Futurism

Watch the most accurate supercomputer simulation yet of the universe

Using some of the most powerful supercomputers on the planet, the fine folks at Argonne National Lab have constructed a virtual model of the universe that tracks 1.1 trillion particles as they expand and bind. The achievement is four times larger than previous simulations. The project, called the Hardware/Hybrid Accelerated Cosmology Code (HACC), is an…

io9 George Dvorsky

Stuxnet has infected a Russian nuclear plant and the space station [Updated]

The problem with creating Stuxnet, the world’s most sophisticated malware worm, is that it could eventually go rogue. Which is precisely what has happened. The US- and Israeli-built virus has spread to a Russian nuclear plant — and even the International Space Station. Update (2013.11.13): I received this email today from Kaspersky Lab’s Corporate Communications…

io9 George Dvorsky

What will jail terms be like when humans can live for centuries?

Radical life extension is coming. That means future societies will have to do a dramatic rethink of our ideas about how long offenders should be imprisoned and — more crucially — the ways they’ll be rehabilitated. I’m not going to spend any time arguing on behalf of the science that’s driving the efforts behind radical…

io9 George Dvorsky

The next world war will be fought by enhanced humans

Security and intelligence expert P. W. Singer has penned a fascinating article outlining the various ways leaders must prepare for the “chaotic battlefields of the future.” Looking at the latest developments, they’re going to have to anticipate a whole new way of making war. Above: A conceptual image of the Lockheed Martin SR-72, a hypersonic…

io9 George Dvorsky

The horrifying truth about Google’s secret project

For weeks, the internet has been buzzing about Google’s sexy secret project, a massive barge piled with customized shipping containers floating in the San Francisco Bay. Was it a secret data center, soon to be outside national jurisdiction? A rejuvenation lab for Ray Kurzweil? No. The truth is much worse. Photos by Daniel Terdiman It…

io9 Annalee Newitz

The libraries that governments will burn in the future

The famous library at Alexandria wasn’t burned down with fire — it was destroyed by government mistreatment and neglect. Will today’s great digital libraries like the Internet Archive suffer the same fate? https://gizmodo.com/the-great-library-at-alexandria-was-destroyed-by-budget-1442659066 Photo via Internet Archive Over at Medium, cultural critic Tim Maly has a terrific and thought-provoking essay about the design of contemporary…

io9 Annalee Newitz

A bioengineered patch that regrows damaged bones inside the body

Researchers from the University of Iowa have developed a remarkable new procedure for regenerating missing or damaged bone. It’s called a “bio patch” — and it works by sending bone-producing instructions directly into cells using microscopic particles embedded with DNA. In experiments, the gene-encoding patch has already regrown bone fully enough to cover skull wounds…

io9 George Dvorsky

The Best “Psychic” Scam of All Time

Why do we believe people can predict the future? Usually because we remember the hits and forget the misses. Or in some cases, the misses are hidden from us. Like in my favorite “psychic” scam ever, which also happens to be the plot of a classic 1957 Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode, “Mail Order Prophet.” Esther…

Tech News Matt Novak

These are the jobs that robots will never steal from us

Robots already took jobs from a whole generation of manual laborers. Now software agents, sophisticated surgery robots, and autonomous devices are encroaching on professional workers too. But don’t worry — there are some jobs only humans can do, and the Homo sapiens job sector is set to explode. I started thinking about this a couple…

io9 Annalee Newitz

This virtual 10-year-old-girl just outed 1,000 sexual predators

A Dutch organization called Terre des Hommes has identified some 1,000 alleged child-sex predators by luring them in with a computer-animated prepubescent Philippine girl on Internet chat rooms. The online victimization of children, it would appear, is far worse than imagined. The virtual girl, named Sweetie, was created by TDH Netherlands to notify the public…

io9 George Dvorsky

Some of the Most Plausible Scenarios for Alien Civilizations

We have yet to make contact with an extraterrestrial intelligence, making it exceedingly difficult for us to imagine what an alien civilization might be like. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make some educated guesses. Here’s what we know — and don’t know — about aliens. Top image: Filip Dudek via Concept Ships. Right at…

