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Jan 25, 2020

Ask Ethan: How Can We See 46.1 Billion Light-Years Away In A 13.8 Billion Year Old Universe?

Posted by in category: futurism

In General Relativity, the fabric of space doesn’t remain static over time. Everything else depends on the details we measure.

Jan 25, 2020

Better interior design might keep astronauts healthier and happier in deep space

Posted by in categories: materials, space travel

When it comes to building the interior of a spacecraft, engineers often prioritize function over aesthetics, focusing on materials and hardware that are both safe and effective for executing the vehicle’s intended mission. But some scientists say it’s time to consider another crucial factor when designing a spacecraft’s insides: how it will affect the behavior of the passengers?

Jan 25, 2020

Blue-emitting diode demonstrates limitations and promise of perovskite semiconductors

Posted by in categories: computing, solar power, sustainability

University of California, Berkeley, scientists have created a blue light-emitting diode (LED) from a trendy new semiconductor material, halide perovskite, overcoming a major barrier to employing these cheap, easy-to-make materials in electronic devices.

In the process, however, the researchers discovered a fundamental property of perovskites that may prove a barrier to their widespread use as solar cells and transistors.

Alternatively, this unique property may open up a whole new world for perovskites far beyond that of today’s standard semiconductors.

Jan 25, 2020

Has physicist’s gravity theory solved ‘impossible’ dark energy riddle?

Posted by in category: cosmology

Prof Claudia de Rham’s ‘massive gravity’ theory could explain why universe expansion is accelerating.

Jan 25, 2020

Blue-Light Therapy Helps Heal the Brain

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Early morning exposure to blue wavelength light can help heal the brain following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), new research suggests.

Results of a small, randomized controlled trial showed blue-light therapy improved brain structure and function, cognition, and sleep in this patient population.

“We found that blue-light therapy improved patients’ daytime sleepiness,” study investigator William D. ‘Scott’ Killgore, PhD, told Medscape Medical News. “So those who got the blue light were less sleepy 6 weeks later than they had been at baseline.”

Jan 25, 2020

Testable theory suggests information has mass and could account for universe’s dark matter

Posted by in category: cosmology

A new paper formulates and suggests laboratory experiments to confirm mass-energy-information equivalence.

Jan 25, 2020

Overcoming human challenges with transhumanism

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, cyborgs, education, ethics, life extension, neuroscience, transhumanism

Sometimes, being human involves tragedy: unexpected accidents can alter a person’s future, permanently changing how they need to approach their daily lives. Those with traumatic brain injuries suffer long-term mental and physical challenges, such as trouble with their working memory span, which can play a significant role in their education and longevity. However, if used properly, transhuman aids such as prosthetic limbs can provide solutions to human challenges.

Transhumanism, in a nutshell, is the idea that people can use technology to overcome biological limitations. Just as how we use rational means to improve our life experiences and the world around us, we can use such means to improve ourselves as organisms. It is simply a concept, not a tangible characterization of some futuristic cyborg.

There is reasonable fear that using such technologies would be tampering with nature. This is true. However, whether something is good or bad cannot be decided simply by asking whether or not it is natural. Plenty of natural things are horrible, such as diseases and parasites, where our moral interest is to intervene and improve these conditions. The question to ask is not whether the technology is natural, but rather, what are the various possible consequences that would arise from it, both desirable and undesirable, and the likelihood of each. People who are concerned that our species will stray too far away from what it means to be a ‘natural human’ forget how far we have already evolved as a species.

Jan 25, 2020

Something profound happens when astronauts see Earth from space for the first time

Posted by in category: futurism

Astronauts who have looked down at planet Earth from the stillness of space often describe the moment as a life-changing experience.

Jan 25, 2020

AI Helps Spot Dental Fraud

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, robotics/AI

Artificial-intelligence startup Pearl Inc. is using machine learning to analyze dental imagery, helping insurers pinpoint whether the same X-ray was used for more than one patient and whether a procedure was necessary.

The West Hollywood, Calif., company said its system has found thousands of cases in which dentists have used the same X-rays or other images to bill insurers for multiple patients.

Jan 25, 2020

Here’s How You Design for Living and Working in Outer Space

Posted by in category: space

The interior design of the International Space Station takes a back seat to technology—the opposite of the majestic and immaculate spacecraft you see in sci-fi blockbusters.