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Category Archives: Transhuman News

DARPA Is Planning to Hack the Human Brain to Let Us Upload Skills – Futurism

Posted: May 4, 2017 at 2:42 pm

In Brief The DARPA Targeted Neuroplasticity Training (TNT) program is exploring ways to speed up skill acquisition by activating synaptic plasticity. If the program succeeds, downloadable learning that happens in a flash may be the result. Mindhack For Faster Learning

In March 2016, DARPA the U.S. militarys mad science branch announced their Targeted Neuroplasticity Training (TNT) program. The TNT program aims to explore various safe neurostimulation methods foractivating synaptic plasticity, which is the brains ability to alter theconnecting points betweenneurons a requirement for learning. DARPA hopes that building up that abilityby subjecting the nervous system to a kind of workout regimen will enable the brain to learn more quickly.

As part of the TNT program, DARPA is funding eight projects at seven institutions. All projects are part of a coordinated effort that will first study the fundamental science undergirding brain plasticity and will conclude with human trials. The first portion of the TNT program will work to unravel the neural mechanisms that allow nerve stimulation to influence brain plasticity. The second portion of the program will practically apply what has been learned in a variety of training exercises.

To ensure the work stays practical, foreign language specialists, intelligence analysts, and others who train personnel now will work with researchers to help refine the TNT platform to suit military training needs. Researchers will compare the efficacy of using animplanted device to stimulate the brain versus non-invasive stimulation. They will also explore both the ethics of enhanced learning through neurostimulation and ways to avoid side effects and potential risks.

The Defense Department operates in a complex, interconnected world in which human skills such as communication and analysis are vital, and the Department has long pushed the frontiers of training to maximize those skills, Doug Weber, the TNT Program Manager, said in a DARPA press release. DARPAs goal with TNT is to further enhance the most effective existing training methods so the men and women of our Armed Forces can operate at their full potential.

If the TNT program succeeds, striving to be all you can be may mean learning at a much faster pace, and not just for military personnel. Downloadable learning may be one of the ways we achieve next-level humanity.

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Every Single Car Sold In India Will Be Electric By 2030 – Futurism

Posted: at 2:42 pm

In Brief In India, air pollution has become a public health crisis as well as an economic one, and the government is responding in a big way: by 2030 all cars sold in the country will be electric. Going Electric

Indias coal and mines minister, Piyush Goyal, just revealed some exciting new plans: by the year 2030, every car sold in India will be electric. The aim of this move is to lower the costs of running electric vehicles and importing fuel, and to improvepopulation health.

We are going to introduce electric vehicles in a very big way, minister Piyush Goyal remarked at the Confederation of Indian Industry Annual Session 2017 in New Delhi. Speaking with reporters, he compared the initiative to the successful 2015 promotion of LED lightbulbs, which was intended to reduce energy bills: We are going to make electric vehicles self-sufficient. The idea is that by 2030, not a single petrol or diesel car should be sold in the country.

According to The Independent, Mr. Goyal estimated that the electric car industry would require government assistance initially, but for only two to three years. After that, the Indian government expects the production of electric vehicles will be driven by demand and not subsidy.

In India, air pollution has become a public health crisis as well as an economic one. This is only poised to get worse without immediate, meaningful intervention. While India is somewhat ahead of the curve on this issue feeling the pressure first due to high-density areas it isnt the only country in this position.China is making new strides in sustainable energy for similar reasons.

Earlier this year, Greenpeace released a report that attributed as many as 2.3 million deaths annually to air pollution in India. The reportentitledAirpocalypse calls air pollution a public health and economic crisis for Indians, pointing out that the number of air pollution deaths in the nation are only a fraction less than the number of tobacco deaths. Furthermore, a full 3 percent of Indias gross domestic product (GDP) is devoured by toxic smog in the form of healthcare and other remediation costs.

