Futurism

A Cybernetic Implant That Allows Paralyzed Rats To Walk Again

Researchers from EPFL have restored the walking ability of paralyzed rats by implanting soft and flexible neural implants directly onto their spinal cord. The incredible new technique, which doesn’t cause inflammation or damage, uses both chemical and electrical stimulation. It’s hoped that this technology, called e-Dura, could be eventually be extended to humans, but the…

This Is Why Manatees Need Space Suits

This manatee lives in a hollowed-out asteroid in space. Did you really expect that humans would be the only animals from Earth who would colonize the solar system? It’s all part of a research project about how different space colonization might look than what you expect. The project was created by the Working Group on…

This Computer Program Is ‘Incapable Of Losing’ At Poker

If you thought IBM’s chess-playing computer, Deep Blue, was impressive, this is going to blow you away. Two-player limit Texas hold’em poker has been solved. Pitted one-on-one against the world’s best poker players, a new computer program named Cepheus would never lose. You can even challenge it to a game, yourself. Cepheus, developed by Finnish…

An Irreverent Guide To Transhumanism And The Singularity

Futurists R.U. Sirius and Jay Cornell have published a witty, snide, and incredibly informative new book titled, Transcendence: The Disinformation Encyclopedia of Transhumanism and the Singularity. We spoke to the authors to learn more about the project and their own personal visions of the future. Many of you will remember R.U. Sirius — aka Ken…

What Do Bhopal And Chernobyl Have To Do With Artificial Intelligence?

Everything, actually. Artificial intelligence is poised to accompany humanity for the rest of its existence. We have a responsibility to make it safe. While we still can. About a month ago Artificial Intelligence made headlines when Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk said they feared it. Then Google CEO Eric Schmidt and iRobot founder Rodney Brooks…

These Are The Science Stories That Will Be Making News In 2015

The coming year is shaping up to be a rather extraordinary one. Over the next 12 months, we’ll be visiting dwarf planets, unlocking the secrets of a 400,000-year-old genome, and resuming the hunt for exotic particles. Here are the science stories to look out for in 2015. Above: Artistic depiction of Pluto’s surface with Charon…

A Mitochondrial DNA Transplant Could Help Treat Hundreds Of Diseases

For the first time ever, researchers in New Zealand have shown that mitochondrial DNA can move between cells in an animal tumor. It’s an extraordinary finding that could lead to an entirely new field of synthetic biology and the treatment of hundreds of diseases. Top image: The dark field image on the left highlights the…

Researchers Turn DNA Into Robotic “Transformers”

Inspired by full-sized mechanical parts like hinges and pistons, researchers at Ohio State University have designed pieces of DNA that could eventually be used to construct nano-scale robots. The new paper, which now appears in PNAS, is the first to show that macroscale design principles can also be applied to DNA to produce intricate, dynamic,…

We already knew that your car could be made of trees, and now we’ve discovered that your tires could be made from dandelions. In Kazakhstan, researchers are experimenting with converting the colorful yellow flowers into a more environmentally friendly version of rubber. I love the future.

If Your Robot Buys Illegal Drugs, Have You Committed a Crime?

A group of Swiss artists recently set a bot free on the darknet, allowing it to purchase whatever it could with Bitcoins. Among other weird things it bought were a few ecstasy pills and a fake Hungarian passport. Now an attorney asks whether the artists could be arrested under the law as it currently stands.…

The Future of Women on Earth May Be Darker Than You Thought

It’s easy to get caught up in the internet gender war trainwreck, where we’re still arguing over whether women belong in tech orrape victims are liars. But let’s set that shit aside and take the long view: Do we have any evidence that the future will bring greater freedom to women, or should we expect…

How Humanity Will Conquer Space Without Rockets

Getting out of Earth’s gravity well is hard. Conventional rockets are expensive, wasteful, and as we’re frequently reminded, very dangerous. Thankfully, there are alternative ways of getting ourselves and all our stuff off this rock. Here’s how we’ll get from Earth to space in the future. Top image: Britain’s Skylon Spaceplane. Image: Reaction Engines Limited…

Philosophers And Scientists Answer “What Scientific Idea Should Die?”

Each year, Edge Foundation founder John Brockman poses an interesting question to thinkers in a wide range of fields: psychology, theoretical physics, evolution, cognitive science, and more. This year’s question was “What scientific idea is ready for retirement?” And here are some of the answers. Jesse Dylan put together this video, featuring answers from Jerry…

The Most Futuristic Predictions That Came True In 2014

As 2014 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on the most futuristic breakthroughs and developments of the past year. This year’s crop features a slew of incredible technological, scientific, and social achievements, from mind-to-mind communication to self-guiding sniper bullets. Here are 15 predictions that came true in 2014. Technologically-assisted telepathy was successfully demonstrated…

A Guide To The Most Nutritious Post-Apocalypse Cuisine

If a global catastrophe strikes, chances are that efforts to store food will keep most people fed for only a year. But, before everyone loses their heads and begins reenacting the Donner Party, here are some tips from two researchers who have come up with ways to live off what’s left of the land. Image:…

Google’s New Self-Driving Cars Will Hit Roads In January

Google’s self-driving cars are getting an upgrade. The latest model trades in the kludgy, rack-mounted, rooftop LIDAR system for a marginally sleeker form factor – a thimble-shaped peduncle that looks like a police siren crossed with a Mac Pro. It’s also getting real headlights! As with the previous model, Google’s newest self-driving car is designed…

This Hexapod’s Appendages Are Made From Robotic Snakes

Though it may look like a spider, the legs of this hexapod are actually made from the same technology that allows for sidewinding robotic snakes. The result is a rather creepy, but surprisingly strong and resilient, “snake monster.” This DARPA-funded hexapod was developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon’s Biorobotics Lab, the same team that developed…

The First Person To Ever Receive Two Mind-Controlled Prosthetic Arms

Meet Les Baugh, a double amputee from Colorado who lost both his arms in an electrical accident nearly 40 years ago. He’s now entered into the history books by becoming the first person to ever receive two shoulder-level prosthetic arms that he can control with his mind. Unfortunately, Baugh, after participating in this two-week experiment,…

How The Military Could Turn Your Mind Into The Next Battlefield

Long a staple of science fiction, the idea of creating weapons that can disrupt or alter the cognitive processes of enemy combatants is starting to become reality. Inspired by recent advances in neuroscience, the U.S. military is considering the potential for “neuro-cognitive weapons”. Here’s what you need to know about this fascinating and frightening prospect.…

A Quadriplegic Woman Used Her Mind To Move This Robotic Limb In ’10D’

For the first time ever, a quadriplegic woman has used her thoughts to move a robotic hand across 10 degrees of freedom. The remarkable system allowed her to pick up a variety of objects, including skinny tubes and oddly shaped rocks. Yet another reminder of the progress being made in not just prosthetics, but in…