Psoriasis Causes, Treatment, Symptoms & Medications

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REFERENCES:

Armstrong, April W., et al. "From the Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation: Treatment Targets for Plaque Psoriasis." J Am Acad Dermatol Nov. 22, 2016: 1-9.

Burden, A.D. "Management of psoriasis in childhood." Clin Exp Dermatol 24.5 Sept. 1999: 341-5.

Feely, M.A., B.L. Smith, and J.M. Weinberg. "Novel psoriasis therapies and patient outcomes, part 1: topical medications." Cutis 95.3 Mar. 2015: 164-8, 170.

Greb, Jacqueline E., et al. "Psoriasis." Nature Reviews: Disease Primers 2 Nov. 24, 2016: 1-17.

Jensen, J.D., M.R. Delcambre, G. Nguyen, and N. Sami. "Biologic therapy with or without topical treatment in psoriasis: What does the current evidence say?" Am J Clin Dermatol 15.5 Oct. 2014: 379-85.

Kim, Whan B., Dana Jerome, and Jensen Yeung. "Diagnosis and Management of Psoriasis." Canadian Family Physician 63 April 2017: 278-285.

Mansouri, B., M. Patel, and A. Menter. "Biological therapies for psoriasis." Expert Opin Biol Ther 13.13 Dec. 2013: 1715-30.

Maza, A, et al. "Oral cyclosporin in psoriasis: a systematic review on treatment modalities, risk of kidney toxicity and evidence for use in non-plaque psoriasis." J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 25 Suppl 2 May 2011: 19-27.

Michalek, I.M., B. Loring, and S.M. John. "A Systematic Review of Worldwide Epidemiology of Psoriasis." JEADV 2016: 1-8.

Paul, C., et al. "Evidence-based recommendations on conventional systemic treatments in psoriasis: systematic review and expert opinion of a panel of dermatologists."J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 25 Suppl 2 May 2011: 2-11.

Sbidian, E., et al. "Efficacy and safety of oral retinoids in different psoriasis subtypes: a systematic literature review." J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 25 Suppl 2 May 2011: 28-33.

van de Kerkhof, P.C. "An update on topical therapies for mild-moderate psoriasis." Dermatol Clin 33.1 Jan. 2015: 73-7.

Villaseor-Park, Jennifer, David Wheeler, and Lisa Grandinetti. "Psoriasis: Evolving Treatment for a Complex Disease."Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 79.6 June 2012: 413-423.

National Psoriasis Foundation. About Psoriatic Arthritis. 2018. 21 November 2018 .

Steven R Feldman, MD, PhD. Patient education: Psoriasis (Beyond the Basics). 20 August 2018. 21 November 2018 .

The Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Alliance. Frequently asked questions. 21 November 2018 .

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Psoriasis Causes, Treatment, Symptoms & Medications

List of Psoriasis Medications (209 Compared) – Drugs.com

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clobetasol Rx C N 57reviews

8.0

Generic name:clobetasol topical

Brand names: Clobex, Temovate, Olux, Dermovate, Clobevate, Clodan, Cormax, Cormax Scalp, Embeline, Embeline E, Impoyz, Olux-E, Olux / Olux-E Kit, Temovate E showall

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

7.0

Generic name:adalimumab systemic

Drug class: antirheumatics, TNF alfa inhibitors

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

8.0

Generic name:methotrexate systemic

Brand names: Otrexup, Trexall, Rasuvo

Drug class: antimetabolites, antirheumatics, antipsoriatics, other immunosuppressants

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

8.0

Generic name:ustekinumab systemic

Drug class: interleukin inhibitors

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

6.0

Generic name:triamcinolone topical

Brand names: Kenalog, Aristocort A, Aristocort R, Cinolar, Pediaderm TA, Triacet, Trianex, Triderm showall

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

9.0

Generic name:mometasone topical

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

8.0

Generic name:clobetasol topical

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: Prescribing Information

7.0

Generic name:fluocinonide topical

Brand names: Fluocinonide-E, Vanos

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, Prescribing Information

6.0

Generic name:calcipotriene topical

Drug class: topical antipsoriatics

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

8.0

Generic name:tazarotene topical

Drug class: topical antipsoriatics

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: Prescribing Information

9.0

Generic name:mometasone topical

Brand name: Elocon

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

9.0

Generic name:triamcinolone systemic

Brand names: Kenalog-40, Kenalog-10, Aristospan, Clinacort showall

Drug class: glucocorticoids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

7.0

Generic name:calcipotriene topical

Brand names: Dovonex, Calcitrene, Sorilux

Drug class: topical antipsoriatics

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

7.0

Generic name:acitretin systemic

Drug class: antipsoriatics

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

7.0

Generic name:betamethasone / calcipotriene topical

Drug class: topical antipsoriatics

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: Prescribing Information

9.0

Generic name:desonide topical

Brand names: Desonate, DesOwen, LoKara, Verdeso showall

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

6.0

Generic name:prednisone systemic

Drug class: glucocorticoids

For consumers: dosage, interactions,

For professionals: A-Z Drug Facts, AHFS DI Monograph, Prescribing Information

10

Generic name:clobetasol topical

Drug class: topical steroids

For consumers: dosage, interactions, side effects

For professionals: Prescribing Information

8.0

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List of Psoriasis Medications (209 Compared) - Drugs.com

What Is Plaque Psoriasis | Otezla (apremilast)

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*Certain restrictions apply. *Certain restrictions apply; eligibility not based on income.

Otezla (apremilast) is a prescription medicine approved for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis for whom phototherapy or systemic therapy is appropriate.

Otezla is a prescription medicine approved for the treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis.

You must not take Otezla if you are allergic to apremilast or to any of the ingredients in Otezla.

Otezla can cause severe diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, especially within the first few weeks of treatment. Use in elderly patients and the use of certain medications with Otezla appears to increase the risk of having diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Tell your doctor if any of these conditions occur.

Otezla is associated with an increase in depression. In clinical studies, some patients reported depression, or suicidal behavior while taking Otezla. Some patients stopped taking Otezla due to depression. Before starting Otezla, tell your doctor if you have had feelings of depression, or suicidal thoughts or behavior. Be sure to tell your doctor if any of these symptoms or other mood changes develop or worsen during treatment with Otezla.

Some patients taking Otezla lost body weight. Your doctor should monitor your weight regularly. If unexplained or significant weight loss occurs, your doctor will decide if you should continue taking Otezla.

Some medicines may make Otezla less effective, and should not be taken with Otezla. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines.

Side effects of Otezla include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, upper respiratory tract infection, runny nose, sneezing, or congestion, abdominal pain, tension headache, and headache. These are not all the possible side effects with Otezla. Ask your doctor about other potential side effects. Tell your doctor about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or planning to breastfeed. Otezla has not been studied in pregnant women or in women who are breastfeeding.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-332-1088.

Please click here for Full Prescribing Information.

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What Is Plaque Psoriasis | Otezla (apremilast)

Liberal | Liberapedia | FANDOM powered by Wikia

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This article is part parody and satire. Liberals aren't all as awesome as we imagine.Liberals aren't the way Conservapedia imagines them either. Though, the article refers to the vast majority!:)

Michael Moore, a liberal

A liberal is somebody with a selfless world view and someone who wants this planet to continue socially evolving into the future and beyond. Liberalism means love and positive thinking, Liberalism is the idea of universal Human rights: it doesn't matter what race you are- black, white, Asian, Arab, Native Americans, etc. or the way you dress or look. Liberals are open-minded and respectful of whoever you are [1] and encourage others not to be ashamed for who they are [2], like gays and poor people. A liberal is a person that is not ashamed of being him/herself.

The Liberal half of America is the one that symbolizes optimism and forward thinking. Liberals believe in gun control (American liberals sometimes disagree about how far to allow responsible weapon ownership). Liberals believe in environmental protection, providing for poor people, gay rights, civil rights. Liberals oppose animal cruelty, and they support basic human nature; meaning the freedom to have sex with the consenting partners they would like without the guilt of the right-wing religious types. Conservative republicans are the evangelical Christian and Greedy Capitalist side of America and love to pass absurd laws like the "mandatory" pledge of abstinence. By the way that doesn't work at all, studies show that teens who pledge for abstinence are 42% more likely to end up having sex anyway (out of curiosity) and are more likely to get pregnant while still in their teen years because they don't understand contraception. Liberals, on the other hand, let those horny teenagers do Sex if they want, as long as they have protection believe we have a responsibility to teach young people responsible sexual practices. Conservatives used to make Interracial marriage, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, and even many common marital sexual practices, illegal (This was the law in many US states during the first half of the 20th Century). While Liberals also limit sexuality in some cases, Liberal limitations are likely to be defense of those seen to be defenseless, for example the requirement for voluntary legal consent.

