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Category Archives: Transhuman News

Tim Cook Hints That Apple Is Working on Autonomous Systems But Not Just for Cars – Futurism

Posted: August 3, 2017 at 9:40 am

In Brief Apple CEO Tim Cook just confirmed that the company has a "large project" involving autonomous systems, but it's not limited to self-driving cars. Cook declined to elaborate any further on what other applications he had in mind during the company's earnings call on Tuesday,

The rumors that Apple may be building an autonomous systemreceived an update yesterday. During a conference call with investors on Tuesday afternoon, CEO Tim Cook hinted at the work Apple is doing with such systems as well as with artificial intelligence (AI).

[Autonomous] systems can be used in a variety of ways, Cook said. A vehicle is only one, but there are many different areas of it. And I dont want to go any further with that.

There you have it, folks. While it seems thatApple may be building a vehicle and even receivedapproval to test one in Californian roads whats clear is that its developing an autonomous system that could be used in more than just cars. This shouldnt come as a surprise, especially now that Apple has been actively pursuing AI development.

We are very focused on autonomous systems, Cook added. We do have a large project going, and are making a big investment in this. From our point of view, autonomy is sort of the mother of all AI projects.

Much of the focus to this point has been the application of autonomous systems in cars, and for good reason. Autonomous vehicles are heralded as the future of safer driving. By eliminating the cause of most major accidents human error self-driving cars could save some 40,000 lives each year in the U.S.

But what is the potentialof such systems beyond the automotive example? If anyone could think of exciting new ways to use AI and autonomous systems, its the creative minds at Apple. Hopefully they wont keep us waiting too long to learn what new tech they are cooking up.

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New Theory for Life Suggests It Was Not an Accident of Biology. It Was Physics. – Futurism

Posted: at 9:40 am

In BriefBiophysicist Jeremy England has published support for histheory of adaptation driven by dissipation, and its relationship toabiogenesis. If his idea is right, thermodynamics infar-from-equilibrium systems dictate the creation of life. Rocks Rolling Downhill

How did life first originate from nothing? This has been the focus of biologists, specifically astrobiologists, and popular theories have included everything from meteorites to seemingly random chemicals to luck. In 1859, Charles Darwin posited that All organic beings that have lived on Earth could be descended from some primordial form, in The Origin of Species. His basic idea was that chemical components and energy sources somehow spontaneously generated life in the primordial soup.

However, in 2013, MIT biophysicist Jeremy England proposed a new theory that substituted thermodynamics in place of luck. He derived a mathematical formula to explain how atoms, driven by external energy (such as that found in primordial soup) and heat (like youd find in an atmosphere), will gradually restructure themselves to dissipate more and more energy. In other words, under the right conditions, matter naturally acquires the basic physical quality the tendency to capture energy from the environment and dissipate it as heat associated with life, based on the law of increasing entropy or the second law of thermodynamics, also called the arrow of time.

England has since been testing his formula and his idea more generally using computer simulations. He published two studies in July, and both experiments appear to support his basic theory about adaptation driven by dissipation. However, what these results ultimately mean for the origins of life remain unclear.

In the simulation, a soup of 25 chemicals reacted together in multiple ways as environmental sources of energy force certain chemical reactions, just like ATP provides the chemical fuel for cellular metabolism. In some cases, the system reaches an equilibrium state, the most familiar outcome produced by the second law of thermodynamics. However, in other cases, the chemical reaction network evolves as reactions harvest as much energy from the environment as possible, ending at fixed points far away from equilibrium.

These rare states of extremal thermodynamic forcing are similar to the extreme forcing that living creatures engage in as we burn up chemical energy. England believes that atoms acquire the very specific form and function designed for optimal chemical energy consumption and become a bacterium because thermodynamics dictates this natural outcome in far-from-equilibrium systems. Many biophysicists agree with England, but since there is still disagreement about what the essence of life is, its difficult to nail down how explanatory this theory is in terms of lifes origins.

