Category Archives: Transhuman News

This could be big.Over and Over

The secret of immortality may be contained within a jellyfish smaller than a human fingernail, so scientists have spent the last several decades trying to unlock the secrets ofTurritopsis dohrnii, more commonlycalled the immortal jellyfish.

On Monday, researchers from the Universidad de Oviedo in Spain published new research in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that just may help crack that mystery. Long story short, the immortal jellyfish appear to have twice as many copies of the genes associated with repair and protection than its related but mortal cousin, the crimson jellyfish known as Turritopsis rubra.

"While aging affects most living organisms, the hydrozoanTurritopsis dohrnii is the only species able to rejuvenate repeatedly after sexual reproduction, becoming biologically immortal," the authors wrote in the paper. "We have identified variants and expansions of genes associated with replication, DNA repair, telomere maintenance, redox environment, stem cell population, and intercellular communication."

DNA repair and telomeres are particularly important to the critter. When times are tough or the jelly is starving, it re-absorbs its own tentacles and sinks to the seafloor, where it becomes a baby polyp once more and spouts off more jellies that will eventually mature into medusae.

The jelly's telomeres act like little DNA hard hats, protecting the ends of chromosomal strands as they reproduce. Normally, telomeres get shorter and are "used up" during this process, but that isn't the case with Turritopsis dohrnii.

It's easy to envy the immortal jellyfish, but it's equally important to be careful what you wish for. We still don't know how Turritopsis dohrniiedits its cells so easily, and on a semantic and philosophical level, it's not clear whether the resulting medusae are the same individual or not.

Still, researchers have cause to be excited one of the best explanatory videos on the web about this special jelly describes how learning how to replace brain cells, for instance, could unlock new treatments for diseases that humans haven't yet been able to treat, like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.

In a statement, study author and Universidad de Oviedo professor confirmed the team hopes to find out how to help humans live longer.

"From this knowledge we hope to find better answers to the many diseases associated with aging that overwhelm us today," Carlos Lpez-Otn said.

More on medical needs: Illegal Online Pharmacies for Contraceptives Are Booming in Post-Roe America

More:
Scientists Say They Found the Genes That Makes Immortal Jellyfish Immortal - Futurism

"I went to my management and said, 'I'm not bringing it back. It stays here.'"Behemoth on Wheels

The launch of NASAs Artemis 1 mission has been delay to September 3,or perhaps further.It's an anticlimactic setback for all involved, but theres one man whos particularly aggrieved by the situation: John Giles, the crawler overseer.

The crawlers, as they're called, are NASA's gargantuan vehicles 131 feet long and 114 feet wide and supported by suitably massive treads that move the agency's colossally heavy spacecraft aroundat the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Now, if the September 3 launch doesnt work out, the Space Launch System (SLS) launching the mission will need to be hauled back to its Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for deeper diagnosis and repairs something Giles wants to avoid at all costs.

"I jokingly told them when we went to the pad and dropped it off this time, I went to my management and said, 'I'm not bringing it back. It stays here,'" Giles said in an interview with Mashable before the launch, originally scheduled for Monday, was delayed the first time. "'You gotta launch it because I'm not gonna take it back to the VAB.'"

Giles hilariously open chagrin is not unwarranted. Moving this marvel of engineering, which at the size of a skyscraper weighs millions of pounds and is precariously balanced atop an unwieldy vehicle, is monumentally stressful and boring. The crawler lumbers along at a literally sleep-inducing pace of less than one mile per hour, with drivers switching out along the way so none of them fall victim to its drowsy effects. All in all, it's an eight hour expedition from the hangar to the launchpad or vice versa.

"You get tired,"Giles toldMashable. "You start to see things."

Giles weary annoyance is so palpable, it may be enough to will this launch into actually happening. After all, who would want to draw the ire of the all important crawler overseer?

And Giles is already pretty worn and weary. The treads, known as "shoes," are a major point of concern for him, as each journey wears them thinner and thinner.

"Every roll stresses me because of the amount of weight and the amount of value of what we're carrying," Giles said in the Mashable interview.

