Wired: How To Build a Better Body. Lisäksi Run Faster, Be Smarter, Shoot Straighter
Forbes: Top Five Nanotech Breakthroughs Of 2006
2006: The year in tech
2006: The year in biology and medicine
2006: The year in human spaceflight
Osalt.com - Open Source Alternative
Universaali flunssarokote ihmiskokeisiin lähikuukausina
There used to be a real me, but I had it surgically removed.
- Peter Sellers
Joulun juhlinta on venynyt tavallista pidemmäksi, joten taidan mennä samalla vauhdilla ensi vuoden puolelle asti.
I Was A Teenage Popsicle - Teini-ikäisille suunnattu kirja kryoniikasta sekä ensi vuonna tuleva jatko-osa Beyond Cool. Kirjoittanut Bev Katz Rosenbaum.
Darren Aronofskyn haastattelu Life Extension Magazinessa.
Onnettomuudessa kätensä menettänyt nainen sai uudet kädet 30 vuoden jälkeen.
Startling technologies promise to transform medicine
Jälleen on tullut aika raahata ikivihreä havupuu sisään kuolemaan, pukea roomalainen ruokailulakki päähän, uhrata sika auringonjumalalle, juoda ryyppy Odinin kunniaksi, sytyttää tulia Thorille ja kutsua shamaanipukki sisään pelottelemaan lapsia. I love Christmas!
Sealab 2021: I, Robot - Animaatiohahmot keskustelevat robottikehojensa ominaisuuksista, kun tukikohta räjähtelee ympäriltä.
Warren Ellis alkaa kirjoittamaan viikottaista Second Life -kolumnia Reutersille.
Progeriatutkimus yhdistää kilpailevat ikääntymisteoriat
Analysis of a novel form of progeria caused by a mutation in a DNA repair gene has unified two competing theories of aging, according to a report in Nature. DNA damage induces aging, but at a rate that is genetically determined, Jan Hoeijmakers, head of the department of genetics at Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and colleagues determined after studying a patient with the disease as well as a knockout mouse model.
DNage - Hollantilaistutkijoiden perustama yritys ikääntymisen hidastamiseksi.
Positiivinen asenne pitää terveenä. Opettele positiivista asennetta.
The (Incomplete!) World of Catenanes, Rotaxanes and Molecular Machines - Kartta maailmalla tapahtuvasta nanokoneisiin liittyvästä tutkimuksesta.
Geenimuunneltuja hyttysiä, jotka eivät pysty levittämään tauteja.
Japanese man in virtual 'hibernation' survives 3 weeks without food or water
Mitsutaka Uchikoshi had almost no pulse, his organs had all but shut down and his body temperature was 71 degrees Fahrenheit or about 21.6 Celsius when he was discovered on Rokko mountain in late October, said doctors who treated him at the nearby Kobe City General Hospital. He had been missing for 24 days.
ESA Advanced Concepts Team: Hypometabolic Stasis
SF Diplomat: Nick Bostromin haastattelu
You ask how much we would have in common with someone from post-Singularity Earth. This is a parameter which we want to influence. Transhumanism does not espouse the suicidal view that we should replace ourselves with whatever "more advanced" life form we might be able to create. The idea, rather, is that humanity can develop to new levels. Ideally, existing human beings would have the opportunity to continue to grow into "posthuman" beings, in much the same way as infants already grow into adults. Whatever it is we value about humanity should be preserved, cultivated, and expanded.
9 Military Technologies That We Want - Armeijan teknologioiden siviilikäyttöön tuloa odotellessa.
In the last two years I've lost two relatives to a degenerative disease called gniga. Gniga strikes late in life, and is extraordinarily common, being the root cause of perhaps 90% of deaths in the US. Yet for some reason, there is little research being done on how to treat gniga, with the focus mainly being on the individual organ systems it affects. The reasons are unclear - some believe that gniga is untreatable, others believe that it was created by god as part of the human condition, while others think that without it, the world's population would increase unsustainably. -- Gniga, of course, is more commonly known as Aging.
Humanoidirobotin ohjausta ajatuksen voimalla.
Hiirten diabetes paranee substanssi P:llä.
Merkuriuksesta Granaattitähteen (video).
WowWee FlyTech Dragonfly - Ornitopterirobotti.
Kipua tuntemattomien mutanttien tutkiminen johtaa kipugeenin löytymiseen.
