In Brief

We have come far in our pursuit of the perfect computer companion. From mastering gamestorunning our homes, artificial intelligence (AI)has been steadily improving.

However,Microsoft co-founder and richest person in the world Bill Gates isnt that impressed. While he does note that we have made some advancements, he stated in his redditAMAthat he believes that the big milestone is when computers can read and understand information like humans do.

Moreover, he stated that right now computers dont know how to represent knowledge so they cant read a text book and pass a test.

While Gates doesnt highlight this as a particular failure of AI, he does insinuate that we have much fartherto go in terms of the new technology. With that said, many companies have developed systems that are racing to the top, such as Alphabets DeepMind andGoogleBrain, Microsofts many projects, FAIR (Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research), and IBMs Watson, to just name a few.

But of the technologies and companies mentioned, the AIsystems lack the ability to represent knowledge. Essentially, knowledge representation is the ability of AI to glean information about the world that it can then use to solve complicated problems. It would mean artificial intelligence could reason about the world rather than just solely taking action within it, similar to how humans problem solve. This is what Bill Gates believes our current AI systems are lacking.

While we have programs that dont just best professional players in their games of choice but dominate them, our current AI is not capable of representing knowledge, a difficult task but an important one. However, the companies mentioned above are putting significant time and money into developing their technologies and are getting closer to this important milestone in AI. Perhaps we wont have to wait too much longer for thatperfect computer companion.

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Bill Gates: This Will Be the Biggest Technological Breakthrough of ... - Futurism

In Brief

Heres your first official look at Handle, Boston Dynamics newest robotic creation.

The robot stands a little over six feet tall and has four working limbs two front legs and a pair of hind wheels that allow it to stand upright. It can travel roughly 24 kilometers (15 miles) on a single charge and cancarry items up to about 45 kilograms (100 pounds) in weight.

Handle applies dynamics similar to those found in its quadruped and biped predecessors from Boston Dynamics. Unlike those, though, it only has 10 actuated joints, which makes it less complex, yet it is also more robust, with the same jointed movement ability as humans.

The addition of wheels allows Handle to move very efficiently across virtually all flat surfaces. Because it has both legs and wheels, the robot essentially has the best of both worldsand can go and move anywhere with ease. It can even carry heavier objects with better stability.

Earlier, a leaked video from Boston Dynamics gave us a glimpse of what Handle could do by demonstrating its impressive flexibility and balance. But its nothing compared to what was just revealedin their official demonstration.

While its an impressive display of technological advancement, seeing all we have achieved in the field of robotics in the form of this robot may also leave you withunsettling feeling that humans have just created something that is simultaneouslycool and slightly terrifying.

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New Boston Dynamics Robot is Terrifying Science Fiction Brought to Life - Futurism

This is good news not just for Indias future energy security but also for its peoples short-term energy needs.

The plant was built in only eight months, comprises 2.5 million individual solar modules and cost $679m to build. It is estimated that it will produce enough electricity to power about 150,000 homes at full capacity.

Installed solar capacity and cost in India. Image: Bridge to India

A signatory of the Paris Agreement, India is forecast to meet its renewable energy commitments three years early and exceed them by nearly half. The country is aiming to generate nearly 60% of its electricity from non-fossil sources by 2027.

Solar is a particular focus: it makes up only 16% of renewable energy capacity now but is set to contribute over half of the renewables target by 2022: 100 gigawatts of 175 GW. Large installations will be key to achieving this, and the government is planning 33 solar parks in 21 states, with a capacity of at least 500 megawatts each.

Prioritizing solar is not just an investment in the future, though. India is one of the worlds fastest growing economies, and its energy use has doubled since 2000, according to the International Energy Agency.

Last year, the country declared that it had a power surplus for the first time ever, though The Hindu reported that 300 million people still dont have access to electricity and power cuts continue to be rampant. The issue, it appears, is that capacity remains unused in the grid because some state power companies simply cannot afford to buy sufficient electricity.

The Indian government has recently launched an energy blueprint, and raised its investment target for solar energy to $100 billion in an attempt to address both these near-term issues as well as securing its energy supply far into the future.

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India Just Broke a World Record With Its New Solar Farm - Futurism

Income for All

In theory, a universal basic income (UBI) would be great. Under such a system, all citizens of a country are entitled to an unconditional amount of money on top of income they already generate through other means. It could spur productivity, improve health, alleviate poverty, reduce crime, raise education, and improve quality of life. Its also especially relevant, given the reality of automation taking over more and more jobs.

UBIs potential has prompted several nations to study and test its viability. Among the pioneers are Finland, which just started implementing a UBI program that gives 2,000 randomly selected citizens $587 tax-free per month; India, which proposed the system as a solution to job loss caused by increased automation; and Canada, which saw leaders of four political parties unanimously support the decision to establish a program that will guarantee income.

