Drug from bananas may fight flu virus - Futurity

Originally shared by Rob Jongschaap

Drug from bananas may fight flu virus - Futurity

'Bananas contain a substance that, when changed slightly by scientists, shows promise to fight a wide range of viruses, including the flu.

And the process used to create the virus-fighting form may help scientists develop even more drugs, by harnessing the “sugar code” that our cells use to communicate. That code gets hijacked by viruses and other invaders.'

http://www.futurity.org/bananas-drug-flu-virus-1033662/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=webfeeds

Could a drug engineered from bananas fight many deadly viruses? New results show promise | University of Michigan Health System

'... The new research focuses on a protein called banana lectin, or BanLec, that “reads” the sugars on the outside of both viruses and cells. Five years ago, scientists showed it could keep the virus that causes AIDS from getting into cells – but it also caused side effects that limited its potential use.

Now, in a new paper published in the journal Cell, an international team of scientists reports how they created a new form of BanLec that still fights viruses in mice, but doesn’t have a property that causes irritation and unwanted inflammation.
...'

http://www.uofmhealth.org/news/archive/201510/could-drug-engineered-bananas-fight-many-deadly-viruses-new
http://www.futurity.org/bananas-drug-flu-virus-1033662/?utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=webfeeds

Cassini's October 28 'Plume Dive'

Originally shared by Pierre Markuse

Cassini's October 28 'Plume Dive'

NASA's Cassini spacecraft will sample the ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus on Wednesday, October 28, when it flies through the moon's plume of icy spray. Scientists hope this close flyby will shed light on what's happening beneath the moon's icy surface. The spacecraft has flown closer to the surface of Enceladus before, but never this low directly through the active plume.

Full story here:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4750

Video about the plume dive:
https://youtu.be/BZ1KowQXc3Y

Enceladus

Enceladus has a diameter of 504 kilometers (313 miles) and is orbiting Saturn every 1.4 Earth days at a distance of 238,037 km (147,909 miles). It was discovered August 28, 1789 by William Herschel. More information here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enceladus

More on Cassini:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/main/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassini%E2%80%93Huygens

Image credit: PIA20013: This artist's rendering showing a cutaway view into the interior of Saturn's moon Enceladus.  NASA/JPL-Caltech http://goo.gl/y3hhjP

#science   #cassini   #enceladus   #plumedive   #space   #spaceexploration   #solarsystem   #saturn

Earth from Space at Night

Originally shared by Pierre Markuse

Earth from Space at Night

A few images of cities at night taken from aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Click the links for more information on each image.

[1] Moscow, Russia
https://plus.google.com/+PierreMarkuse/posts/WYXtJMJEPJd

[2] Seoul, South Korea
https://plus.google.com/+PierreMarkuse/posts/2T56qoctg9N

[3] Dubai, United Arab Emirates
https://plus.google.com/+PierreMarkuse/posts/7UbZEy2M2y6

[4] Tokyo Bay and surroundings, Japan
https://plus.google.com/+PierreMarkuse/posts/GCbjdC5U4gE

More images of Earth from Space?

If you are interested in space images you should take a look at the 
Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth website. It allows you to search and browse images taken from the ISS and other missions and you cannot only download JPG images but also the digital raw files if you are interested in editing them yourself. You can find the website here:
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/

Image credits: Astronaut photographs ISS037-E-13257,  ISS026-E-12328, ISS030-E-99324 and ISS026-E-16517. Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center / Edited by Pierre Markuse 

#science #internationalspacestation #iss  #earth #moscow #seoul  #tokyo #dubai #photography   #nightphotography  

Title

Originally shared by What's Hot Online


Bridge construction

This Camera Sees What Your Eyes Can't | Innovation | Smithsonian

Originally shared by Rob Jongschaap

This Camera Sees What Your Eyes Can't | Innovation | Smithsonian

'One day, in the not-too-distant future, we may all carry cameras in our pockets that can see far beyond what our eyes are capable of.

That’s the goal of a team of researchers at the University of Washington who, working in conjunction with Microsoft, has developed an affordable hyperspectral camera they call HyperCam.

The human eye, while dazzling in its complexity, can only see a limited range. Of the entire electromagnetic spectrum, our eyes only perceive three color bands—red, green and blue. So scientists have long used hyperspectral imaging—a technology that carves the electromagnetic spectrum into hundreds of bands to create detailed data images beyond what the eye can see—for a variety of purposes. It's used in agriculture and mining to look at things like the mineral content and moisture level of soil. In aerial hyperspectral photographs, certain types of soil or minerals will have specific spectral signatures that form patterns. Food safety inspectors can use hyperspectral cameras to assess foods for nutritional content or contamination by a non-food material.'

