Futurism

Robot Simulations Show Mass Extinctions May Accelerate Evolution

By simulating a mass extinction on a population of virtual robots, researchers have shown that these cataclysmic events are an important contributor to an organism’s ability to evolve, a finding that has implications to evolutionary biology, the business sector—and even artificial intelligence. It’s no surprise that mass extinctions exert a tremendous influence on evolution. If…

io9 George Dvorsky

We Should Not Dismiss the Dangers of “Killer Robots” So Quickly

Earlier this summer, more than a thousand prominent thinkers and specialists signed an open letter calling for a ban on autonomous killing machines. Since then, a number of critics have condemned the motion, citing it as both dangerous and useless. Optimization researcher Toby Walsh explains why we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the dangers.…

io9 Toby Walsh

Two Books You Must Read If You Care About the Future of Humanity in Space

Two of the most celebrated authors in science fiction, Kim Stanley Robinson and Neal Stephenson, released epic novels this summer about our future lives in space. And yet both Robinson’s Aurora and Stephenson’s Seveneves are actually about why we may never be able to leave Earth behind. It’s not that these novels aren’t fantastic space…

Space & Spaceflight Annalee Newitz

This Robot Uses the Power of Evolution to Produce and Improve New Robots

Roboticists have developed a “mother” robot that can build and evaluate her own “children,” and then decide which version performs best to inform the design of the next generation. Remarkably, the system doesn’t require any human intervention. Unlike biological species that evolve autonomously over time, robots are dependent on humans for reproduction and refinement. To…

io9 George Dvorsky

Is This Alphabet Thing All About Google’s Tesla Envy?

As Silicon Valley struggles to understand the news about Google’s new parent company Alphabet, one thing has become clear. Alphabet is all about highlighting Google’s futuristic and downright nutbar projects. It’s as if Larry Page and Sergey Brin wish they were running Tesla. After all, Elon Musk’s company gets to do all the cool things…

Tech News Annalee Newitz

8 Craziest Mega-Engineering Projects We Could Use to Rework the Earth

Humans have been modifying the Earth for thousands of years, but we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible. Here are eight dramatic ways we could change the face of our planet. For the purposes of this list, we’re limiting the discussion to megaprojects involving the Earth’s geology, atmosphere, and biosphere. This means no technological…

io9 George Dvorsky

Incredible Robotic Water Strider Jumps Like the Real Thing

Researchers from South Korea have created a robotic insect that’s capable of jumping and landing on an aquatic surface, a unique mode of transportation found only in specialized animals. To reproduce this jumping ability in a robot, Je-Sung Koh and colleagues from Seoul National University studied the way water striders do it. The resulting bio-inspired…

io9 George Dvorsky

Why the Argument Against a Ban on Autonomous Killer Robots Falls Flat

This week, an open letter was presented at an AI conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina calling for a ban on autonomous weapons. The letter has been signed by nearly 14,000 prominent thinkers and leading robotics researchers, but not everyone agrees with its premise. Here’s the case against a ban on killer robots, and why it’s…

io9 George Dvorsky

Meanwhile in the Future: Cross the Border Using Only Your Face as ID

This week, we go to a world where facial recognition is so good that any company can grab an image of your face while you’re walking down the street, and link it to everything from your social media profiles, to your credit score, to your workplace. This world really isn’t that far away. In this…

Tech News Rose Eveleth

Ask Stephen Hawking Anything

Stephen Hawking is participating in his first-ever reddit AMA. Unlike previous Q&As hosted on the site, Hawking’s will be conducted in two parts. Today, you can submit questions here. Submissions will be selected from by Hawking, who aims to “answer as many of the questions… as possible over the coming weeks.” “I signed an open…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Leading Experts Sign an Open Letter Calling For a Ban On AI Weapons

More than a thousand prominent thinkers and leading AI and robotics researchers have signed an open letter calling for a ban on “offensive autonomous weapons beyond meaningful human control.” The letter, which was put together by the Future of Life Institute, was recently presented at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Buenos Aires,…

io9 George Dvorsky

Testing Kids for “Potential Depression” Seems Like a Bad Idea

What if you lived in a world where every kid got tested for potential depression when they were in elementary school? This video, from Binghamton University, describes new research on how we’d do it. The researchers created a test that’s designed to determine whether children of depressive parents will also suffer from depression. So the…

Health Annalee Newitz

How Close Are We To Creating A Star Trek-Like “Holodeck”?

