In Brief China has just announced that it will use blockchain technology for social taxation and issuing electronic invoices. This is just the latest example of the broad array of applications possible for the technology. Blockchain In China

The Chinese government listed blockchainin its Thirteenth Five-Year National Informatization Plan from 2015, and since that time the nation has been working diligently toward incorporate the technology into daily life. The techs inclusion in the plan signals the importance China has attached to it, and this was just confirmed by the governments announcement that it will utilize blockchain technology for social taxation and electronic invoice issuance matters.

This is a major development, and given that the Chinese economy is the worlds largest, with a 2016 GDP of over RMB 70 trillion (approximately U.S. $10.4 trillion), this should be an interesting test case for the implementation of blockchain technology. China has already launched a test of its own cryptocurrency based on the technology, so these initiatives should be able to build on each other.

Furthermore, we should also see implementation at the city level in China, as several local and provincial governments have recently promulgated pro-blockchain policies. In fact, asmart cities initiative has already enticed a Chinese automaker to integrate the tech into its business model. Additionally, blockchain-based industrial parks have gone up in Chengdu, Hangzhou, and other major cities, and agencies at different levels of government have created blockchain R&D teams.

This latest development in China is a good example of how blockchain technology can be used in a broad array of applications. Blockchain tech has been proposed for use in elections do to its potential for both transparency and security. Its these features that make it appealing for taxation as well.

Governments arent the only ones exploring the techs applications. Walmarthas started experimenting with a blockchain database that would protect consumers from contaminated food products as well as guard against product waste. Toyota is using blockchain to get its self-driving cars on the road faster, and the company plans to give customers access to their own data the same way.

Moving forward, we will see more and more innovative uses of blockchain technology as its potential is more fully realized. Transparency and security are both absolute essentials in a digital age, and China appears to be recognizing that need andputting this powerful techto use throughpolicy.

Disclosure: Several members of the Futurism team, including the editors of this piece, are personal investors in cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.

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China to Start Using Blockchain to Collect Taxes and Send Invoices - Futurism

In BriefREN21's latest Renewables Global Status Report claims thatmore solar energy technology installed worldwide in 2016 than anyother form of renewable energy. Overall, renewable energy isgrowing much faster than fossil fuels, with the former receivingdouble the investment dollars for the fifth consecutive year. Here Comes the Sun

The future of energy looks sunny. According to the latest Renewables Global Status Reportfrom REN21, more renewable power capacity was added in 2016 than all new fossil fuel capacity combined. In fact, for the fifth consecutive year, investment in new renewables was roughly double fossil fuel investments, with $264.8 billion invested in renewables worldwide in 2016.

Across the globe, renewable electricity costs are dropping, and of all the forms of renewable energy, REN21s report asserts that solar energy-capturing technology was the most popular in 2016.

This report is big news for the planet. Burning oil, coal, and other carbon-based fuels generates carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. A trend toward clean energy sources like solar, wind, and hydropower can only help the environment, but thats not the only reason for the switch.

As Australian National University professor Andrew Blakers wrote in The Conversation, It is probable that construction of new coal power stations will declinebecause PV (solar photovoltaics)and wind are now cost-competitive almost everywhere.

The financial benefits of renewables may not be enough to spur their adoption in the U.S., however. The current administrationsAmerica First Energy Planwithdraws the nation from the Paris Agreement, rescinds the Clean Power Plan, and supports new investment in coal three acts that could stymie the switch to clean energy. Additionally, President Trumps position on trade has the solar industry, which manufactures mostly in China,nervous.

Despite being the star of the Global Status Report, solar faces its own environmental drawbacks, also. As IEEE outlines, huge amounts of energy are required to manufacture solar panels, and in China, that energy is often generated through the burning of fossil fuels.

The process requires lots of water, produces toxic chemicals, and can expose workers to unsafe working conditions. The price cuts that come from manufacturing solar panels abroad have been a huge boon to the industry, but it has further polishing to do before it can be considered truly green.

The overall tone of theRenewables Global Status Report is positive, and we can beencouraged to know that worldwideCO2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry remained stablein 2016 for the third year in a row. Of course, atmospheric CO2 levels continue to increaseto record highs,and they will continue to do so until our emissions reach zero.

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Report: The World Invested $264 Billion in New Renewables in 2016 - Futurism

In his 2006 documentary,An InconvenientTruth,Former Vice President Al Gore quoted author Upton Sinclair in regards to those who refuse to believe, or even acknowledge, the reality of climate change. You know, more than 100 years ago, Upton Sinclair wrote this, that Its difficult to get a man to understand something if his salary depends upon his not understanding it.'

Gores choice of quote could not have been more precipitous: a decade later, the current presidential administration has positioned itself unapologetically in the climate changeskepticism camp. In fact, several members (arguably even President Trump himself) have alignedin toto with those who deny climate change entirely even in the face of blatant evidence, regarded as fact by the vast majority of the scientific community. A community whose job it is to understand and to help the rest of us understood irrespective of any fiscal interest or compensation.

In the first six months since taking office, the Trump administration made drastic changes to several of the United States environmental policies with many of those decisions coming within the presidents first hundred days. The appointment of Scott Pruitt as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the administrations decision to remove the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement, set the tone and intention.

The rollbacks to come, predominantly inthe form of slashed funding and repealed regulations, dealt a major blow to the integrity of the U.S. climate strategy, much of which was developedunder the Obama administration. The gamut of repeals included rules that protected land and water supplies from toxic chemicals (like arsenic and lead) being dumped there to the lifting of regulations that were designed to track, and ultimately reduce, emissions by oil and gas companies. Criticism of standards abounded, including those that have guidedvehicle fuel efficiencyand are aimed atreducing pollution.

The rewriting of the EPAs clean power plan, which began in March, ended a moratorium on coal mining and effectively ended requirements for climate change considerations when approving projects. Moratoriums put in place to prevent drilling on federal land were also lifted, and the Trump administration was quick to approve the controversial Keystone and Dakota access pipelines.

The policies are are really reckless and indefensible, Gore said in an exclusive interview with Futurism. But in spite of that were seeing a big movement in the U.S. to pick up where Donald Trump is leaving off. He added, referring to the grassroots movement in several cities, driven by state and municipal governments and citizens, to uphold the Paris Agreement at the citylevel efforts which Gore praises and believes will prevail. Were going to meet the commitments. [It]looks like the U.S. will meet the commitments made by former President Obama regardless of what Donald Trump says.