Liberals are rational thinkers who are open to all views and skeptical of those who follow specific agendas. Unlike conservatives, liberals have open minds and tend to disagree with each other in open debate about issues in order to find what is best. American Liberals believe in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Liberals in other countries want similar freedoms in their countries.

Liberals are often not fooled by propaganda and believe in separation of powers. Liberals are very patriotic andvoice their opinion often in protest.

Many of us older American Liberals remember the days when there were many Liberals in both the Democratic and Republican parties. Liberals then as now, disagreed on of the rate of progression of Civil rights, and the amount of intervention necessary to make Capitalism and our government function the best for our citizens and our society, but we always held on to the goal of protecting, and maximizing the value of Life, Liberty, and Property in our society with only the amount of government necessary to achieve those goals.

Prior to the Neoliberal revolution, Liberals represented the centrist position in American politics. For years neoliberals have been trying to convince people that Liberals hold the beliefs of our further left allies. We respect our allies and their opinions, and we will continue to do so. We fight for common goals with our allies, and we will continue to do so. Nevertheless, we are not our allies, we may share short-term goals, but in the end we still differ. Given the amount and rancor of the rhetoric our far-right opponents have devoted to demonizing liberals, I've concluded they still believe we're their most dangerous opponents. I believe we liberals are still the most centrist group in American politics, and I wonder if we're not far more numerous than we even know. I've hope that liberals can still turn our Country from its errant path, achieve government of, by, and for the people, and once again be a beacon of hope for peoples of the world yearning for freedom and prosperity.

Liberals stand up for workers rights

Unlike Conservatives, liberals are logical and consistent.

Liberals are the only hope against the vast right wing conspiracy.

In short, most liberals embody the very essence of awesome.

Understanding Conservative opinion of Liberals often requires understanding the concept of conflation. Liberal, a noun, denotes a political/economic philosophy. Liberal, an adjective, denotes a value judgement which is often contrasted to the adjective conservative. Many on the political/economic right have become very adept at combining the two distinct concepts in their rhetoric. This rhetorical device, called conflation, creates a false philosophy (a straw man) which the right attacks. These rhetorical attacks on Liberalism by the Right are what Liberals refer to as Bullshit. So, when you read posts about Liberals, or watch Fox News, check to see if the poster or speaker is using conflation to create a straw man attack on Liberalism. Visits to Conservapedia or Fox News can unfortunately result in a very offensive taint if you're not careful.

Liberals hate the following people:

The only known bad thing that is a Liberal is The Australian Liberal Party.

We're sure Conservatives would prefer to call these Liberal Faults, but we're Liberals and we're capable of learning and changing our behavior, so we prefer to see these traits as challenges.

As with any large grouping or community, there are different types of liberals who use different methods to try and spread the good that is liberalism.Don't forget there are plenty of sensible liberal who wear ordinary clothes, less conventional than what conservatives wear and want sensible things than make people happy and healthy like Universal Health Care Civil rights and Freedom.

A beatnik was a subculture of liberals most popular in the 1950s and 1960s. A typical beatnik tends to wear a striped black and white T-shirt, trousers, weird French hats, sandals and little glasses. They have also been known to form drum circles in green areas and read poetry.

Hippies were a more popular culture of nonconformity in the 1960s. Hippies are based on a very Liberal idea- open-mindedness and free love. A typical hippy carries an acoustic guitar with them in case they need to sing a song against the reactionaries and Conservatives. Hippies are one of the peace-loving groupings of the liberal culture. Hippies were useful in giving a middle finger to the old tradition of needing to be a right wing nutter to be a Christian, as many hippies believed in God and the idea of him loving everyone, regardless of race, gender and sexual orientation.

A suit Liberal is a liberal who wears a suit. These kind of liberals are the ones who tend to enter politics.

A punk is by far the most controversial breed of liberal, most popular in the late 1970s. Easily distinguishable by their typical attire of ripped jeans, leather studded jacks, colourful spiked hair and metal in various bodily parts, they are often associated with thuggish violence, but tend to hold liberal beliefs nonetheless. The weird clothes they wear are seen as a sign of nonconformity to the ordinary clothes regular people wear.

One of the most known of punk bands with highly liberal views are Anti-Flag.

Punks are also available in conservative format, and, more controversially, in neo-Nazi style. See Nazi Punks.

A general term used for someone who can play any array of rock-style instruments and also hold liberal beliefs. See Liberal Songs for more.

Continued here:

Liberal | Liberapedia | FANDOM powered by Wikia

Leadership U.S. Transhumanist Party Official Website

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Officers

Gennady Stolyarov II ChairmanBobby Ridge SecretaryB.J. Murphy Director of Social MediaFranco Cortese Director of ScholarshipDinorah Delfin Director of Admissions and Public RelationsArin Vahanian Director of MarketingSean Singh Director of Applied InnovationKenneth Alum Director of PublicationEmanuel Iral Director of Visual Art

Foreign Ambassadors

Keoma Ferreira Antonio BrazilAngel Marchev, Sr. BulgariaAria Cheng CanadaAiken Nen Iavarrone ChileAbdul-Rahman Essam Saleh EgyptChris Monteiro EnglandPam Keefe Hong KongPalak Madan IndiaDenisa Rensen JapanOjochogwu Abdul NigeriaBobby Pembleton ScotlandJos Luis Cordeiro Spain

Representatives of the Worldwide Transhumanist Movement

Alexandr Putyatinskiy Representative of the Transhumanist Movement in Kazakhstan

Officers

Gennady Stolyarov II (G. Stolyarov II) became the second Chairman in the history of the Transhumanist Party in November 2016. Mr. Stolyarovis an actuary, independent philosophical essayist, science-fiction novelist, poet, amateur mathematician, composer, and Editor-in-Chief of The Rational Argumentator, a magazine championing the principles of reason, rights, and progress. Mr. Stolyarov regularly produces YouTube Videos discussing life extension, politics, philosophy, and related subjects.

In December 2013, Mr. Stolyarov published Death is Wrong, an ambitious childrens book on life extension. Death is Wrongcan be found on Amazon in paperback and Kindle formats, and can also be freely downloaded in PDF format in the English, Russian, French,Spanish, and Portuguese languages.

Mr. Stolyarov is the Chief Executive and one of the founding members of the Nevada Transhumanist Party, established in August 2015.

Mr. Stolyarov has contributed articles to the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET), The Wave Chronicle, Le Qubcois Libre, Brighter Brains Institute, Immortal Life, Enter Stage Right, Rebirth of Reason, The Liberal Institute, and the Ludwig von Mises Institute.

Mr. Stolyarov holds the professional insurance designations of Fellowof the Society of Actuaries (FSA), Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society (ACAS), Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA), Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Associate in Reinsurance (ARe), Associate in Regulation and Compliance (ARC), Associate in Personal Insurance (API), Associate in Insurance Services (AIS), Accredited Insurance Examiner (AIE), and Associate in Insurance Accounting and Finance (AIAF).He is the author of numerous actuarial study guides, including, most recently, the 473-page Practice Problems in Advanced Topics in General Insurance, published by ACTEX Learning.

Mr. Stolyarov has written a science-fiction novel, Eden against the Colossus, a philosophical treatise, A Rational Cosmology, a play, Implied Consent, and a free self-help treatise, The Best Self-Help is Free.

In an effort to assist the spread of rational ideas, Mr. Stolyarov published his articles on Associated Content (subsequently the Yahoo! Contributor Network and Yahoo! Voices) from 2007 until Yahoo! closed this venue in 2014. Mr. Stolyarov held the highest Clout Level (10) possible on the Yahoo! Contributor Network and was one of its Page View Millionaires, with over 3,191,000 views. Mr. Stolyarovs selected writings from that era have been preserved on this page.

Mr. Stolyarov can be contacted here.