So,whats next? Perhaps physically simulating primordial soup outside of a computer environment is the next step, but this does involve some guesswork. And, while England sees his theory as underlying Darwinian evolution, some disagree that this dissipation-driven adaptation theory could distinguish between things that are simply structured in a certain way and things that are alive. For example, the ability to perceive, process, and pass on information in the form of reproduction may not be fully explained by Englands theory. In any case, this work provides fascinating insights into one possible explanation of how our planet made something out of nothing.

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The Futurist: Fishing for the right talent – Human Resources Online

Posted: at 9:40 am

Successful recruitment is about in-depth conversations, and new technologies arent able to help consultants understand candidates better, says Fabien Guerin, founder and CEO of Talent Fishers.

Many business leaders believe that Asia will spearhead the global economic growth for decades to come. Organisations from around the globe are hoping to get a slice of the Asian market, making it one of the hottest destinations for top talent.

Talent Fishers was set up in 2007 in China to cater to a growing demand from foreign-invested companies for human capital solutions in Asia.

When conducting a cross-cultural search, matching candidates to the right position is not enough. We dont only find the right candidates, we are here to advise clients on the best practices for Asian markets.

The mission of Talent Fishers is changing peoples lives by offering them better career and better responsibilities, and we change a companys future by finding the right people for the right roles, enabling the company to better develop.

With the use of the latest technology such as databases, job boards and social networks, a huge amount of time is being saved in extracting data on suitable candidates, but Talent Fishers is committed to taking things to the next level.

We believe having in-depth conversations with our candidates puts them in the best position to be successful, and these new technologies are not able to help consultants understand candidates better.

Our consultants ask candidates the right questions to learn about their professional backgrounds and find out who they really are and what they really want in life.

When conducting a search, understanding the organisation is just as important. Every company has a different culture, DNA and history. We combine all those factors to match an individual who fits in with the organisations culture and DNA at the right time.

Sometimes, the most talented individual might not be the best fit for a specific role at a specific time.

For our consultants to get to know the candidates, a face-to-face meeting is often the best way to communicate. With that being said, I believe technology such as virtual reality will bring a huge impact to the executive search landscape by allowing individuals to hold in-depth conversations without having to be seated in the same room.

I hope with VR technology, I will be able to interview candidates from overseas with the same quality of interaction as we have sitting in the same room.

In todays business world, people are more prone to move to explore another culture. As a result, I foresee top talent from different backgrounds gathering to work in an expertise hub.

There will be different expertise hubs set up around the world and I think Hong Kong is an interesting place for financial services-related functions to set up an expertise hub.

The June 2017 issue of Human Resources magazine is a special edition, bringing you interviews with 12 HR leaders, with their predictions on the future of HR.

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Anders Srman-Nilsson (LLB/EMBA), global futurist, speaker and author – InvestorDaily

Posted: at 9:40 am

Anders Srman-Nilsson (LLB / EMBA) is a global futurist and innovation strategist who helps leaders decode trends, decipher whats next and turn provocative questions into proactive strategies. With an average of 240 international travel days a year, Anders view is that the future and the now are converging in a city or start-up near you, giving the curious, the creative and the courageous a competitive and sustainable edge. At the same time, that same future contains fearsome forecasts for futurephobes.

This Swedish-Australian futurist has shared the stage with Hillary Clinton, Nobel laureates, and European and Australian heads of state. He is an active member of TEDGlobal, has keynoted at TEDx in the United States and Australia, was nominated to the World Economic Forums Young Global Leaders in 2015, and was the keynote speaker at the G20s Y20 Summit in Australia.

His thought leadership has been featured in international media like Monocle, Business Insider, Sky News Business, Financial Review, CIO Magazine and Boss. He is the author of the books Digilogue: how to win the digital minds and analogue hearts of tomorrows customers and Thinque Funky: Upgrade Your Thinking, and his most recent book Seamless: the futurephiles guide to leading digital adaptation and human transformation.