Its all going well so far, but until the trials are able to deliver definitive results showing UBIs effectiveness, we are left to ponder the many questions surrounding it.For instance, how much income should be distributed? Should it be limited to the minimum needed, similar to welfare state programs? Would a higher amount be more effective? Would UBI prompt people to lose their motivation to work? Is it enough of a response to address job displacement caused by automation? Can countries around the world afford it?

The urgency that most UBI advocates feel, given the current state of the economy and realities of job displacement, isnt shared by Bill Gates. While the co-chair of the Gates Foundation isnt exactly opposed to the concept, he doesnt think the program is ready for public implementation just yet.

Over time, countries will be rich enough to do this. However, we still have a lot of work that should be done helping older people, helping kids with special needs, having more adults helping in education, said Gates during a recent AMA on Reddit.

While others worry about impending employee displacement in the age of automation, Gates believes that technology will open more opportunities for countries, allowing them to raise money that could be used to finance sectors that need people in the jobs he mentioned. Governments can use this added income as an opportunity to train the unemployed to fill new roles in the job market.

Gatesalso added during his AMA that countries arent financially equipped to finance a stable UBI program. Even the U.S. isnt rich enough to allow people not to work. Someday we will be, but until then, things like the Earned Income Tax Credit will help increase the demand for labor.

The Microsoft co-foundercould be right and now may not be the right time for a UBI, but thanks to the countries giving it a shot, we should know for sure rather soon.

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Bill Gates: The World Isn't Ready for Universal Basic Income - Futurism

The Age of Commercial Spaceflight

Rocket science isnt easy. Ask any engineer. Rocket science isnt cheap. Just ask NASA. Fortunately, in recent years, a number of commercial spaceflight companies have stepped up to the plate in order to help national space agencies extend their reach into the final frontier.

Innovative companies like Elon Musks SpaceX and Jeff Bezos Blue Origin have accelerated the development of reusable rockets exponentially. In so doing, they have dramatically reduced the cost of leaving our pale blue dot, improving both our ability to explore the cosmos and scientists capacity to conduct research beyondEarth.

To be more specific, in 2012, SpaceX became the first private space company to deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). Previously, this monumental feat was something that had only been achieved by world governments.

At the present time, the company is working on the Crew Dragon, a next-generation spacecraft that is designed to ferry humans to the ISS. One day, SpaceX even plans to land on Mars, and if Musk has anything to say about it, humans will be on the Red Planetpossibly living there for goodin the next decade or so.

Ultimately, private spaceflight companies are leading our charge into the cosmos. This is because successfully reusing boosters is a critical part of bringing down the cost of launchesand its something that the worlds governments have failed to produce.

With this technology, we wont have to build a completely new rocket for every single mission. According to SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell,reusability could lower the cost of rocket launches by a staggering 30 percent.

Likewise, Musk asserts that such rockets are the key to a truly economically viable space industry: A fully reusable vehicle has never been done before. That really is the fundamental breakthrough needed to revolutionize access to space. If one can figure out how to effectively reuse rockets just like airplanes, the cost of access to space will be reduced by as much as a factor of a hundred.

And Blue Origin echoes these sentiments, with Bezos calling such technologies the Holy Grail of rocketry. After the first landing of Blue Origins New Shepard resuablerocket, Bezos wrote, I believe this is a new Golden Age of space exploration. The first Golden Age was the 60s. We have been treading water for a long time. We are on the verge of a new Golden Age in rocketry. I believe one day all rockets will have landing gear.

This means that we can have more frequent and cheaper launches. This, in turn, means faster progress in both commercial spaceflight and our off-world research and exploration. In short, private spaceflight is ushering in a new age in our voyage into the cosmos.

Yesterday, Musk stated that SpaceX would have a breaking announcement today at 4pm EST (1pm GMT). And he just revealed thatSpaceX will be sending two private citizens around the Moon.

The space company said in a statement that the two individuals have already paid a significant deposit to do a Moon mission. Initial training, along with health and fitness tests, are set to occur later this year, SpaceX continued.

Ultimately, this is the first flight to the Moon with a crew in more than 45 years, and SpaceX went to lengths to point out the significance of this work: Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration.

SpaceX also outlined the nature of the project and clarified the timeline:

SpaceX has been approached to fly two private citizens on a trip around the moon late next year. They have already paid a significant deposit to do a moon mission.We expect to conduct health and fitness tests, as well as begin initial training later this year. Other flight teams have also expressed strong interest and we expect more to follow. Additional information will be released about the flight teams, contingent upon their approval and confirmation of the health and fitness test results.

To break this down, to begin, SpaceX plans to launch the Crew Dragon (Dragon Version 2) spacecraft to the ISS without people on board this year, and then a subsequent mission with crew will fly in the second quarter of 2018. From there, the company will head to the Moon, an important milestone as they work towards the ultimate goaltransporting humans to Mars.

