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Jul 28, 2019

Facebook AI Research Is A Game-Changer

Posted by in categories: entertainment, robotics/AI

For decades, computer programmers have been trying to beat multiplayer games by finding reliable patterns in data.

Researchers at Facebook and Carnegie Mellon University published a whitepaper in Science Journal in July that flips this switch. Their software embraces randomness, and it is reliably beating humans at games.

Jul 28, 2019

NASA’s Valkyrie robot could help build Mars base

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, space

Jump to media player The semi-autonomous robot is able to use human tools and guide itself across difficult terrain.

Jul 28, 2019

Neuroscientists reveal the number one exercise for slowing down the aging process

Posted by in category: life extension

At a certain point in our lives all of us develop a negative relationship with the mirror on the wall. It just keeps showing too many lines, too many grey hairs and sagging stuff everywhere.

I know quite a few people who end up refusing to face the mirror for any reason whatever!

Continue reading “Neuroscientists reveal the number one exercise for slowing down the aging process” »

Jul 28, 2019

‘Limitless Potential’ of Artificial Protein Ushers in New Era of ‘Smart’ Cell Therapies

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

Medicine has a “Goldilocks” problem. Many therapies are safe and effective only when administered at just the right time and in very precise doses – when given too early or too late, in too large or too small an amount, medicines can be ineffective or even harmful. But in many situations, doctors have no way of knowing when or how much to dispense.

Now, a team of bioengineers led by UC San Francisco’s Hana El-Samad, PhD, and the University of Washington’s David Baker, PhD, have devised a remarkable solution to this problem – “smart” cells that behave like tiny autonomous robots which, in the future, may be used to detect damage and disease, and deliver help at just the right time and in just the right amount.

Jul 28, 2019

The gut microbiota influences skeletal muscle mass and function in mice

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

Skeletal muscle is important not only for locomotion but also for regulating metabolic function. Lahiri et al. studied the interactions between the gut microbiota and skeletal muscle in mice. They identified genes and signaling pathways involved in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass and function that responded to cues from the gut microbiota. Additional biochemical and functional analysis also revealed the influence of the gut microbiota on the function of neuromuscular junctions. These findings open the door to a better understanding of the role of the gut microbiota in the mechanisms underlying loss of muscle mass.

The functional interactions between the gut microbiota and the host are important for host physiology, homeostasis, and sustained health. We compared the skeletal muscle of germ-free mice that lacked a gut microbiota to the skeletal muscle of pathogen-free mice that had a gut microbiota. Compared to pathogen-free mouse skeletal muscle, germ-free mouse skeletal muscle showed atrophy, decreased expression of insulin-like growth factor 1, and reduced transcription of genes associated with skeletal muscle growth and mitochondrial function. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry analysis of skeletal muscle, liver, and serum from germ-free mice revealed multiple changes in the amounts of amino acids, including glycine and alanine, compared to pathogen-free mice. Germ-free mice also showed reduced serum choline, the precursor of acetylcholine, the key neurotransmitter that signals between muscle and nerve at neuromuscular junctions.

Jul 28, 2019

10 insights from my first 5 episodes of The Ageless Starman podcast

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, business, life extension, robotics/AI

1. The 4 main things happening in Hyperbaric oxygen treatment: 1.- A decrease of inflammation 2.- An increase in the amount of oxygen in circulation and reversing hypoxia. 3.- Stimulate the release of stem cells from the brain along with the bone-derived stem cells. 4.- Kill infection. Why it matters for regenerative and dementia treatment? Listen to Dr. Scott Sherr explaining in detail in http://www.mendelhaim.com/podcast/2. For more information on Dr. Scott’s work go to https://www.hyperbaricmedicalsolutions.com/integrative-hbot/scott-sherr.

2. Raising money for academic research is a hard point, according to all of my guests, but even when we talk about Hyperbaric treatment there is a lack of money and the number of chambers declines in u.s. In Israel by the way, the demand is increasing and it takes a few months waiting in lines to start getting the treatment, this can turn into a big business opportunity in my opinion as to the risk for such research on participants is not as big as other medical research.

