Monthly Archives: May 2017

In Brief Stephen Hawking adjusted his doomsday timer for Earth, slashing 900 years from his initial 1,000-year estimate. According to the famous physicist, humanity has a century left to evacuate the planet and become multi-planetary species. Escaping Earth

Over the past century or so, humanity has accomplished a great deal of innovation. We learned tofly (at least with the help of airplanes), built huge machines, cured diseases, and developed computers, the Internet, and smart devices. At the same time, weve caused our fair share of destruction, too: in the form of several wars two of which were world wars and, of interest as of late,man-made climate change. Now, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking thinks we have 100 years left before doomsday and we need to get offEarthlong before that comes to pass.

This isnt the first time Hawking has givena doomsday prediction. In recent years, hes warned about how super artificial intelligence (AI) would end humankind and how contacting extraterrestrial life would go bonkers for humanity. Then in November of last year, he said we have 1,000 years to leave Earth. Now, hes cut it down to 100 leaving us to wonder just how bad the past six months have been. Theyd arguably have to have been pretty bad forHawking to drastically cut our time on Earth by 900 years in one fell swoop.

The details of Hawkings latest doomsday warning will be featured in a new BBC documentary airing on June 15 called Expedition New Earth, where he suggests that humanity needs to be a multi-planetary species within the next century in order to survive.

Hawking explains that humankinds days on Earth are already numbered because of climate change, asteroid strikes, epidemics, and overpopulation. The only way to survive? We need to change planets, and fast. A lot could happen in 100 years, and weve proven that were capable of discovering and developing many things within a century.But could we really go multi-planetary in that timeframe?

Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk thinks so, and hes already outlined plans to make it happen. The destination for humanity in his mind? Mars. And while the Red Planet isnt exactly that near, neither is it too far. Musk intends to land people to Mars by 2025and set up a colony by 2033 which is well within Hawkings timeline. However, reaching Mars and setting up a stable habitatcould take a couple more decades at least. Fortunately, there are others working on it, too:NASA already has a program for getting to Mars, and Chinas also working on its own mission to the Red Planet.

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Stephen Hawking: Humanity Only Has 100 Years Left on Earth Before Doomsday - Futurism

In Brief During a recent Senate committee hearing, SpaceX laid out its plans for building a global internet network by launching more than 4,000 satellites into orbit. The company's application to the FCC was completed in November, and it is eager to move forward with its plan. AWorldwide Network

The fact that youre able to read this article means you are one of the more than 3.77 billion people in the world that has access to the internet. While thats already a good number more than half of the worlds population, in fact some 3 billion othersdont have such access. Thankfully, a number of efforts are underway to bring the internet to the farthest corners of the globe, and one of those is being put forth by SpaceX.

Back in November, Elon Musks company filed an application with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC)as part of its plan to create a high-speed, global internet network. At yesterdaysSenate hearingon U.S. broadband infrastructure, SpaceX confirmed this plan.

SpaceX plans to bring high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband service to consumers in the U.S. and around the world, including areas underserved or currently unserved by existing networks, explained Patricia Cooper, SpaceXs VP for satellite government affairs, in a prepared statement during the hearing.

SpaceX plans to improve internet speeds and overall connectivity in the U.S.and the rest of the world by putting 4,425 satellites into orbit between 2019 and 2024. The satellites will be transported into space in multiple batches via the companys Falcon 9 rockets.

The United Nations recently declaredinternet access a basic human right, and because it bypasses some existing complications to bringing internet service to far-flung areas, SpaceXs endeavor would be a huge step forward in the effort to ensure all of the worlds citizens enjoy that right.In large measure, the disparity in available service to rural and hard-to-reach areas is the result of the heavy, up-front capital expenditures necessary to achieve connectivity to these locations, Cooper said.

However,Elon Musks companyisnt the only one working toward global interconnectivity through improved internet service. Facebook is using massive, solar-powered drones to beam internet to the farthest corners of the world, AT&T wants to deliver wifi through existing power lines, and governments are getting in on the action, too, with New York and Canada planning initiatives to bring broadband to all citizens.

SpaceX is eager to contribute to the cause. SpaceX looks forward to being part of the solution to expand access to high-speed, reliable, and affordable broadband internet connectivity in the United States and worldwide, Cooper said. Theweb of satellites proposed by SpaceX would bring faster and more robust web access to more people, so now its just a matter of whether or not theyll get the governments go-ahead.

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SpaceX Just Laid out a Plan to Give Everyone Internet Access - Futurism

In Brief Sorry, Tesla and Apple fans. The companies have no plans to collaborate any time soon, according to Elon Musk. During yesterday's first-quarter earnings call with investors, the CEO confirmed that Apple isn't interested in working with Tesla at the moment. Highly Unlikely

Back in 2015, an investor made a bold claim that Apple would buy Teslawithin 18 months. Its been more than two years since that prediction was made, and Tesla and Apple are still independent entities and it looks like they will stay that way.