Gores sequel to An Inconvenient Truth aptly titledAn Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power drops this week, and it couldnt come at amore prime moment.When the first film came out ten years ago, it informed an entire generation of the real-time and longterm consequences of global warming. More importantly, it demanded that we confront our own action (and inaction) in the face of it. The sequel, then, will hopefully invigorate and further mobilize this action if not at thefederal level, than the local level.

And really, thats been the message Gore hoped to convey all along: thatthe fight against global warming has to happen where it started: with us, in our communities, our workplaces,and our homes. I dont even like to think about the prospects for humanity if we fail to act, Gore said. I think we will act. The remaining question is, how long will it take to really cross this political tipping point where we get bold action.

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Al Gore: The Trump Administration's Environmental Policies Are Reckless and Indefensible - Futurism

In Brief Coinbase has reversed its position on Bitcoin Cash following the fork on August 1. Now the platform has said it will offer support for the fork by January 1, although it is waiting to decide whether or not to add trading support.

Coinbase has softened its stance on Bitcoin Cash. Now the company plans to introduce support for the fork in 2018. After Bitcoin Cash was created on August 1, Coinbase, along with other cryptocurrency exchanges, opted out of trading it since it is not yet proven. Coinbase also took the position that users with original Bitcoin couldnt claim their Bitcoin Cash entitlement.

However, the company has now changed its position somewhat: in an email and blog post, Coinbase indicated that it will support Bitcoin Cash by January 1, and wait to make a decision about trading support. Users that want to withdraw their Bitcoin Cash will need to wait until support is implemented.

The shift was probably due to the outcry by Coinbase customers, some of whom threatened to leave or take legal action against the platform. According to analytics firm BlockSeer, Coinbase lost about half of its cold storage reserves after customers withdrew, although many in the community are unconcerned about the fork.

It took less than two days for Bitcoin Cash to become the markets third largest cryptocurrency (based on total on-market coins). Its market cap of $7 billion follows Bitcoin ($44 billion) and Ethereum ($21 billion) by a significant amount, but given the recency of the fork, its share is still impressive.What happens next is anyones guess.

Disclosure: Several members of the Futurism team, including the editors of this piece, are personal investors in cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.

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Coinbase Will Support Bitcoin Cash Starting in 2018 - Futurism

In BriefResearchers have discovered that quantum indistinguishabilitynecessarily plays a significant role in some chemical processes.This changes the way scientists will view chemistry, and willinfluence isotope fractionation and enzymatic catalysis. Entirely New Discoveries

In a world of quantum oddities, the phenomenon of indistinguishability, the impossibility of distinguishing between two quantum particles, remains notable. Superposition is one of the underlying causes of indistinguishability because there is no sure way to lock down an exact position of a quantum particle. This, in turn, makes it impossible to know which particle is which when two quantum particles interact in the same place. This leads to exotic particle behaviors, especially at low temperatures. Under those conditions, behavioral qualities of particles can resemble each other closely, causing phenomena such as Bose-Einstein condensates and superfluidity.

Chemistry, though, requires relatively high temperatures, which cause most substances to shed their quantum properties. This is why indistinguishable physics and chemistry have traditionally been approached as if they were completely distinct, allowing chemists to ignore the effects of quantum indistinguishability with confidence. However, University of California Santa Barbara researchers Matthew Fisher and Leo Radzihovsky are turning the field of chemistry on its head, proving this confidence has been misplaced.

The pair has now demonstrated for the first time that even at ordinary temperatures, quantum indistinguishability plays a significant role in some chemical processes. This means that indistinguishability most likely causes entirely new chemical phenomena such as isotope separation, and may also give betterexplanations for poorly understood phenomena such as reactive oxygen species and their enhanced chemical activity. The quantum coherence of atomic nuclei is of particular interest to the team.

Things like spin-isomers and symmetry are important in chemistry because many reactions depend upon molecules being able to fit together precisely. Fisher and Radzihovsky have demonstrated that quantum indistinguishability changes the way molecules fit together, then quantum indistinguishability prevents reactions that dont achieve symmetry between nuclei. Theyve also shown that para molecules with their greater range of possible symmetrical matches are necessarily more reactive than ortho molecules.

This research will have a major impact on enzymatic catalysis. Hydrogen, for example, is subject to the influence of quantum indistinguishability and is also central to the work of many enzymes. This is easier to predict than to test, however, since it is difficult to separate ortho- and para-versions of molecules.

Fisher and Radzihovsky also believe quantum indistinguishability will influence isotope fractionation by providing it with a new mechanism, and offer insight into reactive oxygen species and their enhanced chemical activity, not to mention biochemical molecules in general. Testing these predictions may be an uphill battle, but understanding some of the most critical and subtle phenomena in chemistry will be a worthwhile payoff.

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A New Quantum Understanding is About to Turn Chemistry on Its Head - Futurism

In Brief U.S. President Donald Trump decided to back out of the Paris climate deal two months ago. This doesn't mean, however, that the nation has hung up the gloves in the global fight against climate change. A group of states is taking the lead. The Will to Fight

When a door closes, a window opens, says an old adage. Well, for a number of states and their effort to fight climate change, its not enough to open a window theyre keeping the door open. Almost immediately after U.S. President Donald Trump decided to withdraw the countrys commitment to the historic Paris Climate Agreement, the United States Climate Alliance was born.

First there were three California, New York, and Washington State. I dont believe fighting reality is a good strategy not for America, not for anybody, California governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. previously said in a statement. If the President is going to be AWOL in this profoundly important human endeavor, then California and other states will step up.

Now, the alliance boasts a membership of 13 states and Puerto Rico representing a bi-partisan coalition committed to the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions [26-28 percent from 2005 levels] consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Latest to join the group is Colorado, after governor John Hickenlooper passed an executive order to cut the states greenhouse gas emissions before 2025.

So far, the U.S. Climate Alliance represents more than 33 percent of the U.S. population. Thats roughly $7.16 trillion of the nations GDP. The 14 members also cover a total of 1.3 million clean energy jobs. This is a grassroots-based movement, Gov. Hickenlooper said in a statement, the Denver Post reported. That groundswell will build into a national movement.

Clearly, the alliance is not something that can be ignored or easily dismissed and theyve been showing it. Each of the governors of these states have firmed up efforts in their respective states to make sure they meet the goals set by the Paris accords.

