Category Archives: Transhuman News

Doctors working on an experimental cancer treatment were heartened when every single patient in a small trial went into remission, their cancer becoming undetectable.

Published in theNew England Journal of Medicine, the paper that resulted from the trial details how all 12 patients who were given the experimental rectal cancer treatment went into remission without having chemotherapy.

"I believe," Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center scientist Luis Diaz Jr told the New York Times, "this is the first time this has happened in the history of cancer."

As an MSK press release about the study describes, study participants were treated to an incredible surprise when, after undergoing six months of the experimental immunotherapy treatment, they learned from their doctors that they were in remission.

The first patient, named Sascha, was preparing to travel to New York to have radiation therapy when she got the call from her oncologist, Andrea Cercek, who said the patient was "stunned and ecstatic" at the news.

"Its incredibly rewarding," Cercek said in the press release, "to get these happy tears and happy emails from the patients in this study who finish treatment and realize, 'Oh my God, I get to keep all my normal body functions that I feared I might lose to radiation or surgery.'"

The MSK doctors behind the study wanted to investigate whether immunotherapy alone could treat cancer, but they never expected it to work this well and especially could not have foreseen that none of the 12 people in the initial trial had adverse reactions to the drug, known as dostarlimab.

Dostarlimab is a checkpoint inhibitor, which "releases the brake on an immune cell, freeing it to recognize and attack cancer cells,"according to the team.

The finding is intriguing, but unlikely to represent a miracle cure. As the NYT cautioned, an average one in five people who take drugs like dostarlimab have an allergic reaction, and as many as 3 to 5 percent have severe reactions that include muscle weakness and trouble chewing and swallowing.

Dr. Alan Venook, a University of California, San Francisco colorectal cancer specialist who wasn't involved in the study, told the NYT that the lack of side effects means that "either they did not treat enough patients or, somehow, these cancers are just plain different."

Venook is not alone in his caution about the results. The trial was small, with only 12 participants, and has yet to be replicated.

In an editorial published in theNew England Journal of Medicine in tandem with the initial study, Dr. Hanna Sanoff, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at the University of North Carolina who was also not involved in the study, wrote that the "small but compelling" trial needs more time before doctors can fully understand the results.

"Very little is known," Sanoff wrote, "about the duration of time needed to find out whether a clinical complete response to dostarlimab equates to cure."

All the same, these unprecedented results are clearly pretty exciting for doctors and patients alike.

READ MORE:Rectal Cancer Disappears After Experimental Use of Immunotherapy [Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center]

More immunotherapy:Scientists Complete First Human Test of Vaccine Against Brain Cancer

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Scientists Intrigued by Treatment That Put Every Single Patient's Cancer Into Remission - Futurism

That's one way to do it!Crown Car

It was a big weekend for the United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II, who marked her astonishing 70 years on the throne the longest of any English monarch with an extremely British Platinum Jubilee celebration.

Due to her advanced age, Her Majesty was unable to jubilate IRL amongst her adoring subjects. But in a surreal display of absolutely unmatched energy, the longtime ruler did journey through through the streets,sort of via hologram, beamed into a historic 260-year-old golden carriage. Naturally.

Drawn by eight royal horses, the "hologram" featured archival footage of a smiling young Queen during her 1953 coronation ceremony, riding to Buckingham Palace in the same notoriously uncomfortable Queen-mobile, which has been used for every coronation procession since its commissioner King George III first took it for a spin in 1762.

As Gizmodo pointed out, it wasn't quite a hologram in the sense of a full 3D projection like in "Star Wars," although it was the same technique that resurrected Tupac Shakur at Coachella back in 2012 and seemingly the same trick used by Kanye West to gift his then-wife Kim a birthday message from her late father in 2020.

Regardless, such a public marriage of the old world and the new is fascinating, especially from an organization as traditional as the English monarchy.

In any case, if the carriage ride is as unbearable as the Queen says it is, we don't blame her for sending a hologram instead.

More on holograms: Man Married to Hologram Can't Talk to Wife Due to Software Glitch

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The UK Is Apparently Just Driving Around a Hologram of the Queen Now - Futurism

That's one way to do it!Wacky Hijacks

Russian space agency Roscosmos is struggling to keep operations going after the country invaded Ukraine, greatly distancing itself from the rest of the international space community in the process.

