Stellar Connections Explorations in Cultural Astronomy Pt 4, Babatunde Lawal
Video: Stellar Connections Explorations in Cultural Astronomy Pt 4, Babatunde Lawal Youtube Channel: Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) https://www.youtube.com/user/Smit...
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Stellar Connections Explorations in Cultural Astronomy Pt 4, Babatunde Lawal - Video
Astronomy Cast 345: Launch Complex 39
Almost every historic American launch occurred at one place in Cape Canaveral: Launch Complex 39. Good old LC39 was build for the Apollo spacecraft, and then modified for the Space Shuttle...
By: Fraser Cain
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MEDFORD, Ore. After going halfway to space, a Medford teacher is bringing some of the most advanced astronomy in the world to North Medford High.
North Medford teacher Robert Black and local amateur astronomer Dave Bloomsness recently returned from a trip to the worlds largest flying telescope. The two are among 24 educators selected to fly on NASAs Stratosepheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).
For five days, they tagged along with scientists using infrared to study star formation, composition of comets, and supermassive black holes.
They say the experience, and their enthusiasm, will rub off in the classroom.
I learned about how exciting it is to see what I teach actually come onto a screen before my very eyes, said Black.
The two will be sharing their experiences from their time with NASA through multiple local appearances.
The first will be at the North Medford High Planetarium on May 28th. Theyll also be speaking at Science Works Museum and with the Grants Pass astronomy club at later dates.
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An eminent group of scientists -- Stephen Hawking, Stuart Russell (Berkeley), and Max Tegmark (MIT) -- perhaps stimulated by the film Transcendence, and possibly even the recent EE Times debate Robot Apocalypse led by Max Maxfield, has issued what might be considered a warning about the possible danger of robots and artificial intelligence (AI). Such a warning about the application of AI and its derivative intelligent machines (IMs), especially in the area of military application, might be appropriate. But what if IMs are really just a new branch on the the tree of evolution that has led us from the original Protists to where we are today (see Figure 1 below)?
Figure 1. Are artificial and machine intelligence the next step in evolution for humans? (Source: Ron Neale)
Synergistic Evolution (SE) requires a species to be aided in its evolutionary process by another species. This is not the same as acting as a food stuff, where the existence of an earlier species acts as the food or fuel that allows those higher up the chain to exist and evolve. Or where species like dogs or horses that exist at the same time, on a different branch, allows a species to more easily obtain food to exist and evolve.
The nearest equivalent example of SE might be a species variation such as selective breeding (unnatural selection), where human intervention is used to provide a characteristic, such as additional meat or milk in cattle or in hunting animals, dogs, or horses.
In any flight of fancy, I think the three options as illustrated in the next chart from left to right must be considered as possibilities: the first option of the evolution of some very clever tools, weapons, and body parts that become an integral part of the human species tree; or the second option as originally drawn in Figure 1 of a new branch on the tree of evolution; or the third option an extension of the human branch.
I have not attempted to provide a time scale for the vertical part of Figure 2, although I was very tempted to suggest that the horizontal scale from left to right might be considered as possibly a log scale of bovine excrement.
To be or not to be As it will be the products and efforts of the electronics industry and its people that make possible this next step on the tree of evolution, if there is danger ahead, will they let it happen, or will they even be able to control it? Or will the artificial intelligence reach a level where it will understand the nature of human emotions and manipulate something like greed or desire to create an environment leading to the required IMs? Manipulation now plays a key role in politics and life, and it results from a misuse of some of the products of the electronics industry.
What will an IM species look like? Will it have a human-like form? Evolution has provided us humans with a pretty good engine, which consumes a variety of readily available food and oxygen. If the IMs copy that, then some of their parts might have human characteristics.
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A group of researchers from Tufts University, Brown University and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are collaborating with the US Navy in a multi-year effort to explore how they might create robots endowed with their own sense of morality. If they are successful, they will create an artificial intelligence able to autonomously assess a difficult situation and then make complex ethical decisions that can override the rigid instructions it was given.
Seventy-two years ago, science fiction writer Isaac Asimov introduced "three laws of robotics" that could guide the moral compass of a highly advanced artificial intelligence. Sadly, given that today's most advanced AIs are still rather brittle and clueless about the world around them, one could argue that we are nowhere near building robots that are even able to understand these rules, let alone apply them.
A team of researchers led by Prof. Matthias Scheutz at Tufts University is tackling this very difficult problem by trying to break down human moral competence into its basic components, developing a framework for human moral reasoning. Later on, the team will attempt to model this framework in an algorithm that could be embedded in an artificial intelligence. The infrastructure would allow the robot to override its instructions in the face of new evidence, and justify its actions to the humans who control it.
"Moral competence can be roughly thought about as the ability to learn, reason with, act upon, and talk about the laws and societal conventions on which humans tend to agree," says Scheutz. "The question is whether machines or any other artificial system, for that matter can emulate and exercise these abilities."
