” I don’t know which is more discouraging, literature or chickens.”–E.B. White
I don’t know how E.B. White would have felt about the chickens in this week’s future news; but I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have changed his view of literature. The chicken and egg thing is still ambiguous, though.
While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube (audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Genetic Editing–What came first, the chicken or the egg? That age old question might take on new significance, as researchers at the University of Edinburgh have modified the cluckers to lay eggs containing anti-cancer drugs.
—Meanwhile, researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have reported a breakthrough with gene drive. This is the technology that makes genetic changes that are passed on to offspring. They have succeeded–with some limitations–in executing the current technology in female mice, the first such demonstration in a mammal.
Image: The Dali Museum
Artificial Intelligence–The so-called Uncanny Valley just got deeper and creepier. An artificial intelligence-created clone of Salvador Dali now greets visitors to his museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.
–From the ridiculous to the sublime. Centauri Dreams says A.I. might hold the key to succesful exploration of interstellar space. Particularly in deep space, where communication with home base may take years to complete, unmanned probes will need to make intelligent decisions on their own.
–When it comes to assessing the current state of A.I., just how much is real and how much is hype? The Verge gives its view of exactly where we are today and where it may be going.
The regulation conundrum: Pedestrian? Vehicle? Robochicken crossing the road?
Automation/Robotics–Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it R2-D2? Futurism.com reports that regulators are clueless when it come to regulating Amazon’s delivery robots. Anybody surprised?
Flying Cars–Houston, we have a problem. Just when we though the age of the Jetsons was finally upon us, Wired reports a major obsticle. the cost and complexity of carbon fibers may keep the aeiral vehicle population from attaining mass proportions.
In case you missed it, here is the Seeking Delphi™ podcast on flying cars, from November of last year.
Coming next to the Seeking Delphi™ podcast–Your Personal Future, with Verne Wheelright.
Seeking Delphi™ podcasts are available on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube (audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook
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