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Apr 19, 2022

The Hottest Temperature on Earth Was Recorded in Death Valley Last Year

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Death Valley brings the heat, but there are other hot spots on this sweltering planet.


Summers can be hot in Death Valley, California. In fact, it is likely the hottest place on Earth—ever. Especially on Sunday, August 16 and—again—on June 17, 2021. The mercury spiked to a sweltering 130 degrees Fahrenheit in the national park, drawing crowds of tourists who flocked to take pictures with the park’s digital thermometer.

Apr 19, 2022

Consciousness and higher spatial dimensions

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes » IAI TV.


The hard problem of consciousness is the most pressing unsolved mystery in both philosophy and science. To solve such a problem, we are going to need revolutionary ways of thinking. Philosopher of mind, Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, argues higher spatial dimensions might hold the key to the hard problem.

(This is an abridged version of the chapter ‘Deeper than Depth’ in the book Modes of Sentience)

Apr 19, 2022

Study shows simple, computationally-light model can simulate complex brain cell responses

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, computing, mathematics, neuroscience

The brain is inarguably the single most important organ in the human body. It controls how we move, react, think and feel, and enables us to have complex emotions and memories. The brain is composed of approximately 86 billion neurons that form a complex network. These neurons receive, process, and transfer information using chemical and electrical signals.

Learning how respond to different signals can further the understanding of cognition and development and improve the management of disorders of the brain. But experimentally studying neuronal networks is a complex and occasionally invasive procedure. Mathematical models provide a non-invasive means to accomplish the task of understanding , but most current models are either too computationally intensive, or they cannot adequately simulate the different types of complex neuronal responses. In a recent study, published in Nonlinear Theory and Its Applications, IEICE, a research team led by Prof. Tohru Ikeguchi of Tokyo University of Science, has analyzed some of the complex responses of neurons in a computationally simple neuron model, the Izhikevich neuron model.

“My laboratory is engaged in research on neuroscience and this study analyzes the basic mathematical properties of a neuron model. While we analyzed a single neuron model in this study, this model is often used in computational neuroscience, and not all of its properties have been clarified. Our study fills that gap,” explains Prof. Ikeguchi. The research team also comprised Mr. Yota Tsukamoto and Ph.D. student Ms. Honami Tsushima, also from Tokyo University of Science.

Apr 18, 2022

The Solar Energy Multiverse Keeps Expanding: Perovskites, Shape-Shifting Molecules, & More

Posted by in categories: cosmology, economics, solar power, sustainability

Solar energy has barely scratched the surface of its potential to decarbonize the global economy in time to avert catastrophic warming.


For all the activity in the solar energy marketplace, PV technology has barely even begun to hit the global economy in full force. Huge solar arrays filled with rows of super-efficient silicon solar panels are just one piece of an expanding universe. With that in mind, here are 4 new developments that could kick the slow pace of change into high gear.

1. Distributed Solar Energy

Continue reading “The Solar Energy Multiverse Keeps Expanding: Perovskites, Shape-Shifting Molecules, & More” »

Apr 18, 2022

Vari Active Seat Review: The Chair for People Who Love Standing

Posted by in category: futurism

The Vari Active Seat is an interesting product. It’s a standing desk chair, which is an optional “in-between” kind of seat for sit/stand desk users. It’s a third choice between sitting and standing, giving users more flexibility for those times when you don’t want to stand or sit.

Apr 18, 2022

GPT-4 Is Coming Soon. Here’s What We Know About It

Posted by in category: futurism

Official info, current trends, and predictions.

Apr 18, 2022

Memory Is Formed Through Rewiring of Global Network Among Pre-existing Local Neuronal Ensembles

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Summary: Information about new experiences is retained by being tied to pre-existing activity patterns in the brain. Memory is acquired when the patterns are connected to each other across brain regions via transient bursts of activity.

Source: Osaka Metropolitan University.

In the brain, neuronal ensembles that bear the memory of an experience existed beforehand, suggesting a paradox that we already know what we are about to know.

Apr 18, 2022

Elon Musk: A future worth getting excited about

Posted by in categories: climatology, Elon Musk, robotics/AI, space travel, sustainability

Elon Musk talks to Chris Anderson, head and curator of the TED media organisation, about the challenges facing humanity in the coming decades – and why we should be more optimistic.

They discuss climate change, clean energy, electric vehicles, the rise of AI and robotics, brain-computer interfaces, self-driving cars, the revolutionary potential of reusable rockets and the forthcoming missions to Mars, as well as the other projects he is working on.

Continue reading “Elon Musk: A future worth getting excited about” »

Apr 18, 2022

How to print a robot from scratch: Combining liquids, solids could lead to faster, more flexible 3D creations

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, biotech/medical, robotics/AI

Imagine a future in which you could 3D-print an entire robot or stretchy, electronic medical device with the press of a button—no tedious hours spent assembling parts by hand.

That possibility may be closer than ever thanks to a recent advancement in 3D-printing technology led by engineers at CU Boulder. In a new study, the team lays out a strategy for using currently-available printers to create materials that meld solid and liquid components—a tricky feat if you don’t want your robot to collapse.

“I think there’s a future where we could, for example, fabricate a complete system like a robot using this process,” said Robert MacCurdy, senior author of the study and assistant professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Apr 18, 2022

Impact of Histotripsy on Development of Intrahepatic Metastases in a Rodent Liver Tumor Model

Posted by in category: futurism