For instance, a robot medic could be ordered to transport urgently needed medication to a nearby facility, and encounter a person in critical condition along the way. The robot's "moral compass" would allow it to assess the situation and autonomously decide whether it should stop and assist the person or carry on with its original mission.
If Asimov's novels have taught us anything, it's that no rigid, pre-programmed set of rules can account for every possible scenario, as something unforeseeable is bound to happen sooner or later. Scheutz and colleagues agree, and have devised a two-step process to tackle the problem.
In their vision, all of the robot's decisions would first go through a preliminary ethical check using a system similar to those in the most advanced question-answering AIs, such as IBM's Watson. If more help is needed, then the robot will rely on the system that Scheutz and colleagues are developing, which tries to model the complexity of human morality.
As the project is being developed in collaboration with the US Navy, the technology could find its first application in medical robots designed to assist soldiers in the battlefield.
Source: Tufts University
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NEW YORK (TheStreet) --B/E Aerospace Inc. (BEAV), which manufactures cabin interior products for commercial aircrafts, was downgraded to "neutral" from "overweight" at JPMorgan (JPM) on Tuesday, based on a valuation call.
The firm said "the stock looks fairly valued following an 11% relative move in the past six trading days on the unexpected announcement that the board is considering strategic alternatives."
MustRead:Warren Buffett's 10 Favorite Growth Stocks
Separately,TheStreet Ratings team rates B/E AEROSPACE INC as a Buy with a ratings score of A. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation:
"We rate B/E AEROSPACE INC (BEAV) a BUY. This is based on the convergence of positive investment measures, which should help this stock outperform the majority of stocks that we rate. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, impressive record of earnings per share growth, compelling growth in net income, solid stock price performance and expanding profit margins. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow."
Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows:
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Genetic Engineering By Anna from Germany
Genetic Engineering By Anna from Germany.
By: Genn Kla
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Genetic Engineering By Anna from Germany - Video
Rep Zoe Lofgren Proposes Amdmnt to FIRST Act Restoring Social Behavioral Science Funding
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-19) proposes an amendment to H.R. 4186, Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science, and Technology (FIRST) Act of 2014. Rep. Lofgren #39;s...
By: Rep Zoe Lofgren
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Rep Zoe Lofgren Proposes Amdmnt to FIRST Act Restoring Social & Behavioral Science Funding - Video
Two teams from Morgan County hold their respective third-place trophies after the Colorado State Science Fair. From left,: Kaitlin Wells, Kaybree Keating, Sarena Wells and Aubrey Wells. (Jeff Wells / Courtesy photo)
Fort Morgan Middle School student Kaitlin Wells, left, teamed up with Weldon Valley Middle School student Kaybree Keating for a local science fair project and the two were able to advance to the Colorado State Science Fair. The girls received first place for the their team project at the Morgan/Washington Bi-County Science Fair. (Jeff Wells / Courtesy photo)
Two teams of students from Morgan County took home trophies and awards from the Colorado State Science and Engineering Fair April 10 to 12 at the Hilton Hotel in Fort Collins.
The teams consisted of Weldon Valley Middle School student Kaybree Keating and Fort Morgan Middle School student Kaitlin Wells, competing in the junior division, and Fort Morgan High School students Sarena and Aubrey Wells, competing in the senior division.
Their journeys began at the Morgan/Washington Bi-County Science Fair, though.
Keating and Kaitlin Wells received first place for their project, "From Trash to Gas," which was entered in the Junior Division Energy and Transportation category. They took ordinary trash and mixed it with manure to create gas.
Fort Morgan High School students Aubrey Wells, left, and Sarena Wells advanced to the Colorado State Science Fair after receiving first place for their team project in the Health and Behavioral Health Category at the Morgan/Washington Bi-County Science Fair. (Jeff Wells / Courtesy photo)
In the state competition, their project got third place, but also won the Air & Waste Management Association Rocky Mountain States Award and was chosen as first-place winner for the Junior Division Student Choice Award.
The senior division team of Sarena and Aubrey Wells followed a similar path to the state science fair, winning first place for their project in the Health and Behavioral Health category at the bi-county science fair.
The teens' project, "Learning with Style: Analysis and Testing of Learning styles with Pre-School Children," involved testing learning styles of preschool children.
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Morgan County students bring home state science fair trophies
College students can probably learn a thing or two about security from the National Security Agency, right?
The NSA hopes so, as it is funding small labs dubbed "lablets" at research universities that will focus on the Science of Security. Carnegie Mellon University, North Carolina State University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Maryland have received millions in grants for the project.
+ ALSO on Network World: The NSA's Weird Alphabet Soup of code names for secret spy programs and hacker tools +
All of the work is basic science, without any publication restrictions, saysWilliam Scherlis, professor and director of the Institute for Software Research -- and of the security lablet -- at Carnegie Mellon. The point of all this is to build a network of SoS thinking.
This combines computer science, software engineering, behavioral science and economics, and addresses questions in areas such as scalability and human behavior.