Russian scientists are now trying to gain control of a German telescope currently orbiting the Earth almost a million miles away, Ars Technica reports,in a bold escalation.

The Russian-built Spektr-RG spacecraft was launched by a Russian Proton rocket three years ago. It houses its primary instrument called eROSITA, an X-ray observatory built by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Germany, as well as the ART-XC instrument, a Russian high-energy X-ray telescope.

But ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany cut off its cooperation with Roscosmos, forcing eROSITA into safe mode on February 26 to the dismay of Russian authorities,who now seem to want control of the instrument back.

Now, outspoken Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin is planning to take control over the telescope.

"I gave instructions to start work on restoring the operation of the German telescope in the Spektr-RG system so it works together with the Russian telescope," Rogozin said on Russian state TV, as quoted by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

"Despite Germany's demand to shut down one of the two telescopes at Spektr-RG, Russian specialists insist on continuing its work," he added. "Roscosmos will make relevant decisions in the near future."

German officials are now warning that turning on eROSITA without the involvement of the MPE could potentially cause damage, Deutsche Welle reports.

Rogozin is furious at Germany for halting the Spektr-RG spacecraft's operations, and is clearly not above slinging mud in the ensuing conflict.

"They the people that made the decision to shut down the telescope don't have a moral right to halt this research for humankind just because their pro-fascist views are close to our enemies," Rogozin said during his appearance.

What Russia's forceful intervention will mean for the future of the observatory remains to be seen. One thing's for sure, though: don't ever bet against chaos in the Russian space program.

READ MORE: Russia seeks to hijack German telescope on its X-ray spacecraft[Ars Technica]

Read more:
Russia Reportedly Trying to Hijack Space Telescope Currently Orbiting Earth - Futurism

Jun 09, 2022 | 13:40:22 IST Chopra takes forward her Bulgari ambassadorship in a hard-to-miss Robert Wun number

Its been a hot minute since the Quanticostar donned an orange sequin Rasario gown for Bulgaris Jewelery Gala in Paris. While Chopras fascination with shimmer and sequins is the thing of dreams, it was outlived by another of her extravagant, bold looks that she has been opting for lately. Robert Wun, known for his inventive, cutting-edge designs that celebrate the female form, unveiled an ethereal contrast gown where fashion collided with futurism. Be it the masterful juggling of shapes and forms, or the razor-sharp contrast of black and white the contrast dove gown taking over the internet. While on one hand she left fashion enthusiasts stunned with this sartorial statement outfit, on the other hand, Instagram was flooded with a thread of memes relating the gowns resemblance to that of pencil shavings. Either way, the Priyanka ChoprasRobert Wun gown was undoubtedly a conversational piece to begin with. Scroll down to know the details of her look.

Chopra, in collaboration with her long term stylist Law Roach, donned Robert Wuns statement floor-grazing number featuring asymmetrical, dramatic white ruffles layered over a black fitted bodycon dress. The contrasting details blends flawlessly with the softness of the pleated elements, enhancing Chopras hourglass shape. Similar to her previous Rasario number, Chopra veered to her usual plunging neckline. With a sensuous tie-up detail at the back, the halter-neck gown was styled with an emerald embellished Bulgari necklace and earrings.

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Priyanka Chopras Robert Wun number oscillates between intriguing realms of futurism and fashion - VOGUE India

The summer is finally going to the movies. The Jurassic dinosaurs are about, Lightyear is next and Elvis isn't far behind. I'm looking forward to Jazz Fest with loads of New Orleans music when it expands next week beyond that one theater in Toronto.

Meanwhile, we have these

Jurassic World Dominion: 3 stars

Our award-winning journalists bring you the news that impacts you, Canada, and the world. Don't miss out.