Finally, the report indicates that without immediate action and a robust monitoring system, the problem will worsen: Indias pollution trends have been steadily increasing, with India overtaking China in number of deaths due to outdoor air pollution in 2015. For example, Delhi Indias most polluted city was found to have particulate matter concentrations 13 times the yearly limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Apparently, the Indian government knows that now is the time to act, and will target dense urban centers first. Mr. Goyal indicated that the electric car plan would focus on larger consumer centers, where pollution is at an all-time high, first.

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Futurist warns we need to wake up to the robot threat – Caboolture News

Posted: at 2:42 pm

MILLIONS of Australians are destined for the unemployment queue if they don't "wake up" to the robot revolution, warns futurist Shara Evans.

Creeping automation is set to transform how we work, shop and socialise - and the changes are a lot closer than most people realise.

New research by recruitment agency Randstad reveals that 84 per cent of Australians surveyed are not concerned that automation will affect their future job prospects, while 77 per cent believe that they won't need to change careers in the next 10 years.

But the reality was the opposite, said Ms Evans, who suggested Australians "take their heads out of the sand" and wise up to the dramatic transformation that had already begun.

"The reality is that 40 per cent of current jobs in Australia won't exist in 10 to 15 years due to automation - that's five million jobs gone," she said,citing the latest report on the topic by CEDA.

"If I look at the exponential advancements in technology, it is very clear that this figure will continue to rise."

The really scary part? It's not future innovation that puts our jobs at risk, but existing technology that is available for use right now.

SALARIES WIPED OUT

A recent report by consulting firm McKinsey found that45 per cent of the activities people are currently paid for could be automated using currently demonstrated technologies.

Robotic checkout systems are being rolled out at convenience stores in Japan, and insurance firm Fukoku Life replaced 34 of its claims assessors with robots earlier this year.

The company laid off the workers after spending $2.36 million on a computer program that calculates payouts to policyholders, a move it said would boost productivity by 30 per cent.

Fukoku Life expected to save about $1.65 million a year on salaries with the new system, meaning it would pay itself off in less than two years.

Amazon now has 45,000 robots moving products around its cavernous warehouses, an approach that has been adopted by companies like DHL Logistics as they scramble to keep up with the e-commerce giant.

Chinese e-commerce billionaire Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, last weekpredicted that even chief executives like himself would see their jobs taken over by robots.

And Volvo has predicted that driverless cars will become commercially available in the next five years, a prospect that would make taxi and Uber drivers redundant.

The rise of automation is so significant that Microsoft founder Bill Gates has called for governments to impose a "robot tax" to slow down the pace of automation - a suggestion Ms Evans said was "a nice idea", but not viable to implement.

"We are already seeing robots performing concierge tasks within the retail space, and the future workplace will see humanoid type robots with greater physical capabilities," she said.

The appeal of robots was not just their ability to do things faster than humans; in industries like agriculture or mining, Ms Evans said, they could be used to gather valuable data on ground conditions, with sensors to detect mineral deposits or analyse the bugs on crops.

And more and more businesses would start to use robots and artificial intelligence systems as they became cheaper, while skill shortages threatened to speed up the spread of the technology.

MAKE YOURSELF IRREPLACEABLE

So how can you keep your job safe from the robots?

According to Ms Evans, the key was to be aware of which aspects of your role could be automated, and look for ways to develop skills that will make you irreplaceable.

"There are certain job categories that are more prone to automation first," she said.

"If a job is a lot of predictable, repetitive behaviour and a fairly low cost to implement automation to replicate that labour, those are the kinds of jobs that are likely to be affected first."

Next on the list were jobs involving data processing and data collection, both of which could be easily replaced by artificial intelligence - like the Japanese insurance company mentioned above.

Even those people lucky enough to stay employed would likely find their job descriptions changing, Ms Evans said.

"If you've got someone who used to just analyse data and is not really doing a whole lot of social interaction, and that task has been subsumed by an AI bot, their job role might take on more of a customer-centric focus," she said.

"But that particular individual may not be suited to move into the more customer-centred focus because of their innate personality."