His presentations are meticulously researched, highly energetic and always fascinating with content tailored to the audience, which is why clients like Apple, Cisco, Mercedes Benz, Hilton, SAP, Gartner and Macquarie Bank have turned to Anders over the years to help them turn research into foresight and business impact.

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4 Big Trends That Will Shape CRE: A Futurist’s Guide – Commercial Property Executive

Posted: at 9:40 am

Volvos surprise announcement that it will phase out the internal combustion engine by 2019 should be a wake-up call across industries that disruptive technology is already impacting short-term business planning. Anticipating how the economy and human behavior will be reshaped in the years ahead is an important exercise that should inform business leaders decisions and help position their businesses to more readily adapt to the future.

Commercial real estate is not disconnected from the challenges and opportunities posed by technology. Quite the opposite; it will be at the epicenter as outside forces impact how people live, commute, work and interact. As commercial real estate leaders, we should be mindful of how the developments were building now will be used in 10 or 15 years, when todays emerging technology has become tomorrows ubiquitous convenience.

Here are four technologies and trends that could shape commercial real estate in the not-too-distant future.

The University of Michigan is researching self-driving cars at a facility in Ann Arbor. (Image courtesy of the University of Michigan)

Fully self-driving cars arent too far from becoming a reality. In fact, Michigan authorized testing autonomous vehicles on public roads, and the University of Michigan will soon deploy autonomous vehicles around at its engineering campus in Ann Arbor.

While a single campus may seem like a small example, the University of Michigans research could soon open up new possibilities for people who would otherwise chafe at a long commute. If the car becomes a mobile workspace, driving to the office becomes productive work time and the distance traveled is less important. Its conceivable that the suburbs could become a magnet again for people looking for more affordable housing and access to amenities like golf courses, walking trails and better schools.

Flexible work arrangements and the normalization of teleworking could further accelerate a return to suburbia spurred by autonomous driving. These two converging trends may cause more peopleincluding aging millennials with school-aged childrento look beyond the urban cores and close-in suburbs for affordable and spacious housing.

If the sharing economy lives up to its hype, the implications for commercial real estate are enormous. Ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft are already well-established, but driverless vehicles could transform these services from a convenient option to a groundbreaking alternative to car ownership.

As ride-sharing companies mature and autonomous vehicles drive down the cost of rides even further, will it even make financial sense for Generation Z to own cars? What does that do to the footprint and design of multifamily developments? If people can rent out their self-driving cars to a ride-sharing service while theyre at work, will there still be a need for massive parking garages connected to office towers? Could it open new development opportunities for sites now occupied by parked cars?

Herzog & de Meurons design for 1111 Lincoln Road in Miami reimagines the parking structure.

These trends could also drive the redevelopment of existing spaces. Herzog & de Meuron, the Swiss architectural firm, reimagined the parking garage with its groundbreaking structure at 1111 Lincoln Road in Miami. This mixed-use parking garage includes office space, storefronts, apartments, a SunTrust branchand yes, some parking. The striking design and creative use of space could be a viable model for existing garages that have outlived their usefulness as a place to park cars.

Virtual reality is arguably one of the most disruptive technologies on the horizon, and the applications are endless, from revolutionizing how people communicate across continents to allowing people to experience places in immersive ways.

Applying VR to commercial real estate would be relatively easy. Developers could take investors on tours of planned buildings before any dirt has been moved; brokers may offer tenants virtual tours to multiple properties in the span of an hourall from the comfort of an office; and developers and bankers can test the waters by taking focus groups on VR-aided visits to planned communities before a single dollar is spent.

VRs usefulness to the commercial real estate industry might seem like more of a novelty than necessity, but enterprising people will find ways to make it financially feasible and convenient.

Millennials are not monolithic in their behaviors, contrary to what some industry experts seem to suggest. While many in this generation desire an urban environment close to work and lifestyle amenities, they are also demonstrating an interest in owning single-family homes. Seventy percent of millennials see themselves in the suburbs with their next home, according to a 2016 PulteGroup study.