3. Longevity investment is a relatively new field and is lack of a method to invest by, the Three criteria that Sergey Young from the Longevity Vision Fund examine before investing in new companies are 1- will the product be affordable to touch millions of people’s lives and not only help the rich. 2- Looking for sectors that enjoy the technological exponential development paste such as AI, early diagnostics, stem cells, warbles, and organ transplants. 3 — Network, if you are a new startup and trying to raise from The Longevity vision fund, question yourself before, Do you have partners that can market your product such as big pharma or health care chain or a big manufacturer, do you collaborate with the best academic institutes in the longevity research. Go listen to the full episode Mission Alpha with Sergey Young on http://www.mendelhaim.com/podcast/3

Jul 28, 2019

Is panpsychism accurate? Modern physics delivers a reality check

Posted by in category: physics

Click on photo to start video.

If philosophers don’t try to mesh their long-held views with new scientific insights, then we have a problem. For instance, panpsychism may be due for an update: panprotopsychism, a view that says when fundamental “ingredients of reality” combine, they give rise to conscious experience — and that those fundamental ingredients are “quasimental.”

In this video, NASA’s own Dr. Susan Schneider, who specializes in astrobiology, explains further.

Jul 28, 2019

AI event in Seattle brings together Japanese companies and U.S. innovators

Posted by in categories: business, economics, ethics, governance, robotics/AI

Seventy-five people filed into a Washington State Convention Center meeting room Wednesday to hear about the latest advancements in artificial intelligence. In a pitching session reminiscent of a speed-dating event, about 10 Northwest startups hurriedly shared their accomplishments and aspirations with Japanese investors eager to stoke business relationships.

Master of ceremonies Tom Sato, co-founder of Kirkland-based investing firm Innovation Finders Capital, lightened the mood by cracking jokes as he translated the English-speaking founders’ business plans into Japanese, cautioning the attendees that he faced a challenge: “I have to understand what the hell they’re talking about.”

The A.I. Age | This 12-month series of stories explores the social and economic questions arising from the fast-spreading uses of artificial intelligence. The series is funded with the help of the Harvard-MIT Ethics and Governance of AI Initiative. Seattle Times editors and reporters operate independently of our funders and maintain editorial control over the coverage.

Jul 28, 2019

These 3 teens just rocked an international robotics competition in Australia

Posted by in categories: education, engineering, robotics/AI

Three New Jersey teens brought home two international awards for their artificial intelligence robot, who competed at the International Robocup Junior Championship in Sydney, Australia earlier this month.

The team — made up of high school juniors Julian Lee of Livingston and Jeffrey Cheng from Bridgewater, and senior Alexander Lisenko, also of Bridgewater — won the third place World Title for Individual Team Tournament, and the Judge’s Award for Best Rescue Engineering Strategy in the Rescue Maze League.

The trio belongs to Storming Robots, a New Jersey-based Robotics Learning Lab, and competed against teams of 14- to 19-year-olds from around the world in the July 4–9 contest.

Jul 28, 2019

A 3D-Printable Mecanum Wheeled Robot Platform

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

If your interest lies with robotics there are a multitude of different platforms for you to build. [Teemu Laurila] was frustrated with what was on offer, so designed his own with four-wheel double wishbone suspension and mecanum wheels for maximum flexibility.

It’s a design that has been through multiple revisions since its first iteration in 2015, and along the way it’s clear some thought has gone into it. That double wishbone suspension features an angle for a high ground clearance, and is fully sprung. Drive comes from small motor/gearboxes at each axle. The chassis meanwhile has plenty of space for a single-board computer, and has been specifically designed with the BeagleBone Black in mind.

This build isn’t fully DIY, as the mecanum wheels appear to be off-the-shelf items, but the rest of the project makes up for this. If you need to make your own, it’s hardly as though there aren’t any projects from which you can borrow components.