Emotional intelligence, strategic planning, social and creative skills would remain in demand, she said.

WINNERS AND LOSERS

The impact of the changes would depend on how well they had prepared. Ms Evans said.

"For somebody that has their head in the sand and they find their job has been replaced by automation, and they haven't bothered to look at what else they're good at reskilling, those changes would be pretty devastating," she said.

But on the flip side, young Australian who kept their finger on the pulse would be the first to benefit from the "amazing possibilities of future job roles that aren't even invented yet", Ms Evans said, citing fields such as genetic research, bionics and 3D printing as likely growth areas.

"They might look at 3D printing and realise how many different materials are being used and become a materials expert, or learn how to program and design robots - or become an expert on integrating them into the workforce," she said.

"There's just so many new job possibilities that the technology will open up. Yes, jobs will disappear, but new ones will be created; you've just got to make sure that you've got the skill sets to step into those roles."

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO

Do a skills inventory to understand what you are good at and what you want to do.

If your job does change, what other kinds of jobs would you enjoy doing? Where do they sit in the spectrum of automation?

Ask yourself how your skill set fits in with the jobs market and, if you need additional skills, take proactive measures to gain them.

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SC students get results back from space station experiment – WSPA.com

Posted: May 2, 2017 at 10:38 pm

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA)Three South Carolina high school students whose experiment was chosen for the International Space Station have gotten the results back. Tevin Glover, Parker Matthews, and Cedric McQueen are all sophomores at Keenan High in Columbia and had their experiment chosen after a contest.

The experiment used starch mixed with water to see if the microgravity of space would affect the transparency of the mixture, called its turbidity. They had a sample here on earth, called a ground truth, for comparison.

Cedric McQueen says, After we measured the turbidity, our ground truth and the experiment we sent up to space had the same turbidity, so it showed microgravity didnt really have any effect on the turbidity of the liquid, so basically that means the starch concentration, it wasnt affected.

The experiment has implications for the ability to grow plants in space or on other planets, something that will be crucial to mans ability to travel greater distances in space. Tevin Glover says, If all this light can pass through the substance on the ground and all the light can also pass through in microgravity, then that shows that we can have plant growth in space.

They plan to design other experiments to test other variables.

The fact that they had an experiment chosen for the space station has made them celebrities on campus, and their science and engineering teacher, Kareem Beckett, says hell use their example with other students. Theyre like the first ones to do it, and Im quite sure that were going to have other competitions for the students to actually be able to compete to do activities like this, he says.

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China to Start Building Its Own Orbital Space Station in Two Years – NextShark

Posted: at 10:38 pm

A week after the successful launch of its first cargo spacecraft, the Tianzhou-1, China announced its plans to build its own permanent base in space similar to the International Space Station.

According to Chinese officials, the planned base in orbit will take them a step closer to becoming a major space power. Construction of the ambitious project is set to commence in about two years.

Chinas Tianzhou-1 spacecraft completed the first of three planned docking attempts with the orbiting space lab Tiangong-2 two days after it was launched on April 20. Directed by the China National Space Administration, the five-day refueling was successfully completed on Thursday, reports Daily Mail.

This again announces the ambition and aspiration of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people, and our resolute confidence in becoming a major space power, Wang Zhaoyao, the space station projects supervisor was quoted as saying.

After completing experimental stage spaceflight missions, we will enter the development and construction phase. According to our plans, we will carry out the assembly and construction of Chinas manned space station between 2019 and 2022.

The announcement also comes after news of the Chinese and European space agencies reported possible collaboration to construct a base on the moon. The proposed Moon Village was disclosed by the director-general of the European Space Agency ESA, Johann-Dietrich Woerner.The report was later confirmed by CNSA secretary general Tian Yulong and verified by ESA spokesperson, Pal Hvistendahl.

