Lifeboat Foundation

Among the many ways neuroscientists think Alzheimer’s disease may strip away brain function is by disrupting the glucose metabolism needed to fuel the healthy brain. In essence, declining metabolism robs the brain of energy, impairing thinking and memory.

Against that backdrop, a team of neuroscientists at the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience at Stanford’s Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute have zeroed in on a critical regulator of brain metabolism known as the kynurenine pathway. They hypothesize that that the kynurenine pathway is over-activated as a result of amyloid plaque and tau proteins that accumulate in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Now, with support from research and training grants from the Knight Initiative, they have shown that by blocking the kynurenine pathway in lab mice with Alzheimer’s Disease, they can improve, or even restore, cognitive function by reinstating healthy brain metabolism.

Last month, researchers created an electronic link between the brains of two rats separated by thousands of miles. This was just another reminder that technology will one day make us telepaths. But how far will this transformation go? And how long will it take before humans evolve into a fully-fledged hive mind? We spoke to the experts to find out.

I spoke to three different experts, all of whom have given this subject considerable thought: Kevin Warwick, a British scientist and professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading; Ramez Naam, an American futurist and author of NEXUS (a scifi novel addressing this topic); and Anders Sandberg, a Swedish neuroscientist from the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford.

Continue reading “How Much Longer Until Humanity Becomes A Hive Mind?” »

Mikey Siegel, with a background in robotics from the MIT Media Lab, shares insights from his decade-long exploration into technology’s role in human well-being and consciousness. He discusses the profound potential of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) shaped with compassionate and wise values. Siegel emphasizes the importance of the human developmental process in creating benevolent AI and the integration of contemplative practices in tech development. He envisions a future where AGI supports human development globally with love and care, akin to a parent nurturing a child, ultimately fostering a connected and compassionate society.

00:00 Introduction to Mikey Siegel and His Work.
01:09 The Profound Impact of AGI on Humanity.
02:42 The Role of AI in Shaping Reality.
04:06 The Vision of a Compassionate Super Intelligence.
07:26 Creating AI from a Culture of Compassion.
07:51 Integrating Human Development in AI Creation.
09:28 Ownership and Developmental Stages of AI
12:13 Demystifying the Mystical Through Science.
14:53 Preparing for the Future of AI

Continue reading “Elevating Humanity Through Technology | Deep Interview with Mikey Siegel” »

Watch my exclusive video Jupiter Brains \& Mega Minds: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur–…
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur.
Get a Lifetime Membership to Nebula for only $300: https://go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=isa…
Use the link gift.nebula.tv/isaacarthur to give a year of Nebula to a friend for just $30.

Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net.
Join Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur.
Support us on Patreon: / isaacarthur.
Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-a…
Facebook Group: / 1583992725237264
Reddit: / isaacarthur.
Twitter: / isaac_a_arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: / discord.

Continue reading “Battlefleets: In the future, fleets of unimaginable scope may battle over light years, in conflicts that might last milliseconds or entire centuries” »

Isaac arthur rokos basilisk.

The dangers of artificial intelligence have long loomed in our future, and seem ever closer. But it may be that the dangers of the future can reach back into the past itself, and even without a time machine.

Continue reading “Roko’s Basilisk: Dangerous Knowledge & All-Powerful AI” »

To be able to make full use of these modeling systems, researchers have developed a growing toolkit of genetic modification techniques. These techniques can be applied to mature brain organoids or to the preceding embryoid bodies (EBs) and founding cells. This review will describe techniques used for transient and stable genetic modification of brain organoids and discuss their current use and respective advantages and disadvantages. Transient approaches include adeno-associated virus (AAV) and electroporation-based techniques, whereas stable genetic modification approaches make use of lentivirus (including viral stamping), transposon and CRISPR/Cas9 systems. Finally, an outlook as to likely future developments and applications regarding genetic modifications of brain organoids will be presented.

The development of brain organoids (Kadoshima et al., 2013; Lancaster et al., 2013) has opened up new ways to study brain development and evolution as well as neurodevelopmental disorders. Brain organoids are multicellular 3D structures that mimic certain aspects of the cytoarchitecture and cell-type composition of certain brain regions over a particular developmental time window (Heide et al., 2018). These structures are generated by differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) or embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into embryoid bodies followed by, or combined, with neural induction (Kadoshima et al., 2013; Lancaster et al., 2013). In principle, two different classes of brain organoid protocols can be distinguished, namely: (i) the self-patterning protocols which produce whole-brain organoids; and (ii) the pre-patterning protocols which produce brain region-specific organoids (Heide et al., 2018).

Everybody is talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is in our computers, services and even our mobile phones. The AI composes our messages, predicts our moves and even takes photos for us. Are we – humans – going to become “obsolete” in a matter of years?! Maybe there is a last chance – Intelligence Amplification (IA).

While an AI needs to be developed from scratch, we humans, already have great intelligence thanks to countless years of evolution. A modern human’s brain is an awesome tool!

Among us, there are some geniuses, but imagine if everybody can become one. And not just a genius, but a super-genius. Smarter than every person who has ever lived before! This is the idea behind Intelligence Amplification. To use our intelligence as a base and to add computers to make us smarter beyond our imagination. A hybrid, a work of art!

This is de Garis ESSAYS, i.e. 2–3 page opinion pieces on such themes as Species Dominance, Global State, Politics, Femtotech, Religion, Society, Education. Written, Read Aloud and Videoed by Prof. Dr. Hugo de Garis [email protected] https://profhugodegaris.wordpress.com

The world’s first brain prosthesis has passed the first stages of live testing.

The microchip, designed to model a part of the brain called the hippocampus, has been used successfully to replace a neural circuit in slices of rat brain tissue kept alive in a dish. The prosthesis will soon be ready for testing in animals.

The device could ultimately be used to replace damaged brain tissue which may have been destroyed in an accident, during a stroke, or by neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. It is the first attempt to replace central brain regions dealing with cognitive functions such as learning or speech.