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/camera-sees-what-your-eyes-cant-180957036/
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/camera-sees-what-your-eyes-cant-180957036/

Historian says we'll be cyborgs within 200 years

http://www.fromthegrapevine.com/innovation/historian-says-well-be-cyborgs-within-200-years

Artificial intelligence: Humankind's best chance for a healthier future

Artificial intelligence: Humankind's best chance for a healthier future

#artificialintelligence #health
http://www.cio.com/article/2997174/big-data/artificial-intelligence-humankinds-best-chance-for-a-healthier-future.html

Is the Field of Artificial Intelligence Sexist?

Is the Field of Artificial Intelligence Sexist?

I don't believe so. Women are welcomed, I just think they are not as interested in the area as men.. what is a normal tendency as women and men are not the same (contrary to what some politics may say nowadays). Some women sure are interested, but they are special cases - and very valuable to the development of the field in my opinion, as they have a different input at things from most men, it inserts new angles to the knowledge. I love my profession and have no problem that most are men in it.

#artificialintelligence #robotics
http://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2015/10/field-artificial-intelligence-sexist/123121

Meet RankBrain: The Artificial Intelligence That's Now Processing Google Search Results

Meet RankBrain: The Artificial Intelligence That's Now Processing Google Search Results

#artificialintelligence #google
http://searchengineland.com/meet-rankbrain-google-search-results-234386

How robots, artificial intelligence, and machine learning will affect employment and public policy

How robots, artificial intelligence, and machine learning will affect employment and public policy

#robotics #artificialintelligence #machinelearning #technology
http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/techtank/posts/2015/10/26-emerging-tech-employment-public-policy-west

The rise of the killer robots -- and why we need to stop them

The rise of the killer robots -- and why we need to stop them

#robotics #ethics
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/26/opinions/killer-robots-walsh

Five Reasons To Teach Robotics In Schools

Five Reasons To Teach Robotics In Schools

#robotics #education

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/10/five-reasons-to-teach-robotics-in-schools

Don't Fear the Robots

Don't Fear the Robots

#robotics
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/25/sunday-review/dont-fear-the-robots.html

#robotics

#robotics
http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/business/company-creates-robots-of-the-future/nn327/

#robotics #biomimicry

#robotics #biomimicry
http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/robots-learn-to-fall-like-cats

#robotics #judo

#robotics #judo
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/robots-judo-techniques-to-fall-down-without-exploding

#health

#health
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/11931143/Ebola-nurse-Pauline-Cafferkey-is-now-critically-ill.html

Hong Kong artificial intelligence pioneer talks immortality

Hong Kong artificial intelligence pioneer talks immortality

#artificialintelligence #immortality
http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1865149/hong-kong-artificial-intelligence-pioneer-talks-immortality

Can a Pill Replace Exercise? http://rgn.bz/Yxrx

Originally shared by Before It's News

Can a Pill Replace Exercise? http://rgn.bz/Yxrx

Everyone knows that exercise improves health, and ongoing research continues to uncover increasingly detailed information on its benefits for metabolism, circulation, and improved functioning of organs such as the heart, brain, and liver.

With this knowledge in hand, scientists may be better equipped to develop “exercise pills” that could mimic at least some of the beneficial effects of physical exercise on the body. But a review of current development efforts, publishing October 2 in Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, ponders whether such pills will achieve their potential therapeutic impact, at least in the near future.

More http://rgn.bz/Yxrx

Micro Photosynthetic Power Cells May Be the Green Energy Source for the Next Generation http://rgn.bz/8iNf

Originally shared by Before It's News

Micro Photosynthetic Power Cells May Be the Green Energy Source for the Next Generation http://rgn.bz/8iNf

team of researchers from the Optical Bio Microsystem lab at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, have invented and developed micro-photosynthetic cell technology that can harness electrical power from the photosynthesis and respiration of blue-green algae.

This image shows: (a) Main components of micro PSC; (b) unassembled micro PSC model; (c) assembled proposed micro PSC model; (d) schematic of micro PSC tested; (e) schematic of experimental set up; and (f) experimental measurement set up.

