Category Archives: Transhuman News

In BriefA company in Sweden is turning employees into cyborgs byimplanting them with tiny microchips. These chips change how theemployees interact with their office environment, giving them theability to do everything from open doors to order snacks with awave of their hands. Worker Implants

A company based in Stockholm, Sweden, is turning its employees into cyborgs usinga microchip implant about the size of a grain of rice. Though not the first time such microchip implants have been used, this program is the first example ofsuch implants being made available to a companys employees on this sort of level.

The biggest benefit I think is convenience, Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and CEO of Epicenter, told the Associated Press. Epicenter provides network and office space to budding digital startups, and it is currently home to more than 100 companies and about 2,000 workers. The companycalls itself Stockholms first digital House of Innovation, and it only started implanting workers in January 2015.

The microchips, which are implanted in the hands of employees and startup members, function as swipe cards.It basically replaces a lot of things you have, other communication devices, whether it be credit cards or keys, Mesterton said, who demoed opening a door just by waving his hand near it. The implant doesnt just open doors, though. Epicenters cyborg employees can operate their printers with it or even order smoothies with a wave of their hands.

The devices arent mandatory, but being chipped has become popular amongst Epicenters employees, with more than 150 now implanted withthe devices. The company even hosts monthly events where participants can get the implants for free, as well as parties to celebrate those who got implanted.

An obvious concern is security and privacy. Of course, putting things into your body is quite a big step to do, and it was even for me at first, Mesterton said, recalling his initial doubts about the implants, which carry information that can be transmitted to other devices via electromagnetic waves, but cannot receive information themselves.

The data that you could possibly get from a chip that is embedded in your body is a lot different from the data that you can get from a smartphone, explained Ben Libberton, a microbiologist at Stockholms Karolinska Institute. Such devices, he said, can be exploited by hackers to gain huge amounts of information.

Conceptually you could get data about your health, you could get data about your whereabouts, how often youre working, how long youre working, if youre taking toilet breaks and things like that, Libberton added. The more sophisticated a microchip is, the bigger the ethical dilemmas that can come with them.

For Mesterton, there really isnt a problem. I mean, people have been implanting things into their body, like pacemakers and stuff to control your heart, he said. Thats a way, way more serious thing than having a small chip that can actually communicate with devices.

Indeed, devices that augment the human body, whether through implants or other means, have been turning people into cyborgs for some time now. Some call the trendbiohacking, and it can potentially help us do much more than simply navigate an office environment. The tech couldbe used to monitor health conditions orto treat neurodegenerative diseases. Elon Musk is working on his own version of such a device with a soon-to-be-launched company, Neuralink.

As one Epicenter employee said while she was being implanted, I want to be part of the future, and that may just mean becoming a cyborg.

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Real-Life Cyborgs: A Company Is Implanting Its Employees With Microchips - Futurism

In Brief Following last month's successful reuse of a Falcon 9 rocket, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk stated he is confident that his company can cut the cost of space access by a hundred-fold. Reusable rockets are, indeed, far more cost-effective than the "disposable rockets" previously used, so cheaper space exploration is likely on the way. A Cheaper Space

On March 30, SpaceXmanaged to launch and land a previously used Falcon 9 rocket for the first time. The company has long claimedthat itsFalcon 9 would prove to be the worlds first fully reusable orbital rocketand that such rockets would be a game-changer in space exploration. After last weeks success, those predictions are starting to come true.

Prior to reusable rockets, space flight missions relied on rockets built for single use. These disposable rockets, so to speak, were used in NASAs space shuttle missions, but they were costly for every mission, a new rocket had to be made.

Now, SpaceXs cost-saving rockets are poised to usher in a new, cheaper era of space exploration. At this point, Im highly confident that its possible to achieve at least 100-fold reduction in the cost of space access, SpaceXs founder and CEO Elon Musk said after the historic SES-10 mission last week.

SpaceX has proven its mettle when it comes to space missions. On its website, the private space company has logged more than 70 flights in its manifest. These include numerousmissions funded by NASA, such as SpaceXs 10 resupply runs to the International Space Station (ISS).

SpaceXs 2012 mission to the ISS marked the first time a private spacecraft docked on the space station, andthe latest of its supply missions just took place on February 19. SpaceX has also completed a number of landing tests using its Falcon 9 rockets, as well as missions that launched private satellites into orbit.