NASA definitely doesn't want to piss this guy off any further.

More on NASA: James Webb Just Took Its First Direct Image of an Exoplanet

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Guy Who Has to Move NASA Moon Rocket Back to Hangar Very Annoyed - Futurism

"An avalanche-like process of equipment failure is beginning, cracks are appearing."This Old House

The newly appointed head of Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, says the International Space Station is turning into a hunk of junk.

"Technically, the ISS has exceeded all its warranty periods. This is dangerous," Yuri Borisov told Reuters. "An avalanche-like process of equipment failure is beginning, cracks are appearing."

In July, Russia announced more details about its plans to build a new space station of its own, after announcing the country would discontinue cooperation aboard the ISS at some point after 2024.

Despite worsening political relations between the US and Russia, the ISS long functioned as a sort of haven for international cooperation. Now, that's poised to end as Russia looks to more "friendly" countries to collaborate with, according to Reuters.

Borisov said that Russia is looking for strong allies, particularly in China. He claims that's because Western sanctions against Russia piled on top of other disappointments, like the European Space Agency's choice to stop working the ExoMars rover with Russia after it invaded Ukraine.

"An enormous amount of effort and huge sums of money were spent on that... but politics intervened, and what is the result? It shouldn't be like this, it's wrong," Borisov told the outlet.

It's hard to feel sympathetic toward a space agency whose previous head threatened to smash Europe and the US with bits of a blown-up ISS, and it's even harder to know if Borisov is telling the truth about the space station's supposed dilapidation.

It seems that complications born of humanity's Earth-bound politics are still a threat, even off-planet.

More on off-world news: Commander of First private SpaceX Flight to ISS Reveals Worst Part of Journey

Read the rest here:
Russia Says the International Space Station Is a Dangerous, Decrepit Mess - Futurism

Neodash is a fresh Native Linux racing game that combines futuristic bright neon visuals with crazy-fast drifting. What you get is something that clearly resembles the awesome racing-platformer Distance, but pumped up on some serious steroids and a little Trackmania too even.

Honestly, this looks absolutely awesome. Screenshots don't do it justice, have a look at the trailer below.

"Define your own path and survive until you reach the end that lies ahead of you by swerving, drifting and flying across traps and obstacles while avoiding the abyss. But there's a catch: the world is disintegrating at your heels; better go fast, or you might not make it.

Neodash plunges you in a unique sci-fi atmosphere that is brought to life by music: the environment reacts to the beat in different ways, creating a thrilling and immersive audio-visual experience."

Game Features:

Available to buy on Steam.

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Futuristic drift-racer Neodash is out now on Steam and looks wild - GamingOnLinux

Apple doesnt have an official Labor Day sale, but you can still save a lot of money on a MacBook, iPad, or a pair of AirPods by looking at deals from other stores. We were surprised to find decent discounts on the company's latest-generation gear, even devices that are just a few months old. Weve rounded up the newest Labor Day Apple deals for your convenience, and will update this story as new sales start and others end. Its important to note that the items we're featuring have been continuously going in and out of stock, so grab these deals while you can.

Weve also collected all of the best sales into one story, so you can easily find all the best Labor Day 2022 deals.

Apple AirPods Max, $429 (Was $549)

The AirPods Max are Apples highest-end headphones, and theyre both better looking and more comfortable than most pairs weve tried. The AirPods Max are over-ear headphones that can communicate with Apples other gear, thanks to its custom-designed H1 processor. The processor is powerful enough to make micro adjustments to your audio to optimize the way it sounds without requiring you to manually move sliders on an EQ (equalizer).

The H1 also lets you listen to certain albums, movies, and TV shows in Spatial Audio, which allows you to get a surround sound-like experience from a pair of headphones. These high-tech features are available to Android and Windows users, but the AirPods Max will connect to those devices over Bluetooth. These technologies help the AirPods Max stand out, but the headphones also support common features like active noise cancellation and transparency mode. Apple says the AirPods Max get up to 20 hours of battery life per charge, which is more than enough for a transatlantic flight.