The emerging desire of millennials to own homes could signal challenges for the multifamily industry, especially if the trend accelerates, too much supply is on the market and Generation Z demonstrates a similar propensity for homeownership.

In the event of prolonged multifamily vacancies, how can investors make the most of their holdings? Could apartments be refashioned and sold as condos for seniors who desire more walkable communities? Might local and state governments offer incentives to convert apartments into affordable housing? Reimagining existing multifamily communities may be necessary in the years to come.

The imperfect exercise of predicting the impact of technology is no reason to avoid asking difficult questions. The business opportunities and uncomfortable possibilities presented by innovation, if properly considered, can be addressed or mitigated now if leaders have the foresight to imagine how thingsand peoplewill change.

Technology has already demonstrated its ability to impact commercial real estate; reduced demand for office space is only one of many examples. If the last decade has taught the commercial real estate industry anything, its that searching the horizon for trouble and opportunities to stay ahead of the next paradigm shift is a smart way to conduct business.

Kathleen Farrell is head of commercial real estate at SunTrust Banks Inc.

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A Fully Automated Science Lab Could Be Coming to NASA’s New Lunar Station – Seeker

Posted: August 2, 2017 at 8:55 am

We've all had that feeling of leaving the house and wondering if we left the stove on or forgot to lock the door. In space, an anxious astronaut might worry that an unoccupied space station might be losing oxygen or an experiment is failing because the power went out.

That's why NASA is expanding the use of automation on Deep Space Gateway, a lunar space station for astronauts traveling to far away destinations such as Mars. Deep Space Gateway is set for launch in 2020 and might be occupied by humans for only a month or two at a time.

"When the crew's not there, the Gateway would serve as a science laboratory, tending to its own experiments; we envision having some robotics on board," said Bill Pratt, program manager for Lockheed Martin's NextSTEP program that is working on Deep Space Gateway. Lockheed is also the prime contractor for the future deep space Orion spacecraft.

Other questions for Gateway automation include how to operate items such as the life support system when the astronauts are away. Is air needed when there's nobody around to breathe? What about water filtration or the toilet?

"The avionics lab is really all about showing that we understand how to get that transition right between the uncrewed mode and the crewed mode that's a high-risk area," Pratt said.

In some sense, he added, Lockheed will have to borrow from the long heritage of space robots exploring the solar system. Curiosity rover, for example, can do tasks such as choose rocks for analysis. Space probes also know when to shut themselves off if a huge problem occurs and cry for help from home.

Lockheed is working with MDA the company responsible for the robotic armsCanadarm and Canadarm2 and a two-armed robot called Dextre on the International Space Station to figure out concepts for robotic operations on Gateway.

Space will be at a premium because Gateway will only have one module for living and working. Luckily, electronics are smaller than when the ISS was first put together in 1998. Astronauts docking with the future lunar space station may be able to use tablets after the Orion spacecraft is safely parked. Storing the tablet requires little more than velcroing it to a wall.

RELATED:The Robots Might Not Be Coming for Your Job After All

But some things can't be miniaturized as easily. The ISS has an exercise bike, a treadmill, and an advanced resistive device for weightlifting. This exercise equipment wouldn't all fit in Gateway, at least in their current configuration. There also would be challenges for sleep stations, cooking, and privacy. So Lockheed is testing out a full-scale model of the habitat, where NASA contractors can try out different devices to see how well they might fit together. The fit is also tested out in virtual reality.

"I went with my family on an RV trip if you think about an RV, one minute you are eating at a table, and the next minute that table becomes your bed," Pratt said. "You're reconfiguring the space for the need that you have [at the time]. It's very different from what they do on ISS, where there are a lot of modules and each module has its own purpose."

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NASA to Test New Solar Array on International Space Station – Photonics.com

Posted: at 8:55 am

Photonics.com Jul 2017 WASHINGTON, D.C., Aug. 2, 2017 An experiment that recently arrived at the International Space Station will test a new solar array design that rolls up to form a compact cylinder for launch with significantly less mass and volume, potentially offering substantial cost savings as well as an increase in power for satellites.

