Category Archives: Futurist

Ancient viruses have been hiding out in Tibet's ice all this time.Ancient Infection

During a research expedition thatsounds indistinguishable from the first act of a horror movie, a team of intrepid scientists have discovered dozens of ancient, never-before-seen viruses within a sample of Tibetan ice.

The Ohio State University researchers behind the work are curious about how viruses have changed in response to shifting climates, according to a university press release. Of the 33 viruses they found in the ice, 28 are brand new to science, according to research published in the journal Microbiome on Tuesday and probing their genetic codes could help explain the secrets of how life can survive extreme conditions both elsewhere on Earth and potentially even in places like Mars.

Lets just hope that none of them infect anybody.

Fortunately, the new viruses appear to have made their homes in ancient plants and soil-dwelling organisms rather than humans or animals before they froze abut 15,000 years ago. And the survivors seem to have fared so well all this time because they thrive in the harsh colds, not in spite of them.

We know very little about viruses and microbes in these extreme environments, and what is actually there, senior study author and Ohio State earth scientist Lonnie Thompson said in the release. The documentation and understanding of that is extremely important: How do bacteria and viruses respond to climate change? What happens when we go from an ice age to a warm period like were in now?

To that end, the researchers hope that the ancient viruses will help them piece together a sort of fossil record for the area by peering at the viruses that lived farther back in time, they hope theyll be able to paint a better picture of what the environment was like than ever before.

READ MORE: 15,000-year-old viruses discovered in Tibetan glacier ice [Ohio State University]

More on ancient viruses: Climate Change Is Freeing Ancient Infections From Their Icy Prisons

As a Futurism reader, we invite you join the Singularity Global Community, our parent companys forum to discuss futuristic science & technology with like-minded people from all over the world. Its free to join, sign up now!

Excerpt from:
Scientists Discover Dozens of Ancient Viruses, Frozen in Ice - Futurism

Bad news for the caffeine-crazed among us. A massive new study linked excessive coffee drinking and were talking excessive to a considerably greater risk of developing dementia later in life.

After probing the medical records of 17,702 volunteers in the UK Biobank database, a team of scientists from the University of South Australia found a startling correlation between drinking lots of coffee seven or more cups per day and a 53 percent increase in their dementia risk.

And its not just dementia. The study, which the team published last month in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience, also shows a link between heavy coffee drinking and a greater prevalence of physical changes in the brain and other neurological diseases. All in all, its a shocking revelation about the dangerous side of whats by far one of the most popular recreational drugsaround the world.

Accounting for all possible permutations, we consistently found that higher coffee consumption was significantly associated with reduced brain volume, lead study author and University of South Australia neuroscientist Kitty Pham said in a university press release. Essentially, drinking more than six cups of coffee a day may be putting you at risk of brain diseases such as dementia and stroke.

Coffee is one of those things that, alongside wine and chocolate, seems to be stuck in a never-ending back and forth of research studies saying itll either improve or ruin your health. The fact is that nutritional research is extremely difficult, so different studies tend to point in different directions. But the sheer scale of this new study, coupled with the extremely high coffee intake it examined, grants it extra credibility.

The researchers say that theyre not yet sure why drinking so much coffee is correlated with an increased risk of stroke or dementia. But either way, they added that you probably dont need to abstain from your daily pick-me-up.

Typical daily coffee consumption is somewhere between one and two standard cups of coffee, senior study author Elina Hyppnen said in the release. Of course, while unit measures can vary, a couple of cups of coffee a day is generally fine. However, if youre finding that your coffee consumption is heading up toward more than six cups a day, its about time you rethink your next drink.

As a Futurism reader, we invite you join the Singularity Global Community, our parent companys forum to discuss futuristic science & technology with like-minded people from all over the world. Its free to join, sign up now!

Follow this link:
Excessive Coffee Drinking Linked to Dementia - Futurism

Passengers in Miami might have their Lyft roll up all on its own.No Hands!