Bobby Ridgehas a Bachelors Degree in Biomedical Science from California State University of Sacramento (CSUS) and is striving to achieve his PhD in Neuroscience. He only recently found transhumanism and became a Transhumanist. He conducted research for CSUSs Psychology Department and his own personal research on the epistemology and Scientiometrics of the Scientific Method. He also co-owns Togos in Citrus Heights, CA. Mr. Ridge considers transhumanism to describe the future of humanity taking its next steps in evolution, which are both puissant and daunting. With the exponential increase in information technology, Mr. Ridge considers it important for us to become a science-based species to prevent a dystopian-type future from occurring.

Mr. Ridge can be contacted here.

B.J. Murphy is a writer, author, futurist, and activist. He has done work as a Technology Adviser for short films and television and is an Ambassador for both the A.I. company Persona and robotics company BodAi. Hes an Editor and Social Media Manager for Serious Wonder, Affiliate Scholar for the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, and is a co-author of both The Future of Business: Critical Insights Into a Rapidly Changing World From 60 Future Thinkers and 50:50 Scenarios for the Next 50 Years.

Mr. Murphy can be contacted here.

Franco Cortese is the Deputy Director of the Biogerontology Research Foundation and a member of its Board of Trustees. He believes that the most effective and economical approach to the treatment of age-related diseases which represent, from both a quantitative and qualitative standpoint, some of the most significant diseases afflicting humanity today is through the extension of healthspan via biomedical interventions focusing on the prevention, negation, and/or slowing of accumulated age-related phenotypic deviation. In addition to his administrative and research activities, Cortese has also written extensively on the ethical, socioeconomic, political, logistical, and philosophical implications of biomedical gerontology.

He is also active as a research scholar in the field of the philosophy of technology, focusing on the ethical, sociological, philosophical, and political issues surrounding emerging technologies in general and human enhancement technology in particular through his work as an Affiliate Scholar of the Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technologies (IEET), a technoprogressive policy institute focusing on the social implications of emerging technologies. His most recent research in this area has involved articulating a novel variant of technological determinism titled technic self-determination (Cortese, F. A. B. (2014). Technic Self-Determination. In Stephen John Thompson (Ed.), Global Issues and Ethical Considerations in Human Enhancement Technologies (pp. 203-224). Hershey, PA: IGI Global; Cortese, F. A. B. (2016). The Technoethical Ethos of Technic Self-Determination. International Journal of Technoethics (IJT), 7(2), 1-27), which posits a reciprocally causative relationship between technology and society, construing technology to be a crucial and reciprocally causative ontological fundament of human nature.

Among other broader research topics relating to the ethical, philosophical, and sociopolitical implications of emerging technologies in general, his current research involves defending the development and proliferation of human enhancement technologies (HET) as a viable means of increasing the capacity for self-determination, autonomy, and sovereignty at the level of both society and the individual and of reducing unnecessary suffering in the world at large by increasing the capacity for individuals to determine the controlling circumstances of their selves and lives. Contrary to many critics of HET, Cortese argues that the use of HET exemplifies and indeed even intensifies our most human capacity and faculty namely, the desire for increased self-determination, which he refers to as the will toward self-determination. Furthermore, he argues that the use of HET bears fundamental ontological continuity with the human condition in general and the historically ubiquitous will toward self-determination in particular, and that, as such, the development and proliferation of HET need not be a dehumanizing force, but rather could very well serve to increase the very capacity that characterizes us as human more accurately than anything else, provided that it is developed and proliferated democratically and ethically.

Corteses other current positions and affiliations include Associate at Deep Knowledge Life Sciences, Research Scientist at ELPIs Foundation for Indefinite Lifespans, Scientific Advisor for Lifeboat Foundation (Life Extension Advisory Board and Futurists Advisory Board), Honorary Fellow of Brighter Brains Institute, Chief Operating Officer of the Center for Interdisciplinary Philosophic Studies, International Coordinator of Cryonics Switzerland, Ambassador for the Seasteading Institute, Assistant Editor at Ria University Press, Member of the International Longevity Alliance, Chair and Co-Founder of the Canadian Longevity Alliance, and Reviewer for the Global Futures Intelligence System at The Millennium Project.

Mr. Cortese can be contacted here.

Dinorah Delfin is a Multi-Media New York Artist and Futurist with a clear mission: to advocate for the ethical use of emerging technologies to help steer humanity into a thriving metahumanity. She is the owner of ArtDimensional Studios, Inc., in New York and has a degree in Business Management. Ms. Delfins artworks and activism are aimed to raise critical questions about emerging techno-social structures as they become more embedded in our lives, and our evolving definition of humanity, individual sovereignty, and general happiness and sense of purpose. Ms. Delfins artworks can be seen on her Instagram page.

Ms. Delfin has been designing a grass-roots campaign to advocate for the ethical use of emerging technologies including a manifesto and a series of propaganda-like posters that raise questions about emerging technologies and how they affect our everyday life. With the assistance of like-minded artists, she is planning to carry on a guerrilla-type campaign both online and in public spaces such schools. She has been involved in organizing educational events as well as fundraisers for charitable relief efforts.

Ms. Delfin can be contacted here.

Arin Vahanian is a project manager, author, entrepreneur, musician, blogger, startup advisor, and aspiring electrical engineer. Having worked for three Fortune 100 companies and several technology startups, Mr. Vahanian helps organizations build high-performance teams and create and launch products/services that delight the customer.

Being deeply devoted to the promise of Transhumanism and the concept of continuous improvement, Mr. Vahanian is the author of Kaizen for Men, a book that combines self-help with Lean Manufacturing and Toyota Production System principles, helping men boost their health, career, and relationships.

Mr. Vahanian became interested in the Transhumanist movement after coming across various life-changing technologies and breakthroughs in the medical field. His personal vision is to live and love deeply, being dedicated to building and spreading technologies that allow human beings to live more fulfilling, joyful, and enhanced lives. Specifically, he has a special interest in curing mental health disorders such as depression and social anxiety disorder, as well as reversing aging and curing dementia and other neurological disorders.

Mr. Vahanian holds a Bachelors degree in Journalism (Public Relations) and a Master of Business Administration (Management) degree from California State University, Northridge. Additionally, he holds several professional certifications in the information technology (IT) industry, and is an Enrolled Agent.

A seasoned traveler and expatriate, Mr. Vahanian has lived and worked on three continents, and speaks six languages. Mr. Vahanian is an ENTJ personality type according to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Mr. Vahanian can be contacted here.

Sean Singh is a dedicated supporter of human rights and environmental justice, an expert in strategy, quality control, and lateral thinking, with a life-long passion for open-source technologies. He is the founder of SolarFi Networks, an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that designs and deploys metro-scale wireless networks that are disaster-resilient. He has owned and operated several commercial data centers, having worked in every role from tech support to network administrator to infrastructure design and implementation beforehand. Mr. Singhs passion also extends to education. He takes an open-source view that education should be free to anyone interested, and to that end he works with the Open Source Temple, one the worlds first Transhumanist churches. Mr. Singh worked closely with Todd Freeman to develop the ranking system for consciousness that appears at the beginning of the Transhumanist Bill of Rights Version 2.0, and which reflects his familiarity with bridging the gap between neuroscience and digital intelligence.

Mr. Singh can be contacted here.

Kenneth Alum has an Advanced Diploma in Business Management, with technical skills in Computer Hardware and Software maintenance (A+). His work experience spans 15 years, 12 years being in lower to senior-level management. Mr. Alum has worked in the industries of Graphic Design, Print Advertising, Insurance, and Finance, and has spent 10 years in the micro-finance industry. He has accrued skills in policy and procedure writing and implementation, credit appraisal, loan marketing, budgeting, financial forecasting, credit control, staff training, graphic design, report writing, business planning, customer service, and branding.

Mr. Alum has taken keen interest in science and technology recently. He now considers himself a Transhumanist, Futurist and a Space Ager an advocate for space and for new worlds exploration, habitation, and colonization. Mr. Alum just began private studies in biotechnology and hopes to do the same with nanotechnology and various space technologies. He will eventually proceed to acquire formal education on these disciplines. Mr. Alum has created the Facebook group Transhumanism Africa and started a business in Kenya named Transhumanism Technologies. The purpose of the business is to import to Africa and trade in new technology products in the future.

Mr. Alum can be contacted here.