Above all, what these states represent is hope for a cleaner future. At the very least, it means that the U.S. currently the second largest contributor to greenhouse gasses, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists isnt letting up on efforts to save our planet, despite the seeming absence of federal support.

As Washington state governor Jay Inslee said, Our collective efforts to act on climate will ensure we maintain the [United States] commitment to curb carbon pollution while advancing a clean energy economy that will bring good-paying jobs to Americas workers.

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An Alliance Upholding the Paris Agreement Now Represents a Third of the US Population - Futurism

In BriefCalifornia is quickening its pace in its plan to achieve 100%renewable energy now by 2045. If the law is passed as expected,California's influence on clean energy and climate change will growand the state will become the nation's de facto leader. Clean Energy In California

California is striding closer to a future that includes100 percent renewable energy, faster than ever before. California Senate President Kevin de Len (D) has proposed a bill which would simultaneously limit Californias hydrocarbon consumption and increase its consumption of renewables according to several goals, and the bill has, as of now, officially cleared the committee stage. Experts feel it is likely to be signed into law by Governor Brown, and when it is, it will push California to produce 50 percent renewable energy from 2030 to 2026, and set new goals for 60 percent renewable energy by 2030, and 100 percent renewable energy by 2045.

This comes at a critical time in the US. President Trump has withdrawn the United States from the Paris Agreement and significantly weakened the EPA and other relevant agencies. Now is a crucial time for states, especially larger states with strong economic chops like California, to show leadershipagainst climate change. Jerry Brown and the California state legislature are making it known that they are committed to doing just that. Should the bill pass, California and Hawaii will be the only two states with legal requirements for 100 percent renewable energy use by 2045, although Massachusetts is considering a goal of 100 percent renewable energy use by 2050.

Several procedural hurdles remain before this bill is signed into law, but these are dwarfed by the infrastructural and fiscal challenges that the state will face in making the law work. Currently, California imports more than one-fourth of its electricity from outside the state, and although coals share of Californias total megawatt hours of power dropped from 1 percent in 2007 to only 0.2 percent in 2015, some estimate that six percent of its imported electricity comes from coal. In 2010, California imported only 25 percent, so the trend is not dropping as hoped.

California is also the third largest state producer of oil and gas, generating about 560,000 barrels of oil every day,as of January 2015, behind only Texas and North Dakota. This means that the state will need to eliminate an entire industry by 2045 and abandon hydrocarbon resources that are both lucrative and accessible. Second, the rest of the nation will miss the production from California at the pumps, paying higher prices for gas and oil across the board. This also means a loss of approximately 456,000 jobs and $38 billion in salaries, about 3.4 percent of Californias GDP. The state will also need to modify or replace more than 50 percent of its infrastructure to support the use of renewables.

Still, if any state can succeed in this its probably California, which has an existing installed solar capacity of 18,296 megawatts as of 2016 thats sufficient to bring power to more than 4 million homes. Californias clean energy sector keeps smashing records, as clean energy jobs in California alone outnumber coal jobs nationwide by an order of magnitude. In March, solar supplied more than half of the states power for a few hours.

Even California utility companies are seeing the light with renewables, for the most part. San Diego Gas and Energy (SDG&E) communications manager Joe Britton told KPBSthat 43 percent of the power provided by the utility in 2016 came from sources that do not advance climate changeone of the highest percentages nationwide. Furthermore, investor-owned utilities in the state are already meeting 27.6 percent of their load with renewable energy sources, and eight California cities have joined a total of 37 cities in the US that have pledged to transition to 100% renewables.

Perhaps most striking is that Californians want this bill. They have come out en masse to support it, and with this kind of public support and commercial potential, the bill has a great chance of success.

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California Aims to Use 100% Renewable Energy by 2045 - Futurism

In Brief IBM and Sony have successfully developed a magnetic tape storage cartridge capable of containing more than 300 terabytes of data. This device, which comes in the smallest format there is, could revolutionize data storage even in cloud platforms. On a Roll

Magnetic tape drives have been around for more than six decades now. Its commercial use has been mostly for storing data, such as tax documents and health care records, from mainframe computers. From the first 2-megabyte tape drives in the 1950s, todays versions are now capable of storing up to 15 terabytes. IBM has been pushing it further.

In partnership with Sony Storage Media Solutions, IBM has broken its previousrecord for the worlds densest tape drive, announcing a product capable of storing 330 terabytes of uncompressed data. Thats more storage than the worlds biggest hard drives, capable of holdingabout 330 million books. The tape drives cartridge could fit into the palm of a persons hand.

The results of this collaboration have led to various improvements in the media technology, such as advanced roll-to-roll technology for long sputtered tape fabrication and better lubricant technology, which stabilizes the functionality of the magnetic tape, IBM fellow Evangelos Eleftheriou said in a statement, The Verge reported.

To achieve such storage capacity, IBM researchers had to develop new technologies, including advanced nanotech and new signal-processing algorithms. The end result was a tape that had an areal surface capable of storing 31gigabits per cm (201 gigabits per in). Details of the devices development was published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Magnetics.

The end goal, of course, is commercial use. Specifically, IBM is looking to expand magnetic tape use to applications in the cloud. Tape has traditionally been used for video archives, back-up files, replicas for disaster recovery, and retention of information on premise, but the industry is also expanding to off-premise applications in the cloud, Eleftheriou said according to reporting from The Verge.

While sputtered tape is expected to cost a little more to manufacture than current commercial tape, the potential for very high capacity will make the cost per terabyte very attractive, making this technology practical for cold storage in the cloud, he added.

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IBM Announces Record Breaking New Data Storage Device - Futurism

In Brief Apple CEO Tim Cook just confirmed that the company has a "large project" involving autonomous systems, but it's not limited to self-driving cars. Cook declined to elaborate any further on what other applications he had in mind during the company's earnings call on Tuesday,

The rumors that Apple may be building an autonomous systemreceived an update yesterday. During a conference call with investors on Tuesday afternoon, CEO Tim Cook hinted at the work Apple is doing with such systems as well as with artificial intelligence (AI).

[Autonomous] systems can be used in a variety of ways, Cook said. A vehicle is only one, but there are many different areas of it. And I dont want to go any further with that.

There you have it, folks. While it seems thatApple may be building a vehicle and even receivedapproval to test one in Californian roads whats clear is that its developing an autonomous system that could be used in more than just cars. This shouldnt come as a surprise, especially now that Apple has been actively pursuing AI development.