Now, with the Falcon 9s reusability confirmed, things are moving forward for SpaceX. The next step is successfully reusing a Falcon 9, after an inspection and a re-fuel, within 24 hours after landing. According to Musk, Rapid and complete reusability of rockets is really the key to opening up space and becoming a space-faring civilization.

The Falcon 9 is powerful and massive enough to reach orbital speeds, and its tough enough to survive re-entry. Its also currently the only truly reusable orbital rocket available. However, it likely wont be the only one for long as Jeff Bezos Blue Origin is well on its way to developing its own reusable rocket. The more of these game-changing rockets we have available, the better the future looks for humanitys exploration of Mars and other off-world wonders.

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Elon Musk Says His Reusable Rockets Will Make Space Access 100-Times Cheaper - Futurism

In BriefThe FDA has approved the first and only treatment that fightsboth relapsing and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis.Now patients with the progressive form of MS have a treatmentoption that could prevent permanent disability. B Cell Targeted Therapy

On March 28, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new drug called Ocrevus (ocrelizumab), the first and only treatment that fights both relapsing and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Ocrelizumab represents a shift in focus for MS drug design, as it is a first-in-class therapy that specifically targets CD20-positive B cells thought to be linked to myelin and axonal nerve damage. Until now, treatments and research had been targeting T cells alone, which is not as effective.

Approximately 400,000 people in the U.S. and more than 2 million worldwide suffer from MS, a chronic disease for which there is no cure. MS is characterized by abnormal attacks by the immune system on myelin sheaths of nerve cells in the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord. The myelin sheath supports and insulates the nerve cells. When it is attacked, it becomes inflamed and eventually sustains damage. Symptoms of damage to the myelin sheath include fatigue, pain, muscle weakness, and difficulty seeing, which can eventually lead to disability, including the inability to walk.

MS is the leading cause of non-traumatic disability in younger adults, typically first striking between the ages of 20 and 40. Patients experience relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), which is the initial diagnosis for 85 percent of MS sufferers, as episodes of new or worsening symptoms (relapses) with periods of recovery in between.

Most people with RRMS will eventually transition into a diagnosis of secondary progressive MS, which steadily worsens over time without periods of recovery just like primary progressive MS (PPMS) does. Everyone with any kind of MS experiences disease activity in the brain and nervous system even when theyre asymptomatic. For all of these reasons, reducing disease activity and slowing disease progression are critical components of treating MS.

Stephen Hauser of the University of California, San Franciscos Weill Institute for Neurosciences, whose research led the drugs development, told Scientific American that early use of ocrelizumab will allow patients with a new diagnosis of PPMS to look forward to a full life without significant disability. This treatment opens up a new option for people with RRMS, but even more significantly, represents the first disease-modifying therapy available for patients with PPMS.

Hauser and his team also see the fact that ocrelizumab provides primary progressive disease patients with only about a 25 percent benefit as useful from a research standpoint; it suggests that the progressive form of the disease is driven by a different biology. Since this research has proved that the B cell plays a key role in MS, but the majority of the immune cells found in MS lesions are T cells, the question is, what do B cells do within the disease process?

Hauser believes that the B cells may be orchestrating the T cell damage process, and notes that many other drugs used to treat MS interfere with B cells even as they target T cells. Ocrelizumabs success has led to a rethinking of how the other MS therapies may be working, he remarked to Scientific American. [O]ur foot is in the door, but were not there yet.

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First-Ever Progressive MS Treatment Has Been Approved by the FDA - Futurism

In Brief New research from the University of Manchester developed a graphene-based sieve that can filter out salt from seawater. The graphene oxide membrane could be a cheaper and more efficient filter for desalination plants to use. Abundantly Scarce

The Earths surface is largely made up of water. The irony is, this highly abundant resource is also generally scarce, particularly in its potable form. While the Earths surface may be 71 percent water, 96.5 percent of this come from the planets oceans. Salt water, as everyone knows, isnt potable. The quest to find ways totap into this abundant source and turn it into drinkable water iswell underway, facilitated mainly bydesalination plants. But these plants are expensive to maintain and dont necessarily serve the populations that need them most.Click to View Full Infographic

The question, then, is how to make these plants cheaper and more efficient? Thats just what a study published in the journal Nature Nanotechnologyrecently explored. The research was conducted by a UK-based team led by Rahul Nair from the University of Manchester. Their solution to the worlds drinking problem? A graphene oxide sieve that can remove salt from seawater.

