K21st - Essential 21st Century Knowledge

Our Digital Book Future: Turning A New Virtual Page In Human Evolution – Forbes

Wildcat — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:53:47 +0000

Via Scoop.it – Knowmads, Infocology of the future

Digital books, streaming music, apps that allow people to compare prices at brick-and-mortar stores with the price on Amazon.com. The more we talk about these things, the more I feel like we’re having the same conversation over and over again with a slightly new twist each time: how to think about the future and the co-evolution of society and technology in a time of rapid change. It’s not an easy conversation to have, and yet it’s really the foundation for everything from anti-piracy legislation like SOPA to understanding how the internet can have an impact on a musician’s paycheck. Keep on reading
Via www.forbes.com

Prof Jamie Davies – Synthetic Biology: the potential and the problems of re-engineering life

Wildcat — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:21:17 +0000

Professor Jamie Davies, Professor of Experimental Anatomy, presents “Synthetic Biology: the potential and the problems of re-engineering life”.

What Consciousness Is Not- Raymond Tallis

Wildcat — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:53:56 +0000

Via Scoop.it – Knowmads, Infocology of the future

Philosophers of mind are in thrall of the idea that the mind is a computer, dismissing the role and even the existence of conscious experience. But one philosopher, David Chalmers, has been highly influential in pushing back. With the publication of his 1996 book The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory, David Chalmers established himself as one of the most assiduous, honest, imaginative, and talented thinkers working in the vast and overpopulated field of the philosophy of mind. In that tome, Chalmers did not avoid the abstruse and the technical where they were unavoidable, and only intermittently lost touch with the mysteries that strike us all when we think about consciousness. And for the most part, despite the difficulties, he also managed to explain his inquiries with admirable clarity; in this respect, he came across like the philosopher John Searle, only less combative, less sure of himself, and less liable to brush aside or overlook the true problems of consciousness. (Searle, incidentally, launched a savage attack on Chalmers’s book.) If Chalmers’s scrupulousness and attention to contrary views made his arguments long — sometimes wearyingly so — this was an indirect tribute to his seriousness of purpose.

Keep on reading-> Via www.thenewatlantis.com

Clay Shirky – Defend our freedom to share (or why SOPA is a bad idea)

Wildcat — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:35:47 +0000

What does a bill like PIPA/SOPA mean to our shareable world? At the TED offices, Clay Shirky delivers a proper manifesto — a call to defend our freedom to create, discuss, link and share, rather than passively consume.

Discovery Could Lead to an Exercise Pill – A newly identified hormone acts like a workout, and transforms bad fat into good.Technology Review

Wildcat — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:40:36 +0000

Via Scoop.it – Knowmads, Infocology of the future

Researchers have discovered a natural hormone that acts like exercise on muscle tissue—burning calories, improving insulin processing, and perhaps boosting strength. The scientists hope it could eventually be used as a treatment for obesity, diabetes, and, potentially, neuromuscular diseases like muscular dystrophy. In a paper published online today by the journal Nature, the scientists, led by Bruce Spiegelman at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, showed that the hormone occurs naturally in both mice and humans. It pushes cells to transform from white fat—globules that serve as reservoirs for excess calories—into brown fat, which generates heat. Because the hormone is present in both mice and humans, Spiegelman speculates that it may have served as an evolutionary defense against cold by triggering shivering. He named it irisin, after the Greek messenger goddess Iris, who allowed humans to communicate with the gods in Greek mythology, because exercise appears to “talk” to various tissues in the body via irisin.
Via www.technologyreview.com

The battle between your present and future self: Daniel Goldstein

Wildcat — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:24:02 +0000

Every day, we make decisions that have good or bad consequences for our future selves. (Can I skip flossing just this one time?) Daniel Goldstein makes tools that help us imagine ourselves over time, so that we make smart choices for Future Us.