During yesterdays first-quarter earnings call with investors, Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared his thoughts on the chances of Tesla working with Apple on an electric car. Yeah, I dont think they want to have that conversation, he said, according to Business Insider. Ive at least not heard any indication that they do.

Musk was reiterating a point he made back in February in an interview with Bloomberg about how a merger with Apple was highly unlikely: Id be very concerned in any kind of acquisition scenario, whoever it is, that we would become distracted from that task which has always been the driving goal of Tesla.

Analysts and journalists have made comments about how a merger or a collaboration with Apple would be beneficial for Teslaand vice versa. Tesla, largely due to Musk, has the innovative mind that Apple seems to sorely lack these days. At the same time, Apple has the earnings and capital thatTesla is arguably in need of.

Hopes for such a pairing, which has the potential to be one of the best combos in the tech industry, have been fueled by Apples recent progress in the autonomous vehicle game. The Cupertino-based company has already received approval to test self-driving vehicles on California roads, which was confirmation that Apple is working on an autonomous car. Tesla is also busy working on its newest electric vehicle, the Model 3, with production well on its way and a final unveiling slated for July.

For now, Apple and Tesla seem content to continue forging their own paths with separate vehicles, but whether those paths will intersect in the future is anybodys guess.

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Elon Musk Is Setting the Record Straight on Rumors Regarding a Major Tesla Collaboration - Futurism

The Age of CRISPR

The past several months have been no less than astounding ones for the CRISPR gene-editing tool. In September, 2016, researchers in Germany discovered a way to use CRISPR to edit out cancer mutations.In November, Chinese researchers used CRISPR technology on a person for the first time. Then, inJanuary if this year, researchers uncovered two distinct anti-CRISPR proteins that could lead to a CRISPR off switch and greater control over the gene editing tool in human subjects.

Now, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh have used CRISPR to target cancers command center, increasing survival rates and shrinking aggressive tumors without harming healthy cells in mice. The method targets fusion genes, mutations that develop when two distinct genes combine into a single, hybrid gene one that often leads to cancer. They published their results in Nature Biotechnology earlier this week.

The team transplanted human liver and prostate cancer cells into mice, and then used the CRISPR fusion gene targeting tool to treat them. The control groups treatment targeted fusion genes that werent present in their bodies making it ineffective. Their tumors grew nearly 40 times larger, and spread to other parts of the body in most cases. None of the control group survived the test period.

The treatment for the experimental group targeted fusion genes that were present in their tumors, and the tumors shrunk by up to 30 percentand didnt spread. Most impressively,all of the animals that received the experimental treatment survived to the end of the test representing an increase in survival rate from 0 to 100 percent.

The fact that these fusion genes are genetically unique makes them an easy target for CRISPR, which can target them and replace them with something else. In this case, researchers replace them with genes that kill cancer, ensuring healthy cells stay well something chemotherapy cant do.

While these dramatic results are exciting, they do not necessarily mean that the treatment will be effective in people, and no plans for clinical trials have been announced as of yet. Before the treatment is tested in humans, the researchers hope to improve it. Although the current research demonstratesthat the technique can force the cancer cells into remission, the scientists want totest whether it could entirely wipe the cancer out instead.

This is the first time that gene editing has been used to specifically target cancer fusion genes, Jian-Hua Luo, lead author of the study, said in a press release. It is really exciting because it lays the groundwork for what could become a totally new approach to treating cancer. Other types of cancer treatments target the foot soldiers of the army. Our approach is to target the command center, so there is no chance for the enemys soldiers to regroup in the battlefield for a comeback.

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New CRISPR Technique Targets and Destroys Cancer's Command Center - Futurism

In BriefHumans may sometimes take all they can do with their hands forgranted. An appreciation for that dexterity is inspiring roboticsinnovators to develop ways of improving hand function in robots. Handy Bots

Its quite common for humans especially those who work in manufacturing to tie a knot, strip the casing off a cable, insert a pin in a hole or use a hand tool such as a drill. They may seem like simple tasks, but are really very complex and involve extremely fine finger and hand motions.

Though robots are getting more and more involved in factory work and in a wide range of other types of jobs including in the service industry and health care their dexterity is not nearly as impressive. Since people first brought them to work in automotive factories more than 50 years ago, we have built robots that can weld, paint and assemble parts quite well. Todays best robotic hands can pick up familiar objects and move them to other places such as taking products from warehouse bins and putting them in boxes.

But robots cant orient a hand tool properly say, lining up a Phillips head screwdriver with the grooves on a screw, or aiming a hammer at a nail. And they definitely cant use two hands together in detailed ways, like replacing the batteries in a remote control.

Human hands are excellent at those tasks and much more. To even come close to rivaling what our hands are easily capable of, robot hands need better agility, reliability and strength and they need to be able to sense more accurately and move even more finely than they do now, to figure out what theyre holding and how to grip it best. For robots to be able to work alongside humans, well have to figure out how to make robots that can literally lend us a hand when our own two are not enough.