Emanuel Iral is a design freelancer who has provided clients with work ranging from typical advertisements, flyers, and logos, to filming and editing videos. Mr. Iral has interned as a studio assistant to a prominent artist in New York, Laetitia Soulier. He has participated in one art show, Young Artist Initiative, in Miami, where he exhibited his series of 70+ pencil drawings of carved bodies. Mr. Irals artwork ranges from traditional paint and pencil work to 3D digital work. Currently he is working on his VFX and animation skills, as he is producing short films for his music.

Mr. Irals work can be found on Behance.net, Instagram, and Patreon. Heencompasses his art under the term Prismatis Latin for prism. A prismrefracts white light into the three primary colors: yellow, magenta, and cyan. Prismatis is all about the aesthetic of human expression, which can be separated into the art, audience, and artist.

Mr. Iral can be contacted here.

Foreign Ambassadors

Keoma Ferreira Antonio is a philosopher, musician, and lover of science fiction and Japanese art production. Graduated in Philosophy from UFRN (Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil), he was a laureate of his class. He currently holds a masters degree in philosophy from the same university, and his research area is Transhumanism.

He researches and writes about the Promethean-Faustian Oscillations of Transhumanism, which come from the demiurgic character of modern sciences (which will be published as an introductory book on transhumanism). He is also a member of the research group on Immortality, an activist of the Transhumanist cause (being an active voice within the movement, which is still small in Brazil) and works with the dissemination of philosophical thought through anime (Japanese animation).

Keoma can be contacted here.

Prof. Angel Marchev, Ph.D. has graduated as automation control engineer at the Technical University of Sofia. Later he worked closely with A. Ivahnenko, one of the originators of the concept of Self-organization.

Prof. Marchev is one of the pioneers of implementing cybernetics and system theory in the fields of business management in Bulgaria. Over the last 40 years he has published more than two hundred papers on various topics in the field. He considers as his life-time achievement the implementation of Multi-stage selection procedures for wide range of business challenges such as system identification, forecasting, modeling economic and business systems among others.

Angel Marchev, Sr. is one of the pioneers of implementing computer business games and active methods in education for adults in Bulgaria. Over the last 40 years he has educated more than thirty thousand students and managers using over hundred and twenty CMG and other active methods in his courses. He teaches courses such as Simulation and gaming in management, Business games, Computer simulation and forecasting, Financial modeling in management and Fundamentals of Management I: Cybernetics and systems theory at the University for National and World Economy and Burgas Free University among several others business schools and collages in Bulgaria and at University of Hasselt, University of Slough, and London Guildhall University among others abroad.

By using games he has trained a spectrum of Bulgarian business leaders starting with his assignment at the Center for training management resources throughout the 1970s. In the last 20 years he has started his own consultancy business providing training for various private and public organizations.

Prof. Marchev has been among the first members of ISAGA since it was founded and was member of the steering committee of ISAGA almost until 1990. He was also a member of EESAGA. Now he is establishing BASAGA in Bulgaria.

Professor Marchev can be contacted here.

Aria Chengis a Wholistic Transhumanist Artist, Designer, Community Builder, Advocate, and Entrepreneur. As an unprotected visible intersectional minority with invisible disabilities, Aria has spent 6 years engaged in building inclusive queer and feminist communities and spaces, and an additional 10 years serving her local community in many capacities.

Since her departure from the queer-feminist activist sphere in 2013, Aria remains a passionate Transhumanist, with a distinct progressive vision for Canadas future which includes: a focus on Innovation and Research; extending Universal Care to encompass Basic Income, Advanced Education, and extended Health & Dental coverage for longevity; an actionable plan for Native Reparations; Voting Reform; and making use of Blockchain technology and Artificial Intelligence for true democratic participation as well as the distribution of both private and public services; among others.

Aria is currently working on finishing her Associate Degree of Arts in Social Sciences, as well as her Diploma of Fine Arts. She also serves as Lead Designer for the non-profit humanitarian AI organization, Robots Without Borders, and is Founder of The Transhumanist Party of Canada.

In her personal life, Aria is giant fan of Star Trek, loves her two cats, and identifies her gender to be Transhumanist.

Aiken Nen Iavarrone graduated in Electronics in high school and participates in the maker movement in Chile. He is a student of automation and industrial control and is interested in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He is also an entrepreneur who has formed a company called Carmona Robotics. He created an invention, motivated by the work of several thinkers a smartglass with a brain-computer interface that integrates imaging studies, logistics, daily life, and social experiences. Mr. Iavarrones dream is to study biomedical engineering and, specifically, neuronal engineering, and to collaborate with others in improving the effectiveness of biological sensors in prostheses and computational devices. Mr. Iavarrone believes in a world of neurodiversity and existential freedom, where the identity of each person is defended. In addition, he takes an interest in economics and energy and is a member of the Facebook group Transhumanismo, whose focus is on spreading transhumanist ideas in countries throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

Abdul-Rahman Essam Saleh holds a Bachelors degree in Biotechnology and is aiming to establish the biotechnology industry as a major industrial sector in Egypt, where potentials are at a peak and chances seem limitless. For that dream to come true, Abdul is taking steps and planning on doing his Masters degree in Biotechnology Business Management.

Abdul started the Arabian Longevity Alliance initiative to spread awareness of the longevity research field and its results among researchers and science-loving laymen. Also, to spark the interests of people who arent that much into science, Abdul used his stance to start intriguing peoples thoughts about how the Transhumanistic era might look like and how longevity is going to affect the shapes of our lives.

Abdul has held multiple talks, lectures, and YouTube videos on various topics, including longevity, to help get the word out in the Arab world, which is why he pays great regard to translating research papers into Arabic and posting them with the hope that they reach Arabic-speaking audiences interested in the field or in science in general.

Abdul hopes that his efforts result in a possible core of the first small community of Transhumanists in Egypt.

Abdul-Rahman can be contacted via his Facebook pageand his YouTube channel.

Chris Monteiro has been involved in the transhumanist movement for a number of years. He is a co-founder and officer with the Transhumanist Party UK, an organization seeking to tackle a range of contemporary political challenges facing the transhumanist movement in British, European, and international contexts.

Since 2015 he has led the H+Pedia project from Humanity+, a transhumanist edited wiki helping to better map, understand and promote transhumanist ideas within the entire movement.

He works as a systems administrator and studies contemporary cybercrime trends and their intersections with computer security, privacy, and our rapidly developing internet-connected society.

Personal site: https://pirate.london/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Deku_shrub

Chris can be contacted here.

Pam Keefe is the Asia Pacific Vice President for HNI International.

Based in Hong Kong, Pam is responsible for Sales and Distribution of HNIs 8 brands of office furniture, including Allsteel, Gunlocke, Paoli, Lamex, and HNI India. Originally from the USA, she has been working and living in Asia since 2008. Prior to joining HNI in 2015, Pam was based in Singapore and was the Vice-President of Asia Pacific for Teknion Office Furniture for two years and spent 12 years with Haworth Office Furniture, leading Sales Strategy and Global Accounts for Asia Pacific, Middle East, Latin America, and Africa.

In addition to the office furniture business, Pam has a passion for biotechnology, health, fitness, and life extension.

Pam is spearheading an effort to raise awareness and educate people in Asia on the possibilities of life extension and the critical medical research that is needed to cure aging and death. The organizations in which she is involved give her access to people, events, knowledge, and activities that the U.S. Transhumanist Party can leverage. Pam is organizing RAADfest Bangkok, which takes place in February 2018 and will be the first event of its kind in Asia.

Pam can be contacted here.

Palak Madan is a Research Analyst at Blackbox AI. Her work involves evaluating AI marketplace, finding best practices for various operational needs, business development, UI designing, gathering resources for in-house research lab, maintaining internal wiki, etc. Previously, she has participated in diverse challenges and collaborative projects with various tech-startups in India, U.S., and Europe.

Besides AI forecasting, her research work revolves around Future of Machine Intelligence, long-term ethical problems of robust and beneficial Artificial Intelligence, simulation theory, ethical reasoning, rationality, mathematics, and design thinking. She likes to focus on big picture questions facing humanity and maintains a web presence at futuretunnel.com, where she shares her views, thoughts and vision for far future.

Palak can be contacted here.