If you generally listen to music on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, the AirPods Max are the ultimate pair of headphones, and the $70 discount you can get on Amazon right now helps justify the upgrade.

iPad (2021), $279.99 (Was $329.99)

iPad Mini (2021), $599 (Was $649)

iPad Air (5th Gen), $559 (Was $599)

11-Inch iPad Pro (2021), $849 (Was $899)

12.9-Inch iPad Pro (2021), $999 (Was $1,099)

13-Inch MacBook Air (2020), $949.99 (Was $999)

13-Inch MacBook Pro (2021), $949.99 (Was $1,299.99)

14-Inch MacBook Pro (2021), $1,599 (Was $1999)

16-Inch MacBook Pro (2021), $2,099 (Was $2,499)

AirPods (3rd Gen), $149 (Was $179)

AirPods Pro, $179.99 (Was $219.99)

MagSafe Charger, $37 (Was $39)

Best Buy Labor Day Deals

Best Labor Day Deals

Razer Labor Day Deals

Outdoor Labor Day Deals

Labor Day Deals on Amazon Hardware

Labor Day Deals Under $100

Back-to-School Deals

This post was created by a non-news editorial team at Recurrent Media, Futurisms owner. Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.

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Best Labor Day Deals on Apple Hardware Can Save You 28% on AirPods Pro and More - Futurism

All that money... for this?Wizard Beats

Amazons big budget, highly anticipated prequel "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is finally here and as the most expensive TV show ever made,the company has a lot riding on its success.

The plan was to premier the first two episodes in a simultaneous release on its Prime Video streaming platform, a fairly common practice.

But the streamers execution was a little unorthodox, to say the least. At the start of the double release, episode one was for some users quite literally unwatchable. Thats no exaggeration, as it completely lacked a play button, and instead users were given a message that said the "video is currently unavailable." Meanwhile, episode two was widely available without any hiccups.

Fortunately, it looks like this glitch didn't affect everyone, and was fixed within a few minutes. Whether this can be blamed on a server overload from the millions tuning in to watch the premier at the same time or some intern forgetting to hit a button, were not sure. But from one of the world's most prominent tech companies, and at a pivotal moment in its ongoing venture in streaming entertainment, its an embarrassing little slip-up either way.

With Amazon shelling out $465 million for the first season of "Rings," its reportedly the priciest show ever made per episode, overall, whichever way you look at it. And that bogglingly huge budget doesnt even include the $250 million Amazon had to pay for the rights to the Tolkien property back in 2017.

But apparently not even its Smaug-sized budget could save the show from Amazons mildly botched release of the season premier.

And it probably cant save the show from high expectations, either. Its an impossibly tall order to top Peter Jacksons film trilogy, which collectively was one of the most critically, commercially, and culturally successful entertainment endeavors of all time. Good luck trying to please the pedantic purists of Tolkiens written work, too.

With scores of memes circulating that poke fun at the shows chintzy looking promotional material, its probably not the prestige reception Amazon wanted. But if the show is worth its salt, itll overcome these minor slights.

More on Amazon: Amazon Makes Its Employees Use a Bunch of Stupid Made-Up Words

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Amazon Bungles Release of Most Expensive TV Show in History - Futurism

The Space Age launched a quaint, coastal Florida town into cosmic fame when it became the site for the space program, and the wives of the engineers, scientists, and future astronauts were thrown into the deep end. Their primary concerns would soon expand beyond what was for dinner and would help capture the history of the groundbreaking era.

The Out of This World Cook Book transports you back in time to when the wives of Cocoa Beach entertained visitors with hors d'oeuvres, casseroles, and Jello salads, while they worried over their husbands orbiting in space. This homespun cookbook is composed of recipes that are reminiscent of your mothers or grandmothers cooking, with passages that detail the history of the Cocoa Beach Space Station and those who kept it thriving.

The first American suborbital flight, the Freedom 7, launched in 1961. It drew a large crowd of spectators to the Florida beach where they had a great vantage point. The next year, the Cocoa Beach Pier was built, and locals got to witness more launches.

