Category Archives: Biotechnology

News of The Future This Week: January 31, 2019

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” 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 

News of The Future This Week: January 9, 2019

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“Consumers are statistics.  Customers are people.”–Stanley Marcus 

The 2019 Consumer Electronics Show is underway in Las Vegas.  Considering the 180,000 attendees, perhaps we should be calling it the Statistics Electronics Show, per Stanley Marcus

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.

 CES 2019–Robots are everywhere at CES in Las Vegas.   Chinese firm Ubtech introduced two humanoid robots.  USA Today provided a CES robot overview, which it calls the robot revolution.

–In spite of Ubtech, one source reports that Trump’s trade war has cooled many Chinese tech firms on CES.

Bell’s Nexus flying taxi.

–It’s not exactly a flying car, but an Uber partner, Bell, introduced a vertical takeoff and landing flying taxi at CES.  For more on flying cars an VTOL check out Seeking Delphi™ podcast #27 from November of last year.

–It’s not electronics, but it is cool new biotechnology and possibly one of the most impressive things on display at CES 2019.  Impossible Foods, introduced it’s all veggie Impossible Burger 2.0, and critics are calling it virtually indistinguishable from beef.

–In a keynote address, Ford CEO Jim Hackett outlined ambitious plans for automotive connectivity to enable autonomous vehicles, encourage ride-sharing, and reduce congestion.  More on these subject is available in Seeking Delphi™ podcasts #26 (connectivity in autonomous vehicles) and #28 (intelligent traffic control).

–For more on these and other technologies featured at CES, check out these videos from CBS New York and CNBC.

Walking Car? Take a hike!

Automotive–Heard enough about electric, autonomous, and flying cars? Check out this: a walking car, from Hyundai. (OK, this concept was unveiled at CES, too, but it really deserves its own category.)

Quantum Computing–IBM revealed a 20 qubit quantum computer that will be it’s first commercial entry into the field. Still more from CES.  Honestly though, consumers may ultimately benefit from the fruits of quantum computers, but they are not likely to own one.  Relevent background is available from the Seeking Delphi™ SXSW 2018 minicast #3 with whurley.

Security/Facial Recognition–A new survey conducted by the Center for Data Innovation finds that most Americans are OK with the government using facial recognition technology. This is especially so when applied to airport security.

Seeking Delphi™ podcasts are available on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube (audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook 

News of The Future This Week: November 28, 2018

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“Land on Mars, half a million dollars–a round trip ticket.  It can be done.”–Elon Musk

“It’s not going to do any good to land on Mars if we’re stupid.”–Ray Bradbury

Even as NASA successfully deployed its latest Mars lander, Elon Musk was reasserting his intentions to go to Mars.  Literally.  Himself.  I hope I live long enough to see if he makes it.

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.

Space–Mars ho!  NASA has done it again, with the successful touchdown of the Mars Insight lander.

NASA Insight lander’s first view of Mars

–In a wide ranging interview, Elon Musk flatly stated that he doesn’t just want to send others to Mars, he wants to move there himself.  He set the odds of his doing so at 70%.  I’m guessing Vegas would set odds a bit longer than that.

–Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s marriage with NASA has taken another step closer to the altar. The first uncrewed NASA test of the Elon’s Space X Falcon 9 Dragon Crew rocket has been set for January 7 of next year.

CRISPR/gene editing—The assertion by a Chinese researcher that he has created the world’s first CRISPR gene-edited babies has created a major stir in the scientific community.  And Chinese authorities claim to have no prior knowledge of the venture.

Environment–Buried in all the headlines about the new US government report on climate change, is the staggering potential cost.  It could be a staggering $500 Billion per year by 2090.

Future Food–What is the government’s role–or what should it be–in regulating laboratory grown meat?  Wired asks that question in a new article.

Maybe good for your health–but ewww.

Sanitation–Everything else uses technology these days, so why not toilets?  Before you say “ewww,” consider that the FitLoo, a smart toilet created by the European Space Agency and MIT, can monitor feces for early signs of disease.  OK.  Now say “ewwww.”

Self-Driving Cars–In the latest Seeking Delphi™ podcast, with Alex Wyglinksi of Worcester Polytechnical Institute,  interconnectivity is the focus.