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NASA might run out of space suits before it quits the ISS – New Scientist

Posted: at 10:38 pm

By Chelsea Whyte

NASA is running out of space suits, and new ones are years away from being flight-ready. This was the finding of an audit released on 26 April by the NASA Office of Inspector General, relating to the agencys three next-generation spacesuit development projects.

Future missions might send humans deeper into space than ever before, so new suits need to be designed to handle the challenging conditions. Recent efforts, which have not been linked to a specific mission or destination, have cost almost $200 million since 2007 but have yet to produce a suitable option for deep-space missions.

The suits currently used during spacewalks from the International Space Station, called Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMU), were designed more than 40 years ago and were intended to last 15 years.

NASA currently uses 11 of the 18 original backpack-like life support systems, which were updated with glove heaters, improved lights and cameras, and an emergency propulsion module in the 1990s. The most recent loss of one of these suits happened during the 2015 explosion of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which was ferrying cargo to the ISS.

Yet US involvement on the space station is funded until 2024. NASA will be challenged to continue to support ISS needs with the current fleet of EMUs through 2024, a challenge that will escalate significantly if Station operations are extended to 2028, the report says.

Over the past decade, NASAs focus on developing new spacesuits has been split between three programmes. The Constellation Space Suit System was being designed for use on missions for the Constellation Program, which was canceled in 2010. Despite that, NASA continued to pay to develop spacesuit technologies for six years after the cancellation, ultimately spending $135 million.

The Advanced Space Suit Project was meant to develop suits with more mobility to sustain astronauts on a mission to Mars. The Orion Crew Survival System was a design for a spacesuit that could withstand fire, smoke or toxic chemicals if there was an emergency on the launch pad.

Any of these would need to be far enough along in the design process to be tested on the ISS before the end of the programme in 2024, and at current funding levels that may not be possible, according to the report.

Inspector General Paul Martin recommended that NASA end the Constellation spacesuit design contract and develop a plan for producing and testing next-generation spacesuits on the ISS before 2024.

William Gerstenmaier, head of Human Exploration and Operations for NASA, said in a response letter that the report is a fair assessment of the current state of extravehicular spacesuits and accepted the recommendations, although he said the report is overly critical of the Constellation Space Suit System and that the technology developed for it may be used to improve current suits.

Read more: NASA rushes spacesuit repair kit to space station

nFusz Adds Space Station Engineer to Senior Executive Team – Yahoo Finance

Posted: at 10:38 pm

HOLLYWOOD, CA--(Marketwired - May 2, 2017) - nFsz, Inc. ( OTCQB : FUSZ ), (formerly bBooth) the Hollywood-based digital technology company, is pleased to announce the continued expansion of its senior executive team to include notable NASA projects engineer Mohammad Amanullah, who joins nFsz as Director of Broadcast & Government Applications and a Member of its Advisory Board. In his new role, Mr. Amanullah will lead the Company's Interactive Video Broadcast & Government product strategy and related customer acquisition initiatives.

Prior to joining nFsz, Mr. Amanullah served as Senior Hardware Engineer for Lockheed Martin Corporation at Johnson Space Center in Houston responsible for video system design and development for NASA's Mission Control Center (MCC), including the MCCS, MCC-21 and the International Space Station (ISS). As video lead for NASA's MCC-21 and ISS programs, Mr. Amanullah redesigned the video systems and was the training coordinator for the platform engineering department.

With more than 40 year's experience, Mr. Amanullah also held senior engineering positions at Ford Aerospace Corporation, where he was responsible for systems design and development, configuration, coordination, implementation and testing of the data, audio and video transmission for the Space Shuttle Program. He also held a senior engineering position at the US Department of Treasury for the U.S. / Saudi Arabia Joint Commission.

"We're about to release notifiCRM version 3.0 of our interactive video-based CRM/Lead Gen application for sales based-organizations that seek a truly effective tool designed to help even inexperienced salespeople close deals -- not merely track and report sales activity to management," states Rory J. Cutaia, nFsz CEO. "Because we intend to lead and not simply follow the interactive video revolution, we've begun testing a soon to be released platform to expand beyond CRM and bring our interactive video experience to broadcast video. Imagine watching the Olympics and being able to click on your favorite athlete's jersey and buy it, or simply see his or her recent stats, without interrupting the action on screen. This capability and more is coming and it's coming soon," continues Mr. Cutaia.