We are very focused on autonomous systems, Cook added. We do have a large project going, and are making a big investment in this. From our point of view, autonomy is sort of the mother of all AI projects.

Much of the focus to this point has been the application of autonomous systems in cars, and for good reason. Autonomous vehicles are heralded as the future of safer driving. By eliminating the cause of most major accidents human error self-driving cars could save some 40,000 lives each year in the U.S.

But what is the potentialof such systems beyond the automotive example? If anyone could think of exciting new ways to use AI and autonomous systems, its the creative minds at Apple. Hopefully they wont keep us waiting too long to learn what new tech they are cooking up.

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Tim Cook Hints That Apple Is Working on Autonomous Systems But Not Just for Cars - Futurism

Next-Level Integration

As automakers like Tesla, Toyota, and Volvo focus on developing vehicles that can interact autonomously with their environments, Ari Teman is exploring ways the cars of the future could interact with you. The inventor, designer, and technologist told Futurism he sees biometrics, which is the ability for a vehicle, an environment, or a service to recognize who you are and how you are, as one of the biggest developments in transportation in recent years.

Though the tech may sound futuristic, biometrics are already a part of our everyday lives the fingerprint sensor you use to unlock your smartphone or the voice recognition software that lets you command your tech via speech are two fairly prevalent examples. While the use of biometrics in the automotive sector isnt as common, it is predicted to grow steadily over the next few years, and a report by Frost & Sullivans Intelligent Mobility Team predicts that a third of new cars will incorporate biometric sensors by 2025.

Teman is currently working with Deutsche Telekoms datacom division to take biometric technology to the next level. He envisions a future in which cars are able to do far more than simply transport passengers from point A to point B. This smart transportation experience will begin before you even enter the car, he predicts.

Your vehicle will recognize you as you approach, says Teman. Theres no driver whos going to look out the window and go, Oh, its Neil. Its going to be a camera, and its going to say, I have to pull up to Neil, whos standing on the sidewalk, and not Joe, whos standing 10 feet away from him.

As soon as a rider enters the vehicle, the cars biometric sensors will go to work. Once youre in the car, were reading your vitals, and were reading your neurological signs, asserts Teman. Everything from how a car operates to the route it chooses can be automatically adjusted based on this information to best suit the passenger.

The car may notice that every time it makes a turn, your heart rate rises, Teman explains. The vehicle could interpret this information as a sign that youre nervous and that it should make an adjustment. The car will think Maybe I should slow down or Maybe theres something in this neighborhood that is bothering this passenger, and it will consider taking a detour or different route next time, says Teman.

He thinks the biometric-equipped car of the future will even be able to make subtle environmental changes based on the biological data it collects: If the car sees youre tired, it can dim the lights. If it sees youre shivering, it can turn up the heat.

While the technology Teman is working on is still on the horizon, several companies have already demonstrated examples of how biometrics can be applied to the transportation sector to make driving safer and more comfortable today.

At the 2017 Consumer Electronics Showcase in Las Vegas, German automaker Continental debuted theirBiometric Access System. Drivers in cars with the system must provide fingerprint authentication to start the engine, helping prevent theft. Meanwhile, an interior camera uses facial recognition software to adjust the cars settings based on the driver, ensuring a more comfortable, personalized experience.

At the same event, electronics company Gentex revealed theirbiometric system. This iris-scanning technology can be incorporated into a vehicles rear-view mirror and is 99.9 percent accurate at confirming a drivers identity. If the person in the car isnt recognized, the system can text the cars owner or limit functionality. If the driver is recognized, everything from the seat to the radio can be adjusted automatically to suit their preferences.

Other companies are taking a focus on safety with their biometric innovations.

Two firms are currently developing car headrests with built-in electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors to tell if a driver is distracted or even falling asleep. If one of these systems notices a problem, it can trigger the cars steering wheel or seat to shake to return the drivers attention to the road.

Meanwhile, Olea Sensor Networks has created a device that attaches to the seat belt in a car to monitor the driver or passengers vital signs. In the case of an accident, it can even automatically notify first-responders, letting them know the passengers identities and conditions.

These innovations are just the beginning. The relationship between ourselves and our cars is poised to shift dramatically in the coming years, transitioning from one in which we dictate the transportation experience into one in which we are quite literally along for the ride.

This interview has been slightly edited for clarity and brevity.

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In The Future, Your Car Will Read Your Biology to Make Decisions for You - Futurism

The Quest For Another Earth

Humankind is eager to step out into the cosmos and wander across the deserted plains of the Red Planet. According to most reports, Elon Musk is leading the way with SpaceX; however, a number of other orginizationsNASA, Chinas Space Agency, The Mars Societyare training, deploying prototypes, and working on the plethora of questions and challenges that we will face when attempting to bring the first human beings to Mars.

But, as much as it might seem natural to get entrenched in the details of how we will actually get humans off of planet Earth (and keep them mentally and physically healthy throughout the duration), it is critical that we remember why were going in the first place.

In a recent interview, Buzz Aldrinthe renowned astronaut, engineer, and (of course) the second human to ever step foot on the Moonexplained why exploration and discovery are so important, touching upon why we should (and why we will) have humans on Mars in 20 years

Aldrin begins by stating that, from both a scientific and technological perspective, we are at the perfect juncture to push the boundaries of exploration. He asserts that, thanks to recent advancements, for the first time in human history, voyaging to other worlds is truly within our reach: Now is the time to start thinking seriously about what life on Mars might look like. We have never been closer to knowing and exploring another planet.

When asked just how close we really are to achieving this feat, Aldrin was quick to respond with his timeline, saying that we could have the first Human Martians at Mars by 2040.

Aldrin continued by segueing into a discussion of why venturing to other worlds is important, noting that, in many ways, our planet is ancient and familiar and the other bodies in our solar system are, for all intents and purposes, virgin territory: Space travel and exploration represents the final frontier weve now surveyed and scrutinized almost every inch of this planet, but there is so much we have yet to learn.

However, Aldrin states that the most notable aspects of this quest are about far more than just acquiring knowledge for the sake of knowledge or conquering new worlds. The journey to Mars will bring with it reignited excitement for science and innovation,creating a generation of young people who have ingrained within them a thirst for understanding and exploration.

When Buzz stepped onto the Moon in 1969, countless youth were captivated by the story and went on to pursue careers in STEM fields, hoping to achieve monumental feats of similar proportions.

