Category Archives: Futurist

Off-Kilter

For the first time, scientists have managed to find our solar systems precise center of gravity down to about 100 meters a flabbergastingly precise measurement on the scale of our vast solar system.

It sounds like a trivial feat think back to the posters hanging in your classroom and you might reasonably assume that the center of our solar system is smack dab in the middle of the Sun. But finding the gravitational center its barycenter,in the lingo is actually a complex task, ScienceAlert reports, that involves factoring in the pull of every planet, asteroid, and moon in the star system.

With all those gravitational tugs especially Jupiters particularly strong pull accounted for, the real center of gravity in our solar system lies just above the Suns surface, according to research published in The Astrophysical Journal.

With that knowledge in hand, astronomers can more accurately hunt for gravitational waves given off by faraway supermassive black holes and pulsars, ScienceAlert reports. Thats because these measurements are extremely sensitive to error and depend on us knowing where Earth is relative to the solar systems barycenter.

Now, armed with a better understanding of the solar systems balance, scientists expect their gravitational recordings to suddenly improve.

Using the pulsars we observe across the Milky Way galaxy, we are trying to be like a spider sitting in stillness in the middle of her web, NASA astronomer Stephen Taylor said in a press release. How well we understand the solar system barycenter is critical as we attempt to sense even the smallest tingle to the web.

READ MORE: Astronomers Have Located The Centre of The Solar System to Within 100 Metres [ScienceAlert]

More on the solar system: Astronomers Discover Mirror Image of our Solar System

Read more here:
Scientists Say They've Found the Exact Center of the Solar System - Futurism

It would have been easy for Max Brookss World War Z to feel gimmicky. An oral history of a worldwide zombie apocalypse? There are many, many places where that could have gone wrong. Instead, what Brooks created succeeded on a host of levels, from the geopolitical to the horrific. It balanced big-picture momentum with a few fantastic setpieces; via its framing device, it also allowed Brooks to present a bold vision of what the world might look like after such an outbreak was contained.

On paper, Brookss followup has more than a few things in common with World War Z. Like its predecessor, Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre is presented as a found document. Like its predecessor, it involves humans coming into conflict with something uncanny. And, like its predecessor, its structure offers plenty of foreshadowing of discomfiting events. But Devolution differs from World War Z in a few substantial ways as well, which ultimately make it a more intimate book than its predecessorand a far stranger one.

The bulk of the narrative comes from the journal of one Kate Holland, with additional interviews and annotations by an unnamed writer. From the early pages, Brooks offers a broad outline of whats to come. Holland was one of the residents of an isolated, high-end, high-tech eco-community of Greenloop. Were told that Mount Rainier erupts, leading to chaos in the Pacific Northwestfor humans and non-humans alike. The introduction alludes to a troop of hungry, apelike creatures who would soon attack Greenloop.

All of that information gives the narrative the sort of doomed intensity of the best disaster movies. Greenloop itself, designed to be isolated in nature but also easy for its affluent residents to access Seattle, plays out like a lightly satirical take on Elon Musk-style futurism. Once the eruption hits and the communitys members find themselves isolated in ways they never expected, Brooks balances the more satirical elements of the situation with keen attention to the unique methods such a community would use to survive.

Being cut off from civilization is but one struggle that the residents of Greenloop must face. Kates journal includes allusions to strange sounds heard at night, and massive shadowy figures seen in the distance. The reader knows whats coming, which means that the plot has more than a little horror movie in its DNA. Were introduced to a disparate group with their own rivalries and shifting dynamics; as anyone whos seen a horror movie knows, were about to see most of these people meet terrible fates.

Interspersed with the Kate Holland narrative are interviews conducted with experts in the field and people with ties to Greenloops residents. Its here that Brooks offers a glimpse into Devolutions larger worldbuilding: namely, the idea that the sasquatches (or Bigfoots? Bigfeet?) that attacked Greenloop represent a species that evolved concurrently to humanity, and which have developed a keen ability to hide themselves away from human civilization.