Rideshare giant Lyft says it plans to roll out a modest fleet of self-driving cars in Miami by the end of the year, giving passengers the option to commute or joyride around town in an autonomous vehicle.

The cars themselves will come from Argo AI, a startup with funding from both Ford and Volkswagen, The Verge reports. Passengers in certain geographic locations will reportedly get the choice as they request a ride. Between the Miami fleet and a planned launch in Austin next year, the Lyft partnership will be the first time members of the public can ride in Argo and Fords self-driving cars marking a huge step forward in the hype-soaked industrys spotty history,if the cars actually work out.

Even though Lyft sold off its self-driving car division, the deal makes a lot of sense for both parties. Lyft gets to own a share of Argo AI going forward, and Argo gets to train its vehicles on all of the user and travel data from any self-driving trips passengers decide to take, according to The Verge. Meanwhile, the Miami launch isnt much of a surprise, given that politicians in the area have tried to craft some of the most autonomous vehicle-friendly laws in the country in order to draw in business.

Argo initially made bold promises about the near future of autonomous vehicles, including plans to develop a car without a steering wheel or foot pedals. The vehicles that will make up Lyfts fleet will still have both, according to The Verge, as well as human drivers in both the drivers and front passenger seat, who are only there to step in if the cars bug out.

An Argo spokesperson told The Verge that the company plans to launch with a fleet of under 100 cars combined in Miami and Austin, but that its laying the groundwork for a fleet of 1,000 autonomous taxis in more markets over the next five years.

READ MORE: Fords self-driving cars will be available on Lyfts platform in Miami and Austin [The Verge]

More on self-driving cars: Florida Law Would Allow Self-Driving Cars With No Safety Drivers

As a Futurism reader, we invite you join the Singularity Global Community, our parent companys forum to discuss futuristic science & technology with like-minded people from all over the world. Its free to join, sign up now!

View original post here:
Lyft Says It'll Deploy Self-Driving Cars by the End of the Year - Futurism

"We could say: Now we know the size of the universe."Dohniverse

According to new astrophysics research, our universe may not be expanding outward in all directions. Instead, it may be rolled around itself like a gigantic cosmic donut.

A team of European scientists argue in preliminary research that the folded universe the edges of which connected in multiple places to form a closed loop may make more sense than the endless expanse that we typically imagine, they told Live Science. And while the idea hasnt been definitively proven, it does present some interesting implications for the structure, behavior, and ultimate fate of our universe.

If the donut-universe hypothesis ends up being true, then that would mean a couple of important things. One is that a multiply-connected universe means that the cosmos are finite and smaller than expected just three to four times larger than the observable limits even if its still imperceptibly massive from our point of view.

We could say: Now we know the size of the universe, study coauthor and University of Lyon astrophysicist Thomas Buchert told Live Science.

It would also mean that our universe is doomed to collapse in on itself rather than expanding infinitely outward, Live Science notes.

Though the question is far from settled, there is good evidence for the donut hypothesis, Live Science reports. In order to determine the universes topology, the astrophysicists measured perturbations in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), which is sort of like the ambient noise of the cosmos that was given off when the universe began. What they found is that there seems to be a cap on how big those perturbations can get. Unless the researchers made an error, thats an indication that the universe closes in on itself, as an infinitely-open universe would be able to fit CMB perturbations of any size.

The elephant in the room, of course, is the question of what happens when an object reaches the edge and loops back around. Unfortunately, Live Science notes, thats not actually possible. No matter its shape, the universe is still expanding faster than the speed of light, so no one and nothing could ever travel far enough to test it out.

READ MORE: Our universe might be a giant three-dimensional donut, really. [Live Science]

More on the universe: Scientists Claim the Universe Is Actually Flat

As a Futurism reader, we invite you join the Singularity Global Community, our parent companys forum to discuss futuristic science & technology with like-minded people from all over the world. Its free to join, sign up now!

