Not just gene editing, but detection of a cell’s history (radiation, antibiotics, and the like) and quick, easy detection of genetic markers for specific diseases using nothing more than a treated piece of paper.

Originally shared by Singularity Hub

Not Just Gene Editing—CRISPR Toolkit Expands With Trio of New Tricks http://suhub.co/2F2hkO0

Sharing to read later.

Originally shared by David Brin

Many Big Thinkers foresee AI outstripping organic humans and rendering us obsolete – at-best patronized-beloved old farts and at-worst disposable. There are some potential soft-landings, though:

1 – Merge with the machines, the dream of Ray Kurzweil and other cyber transcendentalists. There are many reasons to doubt the possibility, but none are yet decisive. So I portray it working very well, in a post-singularity society, in my story “Stones of Significance.”

2 – Augment organic brains and people to keep up. Of course my Uplift Universe is all about this, as are the “augments” in The Postman. And the “dittos” in Kiln People. And several stories like “Transition Generation” and “Chrysalis” in my collection Insistence of Vision. Those who believe our brains are “quantum” think that we have time. We probably don’t.

3 – Emphasize the one thing that works well in humans – our ability to get more done in groups, and even (sometimes) show collective, positive-sum wisdom. Louis Rosenberg suggests that our chief hope will come from developing a “hive mind.” Nor is he the first. After all, this is what Teilhard de Chardin wrote about, a century ago and it’s a recurring theme/prescription in the futures of both Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. (It really was cult-like, amid the despair following the atom bomb.)

In fact, I portray a “Macro Mind” in my novel EARTH, but it’s different. More loose and flexible and willing to accept the individuality of her human components, the way any sane person admits “I am many” and listens to the cacophony, within. Indeed, even looser — this is the key underlying the successes of Enlightenment Civilization… and it is the thing targeted by its enemies to be destroyed. (If they succeed, we’re all doomed.)

4 – Raise them as our children. We already deal with creating new intelligences who are smarter than us! We know how to do it, such that only a very small percentage of adolescents actually try to carry our their loud threats to “destroy all humans”! I portray this in EXISTENCE.

And yes, I’ve thought about this very problem, from a myriad angles, for a very long time.

https://futurism.com/keeping-humanity-must-cultivate-hive-mind/

https://futurism.com/keeping-humanity-must-cultivate-hive-mind/

A technology not without its problems, but with definite potential as well. And it would be, if nothing else, a cool throwaway mention in a nearish-future story.

I’ve just been reading Cory Doctorow’s collection Overclocked, and part of what he does that makes his stories so full-on (and distracts you from the unlikeliness) is that he tosses in throwaway references to other cool technologies that some people would wrap a whole story around, just as incidental background.

Originally shared by Singularity Hub

Artificial Photosynthesis Is Solar Energy’s Forgotten Cousin—and It’s Making a Comeback http://suhub.co/2opR224

A good question for any new technology is “how might this do harm?”

Not only if you’re an engineer (engineers, historically, ask this question too little), but also, of course, if you’re a writer.

Originally shared by Adafruit Industries

26 Top Researchers Compiled a Report Warning about the AI Threat

https://blog.adafruit.com/2018/02/24/26-top-researchers-compiled-a-report-warning-about-the-ai-threat/

Usually I think it sounds a little paranoid to talk about AI attacks and robots taking over. But, as this technology advances it will be a good idea to consider all repercussions.

Via Motherboard:

Nevertheless, a group of 26 leading AI researchers met in Oxford last February to discuss how superhuman artificial intelligence may be deployed for malicious ends in the future. The result of this two-day conference was a sweeping 100-page report published today that delves into the risks posed by AI in the wrong hands, and strategies for mitigating these risks.

One of the four high-level recommendations made by the working group was that “researchers and engineers in artificial intelligence should take the dual-use nature of their work seriously, allowing misuse-related considerations to influence research priorities and norms, and proactively reaching out to relevant actors when harmful applications are foreseeable.”

“Current trends emphasize widespread open access to cutting-edge research and development achievements,” the report’s authors write. “If these trends continue for the next 5 years, we expect the ability of attackers to cause harm with digital and robotic systems to significantly increase.”

On the other hand, the researchers recognize that the proliferation of open-source AI technologies will also increasingly attract the attention of policy makers and regulators, who will impose more limitations on these technologies. As for the specific form these policies should take, this will have to be hashed out at local, national and international levels.

Read more

https://blog.adafruit.com/2018/02/24/26-top-researchers-compiled-a-report-warning-about-the-ai-threat/

Long and a bit meandering, but with some interesting thoughts about the current state and likely near-future development of flying vehicles in the urban environment.

I believe it was Ray Bradbury who said that a truly great SF writer could look at the car and predict the traffic jam. What’s the equivalent for these vehicles?