Dr.Denisa Rensen B.Sc., B.A., N.D. FAARM A4Mis an avid academic/researcher, holding Honors Degrees in Philosophy, in Biology, in Psychology and a Medical Degree in Naturopathic Medicine. She holds a Fellowship in Anti-Aging & Regenerative Medicine from the American Academy of Anti-Aging & Regenerative Medicine A4M.

Denisa is passionate about exponential medicine, conscious transhumanism, and the future of unlimited lifespans. She is a speaker and MC of the RAADFest a yearly conference on ending aging and expanding human lifespans in the most healthy and conscious way possible.

She is a writer, a poet, a photographer,cinematographer, and conscious media producer always bridging art and science in all she does.

Denisa can be contacted here.

Ojochogwu Abdul is a resident of Nigeria and deeply involved in the countrys transhumanist community under the personal philosophies of deep naturalism, transhumanism, and cosmism. Hes the founder of the Transhumanist Enlightenment Caf (TEC) and is the co-founder of the Transhumanist Forum of Nigeria (H+Forum-NG).

Ojochogwu currently holds a B.A. in Philosophy & Religious Studies and an M.A. in Philosophy, and is a Ph.D. student in Philosophy at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Hes a researcher, philosophy tutor, private consultant, speaker, social worker, and NGO program and planning officer.

Ojochogwu can be contacted here.

See original here:

Leadership U.S. Transhumanist Party Official Website

Watch a Tiny Gecko-Like Robot Climb Upside Down

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A team of Harvard researchers has created a tiny robot for Rolls-Royce that can climb in every direction, including upside down.

Roving Robot

Rolls-Royce really wants to get robots into its jet engines.

In July, the U.K. engineering firm unveiled the tiny, cockroach-like robot it designed to crawl into engines’ hard-to-reach areas. The goal: give mechanics a way to investigate issues without going through the complicated process of taking an engine apart.

Now, a team from Harvard has produced another microbot for Rolls-Royce — one more like a lizard than an insect — and it’s another fascinating concept about how bots can navigate hard-to-access areas on behalf of human engineers.

Sky’s the Limit

The Harvard team calls its robot HAMR-E, which stands for Harvard Ambulatory Micro-Robot with Electroadhesion. The little machine is able to climb on surfaces in any direction, even upside down — just like a gecko.

According to a paper published Thursday in the journal Science Robotics, the bot’s four flexible foot pads include copper electrodes that generate an electrostatic force as it walks across a conductive surface. Turn a pad’s electric field on, and it sticks to the surface. Turn it off, and the pad releases.

In order to stick to a surface upside down, the robot needs to have three pads turned on, so the researchers programmed it to use a special walking pattern in which no more than one pad is lifted at any point in time. Specially designed joints modeled after origami allow the bot’s ankles to rotate freely, too, which enables it to maintain its orientation while moving in any direction.

It’s also vaguely adorable.

The Upside

In testing, HAMR-E was able to take more than one hundred consecutive steps and even managed to navigate a curved section of a jet engine while upside down. Next, the team plans to explore giving the robot the ability to carry electronics or sensors it could use to inspect its environment. They also want to research ways to allow the microbot to walk on non-conductive surfaces.

“Now that these robots can explore in three dimensions instead of just moving back and forth on a flat surface, there’s a whole new world that they can move around in and engage with,” researcher Sébastien de Rivaz said in a news release. “They could one day enable non-invasive inspection of hard-to-reach areas of large machines, saving companies time and money and making those machines safer.”

READ MORE: Robots With Sticky Feet Can Climb up, Down, and All Around [Wyss Institute]

More on tiny robots: Rolls-Royce Is Building Cockroach-Like Robots to Fix Plane Engines

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Watch a Tiny Gecko-Like Robot Climb Upside Down

Watch “Acoustic Tweezers” Use Sound to Levitate Multiple Objects

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Researchers have created the first acoustic tweezers capable of levitating and moving multiple tiny objects simultaneously.

Wingardium Leviosa

A pair of researchers didn’t need a Harry Potter spell to levitate multiple objects at once. They just needed the power of sound waves.

In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, researchers Asier Marzo Pérez of the Public University of Navarra and Bruce Drinkwater from the University of Bristol describe how they were able to use sound to levitate multiple objects independently of one another — a never-before-accomplished feat the researchers say could lead to next-generation medical procedures.

Acoustic Tweezers

The duo started by building two arrays, each featuring 256 tiny speakers just one centimeter in diameter. Next, they placed those arrays on opposite walls with the speakers facing inward. Finally, they placed a sound-reflective surface on the ground between the arrays.

Using a computer, the researchers could cause the speakers to emit sound waves in the 40-kilohertz range. By manipulating the sound waves using a specially developed algorithm, the researchers found that they could exert a force on tiny objects placed on the reflected surface, causing them to levitate.

In their experiments, they managed to manipulate Styrofoam balls with diameters up to three millimeters, causing the balls to appear to dance in midair.

Inner Workings

According to the researchers, we could one day use a version of their acoustic tweezers to conduct surgery-free medical procedures within the human body.

“The flexibility of ultrasonic waves allows us to operate at micrometric scales to move cells inside 3D printed structures or living tissue,” Marzo said in a news release.

To that end, the team plans to begin working on finding a way to get their technique to work in water. They’re hoping that will take less than a year, after which they’ll begin focusing on adapting the technology to work in biological tissue.

READ MORE: Holographic Acoustic Tweezers Able to Manipulate Multiple Objects in 3-D Space [Phys.org]

More on sound levitation: Sonic Tractor Beams: Scientists Made a Hologram Device That Costs Less Than $10

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Nine Months After Killing a Pedestrian, Uber’s Self-Driving Cars Are Back on the Road

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Uber will begin testing its autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh on Thursday, marking the company's first tests since a fatal incident in March.

They’re Back

Uber is set to resume open-road tests for its self-driving vehicles in Pittsburgh on Thursday, according to The Associated Press.

The tests mark the first time that Uber will test one of its autonomous vehicles since one struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona in March 2018 — and the latest sign that the self-driving car industry could be outgrowing its safety-be-damned early days as its leading developers try to mature and reach the mainstream.

Take Two

After the deadly collision in March, it turned out that the software in Uber’s Volvo XC90 had decided to continue on its deadly path even after detecting the woman ahead. It also emerged that the car’s assigned human operator had been watching TV on their phone. More recently, a whistleblower leaked emails showing that Uber’s executives were aware of and ignored safety concerns prior to the crash.

In spite of all that, Pennsylvania’s Transportation Department authorized the company to conduct more tests this week — though with significant restrictions. Uber also plans on resuming tests in Toronto and San Francisco.

Triple Check

In this new round of road tests, Uber’s cars will also be limited to roadways with a speed limit of 25 MPH, and tests will only run on weekdays with clear weather. When the Uber car killed the pedestrian in March, it was traveling 38 MPH in a 35 zone during a nighttime drive.

The vehicles will also activate Volvo’s emergency braking system and each will carry a second human operator, according to the AP.

“Before any vehicles are on public roads, they must pass a series of more than 70 scenarios without safety related failures on our test track,” Uber Advanced Technologies Group head Eric Meyhofer told the Washington Post. “We are confident we’ve met that bar.”

On one hand, these extra precautions are valuable reassurances that Uber wants to avoid another horrific crash. But the fact that these safety measures and restrictions are necessary to test autonomous vehicles is also a clear indicator that self-driving technology has a long way to go before it becomes truly viable.

READ MORE: Uber resumes autonomous vehicle tests in Pittsburgh [AP]

More on self-driving cars: A Waymo Rider Talked Publicly About the Service — Even Though He Wasn’t Supposed To

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Nine Months After Killing a Pedestrian, Uber’s Self-Driving Cars Are Back on the Road

See Stunning New Images of a Mars Crater Full of Mile-Thick Ice

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The ESA has released several photos of a massive ice-filled crater on Mars that are stunning enough to adorn a Christmas card.

Martian Wonderland

Christmas is always white at Mars’s Korolev crater.

In fact, every day is a snowy expanse of white — the 50-mile-wide impact crater is filled with ice year-round due to the cold air trapped within it.

See for yourself. On Thursday, the European Space Agency (ESA) released several icy, snowy images of the crater, and they’re stunning enough to adorn the cover of a Martian Christmas card.