The novels title, then, comes from the notion that the extreme circumstances of the volcanic eruption pushed the sasquatches to adopt more violent behavioreffectively devolving into a more base state. As the plot develops, the human characters find themselves relying less and less on technology and using more and more brutal tacticsmeaning, essentially, that devolution works both ways.

In showing humans pitted against a close evolutionary relative in a desperate attempt at survival, Brooks offers a bleak view of the world. Its telling that neither sidehuman or sasquatchsuggests cooperating to save both communities. Throughout the book, Brooks makes allusions to areas around the globe where neighboring populations have gone to war, including a passing reference to the Balkans in the 1990s and another character looking back on their time in the IDF.

But Brookss ambitious take on human (and primate) nature sometimes balances unsteadily with the smaller details of life in Greenloop, including a few odd pop culture references. When Devolution shows a wider canvaseven a secret history of the worldit works brilliantly, and the scenes of two species each fighting for their life abound with harrowing moments. But there are times where the intimate scale of this novel feels at odds with some of Brookss larger thematic points. As compelling as it is, you might find yourself wishing hed opted to tell this story using a larger canvas.

Devolution is available from Del Rey.

Tobias Carroll is the managing editor of Vol.1 Brooklyn. He is the author of the short story collection Transitory (Civil Coping Mechanisms) and the novel Reel (Rare Bird Books).

More here:
When Futurism Meets With Disaster: Max Brooks' Devolution - tor.com

Researchers have yet to find any evidence of life on any other planet, including Mars.

But that hasnt stopped some rogue scientists from making outlandish claims and self-publishing evidence of the existence of a microbiological presence on the Red Planet, as CNETsJackson Ryan reports in an outstanding feature.

Self-described neurobiologist Rhawn Gabriel Joseph a man referred to by Ryan as the Space Tiger King, a nod to the popular Netflix docuseries is convinced that life already exists on Mars and Venus, and that we already have the evidence to back it up.

The roots of Josephs school of thought first started with the labeled release (LR) experiments on Mars in the 1970s, when NASAs Viking lander looked for biosignatures on the planet by carrying out a series of tests.

While the lander found no significant amount of organic molecules, some scientists, most notablythen-NASA researcher Gilbert Levin, believed the results did indeed confirm the existence life on Mars.

NASA refuted any such claims outright, writing that the experiments provided no clear evidence for the presence of living microorganisms in soil near the landing sites.

Joseph built on the research from this fringe group of researchers, by claiming that life was brought to the cosmos by a process called panspermia, a theory that suggests life in space was seeded with microbes carried by dust and meteors.

Over the decades, Joseph has attempted to get his work peer-reviewed and published in a variety astrobiology journals. He even went as far as creating his own journal, which he calls the Journal of Cosmology, likely an attempt to make his work appear more legitimate.

The journal is not much more than an outdated website, and has published claims made by Richard Hoover, another former NASA scientist, who suggested that we discovered fossilized bacteria in space, as CNET reports yet another claim NASA wants nothing to do with.

In 2014, Joseph even attempted to sue NASA into examining a biological organism the agencys Opportunity rover discovered on the surface of Mars. He claimed the rover found a mushroom-like fungus, a composite organism consisting of colonies of lichen and cyanobacteria, and which on Earth is known as Apothecium. It turned out to be a rock.

Just last year, Joseph caught a break when the reputableAstrophysics & Space Science journal published a paper of his that claimed life on Venus had already been found.

Based on photographic evidence made up of grainy black and white images, Joseph argues that Russias Venera 13 lander found evidence of life on Venus in 1982. The paper is still online, as CNET found. The journal added an editors note to the paper this month warning readers that conclusions of this article are subject to criticisms that are being considered by the editors.

Mainstream astrobiologists are not amused.

I feel like these guys have just poisoned the whole field, Paul Myers, a developmental biologist at the University of Minnesota, told CNET.