Hustle: 3

Neptune Frost: 3

The Janes: 4

The Shepherdess and the 7 Songs: 2

JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION: There's too much here. This is not only the longest of these Jurassic films, the 6th in the series by the way, its got action that keeps on going and going. One encounter with these modern-time dinosaurs will come to a heart-pounding climax, and another starts up. Survive a truck that's rolled; a plane that's chewed, and something else happens, and then something else. It feels like Colin Trevorrow, the director and co-writer, threw in everything he could think of. It's not that it becomes tiring to watch, it's too exciting for that, but it loses credibility. You can see how it was built. And that undercuts the environmental message, that one character states like this: We act like we're alone here, but we're not.

The early going is most effective. Dinosaurs now roam anywhere (they were released last film). They don't terrorize cities like a Godzilla. They just live in the woods and don't bother you, unless you get too close to a mother's baby or encroach on their habitat. But there are poachers and a black market, illegal breeding, even underground dogfight-like shows. Characters from the first film (Laura Dern, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum) come together again to investigate. Others from later films (Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard) are back too. Chris pets a small dinosaur like a pet dog and in a great scene filmed near Kamloops, B.C. ropes a big one like a cowboy. Also back is a guy who was minor in film #1. He's now played by Campbell Scott and heads up the genetics developer BioSyn which started this dinosaur revival in the first place. They're now breeding locusts so they can sell farmers a special pesticide. They want to control food production all over the world. That takes the story into comic-book territory.

Teenager Maisie Lockwood becomes a prime target for reasons too complicated to explain except that BioSyn deems her the most valuable intellectual property on the planet. Much of the action is to keep her safe. But connecting all these story lines is shaky at best. The work of scientists is judgedone has regretsand who knew the CIA has a Dangerous Species Division. Don't think about it. Dig the sights in several countries and the action. (In theaters everywhere) 3 out of 5

HUSTLE: Adam Sandler has a spotty record in his movie career but don't pass up this one. It's bright and lively and you don't even have to be a basketball fan to enjoy it. Fans will be extra delighted though because it's adorned with men from the sport they'll recognize. Men like Shaq, Seth Curry, Dirk Nowitzki, Allen Iverson, Charles Barkley (now a broadcaster), coaches and even owners, like Mark Cuban. And a lot of current players. LeBron James is a co-producer and probably used his status to bring them in.

One of them, a journeyman named Juancho Hernangmez, currently with the Utah Jazz, plays the second lead, a Spanish kid that Sandler, as a scout, finds and wants to recruit for the Philadelphia 76ers. But Ben Foster, as the owner and son of the original boss (Robert Duvall) blocks him out of spite. The drama shows Sandler's efforts anyway, culminating in an event that apparently is bigger in football than in basketball - a caveat that is for the more knowledgeable. The film is perky, with a snappy pace, thanks to Jeremiah Zagar's direction, and has all the drama you need in these movies with a sports theme. It's light but fun. Queen Latifah plays Sandler's wife and Heidi Gardner is the owner's sister. (Netflix) 3 out of 5

NEPTUNE FROST: Here's a blast against colonialism and exploitation in Africa that comes with a huge imaginative drive and lots of music. It's by Saul Williams, a poet, rapper and actor from the U.S. , co-directing with Anisia Uzeyman, from Rwanda, and it speaks to almost anywhere on the continent. In fact, it was filmed in neighboring Burundi. It's got high and low technology, Afro-Futurism and a very strong voice but says its most pungent words in song. We are not hidden. We are ignored, the film says through one character and with a dream-world of lights and graphics that comes on now and then. I was born in my 23rd year says a narrator. That's when she came to realize what was going on. Men are forced to work as miners, what they dig up goes into iPhones and modern technology, but few who use the devices know that. An authority controls the country, puts down student demonstrations and keeps the men working.

Along with imperialism, the film attacks homophobia. The main character, Neptune, appears as a man at first (played by Elvis Ngabo) and then as a woman (Cheryl Isheja). She connects with an escaped miner (Bertrand Ninteretse ), first in dreams, then for real, and their protests join up. There's vibrant music, with drums throbbing and the film is invigorating in both sound and its visuals. And there are Canadian connections - the Indigenous collective A Tribe Called Red helped produce it. Ninteretse, who goes by the name "Kaya Free" has been living in Regina since then. And according to one character most of the mining companies digging in that part of Africa are based in Toronto. Maybe, but the Russians and Chinese are busy too and the film is a loud, tuneful middle finger. (In two theaters now: Vancouver's Cinematheque and Regina's Mayfair and Toronto next month) 3 out of 5