Express Delivery

The ESA generated the images of Mars’s ice-filled crater using data from its Mars Express probe, which entered Mars’s orbit — appropriately enough — on Christmas Day in 2003.

To produce the images, the ESA had to combine data from five Mars Express orbits, with the most recent taking place on April 4, 2018. The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), an instrument capable of capturing images in three dimensions and in color, recorded the data.

Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

Water World

The ice at the center of the Martian crater is more than a mile thick. In total, Korolev contains 530 cubic miles of water ice. That’s more than four times the volume of Lake Erie.

The fact that we even know such a massive ice-filled crater exists on Mars is remarkable. After all, less than two decades ago, we weren’t even sure the Red Planet had any form of water at all. Now we have the technology in place to see a massive crater full of it — in stunning detail.

Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

READ MORE: Mars Express Beams Back Images of Ice-Filled Korolev Crater [The Guardian]

More on Mars water: Mars Used To Be Dotted With Life-Friendly Lakes

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Astronomers Found Ancient Remains of a Big Bang “Fossil Cloud”

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Astronomers at Swinburne University of Technology discovered a cloud of gas that was created around the time of the Big Bang.

Fossil Clouds

Astronomers at the M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaii made an incredible discovery earlier this month. It was a rare relic of the ancient universe: a “fossil cloud” of gas created around the time of the Big Bang.

The extraordinary discovery could provide new information about the origins of the universe and its early composition — including why certain stars and galaxies formed from gases and others didn’t.

Quasar Light

The group was led by Fred Robert and Michael Murphy, both at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne. Their results are about to be published in an astronomical journal called Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, but they’ve also made them available on the preprint server arXiv.

“Everywhere we look, the gas in the universe is polluted by waste heavy elements from exploding stars,” said Robert in a statement on the Keck Observatory’s website. “But this particular cloud seems pristine, unpolluted by stars even 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang.”

The team used two M. Keck Observatory spectrometers — think of them as extremely sensitive and complex cameras — that have been used to discover exoplanets in the past.

The astronomers spotted the fossil cloud because of an extremely bright quasar — a celestial object that emits large amounts of energy — behind it. The spectrometer readings found the cloud to be extremely low in density, leading them to believe it was a “true relic of the Big Bang,” according to Robert, since they remained almost entirely unaffected by exploding star particles that fill the rest of the galaxy.

Tip of the Iceberg

And many more such fossil clouds could be discovered in the future thanks to this particular discovery — the first two fossil clouds were actually found by accident in 2011 — Robert and his team knew to look for this third one.

“It’s now possible to survey for these fossil relics of the Big Bang,” said Murphy. “That will tell us exactly how rare they are and help us understand how some gas formed stars and galaxies in the early universe, and why some didn’t.”

READ MORE: Astronomers find a ‘fossil cloud’ uncontaminated since the Big Bang [Astronomy]

More on the Big Bang: An Ancient Star Reveals Our Galaxy Is Older Than We Thought

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Astronomers Found Ancient Remains of a Big Bang “Fossil Cloud”

AIs Whip Christmas Leftovers Into Loathsome New Recipes

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An AI created by Stanford transformed typical Christmas leftovers into new recipes, which the BBC then cooked up and tasted so you don't have to.

SwedAIsh Chef

Name a problem and someone’s probably trying to use artificial intelligence to solve it.

AI may be a relatively new technology, but researchers across the globe are already leveraging it to address major problems, from climate change to cancer to poverty. So finding a use for your Christmas leftovers should be a piece of (fruit)cake for AI. Right?

Maybe not.

On Wednesday, the BBC published the results of an experiment in which it asked two teams of researchers to task their AIs with creating new recipes out of typical holiday fare. The brave souls at the BBC then cooked up and tasted some of the AIs’ creations — and it’s safe to say the chefs of the world needn’t worry about losing their jobs to automation quite yet.

Eat and Run (to the Bathroom)

Computer scientists at Stanford University created the first AI, an algorithm called Forage. Using a dataset of 60,000 recipes, they trained Forage to craft new recipes using whatever you tell it is in your fridge.

When given a list of typical holiday leftovers to work with, Forage came up with recipes for a Spanish potato casserole, turkey croquettes, and a spicy seafood casserole. The BBC reports that they were, respectively, “well-received,” “not too bad to eat,” and “about as close to a bout of food poisoning as we were prepared to get.”

After reading the recipe for that last one, in fact, they couldn’t even bring themselves to cook it.

Culinary Culture Shock

Researchers at the University of Illinois built the second AI, which they trained using nearly 40,000 recipes from 20 different countries.

That AI puts an international twist on existing recipes, so the BBC team asked it to create Indian versions of traditional holiday dishes. Michelin star-holding chef Keisuke Matsushima then cooked up and tasted a few of those recipes, which also received mixed reviews.

Matsushima thought a recipe for Indian roast turkey was “very easy to make and worked well,” but overall, he’d pass on the AI-crafted menu. “It is good for new experiences and experiments but I wouldn’t choose to eat these,” the chef told the BBC.

Feeling Lucky?

Taste is subjective, of course, so if you don’t want to spend New Year’s Day throwing away all the Christmas leftovers still cluttering up your fridge, maybe give one of these AI-produced recipes a shot.

Who knows? You might find you have a taste for Indian Christmas pudding or the combination of toffee and spaghetti — both recipes the AIs actually dreamt up.

READ MORE: A Christmas Menu Dreamed up by a Robot [BBC]

More on AI chefs: Your Next Burger Could Be Grilled by This Robot Chef

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AIs Whip Christmas Leftovers Into Loathsome New Recipes

Stars Torn From Galaxies Let Astronomers “See” Dark Matter

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Astronomers recently discovered a new technique that makes it much easier to detect and study how dark matter is distributed throughout the universe.

Star Light

For decades, astronomers have been trying to spot dark matter, an invisible substance that makes up about 85 percent of the matter in the universe and lends much of the gravitational force holding galaxies together. Figuring out how to find and study dark matter would give scientists a better understanding of how the universe formed and how it works today.

But in spite of its prevalence, much of what we know about dark matter comes from indirect measurements, collected by expensive equipment, that require serious mathematical gymnastics to interpret. Scientists use gravitational lensing, for example, to track dark matter by looking at the gravitational pull it exerts on nearby stars or planets.

Now, new research suggests there’s a simpler and cheaper way to measure dark matter. The new astronomical trick tracks the light given off by stars that have been ripped from their home galaxies — and NASA scientists say it gives them more accurate readings on the distribution of dark matter than ever before.

Star Bright

It turns out that scientists can get precise measurements on dark matter distribution by recording something called intracluster light, according to NASA research published to the preprint server ArXiv in October, that looked at intracluster light in images taken by the Hubble Telescope.

Intracluster light is the light given off by stars that are flung away when galaxies merge or travel near another. Rather than orbiting a galaxy’s core, these stars careen through the universe alone. But it turns out that the stars take some dark matter with them.

Take it Easy

And it turns out that measurements of intracluster light directly correlate to the amount of dark matter present in the area, according to the research. Studying these stars — which exist in a vacuum with their corresponding pockets of dark matter — is much simpler and more straightforward than analyzing all the dark matter that’s clumped together in a galaxy’s core.

“We have found a way to ‘see’ dark matter,” University of New South Wales astronomer Mireia Montes, the lead author of the study, said in a press release. “We have found that very faint light in galaxy clusters, the intracluster light, maps how dark matter is distributed.”

READ MORE: Faint starlight in Hubble images reveals distribution of dark matter [SpaceTelescope.org]

More on dark matter: This Ancient Galaxy Was Loaded With Dark Matter

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Neural Stem Cells Grown From Blood Could Revolutionize Medicine

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New medical research shows how to reprogram a mature blood cell into a new kind of stem cell that cell can grow into a neuron and multiply indefinitely.

Stem Fatale

Doctors could soon be able to grow new brain cells, which would help treat people with strokes or other neurological conditions, using just a small blood sample.

Scientists from Heidelberg University Hospital in Germany and the University of Innsbruck in Austria figured out how to reprogram mature human blood cells into neural stem cells. Scientists have reprogrammed stem cells before, but these new cells are the first ones that can continue to multiply and propagate in the lab thanks to specific genetic tweaks, according to research published Thursday in the journal Stem Cell.

