Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: business

Where are all the trillion dollar biotechs?

Of the many trends people chase in biotech, the only one that proves sure and consistent is declining returns. Even after adjusting for inflation, the number of new drugs approved per $1 billion of R&D spending has halved approximately every nine years since 1950. Deloitte’s forecast R&D IRR for the top 20 pharmas fell below the industry’s cost of capital (~7–8%) between 2019 and 2022. In other words, while the industry remained profitable overall, the incremental economics of R&D investment were value-eroding rather than value-creating. So, while other industries have a reason to treat the current market downturn as transient, the business of developing medicine has a more fundamental problem to deal with — it is quite literally shrinking out of existence.

Podcast with Chuck Brooks, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University and President of Brooks Consulting International — Quantum Computing Report

In this episode of The Quantum Spin by HKA, host Veronica Combs discusses the intersections of quantum technology and cybersecurity with Chuck Brooks, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and the president of Brooks Consulting International. Chuck discusses how the evolution of technology, particularly AI and quantum computing, has dramatically transformed cybersecurity. The conversation also touches on the role of CISOs, the integration of new technologies, and the importance of ongoing education and adaptation in the face of rapidly changing technologies.

00:00 Introduction to Quantum Spin Podcast 00:34 Guest Introduction: Chuck Brooks 00:46 Chuck Brooks’ Career Journey 02:09 Evolution of Cybersecurity 02:47 Challenges for CISOs 04:27 Quantum Computing and Cybersecurity 07:43 Future of Quantum and AI 10:51 Disruptive Technologies in Organizations 15:15 AI in Academia and Professional Use 17:06 Effective Communication on LinkedIn 18:23 Conclusion and Podcast Information.

Chuck Brooks serves as President of Brooks Consulting International with over 25 years of experience in cybersecurity, emerging technologies, marketing, business development, and government relations. He also is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University in the Cyber Risk Management Program, where he teaches graduate courses on risk management, homeland security, and cybersecurity.

Quantum key distribution enables secure communication via hybrid and mobile channels

As part of the QuNET project, researchers have demonstrated how quantum key distribution works reliably via hybrid and mobile channels. The results are milestones for sovereign, quantum-secured communication in Germany and have been published in the New Journal of Physics.

Quantum communication is considered a crucial technology for long-term data security and thus also for technological sovereignty in Germany and Europe. At its core is the distribution of secure cryptographic keys based on quantum physical processes—quantum key distribution (QKD).

QKD will not only be important for highly secure communication in government agencies, the military, and businesses, but will also help protect the data we use in our daily lives.

Warner–Suno deal lets users legally use artist voices in AI songs

New Warner–Suno deal lets creators legally use artist voices and likeness in AI tracks.

It was only last year when Hollywood unions battled AI use in creative industries. Today, Warner Music Group is handing artificial intelligence a front-row seat in the music business.

The company has signed a licensing deal with Suno, the fast-growing AI music platform, marking one of the biggest shifts yet in how the industry approaches AI-generated music.

Under the agreement, Warner Music Group will allow users to generate songs using the voices, likenesses, names, images, and compositions of artists who voluntarily opt in.

NASA, SpaceX launch US–European satellite to monitor Earth’s oceans

About the size of a full-size pickup truck, a newly launched satellite by NASA and its partners will provide ocean and atmospheric information to improve hurricane forecasts, help protect infrastructure, and benefit commercial activities, such as shipping.

The Sentinel-6B satellite lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in central California at 9:21 p.m. PST on Nov. 16. Contact between the satellite and a ground station in northern Canada occurred about 1 hour and 30 minutes later at 10:54 p.m. All systems are functioning normally.

“Understanding tidal patterns down to the inch is critical in protecting how we use our oceans every day on Earth,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Sentinal-6B will build upon the legacy of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich by making sea level measurements that improve forecasts used by communities, businesses, and operations across the country. It also will support a safer reentry for our astronauts returning home, including crew from Artemis Moon missions.”

What is Time? Stephen Wolfram’s Groundbreaking New Theory

Win a meteorite💥! Join my email list: http://briankeating.com/yt.

What is time? Is it just a ticking clock, or is it something more profound?

In this thought-provoking episode of Into the Impossible, Stephen Wolfram challenges everything we know about time, offering a revolutionary computational perspective that could forever change how we understand the universe.

Stephen Wolfram is a computer scientist, physicist, and businessman. He is the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research and the creator of Mathematica, Wolfram Alpha, and Wolfram Language. Over the course of 4 decades, he has pioneered the development & application of computational thinking. He has been responsible for many discoveries, inventions & innovations in science, technology, and business.