Smaller and lighter than traditional solar panels, the Roll-Out Solar Array, or ROSA, consists of a center wing made of a flexible material containing photovoltaic cells to convert light into electricity. On either side of the wing is a narrow arm that extends the length of the wing to provide support, called a high strain composite boom. The booms are like split tubes made of a stiff composite material, flattened and rolled up lengthwise for launch. The array rolls or snaps open without a motor, using stored energy from the structure of the booms that is released as each boom transitions from a coil shape to a straight support arm.

ROSA can be easily adapted to different sizes, including very large arrays, to provide power for a variety of future spacecraft. It also has the potential to make solar arrays more compact and lighter weight for satellite radio and television, weather forecasting, GPS and other services used on Earth. In addition, the technology conceivably could be adapted to provide solar power in remote locations.

The technology of the booms has additional potential applications, such as for communications and radar antennas and other instruments. The ROSA investigation looks at how well this new type of solar panels deploys in the microgravity and extreme temperatures of space. The investigation also measures the array's strength and durability and how the structure responds to spacecraft maneuvers.

When the array is attached to a satellite, that spacecraft will need to maneuver, which creates torque and causes the wing, or blanket, to vibrate," said Jeremy Banik, principal investigator and senior research engineer at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. "We need to know precisely when and how it vibrates so as not to lose control of the spacecraft. The only way to test that is in space."

The investigation will monitor the array deployed in full sun and full shade and collect data on how much it vibrates when moving from shade to light. This vibration, known as thermal snap, could present challenges in operating satellites with sensitive functions, and the researchers want to learn how to avoid those challenges with ROSA. The investigation will also measure power produced by the array to see how ROSA's thin, crystalline photovoltaic cells hold up during launch. In addition, researchers want to see how the array handles retraction.

"Recognize that we are trying to learn how it behaves this is an experiment and not a demonstration so we'll glean useful data even if it doesn't behave the ways we expect," Banik said.

ROSA was developed as part of the Solar Electric Propulsion project sponsored by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA tested the ROSA technology in vacuum chambers on Earth several years ago, and this is its first test in space. This solar array technology was developed to power large spacecraft using highly efficient electric propulsion on missions to deep space including Mars and the moon.

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Mars crew sets up shop again on Nunavut’s Devon Island – Nunatsiaq News

Posted: at 8:55 am

NEWS: NunavutAugust 02, 2017 - 8:00 am JANE GEORGE

You dont have to travel through the solar system to get to Mars.

Thats because you can find a bit of the Red Planet on Devon Island in Nunavuts High Arctic, about 200 kilometres south of Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island.

Many consider Devons Haughton Crater, a 20-kilometre-wide hole punched out by a meteor collision 23 million years ago, and its surrounding red rock formationsseemingly plucked from a Star Wars filmto be similar to what youd find on a warmer Mars.

So much so, there are many who believe NASAs Rover shots from Mars are indeed shot on Devon Island and they have produced many Youtube videos documenting the alleged hoax, prompting many semi-serious news stories with headlines like The Wild Conspiracy Theory That NASA Is Faking Its Mars Rover Missions In Canada.

On these, you can see photos of rocks from a NASA Mars Rover shots which some say show a walrus bone or a lemming, as in this NASA photo.

Right now, an international crew of six has started a stay (three weeks late due to fog in Resolute Bay) at the edge of the Haughton Crater in a hab (short for habitat,) which looks like a large tin can, as part of a four-month Mars 160 Mission promoted by the Mars Society, which wants to see the colonization of Mars.

The white fibreglass habitat, called the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station, was erected in July 21, 2000, around the same time as the 32nd anniversary of the first moon walk, and when this Nunatsiaq News reporter also managed to hop off a flight heading from Eureka to Resolute Bay to visit the site for a few days.