Since it was first discovered in 2004, graphene has become a wonder material capable of remarkable feats. Graphenesremarkable nature is at least in part thanks to its unique properties,such as electrical conductivity and tensile strength. Graphene oxide can be produced by simple oxidation in the lab, Nair told the BBC. As an ink or solution, we can compose it on a substrate or porous material. Then we can use it as a membrane. In terms of scalability and the cost of the material, graphene oxide has a potential advantage over single-layered graphene.

Graphene oxide has proven effective for sieving out nanoparticles, organic molecules, and large salts. To filter out common salt, Nair and his colleagues used walls made of epoxy resin on both sides of a graphene oxide membrane. This prevented the graphene oxide from expanding when immersed in water. It also gave the researcher the ability to control these pores.

When dissolved in water, common salts form a shell of water molecules around the molecules of salt. Tiny capillaries from the graphene oxide membranes can then block these salts from flowing through. This also allows the water molecules toflowthrough the membrane much faster. Water molecules can go through individually, but sodium chloride cannot. It always needs the help of the water molecules. The size of the shell of water around the salt is larger than the channel size, so it cannot go through, Nair explained.

Once these graphene oxide membranes can be industrially (and cheaply) produced, they can become a more efficient option than the polymer-based membranes currently used in desalination plants. The selective separation of water molecules from ions by physical restriction of interlayer spacing opens the door to the synthesis of inexpensive membranes for desalination, Ram Devanathan, from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory wrote as a review to Nairs research. The ultimate goal is to create a filtration device that will produce potable water from seawater or wastewater with minimal energy input.

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Scientists Just Figured Out How to Use Graphene to Make Seawater Drinkable - Futurism

Giant Steps For Humankind

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic successfully used intense physical therapy and electrical stimulation on the spinal cord to help a patient stand, intentionally move his paralyzed legs, and make step-like motions. These were the first movementsthe patient had experienced in his legs in three years.

26-year-old Jered Chinnock injured his spinal cord at the sixth thoracic vertebrae three years ago. He could not move or feel anything lower than the middle of his back, and was diagnosed with a motor complete spinal cord injury.

At the outset of the study, Chinnock underwent 22 weeks of physical therapy with three training sessions per week. His training goal was to prepare his muscles so they would be strong enough to attempt the physical tasks while his spinal cord was being stimulated.

Next, the team implanted an electrode below the injured area in the epidural space, close to the spinal cord, and a computer-controlled device just under the patients abdominal skin.The FDA gave permission to the Mayo Clinic for this off-label use of the device, which controls thetransmission of an electrical current to the spinal cord, which in turnallowed the patient to create movement in his muscles.

After a recovery period, Chinnock resumed his physical therapy sessions with the stimulation settings for thedevice adjusted to enable his muscle movements. Within the first two weeks, he was able to intentionally move his legs and make step-like motions while lying supported, on his side. He was also able to stand independently using support bars. The intentional movement indicates that his brain is once again able to signal his spinal cord successfully.

Were really excited, because our results went beyond our expectations, says neurosurgeon Kendall Lee, the studys principal investigator. These are initial findings, but the patient is continuing to make progress.

For Jered Chinnock, the results are something to get used to. It definitely feels like science fiction, he said. The first day they turned it on, it was almost mind-blowing because it was, like, right away I was able to move my toes, and it was something I havent seen in a while, you know.

As amazing as the experiment is, itsstill early work. Although the data seems to indicate that epidural stimulation therapy may work for people with discomplete spinal cord injuries, current classification of such injuries is vague. It includes only general information about the status of the injury and omits characterizations of specific descending or ascending spinal pathways. This reflects the limitations on our current diagnostic approaches.

More research is needed to determine how researchers and physicians can identify which pathways are still transmitting residual descending and ascendingalbeit subfunctionalsignals in patients with these types of injuries. In addition, the extent to which neural substrates underlie the phenomenon of discomplete SCI and contribute to EES-enabled functional recovery has yet to bedetermined. However, these results have clarified those long-term research goals, and prove that this technique is very promising.

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New Spinal Cord Treatment Lets Paralyzed Man Stand for the First Time in Years - Futurism

In BriefNASA is currently preparing a probe that will travel furtherinto the center of our solar system than ever before. The probewill travel at speeds of 200 km/sec (124.27 mi/s) and deal withscorching temperatures in excess of 1371 C (2500 F).