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BREAKING: Elon Musk And SpaceX Are Sending Humans to the Moon - Futurism

58 Percent Cheaper

According to a recent report by Australian non-profitthe Climate Council, solar energy is now cheaper than retail power in most capital cities in Australia, with prices dropping 58 percent globally in the past five years. With costs expected to drop between 40 to 70 percent more by 2040, we can only expect a rise in adoption and usage in that country and others around the globe.

We are seeing more and more industrial-scale solar coming online across the country and the world. Hospitals, airports, farms and a variety of other businesses have embraced smarter and cleaner power, Greg Bourne, expert Councillor with the Climate Council, told SBS.

Nearly 7,000 solar batteries were installed in Australian homes last year, and that number is expected to triple in 2017. The Council adds in its report that industrial-scale solar plants are now providing cheaper power versus traditional coal plants. Twenty solar power plants are scheduled to be built around Australia, which will see an additional 3,700 megawatts of solar energy thats enough to power 600,000 homes. This will no doubt helpAustralia achieve its goal of reaching 20 gigawatts of solar generation in the next two decades.

Transitioning to renewable energy is not only necessary as we continue to see and feel the effects of climate change, it also makes economic sense.

For a country like Australia, where sunshine is abundant, supporting the growth of solar energy can create new jobs and new industries.More than 8,000 Australians already hold jobs in the solar industry, ranging from salespeople and manufacturers to electricians and installers. Projections expect that with renewable energy reaching 50 percent by 2030, Australia alonewill benefit from 28,000 new jobs.

Globally, 2.8 million people have jobs in the industry, which is more than those with coal jobs. In fact, in the United States, solar accounts for double the number of jobs as coal. The era of coal is over and global investment has moved firmly to renewable energy, added the Climate Council in a statement. Solar power is cheaper, has no fuel costs, is non-polluting and it is clear that it will be a key of Australias future.

Along with Australia, countries like China, the U.S., and Japan are at the forefront of renewable energy, with many other countries around the globe following suit. In 2015, a study showed that the U.S. could be completely powered by renewable energy by 2050. In 2016, almost all ofCosta Ricas electricity was generated using renewable sources. Germany, in an effort to phase out nuclear energy, is also well on its way to making other renewable energy sources more viable. As these individual efforts and global ones like the Paris Agreement take shape, we will hopefully see a tangible impact on our environment.

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The Price of Solar Has Dropped 58% in the Last 5 Years - Futurism

In Brief

Bitcoinis a term we often hear tossed around in the headlines. We know that it deals with money, online transactions, and just maybe the deep web. Back in 2014, the Washington Postestablished that only 24% of theAmerican public was aware of what bitcoin actually was. Meaning that almost three-quarters of the country had no idea. But maybe they just might want to start paying attention, especially now since it is at its all-time high value.

Bitcoin was introduced in 2008 by an anonymous group of programmers under the name of Satoshi Nakamotoand was eventually released to the public in 2009 as an open-source software. Unlike other online payment services like PayPal and Venmo, Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer network that takes place privately between two usersmeaning there is no intermediary involved. The cryptographic virtual currency is completely decentralized from any external influence while all transactions with the currency are accounted for through ablockchain ledger.

While bitcoin is thoroughly anonymous, the blockchain ledger has all transactions available publicly. Therefore, theoretically, if you know the time and date of a particular transaction, you may be able to match someones online address to their identity. On the other hand, all transactions made through bitcoin are encrypted with military grade cryptography, ensuring that all deals are secure. Sending and receiving bitcoins is as easy as sending an email, but does that mean its worth it?

With all that said and done, Bitcoin has made it far since its substantial price drop in 2013. Since then Bitcoin has stabilized around a margin of $250, with most experts believing it was doomed. However, it seems to have returned to a relatively stable rise since last year. This time last year bitcoin was valued at $367, with its steady rise,it is now valued at 1,177.18. Many speculate as to what is causing the recent trend from Congress to WallStreet to even sheer luck.

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Bitcoin Prices Have Surged to an All-Time High - Futurism

Typing With Thought

Researchers from Stanford University have built a new brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows paralyzed people to type with their brains at a rate faster than was previously possible.

For their study, they worked with threeparticipants with severe limb weakness, two due to Lou Gehrigs disease and one with limited movement due to a spinal cord injury. All three participants had electrode arrays embedded in their brains to record signals from the motor cortex, which controls muscle movement. A cable then transmitted the brain signals to a computer, and they were then translated by algorithms into point-and-click commands that prompted a cursor to move over letters. Basically, participants were able to move the cursor by imagining their own hand movements.

While it took some training, the subjects were able to achieve BCI results that outperformed any available platform today. One patient was able to type 39 correct characters per minute, which is around eight words per minute, proving that BCIs have the potential to enhance communication among people with impaired movement. It should be noted that these typing-rates were achieved without the use of automatic word-completion.

The performance is really exciting. Were achieving communication rates that many people with arm and hand paralysis would find useful. Thats a critical step for making devices that could be suitable for real-world use, says Chethan Pandarinath, one of the authors of the paper, told Stanford.