Because many genes and nerves are involved in mediating pain, it is surprising that a mutation in a single gene could inactivate the whole system. The reason, Dr. Woods said, is probably that a common mechanism is involved in all feelings of pain.
Aiemmin: A Life Without Pain
Kanadalainen Gerard Langevin sai pulssittoman sydämen, Thoratecin HeartMate II:sen.
Maailman ensimmäinen kloonattu kissa, Copy Cat, sai pentuja.
The Gaming Generation - Perhe, joka pelaa yhdessä, pysyy yhdessä.
Dr. Michael G. Zey, noted sociologist and author of the forthcoming book The Ageless Society, seems optimistic. He predicts that with advances in medical technology and people living longer than ever, American society will see a reemergence of what he calls the "multigenerational family" -- several generations living under one roof.
Kevin Warwick kertoilee taas kyborgikokeistaan.
Poseidon Mystery Island - Hotelli merenpohjaan.
Ja lopuksi Tricycle Patrol Vehicle.
Science vs Superstition – the case for a new scientific enlightenment - Policy Exchange on julkaissut esseekokoelman siitä, kuinka pelko, taikausko ja ylivarovaisuusperiaate estävät paremman maailman rakentamista.
But there is equally an important ethical possibility that emerges when we manipulate nature and in so doing increase our possibilities for treating illness and curing disease. The pro-technology, pro-science attitude is rarely presented in its ethical dimension. Indeed, many debates around science and technology are presented in a similarly one-sided way. For example, it is uncritically assumed that animal testing is ethically dubious; but what about the ethical value of animal testing (see Chapter 4). And what about the moral case for genetic engineering? What about the moral case for nuclear technology (see Chapter 5)?
Lab-grown diamonds - Miksi luonnontimantit ovat pahoja ja keinotekoiset timantit hyviä.
The association with love may soon be tested as technological advances have finally enabled laboratory-created diamonds which have a distinct advantage over their naturally occurring identical twins - they are 100% conflict-free and have not paid the wages of a child soldier, been exchanged for armaments, financed a brutal civil war or have been smuggled at least part of the way to landing on that engagement ring.
Apophis Mission Design Competition - Mikä on paras tapa tagata asteroidi, jotta sen lentorataa voisi seurata tarkemmin? Planetary Society tarjoa voittajalle 50 000 dollaria.
Ikääntymättömät kilpikonnat
“Turtles don’t really die of old age,” Dr. Raxworthy said. In fact, if turtles didn’t get eaten, crushed by an automobile or fall prey to a disease, he said, they might just live indefinitely. -- Turtles have the power to almost stop the ticking of their personal clock. “Their heart isn’t necessarily stimulated by nerves, and it doesn’t need to beat constantly,” said Dr. George Zug, curator of herpetology at the Smithsonian Institution. “They can turn it on and off essentially at will.”
My Final Prediction - Bruce Sterling
One upshot is that futurism itself has no future. Once confined to an elite group, the tools and techniques of prognostication are all widely available. As for pundits: The world used to be full of workaday journalists, with just a thin sprinkling of opinion mongers. Now a TypePad account is a license to deliver nose-to-the-pavement perspective with an attitude. The very word futurism is old-fashioned, way too 1960s. Today's Internet-savvy futurist is more likely to describe himself as a strategy consultant or venture capital researcher.
OnDemand Action Figure Builder - Tee oma toimintafiguurisi.
MPrize on ylittänyt neljän miljoonan dollarin rajan.
BoingBoing: Charitable giving guide for the end-of-year
Ruotsalainen Internet-palveluntarjoaja Perpektiv blokkaa allofmp3:n, joten Pirate Bay blokkaa Perspektivin: Choosing what is transferred is up to you and me, not your ISP nor the Chinese or your own government.
South Parkin tekijöiden haastattelu: "We’re always in favor of people downloading. Always."
Kannabista kipulääkkeeksi ensimmäistä kertaa Suomessa
- Kun lääketieteelliseen keskusteluun tulee uusi aine, jonka käyttöön liittyy muitakin kuin lääkinnällisiä syitä, syntyy väistämättä ennakkoluuloja, Palva sanoo.
Sativex - Kannabis-suusuihke.