Originally posted here:
Physicists Say the Universe Wraps Around Itself Like a Giant Donut - Futurism

By Manzar Abbas

Often seen these days that non techie professionals are either mesmerized or confused with the volley of technical jargons thrown on them by the technical colleagues, among this prevalent these days are Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Data Analytics, Industry 4.0, Cloud Computing, Edge compute, vision analytics, Native Language Processing (NLP), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) etc., I have heard people spelling out AI, ML, Data Analytics under the same breath.

With this brief write up, I would like the reader to join me on a quick journey of demystifying and understanding how it becomes essential to adopt the right cut of technologies to derive the maximum from your capital investment.

Shifting our focus back to the point of discussion, traditionally we have seen MES systems and SCADA system in manufacturing were kept segregated from the Enterprise IT system by way of separate networking (LAN) and not connecting it with WAN, so were the precision Lab testing equipment, some ran over obsolete and unsupported Operating Systems due to hard coded software.

Whereas most enterprise were cautious to interconnect their ERP systems with external applications. Suddenly over the span of last 5 years, there was paradigm shift in business demand and IT Managers execution strategies on field or on shop floor.

Talking about Manufacturing sector where the key to success is OEE (Overall Operational Efficiency) which is directly proportional to A(Availability), P(Productivity) & Q (Quality) on the shop floor, Digital transformation is helping the sector by efficient adoption of technologies.

Availability, is the time during which the production machine was available during a given sample time. This is enhanced by implementation of sensors for basic parameters on the production machine, for continuously measuring pressure, temperature, vibrations & current, this is processed through IIoT System, and the data is filtered via Edge devices to feed it into Data Analytics algorithms that constructs a model for statistical regression or other algorithms. In the industrial processes it is prudent to have machine learning algorithms that train itself over a period of time basis events and its linked interdependencies to later provide an accurate anomaly in the function.

For the Productivity enhancement, count of total components manufactured Vs planned production and cycle time are captured and by integration with the ERP production is automatically punched, while the demand is automatically fetched from ERP via MRP (Material Requirement Planning) run as per customer requirement.

Quality being the most complex component of OEE, as the measuring or inspection automation has a broad spectrum of variation due to variety of components and CTQs (Critical to Quality) parameters. It may be Vision Camera based inspection which feeds the results to Algorithms or it can be simple sensor based feedback, gauges or meters etc which qualifies a component as OK or NG. Post capturing of data there are predictive and prescriptive analytics that is done via the algorithms.

The point to ponder that challenges the set paradigm that has always put the ERP at the core of the Information System, but now it is shifting as the interfaces and compute is happening in multiple systems which are interfaced with the ERP system.

An important aspect that has come up recently, is that interconnect and seamless data flow between MES (Manufacturing Execution System), ERP, SCM (Supply Chain Management), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), Customer based EDIs, Order portal over secure web, DMS (Distributor Management System), Procurement Systems.

With this we see an amalgamation of Enterprise IT Security and IOT security which are two different verticals and work in tandem.

I dare say, we live in the most exciting times where we have seen the advent of quantum computing, cryptocurrency, Artificial Intelligence, Exploration of Deep space, Interstellar space, Asteroid mining and other unprecedented calamities & pandemics which are new challenges to control with the right mix of human determination and use of technology. The code of conduct and ethics & morality in Artificial Intelligence is soon going to be a major field of research.

To conclude, I would urge the investors and stakeholders to come forward with open mind to invest in the technology of future and the innovators and engineers to keep innovating with to find the right mix of technologies to derive maximum benefits, as there are no silver bullets.

The author is CIO at Rockman Industries limited (Hero Group)

See the article here:
Applying the right mix of futuristic technologies for maximizing operational efficiency - ETCIO.com

Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill resigned after someone exposed his phone's location data.Stepping Down

Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, the top administrator of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), resigned on Tuesday when someone obtained and deanonymized data from his cell phone showing that he frequented gay bars and regularly used the dating app Grindr.

News of the targeted hack was first published by the Catholic newsletter The Pillar, which gained access to Burrills cell phone location data.