Brain Trust

The scientists hope that their findings will improve regenerative medicine, a kind of treatment in which new cells help rejuvenate the body. Specifically, the neural stem cells could grow into either the neurons found in the central nervous system or the glial cells that support and protect those neurons. Both could help treat people who have survived strokes or been diagnosed with neurological diseases.

Previous research that reprogrammed cells into stem cells was never as useful in a medical context because those cells couldn’t continue to multiply, and sometimes grew tumors called teratomas, according to the research.

Cell Culture

While this new type of stem cell shows promise for future regenerative medicine, there’s still a ways to go.

Additionally, it’s important to note that the team’s findings show only a new method of programming stem cells, rather than any actual medical applications. But given recent years’ progress in stem cell research and utility, it’s safe to assume doctors will want to find a way to use these new cells soon.

READ MORE: An important step for regenerative medicine: Human blood cells can be directly reprogrammed into neural stem cells [German Cancer Research Center]

More on stem cells: Robots Can Grow Humanoid Mini-Organs From Stem Cells Faster And Better Than People

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Neural Stem Cells Grown From Blood Could Revolutionize Medicine

FCC Fines Startup for Launching Satellites Without Permission

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After investigating Swarm Technologies for months, the FCC finally settled with the space startup for launching unauthorized satellites in January.

Consequences

It was only a matter of time until spacetech startup Swarm Technologies had to face the music.

In December 2017, the company asked the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to launch its four small “SpaceBEE” satellites into space. It never got that authorization — but launched them anyway on January 12, 2018 aboard the Indian rocket PSLV-C40.

And now we know what happens when a space startup goes rogue. Yesterday, Swarm was slapped with a substantial $900,000 fine as part of a settlement with the FCC for an “unauthorized satellite launch” according to official filings.

The FCC was already hot on the company’s heels. It had reportedly been investigating Swarm since at least March.

The satellites launched to serve as a global communications gateway for “internet of things” applications. “By providing connectivity to people and devices in remote regions, Swarm makes data accessible to everyone, everywhere on earth,” Swarm’s official website reads.

Going Rogue

Back in March, Quartz suggested that Swarm’s launch was “likely the first time a private organization has launched spacecraft without the explicit approval of any government.”

FCC commissioner Michael O’Reilly said the fine might not be enough to “deter future behavior,” but that the hope was that enough “negative press coverage” would prevent others from doing the same according to an official statement.

Regret

The unauthorized launch was such a controversial move that even Swarm’s CEO came to regret. In September, CEO Sara Spangelo said that launching the satellites anyway was “a mistake” in an interview with The Atlantic.

“I feel terrible for the confusion and the additional regulation that we may see come,” she said. “It’s a very difficult situation, and we’ve done everything we can to resolve the issues to move forward positively.”

Regardless of the investigation and subsequent settlement, the four SpaceBEE satellites are now in orbit, oblivious to the drama they’ve caused back on Earth.

READ MORE: A space startup was just hit with a $900,000 fine for illegally launching four tiny satellites [MIT Technology Review]

More on Swarm: The FCC May Penalize Companies That Launch Tiny Rogue Satellites, After All

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IBM’s Fingernail Sensor Could Evaluate New Parkinson’s Medications

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IBM has created a fingernail sensor that detects tiny nail deformations and then uses AI to analyze them for signs of health issues.

Grip Strength

Scientists have found that the strength of a person’s grip can reveal important details about their health. Research shows that links exist between grip strength and medication effectiveness, cognitive function, cardiovascular health, and even mortality.

Unfortunately, finding an effective way to monitor grip strength has thus far proven difficult — but that might change thanks to a super-sensitive wireless sensor you wear on your fingernail.

Nailed It

This fingernail sensor is the work of a team from IBM Research, which published a paper on the sensor’s creation in the journal Scientific Reports on Friday.

According to an IBM blog post, skin-worn sensors can capture data on grip strength, but because older people — the population most likely to benefit from this grip monitoring — often have fragile, brittle skin, those sensors can sometimes do more harm than good, causing health issues such as infection.

Fingernails, however, are far tougher, so the IBM team set out to see if they could generate useful data from a sensor worn on a person’s nail.

Bend but Don’t Break

IBM learned that fingernails bend and move in predictable ways depending on hand motion — the deformation caused by gripping, for example, is different from that caused by flexing the fingers — but the deformation is infinitesimal. In fact, the bend is about as pronounced as the diameter of a single red blood cell.

However, the IBM team could detect these tiny deformations in the nail using a type of sensor called a strain gauge, which they used to create a system that communicates readings from a fingernail to a smart watch. The watch, in turn, used machine learning to analyze the deformations.

For their study, the researchers used the system to effectively rate symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, including tremors and slowed movement. Such information could be valuable to a doctor monitoring the progress of a patient testing a new treatment or medication, meaning this first-of-its-kind fingernail sensor could have an immediate real-world application.

READ MORE: Fingernail Sensors and AI Can Help Clinicians to Monitor Health and Disease Progression [IBM]

More on fingernail tech: A New App Can Detect a Blood Disorder From a Photo of Your Nails

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IBM’s Fingernail Sensor Could Evaluate New Parkinson’s Medications

Scientists Thought Mars Was Covered in Methane. Now It’s Missing

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For the last 15 years, NASA and ESA scientists have found signs of methane in Mars' atmosphere. But a recent survey by an ESA orbiter didn't find any.

Whodunnit?

There are reports of a major cosmic heist.

New research shows that Mars, once thought to host a methane-rich atmosphere, now seems to be devoid of the organic molecule, Universe Today reports.

If you follow space news, you may recall the excitement in 2003 and 2004 when scientists at NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) each announced they’d found methane on the Red Planet — and pointed out that it could be a sign of former or even current extraterrestrial life. The finding was again corroborated in 2014 by NASA’s Curiosity rover.

But now recent atmospheric surveys call into question the presence of the gas, according to research presented last week by American and European astronomers at the 2018 Fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union.

Just the Facts

Here’s what we know: The ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) reached its orbit around Mars in 2016, when it began its mission to monitor and analyze the Red Planet’s atmosphere. Though scientists expected the TGO’s extremely sensitive sensors to pick up on atmospheric methane, it has yet to detect any at all.

The orbiter is capable of detecting trace amounts of methane — concentrations as low as 50 parts per trillion — at any elevation in Mars’ atmosphere. And yet it came back with bupkis.

However, the scientists working on the project concede that these are preliminary results. There’s still plenty of noise to clean out of the data and more analysis to be done.

Developing Case

These preliminary findings demonstrate a classic example of how the absence of evidence is not the same as the evidence of absence. It is far too soon to throw out all of the evidence for Martian methane. The scientists behind this TGO research are confident that the orbiter’s sensors are working correctly and that NASA and the ESA’s previous methane findings couldn’t all be incorrect, according to Universe Today.

It’s possible, according to the scientists, that methane seeps out of Martian soil rather than originating in the atmosphere, which would make it easier to detect with a rover than an orbiter like the TGO.

Needless to say, this is far from an open-and-shut case, and we’re likely to learn more about Mars’ atmosphere as the TGO team finalizes its results.

READ MORE: Remember the Discovery of Methane in the Martian Atmosphere? Now Scientists Can’t Find any Evidence of it, at all [Universe Today]

More on the search for methane: Scientists Need to Solve These Two Mysteries to Find Life on Mars

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Scientists Thought Mars Was Covered in Methane. Now It’s Missing

Lung-Like Device Transforms Water Into a Clean Source of Fuel

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A lung-like design created by researchers at Stanford University has the potential to increase the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells.

Time and Place

Get water in your lungs, and you’re in for a very bad time.

But when water enters a new type of “lung” created by researchers at Stanford University, the result is hydrogen fuel — a clean source of energy that could one day power everything from our cars to our smartphones.

Though this isn’t the first device to produce hydrogen fuel, the unique design could be the first step along the path to an efficient method of generating hydrogen fuel.

Looking to Nature

The Stanford team describes its device in a paper published on Thursday in the journal Joule.

When air enters a human lung, it passes through a thin membrane. This membrane extracts the oxygen from the air and send it into the bloodstream. The unique structure of the organ makes this gas exchange highly efficient.

Combine hydrogen with oxygen, and you get electricity — and unlike the burning of fossil fuels, the only byproduct is water. For that reason, researchers have been looking into hydrogen fuel for decades, but they simply haven’t found a way to produce it that is efficient enough to be worthwhile.