Control Our Junk - Ohjaa RC-autoa ja robottikättä netin kautta. Tästä on vielä matkaa lomaparatiiseissa vapaasti kuljeskeleviin telepresenssirobotteihin, mutta jostakin on aloitettava.
Sticky material to scale new heights - Jälleen synteettistä gekkoilua.
"We fully believe that "Synthetic Gecko" can be in practical use within a year. Given the stringent testing procedures in the aerospace industry it almost seems more likely that it will be first seen in some form of commercial guise." -- If so, a real Spider-Man suit might be at the top of many people's Christmas lists in a few years to come.
Trauma Pod - Videoita taistelukentälle suunnitellusta robottisairaalasta.
Unboxing - Onnea on avata laatikko.
The (misguided) pursuit of happiness - Daniel Gilbert synteettisestä onnesta. Mitä tahansa tapahtuu, psykologinen immuunijärjestelmä selittelee sen parhain päin. Vastoinkäymiset nähdään onnea tuottavina tapahtumina, koska aivot joutuvat simuloimaan onnea sen todellisen onnen tilalle, joka menetettiin. Jos ei osaa simuloida onnea, ajautuu ehkä käyttämään kemikaaleja.
Paradox of Choice - Barry Schwartz puhuu valintojen vaikeudesta. Kaikki oli ennen paremmin, koska odotukset olivat matalalla ja valintoja oli vähemmän.
Ja vielä eilisten teräshampaiden jatkoksi: kevlarhampaat.
Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest.
- Denis Diderot
Body As A Weapon - Pätkä tiilien rikkomista Fight Science -ohjelmasta, jossa eri taistelulajeja testattiin törmäysnukeilla ym. Luita voisi vahvistaa lisäksi tällä uudella laitteella. Olisi ihan kätevää kävellä lääkäriin ja sanoa, että alan harrastamaan tiilien rikkomista, vahvistakaapas luurankoa vähän.
Newts which Regrow their Hearts - Ja sitten lisää regeneraatiosta.
Lääketieteen opiskelua tietokonenukeilla (kiitos, Alari).
Mies tekee itselleen tekohampaat teräksestä (1937)
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) kertoo raportissaan, että molekulaarinen nanoteknologia kaipaa lisätutkimusta.
"This report, prepared in response to a congressional request, represents the first open, high-level, science-based evaluation of the concept of molecular manufacturing," said Dr. K. Eric Drexler. "Not surprisingly, this first evaluation led to the first recommendation that research be supported. For a decade or more, researchers eager to pursue this work have faced a closed door. That door now seems to be opening."
Lisäksi: Jürgen Altmann: Military Nanotechnology: Potential Applications and Preventive Arms Control
Say Hello to the Goodbye Weapon - ADS Active Denial System
New bombs can be rushed into service in a matter of weeks, but the process is more complex for nonlethal weapons. It may be years before the debates are resolved and the first directed-energy nonlethal weapon is used in action. -- The development of a truly safe and highly effective nonlethal crowd-control system could raise enormous ethical questions about the state's use of coercive force. If a method such as ADS leads to no lasting injury or harm, authorities may find easier justifications for employing them.
Gifts for the Nanogastronome - Ruoanlaittoa jäädytyslevyllä, ruoan muuttamista värijauheeksi kuivurilla ja muuta.
Varenicline - Nikotiinia imitoiva lääke auttaa irti tupakasta.
You Witness News - Yahoon kansalaisjournalismia.
Mietin joululahjaideoita ja tarvitsen ehdotuksia. Erityisesti etsin opettavaisia, hauskoja ja pitkään käyttöä kestäviä lahjoja, jotka sopivat koko perheelle. Ei mitään rihkamaa, yksinkertaiset ja melko perinteiset "IKEA-lelut" tai nokkelat pelit käyvät. Esimerkiksi: Cuboro, Kapla, Khet, Set, Cathedral.
Kirjalahjoiksi varttuneemmalle väelle sopii tänä jouluna esimerkiksi Worldchanging, God Delusion ja Stumbling on Happiness.
Kannattaa myös muistaa lahjoituksella MPrizea ja SENS-tutkimusta. Niin ja Joulupataa.
A Console To Make You Wiip - Nintendo Wiin ohjaimissa on teknomagiaa kuin universaalitaikasauvassa (kiitos, Lasse).