Daniel Goldstein studies how we make decisions about our financial selves — both now and in the future,
Full bio and more links

Scientists grow sperm in laboratory dish – Telegraph

Wildcat — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:21:56 +0000

Via – Knowmads, Infocology of the future

The development opens up the possibility of infertile men being able to father their own children rather than using donor sperm. Researchers in Germany and Israel were able to grow mouse sperm from a few cells in a laboratory dish. In a world first a team headed by Professor Stefan Schlatt, at Muenster University in Germany, were able to grow sperm by using germ cells. These are the cells in testicles that are responsible for sperm production. Scientists grew the sperm by surrounding the germ cells in a special compound called agar jelly to create an environment similar to that found in testicles. Prof. Mahmoud Huleihel, who also grew the sperm at Israel’s Ben Gurion University in Beersheba, said: “I believe it will eventually be possible to routinely grow human male sperm to order by extracting tissue containing germ cells from a man’s testicle and stimulating sperm production in the laboratory.”
Via www.telegraph.co.uk

The quest to understand consciousness : Antonio Damasio

Wildcat — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 08:02:33 +0000

Every morning we wake up and regain consciousness — that is a marvelous fact — but what exactly is it that we regain? Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio uses this simple question to give us a glimpse into how our brains create our sense of self.

Antonio Damasio’s research in neuroscience has shown that emotions play a central role in social cognition and decision-making.

Frontline Medicine – Rebuilding Lives (Part 1-4)

Wildcat — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:59:11 +0000

This program shows some of the latest medical advances towards healing injured soldiers and how this innovation may translate to the general public. Also how this technological look into the future would not be possible without military funding of these programs.

part 2
part 3
part 4

This is a must watch

The Neurobiology and Mathematics of Consciousness – Christof Koch – Singularity Summit 2011

Wildcat — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 12:39:47 +0000

In an ambitious talk (and accompanied by his engaging dry wit), neuroscientist Christof Koch – Professor of Biology and Engineering at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and the Chief Scientific Officer of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle – discussed The Neurobiology and Mathematics of Consciousness – a thorny problem at the forefront of cognitive neuroscience. The challenge is derived from the quixotic nature of consciousness as an instance of qualia: introspectively accessible, phenomenal aspects of our mental lives we experience as real, but which nonetheless elude definition and neurobiological localization.

h\t to Physorg: The future cometh: Science, technology and humanity at Singularity Summit 2011 (Part II)

Synthetic aesthetics: Daisy Ginsberg

Wildcat — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:07:29 +0000

Daisy Ginsberg, designer, artist and writer, explores the social, ethical and cultural implications of emerging technologies, especially synthetic biology. Her projects open up a creative space to imagine the potential scientific triumphs and disasters on the horizon.

Daisy Ginsberg: Synthetic aesthetics from PopTech on Vimeo.

more at Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg site

Generative Art – Computers, Data, and Humanity | PBS Arts -Off Book |

Wildcat — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:10:11 +0000

An intriguing combination of programmers, artists, and philosophers, these creators embrace a process that delegates essential decisions to computers, data sets, or even random variables. This allows important metaphors to arise in their work, calling attention to the relationship between humans and the computers that surround us, the mountains of information we generate, and the powerful impact that technology has on our relationships with each other.

Featuring:

Luke Dubois, Generative Composer
Scott Draves, Generative Artist
Will Wright, Game Designer

Music by:

Codex Machine, http://soundcloud.com/ms-codex
Luke Dubois, http://lukedubois.com
Revolution Void, http://www.jamendo.com/en/artist/revolutionvoid
Tryad, http://tryad.org
Reno Project, http://www.jamendo.com/en/artist/Reno_Project