This is mainly because hydrogen doesn’t often exist on its own in nature — we need to isolate it, often by separating water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Take a Breath

The Stanford researchers’ lung is essentially a pouch created out of a thick plastic film. Tiny water-repelling pores cover the exterior of the pouch, while gold and platinum nanoparticles line its interior.

By placing the pouch in water and applying voltage, the researchers were able to compel the device to create energy at an efficiency 32 percent higher than if they laid the film flat. They claim this is because the lung-like shape did a better job than other fuel cell designs of minimizing the bubbles that can form — and hurt efficiency — during the energy-generation process. “The geometry is important,” Stanford research Yi Cui told New Scientist.

The team will now focus on scaling-up its design and finding a way to get it to tolerate higher temperatures — right now, it doesn’t work above 100 degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit), which could be a problem for commercial applications.

READ MORE: Device That Works Like a Lung Makes Clean Fuel From Water [New Scientist]

More on hydrogen fuel: Cheap Hydrogen Fuel Was a Failed Promise. But Its Time May Have Arrived.

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Scientists Used DNA to Play the Tiniest Game of Tic-Tac-Toe Ever

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Researchers from Caltech demonstrate a new DNA origami technique by playing the world's smallest game of tic-tac-toe on a DNA board.

X’s and O’s

The world’s smallest game of tic-tac-toe could have a big impact on the future of nanotechnology.

Researchers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have developed a new technique for shaping structures out of strands of DNA, a process known as DNA origami. Unlike previous techniques, which effectively locked a structure in place once created, the researchers could reshape an already-constructed DNA structure using this new technique.

To demonstrate the powerful new technique, they used it to play game of tic-tac-toe using a DNA board. Because of course they did.

A’s, T’s, C’s, and G’s

DNA origami takes advantage of the natural tendency of DNA molecules, or bases, to pair up with one another. Each base — A, T, C, and G — pairs with another of the bases: A and T are a team, as are C and G.

Strands of DNA pair up based on these matches — a strand with a molecule sequence ATTGCGA, for example, pairs perfectly with a TAACGCT strand — and researchers can create shapes out of DNA simply by manipulating the sequences of the letters.

But DNA strands can pair up partially, too. The Caltech team provides a somewhat depressing analogy of this based on dating people most similar to you, but the basic gist of it is that a strand will “dump” a strand that’s a partial match (for example, one where five out of eight bases are pairs) for one that’s a better match (one where six out of eight bases are pairs). This replacement of one so-so match for a better match is called “strand displacement.”

Perfect Match

In a paper published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, the Caltech researchers describe how they combined strand displacement with a DNA origami technology called self-assembling tiles. That involves the creation of square-shaped tiles of DNA designed to fit together like the pieces of a puzzle.

To demonstrate their new DNA origami technique, the researcher put nine blank DNA tiles designed to form a three-by-three grid into a test tube. Once the tiles assembled, the researchers took turns adding X or O tiles to the test tube.

The researchers designed those tiles to replace specific blank tiles in the grid using strand displacement — the new tile was simply a better match in the chosen spot than the blank tile.

Tiniest Winner

The game took six days, with player X emerging as the winner. But the research was about far more than just a game of tic-tac-toe.

The ability to reshape DNA structures could prove immensely useful in the future, as scientists are already exploring ways to use DNA origami to deliver drugs and sort molecular cargo.

“When you get a flat tire, you will likely just replace it instead of buying a new car. Such a manual repair is not possible for nanoscale machines,” researcher Grigory Tikhomirov said in a news release. “But with this tile displacement process we discovered, it becomes possible to replace and upgrade multiple parts of engineered nanoscale machines to make them more efficient and sophisticated.”

Good game, Caltech.

READ MORE: Researchers Make World’s Smallest Tic-Tac-Toe Game Board With DNA [Caltech]

More on DNA origami: Nanobots Made of DNA Can Now Carry and Sort Molecular Cargo

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We Have No Idea How to Deal With Unexpected Drones at Airports

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Local law enforcement and transport agencies will have to come up with a solution to ward off unwanted drones at airfields.

Won’t Be Home for Christmas

A number of mysterious drones caused officials to completely shut down all of Gatwick Airport’s runways in London this week — and it highlights the uncomfortable fact that we have no idea what to do when drones show up unannounced at airports.

The chaos started on Wednesday night, the BBC reports, when a commercial-size drone was spotted near Gatwick’s airfield, confirmed by about 50 sightings. During a two-day game of cat and mouse — the drone kept reappearing as soon as Gatwick decided to reopen its runways — more than 120,000 passengers and some 760 flights were affected by the disruption, according to the BBC.

Clueless

Local law enforcement believes it was a “deliberate act.” At the time of reporting, no arrests have been made. Possible jail time: five years, according to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.

“This kind of incident is unprecedented anywhere in the world, the disruption of an airport in this way,” Grayling said, as quoted by Agence France-Presse. “We’re going to have to learn very quickly from what’s happened.”

It’s not even the first time a drones have disrupted the operations of an airport, as the AFP points out. Drones caused chaos three times at Dubai International Airport in 2016, and an airline pilot avoided a crash with a drone in Paris in February 2016.

Eagles and Lasers

So what can we do about drones at airports?

When it comes to commercial drones near runways and other no-fly zones, security companies have invented “jamming” guns that cause drones to stop dead in their track, and even fall from the sky. For instance, Virginia-based security company DroneShield’s DroneGun can force a drone to land without even destroying it from a mile away by pointing a massive signal-jamming gun at it.

Other methods include high-energy lasers that can obliterate small drones from several miles away. Police in the Netherlands have even tried using trained eagles to take down drones.

The chaos at Gatwick chaos makes one thing clear: transport agencies and local law enforcement will have to come up with some kind of permanent solution in the future.

Because traveling by plane this close to Christmas is terrible enough as it is.

READ MORE: Gatwick chaos: Police ‘could shoot down drone’ [BBC]

More on anti-drone technology: These Are the Most Advanced Anti-Drone Technologies

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New Horizons Will Fly Past the Most Distant Object We’ve Ever Visited

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After whizzing past Pluto in July 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is fast approaching Ultima Thule — an odd space rock 6.6 billion kilometers away.

Old Space Rock

After whizzing past Pluto in July 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft is fast approaching its next destination: Ultima Thule — or 2014 MU69 — a space rock only 23 miles (37 kilometers) across. Expected date of arrival: New Year’s Day.

Ultima Thule is some 4.1 billion miles (6.6 billion kilometers) from Earth in the so-called Kuiper Belt — the region of the Solar System that lies beyond the known eight planets. It was discovered in 2014 when NASA scientists were looking for space rocks for New Horizons to visit.

It’s been there for more than 4.5 billion years, so having a closer look could reveal key insights into the earliest days of our solar system.

Tricky Fly-By

We don’t know much about the space rock yet, but we do know that getting a closer look will prove pretty difficult. “It’s a lot harder than Pluto,” said mission leader Alan Stern, as quoted by New Scientist. “Instead of being the size of the continental US, it’s the size of Boston. Being 100 times smaller means it’s 10,000 times fainter.”

And then there’s the fact that New Horizons’ batteries are slowly degrading — that means less power for keeping the lights on. And suffice it so say, things get pretty dark billions of kilometers away from the Sun.

Early Mysteries

Earlier this week, scientists were puzzled by Ultima Thule’s odd shape. Team members at NASA thought the space rock was elongated rather than spherical. But observations showed that the “light curve” emitted from it was constant, suggesting it was spherical after all.

“I call this Ultima’s first puzzle — why does it have such a tiny light curve that we can’t even detect it? I expect the detailed flyby images coming soon to give us many more mysteries, but I did not expect this, and so soon,” said New Horizons project lead Alan Stern in a recent statement.

The odd light signature could be caused by a “cloud of dust” or even “many tiny tumbling moons” surrounding it, suggests New Horizon’s team in the statement.

It’s impossible to tell as of right now. But thanks to NASA’s New Horizons probe, we might soon get an answer.

READ MORE: NASA probe will hurtle past the most distant object we’ve ever visited [New Scientist]

More on New Horizons: New Horizons Space Probe Captures the Farthest Photo Ever Taken From Earth

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