Lifeboat Foundation

Neuroscience, computer vision collaborate to better understand visual information processing PITTSBURGH—Neuroscientists and computer vision scientists say a new dataset of unprecedented size — comprising brain scans of four volunteers who each viewed 5,000 images — will help researchers better understand how the brain processes images. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Fordham University, reporting today in the journal Scientific Data, said acquiring functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans at this scale presented unique challenges. Each volunteer participated in 20 or more hours of MRI scanning, challenging both their perseverance and the experimenters’ ability to coordinate across scanning sessions. The extreme.

While the International Space Station was traveling over the north Atlantic Ocean, astronauts David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency and Nick Hague of NASA grappled Dragon at 7:01 a.m. EDT using the space station’s robotic arm Canadarm2. go.nasa.gov/2WmNrki

Spaceflight — in addition to being awesome — causes significant changes in the human immune system. We are careful with our astronauts so they don’t get sick during spaceflight, but we need to ensure their immune systems are strong when they start embarking on longer trips. Learn about the latest International Space Station research: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/rr-…y-in-space

A star’s stellar endgame may offer astrobiologists a rare opportunity to remotely detect surface life on far-flung extrasolar moons.

An experience to remember…

“The challenge is that the day before something is truly a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea. And crazy ideas are very risky to attempt”–Peter Diamandis.

Continue reading “Podcast Special Edition: X Prize Future of Longevity Impact Roadmap” »

BERLIN—German research organizations cheered a decision announced today by state and federal ministers to increase research budgets by 3% a year for the next decade—a total boost of €17 billion over that time. For more than a decade, German research organizations have enjoyed consistent budget increases—3% boosts every year since 2006, even during downturns in the German economy. But some observers have worried that falling tax revenues and deep disagreements between state and federal ministers could bring an end to the largesse.

State and federal government pledge €17 billion in extra funds through 2030.

A few years ago, a friend and fellow author Manu Saadia (author of Trekonomics: The Economics of Star Trek) posed a question to me about the viability of creating actual cities on other planets. It was, in his mind, one of the few things about Star Trek which seemed unrealistic, because of the fact that cities here on Earth thrive due to one important reason: imports/exports, i.e. resource exchange.

As we continue planning ahead for the future of both space travel and space colonization, the need for advanced 3D printing will ultimately dictate our ability to maintain viable civilizations on other planets.

Continue reading “3D Printing and the Viability of Interplanetary City Construction” »

What’s the ultimate reason we die? In this video, science writer Michael Shermer discusses the universal laws that preside over why stars fade out — and we do, too.

A very good presentation at RAADFest by Liz.