Lifeboat Foundation

New technology gradually freeing us from societal and even biological constraints.

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All the disparate elements that will likely be needed to create a true, strong AI are finally coming together now, double time!

Continue reading “Swarm of aquatic robots learns to cooperate” »

The widespread use of virtual reality is inevitable, and it’s getting closer and closer. A new movie called Creative Control now takes the tech to the next level, and the results aren’t good.

Written, directed by and starring Benjamin Dickinson, Creative Control premiered at South by Southwest 2015 to solid reviews and finally hits theaters March 11. It centers on an executive whose company has created the next level of virtual reality, in a form that not-so-subtly reminds us of Google Glass. But as things turn to sex—as they tend to do—the virtual takes precedence over the reality.

Continue reading “In the New Movie Creative Control, Virtual Reality Is Dangerously Irresistible” »

A new study has shown that the lifespans of mice can be extended by up to 35 percent by simply clearing out senescent cells — defunct cells that stop dividing, accumulate in old age, and trigger inflammation in fat, muscle, and kidney tissues.

Not only did the mice experience significantly longer lifespans thanks to removal of these cells, but the treatment also delayed the onset of age-related disorders such as heart and kidney deterioration, and the development of cataracts and tumours.

“It’s not just that we’re making these mice live longer; they actually stay healthier longer too. That’s important, because if you were going to equate this to people, well, you don’t want to just extend the years of life that people are miserable or hospitalised,” one of the team, cell biologist Darren Barker from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, told William Herkewitz at Popular Mechanics.

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Welcome to the future, folks.

There is more mineral wealth just floating around our solar system than a million times the amount Earth EVER contained. As these asteroids are mined, tunnels will be built, forming the basis for a space station and/or colony. This fact more than doubling the usefulness of the entire operation, AND it’s return on investment. I think THIS is going to be the way in which we’ll begin to colonize our Solar System. Also, a lot of the hazardous (to the environment, human beings, and/or both) that are an inevitable byproduct of heavy industry on our planet could be exported to stations like these, tripling the value of the entire operation.

Continue reading “The Race To Mine Asteroids Gains International Support” »

Ampakines are known mental stimulants, but in rats they can also shelter the brain from age-related decline and even reverse deterioriation

A number of changes happen in the aging brain and one of these is a dendritic loss which onsets around middle age. In a new study, researchers have shown a particular drug belonging to the ampakine class of compounds, has significant neuroprotective properties.

Shielding the brain

Continue reading “Nootropic Drug Can Reverse And Prevent Cognitive Decline In Rats” »

Another article just came out today providing additional content on the Quantum Computing threat and it did reference the article that I had published. Glad that folks are working on this.

The NSA is worried about quantum computers. It warns that it “must act now” to ensure that encryption systems can’t be broken wide open by the new super-fast hardware.

In a document outlining common concerns about the effects that quantum computing may have on national security and encryption of sensitive data, the NSA warns that “public-key algorithms… are all vulnerable to attack by a sufficiently large quantum computer.”

Continue reading “NSA Plans to ‘Act Now’ to Ensure Quantum Computers Can’t Break Encryption” »

By David Patterson Professor of Computer Science University of California, Berkeley This ancient assassin, first identified by a pharaoh’s physician, has been killing people for more than 4,600 years. As scientists found therapies for other lethal diseases–such as measles, influenza, and heart disease–cancer moved up this deadly list and will soon be #1; 40% of Americans will face cancer during their lifetimes, with half dying from it. Most of us ignore cancer until someone close is diagnosed, but instead society could zero in on this killer by recording massive data to discover better treatments before a loved one is in its crosshairs.

Cancer is unlimited cell growth caused by problems in DNA. Some people are born with precarious DNA, and others acquire it later. When a cell divides, sometimes it miscopies a small amount of its DNA, and these errors can overwhelm a cell’s defenses to cause cancer. Thus, you can get it without exposure to carcinogens. Cigarettes, radiation, asbestos, and so on simply increase the copy error rate. Speaking figuratively, every time a cell reproduces, we roll the dice on cancer, with such mutagens loading the dice to raise cancer’s chances.

Most cancer studies today use partial genomic information and have fewer than 1,000 patients. One wonders whether their conclusions would still hold if they used complete genomes and increased the number of patients by factors of 10–100.

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=QNCxKbKLVCo

A new type of powered exoskeleton aims to extend the benefits of the technology to people at a much lower price tag.

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