He argues that time is the inevitable progress of computation in the universe, where simple rules can lead to complex behaviors. This concept, termed computational irreducibility, implies that time has a rigid structure and that our perception of it is limited by our computational capabilities. Wolfram also explores the relationship between time, space, and gravity, suggesting that dark matter might be a feature of the structure of space.

Tune in to discover the true nature of time.

Continue reading “What is Time? Stephen Wolfram’s Groundbreaking New Theory” | >

Dr. Carina Kern — CEO, LinkGevity — Necrosis Inhibitors To Pause The Diseases Of Aging

Necrosis Inhibitors To Pause The Diseases Of Aging — Dr. Carina Kern Ph.D. — CEO, LinkGevity

Dr. Carina Kern, Ph.D. is the CEO of LinkGevity (https://www.linkgevity.com/), an AI-powered biotech company driving innovation in drug discovery for aging and resilience loss.

Dr. Kern has developed a new Blueprint Theory of Aging, which takes an integrative approach to understanding aging, combining evolutionary theory, genetics, molecular mechanisms and medicine, and is used to structure LinkGevity’s AI.

Dr. Kern’s labs are based at the Babraham Research Campus, affiliated with the University of Cambridge and her research has led to the development of a first-in-class necrosis inhibitor targeting cellular degeneration (Anti-Necrotic™). This novel therapeutic is ready to begin Phase II clinical trials later this year, as a potential breakthrough treatment for aging, with UK Government, Francis Crick Institute KQ labs, and European Union (Horizon) support.

The Anti-Necrotic™ has also been selected as one of only 12 global innovations for NASA’s Space-Health program, recognizing its potential to mitigate accelerated aging in astronauts on long-duration space missions.

Continue reading “Dr. Carina Kern — CEO, LinkGevity — Necrosis Inhibitors To Pause The Diseases Of Aging” | >

Key driver of extreme winds on Venus identified

Imagine the catastrophic winds of a category 5 hurricane. Now, imagine even faster winds of more than 100 meters per second, encircling the planet and whipping clouds across the sky, with no end in sight. This scenario would be astonishing on Earth, but it’s business as usual on Venus, where the atmosphere at cloud level rotates about 60 times faster than the planet itself—a phenomenon known as superrotation. In contrast, Earth’s cloud-level atmosphere rotates at about the same speed as the planet’s surface.

Prior research has explored the mechanisms driving atmospheric superrotation on Venus, but the details remain murky. New evidence from Lai and team suggests that a once-daily atmospheric tidal cycle, fueled by heat from the sun, contributes much more to the planet’s extreme winds than previously thought. The study is published in the journal AGU Advances.

Rapid atmospheric rotation often occurs on rocky planets that, like Venus, are located relatively close to their stars and rotate very slowly. On Venus, one full rotation takes 243 Earth days. Meanwhile, the races around the planet in a mere 4 Earth days.

Microsoft: Windows 10 KB5072653 OOB update fixes ESU install errors

Microsoft has released an emergency Windows 10 KB5072653 out-of-band update to resolve ongoing issues with installing the November extended security updates.

Windows 10 reached the end of support on October 14, 2025, and Microsoft no longer introduces new features or releases free security updates.

For individuals and business customers who wish to continue using Windows 10, Microsoft offers extended security updates (ESU).

Intel’s ‘Advanced Packaging’ Attracts Attention From Apple and Qualcomm, Potentially Opening a New Frontier for the Foundry Business

Intel might have been lagging significantly behind in the chip business, but when it comes to advanced packaging, the firm has competitive options.

Ever since high-performance computing became the norm in the industry, the demand for robust compute solutions has increased at a pace that surpasses the improvements brought about by relying solely on Moore’s Law. But, to meet the industry’s demand, manufacturers like AMD and NVIDIA adopted advanced packaging technologies, which essentially brought in ‘multiple chips’ in a single package, boosting chip densities as well as platform performance. Advanced packaging solutions have become an integral part of the supply chain, and TSMC has dominated this segment for several years now, but this could change.

In new job listings by Qualcomm and Apple, it appears that both companies are seeking talent with expertise in Intel’s EMIB advanced packaging technology. The Cupertino giant is hiring a DRAM packaging engineer, requiring experience in “advanced packaging technologies such as CoWoS, EMIB, SoIC, and PoP”. Similarly, Qualcomm is recruiting a Director of Product Management for its Data Center Business Unit, which requires familiarity with Intel’s EMIB as well, indicating that interest is defintely there.

/* */