Indeed, Aldrin is very aware of the impact that action in science has on the youth, stressing that, we can only get there [to Mars] if we start investing in future generations. Ultimately, as previously noted, he says that this investment is the key to long-term success: In 1903, man learned to fly airplanes. Only 66 years later, we walked on the Moon. In order to help the next generation to make giant leaps like these, we must educate, enable and inspire them to be passionate about subjects like science, technology, engineering, art, and math.

Aldrin notes that he has devoted himself to helping foster such a desire in young people, saying, Thats the mission of the SpaceShare Foundation, and its one I wholeheartedly support.

Aldrins Space Share Foundation is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to inspiring childrens passions for science and technology by providing educational tools to educators across the country at no cost. The goal of this work is to ensure that all young people are given the resources that they need to live up to their potential. After all, one never knows who the next Carl Sagan could be.

As Former President Barack Obama noted in a speech at the Frontiers Conference, America is about Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothersbut were also the place you can grow up to be a Grace Hopper, or George Washington Carver, or a Katherine Johnson, or an Ida B. Wells. We dont want somebody with a brilliant idea not in the room because theyre a woman. We dont want some budding genius unavailable to cure cancer or come up with a new energy source because they were languishing in a sub-standard school as a child. Because were going to be a better team if we got the whole team.

Aldrin echoes these ideas, noting that, while reaching Mars in the next 20 years is extremely likely, it will only happen if we ensure that young people are given every opportunity to be the best that they can be: Sometimes I cant believe this lucky kid from New Jersey got to land and walk on the Moonwork hard and keep reaching for the stars.

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Buzz Aldrin: We Will Have Humans on Mars in the Next 20 Years - Futurism

In BriefOnly a little more than 10 light-years away is a glimpse intothe past of our solar system. The nearby star system resembles anapproximation of what our solar system may have looked like in itsearly development.

Astronomers are understandably fascinated with the Epsilon Eridani system. For one, this star system is in close proximity to our own, at a distance of about 10.5 light-years from the Solar System. Second, it has been known for some time that it contains two asteroid belts and a large debris disk. And third, astronomers have suspected for many years that this star may also have a system of planets.

On top of all that, a new study by a team of astronomers has indicated that Epsilon Eridani may be what our own Solar System was like during its younger days. Relying on NASAs Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) aircraft, the team conducted a detailed analysis of the system that showed how it has an architecture remarkably similar to what astronomer believe the Solar System once looked like.

Led by Kate Su an Associate Astronomer with the Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona the team includes researchers and astronomers from the Department of Physics & Astronomy of Iowa State University, the Astrophysical Institute and University Observatory at the University of Jena (Germany), and NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Ames Research Center.

For the sake of their study the results of which were published in The Astronomical Journal under the title The Inner 25 AU Debris Distribution in the Epsilon Eri System the team relied on data obtained by a flight of SOFIA in January 2015. Combined with detailed computer modeling and research that went on for years, they were able to make new determinations about the structure of the debris disk.

As already noted, previous studies of Epsilon Eridani indicated that the system is surrounded by rings made up of materials that are basically leftovers from the process of planetary formation. Such rings consist of gas and dust, and are believed to contain many small rocky and icy bodies as well like the Solar Systems own Kuiper Belt, which orbits our Sun beyond Neptune.

Careful measurements of the disks motion has also indicated that a planet with nearly the same mass as Jupiter circles the star at a distance comparable to Jupiters distance from the Sun. However, based on prior data obtained by the NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists were unable to determine the position of warm material within the disk i.e. the dust and gas which gave rise to two models.

In one, warm material is concentrated into two narrow rings of debris that orbit the star at distances corresponding respectively to the Main Asteroid Belt and Uranus in our Solar System. According to this model, the largest planet in the system would likely be associated with an adjacent debris belt. In the other, warm material is in a broad disk, is not concentrated into asteroid belt-like rings, and is not associated with any planets in the inner region.

Using the new SOFIA images, Su and her team were able to determine that the warm material around Epsilon Eridani is arranged like the first model suggests. In essence, it is in at least one narrow belt, rather than in a broad continuous disk. As Su explained in a NASA press release:

The high spatial resolution of SOFIA combined with the unique wavelength coverage and impressive dynamic range of the FORCAST camera allowed us to resolve the warm emission around eps Eri, confirming the model that located the warm material near the Jovian planets orbit. Furthermore, a planetary mass object is needed to stop the sheet of dust from the outer zone, similar to Neptunes role in our solar system. It really is impressive how eps Eri, a much younger version of our solar system, is put together like ours.

These observations were made possible thanks to SOFIAs on-board telescopes, which have a greater diameter than Spitzer 2.5 meters (100 inches) compared to Spitzers 0.85 m (33.5 inches). This allowed for far greater resolution, which the team used to discern details within the Epsilon Eridani system that were three times smaller than what had been observed using the Spitzer data.

In addition, the team made use of SOFIAs powerful mid-infrared camera the Faint Object infraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST). This instrument allowed the team to study the strongest infrared emissions coming from the warm material around the star which are otherwise undetectable by ground-based observatories at wavelengths between 25-40 microns.

These observations further indicate that the Epsilon Eridani system is much like our own, albeit in younger form. In addition to having asteroid belts and a debris disk that is similar to our Main Belt and Kuiper Belt, it appears that it likely has more planets waiting to be found within the spaces between. As such, the study of this system could help astronomers to learn things about the history of our own Solar System.

Massimo Marengo, one of he co-authors of the study, is an Associate Professor with the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Iowa State University. As he explained in a University of Iowa press release:

This star hosts a planetary system currently undergoing the same cataclysmic processes that happened to the solar system in its youth, at the time in which the moon gained most of its craters, Earth acquired the water in its oceans, and the conditions favorable for life on our planet were set.

At the moment, more studies will need to be conducted on this neighboring stars system in order to learn more about its structure and confirm the existence of more planets. And it is expected that the deployment of next-generation instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in October of 2018 will be extremely helpful in that regard.

The prize at the end of this road is to understand the true structure of Epsilon Eridanis out-of-this-world disk, and its interactions with the cohort of planets likely inhabiting its system, Marengo wrote in a newsletter about the project. SOFIA, by its unique ability of capturing infrared light in the dry stratospheric sky, is the closest we have to a time machine, revealing a glimpse of Earths ancient past by observing the present of a nearby young sun.