The Stanford teams contribution toward advancing peoples ability to control machines with just their thoughts reflects the progressbeing made in this field. In addition to this breakthrough, a team from the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva, Switzerland, built a BCI that can decipher thoughts of people with complete locked-in syndrome, giving them the ability to answer yes or no questions. Meanwhile, researchers at Harvard are using BCI tech to restore sight in the blind.

In the U.S. alone, millions of people suffer from paralysis, some from degenerative conditions like ALS and others from unfortunate accidents that cause severe spinal cord injury.This point-and-click approach developed at Stanford could be the key to making a more efficient BCI geared toward improving the quality of life for those people. It could restore their ability to communicate while teams like that at the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE)work on ways to use BCIs to help the paralyzed walk again.

With some modifications, the team believes its system could be applied to other devices, including smartphones or tablets. Were approaching half of what, for example, I could probably type on a cell phone, neurosurgeon and co-senior authorJaimie Henderson of Stanford University told Scientific American. This study reports the highest speed and accuracy, by a factor of three, over whats been shown before. In the future, the team hopes to refine the technology so that it becomes wireless, fully implanted, and self-calibrating, thus being able to provide around-the-clock support.

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New Brain-Reading Computers Let the Paralyzed Communicate Using Their Thoughts - Futurism

On the Hunt for Code

Those of you who followed the first season of HBOs Westworld know that one of the things that made an artificially intelligent (AI) host in the show truly intelligent, so to speak, was the ability to write its own code. Its a form of reasoning with itself something that current AI technology is still far from capable of doing. One company is trying to close that gap viadeep learning algorithms that use probabilistic programming,and now, researchers from Microsoft and the University of Cambridge are bringing us closer to self-coding AI with a system they call DeepCoder.

DeepCoder is a machine learning system that can write its own code. It does this using a technique called program synthesis. Essentially, it creates new programs by combining existing lines of code taken from other software, which is what human coders do. With a particular output in mind, DeepCoder was able to determinewhich lines or pieces of code would be particularly useful.

The approach is to train a neural network to predict properties of the program that generated the outputs from the inputs. We use the neural networks predictions to augment search techniques from the programming languages community, including enumerative search and an SMT-based solver, writes the research team, which is led by Alexander Gaunt from Microsoft Research and Matej Balog from Cambridge. Their study is currently being reviewed for the 5th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2017) this coming April.

DeepCoder successfully plowed through the basic, input-output style challenges usually set by programming competitions. It was able to search through lines of code more thoroughly and widely than a human coder could, piecing together code in a manner humans might not think of and more quickly. And because DeepCoder is essentially a deep learning algorithm, every time its given a new problem, it gets better at combining lines from source codes.

Ultimately, this algorithm can make programming accessible to non-coders, allowing anyone to easilybuild simple programs. Researcher Marc Brockschmidt, one of DeepCoders creators from Microsoft Research in Cambridge, UK, believes that their approach would make it possible for non-coders to just describe a program and leave the system to build it. All of a sudden, people could be so much more productive, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) associate professor Armando Solar-Lezama, who wasnt part of the research,told New Scientist. They could build systems that it [would be] impossible to build before.

DeepCoders current version only allows it to handle programming challenges with around five lines of code. Brockschmidt said that future versions of DeepCode could facilitate building routine programs that do information scraping from websites without the need for human coders.The potential for automation that this kind of technology offers could really signify an enormous [reduction] in the amount of effort it takes to develop code, Solar-Lezama said. No need for programmers to start updating their resumes, though, as this tech wouldnt replace humans. Instead, DeepCoder could handle the more tedious parts of programming, while human coders could focus on more sophisticated work.

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Our Computers Are Learning How to Code Themselves - Futurism

Genetic Editing for All

We are all subject tothe genetic lottery. Thats how its always been, and for a while, we thought that was how it would always be.

Then, in 2014, a gene-editing technology called CRISPR was introduced. With CRISPR, geneticists could edit sections of the genome to alter, add, or remove parts of the DNA sequence. To date, it is by far the easiest way weve found to manipulate the genetic code, and itis already paving the way for more efficient and effective treatments of conditions with a genetic component. However, the technology brings with it the potential to manipulate and remove simply unwanted genes.

While most of the proposed CRISPR applications are focused on editing somatic (non-reproductive) cells, altering germline (reproductive) cells is also a very real possibility. This prospect of editing germline cells and making changes that would be passed on from generation to generation has sparked a heated ethical debate.

The potential to change someones DNA even before they are born has led to claims that CRISPR will be used to create designer babies. Detractors were appalled at the hubris of science being used to engineer the human race. Supporters, on the other hand, are saying this ability should be a human right.

To be fair, most advocates of genetic editing arent rallying for support so CRISPR can be used to create a superior human race. Rather, they believe people should have free access to technology that is capable of curing diseases. Its not about rigging the genetic game its about putting the technique to good use while following a set of ethical recommendations.