A Multiverse of Exploration: The Future of Science 2021 – Boing Boing

Wildcat — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:20:50 +0000

Via Scoop.it – Knowmads, Infocology of the future

For the last year, my colleagues and I at Institute for the Future have been researching the future of science to identify big areas of science we think will have a transformative impact over the next decade. We read a lot of papers, conducted interviews, hosted an Open Science unconference, held an expert workshop with researchers from UC Berkeley, Stanford, UC Santa Cruz, Scripps Research Institute, SETI, and private industry, and spent many weeks synthesizing what we learned. The result is this map, titled “A Multiverse of Exploration: The Future of Science 2021.” You can click the image to see it larger or download the PDF (front and back) here. Marina Gorbis, Ariel Waldman, and I wrote it. Ariel, Jean Hagan, and Karin Lubeck made it beautiful. The map focuses on six big stories of science that will play out over the next decade: Decrypting the Brain, Hacking Space, Massively Multiplayer Data, Sea the Future, Strange Matter, and Engineered Evolution. Those stories are emerging from a new ecology of science shifting toward openness, collaboration, reuse, and increased citizen engagement in scientific research. We are delighted to share the map with you, under a Creative Commons license permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution. From “A Multiverse of Exploration: The Future of Science 2021″:
Via boingboing.net

The line between life and not-life : Martin Hanczyc

Wildcat — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:42:59 +0000

In his lab, Martin Hanczyc makes “protocells,” experimental blobs of chemicals that behave like living cells. His work demonstrates how life might have first occurred on Earth … and perhaps elsewhere too.

Martin Hanczyc explores the path between living and nonliving systems, using chemical droplets to study behavior of the earliest cells

Henry Markram: Simulating the Brain — The Next Decisive Years

Spaceweaver — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:43:08 +0000

The following is 1 of 3 parts of Markram’s presentation. The rest follow on Youtube.

Symphony of Science – Onward to the Edge!

Wildcat — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:05:58 +0000

A musical celebration of the importance and inspirational qualities of space exploration (human and robotic), as well as a look at some of the amazing worlds in our solar system. Featuring Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Cox, and Carolyn Porco.

“Onward to the Edge” is the 12th installment in the Symphony of Science series. Materials used in this video are from :

My Favorite Universe
BBC Wonders of the Solar System
Carolyn Porco TED talk
NatGeo “Guide to the Planets”

Lyrics:

[Neil deGrasse Tyson]
The act of moving onward means we pass these sign posts
One of them was first leaving earth
The next one is hanging out on the moon
What’s next? The planets

Onward to the edge
We’re moving onward to the edge
Here we are together
This fragile little world

[Brian Cox]
This is our sun
Just another star in a sea of stars
The heart of the solar system
Just another star in a sea of stars

Mercury is the closest planet
This tortured piece of rock has been stripped naked

[Tyson]
The moon has a sky
It has a horizon
It’s another world

It’s got earth in the sky
Just the way we have the moon in the sky

(refrain)

We’re not the only world to think about
Worlds unnumbered
We’re not the only world to think about
Think about worlds unnumbered

[Carolyn Porco]
There is a powerful recognition
That stirs within us
When we see our own little blue ocean planet
In the skies of other worlds

The Saturn system
Offers splendor beyond compare
Because of its rings
And very diverse moons

[Tyson]
These are no longer abstractions
These are worlds
Maybe there’s life there
They’ve changed how we think about Earth

[Cox]
“A mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam
The pale blue dot” (Carl Sagan)

(refrain)

The laws of nature create
Vastly different worlds
With the tiniest of changes

[Tyson]
When I reach to the edge of the universe
I do so knowing that along some paths of cosmic discovery
There are times when, at least for now,
One must be content to love the questions themselves

h\t to OpenCulture

The real reason for brains – Daniel Wolpert

Wildcat — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:55:33 +0000

Neuroscientist Daniel Wolpert starts from a surprising premise: the brain evolved, not to think or feel, but to control movement. In this entertaining, data-rich talk he gives us a glimpse into how the brain creates the grace and agility of human motion.

A neuroscientist and engineer, Daniel Wolpert studies how the brain controls the body.

Trust, morality – and oxytocin – Paul Zak

Wildcat — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:00:23 +0000

Where does morality come from — physically, in the brain? In this talk neuroeconomist Paul Zak shows why he believes oxytocin (he calls it “the moral molecule”) is responsible for trust, empathy, and other feelings that help build a stable society.

Paul Zak
A pioneer in the field of neuroeconomics, Paul Zak is uncovering how the hormone oxytocin promotes trust, and proving that love is good for business.