Originally shared by Gregor J. Rothfuss

this is very comprehensive and well researched.

https://medium.com/@johnsmart/our-amazing-aerial-future-how-when-and-why-air-taxis-and-air-deliveries-will-change-our-world-2fc67d6b669

Chile and Brazil are among the places to watch in a post-fossil-fuels world.

“A country that creates green energy infrastructure, before political and economic control shifts to a new group of “world powers”, will ensure it is less susceptible to future influence or to being held hostage by a lithium or copper giant.

“But late adopters will find their strategy comes at a high price. Finally, it will be important for countries with resources not to sell themselves cheaply to the first bidder in the hope of making quick money, because, as the major oil producers will find out over the next decades, nothing lasts forever.”

Originally shared by Greg Batmarx

Imagine a world where every country has not only complied with the Paris climate agreement but has moved away from fossil fuels entirely. How would such a change affect global politics?

The 20th century was dominated by coal, oil and natural gas, but a shift to zero-emission energy generation and transport means a new set of elements will become key.

Solar energy, for instance, still primarily uses silicon technology, for which the major raw material is the rock quartzite.

Lithium represents the key limiting resource for most batteries, while rare earth metals, in particular “lanthanides” such as neodymium, are required for the magnets in wind turbine generators. Copper is the conductor of choice for wind power, being used in the generator windings, power cables, transformers and inverters.

In considering this future it is necessary to understand who wins and loses by a switch from carbon to silicon, copper, lithium, and rare earth metals…

The list of countries that would become the new “renewables superpowers” contains some familiar names, but also a few wild cards. The largest reserves of quartzite (for silicon production) are found in China, the US, and Russia, but also Brazil and Norway. The US and China are also major sources of copper, although their reserves are decreasing, which has pushed Chile, Peru, Congo and Indonesia to the fore.

Chile also has, by far, the largest reserves of lithium, ahead of China, Argentina and Australia. Factoring in lower-grade “resources”, which can’t yet be extracted, bumps Bolivia and the US onto the list. Finally, rare earth resources are greatest in China, Russia, Brazil, and Vietnam.

Salt flats in South America contain much of the world’s lithium. Guido Amrein Switzerland / shutterstock

Of all the fossil fuel producing countries, it is the US, China, Russia and Canada that could most easily transition to green energy resources.

In fact it is ironic that the US, perhaps the country most politically resistant to change, might be the least affected as far as raw materials are concerned. But it is important to note that a completely new set of countries will also find their natural resources are in high demand.

An OPEC for renewables?

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a group of 14 nations that together contain almost half the world’s oil production and most of its reserves. It is possible that a related group could be created for the major producers of renewable energy raw materials, shifting power away from the Middle East and towards central Africa and, especially, South America.

This is unlikely to happen peacefully. Control of oilfields was a driver behind many 20th-century conflicts and, going back further, European colonisation was driven by a desire for new sources of food, raw materials, minerals and, later, oil. The switch to renewable energy may cause something similar. As a new group of elements become valuable for turbines, solar panels or batteries, rich countries may ensure they have secure supplies through a new era of colonisation.

China has already started what may be termed “economic colonisation”, setting up major trade agreements to ensure raw material supply. In the past decade it has made a massive investment in African mining, while more recent agreements with countries such as Peru and Chile have spread Beijing’s economic influence in South America.

Or a new era of colonisation?

Given this background, two versions of the future can be envisaged. The first possibility is the evolution of a new OPEC-style organisation with the power to control vital resources including silicon, copper, lithium, and lanthanides. The second possibility involves 21st-century colonisation of developing countries, creating super-economies. In both futures there is the possibility that rival nations could cut off access to vital renewable energy resources, just as major oil and gas producers have done in the past.

On the positive side there is a significant difference between fossil fuels and the chemical elements needed for green energy. Oil and gas are consumable commodities. Once a natural gas power station is built, it must have a continuous supply of gas or it stops generating. Similarly, petrol-powered cars require a continued supply of crude oil to keep running.

In contrast, once a wind farm is built, electricity generation is only dependent on the wind (which won’t stop blowing any time soon) and there is no continuous need for neodymium for the magnets or copper for the generator windings. In other words solar, wind, and wave power require a one-off purchase in order to ensure long-term secure energy generation.

The shorter lifetime of cars and electronic devices means that there is an ongoing demand for lithium. Improved recycling processes would potentially overcome this continued need. Thus, once the infrastructure is in place access to coal, oil or gas can be denied, but you can’t shut off the sun or wind. It is on this basis that the US Department of Defense sees green energy as key to national security.

A country that creates green energy infrastructure, before political and economic control shifts to a new group of “world powers”, will ensure it is less susceptible to future influence or to being held hostage by a lithium or copper giant.

But late adopters will find their strategy comes at a high price. Finally, it will be important for countries with resources not to sell themselves cheaply to the first bidder in the hope of making quick money, because, as the major oil producers will find out over the next decades, nothing lasts forever.

http://theconversation.com/meet-the-new-renewable-superpowers-nations-that-boss-the-materials-used-for-wind-and-solar-91680