To that end, a panel made up of experts chosen by the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine released a series of guidelines that essentially gives gene editing a yellow light. These guidelines supports gene editing on the premise that it follows a set of stringent rules and is conducted with proper oversight and precaution.

Obviously, genetic enhancement would not be supported under these guidelines, which leaves some proponents miffed. Josiah Zaynor, whose online company The ODINsells kits allowing people to conduct simple genetic engineering experiments at home, is among those who are adamant that gene editing should be a human right. He expressed his views on the subject in an interview with The Outline:

We are at the first time in the history of humanity where we can no longer be stuck with the genes we are dealt. As a society we have begun to see how choice is a right, but for some reason when it comes to genetics, some people think we shouldnt have a choice. I can be smart and attractive, but everyone else should be ugly, fat, and short because those are the genes they were dealt and they should just deal with it.

However, scientific institutions continue to caution against such lax views of genetic editings implications. Apart from the ethical questions it raises, CRISPR also facesopposition from various religious sects and legal concerns regarding the technology. Governments seem divided on the issue, with nations like China advancing research, while countries like the U.K., Germany, and the U.S. seem more concerned about regulating it.

The immense potential of gene editing to change humanity means the technology will continue to be plagued byethical and philosophical concerns. Given the pace of advancement, however, its good that were having this debate on what and who it should be used for right now.

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Should Gene Editing Be a Human Right? - Futurism

In Brief

From its incorporation ofsolar glass technologyto its affordable $35,000 price tag, the Tesla Model 3 has been making headlines since it was announced. In the 36 hours following that announcement, Tesla secured over 270,000 preorders for the vehicle,but whats even more exciting is the fact that this highly anticipated zero-emission car may actually arrive on time.

According to a letter to investors, the Model 3 is expected to begin production in July, and deliverieswill begin later in 2017. Tesla is already building prototypes of the vehicle, and the company has noted that production will begin at 5,000 vehicles per week and slowly ramp up to 10,000 vehicles per week in 2018.

With that said, Teslas Gigafactory will be booming. With 550 new hires and an additional $350 million investment, the Nevada factory will produce the electric motors and gear boxes for the newest and most affordable Tesla, while other parts will be manufactured in California.

Teslas most recent rollout,the Model S, costs around $70,000, so the Model 3 will be just what the company needs to finally be able to compete with other affordable electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt, which sit within a similar price range of the Model 3.

All we have to do now is count the seconds until the second half of 2017.

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Tesla Is on Track to Deliver Us Into the Next Age in Energy - Futurism

Buried in the side of a mountain in Svalbard,a Norwegian archipelago between mainland Norway and the North Pole, the Global Seed Vault stores virtually every kindof seed.

And on Wednesday, that seed vault got even more seeds almost 50,000 new samples to help preserve biodiversity. Those returning samples include the ones sent out in 2015 to replace a collection that had been damaged by the Syrian civil war.

Cary Fowler, the man considered the father of the seed vault and a former executive director of the international nonprofit organization Crop Trust, compares it to asafety deposit box:the point of the vault is not for apocalyptic scenarios, but servesmore asa sort of back-up drive.

Fowler told Business Insider in Octoberthat the vault is used to store duplicates of existing seed banks that have been collecting seeds for 100 years. That way, if a regional seed vault loses something, the Svalbard collection can replace the sample.

Take a look inside the vault:

The vault is located in Svalbard, an archipelago thats part of Norway. Its a cold area filled with polar bears and snow scooters, along with brightly colored houses.

The archipelago is located in the Arctic Ocean, midway between the North Pole and Norway, where the warmest temperature this year was 58 degrees Fahrenheit. The winters remain below 0 and -1 degrees Fahrenheit.

The entrance to the vault sticks out of a mountain, illuminated with a light installation by Dyveke Sanne.

Inside the entrance, theres a tunnel that runs from the entrance to the vaults rooms, 426 feet deep into the mountain.

Fowler said there are some misconceptions about what the vault is used for. People will say, how can you have enough seeds up there? Thats not the point, its not for planting. This is really a genetic resource for plant breeding.

Svalbard was an ideal location. Because its so cold, the seeds can stay frozen in the permafrost. Importantly, says Fowler, the seeds dont have to be used as is. Instead, researchers can use them to study potentially beneficial traits, like those for withstanding disease or climate change, and hopefully one day incorporate those into current crops.

Every year, gene-banks provide samples to crop breeders to test out, which in turn becomes different varieties of crops. Below, people taste tomatoes at a Seed Savers Exchange in the US.

We dont need to experience apocalypse in order for the Seed Vault to be useful and to repay its costs many times over, Fowler wrote in his book. We were not anticipating the end of the world. We were pragmatists. We wanted to address a problem we were already experiencing: the loss of diversity in individual gene-banks.