Open-source cancer research – Jay Bradner

Wildcat — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:22:17 +0000

How does cancer know it’s cancer? At Jay Bradner’s lab, they found a molecule that might hold the answer, JQ1 — and instead of patenting JQ1, they published their findings and mailed samples to 40 other labs to work on. An inspiring look at the open-source future of medical research.

The Internet, peer-reviewed | KurzweilAI

Wildcat — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:15:08 +0000

Via Scoop.it – Knowmads, Infocology of the future

It could be one of the most important innovations on the Internet since the browser.
Show original

The Divided Brain , an RSA Animate – Iain McGilchrist

Wildcat — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:51:52 +0000

In this new RSAnimate, renowned psychiatrist and writer Iain McGilchrist explains how our ‘divided brain’ has profoundly altered human behaviour, culture and society. Taken from a lecture given by Iain McGilchrist as part of the RSA’s free public events programme.

To view the full lecture, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbUHxC4wiWk

EmTech: Get Ready for a New Human Species – Technology Review

Wildcat — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:33:03 +0000

Via Scoop.it – Knowmads, Infocology of the future

Now that we can rewrite the code of life, Darwinian evolution can’t stop us, says investor Juan Enriquez. The ability to engineer life is going to spark a revolution that will dwarf the industrial and digital revolutions, says Juan Enriquez, a writer, investor, and managing director of Excel Venture Management. Thanks to new genomics technologies, scientists have not only been able to read organisms’ genomes faster than ever before, they can also write increasingly complex changes into those genomes, creating organisms with new capabilities.
Show original

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined – Steven Pinker

Wildcat — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:13:56 +0000

Steven Pinker is the Harvard College Professor and Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University.

Drawing from psychology, history, brain science, war studies, game theory, complexity theory, and popular culture, Dr. Pinker explores where violence comes from, why it has been so common over the course of history, and how we have been slowly bringing it under control.

Learning from Bacteria about Social Networks

Spaceweaver — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:18:32 +0000

Can pills change our morals? Molly Crockett (TEDxZurich 2011)

Wildcat — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:00:36 +0000

Does your sense of fairness depend on what you ate for breakfast? Can Prozac influence your judgment of what is right or wrong? How can we encourage people to care about the welfare of others? Molly Crockett’s research addresses these questions. She believes that understanding the brain can enable us to design environments that promote cooperation instead of selfishness.

Molly Crockett studies the neurobiology of morality and altruism. Her research has taken her far from her native Southern California, where she studied psychology as an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles. Molly’s curiosity about brain chemistry led her to the University of Cambridge, where she completed her PhD in neuroscience as a Gates Scholar. Now she collaborates with economists at the University of Zürich and neuroscientists at University College London. (TEDxZurich 2011)

h\t to Transcurve

Meka – The Robot with lovely eyes..

Wildcat — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:30:42 +0000

h\t to The next stage of human-robot love: Meet Meka’s anime robot girl- Extremetech

for more go to Mekabot

Japanese scientist unveils ‘thinking’ humanoid robot

Wildcat — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:00:34 +0000

In a world first, Osamu Hasegawa, associate professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, has developed a system that allows robots to look around their environment and do research on the Internet, enabling them to “think” how best to solve a problem.

Battling bad science : Ben Goldacre

Wildcat — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 09:50:49 +0000

Every day there are news reports of new health advice, but how can you know if they’re right? Doctor and epidemiologist Ben Goldacre shows us, at high speed, the ways evidence can be distorted, from the blindingly obvious nutrition claims to the very subtle tricks of the pharmaceutical industry.

Ben Goldacre writes “Bad Science” — unpicking dodgy scientific claims made by scaremongering journalists, dubious government reports, evil pharmaceutical corporations, PR companies and quacks

Open Source AI Engine – AGI-11 Conference

Spaceweaver — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:11:34 +0000

Can we make things that make themselves? Skylar Tibbits

Wildcat — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 10:34:39 +0000

MIT researcher Skylar Tibbits works on self-assembly — the idea that instead of building something (a chair, a skyscraper), we can create materials that build themselves, much the way a strand of DNA zips itself together. It’s a big concept at early stages; Tibbits shows us three in-the-lab projects that hint at what a self-assembling future might look like.