More http://rgn.bz/8iNf

Ray Kurzweil: In The 2030s, Nanobots In Our Brains Will Make Us 'Godlike'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ray-kurzweil-nanobots-brain-godlike_560555a0e4b0af3706dbe1e2?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592§ion=india&adsSiteOverride=in

Finance departments are being replaced by robots.

Originally shared by Wayne Radinsky

Finance departments are being replaced by robots. "Automation is enabling firms to replace swaths of white-collar workers, much as mechanical robots have displaced blue-collar workers on assembly lines. Since 2004, the median number of full-time employees in the finance department at large firms has declined 40% to about 71 people for every $1 billion of revenue, down from 119, according to Hackett Group."
http://blogs.wsj.com/cfo/2015/05/05/the-morning-ledger-finance-departments-are-being-replaced-by-robots

< >

Originally shared by Larry Panozzo

< < THIS WEEK IN TECH > >

MIT has made a new, versatile robotic hand, Drayson Technologies figured out how to harvest radio waves for generating electricity, crime prediction via machine learning, and more, all in the links below!

• Energy from Radio Waves
http://m.phys.org/news/2015-09-radio-frequency-harvesting-tech-unveiled.html

• Wearable Medical Skin Patches
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150929112030.htm

• MIT's Robotic Hand
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/09/30/mits-new-robot-has-a-squishy-but-steady-grip/

• Real Time Translation
http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/1/9431119/skype-now-has-real-time-translation-built-in

• Crime Prediction
http://qz.com/513125/hitachi-says-it-can-predict-crimes-before-they-happen/

• 3D-printed Microneedles
http://m.phys.org/news/2015-09-scientists-d-printed-drug-micro-needles.html

• Chinese Self-driving Bus
http://futurism.com/videos/self-driving-bus-now-a-reality-in-china/

• 3D-printed Martian Ice House
http://www.cnet.com/news/3d-printable-ice-house-could-be-our-home-on-mars/

Like my posts? Add me for This Week In Tech, This Week In Science, This Week in The Singularity, and lots more each week. Or just follow my Collection New Tech !

#tech #technology
#MIT #energy #3Dprinting
futurism.com

Bill Gates predicted the invention of smartphones and social media - and what else?

Originally shared by World Economic Forum

Bill Gates predicted the invention of smartphones and social media - and what else?

This unsupervised learning for #artificialintelligence - reported on by TechCrunch - sounds great.

Originally shared by Singularity 2045

This unsupervised learning for #artificialintelligence - reported on by TechCrunch - sounds great. True free-thinking for AI in the not too distant future. It is also brilliant to see the #Singularity mentioned prominently.

TechCrunch (2 Oct 2015): "Unlike other technologies that are training computers to understand the information they’re receiving, the Curious AI programmers are actually attempting to give computers a way to learn in an unsupervised manner — a process that mimics human cognition more closely, according to company co-founder Harri Valpola" http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/02/do-androids-dream-of-curious/

#CuriousAI  
http://techcrunch.com/2015/10/02/do-androids-dream-of-curious

Are AI and “deep learning” the future of, well, everything?

Originally shared by michael barth
http://www.alphr.com/the-future/1001614/are-ai-and-deep-learning-the-future-of-well-everything

Robot May Help Researchers Unlock the Mysteries of Autism

Originally shared by Neuroscience News

Robot May Help Researchers Unlock the Mysteries of Autism

Full article at http://neurosciencenews.com/autism-robotics-psychology-2804/.

Given the many mysteries around autism spectrum disorder (ASD), researchers are always looking for new and innovative ways to solve the mystery and one of the most interesting is using robots to venture into the question of language practice of children with ASD.

Image: Associate Professor Walsh Matthews is investigating the language practices of children with autism spectrum disorder using small robots. Image is adapted from the Ryerson University press release.

#autism   #robotics

Without doubt #artificialintelligence will attain super-human #Singularity intelligence no later than 2045,...

Originally shared by Singularity 2045

Without doubt #artificialintelligence will attain super-human #Singularity intelligence no later than 2045, despite the skepticism of some critics. The following MIT Technology Review article (1 Oct 2015), states current advanced AI can match the IQ of a four year old human.

Let's assume AI progresses at the rate of human intelligence. The current AI (with an IQ of a four year old) would have the IQ of a thirty-four year old in 2045, thirty years from 2015.

We know, however, AI (or information technology), is progressing at an accelerating rate, the growth is exponential. This means AI in year 2045 should have an IQ at least thousands of times beyond adult human IQ from 2015.