YouTube slide show, Seeking Delphi™ episode #26

Coming soon–part two of the three part “Future Driving” series on the Seeking Delphi™ podcast.  Flying cars!

Seeking Delphi™ podcasts are available on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube (audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook 

News of The Future This Week: October 4, 2018

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“To me–old age is always ten years older than I am.”–Bernard Baruch

“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.”–Mark Twain

Ah, yes.  I have attained the age at which I truly appreciate the comments of monsiuers Baruch and Twain.  And I really appreciate the efforts of those who aim to keep senescence–and dentures–indefinitely in the future.

  • 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.

Anti-aging/rejuvenation–Researchers at the University of Minnesota claim to have discovered a compound that slows aging.  Well, at least in mice it does.

—Several new videos have been posted from last month’s Translating Aging Research conference sponsored by the Life Extension Advocacy Foundation.  Aubrey de Grey (Seeking Delphi™ podcast #19) was one of the speakers.  His talk is linked below.

Artists conception: Lockheed lunar lander

Space/space commerce/NASA–Lockheed Martin has unveiled it’s proposed design for NASA’s next lunar lander.  It is huge–truly the Hummer of space vehicles.

–Any chance we’ll see a space elevator in the future?  Next Big Future says no time soon–if ever.

—Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says his Blue Origin space venture is the most important work he is doing.  The reason?  We need to l lower the cost of launches to mine resources in space, and to lower the barrier of entry for space commerce entrepreneurship.

Future Transport—Hyperloop Transportation Technologies has unveiled the proposed design for its first passenger capsule.  They hope to have it ready by sometime next year, and eventually to transport passengers at up to 750mph.

—Ford issued an industry-wide call to all those enterprises now developing self-driving automotive technology: the vehicles need to talk to each other.  To that end, they advocate an developing a standard communication language to share intent.

The future of construction?

Robotics–Are drywall installers the next workers to be replaced by automation?  If this video is to be believed, the answer is yes.

Seeking Delphi™ podcasts are available on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube (audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook 

News of The Future This Week: September 17, 2018

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This weeks’s post was delayed pending the revelation of the identity of SpaceX’s first lunar orbit space tourist.  See below.

“”The moon is a friend for the lonesome to talk to.”–Carl Sandberg

 

If you circled the moon–alone–you’d probably wind up talking to it. And tonight we found out who Elon Musk plans to send around the moon as the first SpaceX lunar tourist.  Undoubtedly, everbody will want a piece of him.

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 

Artisit’s conception; spaceX BFR lunar vehicle

 Space–Elon Musk’s SpaceX made the big annoucement tonight.  In a live streamed event he revealed the identity of the first space tourist to orbit the moon, launched by its BFR rocket.   He is Japanese billionaire Yasaku Maezawa.  Launch is projected for 2023.

—India revealed its first design for space suits.  They may not win any visual design awards, but hopefully they’ll keep their astronauts safe, starting in 2022.

Not exactly for a stroll in the park

Neural Networks/future of computing–An interdiscipinary group of researchers including biologists and computer scientists at Lehigh University have obtained a grant from the National Science Foundation to grow a computer made out of living cells.  Your next CPU could, quite literally, be grown in a Petri dish.

Anti-aging/rejuvenation–In Seeking Delphi™ podcast epidose #19,  Aubrey de Grey lamented that no significant progress had been made toward achieving what he calls “robust mouse rejuvenation.”  That would be the ability to significantly extend, perhaps to double or more, the life expectancy of a mouse, starting interventions well into it’s lifetime  That was back in December of last year.   Now, 9 months later, Harvard scientist George Church says he has done it–his Rejuvenate Bio has doubled the lifespan of a mouse.

Don’t ask what it will cost. He’s not saying, yet.

Hyperloop/The Boring Company–Elon Musk wants to marry the services of two of  his compnies for the benefit of your immediate transportation convenience.  He wants to dig a tunnel directly from a  garage to provide hyperloop access.

Mobile Communication–Call management and protection company First Orion says that by next year nearly half of all U.S. cellphone calls will be scams.  You could have fooled me; I thought we’d already passed that.

Health trackers–MIT has developed a health sensor system that can track you around the house, even through walls.  The device resembles a wi-fi router and uses radio signals and machine learning.