There, we learned that the loss of habitats key components in an airlift mishap, which included the crane that was to pull up the walls as well as the floors which were to hold these together, had caused problems for the Mars Society, its president and founder, Robert Zubrin, and his construction team:

They were under pressure to get the habitat up because Zubrin had pre-sold the rights to film the construction to the Discovery Channel for US $200,000.

Zubrin, the author of The Case for Mars: the plan to settle the Red Planet and Why We Must, has made the case that manned expeditions to Mars are possible and desirable. His message is that mankind thrives on adversity and that the exploration of Mars will start a new, positive era of human development.

Some of his Mars Societys members want Mars to become a utopian environment, with a new and better society where theres no government intervention, while others want to develop new commercial opportunities, such as the sale of viewing rights to Mars, raising rabbits on Mars (One giant leap, say its proponents) or even burying the deceased on Mars.

For the past eight years, the Flashline station has been uninhabited. In 2005, major problems encountered by the station dwellers included the weather (bad,) mud (sticky,) spaghetti (too much) and the lack of email.

Then, after 2009, due to conflicts between Zubrin and scientists in the neighbouring Haughton-Mars Mars on Earth Project, who have, on and off since 1997, actually tested out some space-age tools at the same site, no one has returned to the station.

Since 2013, the Mars Society has been fundraising to revive the station which it says will serve as a testing ground for Mars exploration, become a useful field research facility and generate public support for sending people to Mars.

According to logs on the Mars Society website, the crew, whose biographies you can read here have undertaken a scouting mission to the south to test trafficability to the Gemini Hills in an EVA or Extra-Vehicular Activity, with protective suits and oxygen tanks, because when youre pretending youre an astronaut on Mars, rather than in Nunavuts back yard, you cant breathe the air.

A member of the crew also made a dish of rice with a number of different sauces containing lentils, beans, tomatoes, chocolate, coffee, maple syrup, honey, coconut milk, milk powder, soy sauce, raisins and many different spices: These are just a few of the ingredients. We are hoping for better weather tomorrow, but the forecast is not good. We have plans for all contingencies.

Their Flashline project does not appear on the list of High Arctic research groups supported by the Polar Continental Shelf Program, which provides logistical support to scientific projects, but its project description, sent to the Nunavut Research Institute, shows those in the station plan to look at lichens and various aspects of the geology of the crater during their stay.

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A protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease may also be implicated in cognitive abilities in children – Medical Xpress

Posted: at 8:54 am

August 2, 2017

Rare mutations in the amyloid precursor protein (APP) have previously been shown to be strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Common genetic variants in this protein may also be linked to intelligence (IQ) in children, according to recent research performed at the University of Bergen, Norway.

Results of the research were published online today in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Senior author Dr. Tetyana Zayats is a researcher at the KGJebsen Centre for Neuropsychiatric Disorders at the University of Bergen.

The study analyzed genetic markers and IQ collected from 5,165 children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. The genetic findings were followed up in the genetic data from two adult datasets (1) 17,008 cases with AD and 37,154 controls, and (2) 112,151 individuals assessed for general cognitive functioning. The function of the genetic markers was analysed using reporter assays in cells.

Brain cells communicate via synapses containing hundreds of specialized proteins. Mutations in some of these proteins lead to dysfunctional synapses and brain diseases such as epilepsy, intellectual disability, autism or AD. Dr. Zayats and co-workers at the University of Bergen examined a subgroup of these proteins that have been implicated in synaptic plasticity and learning (the ARC complex). They found that a variation in DNA sequence within the gene encoding a member of this group of proteins, amyloid beta precursor protein (APP) was associated with non-verbal (fluid) intelligence in children, which reflects our capacity to reason and solve problems. In adults, this variation revealed association with AD, while the overall genetic variation within the APP gene itself appeared to be correlated with the efficiency of information processing (reaction time).

"This study has potential implications for our understanding of the normal function of these synaptic proteins as well as their involvement in disease" said Dr. Zayats.

APP encodes the amyloid- precursor protein that forms amyloid--containing neuritic plaques, the accumulation of which is one of the key pathological hallmarks in AD brains. However, it is unclear how these plaques affect brain functions and whether they lead to AD.