"To execute plans of this magnitude requires bold, experienced talent. Mohammad Amanullah knows first-hand what it takes to be the first, to accomplish that which others only dream, and we are thrilled to welcome him to our team," states Mr. Cutaia.

"I've spent my entire career at the forefront of technological innovation," states Mr. Amanullah. "And I know very well what it takes to achieve it. I am inspired by the talent, dedication, ingenuity and leadership of this company and I am thrilled to be part of the nFsz team," states Mr. Amanullah.

About nFsz, Inc. nFsz, Inc. ( OTCQB : FUSZ ) is a Hollywood-based digital tech company. Our proprietary next generation interactive video technology is the core of our new broadcast and cloud-based, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) products. We offer subscription-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM), sales lead generation, and social engagement software on mobile and desktop platforms for sales-based organizations, consumer brands, and artists seeking greater levels of engagement and higher conversion rates. Our software platform can accommodate any size campaign or sales organization, and is enterprise-class scalable to meet the needs of today's global organizations. Our service is built around our proprietary 'Video-First' Notifi technology, which places interactive video front and center in all customer and prospect communications. We've re-invented what a CRM, lead-gen tool should be in today's video-centric business and social environment. Now watch for our live broadcast interactive video platform that will redefine what 'engagement' means in consumer video consumption.

For more information on nFsz, Inc., visit http://www.nFusz.com.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

This press release may contain "forward-looking" information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In accordance with the safe harbor provisions of this Act, statements contained herein that look forward in time that include everything other than historical information, involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the Company's actual results. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and there are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by the Company, including, but not limited to, plans and objectives of management for future operations or products, the market acceptance or future success of our products, and our future financial performance. The Company cautions that these forward-looking statements are further qualified by other factors including, but not limited to, those set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, and other filings with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (available at http://www.sec.gov). The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any statements in this release, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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Microsoft HoloLens Could Aid in Space Station Repair | Fortune.com – Fortune

Posted: at 10:38 pm

A Finnish research organization says it has come up with another way to put Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality headset to use on the International Space Station (ISS).

If it works as advertised, the new augmented reality (AR) system will let ISS staffers "see" telemetry and other data that would otherwise be invisible to them. That in turn, frees them up to perform manual maintenance and diagnostic tasks, according to the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, which led the project for the European Space Agency.

This is not the first time HoloLens has been considered for work in space: NASA has been working with the technology as well.

AR technology mixes virtual elements with real-world surroundings. Many consumers experienced AR by playing Pokemon Go last year. But the technology is also touted by tech companies including Salesforce ( crm ) , IBM ( ibm ) , and Microsoft ( msft ) for use by businesses for repair, maintenance, and training.

Many maintenance taskson earth or in spaceare slowed down because technicians have to continually refer to printed or online data for instructions. AR technologywhich superimposes data in graphics, text, or video form into the field of vision (and audio into their earpiece)means they can focus on what's in front of them without having to look away. This also leaves their hands free for the task at hand.

Related: Microsoft HoloLens Goes Global

Per the VTT statement, the system "displays detailed visual instructions on the astronauts' AR glasses, guiding them step by step to perform the necessary procedures in the right order, such as 'now press this button, then turn the lever (B)." The biggest perk is the technicians now are shown exactly where the problem is and then what to do about it.

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VTT says the system, produced with partners including Thales Alenia Space, has been tested at the ESA's European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany. It is unclear if and when it will be deployed in space.

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Study: You Can Easily Make Bricks On Mars, And That’s A Big Deal – The Daily Caller

Posted: at 10:37 pm

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Building structures on Mars for future astronauts to live and work in could be much easier than scientists previously believed, according to a new study.