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In Brief Barely 48 hours since its spin-off from the Bitcoin blockchain, Bitcoin Cash has already surged past other cryptocurrencies to become the third-biggest in terms of market capitalization. How the currency will fare over time is still up for debate, as it still lacks support from several mining pools and major exchanges. [Un]Expected Boom

Less thantwo days aftersplitting from the main Bitcoin network, Bitcoin Cash[BCC] now ranks third amongst the worlds most valuable cryptocoins. The budding cryptocurrency has reached a market cap of more $7.7 billion as of this writing, overtaking Ripples $6.7 billion market cap.

With a market cap of alittle more than $44 billion, the original Bitcoin currency is leading the market, while Ethereum comes in second at $20.9 billion. In terms of value per coin, Bitcoin Cash is even ahead of Ethereums current valuation of $223.54, with a per unit value of $470.27.

The surge in Bitcoin Cash comes despite a lack of support from several mining pools and major exchanges like Coinbase and BitMEX. Some Coinbase users are eventhreatening to sue the exchangefor not recognizing the currency.

Blockchain Globals recently re-opened Australian Cryptocurrency Exchange, on the other hand, is confirming Bitcoin Cash trades and claims to have seen a huge demand for the currency. We are receiving a lot of off-market orders for bitcoin cash theyre exploding! venture partner Sebastian Quinn-Watson told Business Insider.

The creation of Bitcoin Cash was the result of anongoing debate regarding how to scale Bitcoin blockchain transactions, and experts are currently dividedon how the split will ultimately play out.

For now, this sudden increase in value is understandable. Bitcoin Cash carries all the history of the original Bitcoin platform up until the fork on August 1, which means anyone with Bitcoin now has an equalamount of Bitcoin Cash.

Eventually, Bitcoin Cash should be able to stabilize itself for market exchanges, but right now, speculation is causing a surge in initial interest. People are selling their Bitcoin positions and buying Bitcoin Cash as a proposition that it is the new coin that has more value in the future, explainedQuinn-Watson. Its a bit speculative.

No one knows for surehow long Bitcoin Cash can sustain this upshot. As with other digital currencies, Bitcoin Cashs value depends mainly on how much value investors assign to it and how easily it can be used for real-world transactions.

Theres no infrastructure available out of the box to support BCC, Fran Strajnar, co-founder and CEO of Brave New Coin,told CNBC. The network needs further support and infrastructure needs to be as easy as Bitcoin; otherwise, its over for BCC.

Disclosure: Several members of the Futurism team, including the editors of this piece, are personal investors in a number of cryptocurrency markets. Their personal investment perspectives have no impact on editorial content.

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In Less Than 2 Days, Bitcoin Cash Becomes Third Biggest Cryptocurrency - Futurism

In BriefA study published today in the journal Nature confirms earlierreports of the first-ever successful gene-editing of embryos in theU.S. Though controversial, the treatment could one day be used toaddress any of the 10,000 disorders linked to just a single geneticerror. Correcting Mutant Genes

Last week, reports circulated that doctors had successfully edited a gene in a human embryo the first time such a thing had been done in the United States. The remarkable achievement confirmed the powerful potential of CRISPR, the worlds most efficient and effective gene-editing tool. Now, details of the research have been published inNature.

The procedure involved correcting the DNA of one-cell embryos using CRISPRto remove the MYBPC3 gene. That gene is known to cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a heart disease that affects 1 out of 500 people. HCM has no known cure or treatment as its symptoms dont manifest until the disease causes sudden death through cardiac arrest.

The researchers started with human embryos created from 12 healthy female donors and sperm from a male volunteer who carried the MYBOC3 gene. The defective gene was cut out using CRISPR around the time the sperm was injected into the eggs.

As a result, as the embryos divided and grew, many repaired themselves using the non-edited genes from the genetic materials of the female donors, and in total, 72 percent of the cells that formed appeared to be corrected. The researchers didnt notice any off-target effects on the DNA, either.

The researchers told The Washington Postthat their workwas fairly basic. Really, we didnt edit anything, neither did we modify anything, explained Shoukhrat Mitalipov, lead author and a researcher at the Oregon Health and Science University. Our program is toward correcting mutant genes.

Basicor not, the development is remarkable.By using this technique, its possible to reduce the burden of this heritable disease on the family and eventually the human population, Mitalipov said in an OHSU press release.

However, gene editing is a controversial area of study, and the researchers work included changes to the germ line, meaning the changes could be passed down to future generations. To be clear, though, the embryos were allowed to grow for only a few days and none were implanted into a womb (nor was that ever the researchers intention).

In fact, current legislation in the U.S. prohibits the implantation of edited embryos. Thework conducted by these researchers waswell within the guidelines set by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine on the use of CRISPR to edit human genes.

University of Wisconsin-Madison bioethicist Alta Charo thinks that the benefits of this potential treatment outweigh all concerns. What this represents is a fascinating, important, and rather impressive incremental step toward learning how to edit embryos safely and precisely, she told The WashingtonPost. [N]o matter what anybody says, this is not the dawn of the era of the designer baby.

Before the technique could be truly beneficial, regulations must be developed that provide clearer guidelines, according to Mitalipov. If not, this technology will be shifted to unregulated areas, which shouldnt be happening, he explained.

More than 10,000 disorders have been linked to just a single genetic error, and as the researchers continue with their work, their next target is BRCA, a gene associated with breast cancer growth.

Mitalipov hopes that their technique could one day be used to treat a wide-range of genetic diseases and save the lives of millions of people. After all, treating a single gene at the embryonic stage is far more efficient that changing a host of them in adults.

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First US Human Embryo Gene Editing Experiment Successfully Corrects a Heart Condition - Futurism

In Brief Hyperloop One has just put its tech through another test, which it passed with flying colors by going 308 km/h (192 mph) faster than ever before. So, how long until we see the technology implemented, and what challenges will it have to overcome to get to this stage? Hyperloop One tests are growing ever more impressive, reaching faster speeds and, in the process, showing us what the technology is really capable of. During thelatest evaluation, on Saturday, the pod reached speeds of 308 km/h (192 mph) down the companys 500-meter (1,640-foot) test track in Nevada, before gliding to a graceful halt.

This is a remarkable improvement on the companys first full system test earlier this summer. During this outing, it traveled farther by a factor of 4.5 times, reached speeds 2.7 times faster, and achieved 3.5 times the horsepower.

