Lifeboat Foundation

In our overpopulated world, we all need to think of new ways to live. But what about new ways to be buried?

Researchers turn living cells into biological sensing and computing platforms.

The preferred term is “ribocomputing.” Take a molecule of RNA, the “messenger” chemical that carries instructions from a cell’s DNA to the rest of the cell, and basically rewire it. By hacking the RNA, it’s thus possible to take command of the processes of the cell, particularly that of protein synthesis. It’s also possible to rewire the RNA to respond to specific stimuli, offering an engineered microbiological system that reacts to inputs in the same way that an embedded computer might respond to a temperature sensor of accelerometer.

Synthetic biology or “hacked” biology is a quickly growing field, but the term ribocomputing is scarce, mostly limited to a single 2016 study. That was the case at least until this week and the publication of a paper in Nature describing RNA-based synthetic biological circuits that are capable of implementing just what I described above: sensing external signals and directing cellular machinery to respond to those signals in programmed ways. It’s fascinating but also a bit spooky.

Continue reading “Hacked E. Coli Shows the Promise of Programmable Biology” »

Imagine a scientist experimenting on her own genes from her kitchen, rather than going to a physician, because she wants to cure a medical ailment. Another “do-it-yourself” scientist across the country extracts DNA samples from plants to figure out how they affect its growth.

DIY biohacking is a relatively new phenomenon in which scientists (typically those with an interest in genetic engineering) want to take biology experimentation outside of the lab or classroom. Currently, it’s mostly used for medical purposes, but the future of DIY biohacking could look a lot different. So we asked four experts a simple question: By the year 2040, what will be the gene most edited via DIY biohacking?

😂.

Research finds that films made up of DNA block dangerous UV rays.

Welcome to Mr Futurist’s first weekly podcast where I discuss what going on in emerging science and technology. Scientists have successfully edited the first human embryo in the U.S. using CRISPR. CRISPR is a gene editing technique that can modify any region of the genome of any species with high precision accuracy. Modifying a species to have certain characteristics or traits. If you’re curious as to what CRISPR is, I have added a link below to an excellent video from Futurist that explains what CRISPR is and what it can be used for, all in 60 seconds. It’s worth a minute of your time.

Eric Shuss, Ed Hudgins, Peter Voss, Zoltan Istvan, Gennady Stolyarov; Michael Shermer (mod) discuss artificial intelligence and robots. Will these developments lead the economy of the future or end capitalism as we know it?

Gennady Stolyarov II, FSA, ACAS, MAAA, CPCU, ARe, ARC, API, AIS, AIE, AIAF, is the second Chairman in the history of the U.S. Transhumanist Party and the Chief Executive of the Nevada Transhumanist Party. Mr. Stolyarov is 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, libertarianism, and related subjects, In December 2013, Mr. Stolyarov published Death is Wrong, an ambitious children’s book on life extension illustrated by his wife Wendy Stolyarov. Death is Wrong can 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.

Continue reading “Artificial Intelligence & Robots: Economy of the Future or End of Free Markets?” »

Cyborg tech has mostly been backroom, squishy, bloody, and experimental. Now an FDA-approved surgically implanted hearing aid connects to your standard-issue iPhone.