Lifeboat Foundation

Good article. Robots taking over the world? No. All human workers replaced by a robot? No Will humans need enhancements to keep up with technology or do certain positions/ careers? Yes.

As robotics and artificial intelligence continue to accelerate in their development, there will be a dwindling number of jobs that machines won’t handle better than humans. How should we prepare for an economy that no longer needs us?

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To all parents and techers out there: here is a great program for the kids.

A brand new interactive theatre show for 8–11 year olds, We’re Stuck! takes children on a fun adventure with scientists and robots which could change their whole attitude to maths. Inspired by the extraordinary abilities and limitations of our brains, award-winning theatre-maker Sarah Punshon uses the latest educational neuroscience to tackle how utterly rubbish our brains can be. Ever got terribly stuck on a problem? Ever made a stupid mistake and felt like a fool? Then this show is for you.

Young adventurers will go on a special tour deep into the heart of Volcano Industries where they meet cutting edge scientists struggling with some unusual and extremely tricky problems in their top-secret research laboratory. In a promenade performance, the ridiculous heroes and the brave young audience go on a voyage of discovery, pitching themselves against ludicrously difficult tasks, getting horribly stuck, and risking total failure. It’ll be fun.

Continue reading “WE’RE STUCK! Teaches Maths to Children Using Cutting Edge Neuroscience” »

New study identifies genetic variants associated with preference to mornings or nights.

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Excellent news!

Physicists in Germany have used an experimental nuclear fusion device to produce hydrogen plasma in a process similar to what happens on the Sun. The test marks an important milestone on the road towards this super-futuristic source of cheap and clean nuclear energy.

Earlier today in an event attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel (herself a PhD physicist), researchers from the Max Planck Institute in Greifswald turned on the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator, an experimental nuclear fusion reactor. (Actually, the researchers let Merkel do the honors.) This €400 million ($435 million) stellarator is being used by physicists to test the technical viability of a future fusion reactor.

Continue reading “Scientists in Germany Take a Major Step Towards Nuclear Fusion” »

A futurologist predicts that developments in wearable and implantable technology will cause Homo sapiens to evolve into Homo Optimus by 2050.

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http://www.transcendencemovie.com/

Dr. Will Caster: “For 130,000 years, our capacity for reason has remained unchanged. The combined intellect of the neuroscientists, engineers, mathematicians and hackers in this auditorium pales in comparison to even the most basic AI. Once online, a sentient machine will quickly overcome the limits of biology. And in a short time, its analytical power will be greater than the collective intelligence of every person born in the history of the world. So now imagine such an entity with the full range of human emotion. Even self-awareness. Some scientists refer to this as ‘the Singularity’. I call it ’Transcendence’. The path to building such a super-intelligence requires us to unlock the most fundamental secrets of the universe. What is the nature of consciousness? Is there a soul? And if so, where does it reside?”

Luddite: “Dr. Caster.”

Continue reading “‘Some scientists refer to this as the Singularity. I call it Transcendence.’” »

“We know what we are… we know not what we may be”

-Shakespeare.

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GREIFSWALD, Germany (AP) — Scientists are poised to flip the switch on an experiment that could take them a step closer to the goal of generating clean and cheap nuclear power.

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“The distinctive troughs and crests of the human brain are not present in most animals; highly folded brains are seen only in a handful of species, including some primates, dolphins, elephants, and pigs. In humans, folding begins in fetal brains around the 20th week of gestation and is completed only when the child is about 18 months old.”

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