READ MORE: The search for life on Mars and the Space Tiger King [CNET]

More on life on Mars: Former NASA Scientist Convinced We Already Found Life on Mars

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Extremely Dubious Scientist Believes There's Mushrooms and Lichen on Mars - Futurism

Right now, it is not business as usual. Theres no going back to normal. Charged conversations and changing times call for meaningful, intentional action on the part of large and small brands alike.

How do well-meaning brands communicate where you stand and show your support of your audience at this time?

Jennifer Jen Kem is a Brand Futurist, Business Strategist and Leadership Mentor to women-founded companies and her entire mission is to help them get seen, heard and paid more, based on their values. Her brand and personal values are founded on Autonomy, Justice, Generosity, Leadership and Legacy, and as a 2nd generation Filipino-American, she speaks out often about racial injustice and gender inequality.

Jen shares 5 ways brands can take meaningful action right now.

5 Ways Brands Can Take Meaningful Action During This Time | Stephanie Burns

1. For Your Community: Listen - Dont defend.

Instead of muting them or saying thats not true, say honestly that youre not fully equipped to respond. Say youre listening and from that place of listening, you are committed to fixing it, advises Kem.

Now is the time to listen to those that are hurting.

2. For Your Audience: Educate.

Pass the torch to those qualified to answer. Bring educators, consultants, and coaches who are experts in Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) into your business and hire them to help you assess and audit your stance and policies internally and externally, says Kem. Make it part of your company, not something extra or on top of the everyday work of your company. Communicate your stance with impunity in your communication with your audience.

3. For Your Messaging: Bridge.

One part of branding is managing optics, and going forward (not just during this time), its important to communicate with authentic and honest optics. Stay true to your brand voice but acknowledge that you want to address where you stand, notes Kem.

Bridge the gap of where your brand is now, where you stand and where you are going.

4. For Your Values: Re-Assess.

Center your brand around values-driven metrics, not purely results-driven. Ask yourself - how can we get to the result and understand through the lens of our core values? Your clients dont have to align perfectly with your values, but they should resonate with at least 1 or 2. If youre not making People and Inclusion an authentic value in your brand even if you feel that you are, youre not a values-driven brand, says Kem.

It might be time to take a hard look at the values of your company to see if you truly are aligned with them or if there is need for adjustment.

5. For You: Your Brand Is A Reflection Of You.

This is the world of business now. For me, Ive been choosy in who I has help and amplify. Create REALationships with your audience and understand why they come to you for your expertise. Your audience trusts you, and thats a currency you should not take lightly. Be sure to check on your partnerships and affiliates to see where they stand and if it aligns with your values, explains Kem.

If you feel stuck on what to do or how to help, start with your values and your brand will follow.

Originally posted here:
5 Ways Brands Can Take Meaningful Action During This Time - Forbes

Blazing Up

The Bighorn Fire is a vicious blaze thats been raging in Arizona since the beginning of June forcing evacuations as recently as this week.

In fact, the fire has grown so large that satellites can easily see it from space, according to a new post by NASAsJet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA grabbed the imagery using its Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument, on board its Terra satellite, which was launched back in 1999.

The epic shot included in the post shows the fires progress over the Santa Catalina Mountains, North of Tucson. Vegetation is shown in red, according to NASAs description of the shot, and burned areas are shown in gray.

ASTER, the space agency wrote, is a useful instrument for mapping the changing surface of the Earth because of its high resolution and capability of imaging in thermal infrared wavelengths.

NASA has used it to study the movement of glaciers, volcanic activity, crop health, weather, and the wellbeing of wetlands and coral reefs.

READ MORE: NASAs ASTER Sees Arizonas Bighorn Fire Burn Scar From Space [NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory]

More on fires: Devastating Fires in Amazon Rainforest Can Be Seen From Space

More:
This Forest Fire Was So Huge, NASA Spotted It From Space - Futurism

Light Diet

Researchers from University College London (UCL) say theyve found that exposing the human eye to deep red light for three minutes a day could improve declining eyesight.