These first few space launches begged the important question: As the astronauts spent more and more time in orbit, what would they eat up there? Mary Leeds, a contributor to the cookbook, noted that, A roast beef sandwich wouldnt suffice, although one astronaut did smuggle one aboard. The experts at NASA spent a lot of time and money finding new ways to store, heat, and enjoy meals in space; meanwhile, the wives of the crew kept the home fires burning as they struggled with their husbands odd schedules, and catered to guests who were excited to visit the new Space Age landmark (as was expected of them, it was the 60s, after all).

In 1969, Apollo 11 launched from Cape Kennedy (now known as the Kennedy Space Center Center at Cape Canaveral) and the Space Coast was the prime spot for watching this historical moment. Cocoa Beach is about 14 miles from the space center and visitors flocked to the area by the thousands and VIPs from around the globe came to congratulate the families. The wives had to kick it up a notch. They went from cooking simple, easy dinners to preparing gourmet feasts for cocktail parties that would host foreign diplomats, celebrities, and old friends.

These recipes are Out of this World recipes of Down to Earth people and Down to Earth recipes of Out of This World people, the introduction notes.

Published in 1973, the "Out of This World Cook Book" was compiled by the Cocoa Beach Womens Club as a fundraiser for the Space Coast Community Center of Cocoa Beach. When it was published, each copy was sold for $6, plus a dollar for mailing, translating to roughly $40 in todays money. The Womens Club wanted the book to serve as a souvenir of the space program, Cape Kennedy, and the Space Coast, and while this was achieved, it also functions as a timestamp for what life was like 50 years ago.

While the vintage cookbook may not look up to snuff compared to the beautifully published ones on your shelf, its full of heart and history. The cover image was contributed by NASA, and the illustrations by artists Muriel Hallett and Dorothy Taylor bring depth to the many pages of text.

The cookbook also features the verse of Alice Dishman, who contributed gems like:

"It was the Astronauts who told meThe moon is not made of green cheeseSo pass me some Swiss, Edam, or BrieFrom our good planet Earth, if you please.

She also solicited recipes, asking Ron Evans, an astronaut on Apollo 17, what he would like to eat when he returned to Earth.

He replied: Dear Alice, Sorry, but I dont cook However, some good old steak and eggs would taste delicious. Best wishes, Ron Evans.

Dotty Duke, meanwhile, contributed a recipe that was a favorite of Astronaut Charles Duke. "I am sending you a recipe for a delicious grits casserole since grits was (sic) first carried to the moon by Charlie. Being a South Carolinean, he is very fond of grits and asked the NASA dietitians to prepare it for him for Apollo 16."

Youll be spoiled for choice with over 380 recipes to pick from. The dishes within this book are broken down into quirky categories like Sips, Nips and Dips for V.I.P.s, Satellite Salads, Manna from Heaven, and Missile-laneous. Because so many of the families involved in the space program were from around the world, theres a fantastic assortment of recipes from England, Germany, Mexico, Hungary, and other parts of America, like Hawaii. Each entry begins with who provided the dish and how they were related to the space station, then lists ingredients and the steps for making the recipes.

Theres an element of familiarity in the descriptions, as the instructions are fairly informal, as if told to you from memory. They may not all be comprehensive but theres certainly some winners in the mix, like teriyaki steak, Mexican cornbread, apricot brandy, and dump cake. Although you might not try all of the recipes (unless youre a big fan of roast pheasant or sauteed liver), just flipping through the pages is entertaining, and you can get a real sense of what Joan Aldrins kitchen looked like on a Wednesday night. Ever wondered what President Nixon was having for dessert? Mrs. Nixons avocado salad might be worth a try, although avocado mashed with lemon gelatin doesnt seem to be for the faint of heart.

It certainly wasnt the easiest life as a housewife back then, let alone for these unsung heroines who certainly did more than they received credit for. As they supported their husbands through one of the most innovative times in American history, they cared for the children, fueled the growth of their once small town, and always made sure to have a delicious dinner on the table.

