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May 11, 2018

The answer to life, the universe and everything might be 73. Or 67

Posted by in category: cosmology

A new estimate of the Hubble constant – the rate at which the universe is expanding – is baffling many of the finest minds in the cosmology community.

, Science correspondent.

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May 11, 2018

Hybrid Metal 3D Printer from Made In Space Gets NASA Funding

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, space

The VULCAN system from Made In Space combines metal deposition with machining to create metal parts.

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May 11, 2018

On life extension and risk aversion

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

A discussion on whether or not extended lifespans might make us paranoid about every tiniest risk.


Some months back, I read “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari. It’s a really good book, though it did disappoint me significantly when, after discussing the past and the present of our species, the author began glancing towards possible futures. At that point, the impartiality required of a historian, which Harari had thus far managed to keep up more or less evenly throughout the book, gave way to a subtly implied pessimism pervading, among other things, his views on future rejuvenation biotechnology.

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting him to even touch upon the subject; I was pleasantly surprised, at least until I realized that his concerns, most of which were the usual ones you’d expect, seemed to make him inclined to see rejuvenation as a plague rather than a blessing.

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May 11, 2018

5 Space Companies Zeroing in on First Launch of Tourists Into Orbit and Beyond

Posted by in category: space travel

It won’t be cheap, but your holiday plans could include a trip to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere or beyond—before the end of this year. Several space tourism companies are zeroing in on their first launch.

Bob Smith, CEO of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, told CNBC: “We think we still have that possibility of getting that done this year.”

Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson shared similar sentiments, revealing that the thing he was most excited about in 2018 was “hopefully going into space,” presumably in one of his own company’s ships. The news follows a recently restarted series of test flights after a tragic test flight crash in 2014.

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May 11, 2018

The farthest star ever seen is 9 billion light years away

Posted by in category: futurism

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May 11, 2018

Six tips for social-emotional learning (SEL) to transfer into real-world skills

Posted by in category: education

Great suggestions for educators who want to implement SEL and mindfulness more effectively in their classrooms.


___ Social-emotional learning (SEL) teaches the key attitudes and skills necessary for understanding and managing emotions, listening, feeling and showing empathy for others, and making thoughtful, responsible decisions. For five years, I was an educator in the field teaching mindfulness and emotional skills to.

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May 11, 2018

ER One

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

For an invited competition, Pickard Chilton and ARUP collaborated on the concept design for a Mega-Skyport – Uber’s vision for a next-generation urban aviation transport system. Dubbed “Sky Tower,” the project is intended to facilitate at least 1000 vehicle arrivals and 1000 departures per hour, with each vehicle accommodating up to five passengers.

Once the objective of the desired throughput was resolved, Pickard Chilton and ARUP endeavored to create an elegant yet highly engineered and sophisticated work of architecture that would support and augment the Uber brand. Due to the multi-faceted kit-of-parts and adaptability of the individual module, it can be applied both vertically and horizontally to suit any given context.

While the Sky Tower is conceptual, it is not science fiction. Based on a pragmatic and research-driven approach, the Sky Tower concept delivers to Uber a modular, extensible and sustainable solution that supports their vision for the future of intra-urban transportation.

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May 10, 2018

Boston Dynamics’ robots are learning how to run outside and navigate autonomously

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Boston Dynamics’ robots look more natural and more amazing with each video, and today the company posted two more clips to its YouTube channel showing the latest progress of its Atlas and SpotMini robots.

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May 10, 2018

Early Time-Restricted Feeding Improves Insulin Sensitivity, Blood Pressure, and Oxidative Stress Even without Weight Loss in Men with Prediabetes

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Sutton et al. conduct the first supervised controlled feeding trial to test whether intermittent fasting has benefits in humans in the absence of weight loss. Prediabetic men following a form of intermittent fasting called early time-restricted feeding improved their insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, and oxidative stress levels without losing weight.

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May 10, 2018

Elon Musk wants to launch the same rocket to orbit twice in a single day

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, space travel

Launching the same rocket to orbit twice in 24 hours has never been done before. But Elon Musk says the newest version of his Falcon 9 rocket will accomplish the feat in 2019.

“This is a ridiculously hard thing that has taken us…16 years of extreme effort and many, many iterations,” the serial entrepreneur told reporters, after warning them “we’re definitely going to stay on space, don’t even try.” SpaceX is debuting the new rocket today with the launch of Bangladesh’s first satellite.

Musk said this is intended to be the final version of the SpaceX workhorse Falcon 9, allowing his engineers to focus on a larger interplanetary rocket called the BFR. In the meantime, Block 5, as the final iteration is known, could fly as many as 300 missions into space. “If things go well, SpaceX will launch more rockets than any other country in 2018,” Musk predicted.

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