According to a study about the research published in the Journals of Gerontology, cellular function declines with age due to lower densities of mitochondria in the retinas photoreceptor cells. Mitochondria are as you may have learned in school the powerhouse of the cell, producing energy and boost cell function. Photoreceptor cells are particularly power hungry but after being exposed to near-infrared light with a wavelength of 670 nanometers, their performance improved, along with study subjects eyesight.

The technology is simple and very safe, using a deep red light of a specific wavelength, that is absorbed by mitochondria in the retina that supply energy for cellular function, Glen Jeffery, professor at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and lead author of the study, said in a statement.

For the study, 12 male and 12 female participants between the ages of 28 and 72 had the sensitivity of their eyes checked. They were then asked to stare into a small LED flashlight for three minutes a day over two weeks, a process Jefferey likened to re-charging a battery.

Participants ability to detect colors improved 20 percent among some of those 40 and older. Low light sensitivity improved significantly in the same group as well.

Mitochondria have specific light absorbance characteristics influencing their performance: longer wavelengths spanning 650 to 1000nm are absorbed and improve mitochondrial performance to increase energy production, Jeffrey said.

READ MORE: Deep red light reboots aging retinas like recharging a battery [New Atlas]

More on eyesight: This Bionic Eye Is Better Than a Real One, Scientists Say

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Researchers Say You Can Improve Your Eyesight by Staring at This Specific Type of Light - Futurism

No Touching

A team at NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab have built a prototype to fight the ongoing coronavirus pandemic: An electronic pendant that scolds you every time you lift your hands to your face.

The tiny device, called PULSE, is simple in design. Its equipped with a infrared proximity sensor, a coin-sized vibration motor, and a three volt battery. Once it notices that youre about to touch your face, the vibration motor triggers.

Health experts have long recommended that you should abstain from touching your own face to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection. All it takes is a short touch to spread pathogens from your hands to your mouth or nostrils.

NASA doesnt have any plans to start selling the gadget, but it has generously made the entire plans for the small device open source, from schematics for the electronics to files for 3D printing the case.

The team seems to have had far more success at developing a device to stop you from touching your face than Australian astrophysicist Daniel Reardon, who got four small magnets stuck up his nose in late March while trying to develop a similar gadget.

READ MORE: NASA designed a vibrating necklace to help you stop touching your face [Mashable]

More on that physicist: Physicist Tries to Build Device to Prevent Coronavirus, Gets Magnets Stuck Up Nose

Read more:
NASA Invents Wearable That Scolds You For Touching Your Face - Futurism

Gilead Sciences, the pharmaceutical company behind the COVID-19 treatment remdesivir, just announced what it will charge for the antiviral drug.

Patients with health insurance from a private company can expect to pay about $520 for a single dose, The Wall Street Journal reports. That comes out to $3,120 for the five-day treatment the vast majority of patients receive, and $5,720 for a ten-day course. Because remdesivir may be the first COVID-19 treatment to receive full FDA approval, its price tag could set the precedent for othernew treatments that emerge down the road, though theWSJ reports that the potential approval of the vastly-cheaper dexamethasone could drive down the cost of remdesivir instead.

The high cost which will be reduced to $390 per dose under government insurance like Medicare will be enacted in July and is motivated by Gilead trying to recoup its research and development investments as it ships the drug out to hospitals around the world. And besides, Gilead CEO Daniel ODay told the WSJ, patients may still end up paying a lower hospital bill than they would have without remdesivir if the drug shortens their stay.

Other countries are likely to negotiate prices similar to the Medicare costs when they buy from Gilead, according to the WSJ. But in countries like Bangladesh, where Gilead has licensed the medication to generic drugmakers, the cost for a full treatment course could be under $1,000 because the raw materials fora full treatment course of remdesivir cost less than $10.

Remdesivir was first approved under an FDA emergency authorization back in May. At the time, data suggested it could cut a coronavirus patients hospital stay by an average of four days compared to those receiving standard treatments without remdesivir. Given the cost per night of staying in a hospitals COVID-19 ward, heading home sooner means a significantly lower bill.