Fowler said the sample of the seeds taken out and now replaced from Syria are a great example of the banks function. It illustrates why we built it, Fowler said. Loss of that collection would be irreplaceable. I tell people its a great story a sad story of the seed vault functioning as an insurance policy.

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Norway Just Added 50000 More Seeds to Its Doomsday Vault - Futurism

A $500 Billion Project

The world is spending a lot of money in an attempt to reverse the effects of climate change. Investments are being made to fund the creationof emission-free vehicles, infrastructure is being built to support sustainability, research is being conducted to find new sources of non-carbon-emitting energy, and technology is being developed to prevent us from feeling the full brunt of a deteriorating environment.

Now, a group of scientists want to add $500 billion to the climate change war chest.

Due to climate change, the Arctic has been experiencing unseasonably warm weather thats causing the ice to melt. The money the scientists are asking for would go toward building 10 million wind-powered pumps that will bring water from beneath the ice to the surface in an effort to refreeze the Arctic. In theory, the water that is pumped to the surface will automatically freezein the below-zero temperatures and thus add to the ice sheets thickness.

The scientists behind the paper estimate that these wind-powered pumps will have to be deployed across 10 percent of the region. They believe theyd need 100 million tons of steel to build the pumps over the course of 10 years. If they could do that, they think they could restore the Arctic to what is was roughly 15 years ago.

The scientific community is working hard to find more novel solutions to the Arctic crisis, which they argue the 2015 Paris Agreement wont do enough to remedy. Proposals such as this highlightthe need for tangible initiatives that arent solely focused on limiting fossil fuel usage.

Our only strategy at present seems to be to tell people to stop burning fossil fuels. Its a good idea, but it is going to need a lot more than that to stop the Arctics sea ice from disappearing, said Steven Desch in an interview with The Guardian.

While the proposalis noteworthy, not everyone is convinced that this plan to refreeze the Arctic is at all feasible.

Global warming in response to rising CO2 concentrations would continue despite efforts to grow ice in the Arctic, Julienne Stroeve, a senior scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center, told CNN.Thus, the excess heat at lower latitudes would still be transported towards the Arctic via atmospheric and oceanic circulation and this would counter efforts to grow ice in the Arctic.

If we do nothing, however, the Arctic will significantly disrupt the ecosystem of the region, leading to the endangerment of various species. It will also trigger more warming across the Earth. Essentially, the Arctic ice serves to reflect the solar radiation that enters the planets atmosphere back into space. Without it, the Earth will experience more erratic weather in the Northern Hemisphere and the permafrost will melt, which will release more carbon into the atmosphere.

Whether or not this is the plan that will solve the Arctic crisis, its important that we find some solution soon. According to studies, if we do nothing about the worlds carbon emissions and let the Arctic continue on as it is, summer Arctic sea ice will disappear by 2030.

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For $500 Billion, Scientists Think They Can Refreeze the Arctic - Futurism

In Brief

Tech start-up Yank Tech, named after its founder Josh Yank, wants to deliver the first wireless charger that can REALLY wirelessly charge your device. The company set up an Indiegogo campaign to fund their endeavor, and has already far exceeded their$25,000 goal.

The MotherBoxpromises to provide wireless charging of your Android or iOS devices at a rate of two to ten watts, depending on the devices distance from the MotherBox. The device itself looks like a mini soccer ball, and does need to remain plugged in. The company is also offering a smaller battery-operated version that does not need constant power. Also, your device must be fitted with a receiver via its USB charging port.

While the product does have its limitations, this could be the first step in widespread wireless charging for devices. As more devices are joining the Internet of Things, and connecting us in unprecedented ways, traditional wires and plugs are not going to be enough to power the sheer number of devices.

You can reserve your MotherBox via the Indiegogo campaign today, taking advantage of an extended early bird special for $79. The first shipments are scheduled to begin in September of this year.

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A Company Has Finally Said They Will Bring Real Wireless Charging - Futurism

In Brief

When business mogul Mark Cuban tweeted his concerns over the imminent unemployment that could stem from increased automation, Scott Santens assumed that the Dallas Mavericks owner was out to support universal basic income (UBI). Santens, a UBI advocate, replied to Cubans tweet, welcoming Cubaninto Team #Basicincome. Cuban, however, flat out responded by saying that he wasnt in favor of UBI. I think its one of the worst possible responses, he replied to Santens.

In the above conversation, Santens tried to convince Cuban of the merits of a UBI program. One of the arguments he put forward is what he calls the entrepreneurial effect of basic income. Cuban replied, saying that he has spent a lot of time looking at [UBI]. I dont see those countries [running a basic income program] as being apples to apples. Cuban also said that there are existing safety net programs today that need to be more efficient so more money can be distributed with far less overhead.

Under a UBI program, citizens receive a fixed, regular income from the government regardless of their financial background, employment status, or other qualities. The only qualification is that the recipients are citizens, and typically that they are of legal adult age. One reason behind testing a basic income program, proponents argue, is that it offers a better alternative to existing social welfare programs. Santens told Cuban that current welfare programs create disincentives for people to seek jobs. Cuban said its something that can be fixed.