Humans will not be left behind either. Via mere genetic engineering human IQ should also at least one thousand times beyond our current 2015 level, which I recently posted about (https://goo.gl/V4Ug2T).

Here are a few  good quotes from the article Technology Review article (1 Oct 2015):

"The rapid advances in information processing technology in recent years have created computing devices with formidable powers. These machines have long been better than humans at arithmetic, certain games such as chess, and more recently at advanced pattern recognitions tasks such as face recognition. "

"Taking Ohlsson and co’s result at face value, it’s taken 60 years of AI research to build a machine in 2012 that can come anywhere close to matching the common sense reasoning of a four-year old. But the nature of exponential improvements raises the prospect that the next six years might produce similarly dramatic improvements."

"So a question that we ought to be considering with urgency is: what kind of AI machine might we be grappling with in 2018?"

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/541936/iq-test-result-advanced-ai-machine-matches-four-year-old-childs-score/
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/541936/iq-test-result-advanced-ai-machine-matches-four-year-old-childs-score

What Is Facebook Doing with Artificial Intelligence?

Originally shared by Gideon Rosenblatt

What Is Facebook Doing with Artificial Intelligence?

This is a really important article for understanding how Facebook is thinking about applying artificial intelligence going forward. 

What they're planning with "M" is quite interesting. It's a kind of hybrid strategy that uses humans to fill in for what the AI can't yet do, while training the AI in the process. 

The closing paragraph is also a really important point about how AI is actually being developed. The reference to the isolated guy in Alaska is, of course, a reference to  Ex Machina: 

“The scenario you seen in a Hollywood movie, in which some isolated guy in Alaska comes up with a fully-functional AI system that nobody else is anywhere close to is completely impossible,” LeCun said, “This is one of the biggest, most complicated scientific challenges of our time, and not any single entity, even a big company can solve it by itself. It has to be a collaborative effort between the entire research and development community.”

#facebook   #artificialintelligence  
http://www.popsci.com/facebook-ai

#artificialintelligence in humans, via genome editing, a genetic boost, is possible.

Originally shared by Singularity 2045

#artificialintelligence in humans, via genome editing, a genetic boost, is possible. If true, or traditional, AI is not possible then worry not because humans have the technology to become very smart via biology alone, if we significantly engineer our genes.

Nautilus (3 Sept 2015) wrote: "The potential for improved human intelligence is enormous. Cognitive ability is influenced by thousands of genetic loci, each of small effect. If all were simultaneously improved, it would be possible to achieve, very roughly, about 100 standard deviations of improvement, corresponding to an IQ of over 1,000. We can’t imagine what capabilities this level of intelligence represents, but we can be sure it is far beyond our own. Cognitive engineering, via direct edits to embryonic human DNA, will eventually produce individuals who are well beyond all historical figures in cognitive ability. By 2050, this process will likely have begun."
http://nautil.us/issue/28/2050/dont-worry-smart-machines-will-take-us-with-them

Honda Using Experimental New ASIMO for Disaster Response Research

Originally shared by Automaton, IEEE Spectrum's Robotics Blog
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/honda-using-experimental-asimo-for-disaster-research

Organic self-assembling material doesn't need 3D-printing scaffolds. High degree of control with enormous potential.

Originally shared by Singularity 2045

Organic self-assembling material doesn't need 3D-printing scaffolds. High degree of control with enormous potential.

28 Sept 2015, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) wrote: "The method uses solutions of peptide and protein molecules that, upon touching each other, self-assemble to form a dynamic tissue at the point at which they meet. As the material assembles itself it can be easily guided to grow into complex shapes."
http://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/items/se/164051.html

"Japan will begin testing autonomous taxis -- carrying human passengers -- on public roads next year, and hopes to...

Originally shared by Wayne Radinsky

"Japan will begin testing autonomous taxis -- carrying human passengers -- on public roads next year, and hopes to show off its technology by the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo."

"Announced Thursday by the Japanese government and Robot Taxi Inc., the trial will initially serve about 50 residents in the Kanagawa prefecture, shuttling them between their home and local grocery stores."
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2492425,00.asp

Video Friday: Walking on Ceilings, Cat-Inspired Legs, and Robot Grasps Tofu

Originally shared by Automaton, IEEE Spectrum's Robotics Blog
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-hardware/video-friday-iros-2015

#robotics

#robotics
http://www.cnbc.com/2015/09/30/robotic-hand-from-mit-can-recognize-objects-by-feel.html