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Mar 6, 2016

Scientists trying to clone extinct Ice Age cave lions using DNA from 12,000 year old remains

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

The project is a joint venture by Russian and South Korean scientists at the Joint Foundation of Molecular Paleontology at North East Russia University in the city of Yakutsk. They will use one of the cubs for the cloning process whilst the other will be kept in a museum.


Remains of two lion cubs were found in Russia’s north-eastern Sakha Republic in August 2015.

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Mar 6, 2016

Chinese start-up on track to deliver artificial intelligence-on-a-chip

Posted by in categories: computing, neuroscience, robotics/AI

He pointed out that Horizon Robotics will finish designing its first AI chip for smart home appliances by June and make it commercially available by early 2017.


Mainland Chinese start-up Horizon Robotics, founded by the former head of online search giant Baidu’s Institute of Deep Learning, claims it is on pace to bring chips with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) technology to market.

“General processors are too slow for AI functions. A dedicated chip will dramatically increase the speed of these functions,” Yu Kai, the founder and chief executive of Horizon Robotics told the South China Morning Post.

Continue reading “Chinese start-up on track to deliver artificial intelligence-on-a-chip” »

Mar 6, 2016

Why Silence Is So Good For Your Brain

Posted by in category: neuroscience

In a loud and distracting world, finding pockets of stillness can benefit your brain and body. Here are four science-backed reasons why.

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Mar 6, 2016

The gap between SSD and hard disk prices is shrinking rapidly

Posted by in categories: computing, electronics

The price of SSDs is continuing to drop, and they’re becoming an ever-more tempting proposition compared to traditional spinning disks, according to a new report.

DRAMeXchange, which is a division of analyst firm TrendForce, produces a quarterly report detailing the prices PC vendors pay for SSDs, and it showed that both MLC-based and TLC-based SSDs dropped considerably in price.

MLC-based drives dropped by around 10 to 12%, and TLC-based SSD prices sank by 7 to 12% in the first quarter of 2016.

Continue reading “The gap between SSD and hard disk prices is shrinking rapidly” »

Mar 6, 2016

Dopamine Headphones

Posted by in categories: media & arts, neuroscience

Prepare to feel music like you never have before…

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Mar 6, 2016

Putting out fires with nothing but sound

Posted by in category: futurism

Whoa! A duo of undergraduates at George Mason University in Virginia created a device that they say puts out fires with nothing but sound. http://bit.ly/1bO8Ivq

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Mar 6, 2016

New Metal Can Become Soft and Stiff Just Like Human Muscles

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, engineering, robotics/AI, transportation

This looks very promising.


The human body is designed pretty well: Our muscles are able to switch between strength and dexterity, limbs stiffening when we do an energy-fueled task like lifting a bowling ball and softening when we do something delicate like painting with a brush. This ability is very rarely replicated in engineering systems, namely because it’s expensive, but also because it’s been damn hard to clone.

Continue reading “New Metal Can Become Soft and Stiff Just Like Human Muscles” »

Mar 6, 2016

Artificial intelligence brings its brains and money to London

Posted by in categories: economics, robotics/AI

Following two big acquisitions by US tech companies of AI startups based in academia, the capital is emerging as a hub for young scientist-entrepreneurs.

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Mar 6, 2016

L.A.’s U.S. Bank Tower is Installing Glass Slide

Posted by in category: futurism

The U.S Bank Tower in Los Angeles will be opening a fully enclosed glass side called SkySlide, which will perch 1,000 feet above the street. Read on.

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Mar 6, 2016

Own Your DNA

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

What happens when you no longer own your own DNA sequencing and the person who has it refuses to release it to you?.


Having your genome sequenced doesn’t always mean you have full access to the data.

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