Lifeboat Foundation

Volcanic eruptions contributed to the collapse of dynasties in China in the last 2,000 years by temporarily cooling the climate and affecting agriculture, according to a news release by Rutgers University.

In a study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, scientists reconstructed the magnitude of 156 explosive volcanic eruptions from 1 A.D. to 1915 by examining elevated sulfate levels in ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica. They also analyzed historical documents from China on 68 dynasties and examined warfare there between 850 and 1911.

Scientists found that smaller volcanic “shocks” to the climate may cause dynasties to collapse when political and socioeconomic stress is already high. Larger shocks may lead to collapses without substantial pre-existing stress. Other factors include poor leadership, administrative corruption and demographic pressures.

CoinFlip has the largest network of Bitcoin ATMs in the US. With Market leading low rates, buy using cash, card, or bank transfer. Buying Bitcoin has never been easier.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says AI is the most powerful technology in the world, and the company is using it to create some impressive new products.

In one of the mysteries of mammalian development, every cell in the early female embryo shuts down one of its two copies of the X chromosome, leaving just one functional. For years, the mechanics behind this X chromosome inactivation have been murky, but scientists from the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have now taken a major step forward in understanding the process.

Their findings, based on research on mouse stem cells, upend previous assumptions about how X inactivation is initiated in female embryos and could lead to new ways to treat some genetic disorders, as well as a better understanding of how genes on other chromosomes are silenced.

“X inactivation is one of the most fundamentally important processes in development, and I think this study is a slam dunk in finally understanding it,” said Kathrin Plath, a professor of biological chemistry and senior author of the paper, published in the journal Cell.

“Shark Tank” investor Kevin O’Leary defended Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s massive fortune in an interview on “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Saturday.

The O’Leary Funds boss — whose nickname is “Mr Wonderful” — also attributed the recent surge in asset prices to aggressive fiscal stimulus, and predicted that many people who worked from home during the pandemic won’t return to their companies’ offices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueW_8Onsu1w&feature=share

Today we look at a fascinating approach to Artificial Intelligence or AI in which a mind is created at an infant-like level, with no knowledge and limited ability. Then it learns and develops from scratch through its own experience within the body of a device — be it a robot body or a toaster.

My guest today is Michael Miller, author of the new book “Building Minds with Patterns”. Michael is an expert at this kind of natural-growth AI development. I’ve had numerous conversations with Michael and come away every time blown away by the scope of his vision and his insights across psychology and the potential of thinking machines.

Continue reading “Building AI Minds and Artificial Intelligence Growth with Michael Miller on MIND & MACHINE” »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1TYqoR-qVA

We explore human enhancement and personal performance hacking with Matt Ward (@mattwardio), host of The Disruptors podcast, startup investor, adviser, and business innovation consultant. Matt and I thought it would be fun to do two episodes, one here on MIND & MACHINE and the other on The Disruptors, where we explore what we’ve learned, the ideas we’ve formed and our takeaways across all these different fields that we cover.

So with this episode here on MIND & MACHINE, we focus on human enhancement — technologies that are extending lifespan and enhancing human capability. Then we get into what Matt and I are doing currently to maximize our own performance capabilities — our ability to think more clearly, to live more energetic vibrant lives… which is all heavily informed by all these amazing guests across these different fields that we explore.

Continue reading “Human Enhancement & Personal Performance Hacking with Matt Ward of ‘The Disruptors’” »

Taking a daily multivitamin for 3 years is associated with a 60% slower cognitive aging, with the effects particularly pronounced in patients with cardiovascular (CVD) disease, new research suggests.

In addition to testing the effect of a daily multivitamin on cognition, the COSMOS-Mind study also examined the effect of cocoa flavonols, but showed no beneficial effect.

The results “may have important public health implications, particularly for brain health, given the availability of multivitamins and minerals and their low cost and safety,” said research researcher Laura D. Baker, PhD, professor, Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

On Thursday, November 11 at 6:32 p.m. EST, SpaceX’s Dragon autonomously docked with the International Space Station (ISS). Falcon 9 launched the spacecraft to orbit from historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, November 10 at 9:03 p.m. EST.

After an approximate six-month stay, Dragon and the Crew-3 astronauts will depart the orbiting laboratory no earlier than late April 2022 for return to Earth and splashdown off the coast of Florida.