University of California-San Diego scientists were able to create sturdy bricks out of simulated Martian soil without using an adhesive. In fact, making small bricks on Mars was easier than doing so on Earth, researchers wrote in their study.

Experts on Mars colonization think this could be a huge breakthrough.

The question of whether an environment is habitable or not is only partially a function of the nature of the environment itself, Dr. Robert Zubrin, who helped design plans for NASAs manned mission to Mars and wrote the The Case For Mars, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. It is also a function of the ingenuity of the would-be settler.

Researchers scooped soil into into a rubber case, then compacted it. Iron oxide in the faux Martian soil seemingly caused the bricks to stick together without adhesive, according to the study. The ability to use native soils in construction could greatly simplify a long-term manned mission to Mars.

Other researchers have shown how we can make fuel, oxygen, food, plastics, and even steel on Mars, Zubrin said. These folks have shown a way to make bricks, providing another excellent addition to the Martian settlers tool kit. It is work like this that will help make the Red Planet a new home for humanity.

Zubrin said its easier to maintain a human settlement on Mars than it would be to colonize the moon or other celestial bodies.

Unlike the Moon, Mars has all the raw materials both the elements of life, including hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, as well as the elements of industry we need, but it is human inventiveness that transforms these raw materials into useful resources, Zubrin said.

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Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal Presented to the Jerome Lejeune Foundation – ND Newswire

Posted: at 10:36 pm

The Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture awarded the 2017 Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal to the Jrme Lejeune Foundation at a Mass and banquet on April 29, 2017, attended by more than 400 guests, including persons with Down syndrome and other genetic disorders and their families.

Professor Lejeunes great genius was the piercing quality of his vision, which saw in the weakest members of society nothing less than the reflection of the Creator, said O. Carter Snead, William P. and Hazel B. White Director of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture. For persons with Down syndrome and other genetic disabilities, this vision was, quite simply, transformative. Where once they were shunned, hidden away, and disinherited by a society that did not understand them, Lejeunes discovery in 1958 of an extra chromosome on the twenty-first pair enabled this humble French doctor to bring his patientshis little ones, as he called theminto the light.

Snead concluded, The Jrme Lejeune Foundation continues to speak out on behalf of societys disinherited via public advocacy that helps the world to see with the eyes of Professor Lejeune, to love with his radical hospitality, to appreciate the beauty in our differencesand above all, to recognize in each unique individual the reflection of the Creator, which unites us all with equal dignity.

In a message of greeting from Pope Francis sentfor the occasion, the Cardinal Secretary of State wrote, "Mindful of the Foundation's commitment to assisting children with genetic intelligence disorders, His Holiness prays that this presentation may highlight the urgent need to support and defend the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death. This includes not only serving children with special needs, but also providing for the care and support of their families, who 'render the Church and society an invaluable witness of faithfulness to the gift of life'(Amoris Laetitia 47)."

Professor Jrme Lejeune was born in 1926 in Montrouge, France. In 1958, while studying chromosomes of patients with Down syndrome, he discovered an unexpected third chromosome on the 21st pair, a genetic abnormality he named trisomy 21. This discovery was the first to link an intellectual disability to a genetic cause. Professor Lejeune also conducted pioneering research into trisomy 18 and trisomies on the 8th and 9th chromosomal pairs.

Having discovered the genetic causes of these intellectual disabilities, Lejeune threw himself into caring for his patients, searching for treatments, and speaking out on their behalf. Professor Lejeune devoted his life to protecting unborn children with Down syndrome from so-called therapeutic abortion, which he regarded, as Pope St. John Paul II later wrote, as waging a war of the powerful against the weak (Evangelium Vitae 12). Medicine becomes mad science when it attacks the patient instead of fighting the disease, Professor Lejeune said. We must always be on the patients side, always.