io9 George Dvorsky

14 Common Words That Didn’t Exist 20 Years Ago

If you want proof of how fast our world is changing, you only have to look at our language. Our everyday vocabulary is full of neologisms, expressing ideas that we wouldn’t even have understood not long ago. Here are 14 commonly used words that didn’t even exist a generation ago. 1) Blog Everyone has a…

io9 Emily Stamm and Jason Krell

Check out the world’s first bitcoin ATM

If there was any doubt that bitcoin — a distributed peer-to-peer digital currency — is seriously on the way in, this new ATM at a Vancouver cafe should put those reservations to rest. The new machine, which converts bitcoins to Canadian dollars and vice versa, is the first of four ATMs to be opened across…

io9 George Dvorsky

It’s doubtful this survival jacket will get you through the apocalypse

For preppers who think they have it all, check out this sweet jacket designed by Marie-Elsa Batteux Flahault. For a single item of survival clothing, it’s got pretty much everything you’ll need for when shit hits the fan. Just don’t expect it to be effective. This jacket is part of Batteux Flahault’s graduate project, “WE…

io9 George Dvorsky

California Woman Gets Charged for Wearing Google Glass While Driving

Well, it was bound to happen. A Google Glass-wearer was ticketed in San Diego last night for “driving with a monitor visible” — the same law that prevents people from watching TV in their cars. But there are exceptions for GPS and satellite radio devices, so we can’t help but wonder if the cop did…

io9 George Dvorsky

Why does science fiction portray extended human lifespans negatively?

So many of our big media stories about living to be over 120 are negative or take place in a dystopia — from Dorian Gray to In Time. Why is that? Sonia Arrison, author of 100+, tries to explain — and predicts that this could soon change. https://gizmodo.com/three-new-books-that-will-prepare-you-for-the-future-of-480167228 Arrison talked to Slate as part of…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders

Tech company claims “major breakthrough” in developing AI

A company called Vicarious sent out a press release last week claiming they had a technology that could be the bedrock of a true artificial intelligence system. Is it a breakthrough or a bunch of hype? Right now, Vicarious’ technology is just an algorithm that breaks CAPTCHAs, those online tests that require you to read…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Meet the people who want to build our first starship

Recently, a group of scientists, engineers, and scifi writers gathered at the Royal Astronomical Society to discuss the latest ideas about how interstellar travel might actually happen. Here’s what they talked about. Top image: Daedalus Class Starship as conceived by Sean Robertson. Indeed, as a new The Economist article points out, starship research is enjoying…

io9 George Dvorsky

How Combat Medicine is Fighting to Keep More Troops Alive

When a nation sends its citizens to war, there are few things more important than providing the best treatment possible after they get injured in the line of duty. Thankfully, combat medicine has responded and evolved, steadily improving the survival chances of those injured on the battlefield. Top Image: Capt. Billie Matthews, Spc. Lauren Bentley…

io9 Michael Keller — Txchnologist

NASA is bringing broadband connectivity to the Moon – with lasers

Using a pulsed laser beam from aboard its recently launched Lunar and Atmospheric Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), NASA has transmitted data over the 239,000 miles between the Moon and Earth at a record-breaking download rate of 622 megabits per second. Say goodbye to the glacial transmission speeds of RF communication! Above: An artist’s conception of…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Watch the most accurate supercomputer simulation yet of the universe

Stuxnet has infected a Russian nuclear plant and the space station [Updated]

What will jail terms be like when humans can live for centuries?

The next world war will be fought by enhanced humans

The horrifying truth about Google’s secret project

The libraries that governments will burn in the future

A bioengineered patch that regrows damaged bones inside the body

The Best “Psychic” Scam of All Time

These are the jobs that robots will never steal from us

This virtual 10-year-old-girl just outed 1,000 sexual predators

Some of the Most Plausible Scenarios for Alien Civilizations

14 Common Words That Didn’t Exist 20 Years Ago

Check out the world’s first bitcoin ATM

It’s doubtful this survival jacket will get you through the apocalypse

California Woman Gets Charged for Wearing Google Glass While Driving

Why does science fiction portray extended human lifespans negatively?

Tech company claims “major breakthrough” in developing AI

Meet the people who want to build our first starship

How Combat Medicine is Fighting to Keep More Troops Alive

NASA is bringing broadband connectivity to the Moon – with lasers

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