Shervin Pishevar, Hyperloop One co-founder, told CNBC, Weve got the Hyperloop working. Its the dawn now [] of the commercialization of the hyperloops. Weve got conversations and dialogues with governments around the world.

Pishevar was referring to the worldwide travel he has been undertaking recently. The company is currently looking at various cities in the U.S. to build a loopand is also planning on installing the system in Europe. In fact, Hyperloop One is alreadyundertaking feasibility studies in Finland, Moscow, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.K.

Despite these successes, there are still hurdles that need to be overcome before we see the transportation system of the future. Most prominently, it will need to achieve the right-of-way allowances, land acquisitions, and regulatory approvals that other means of transportation like the railway enjoy.

However, this announcement gives us a reassuring reminder that the future of transport isnt far away.

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Hyperloop One Passes Second Full System Test Faster Than Ever Before - Futurism

In Brief A study by a team from the Houston Methodist Research Institute showed the potential of a treatment that targets telomeres in chromosomes to reverse cellular aging. Lab tests using cells from patients with genetic disease causing accelerated aging proved to be promising. The Mechanisms of Aging

For a phenomenon that affects all living beings, theres nothing simple about aging. Experimentsthat focus on understanding aging are as numerous and varied as the aspects of the subject itself. Some look at the roles that the brain or the mitochondria have on aging, while others examine some protein or another. A study from the Houston Methodist Research Institute(HMRI) is focusing on chromosomes.

Specifically, the team led by cardiovascular sciences department chair John Cooke, looked at telomeres the region located at the tip of every chromosome, thelength of which supposedly corresponds to age. Cookes team studied the cells of children with a fatalgenetic disease called progeria that causes rapid aging.

In their study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the researchers discovered that extending the shortened telomeres effectively halted aging in the isolated sample cells taken from the patients with progeria. What weve shown is that when we reverse the process of the telomere shortening in the cells from these children and lengthen them, it can reverse a lot of the problems associated with aging, Cooke said in an HMRI press release.

Cookes team isnt the first to associate telomeres with aging. The field, however, isnt considered that precise yet. Medical genetics professor Peter Lansdorp at the University of British Columbia told Motherboardthat theres still a lot to learn in this area. It is not hard to find a 70-year-old with longer telomeres than a teenager, he said, noting that the decline in telomeres works as a tumor suppression mechanism for the body.

Furthermore, since the study was limited to cell samples taken from just 17 patients on a lab dish, the researchers still need to see if it could work in cells functioning inside the body. The next step is to deliver the same treatment directly into patients, beginning with children suffering from progeria.

Still, Cooke is hopeful. We can at least stall or slow down accelerated aging, and thats what were working toward, he said in the press release. I want to develop a therapy for these children. Its an unmet need.

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New Research Suggests We Can Stop Human Cells From Aging - Futurism

In Brief Apple is leading the way in terms of hearing impaired accessibility with their devices. The tech giant has teamed up with Cochlear to create a new implant that allows the hearing impaired to hear audio from their compatible Apple devices.

Technology and innovation have the power to level the playing field between all kinds of people, including the disabled. One such innovation is helping hearing impaired people better connect with the world and lead fuller lives. Apple has partnered with Cochlear, a company who develops devices that allow the hearing impaired to hear better, or in some cases, for the very first time.

This partnership has led to the development of the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, which streams audio from a compatible Apple device (iPhones, iPads, iPod touches) directly to a persons implant via Bluetooth technology. These surgically implanted devices give hearing impairedindividuals the power to not only hear activity on theirdevices but also customize the audio.

Apple began by creating a protocol for use by hearing device developers and manufacturers to make devices compatible with Apples products. Apples senior manager for global accessibility policy and initiatives, Sarah Herrlinger, told TechCrunch, We want everybody to use our technology and to say wow my iPhone is the best piece of technology Ive ever used beforewith every iteration of our operating system our goal is to add in new accessibility features in order to expand the support that we can give to people all over the world.

The Hearing Health Foundation estimates that greater than 50 million Americans have experienced hearing loss. This technology aims to help widen the auditory world for a great number of people.

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Apple and Cochlear Have Teamed Up to Create iPhone Compatible ... - Futurism

In BriefThe first reviews of Tesla's Model 3 are in and they areresoundingly positive beyond expectations, even for thoseanticipating the world from the new model. Yes, the reviews arefilled with hyperbole and they're absolutely heartfelt, with thedetail to back them up. A Peerless Ride

As the Tesla Model 3 launch was imminent, Jack Stewart of Wired wrote, The arrival of Teslas Model 3 signals a new chapter in automotive history, one that erases 100-plus years of the gas engine and replaces it with technology, design, and performance hot enough to make electric vehicles more than aspirational to make [electric vehicles (EVs)] inspirational. But would it live up to its promise?

If youre still feeling skeptical about Teslas Model 3, the reviewers definitely arent. Heres what they have to say now that theyve driven it.

In a piece prefaced with, The Tesla Model 3 is here, and it is the most important vehicle of the century. Yes, the hyperbole is necessary, Kim Reynolds of Motor Trend raved: If anybody was expecting a typical boring electric sedan here, nope.

Magic, Im telling you. Magic. And this is the single-motor, rear-wheel-drive starting point. The already boggled mind boggles further at the mention of Dual Motor and Ludicrous, Reynolds continued. Have I ever driven a more startling small sedan? I havent. At speed, it gains a laser-alertness I havent encountered before [] [The] 2.0-liter Alfa Romeo Giulia [] feels like a wet sponge by comparison.

Ive driven all Teslas vehicles, Matthew Debord ofBusiness Insider wrote,But the Model 3 is something else [] [its] going to blow many, many minds. This is easily the most attractive entry-level luxury, all-electric car on the market[] I can safely say that the Model 3 has no competition.

[T]here isnt anybody whos going to sit in the drivers seat of this car and not want it, Debord continued. The Model 3 stokes immediate desire, and the lust lingers. That truly changes everything.

Peter Holley of The Washington Post gave a sense of the Model 3 as the car of the future, writing thatfrom the moment you sit inside the Model 3, you do sense that you have entered uncharted territory[] I attribute that feeling to the intuitive nature of the Model 3s minimalist design [and] the way the car seamlessly incorporates technology that is already second nature in many peoples everyday lives.

Its not so much that Tesla is ushering in the future, Holley argued. After riding in the Model 3, Im more inclined to think that Tesla is single-handedly pulling the automotive industry into the present the way anyone born before the Internet thought 2017 would look like decades earlier.