THE JANES: Once again. Absolutely timely. While we wait to hear whether Roe vs Wade and the right to legal abortions will be reversed in the U.S., here's a stunning documentary about the issues. It's history but could be current. And it's candid and passionate. It's the story of a group of women in Chicago, 50 years ago, who provided abortions because they saw the need. If not them, organized crime would have, and did. Graduates of the anti-war and civil rights movements, they recognized that women deserved rights over their own bodies. They found a few doctors, advertised in alternative papers and on bulletin boards to Call Jane and helped women get the procedure. Chicago, one of them recalls was a town where people did stuff.

They have gray hair now and wrinkles but their stories in new interviews are compelling and they tell them with pride. They had a philosophical obligation, one says, to disrespect a law that disrespected women. That attitude runs through all their stories but so does the tension of what they were doing. Security and secrecy where crucial. A big setback came when they found out that one of their doctors (the most adept at abortions) wasn't a doctor at all. In a new interview he talks candidly and doesn't apologize. But the women had to adjust: they started performing the abortions themselves. Eventually they were found out and arrested. They state their case though. The need was there: 11,000 abortions over five years prove it. The film by Emma Pildes and Tia Lessin debuted at Sundance.(Streaming on CRAVE) 4 out of 5

THE SHEPHERDESS AND THE SEVEN SONGS: It's a sociological study, an ethnographic examination, a fairy tale and a rich drama about women's rights in rural India. At least a part of it, just outside the disputed region in the north, Kashmir. It plays like a folktale, and in fact was written as such by the renowned author Vijaydan Detha. The feminist theme is illustrated by the story of one who has few rights and asserts her power through subterfuge. Laila was won in a test of strength by a man visiting Kashmir, coerced into marrying him and then taken to his village.

It's a sin to be born beautiful in a poor society, she's told. We see why. The local station master (i.e. police) comes on to her. Her husband doesn't notice. The cop's deputy comes on too and she tricks them all. Three times she arranges a tryst with the deputy but each time contrives to bring her husband along. It's not only a trick against the one guy but also a test to see if her husband is strong enough to protect her. Above all it's a sign of how clever she is. And it seems timeless: originally it feels 100s of years old. Then a truck drives by. And there are news reports about protests in Kashmir over a new government law. The film it turns out is absolutely current. The presentation is archaic but the songs propel it and Navjot Randhawa as Laila is endearing. (Art houses including Cinematheque Vancouver) 2 out of 5

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MOVIES: Jurassic World, too much, Hustle, a good one from Adam Sandler and Neptune Frost, Afro-Futurism and anticolonialism - Canada's National...

Who doesn't want to know every nook and cranny of the Moon?Singular Focus

There's now a map of the Moon's surface more detailed than any that came before it.

Published in the journal Science Bulletin, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the country's Institute of Geochemistry, and other organizations compiled known information about the Moon's surface in a recent study that includes this wildly-detailed map of the lunar terrain.

As the study notes, the scale of the map is an incredibly precise 1:2,500,000 scale that highlights all known rocks, craters, basins, and structures on the Moon's surface.

Though this is far from the first lunar map, it is the researchers behind it say it's the most detailed yet. To get there, they sifted through lunar geology data from the better part of the last century to achieve the map's stunning scale, featuring a total of 90 different types of structures highlighted on its color-coded key.

As the researchers note, there are partial maps of the lunar surface that are double the scale of this one (eg, ones that are 1:5,000,000), but this map is the first to date that logs the entire surface of the Moon at such a high scale.

Even as the US, China, and Russia are engaged in a three-way space race amid political tensions, this map which was built using lunar surface data from all three countries and some from others as well serves as a testament to the unifying power of science.

That, and to how freaking far we've come in lunar studies.

READ MORE:The 1:2,500,000-scale geologic map of the global moon [Science Bulletin]

More on the Moon:NASA Says It's a Priority to Investigate Strange Domes on the Moon

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China Publishes the Most Detailed Map of the Moon Ever Made - Futurism