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Jul 24, 2023

Sam Altman’s Worldcoin Token to Launch Monday, Semafor Reports

Posted by in categories: cryptocurrencies, robotics/AI

The cryptocurrency of OpenAI Inc. Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman is set to launch Monday, Semafor reported.

A breakdown of how the Worldcoin tokens will be distributed will also be made public, according to the report, which cited unidentified people familiar with the matter.

A spokeswoman at Tools for Humanity, the company behind Worldcoin, declined to comment to Semafor. Worldcoin’s Twitter account posted a message on Sunday saying “It’s time. 24.7.23.” The post did not have further details.

Jul 24, 2023

Tesla Cybertruck Orders Surpass 1.9 Million, 5 Year Wait Times

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, sustainability, transportation

There are now over 1.9 million orders for the long-awaited Tesla Cybertruck, per a crowd-sourced data tracker. Speaking on an Earnings Call earlier this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that demand for the Cybertruck is “so off the hook, you can’t even see the hook.”

Given that Tesla plans to produce 375,000 Cybertrucks a year at peak capacity, new orders will technically take around 5 years to arrive. That said, a significant amount of reservation holders may not follow through with their purchase — after all, the deposit to reserve a Cybertruck was only $100. The Cybertruck is being produced at Giga Texas, although it’s a possibility it could also be built at Giga Mexico when the proposed factory is up and running in a few years’ time.

It will be interesting to see if the Cybertruck will be offered outside of North America. Currently, those in Tesla’s European and Asian markets can pre-order the truck. That said, the Cybertruck’s large size and hefty weight could make selling it overseas a serious challenge. For example, in several European nations it would have to be classed as a commercial truck or semi.

Jul 24, 2023

The Difference Between Generative AI And Traditional AI: An Easy Explanation For Anyone

Posted by in categories: innovation, robotics/AI

Discover the groundbreaking world of generative AI and how it differs from traditional AI, unlocking new realms of creativity, innovation, and limitless possibilities.

Jul 24, 2023

Marc Andreessen says his A.I. policy conversations in D.C. ‘go very differently’ once China is brought up

Posted by in categories: government, policy, robotics/AI

Marc Andreessen spends a lot of time in Washington, D.C. these days talking to policymakers about artificial intelligence. One thing the Silicon Valley venture capitalist has noticed: When it comes to A.I., he can have two conversations with the “exact same person” that “go very differently” depending on whether China is mentioned.

The first conversation, as he shared on an episode the Joe Rogan Experience released this week, is “generally characterized by the American government very much hating the tech companies right now and wanting to damage them in various ways, and the tech companies wanting to figure out how to fix that.”

Then there’s the second conversation, involving what China plans to do with A.I.

Jul 23, 2023

Advances in Traumatic Brain Injury Biomarkers

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is increasingly a major cause of disability across the globe. The current methods of diagnosis are inadequate at classifying patients and prognosis. TBI is a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. There is no Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for TBI yet. It took about 16 years of preclinical research to develop accurate and objective diagnostic measures for TBI. Two brain-specific protein biomarkers, namely, ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 and glial fibrillary acidic protein, have been extensively characterized. Recently, the two biomarkers were approved by the FDA as the first blood-based biomarker, Brain Trauma Indicator™ (BTI™), via the Breakthrough Devices Program. This scoping review presents (i) TBI diagnosis challenges, (ii) the process behind the FDA approval of biomarkers, and (iii) known unknowns in TBI biomarker biology.

Jul 23, 2023

Where does cancer come from?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

We know a lot about cancer, and yet, there is plenty we do not yet know. We do know that some cancers are genetic in nature and a series of changes in key genes can lead to identifiable malignancies down the line. We would certainly want to know what causes cancer in the first place.

Scientists have been trying to replicate the path a cell takes from being normal to becoming pre-cancerous (one of the earliest stages of cancer in which cells become abnormally shaped and sized) for quite some time now. It is a feat that requires human-derived cells to model how cancer comes to be.

Recently, researchers at The Stanford School of Medicine have been able to emulate some of the earliest stages of gastric cancer by starting with gastric organoids (a rudimentary version of the real stomach made from stem-cell-derived gastric cells) that have a single mutation. The study which was published in Nature outlines how the earliest changes in cells could be seen even before the precancerous stage.

Jul 23, 2023

Record-Breaking Solar Hydrogen Device: Turning Sunlight Into Clean Energy

Posted by in categories: chemistry, energy

New standard for green hydrogen technology set by Rice U. engineers.

Rice University engineers can turn sunlight into hydrogen with record-breaking efficiency thanks to a device that combines next-generation halide perovskite semiconductors with electrocatalysts in a single, durable, cost-effective and scalable device.

The new technology is a significant step forward for clean energy and could serve as a platform for a wide range of chemical reactions that use solar-harvested electricity to convert feedstocks into fuels.

Jul 23, 2023

James Webb Space Telescope stars in breathtaking new IMAX documentary

Posted by in categories: education, space

The James Webb Space Telescope stars in “Deep Sky,” a new IMAX documentary from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn coming in October 2023.

Jul 23, 2023

Bodybuilding supplement helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

There’s an exciting new development in the field of Alzheimer’s disease research. Surprisingly, it centers around a common bodybuilding supplement known as HMB. The key to preserving memory and staving off this devastating disease may, in fact, reside in the diet of those pumping iron at the gym.

Researchers from RUSH Medical College have recently revealed that the muscle-enhancing supplement known as beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) could hold potential in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

The supplement, frequently used by bodybuilders to boost muscle growth and enhance performance, might also aid in memory protection, plaque reduction, and slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Jul 23, 2023

Social genetic effects: Study suggests your romantic partner’s DNA can influence your own health behaviors

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, health

New research provides evidence that an individual’s health behaviors and outcomes are influenced by the genetic makeup of their romantic partner. The findings, published in Behavior Genetics, indicate that your partner’s genetic tendencies can lead to changes in your own weight, smoking habits, or alcohol consumption over time.

The researchers conducted this study to investigate how a person’s partner can affect their health. They aimed to explore the concept of social genetic effects, which refers to the impact of genetic factors in one person’s environment, such as their partner’s genotype, on their own phenotype (observable characteristics or traits).

“I was mainly interested in exploring the combination of social science and genetics,” explained study author Kasper Otten of Utrecht University. “It is evident that behavior is partly genetically influenced, but much of the social sciences does not deal with this biological fact.