Charlie Turner of Top Gear explained the Autopilot experience: Our brief excursion also allowed us to test the Autopilot, a system that still feels like witchcraft. The levels at which the car is capable of processing information are staggering and if were honest its clearly concentrating a lot harder than most of us after a hard day at the office.

And both Engadget and Wired see the Model 3 and a sign of a new era in transportation. Engadgets Andrew Taratola wrote, While the Roadster put Tesla on the map, the Model 3 really feels like the car that will bring electric vehicles as a whole into the mainstream. And for Stewart, This car feels like an automotive tipping point, a sign that electric vehicles and hopefully, the infrastructure that supports themhave finallycome into their own.

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Reviewers of Tesla's Newest Vehicle Are Unanimous: The Model 3 Has No Competition - Futurism

In BriefAfter Facebook researchers discovered their artificiallyintelligent chatbots created a new language to more efficientlynegotiate, they decided to tweak the systems to require that theyuse English. This raises the question of whether the "new language"should be allowed it it means the systems would be better equippedto meet their goals. A Secret Language

While developing negotiating chatbot agents, researchers at theFacebook Artificial Intelligence Research (FAIR)lab noticedback in Junethat the artificially intelligent (AI) bots had spontaneously developed their own non-human language.

In a reportexplaining their research, they noted that this development spawned from the systems goal of improving their negotiation strategies the system of code words they started to use were clearly designed to maximize the efficiency of their communication.

Although the bots started out speaking English, the researchers realized they failed to provide a reward for speaking English. In other words, the systems had no reason to stick to English as it didnt contribute to their end goal of becoming more efficient negotiators.In fact, the systems had multiple incentives to veer away from the language, the same way communities of humans with expertise or niche knowledge create and use shorthand to discuss complex ideas more quickly or efficiently.

In that sense, the behavior should have been predictable. It was, in some sense, a very human adaptation as it was designed to enhance performance and minimize effort something the human brain excels at.

As they explained in their June post, the researchers could decode the new language with fairly little trouble as it was still English-based, but they could never be certain that their translations were 100 percent correct.Its important to remember, there arent bilingual speakers of AI and human languages, FAIRs Dhruv Batra told Fast Code Design.This new language also didnt serve the purpose of the research. Our interest was having bots who could talk to people, explained Mike Lewis, a research scientist at FAIR.

In the end, the researchers decided to tweak the agentsto avoid this drifting away from English.

The initial spontaneous development of the independent language highlights how much we still dont understandabout AIs, which is a huge part of the debate regarding AI research. AI could undoubtedly help us, and very few dispute that the technology is here to stay. However, the way we prepare for a world shared with AI, and whether or not that world will be safe for humans, is hotly debated.

To be sure, much AI-related fear is based more in science-fiction than fact. According Nigel Shadbolt, Oxford professor of artificial intelligence and chairman of the Open Data Institute, We most certainly need to consider the restraints and safeguards that we need to engineer into the hardware, software, and deployment policies of our current AI systems. But the next self-aware computer you encounter will only be appearing at a cinema near you.

The language issue cropping up at FAIR and elsewhere appears to fall squarely within the realm of restraints and safeguards. Should we allow AIs to develop task-specific dialectsif they improve performance, knowing it would mean we couldnt truly understand what they were saying?

Many experts urge that we err on the side of caution. Georgia Tech AI researcher Mark Riedl told Future of Life that AIs trained to optimize rewards could eventually come to see humans as a threat to their optimization plans.

Perhaps the most vocal warnings about AI advancing too quickly have come from Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking. One of the most salient points in their arguments is that by the time we perceive a risk, it may be too late. That may be the best argument of all for shutting down the chatter in a project like this.

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Facebook's Language-Creating AI Bots Are Now Required to Negotiate in English - Futurism

Hypothalamic Stem Cells

The hypothalamus is the region of the brain that helps to regulate internal conditions like body temperature and blood concentration, but new research shows that it may fail us as we age. The research indicates that as the hypothalamuss stem cells die off, the region actually starts to promote aging, causing mental and physical faculties to decline at a more rapid pace.

In the past, researchers have observed that the hypothalamus becomes inflamed over time. This lead them to posit that the area is connected to aging. Recent research on mice proved that reversing the inflammation in the hypothalamus increases the animals life span and slows physical deterioration. In this latest study, scientists focusedon the stem cells of the hypothalamus. In younger animals, these stem cells divide and replace damaged and dead cells. However, as this research shows, over time the number of stem cells present in the hypothalamus drops. Inold age, they are essentially gone.

The team believed they were on to something, but undertook some practical experiments to see if their ideas were borne out by the evidence. First, they altered mice genetically to ensure theyd be out of stem cells(at a point earlier than would occur naturally). Reducing the stem cells in the mice by around 70 percent meant a life span that was about 8 percent shorter. This accelerated loss of stem cells also caused a loss of coordination, endurance, and memory, as well as behavior that was less youthful, curious, and social. When the team injected stem cells into the hypothalami of middle-aged mice, those mice gained about about 10 percent more mental and physical capabilities compared to mice injected with regular brain cells.

Originally, scientists believed that the stem cell loss could besignificant because it meant the host was unable to repair and replace damaged and dead cells. However, when the hypothalami of middle-aged mice were injected with stem cells, they improved too rapidly for this to be thecorrect mechanism. Instead, the team suspected microRNAs might be at work.

The RNA molecules, called microRNAs, are manufactured and released by stem cells to carry messages to other cells. Practically, based on the messages they carry, microRNAs mayalter the proteins cells produce. The researchers discovered that the stem cells in the hypothalamus produce massive amounts of microRNAs contained in tiny exosomes. In fact, when they injected mice with exosomes packed with microRNA from young hypothalamus stem cells, the effects were almost as effective in slowing signs of mental and physical aging as injections of stem cells were.

Recent research has focused on the role of mitochondria in aging and on the use of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in combatting aging in hematopoietic stem cells. Research from this year has also shown that cannabis-based treatment appears to reverse aging in the brains of mice. Concerning thisresearch, protecting or replacing the stem cells of the hypothalamus or somehow reinforcing or replacing the microRNA effects could slow aging in humans. This could mean testing current drugs such as acarbose (presently used to treat diabetes) to see if they can suppress the hypothalamic inflammation that causes the stem cells to die.

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Hypothalamic Stem Cells Could Provide New Insights Into Aging - Futurism