Futurism

New Technique Reverses Aging By Decades In Cultured Human Cells

Scientists from Stanford Medical Center have devised a technique for extending the length of human telomeres. It’s a breakthrough that could eventually result in therapies to treat a host of age-related diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. It could also result in longer, healthier lives. Telomeres are those critical protective caps located on the tips…

Bill Gates has joined the growing chorus of concern over the potential risks of artificial superintelligence. He shared his thoughts in a recent Reddit AMA, writing: “I agree with Elon Musk and some others on this and don’t understand why some people are not concerned.” He has now added his name to an open letter…

The Science Fiction Books That Every Computer Scientist Should Check Out

With so many prominent scientists warning about the dangers of rogue artificial intelligence, and so many ethical concerns coming down the pike in A.I. research and computer science generally, how can computer experts educate themselves? By reading science fiction books. That’s the conclusion of a new paper (PDF) called “Teaching AI Ethics Using Science Fiction,”…

11 Ways The Future Could Turn Out Differently Than You Expect

Many of us, owing to an intuitive sense of where technological and social progress are taking us, have a preconceived notion of what the future will look like. But as history has continually shown, the future doesn’t always go according to plan. Here are 11 ways the world of tomorrow may not unfold the way…

New Technique Allows Bioengineers To “Reprogram” Genetic Code

Scientists at Stanford University have found a way to program DNA in such a way that genes can be turned on or off in living cells. Incredibly, the new tool can affect two different genes at the same time, an advance that will allow scientists to treat even the most complex genetic disorders. There are…

Why “Spotify For Books” May Not Be The Future Of Publishing. (Yet.)

It makes a certain amount of sense, from a consumer standpoint: companies like Amazon, Scribd and Oyster are offering services where you pay $10 a month and get unlimited books. The author or publisher gets a fee, only if the reader gets past a certain point in the book. But the Economist says “Spotify for…

We’re fast approaching an era when companies will be able to run themselves. Called Distributed Autonomous Corporations (DACS), they’ll utilize cloud robots to manage supply chains without human supervision. But as an article at Aeon asks, will these blockchain-style systems set us free, or just make the rich richer?

How To Create A Virtual “Body” For Your Uploaded Mind

The prospect of uploading your brain into a supercomputer is an exciting one — your mind can live on forever, and expand its capacity in ways that are hard to imagine. But it leaves out one crucial detail: Your mind still needs a body to function properly, even in a virtual world. Here’s what we’ll…

After Earth Falls, Will Interstellar Space Travel Be Our Salvation?

It may be just a matter of time before the Earth becomes uninhabitable. As astrophysicists and avid science fiction fans, we naturally find the prospect of interstellar colonization intriguing and exciting. But is it practical, or even possible? Or is there a better solution? Top image: Mark Rademaker’s conceptual image of a NASA-built faster-than-light ship.…

Doomsday Clock Now Three Minutes To Midnight

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the big hand of its “Doomsday Clock” to three minutes to midnight, i.e. the end of the world, citing the apocalyptic threat of global warming and nuclear proliferation. Photo Credit: Cliff Owen / AP “In 2015, unchecked climate change, global nuclear weapons modernizations, and outsized nuclear weapons…

Edge Asks The Intellects: What Do You Think About Machines That Think?

This year’s Edge.org question asks, “What do you think about machines that think?” Editor John Brockman collected 182 individual responses from such prominent thinkers as Nick Bostrom, Daniel Dennett, Rodney Brooks, Susan Blackmore, Alison Gopnik, Andy Clark, and Martin Rees. Holy smokes, but is there a lot to chew through here. And it certainly looks…

Leading AI Experts Are Gathering To Improve The Turing Test

This coming weekend at Austin’s annual convention of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, a group of AI experts will attend a workshop in hopes of hammering out a new-and-improved version of the Turing Test. The Turing Test, as a means to determine if a machine is truly thinking, is wholly inadequate in…

ATLAS, The Pentagon’s Humanoid Robot, Just Got A Major Upgrade

Tremble at the sight of the new and improved ATLAS. Redesigned for DARPA by Boston Dynamics, this robot is now stronger, more energy efficient, more dextrous, and quieter than its clunky predecessor. And best of all, it no longer requires a safety tether. It’s called ATLAS Unplugged, and it’s the new standard that’ll be used…

No, This Artificially Intelligent Super Mario Is Not Self-Aware

German researchers have created a version of Nintendo’s Super Mario Advance in which the videogame hero can learn and venture through the game according to his “feelings.” It’s an exciting advance, but the claim that Super Mario is now “self-aware” is grossly overstated. There’s definitely some cringe-worthy reporting going on about this University of Tubingen…

The First Demonstration Of Self-Propelled Nanobots In A Living Animal

Researchers from the University of California have developed acid-fueled micro-machines capable of traveling and delivering cargo directly inside a living creature. It’s a breakthrough that’s expected to significantly advance the field of medical nano-robotics. Scientists have developed drug-delivering micro-machines before, but these systems were only tested under in vitro conditions (i.e., cell cultures outside the…

10 Territorial Disputes That Mean Your Maps Are Already Wrong

As it stands, there are well over 150 territorial disputes around the globe, some more urgent than others. Here are 10 you need to know about — and that could redefine the world map. Top photo: Russian T-90 tanks on parade in Red Square on May 9, 2014 in celebration of WWII Victory Day. (ID1974/Shutterstock)…

Prominent Scientists Sign Letter of Warning About AI Risks 

Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, and many other prominent figures have signed an open letter pushing for responsible AI oversight in order to mitigate risks and ensure the “societal benefit” of the technology. The open letter was put together by the Future of Life Institute, a group mobilized by Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn, MIT’s Max Tegmark,…

$1 Million Prize for Scientists Who Can Cure Human Aging 

Silicon Valley investor Joon Yun is offering a cool million dollars in cash prizes to anyone who can “hack the code of life” in an effort to increase human lifespan. It’s the latest in a growing trend of well-funded efforts to cure aging. It’s called the Palo Alto Longevity Prize, and it was launched back…

The First Lab-Grown Muscles That Behave Just Like Natural Ones

These muscle cells were grown in a lab, but they are indistinguishable from what you grow in your body. They jump when shocked with electricity. They respond to drugs just the way cells in your muscles would. And they are about to revolutionize our understanding of medicine. Sure, watching a muscle cell twitch as it…

What happens when amateur scientists doing synthetic biology as DiY projects, building new organisms and modifying old ones? A group of scientists raised the alarm about the risks of backyard synbio in Nature recently, and it’s the topic of a lively discussion on the Guardian’s Science Weekly podcast. Check it out!