The Out of This World Cook Book is a delight to read, and even more fun to put into practice. Whether you want to bring something new to the table, looking for a space-themed gift (or a culinary one), or are interested in what it was like to eat like an astronaut during the dawn of the exploration of space, you cant go wrong picking up a copy. Its not an easy one to find, but copies have been floating around the internet for some time. Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and vintage bookstores have limited copies as well. So when you see one, nab it quickly.

Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.

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Review: The "Out of This World Cook Book" Chronicles the Early Meals of the Space Age - Futurism

"The models just don't predict this..."Snap Shot

Over the past several weeks, NASA's ultra-powerful James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has allowed humankind some unprecedented glimpses into the farthest reaches of our universe. And unsurprisingly, some of these dazzling new observations have raised more questions than they've answered.

For a long time, for instance, scientists believed the universe's earliest, oldest galaxies to be small, slightly chaotic, and misshapen systems. But according to the Washington Post, JWST-captured imagery has revealed those galaxies to be shockingly massive, not to mention balanced and well-formed a finding that challenges, and will likely rewrite, long-held understandings about the origins of our universe.

"The models just don't predict this," Garth Illingworth, an astronomer at the University of California at Santa Cruz, told WaPo. "How do you do this in the universe at such an early time? How do you form so many stars so quickly?"

As WaPo explains, older images of the universe as captured by the recently dethroned Hubble Space Telescope seemingly confirmed the widespread belief that early galaxies were chaotic, haphazard places. The JWST, however, appears to show that those findings were an illusion based on that Hubble's limited capabilities.

"We thought the early universe was this chaotic place where there's all these clumps of star formation, and things are all a-jumble," the Space Telescope Science Institute's Dan Coe told WaPo, adding later that, before the JWST was launched into orbit, Hubble's imagery was "missing all the colder stars and the older stars. We were really only seeing the hot young ones."

While these findings have taken the scientific community by surprise, they're not at all a cause for alarm. Major technological advancements, in astronomy and beyond, have a long history of leading to periods of large-scale scientific discovery. Right now, it really feels like we're in one of those watershed moments, and the discoveries made today may well lay the foundation for future breakthroughs, even if they're decades down the line.

And really, discoveries like this mean that the JWST is doing exactly what scientists want it to do it's revealing new, exciting stuff about our mind-bogglingly expansive universe, answering old questions and asking new ones along the way.

READ MORE: Webb telescope is already challenging what astronomers thought they knew[The Washington Post]

More on the James Webb Space Telescope: James Webb Catches a Glimpse of the Most Distant Star in the Universe

Continue reading here:
Scientists Puzzled Because James Webb Is Seeing Stuff That Shouldn't Be There - Futurism

Labor Day weekend is a fantastic time to save on everything from a new pair of noise-cancelling earbuds to a splurge-worthy blender, but this $50 discount on an iPad (2021) really caught our attention. This deal from Best Buy is so special because Apple never discounts its own hardware, even during shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. So, now theres a rare opportunity to save on a piece of current-generation iPad hardware before it sells out or the sale ends. If youre in the market for a lower-priced tablet thats more powerful and capable than many Android alternatives, dont skip out on this deal.

The iPad (2021) is Apples newest entry-level tablet, but its more capable than its relatively low price suggests. The iPad (2021) has a 10.2-inch high-resolution touch screen, Apple A13 Bionic processor, 64 GB of storage, and a pair of stereo speakers. Its 12 megapixel front-facing camera is perfect for video calls with family or professional video conferences with colleagues and classmates, while the eight megapixel rear-facing camera will take respectable photos. Both cameras can record 1080p (Full HD) video.

Apple says that the iPad (2021) can last up to 10 hours before needing to be recharged, but your real-world experience with battery life will depend on the types of app you use, your screen brightness, and whether youre using WiFi and Bluetooth often. Once the iPad (2021) is tapped out, you can recharge it using a lightning cable, the same cord used to charge an iPhone or AirPods.

This is the last iPad to feature a TouchID sensor, which allows you to biometrically unlock the device by using your fingerprint. Its also the final model to feature a home button, which you can push to exit any application. The iPad (2021) runs iPadOS, the latest version of Apples tablet operating system, which means its got the newest features, security updates and apps. Apple announced that this iPad will receive the upcoming iPadOS 16 software update later this Autumn, and should be supported with new software for the next five years or so.