Read more from the original source:
Even With Insurance, the COVID Drug Remdesivir Is Shockingly Expensive - Futurism

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While the topic of human augmentation may be taboo to many, humans have been trying to find ways of augmenting ourselves for centuries. One could argue that glasses were an invention that allowed us to augment our bad eyesight and that hearing aids augmented our bad hearing. As a woman who works in tech, Ive often wanted to explore the idea of how technology can help us live longer and live better. Im in some ways, what my futurist friend Kate ONeil has coined, a tech humanist.

My curiosity has led me to test a lot of new technologies and also work within the emerging tech industry thats crafting some of these solutions. In this article, Id like to share six times that Ive personally used technology to augment myself and share some of the lessons Ive learned along the way.

Our sense of touch is more important than ever. With handshakes gone due to the pandemic, I often worry that were on our way to becoming a touchless society. But one of the VR peripherals that offer some hope for us to be able to feel touch in virtual environments with haptic gloves.

I had a chance to demo VRgluv in Atlanta back in 2018. VRgluv is a wireless all-in-one force-feedback haptic glove for Virtual Reality. According to their website: When integrated into a custom VR training simulation, VRgluv allows users to see and use their own hands to seamlessly interact with the virtual training environment without the need to use a controller. VRgluv uses force feedback to recreate the size, shape, and material properties of virtual objects, tools, and interfaces. By stopping the fingers at the boundaries of the virtual objects, users experience significantly more realism and immersion when interacting with their virtual surroundings. These haptic sensations and visual confirmations allow trainees to work and train with objects that only exist in the digital world.

I put on a VR headset and the glove and was able to enter a virtual work simulation where I needed to pick up and move objects. The haptic feedback, the weight simulation, and the resistance of the virtual objects were all pretty realistic and to this day my brain believes that what we did was true and not a virtual simulation.

Im really enjoying the hand tracking on my Oculus Quest, so I look forward to seeing how VR hardware OEMs use peripherals like haptic gloves to give users the feeling of touch, and Im sure that neural interfaces are on the horizon as well.

It is often said that humans only use a certain percentage of their brainpower, so when I was given the chance to test out Neruable, a brain-machine interface device in April 2019, I jumped at the opportunity. Brain-machine interfaces (BMI) and brain-computer interfaces (BCI) are devices that enable direct communication between a brain and an external device. I was able to put on their BMI and a VR headset and I went into an experience that reminded me of Stranger Things. I used just my thoughts to input codes and throw items to escape a virtual room that I was trapped in. It was the first time I had tried anything similar and I was hooked.

Impressed by Neurable, I sought out to test more of these BCI devices. I got a chance to test NextMinds BCI at CES in January. During my demo, I was able to switch channels using just my thoughts, play duck hunt with my thoughts, and dim lights by just focusing on them. After this demo, I realized how much my brain enjoyed this workout.

I continued exploring and pre-ordered Neurositys Notion BCI developer kit, which arrived earlier this year. I can use this BCI to scroll my iPad with just my thoughts (yes, you read that right) and Im seeing developers create amazing applications for this dev kit.

It really does feel like Im pulling off a Jedi mind trick. Which leads me to the next superpower Ive experienced.

What if we could see through walls? Would that be your superpower of choice? While I havent been able to do this (at least not yet), I have been able to demo the Accuveins Vein Visualization device.

It got me to think about how augmented reality can make our lives better or easier, especially if one has a fear of needles?

In May 2019, I got a chance to demo the AR subcutaneous vein imagining finder from Accuvein at Jabils Blue Sky Center in Silicon Valley. This was a great example of how AR can provide true utility. This type of use of immersive tech will make my life better and the lives of many of their folks out there, especially children and the elderly. This use of AR helps take the guesswork out of finding the vein. In my opinion, it helps make the healthcare experience better for the patient and it helps the medical professional do their work faster and better.

The vein finder glides over your arm and can detect veins and blood flows, giving phlebotomists a sort of X-ray vision and helping them find the right vein.

One could also argue that when I use my spatial computing headset and venture into an app like Spatial for meetings with colleagues in the form of realistic avatars, that I also use some sort of X-ray vision to see whats not really in front of me.