The University of Maryland has received $4.5 million over three years to establish its lablet."Much of the existing work in cybersecurity is reactive, and focuses on designing 'point solutions' to specific problems," saysJonathan Katz, director of theMaryland Cybersecurity Center(MC2) and lead principal investigator of the lablet. "Our goal is to establish mathematical models that can be used to address cybersecurity threats more broadly, and to carry out empirical studies that can help validate those models."
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How adorable: NSA hatches "lablets" at 4 universities
Orlando, FL (PRWEB) May 13, 2014
Neil Riordan, PhD will Present Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) in the Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases at the 22nd Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging, Regenerative and Aesthetic Medicine at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Orlando, Florida as part of the Specialty Workshop: Stem Cells in Anti-Aging Medicine: An Update.
The primary focus of this workshop is to teach medical professionals how to successfully incorporate stem cell treatments into their practices. Expert faculty will cover stem cell theory and clinical trial research for all aspects of regenerative medicine as well as stem cell treatment marketing.
Dr. Riordan will discuss: Allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells mechanisms of immune modulating activities; the importance of MSC placement for clinical effect; human clinical trials demonstrating efficacy; alternative routes of MSC delivery; dose and frequency; and clinical safety of MSC.
The conference will be held from May 15 17, 2014 at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Orlando, Florida. For more information, please visit http://www.a4m.com/anti-aging-conference-orlando-2014-may.html.
About Neil Riordan PhD
Dr. Riordan is the founder and chairman of Medistem Panama, Inc., (MPI) a leading stem cell laboratory and research facility located in the Technology Park at the prestigious City of Knowledge in Panama City, Panama. Founded in 2007, MPI stands at the forefront of applied research on adult stem cells for several chronic diseases. MPI's stem cell laboratory is ISO 9001 certified and fully licensed by the Panamanian Ministry of Health. Dr. Riordan is the founder of Stem Cell Institute (SCI) in Panama City, Panama (est. 2007).
Under the umbrella of MPI subsidiary Translational Biosciences, MPI and SCI are currently conducting five IRB-approved clinical trials in Panama for multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis using human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells, mesenchymal trophic factors and stromal vascular fraction. Additional trials for spinal cord injury, autism and cerebral palsy are slated to commence in 2014 upon IRB approval.
Dr. Riordan is an accomplished inventor listed on more than 25 patent families, including 11 issued patents. He is credited with a number of novel discoveries in the field of cancer research since the mid-1990s when he collaborated with his father Dr. Hugh Riordan on the effects of high-dose intravenous vitamin C on cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment. This pioneering study on vitamin Cs preferential toxicity to cancer cells notably led to a 1997 patent grant for the treatment of cancer with vitamin C. In 2010, Dr. Riordan received another patent for a new cellular cancer vaccine.
Dr. Riordan is also the founder of Aidan Products, which provides health care professionals with quality nutraceuticals including Stem-Kine, the only nutritional supplement that is clinically proven to increase the amount of circulating stem cells in the body for an extended period of time. Stem-Kine is currently sold in 35 countries.
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Neil Riordan, PhD Presents at American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine's 22nd Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging ...
Dr Robert Williams, Director of Hubble Telescope
I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr Robert Williams, the director of the Hubble Telescope program and father of the Deep Field space project. We dive into ...
By: Ben Fisher
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Latvia: Nine NATO ships arrive in Ventspils
Video ID: 20140510-024 M/S Ship docked in port C/U Ship sign reading "Valkyrien" W/S Men inside ship M/S Ship docked in port M/S Ship docked in port M/S Ship docked in port W/S Ships docked...
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Lamzy Mano Nato - Freestyle #3
Lamzy Mano et Nato - Freestyle #3 Enregistrement Studio: Scrabeat.
By: ScrabeatProds
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NATO plant Weltkrieg sehr Informativ besuchen Sie Mahnwachen fr den Frieden Montagsdemo Wissen
By: Verbraucherschutz Verband
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B omar - Ghir nsa (Officiel lyrics)
Aprs un long voyage, il revient et trouve son amour avec une autre personne, et il part avec un cur bris, plein de tristesse !
By: Omar Berrada
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Former NSA boss: "We kill people based on metadata"
May 11, 2014: Speaking at a debate in April, former intelligence boss and retired Gen. Michael Hayden admitted the NSA uses metadata to "kill people." Video courtesy Johns Hopkins University.
By: Matthew Keys Live
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YASSINOS NSA YA 9ALBY 2014
YASSINOS NSA YA QALBY 2014 face amine ben hadda.
By: YASSINOS NSA YA QALBY YASSINOS
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2014 Midterm Election Trend That We Starting To See - Obamacare, IRS, NSA Benghazi - Fox Report
2014 Midterm Election The Trend That We Starting To See - Obamacare, IRS, NSA Benghazi - Fox Report =========================================== **Please Click Below to SUBSCRIBE for...
By: Mass Tea Party
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