This is another round up of recent news in science and technology that promise (threaten) to change the world we know, solve many of humanity’s problems, and maybe create new ones.
Drug under development doubles physical endurance in mice and expands their lifespan 30%. Scientists believe the drug, based off an ingredient in red wine, will have the same effect on humans. It “makes you look like a trained athlete without the training.” Soon, everyone will be a superhero.
Cell transplants restore sight in mice. Using immature retinal stem cells, scientists were able to restore sight to mice with types of damage similar to what causes blindness in humans. Blindness may become a thing of the past for everyone.
Researchers develop DNA switch that can connect living organisms to computers. This bio-nanotechnology breakthrough promises eventually to seamlessly interface human beings with their marchines. That drumbeat towards Kurzweil’s Singularity just got louder.
Appliances may soon be powered wirelessly. MIT researchers have devised a scheme for allowing appliances to be charged or powered with the need for messy wires or batteries.
Concentrated solar power may soon make it as cheap as fossil fuel electricity. Cheap solar power is one advancement that just can’t come soon enough to our overheated fossil fuel-powered world. The answer may be on the horizon.
“Nanoporous” material can safely absorb hydrogen fuel. One of the biggest challenges to rolling out hydrogen-powered cars is how to get them to safely store hydrogen fuel. This material could provide the answer.
British scientists grow human liver in a laboratory. One of the miracles of stem cell research will be the ability to grow new organs to replace damaged ones. While a full transplant is still probably a decade away, partial transplants could take place as soon as five years from now.
Researchers teach computers to think. Pictures scanned into a computer caused it to come up with highly accurate “tags” or key words that applied to each picture in question. The technology can also be used in other areas such as art collections and satellite images. Pattern recognition is a fundamental component of developing intelligence.
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