Burrill, who had a major role in overseeing and managing the Catholic churchs various scandals, resigned seemingly to prevent further controversy. Its a complicated matter. Should anyone be embarrassed into resignation over their sexuality? Absolutely not. But as The Washington Post notes, it also cant be ignored that Catholic priests take vows of celibacy and, more often than not, teach that sexuality ought to only exist within the confines of heterosexual marriage. But the story also illustrates that many peoples concept of and desire for privacy simply doesnt exist within our increasingly digital lifestyles.

Experts told WaPo that the kind of hack that targeted Burrill may not have even broken any laws. Anonymized location data from our phones is often put up for sale in perfectly legal marketplaces, often for marketers who want to place targeted advertisements.

Still, the ability to buy data supposedly stripped of personal identifiers and trace it back to a specific person is alarming. Our phones transmit a whole lot of data that we may not even realize were giving away. Because of that, there arent many ways to protect ourselves from similar hacks beyond perhaps embracing Luddism.

It unleashes this chain that a user cannot stop because they dont even know that it was collected in the first place and they have no idea where this data actually lives, CTO for privacy firm Disconnect Patrick Jackson told WaPo. But its out there, and its for sale.

Jackson added that he expects this sort of location data expos to happen more and more often as bad actors learn what kind of data is out there for the taking. So be warned: in the age of platforms, nothing is secret anymore.

READ MORE: Top U.S. Catholic Church official resigns after cellphone data used to track him on Grindr and to gay bars [The Washington Post]

More on cell phone data: Phone Location Tracking Is Way Worse Than we Thought

As a Futurism reader, we invite you join the Singularity Global Community, our parent companys forum to discuss futuristic science & technology with like-minded people from all over the world. Its free to join, sign up now!

The rest is here:
Top Catholic Bishop Resigns After Hackers Expose That He Was on Grindr - Futurism

For business leaders, innovators, and organizations, keeping up with the ever-evolving and advancing world can be difficult. In this issue of Innovation, HP LabsAndrew Bolwellreveals how thinking like a futurist can help determine long-term business viability.

For the HP Labs teams and specifically Andrew Bolwell, Global Head, HP Tech Ventures & Incubation, this type of mindset is a job requirement. As change continues to accelerate around us, how quickly we respond to trends, new technologies, and industry shifts will determine longterm business viability and where investment for growth is needed. In this issue of Innovation, Bolwell shares the power behind his visionary work and how you, too, can think like a futurist.

About HP: HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone everywhere every person, every organization, and every community around the globe. Through our portfolio of printers, PCs, mobile devices, solutions, and services, we engineer experiences that amaze.

SOURCE HP

HP Indigo Secure: Digital Security Printing Solutions in One Pass/Busted

See original here:
How to Think Like a Futurist, from HP - Industry Analysts Inc

Along with three other passengers, Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos rocketed high into the upper atmosphere on what the company is calling its first crewed mission to space.

The companys New Shepard rocket,dubbed the RSS First Step, launched from the West Texas desert and reached three Gs and a blistering speed of 2,233 mph during the trip.

Its actually a pleasurable experience, Bezos said during a press conference following the launch. He also noted that his expectations were dramatically exceeded and that zero gravity felt so normal.

During the press junket, Bezos, his brother, 18-year-old Oliver Daemon, and 82-year-old pilot veteran Wally Funk got their Blue Origin astronaut wings, awarded by Jeff Ashby, former NASA Space Shuttle astronaut and Blue Origins chief of mission assurance.

In reality, its arguably a bit of a stretch to use the term astronaut here. If you zoom out, it looks an awful lot like Bezos and co couldnt qualify for normal astronaut wings so it invented its own.

To be sure, the United States Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps award the astronaut badge to those who fly above just 50 miles.

But while the rockets passengers successfully traveled to 62 miles, an arbitrary line drawn by the Fdration aronautique internationale (FAI) over half a century ago, they were passengers, not actual crew members.

The use of the term is controversial, considering the four were taken for a ten minute joyride and werent ever in control over the vehicle.

