing and getting equipment or scientific experiments in the hands of researchers on Earth. But the Dragon currently docked to the ISS can land near Florida, according to Space.com, meaning experiments will be in better shape when they reach the lab.

Some of these experiments, which include studying the impacts of microgravity on heart cells and how stem cells grow into 3D organs, are extremely sensitive to the impacts of gravity. So the sooner they get to the labs at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the better.

But for now, the ship remains docked to the ISS until the bad weather over the Atlantic Ocean clears up and NASA and SpaceX give the return the go-ahead.

Thankfully, as Space.com notes, the Dragon can remain safely attached to the ISS for twice as long as previous models, so its cargo should still be just fine.

READ MORE: Bad weather on Earth delays SpaceX Dragons return from space station [Space.com]

More on SpaceX: Dock a SpaceX Spacecraft to the ISS in This Amazing Simulator

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Bad Weather Leaves SpaceX Dragon Stuck at Space Station - Futurism

Congratulations are in order for Elon Musk, who as of Thursday is the wealthiest person on the planet, with a net worth of around $188.5 billion.

On Thursday, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO tweeted that he was open to suggestions for what to do with his immense wealth, especially ways to donate money that really make a difference.

So we came up with some ideas for how to spend Musks money for the betterment of humanity and the planet, just in case hes reading. And to be fair, none of these ideas are too outlandish for a multi-billionaire who once launched a sports car into space.

Unfortunately, the German government calculated the cost of ending world hunger in October, according to The Guardian, and at $330 billion, its still a teensy bit outside Musks grasp. But ending hunger in the U.S. would be considerably cheaper, at about $25 billion worth of direct payments and investments in social safety nets.

Since Musks personal wealth has increased by over $160 billion during the pandemic alone, thats just a drop in the bucket for him!

Based on Musks own 2019 estimate, it will cost passengers between $100,000 and $500,000 for a one-way ticket to their new life on Mars.

Assuming, of course, that cost is the only factor here and that all of the logistical and medical challenges have been surmounted, Musk could now personally sponsor somewhere between 377,000 passengers (at $500,000 per ticket) and 1,885,000 passengers at ($100,000 per ticket) to their new homes on the Red Planet.

According to the latest data provided by the Department of Education, public universities and other post-secondary institutions in the U.S. collected $81.3 billion in tuition and fees during the 2017-2018 school year.

While that number has likely gone up since then, our back-of-the-envelope calculation indicates that, with some wiggle room, Musk could chip in and cover about two years of education for every American student already at a public university. Or maybe just one year. Either way, itd be a nice gesture.

What better way is there to realize the ultimate goal of clean transportation than to directly pluck gas-burning cars off the street? At about $37,990 a pop, Elon Musk can now afford to buy over 4.96 million 2021 Tesla Model 3s and give them directly to those who cant afford them. Of course, even thats assuming that Musk doesnt get some sort of CEO discount.

Hopefully this one is self-explanatory.

More on Elon Musk: Elon Musk Is Now Officially The Wealthiest Person on Earth

Originally posted here:
5 Things Elon Musk Could Do Now That He's the World's Richest Person - Futurism