"Our understanding of biological processes underlying synaptic functioning could be expanded by examining human genetics throughout the lifespan as genetic influences may be the driving force behind the stability of our cognitive functioning," Dr. Zayats commented.

Genetic correlation between intelligence and AD has also been found in large-scale genome-wide analyses on general cognitive ability in adults. Several genes involved in general intelligence have previously reported to be associated with AD or related dementias. Such overlap has also been noted for the APP gene, where a coding variant was shown to be protective against both AD and cognitive decline in elderly.

"While this is only an exploratory study, in-depth functional and association follow up examinations are needed," Dr. Zayats noted. "Examining genetic overlap between cognitive functioning and AD in children - not only adults - presents us with a new avenue to further our understanding of the role of synaptic plasticity in cognitive functioning and disease."

Explore further: Overactive scavenger cells may cause neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's

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Genome Sequencing Shows Spiders, Scorpions Share Ancestor – Laboratory Equipment

Posted: at 8:54 am

In collaboration with scientists from the U.K., Europe, Japan and the United States, researchers at the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine have discovered a whole genome duplication during the evolution of spiders and scorpions. The study appears in BMC Biology.

Researchers have long been studying spiders and scorpions for both applied reasons, such as studying venom components for pharmaceuticals and silks for materials science, and for basic questions such as the reasons for the evolution and to understand the development and ecological success of this diverse group of carnivorous organisms.

As part of a pilot project for the i5K, a project to study the genomes of 5,000 arthropod species, the Human Genome Sequencing Center analyzed the genome of the house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum a model species studied in laboratories and the Arizona bark scorpion Centruroides sculpturatus, the most venomous scorpion in North America.

Analysis of these genomes revealed that spiders and scorpions evolved from a shared ancestor more than 400 million years ago, which made new copies of all of the genes in its genome, a process called whole genome duplication. Such an event is one of the largest evolutionary changes that can happen to a genome and is relatively rare during animal evolution.

It is tremendously exciting to see rapid progress in our molecular understanding of a species that we coexist with on planet earth. Spider genome analysis is particularly tricky, and we believe this is one of the highest quality spider genomes to date, said Stephen Richards, associate professor in the Human Genome Sequencing Center, who led the genome sequencing at Baylor.

Similarly, there also have been two whole genome duplications at the origin of vertebrates, fuelling long-standing debate as to whether the duplicated genes enabled new biological complexity in the evolution of the vertebrate lineage leading to mammals. The new finding of a whole genome duplication in spiders and scorpions therefore provides a valuable comparison to the events in vertebrates and could help reveal genes and processes that have been important to our own evolution.

While most of the new genetic material generated by whole genome duplication is subsequently lost, some of the new gene copies can evolve new functions and may contribute to the diversification of shape, size, physiology and behavior of animals, said Alistair McGregor, professor of evolutionary developmental biology at Oxford Brookes University and lead author of the research. Comparing the whole genome duplication in spiders and scorpions with the independent events in vertebrates reveals a striking similarity. In both cases, duplicated clusters of Hox genes have been retained. These are very important genes that regulate development of body structures in all animals, and therefore can cause evolutionary changes in animal body plans.

The study also found that the copies of spider Hox genes show differences in when and where they are expressed, suggesting they have evolved new functions.

McGregor explains that these changes may help clarify the evolutionary innovations in spiders and scorpions including specialized limbs and how they breathe, as well as the production of different types of venom and silk, which spiders use to capture and kill their prey.

Many people fear spiders and scorpions, but this research shows what a beautiful part of the evolutionary tree they represent, said Richard Gibbs, director of the Human Genome Sequencing Center and the Wofford Cain Chair and professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor.

Costs have now dropped rapidly enough from tens of millions of dollars to merely a few thousand dollars for this genomic analyses to now be performed on any species, Richards said. There is still so much more to learn about the life on earth around us, and I believe this result is just the beginning of understanding the molecular make up of spiders.

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