None of them became NASA astronauts today, eitherdespite the fact that Funk more than deserves her certification after being put through the space agencys rigorous Woman in Space Program gauntlet in the early 1960s, even though none of the program participants were ever selected to go to space.

NASA reserves the right to award the wings to only those who complete a set of specific requirements. Eligible US citizens need to possess a masters degree in a STEM field, have two years of relevant professional experience or complete at least 1,000 hours pilot-in-command time on jet aircraft.

They also need to be able to pass the NASA long-duration flight astronaut physical, which, among many other things, requires them to have 20/20 vision, a blood pressure of below 140/90 while sitting and a standing height between 62 and 75 inches, according to official documentation.

The crew also missed the chance to be awarded wings designed for those who fly to space on commercial spacecraft. Bezos and company didnt end up qualifying for the Federal Aviation Administrations (FAA) Commercial Astronaut Wings, due to the fact they were passengers, not flight crew.

The FAAs Commercial Astronaut Wings Program was designed to recognize flight crewmembers who further the FAAs mission to promote the safety of vehicles designed to carry humans, according to the agencys website.

Crews have to demonstrate a safe flight and return from space on a mission licensed by the FAA. They also have to meet other specific requirements for flight crew qualifications, including the ability to withstand the stresses of space flight, which may include high acceleration or deceleration, microgravity, and vibration, as well as training and flying above 50 miles above the surface of Earth.

The FAA awarded the first Commercial Astronaut Wings licensefor the launch of the spaceplane SpaceShipOne (SS1) back in 2004, an aircraft launch system now operated by Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic.

The FAA also approved todays Blue Origin launch last week but despite the approval, the administrations wings are still out of reach for Bezos and company.

The administration also requires crew members to perform a job while on the flight to qualify as flight crew and dont award them to spaceflight participants, CNN reports.

Branson, interestingly, did qualify for FAA wings during his maiden voyage earlier this month, as he was tasked with evaluating the private customer experience during the launch.

In fact, Virgin Galactic pilots Mark Forger Stucky and CJ Sturckow were also awarded FAA Commercial Astronaut Wings by the US Department of Transportation after flying the spaceship VSS Unity into space, an apogee of 51.4 miles, back in 2018.

Blue Origins New Shepard spacecraft flew entirely autonomously today, meaning that nobody on board had to act as the pilot or flight crew, as Axios points out.

18-year-old Oliver Daemon, son of a equity firm CEO, who bought himself a ticket on the flight, wont get the FAAs astronaut wings either.

So its no wonder that Blue Origin, a company that tasked itself with sending wealthy paying customers to the edge of space, had to come up with an alternative solution: its own astronaut wings.

Its certainly a very generous use of the term that is bound to ruffle some weathers, particularly when it comes to those who committed much of their life to further space exploration over decades.

A ten minutes and ten seconds-long thrill ride just doesnt really compare.

More on the launch: 82-Year-Old Woman Becomes Oldest Person in Space

As a Futurism reader, we invite you join the Singularity Global Community, our parent companys forum to discuss futuristic science & technology with like-minded people from all over the world. Its free to join, sign up now!

Continue reading here:
Jeff Bezos Couldn't Qualify for Normal Astronaut Wings, So Blue Origin Invented Its Own - Futurism

On Thursday, July 15, Eggy demonstrated precision and class on the precipice of a new era for live music at Levitt Pavilion in Westport, CT, continuing to carry momentum outside the pandemic incubator.Eggy Levitt Pavilion Westport, CT

Beauty in venue, music, fashion, and love between the tight community of attendees had fans feeling the warmth of hope; regardless of the viewers GPS coordinates. Most importantly, Eggy has acted as path leaders for many to forget the beast we might have been and focus on all that we are capable of with dedication and practice.Goose fans enjoyed playing a game of Wheres Ted? for each drone shot