Generally speaking, the iPad (2021) is the tablet we would suggest to most people given its price-to-power ratio, and this Labor Day weekend deal only reinforces our recommendation. Its the ideal device to take on a plane as a personal in-flight entertainment center, use as a digital book reader, or edit photos and videos. Its the devices ability to scale itself to your needs without skipping a beat that makes it so appealing. Just keep in mind that Apples tech generally sells out quickly when its on sale, so you should probably shop sooner than later.

If your tablet needs are more serious were talking about folks who want to use their device to replace a laptop, or in professional creative environments youre also in luck. Best Buys Sale also includes discounts on virtually every iPad model, from the petite-but-powerful iPad Mini, to the massive 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Weve also found some great deals on other Apple hardware and Android-based iPad alternatives if you prefer their operating system over iPadOS.

More iPad Deals

iPad Mini (2021), $599 (Was $649)

iPad Air (5th Gen), $559 (Was $599)

11-Inch iPad Pro (2021), $849 (Was $899)

12.9-Inch iPad Pro (2021), $999 (Was $1,099)

More Apple Deals

13-Inch MacBook Air (2020), $949.99 (Was $999)

13-Inch MacBook Pro (2021), $949.99 (Was $1,299.99)

14-Inch MacBook Pro (2021), $1,599 (Was $1999)

16-Inch MacBook Pro (2021), $2,099 (Was $2,499)

AirPods (3rd Gen), $149 (Was $179)

AirPods Pro, $179.99 (Was $219.99)

AirPods Max, $429 (Was $549)

More Tablet Deals

Fire HD 8, $69.99 (Was $89.99)

Fire HD 10, $129.99 (Was $149.99)

Fire HD 10 Plus, $159.99 (Was $179.99)

TCL Tab 8, $109.99 (Was $119.99)

TCL Tab Max, $199.99 (Was $299.99)

Nokia T20, $189.99 (Was $249.99)

Lenovo Tab M10, $159.99 (Was $189.99)

For more great discounts, check out:

Early Labor Day DealsLabor Day Deals Under $100Best Buy Labor Day DealsLabor Day Deals from AppleOutdoor Labor Day DealsTV Labor Day DealsBack-to-School Deals

Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.

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Apple Doesn't Have Sales, But You Can Save $50 on an iPad Right Now During Labor Day Deals - Futurism

They gave scammers a taste of their own medicine.Just Deserts

Video-first dating app Filter Off has come up with a clever solution to ward off scammers: locking them in a room with a bunch of its own bots, TechCrunch reports.

As often happens with online dating platforms, the service started to fill up with scammers looking to extract money from actual users.

But the company came up with a clever solution: creating a bunch of amorous chatbots and configured the system so that the scammers only match with them an elegant and poetic solution to avery persistent problem.

The company's head of product, Brian Weinreich,toldTechCrunch that there are now "probably over 1,000 scammers," which are "actively talking to just bots."

The company created the chatbots using GPT-3, OpenAI's powerful language model that can produce human-like text, and combined them with AI-generated images of human faces.

The profiles were invisible to human users, but were the exclusive dating pool for scammers the company identified.

Mayhem ensued.

"The funny part is, two things happen," Weinreich told TechCrunch. "One, the scammers will run into other bots, but theyll also run into other scammers, and theyre trying to scam each other."

"They are like I want $40 for a Google Play gift card and the other scammer replies no, no you give a gift card to me and they just kept arguing," he added.

It's a devious ploy, albeit one that's been tried before in videogames and even against telemarketers. But as always, the scammers are doubtless going to be hard at work figuring out how to evade or even exploit the new system.

READ MORE: This dating app fought scammers with bots hilarity ensued [TechCrunch]

More on virtual dating:People Are Going on Dates in the Metaverse and It Sounds Very Strange

Read more:
Genius Dating App Hooks Up Scammers Only With Bots and Other Scammers - Futurism