Seeking Delphi™ podcasts are available on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube (audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook 

News of The Future This Week: September 9, 2018

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“A.I. doesn’t trust us, either.”–Rana el Kaliouby, CEO, Affectiva

 

Get ready for all A.I., all the time.  It’s the lion’s share of the news this week.  After all, Rana el Kaliouby says, among other things, that it should ultimately be pervasive.  In this week’s tech press, it pretty much is.  I did throw in a space story, if only for accent–and maybe to appease those who’ve had enough of machine intelligence.

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 

Artificial Intelligence–The second Affectiva Emotion AI Summit, held this week in Boston, focused on the theme Trust in AI. And it featured Rana el Kaliouby’s bold assertion that appears at the top of this page. (Link to video highlights of last year’s summit available at the bottom of the page).

—Kai-Fu Lee, former president of Google China, had some words of warning for the U.S.  He says that China will overtake America in A.I. within five years.

—Almost on cue, Peter Diamandis published a review of Lee’s new book, A.I. Superpowers.  It outlines what Lee defines as four distinct waves of A.I., and what it means to control each of them.

–A tech story with Elon Musk? No way!  Mr. Impossible said this week that his Neuralink company will “soon” announce a product that will link your mind directly to a computer; he believes this link will be necessary to maintaining control of  A.I.  There is a reason soon is in quotes.

–Residents of Norfolk, England, may be a bit nervous about the prospects of local police catching anyone who burglarizes their home.  It seems the local bobbies are using an algorithm to determine if they should even bother to investigate.

–One area where A.I. could really prove to be a boon is in drug development.  Anything that could cut into soaring pharmaceutical R&D costs would be welcome, as the Diamandis Tech Blog reports

Artisits conception: reusable space plane.

Space commerce–Hot on the heals of a Japanese university and a construction company announcing a partnership to begin space elevator experiments, another Japanese firm has announced a traget of 2023 for the launch of a reusable space plane.

 

 

 

Highlight video from the first Emotion AI Summit, September 13, 2017

Seeking Delphi™ podcasts are available on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube (audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook 

News of The Future This Week: July 15, 2018

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“I believe we are on the dawn of a new era in commercial space exploration.”–Elon Musk

 

Yeah, well, ol’ Elon would say that.  His SpaceX venture is heavily invested and involved, both with NASA and other space faring concerns, and is somewhere between trying to colonize Mars long term and actually turning a profit, near term.  But in the final analysis, what they seem to be locked into is a race with Boeing to launch the first commercial manned space vehicle, and thus  get back to where NASA was over 50 years ago.

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 

 Space Commerce–Despite all the bravado, Elon Musk may not be winning the race for the first commercial manned space launch.  A new internal NASA document suggests they believe that Boeing may beat them to the punch.

Oh SpaceX, were art thou?

–According to that same government audit report, neither company is likely to be ready to launch crews to the ISS in 2019.  It states that neither company is likely to be able to do so before Augist of 2020.

–While Boeing and SpaceX race to send crews into space, another concern has a loftier goal.  Israeli firm SpaceIL plans to launch the first privately-funded, unmanned lunar lander, in February of next year.  They’ll use a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in an attempt to claim the Google X prize.

Hail! Halil, Asgardia, land of the free and brave!

–Manned space commerce may still be a ways away, and space colonization even farther out.  But that hasn’t stopped Russian computer scientist Igor Ashurbeyli and the 200,000 denizens of self-acclaimed space nation Asgardia from naming him the first leader of the (as of now) virtual nation, as Futurism.com reports.

 Hail, Hail Asgardi…er…Freedonia…land of the free and brave!

Longevity/Anti-aging research–One of the leading figures in the radical human longevity field has tempered his former optimism.  In silico CEO Alex Zhavoronkov now thinks the 150+ year human lifespan he has long dreamed of won’t become reality any time soon.

—On the other hand, researchers at Stowers Institute for Medical Research have made a stem cell breakthrough that could lead to antiaging therapy.  They’ve discovered the one cell in flatworms capable of regenerating an entire organism.

Future transportation–Do  you think self-driving cars are a bit out there?  Flying cars?   Now a French firm is proposing what amounts to a flying train. (Video below).

French flying train proposal.  Maybe they’re just giddy about the World Cup?

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