Cathy Hackl

Have you ever seen, felt, or smelled a tree in VR? Well, I all three at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017. I actually really did smell the redwoods in an interactive experience called Treehugger: Wawona where I put on a VR headset with a scent device over my noise and gloves with tracking devices. While there was not a concrete storyline, I did perceive this to be an innovative way to interact in VR through touch and smell and a

Cathy Hackl

way forward for how we will be able to tell stories in VR using all the senses in the future. I walked away from this tree-hugging experience feeling energized as we had just done a whole hour of yoga. Its been one of my favorite VR experiences to date. It gave the phrase, stop to smell the roses, a lot more possible in a virtual world.

Mommy, are you a cyborg? my son asked.

I wasnt sure how to answer that question. I was living connected to a medical device that had to be on 24/7 and that needed to be charged often. It would beep when it was starting to run out of battery and beep constantly when it was almost out of charge. During that time I felt more like a Tesla than a cyborg.

Phrases such as:

I spent the last several months of 2019 recovering from medical complications post-surgery. My surgery wound wasnt healing as it should and my doctor recommended I start using a medical machine called a wound vac or negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) machine, to heal.

Cathy Hackl

Having to don a medical computer all day, round the clock was daunting. Needless to say, it took a while to realize that the machine and I were essentially one for a span of 6 weeks, except during showers and dressing changes. I had to plug into the wall every so often to recharge the machine. If I had to go outside, I would carry the machine with me in a travel pouch. I slept with the machine on, worked with the machine on, did everything with it on. Living life with a medical machine gave me a new perspective on human augmentation.

See, while being a cyborg would seem cool, I felt more like a Tesla more than a cyborg. I had to recharge the machines battery every day, when the battery was low it would beep constantly and I had to run upstairs to plug in. This symbiotic relationship between woman and machine would only be effective if I charged it and it did its job.

Having these experiences have really lead me to think about human augmentation in a totally new way. It also got me thinking a lot about what the strategic foresight consultancy, Toffler Associates, refers to as the Bio-Digital Convergence, which is the intersection of human and machine, and the impact this convergence will have on our lives, our laws and even our sense of self.

Curiosity has led me to demo all these technologies and think through their connotations for humanity and for businesses and the possible futures where they can lead us. Its trends like these that are on the horizon and that will major implications for our businesses, our families, and our sense of self. Setting ethical best practices will be of the utmost importance so that in the future those who augment and those who do not have the same opportunities. Now the question is, what superpower would you choose and how would you use it for good?

Link:
Augmented Human: 5 Times Ive Used Technology To Augment Myself - Forbes

Misplaced

A gigantic, particularly-bright star just disappeared without a trace.

Its an unusual case: The giant star in the nearby Kinman dwarf galaxy, which was 2.5 times brighter than our Sun, had been observed during a decades worth of observations, Gizmodo reports. But when astronomers went to check up on it in 2019, the star had vanished.

Thankfully, the Trinity College Dublin astronomers have some ideas for what could have happened.

There are two possibilities that the team threw around in their research, published Tuesday in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. First, the star could have drastically decreased its brightness and is also obscured by a cloud of dust. The second is far more mysterious: It could have died and turned into a black hole without ever exploding in a supernova.

If thats the case, it would be the second-ever failed supernova that we know of.

Regardless of which scenario occurred both are consistent with past observations for the star and computer models Gizmodo reports that the scientists missed out on an opportunity to update the models theyd based on the star. But on the flip side, the opportunity to investigate a vanished star makes up for the loss.

We were all pleasantly surprised to find that the stars signature was not present in our first observation, lead researcher Andrew Allan told Gizmodo. We initially hoped for a higher-resolution observation that resembled the past observations, which we would use for our models.

READ MORE: A Massive Star Has Disappeared Without a Trace [Gizmodo]

More on stars: Two Dead Stars Are Orbiting Each Others Corpses Incredibly Fast

See more here:
A Giant Star Appears to Have Winked Out of Existence - Futurism