The nugs.net stream and drone footage made a case for Levitt Pavilion as one of the most beautiful venues of any northeastern live stream to date.Nugs.net held it down with visually enticing imagery of the stunning venue. The live stream experience could arguably be preferred by some. It provides a solution for those that do not want to be physically taxed by consuming live music. For those who like to consume their music without the distraction of chatty neighboring fans, the stream had excellent audio quality as well. Endless playback allows for this to be revisited any time. For those that love the social aspect, but need to wake up early, there was an active chat going through the whole stream.Friends supporting friends

Despite technology and all of its improvements, there was an absolute magic to attendance. To feel the love between attendees towards each other and the band was the stuff we have been dreaming about since shutdown. The sunset and the venue evoked a feeling of dreaminess and provided cheerful, yet soothing for all we have been through.Dani Batatt

Eggy keyboard/vocalist Dani Batatt introduced a song called BeyondThese Walls. Written during the throws of shutdown about imagining what after might look like while simultaneously appreciating the gift of time spent with loved ones.After sharing space during shutdown, Dani and Jake share keyboards.

During shutdown, many of us were forced to push ahead without the input of our usual critiques and cheerleaders. Not having it clearly created access to new pathways of thinking with complete authenticity for Eggy.Jake Brownsteins debut with this new addition to the Eggy Family

Far from single note show, the tightened up band showed enough comfort to switch instruments, and play styles of music ranging from Crosby, Stills and Nash all the way to deep grooves peppered with what streamer Gleb described as, some serious stank on [that] jam. It kept the whole show filled with engagement.Bassist Mike Goodman glistening in the cinematic golden hour heat.

Eggy has grown as a band from a place of abundance, In the words of bassist/vocalist Mike Goodmans mom, We were so worried, but look at them now. They shot right out of the box.Preferred is the discussion.

This show and stream felt like a real glimmer of hope for musicians after they have endured so much. What a relief for the many months of secret admirers to finally attend an Eggy show and for the band to see how much they are loved.Green Eggs and Fam.

The shutdown incubator yielded an opportunity for the band to practice more than just their music. They clearly have worked on themselves as individuals and as a team to create a vision that is sophisticated in its technicality and product, but never too serious.Breaking out of the egg?

Eggy Levitt Pavilion, Westport, CT July 15, 2001Setlist: 12 Pounds Of Pain, Between You And Me, Time Loves A Hero (Little Feet), Finding And Losing, Broken Bluff, Beyond These Walls, Beauty And The Beast (Alan Menken), Teach Your Children (Crosby Stills, Nash & Young), Moments Passed, Interior People (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard)

Encore: Last of Kin, Upside Down

Read more:
Eggy Served Up Westport: Beyond These Walls With Futuristic Dine... - NYSMusic

"Hubble is back!"Lease on Life

After a month-long saga, NASA says that the iconic Hubble Space Telescope is back online.

Hubble is back! said Tom Brown, the head of the Hubble Space Telescope at the Space Telescope Science Institute, said this morning in an email obtained by Science.

The 31-year-old space telescope went dark in mid-June after its computer control system went down. Initial attempts to resuscitate the orbital observatory were unsuccessful, leading to the possibility that it was dead for good.

But NASA had more tricks up its sleeve, ultimately settling on a plan to switch over to a backup computer installed by a Space Shuttle crew in 2009 which, as of today, officials say was successful.

According to a NASA update this morning, the space agency is now monitoring the backup system to ensure that its working properly. Its also switching the telescopes science instruments back out of safe mode.

The long term prognosis of the Hubble is less clear, though. Back in the days of the Shuttle program, NASA could send astronauts to physically repair the space telescope. But now it has no spacecraft capable of reaching it meaning that the next hardware problem could knock it offline for good.

READ MORE: Hubble is back! Famed space telescope has new lease on life after computer swap appears to fix glitch

More on the Hubble: Theres Officially Hope for NASAs Broken Hubble Space Telescope

As a Futurism reader, we invite you join the Singularity Global Community, our parent companys forum to discuss futuristic science & technology with like-minded people from all over the world. Its free to join, sign up now!

Go here to read the rest:
Good News: NASA Says It Managed to Fix the Hubble Space Telescope - Futurism