UBI isnt a new idea. Recent concerns over job displacement due to automation, however, have given the UBI discussion a new spark. UBI advocates include economists from various countries and some of the tech industrys top leaders.

As of today, there are also several pilot programs running basic income setups. Theres one in Finland, one in Kenya through a charity organization called GiveDirectly, and there is even one thats blockchain-based courtesy of Grantcoin.

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Mark Cuban: Universal Basic Income Is One of the Worst Possible Responses to Automation - Futurism

In Brief

Looks like the Ghostbusters have some competition, and its renowned physicistand science communicator Brian Cox. But rather than bust some ghosts, it looks like hes more in the business of destroying the idea of the paranormal entirely. He wasnt justlooking to spread some knowledge to the4 in 10 Americans who believe in ghosts, though he was sharing a simple conclusion he has reached by working with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

The LHC is the largest and most powerful particle accelerator that humanity has ever built. Itfeatures a ring 27 kilometers (16 miles) long with superconducting magnets and accelerating structures specifically built to boost the energy of particles that scientists hope to study. Within the accelerator, two high-energy beams are forced to collide from opposite directions at speeds close to the speed of light. Agood analogy for this would be firing two needles toward each other from 10 kilometers (6 miles) apart with a precision that makes sure they meet halfway.

Over 10,000 scientists and engineers from over 100 countries work together at this structure below the France-Switzerland border to help us learn aboutthe fundamental properties of physics. They testdifferent properties of elementary particles, and thus far, they have learned about particle decay, found hints of new particles, and reexamined what we know about the Big Bang. Its from this evidence-based research that Brain Cox believes he can dismiss the existence of the paranormal entirely.

Brian Cox made the claim during a recent broadcast of BBC Radio Fours The Infinite Monkey Cage that focused on the intersection of science and the paranormal:

If we want some sort of pattern that carries information about our living cells to persist then we must specify precisely what medium carries that pattern and how it interacts with the matter particles out of which our bodies are made. We must, in other words, invent an extension to the Standard Model of Particle Physics that has escaped detection at the Large Hadron Collider. Thats almost inconceivable at the energy scales typical of the particle interactions in our bodies.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, who was also on the show, went on to press him for a clarification: If I understand what you just declared, you just asserted that CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, disproved the existence of ghosts. Cox replied with a simple Yes.

Coxs point relies heavily on the LHCs ability to pick up the tiniest bursts of energy found in particle collisions. That mean that any energy signatures from paranormal entities should be easy to detect. Thus far, no such evidence has been found. Does this mean that you can no longer enjoy horror movies? No, it just means you dont have to be scared.

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Brian Cox: The LHC Disproves the Existence of Ghosts and the Paranormal - Futurism

In Brief

Year after year, we witness drones becoming more multifaceted in functionality. From artificial pollinationto performing at halftime during the Super Bowl drones have become just as diverse as the society that created them. This is nowtruer than ever, as China has recently equipped drones with flamethrowers for the benefit of the public.

A power company in Xiangyang, China has establisheda hot, new way to clean power lines. Rather than having people try to reach the far corners of the city scrapingoff caked-on debris thats been lodged in hard-to-reach-spots, the power company will now have drones perform this task.

While this seems dangerous, the use of drones seems to actually besafer than the previous protocol. Before, maintenance workers would risk their lives to clean power lines, climbing upwards of 10 meters (32 feet) into the air while risking electrocution with each step. While the use of a flamethrower may require more frequent cable replacements, the metal power lines willnot be harmed by the flames.

The 11kg drones have officially made their fiery debut, reminding us that while this might mean fewer maintenance jobs, technology, and flamethrowers, can improve safety.

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China is Using Drones Equipped With Flamethrowers for an ... - Futurism

In Brief Astronomers just announced a breaking discovery that has a monumental impact on life beyond Earth: A planetary system with a number of Earth-sized planets that could host liquid water and, thus, life. An Ocean of Worlds

Today, scientists working with telescopes at the European Southern Observatory and NASA announced a remarkable new discovery: An entire system of Earth-sized planets. If thats not enough, the team asserts that the density measurements of the planets indicates that the six innermost are Earth-like rocky worlds.

And thats just the beginning.

Three of the planets lie in the stars habitable zone. If you arent familiar with the term, the habitable zone (also known as the goldilocks zone) is the region surrounding a star in which liquid water could theoretically exist. This means that all three of these alien worlds may have entire oceans of water, dramatically increasing the possibility oflife. The other planets are less likely to host oceans of water, but the team states that liquid water is still a possibility on each of these worlds.

Summing the work, lead author Michal Gillon notes that this solar system has the largest number of Earth-sized planets yet found and the largest number of worlds that could support liquid water: This is an amazing planetary system not only because we have found so many planets, but because they are all surprisingly similar in size to the Earth!