In 1962, Professor Lejeune was honored by President John F. Kennedy with the first Kennedy Prize for his research into intellectual disabilities. In 1969, he received the William Allen Award from the American Society of Human Genetics, the highest award possible for a geneticist. Widely considered the father of modern genetics, Professor Lejeune was appointed by Pope John Paul II as the first president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, which advises the pope on issues surrounding the promotion and defense of human life, especially in bioethics. Professor Lejeune died on Easter Sunday, 1994. He was recognized as a Servant of God by the Vaticans Congregation for the Causes of Saints in 2012.

The Jrme Lejeune Foundation was established in 1996 to carry on the professors commitment to research, care, and advocacy on behalf of persons with genetic intellectual disabilities. As Snead said, In a society where 90 percent of children diagnosed in the womb with Down syndrome are abortedwhere even to show in the media a child with Down syndrome appearing happy and content can be labeled inappropriatethe Jrme Lejeune Foundation continues to defend the sublime dignity of all Gods children, born and unborn. In addition to funding ethically-conducted research, the Foundation provides direct health care, education, and advocates for legal protections for persons with disabilities. Led by Chairman Jean-Marie Le Mn and Vice President Birthe Lejeune (Dr. Lejeunes widow), the Foundation conducts this essential work in its namesakes spirit of radical generosity, hospitality, and love of the most vulnerable members of the human family.

Theevening began with Masscelebrated by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort WayneSouth Bend,concelebrated by more than 25 members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, including Fr. Bill Lies, C.S.C., University Vice President for Mission Engagement and Church Affairs. The gifts for consecration were presented by the family ofJohn and Mary O'Callaghan, whoseson Tommy waspersonally blessed by Pope Francis at the Jubilee Mass forthe Sick and Disabled in June 2016. Other notable guests at the celebration includedAmbassador Mary Ann Glendon, the Learned Hand Professor of Law,Harvard Law School;David DeSanctis, actor and star of the 2014 feature film Where Hope Grows; and Richard Doerflinger,inaugural recipient of the Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal.

Upon receiving the medal, the diminutive Madame Lejeune addressed her remarksto theguestswith Down syndrome,telling them, "You are my husband's beloved 'little ones.' Thank you for being you!" She concluded her brief comments by praising the pro-life witness of the University of Notre Dame, remarkingthat, "There is no university like this in France!"

The Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal is the nations most important lifetime achievement award for heroes of the pro-life movement, honoring individuals whose efforts have served to proclaim the Gospel of Life by steadfastly affirming and defending the sanctity of human life from its earliest stages. Previous recipients include Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the USCCBs Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities; Helen M. Alvar, associate professor of law at George Mason University; Mother Agnes Mary Donovan and the Sisters of Life; Congressman Chris Smith, co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, and his wife, Marie Smith, director of the Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues; Supreme Knight Carl Anderson and the Knights of Columbus, and Mother Loraine Marie Maguire and the Little Sisters of the Poor. Announced annually on Respect Life Sunday, the first Sunday of October, the Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae award consists of a specially commissioned medal and $10,000 prize.

A gallery of photos from the celebration may be viewed on the ND Center for Ethics and Culture's Flickr page.

For more information about the Evangelium Vitae Medal and the work of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, contact communications specialist Ken Hallenius at 574-631-3192.

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Category Archives: Transhuman News

DARPA Is Planning to Hack the Human Brain to Let Us Upload Skills – Futurism

Every Single Car Sold In India Will Be Electric By 2030 – Futurism

Futurist warns we need to wake up to the robot threat – Caboolture News

SC students get results back from space station experiment – WSPA.com

China to Start Building Its Own Orbital Space Station in Two Years – NextShark

NASA might run out of space suits before it quits the ISS – New Scientist

nFusz Adds Space Station Engineer to Senior Executive Team – Yahoo Finance

Microsoft HoloLens Could Aid in Space Station Repair | Fortune.com – Fortune

Study: You Can Easily Make Bricks On Mars, And That’s A Big Deal – The Daily Caller

Notre Dame Evangelium Vitae Medal Presented to the Jerome Lejeune Foundation – ND Newswire

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