Coronal Mass Ejections (aka. solar flares) are a seriously hazardous thing. Whenever the Sun emits a burst of these charged particles, it can play havoc with electrical systems, aircraft and satellites here on Earth. Worse yet is the harm it can inflict on astronauts stationed aboard the ISS, who do not have the protection of Earths atmosphere. As such, it is obvious why scientists want to be able to predict these events better.

For this reason, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based non-profit engineering organization are working to develop specialized sensors for NASAs proposed solar spacecraft. Launching in 2018, this spacecraft will fly into the Sun atmosphere and touch the face of the Sun to learn more about its behavior.

This spacecraft known as the Solar Probe Plus (SPP) is currently being designed and built by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. Once it is launched, the SPP will use seven Venus flybys over nearly seven years to gradually shrink its orbit around the Sun. During this time, it will conduct 24 flybys of the Sun and pass into the Suns upper atmosphere (corona), passing within 6.4 million km (4 million mi) of its surface.

At this distance, it will have traveled 37.6 million km (23.36 million mi) closer to the Sun than any spacecraft in history. At the same time, it will set a new record for the fastest moving object ever built by human beings traveling at speeds of up to 200 km/sec (124.27 mi/s). And last but not least, it will be exposed to heat and radiation that no spacecraft has ever faced, which will include temperatures in excess of 1371 C (2500 F).

As Seamus Tuohy, the Director of the Space Systems Program Office at Draper, said in a CfA press release:

Such a mission would require a spacecraft and instrumentation capable of withstanding extremes of radiation, high velocity travel and the harsh solar conditionand that is the kind of program deeply familiar to Draper and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

In addition to being an historic first, this probe will provide new data on solar activity and help scientists develop ways of forecasting major space-weather events which impact life on Earth. This is especially important in an age when people are increasingly reliant on technology that can be negatively impacted by solar flares ranging from aircraft and satellites to appliances and electrical devices.

According to a recent study by the National Academy of Sciences, it is estimated that a huge solar event today could cause two trillion dollars in damage in the US alone and places like the eastern seaboard would be without power for up to a year. Without electricity to provide heating, utilities, light, and air-conditioning, the death toll from such an event would be significant.

As such, developing advanced warning systems that could reliably predict when a coronal mass ejection is coming is not just a matter of preventing damage, but saving lives. As Justin C. Kasper, the principal investigator at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and a professor in space science at the University of Michigan, said:

[I]n addition to answering fundamental science questions, the intent is to better understand the risks space weather poses to the modern communication, aviation and energy systems we all rely on. Many of the systems we in the modern world rely onour telecommunications, GPS, satellites and power gridscould be disrupted for an extended period of time if a large solar storm were to happen today. Solar Probe Plus will help us predict and manage the impact of space weather on society.

To this end, the SPP has three major scientific objectives. First, it will seek to trace the flow of energy that heats and accelerates the solar corona and solar wind. Second, its investigators will attempt to determine the structure and dynamics of plasma and magnetic fields as the source of solar wind. And last, it will explore the mechanisms that accelerate and transport energetic particles specifically electrons, protons, and helium ions.

To do this, the SPP will be equipped with an advanced suite of instruments. One of the most important of these is the one built by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory with technical support from Draper. Known as the Faraday Cup and named after famous electromagnetic scientists Michael Faraday this device will be operated by SAO and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Designed to withstand interference from electromagnetic radiation, the Farady Cup will measure the velocity and direction of the Suns charged particles, and will be only two positioned outside of the SPPs protective sun shield another crucial component. Measuring 11.43 cm (4.5 inches) thick, this carbon composition shield will ensure that the probe can withstand the extreme conditions as it conducts its many flybys through the Suns corona.

Naturally, the mission presents several challenges, not the least of which will be capturing data while operating within an extreme environment, and while traveling at extreme speeds. But the payoff is sure to be worth it. For years, astronomers have studied the Sun, but never from inside the Suns atmosphere.

By flying through the birthplace of the highest-energy solar particles, the SPP is set to advance our understanding of the Sun and the origin and evolution of the solar wind. This knowledge could not only help us avoid a natural catastrophe here on Earth, but help advance our long-term goal of exploring (and even colonizing) the Solar System.

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NASA Is Sending a Spacecraft To Touch the Sun - Futurism