Hundreds of years, if it’s possible at all. There are several main technologies that are on display in a holodeck, some of which we are closer to and some of which we are further away from. The most obvious, of course, is the holograms themselves. They must be free standing and able to move around…

Tech News Matt Sutton - QUORA

“How The Human Era Ends”: Listen To The Audiobook Of Ramez Naam’s Apex

The epic post-human story of Ramez Naam’s Nexus trilogy has finally come to an end—and the final volume, Apex, is coming out as an audiobook. And we’ve got an excerpt. Meet the intelligences that are set to replace us, and find out why “the next few minutes will decide the future of intelligence on planet…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

This Robot Just Passed a Rudimentary Self-awareness Test

It’s nothing to get too excited or alarmed about, but a robot has passed a modified version of the classic King’s Wise Men Test. It’s another classic case of simulation rather than emulation, but the experiment shows how artificial self-awareness can be programmed into our technology. For the experiment, roboticists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s…

io9 George Dvorsky

9 Different Visions Of What Families Will Look Like 50 Years From Now

Family is a moving target. Our ideas about what constitutes a “normal” family have changed a lot since the 1960s, and there’s no reason to believe they’ll stop changing. How weird could things get? Here are nine different ideas about the future of the family. No rigid definition exists for the “family,” and there’s no…

io9 George Dvorsky

Penis 2.0: Here’s What the Penis of the Future Should Look Like

Like our brains, the human penis hasn’t evolved in tens of thousands of years — and that’s a real shame. Our favorite male body part is capable of so much more. In consideration of pending advances in science and technology, here’s what to expect with penis 2.0. Before we get started it’s important to point…

io9 George Dvorsky

7 Innovative Concepts are Getting Closer to Reality Thanks to NASA

NASA just funded research into releasing robot-swarms during flybys, improving life support system, laser-mapping lunar lava caves, exploring the hydrocarbon seas of Titan, converting torpedo power supplies for deep space, creating an oasis of perpetual sunshine on the moon, and characterizing electric sails. Awesome. NASA pushes boundaries between science fiction and science fact with the…

Space & Spaceflight Mika McKinnon

Meanwhile in the Future: Extreme Body Modification

We all want to be our best selves. But what if you could add almost anything to your body and mind? A camera here, an exoskeleton there. This is the world that some biohackers imagine—one in which humans can extend their abilities beyond the limits biology has set for us. But what does that world…

Tech News Rose Eveleth

What to Expect From Aliens When We Make First Contact

Given the vastness of space, it may only be a matter of time before we make contact with intelligent extraterrestrials. But how might an alien civilization react to such a monumental meet-and-greet, and can we possibly know their intentions? Here’s what we might expect. Alien civilizations will most assuredly be like snowflakes: no two will…

io9 George Dvorsky

Robot Simulations Show Mass Extinctions May Accelerate Evolution

We Should Not Dismiss the Dangers of “Killer Robots” So Quickly

Two Books You Must Read If You Care About the Future of Humanity in Space

This Robot Uses the Power of Evolution to Produce and Improve New Robots

Is This Alphabet Thing All About Google’s Tesla Envy?

8 Craziest Mega-Engineering Projects We Could Use to Rework the Earth

Incredible Robotic Water Strider Jumps Like the Real Thing

Why the Argument Against a Ban on Autonomous Killer Robots Falls Flat

Meanwhile in the Future: Cross the Border Using Only Your Face as ID

Ask Stephen Hawking Anything

Leading Experts Sign an Open Letter Calling For a Ban On AI Weapons

Testing Kids for “Potential Depression” Seems Like a Bad Idea

How Close Are We To Creating A Star Trek-Like “Holodeck”?

“How The Human Era Ends”: Listen To The Audiobook Of Ramez Naam’s Apex

This Robot Just Passed a Rudimentary Self-awareness Test

9 Different Visions Of What Families Will Look Like 50 Years From Now

Penis 2.0: Here’s What the Penis of the Future Should Look Like

7 Innovative Concepts are Getting Closer to Reality Thanks to NASA

Meanwhile in the Future: Extreme Body Modification

What to Expect From Aliens When We Make First Contact

‘Butt Birth’-ing Rhinoceros from Ace Ventura Sequel Sold at Auction for a Whopping $60,000

The Ryan Gosling Sci-Fi Streak Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Study Challenges Popular Theory on Why Primordial Bugs Were So Darn Huge

Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway’s Mystery’s Sci-Fi Film Has Its First Trailer

Scientists Just Found the Salt Limit That Pushes Your Heart to the Breaking Point

White House Social Media Just Had Its Covfefe Moment

Roborock F25 Ultra Steam Wet Dry Vacuum Is Now at Its Lowest Price, but Only During the Spring Sale Window

This $450 Semi-Dumb Phone Is Barely Even a Phone

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

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