All these bodily changes are then detected by the prefrontal cortex and somatosensory cortex, which connect them to the scary sensation (the Gooper Blooper). As Damasio puts it, "the essence of feeling an emotion is the experience of such [bodily] changes in juxtaposition to the mental images that initiated the cycle." The resulting state of consciousness — an emulsion of thought and flesh, body, and mind — is our feeling of fear. It is an idea that has passed through the vessel of the body. We are suddenly terrified of a cartoon cephalopod.
Vuodesta 2006 on tulossa ennätyksellinen kirkosta eroamisvuosi.
Kirkosta eroaminen on lähes kolminkertaistunut tämän vuosituhannen aikana. Kirkosta eroamisen kasvun pysähtymiseen ei ole nähtävissä mitään syytä, vaan kasvu tullee jatkumaan ainakin seuraavat 5 - 10 vuotta. Tämä tulee vaikuttamaan merkittävästi evankelis-luterilaisen kirkon yhteiskunnalliseen asemaan, uskottavuuteen ja verotuloihin.
Earth's Elders Foundation - Jerry Friedman kiertää kuvaamassa ja haastattelemassa yli 110-vuotiaita. Heitä on maailmassa tällä hetkellä noin 80.
HUMMER 02 - Ekologinen konseptimaasturi.
A Head For Detail - Gordon Bellin digitaalinen kuolemattomuus.
What if our computers had their own intelligence, and could do that background work for us? What if they could mine our memories for new ways of thinking? And what if they could prioritize the vast heaps of material in the backs of our minds, shaping the informational chaos that often leaves Bell so baffled? A memory system that could think on its own would unlock the lifelog's full potential.
Pienet robottikädet pienillä leluilla leikkimiseen eli miniatyyrimaailmaan tarkoitetut reacherit olisivat käteviä. Ja Moravecin puskarobotit.
Huomasin juuri, että blogini on tällä hetkellä Blogilistan sijalla 666. Mikä on 1337.
70 Ways to Increase Your Brain Power
99 Ways To Keep Your Heart Pumping
Preventing Errors in Molecular Manufacturing
If a covalent-bonding manufacturing system performs an operation with less than one atom out of place, then the resulting product will have exactly zero atoms out of place. Just like transistor signals in a digital computer, imperfections fade away all by themselves. (In both cases, a bit of energy is used up in making the imperfections disappear.) In digital systems, there is no physical law that requires imperfections to accumulate into errors--not in digital computer logic, and not in atomic fabrication systems.
Geenimuunneltu veri muuttaa vettä vedyksi aurinkoenergialla (kiitos, linkkivinkki).
Sobot - Softabotti, jonka pitäisi kehittyä, sopeutua ja seurata omistajaansa laitteesta toiseen.
Economist: Towards immortality
Transhumanists question the conventional wisdom that the human lifespan is coming to a natural limit. History shows that every limit announced by experts is quickly overturned. Back in 1928, an American demographer, Louis Dublin, calculated that the upper limit on average life expectancy would be 64.8 years, a daring figure at the time, with American life expectancy then just 57 years. But now his figure looks timid, given that life expectancy for women in Okinawa, Japan, has passed 85.3 years, 20 years more than Dublin claimed possible. Also looking timid are the scientists who later predicted that life expectancy would nowhere pass 78 years (in 1952), 79 years (1980) and 82.5 years (1984).
SciAm: Juicing the Brain - Unenhallintaa, pelonhallintaa, muistinhallintaa.
There is a multibillion-dollar demand from civilians who wish to sleep only when they want to sleep. The neuroscientific key lies in a part of the hypothalamus called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the brain's biological clock. About the size of a pinhead and nestled deep within the brain, the SCN, composed of 20,000 neurons, acts as the pacemaker for circadian rhythms in mammals. If the SCN is cut or removed in animals, their sleep-wake cycle can be profoundly disturbed. And when people are deprived of light, the SCN runs on a 25-hour clock; for some reason that is our innate length of a single day, which helps to explain insomnia and other sleep disorders in those who are blind. Though subject to some variation, the clock can be reset by exposure to light signals transmitted from the retina, which is why we can function on a regular 24-hour cycle.
Urban Cactus - Gaudimaisen tyylikästä arkkitehtuuria Rotterdamissa.
Scientology: TR Demo - Video siitä, kuinka skientologit tekevät ihmisistä meemirobotteja hypnoositekniikoilla.