Co-author Amaury Triaud notes that the star in this system is an ultracool dwarf, and he clarifies what this means in relation to the planets: The energy output from dwarf stars like TRAPPIST-1 is much weaker than that of our Sun. Planets would need to be in far closer orbits than we see in the Solar System if there is to be surface water. Fortunately, it seems that this kind of compact configuration is just what we see around TRAPPIST-1.

The system is just 40 light-years away. On a cosmic scale, thats right next door. Of course, practically speaking, it would still take us hundreds of millions of years to get there with todays technology but again, it is notable in that the find speaks volumes about the potential for life-as-we-know-it beyond Earth.

Moreover, the technology of tomorrow could get us to this systema lot faster.

These new discoveries ultimately mean that TRAPPIST-1 is of monumental importance for future study. The Hubble Space Telescope is already being used to search for atmospheres around the planets, and Emmanul Jehin, a scientist who also worked on the research, asserts that future telescopes could allow us to truly see into the heart of this system: With the upcoming generation of telescopes, such as ESOs European Extremely Large Telescope and the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, we will soon be able to search for water and perhaps even evidence of life on these worlds.

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NASA Just Found A Solar System With 7 Earth-Like Planets - Futurism

Late-Life Cyclers

Scientists and physicians alike agree that the circadian cycle, an organismsbiological clock, plays an important role in keeping the body healthy. Now, researchers from Oregon State University (OSU) have uncovered another reason why disrupting this cycle is bad for your health.

Led by OSU graduate student Rachael Kuintzle, the researchers discovered that a subset of genes associated with the circadian cycle become active only later in life or during periods of intense stress. Kunitzles team identified at least 25 such genes, which she dubbed late-life cyclers, or LLCs. The team wasnt able to determine the exact functions of all of the genes, but theywere able to link them to aging.

According to OSU professor Jadwiga Giebultowicz, co-author of the study, which was published today in the journal Nature Communications, This class of LLC genes appear to become active and respond to some of the stresses most common in aging, such as cellular and molecular damage, oxidative stress, or even some disease states.

The team found that age-related stresses arent the only things that activate these LLCs any kind of stress will do the trick just as well. In experiments where we created artificial oxidative stress in young fruit flies, the LLC genes were rhythmically activated,said researcher Eileen Chow. Some of these same genes are known to be more active in people who have cancer. They appear to be a double-edged sword, necessary during times of stress but possibly harmful if activated all the time.

As the OSU researchers note, constantly disrupting the circadian cycle can negatively affect our bodies natural processes and lead to a host of problems. Aging is associated with neural degeneration, loss of memory, and other problems, which are exacerbated if clock function is experimentally disrupted, said Giebultowicz. The LLC genes are part of the natural response to that, and do what they can to help protect the nervous system.

Discovery of LLC genes may provide a missing link, the answer to why the disruption of circadian clocks accelerates aging symptoms, added researcher David Hendrix.

With so many studies focused on treatingaging as a disease, perhaps further research involving LLCs can help efforts to reverse or halt aging completely.Furthermore, because LLC genes are found throughout the nervous system and peripheral organs, they tend to affect more than just sleep and stress reaction, but also feeding patterns, DNA repair, fertility, and even the effectiveness of medications. Clearly, the impact of the OSU teams research could be very far-reaching.

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Scientists Uncover Genes That May Help Combat Aging and Disease - Futurism

In Brief

A Russian drone start-up called Hoversurf just posted a video unveiling a prototype for a single-seat aircraft that you can drive yourself.

Dubbed the Scorpion-3, the electric-powered hoverbike is capable of lifting itselfand a driver into the air. It combines a traditional motorcycle design with quadcopter technology, allowing both professionals and amateurs to easily control and maneuver the vehicle.

Using proprietary software, the company is able to limit the range and velocity of the hoverbike to ensure the safety of the driver. Aesthetically, the vehicle was inspired by the heavy-duty motorbike frames typically used in extreme games. The difference is that the Scorpion-3 has the ability to surf through the air by changing altitude and direction, its creatorsexplain on their website.

While it is the first manned quadcopter that has undergone testing, the Scorpion-3 isnt the only one that has been built so far.

Dubai is hoping that it will be able to launch a self-driving hover-taxi in a few months, which will be used to support an official public transport service by the middle of the year. The U.S. military, in partnership with Malloy Aeronautics, also has a prototype for a hoverbike that can help resupply soldiers on the battlefield. Meanwhile,Aerofex has a passenger-ready, low-altitude vehicle called the Aero-X that has the potential to be used for everything from leisure to search-and-rescue missions.

Hoversurf wants to position the Scorpion-3 for extreme sports,but an airborne vehicle with exposed propeller blades can prove to be a little unnerving, even for the most experienced X-gamer. With a little more refinement, though, the company should have no trouble meeting its goals.

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Watch the World's First Rideable Hoverbike in Flight - Futurism