My research group at Northeastern University is working on doing just this, in particular for humanoid robotslike NASAs Valkyrie, which has three fingers and a thumb on each hand. Each digit has knuckle-like joints, and each hand has a wrist that can rotate easily. Were working on creating motions combinations of arm, wrist, finger and thumb movements that collectively accomplish a task, like moving a wrench in a circle to tighten a bolt, or pulling a cart from one place to another.

Rather than making each robot a custom machine tailored for a very specific task, we need to design multi-use robots, or even such capable machines that they might be called general purpose good for almost any task. One key to the success of these types of robots will be excellent hands.

Our work focuses on designing a new class of adaptable robot hands capable of precise fine movements and autonomous grasping. When robots are able to hammer in nails, change batteries and make other similar movements basic for humans but very complex for robots well be well on our way to human-like dexterity in robotic hands.

Achieving this goal also involves inventing new designs that incorporate hard and soft elements the way human bone gives strength to a grip, with skin spreading the pressure so a wine glass doesnt shatter.

Modern technological improvements are making the development process easier. With 3D printing, we can make prototypes very quickly. We can even make low-cost disposable components to try different arrangements of mechanisms, like two- or three-fingered grippers for simple pick-and-place tasks or anthropomorphic robot hands for more delicate operations.

These abilities are already second nature to humans through vision and proprioception (the ability to sense the relative positions of body parts without looking or thinking about it). Once were able to achieve them in robots, theyll be able to do things like detect if a grasp is too strong and is squeezing an object too hard.As electronic cameras and sensors get smaller, were able to incorporate them in new ways. For instance, if we put pressure sensors and cameras in a robotic hand, they can give feedback to the robot controller (whether human or automated) when a grip is secure, or if something starts to slip. One day they may be able to sense which direction the slipping object is moving, so the robot can catch it.

Another milestone will be developing methods for robots to figure out what motions they need to make in real time, including sensing whats going on in their hands at each moment. If a robot hand can detect changes in objects it is handling, or manipulate items while holding them, they could help with those common manual tasks like knot-tying and wire-stripping.

Working with two hands together is even farther into the future, though it would provide a significant boost, particularly for manufacturing. A robot that can operate a drill with two hands or pass machine parts from one hand to the other would be big improvements, allowing factories to automate even more steps in their processes.

We humans havent developed these systems yet. Achieving human-like autonomous robot dexterity will keep robotics researchers, technologists and innovators busy in the foreseeable future. It wont slow down the ongoing robotics revolution in manufacturing, because current processes still have lots of room for automation to improve safety, speed and quality. But as we make robots even better, theyll be able to give us a hand.

Taskin Padir, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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The Next Generation of Robots Will Be Remarkably Human-Like - Futurism

In Brief The Chinese National Space Administration has publicly announced a partnership with the European Space Agency on developing a lunar base. This collaboration could lead to shared projects in the future. Todays Race To Space

It seems that the modern agesspace race is here, and all sights are set on the Moon. But this time, the goal isnt just to get an astronaut onto Earths natural satellite, but instead space agencies around the world are coming together to build a human outpost. Some of the biggest players hail from China and Europe, andtheir respective space agencies have announced that they are engagingin international collaboration to realize aMoon Village vision.

Even though Chinas space program is relativelynew compared to other space programs developed by the worlds superpowers, the Chinas space agency has quickly proven itself since its first manned spaceflight in 2003. Currently, the countrys National Space Administration (CNSA) is aiming to collect samples from the Moon by the end of this year while also conducting a mission to the far side of the Moon to bring back additional samples sometime next year.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has been paying close attention to Chinas progress, with the ESA looking toward to future collaborationby calling for joint proposals since 2014. All this cooperation would explain the remarks about a shared lunar base on Chinese state media by Chinas space agencys secretary general, Tian Yulong, which was later confirmed by Pal Hvistendahl, an ESA spokesperson.

When it comes to international collaboration, we are all left with a net-positive outcome. Someclassic examplesof this include the International Space Station,with eleven member states, and CERNs Large Hardon Collider, which is utilized by 22 member states. Both enormous projects built on theinternational brotherhood that has propelled us forward in space commercialization, humanitarian aid, vaccine development, and more.

But aside from technological advances, we see the power of scientific collaboration to deconstruct societal barriers. Borders become bridges and science sparks conversations. Maybe the United States will take hints from the ESAs commitment to China.

Currently, its illegal for NASA scientists to collaborate with any Chinese state employees on issues related to space. This is also the reason that Chinese astronauts cannot visit the ISS. But, perhapsthe prospects of a lunar base could change that, as a lunar base would give us a great jumping off point for deep space exploration, mineral excavation, andlow-orbit space commercialization.

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Global Superpowers Are Racing to Build a Base on the Moon - Futurism