This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through December 14)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Google’s New Project Astra Could Be Generative AI’s Killer App Will Douglas Heaven | MIT Technology Review “Last week I was taken through an unmarked door on an upper floor of a building in London’s King’s Cross district into a room with strong secret-project vibes. The word ‘ASTRA’ was emblazoned in giant letters...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/14/this-weeks-awesome-tech-stories-from-around-the-web-through-december-14-2/
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Google’s New Project Astra Could Be Generative AI’s Killer App Will Douglas Heaven | MIT Technology Review “Last week I was taken through an unmarked door on an upper floor of a building in London’s King’s Cross district into a room with strong secret-project vibes. The word ‘ASTRA’ was emblazoned in giant letters...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/14/this-weeks-awesome-tech-stories-from-around-the-web-through-december-14-2/
SingularityHub
This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through December 14)
From generative AI's killer app to graphene computer chips, check out this week's awesome tech stories from around the web.
Study Suggests an mRNA Shot Could Reverse This Deadly Pregnancy Condition
With a single shot, scientists protected pregnant mice from a deadly complication called pre-eclampsia. The shot, inspired by mRNA vaccines, contains mRNA instructions to make a protein that reverses damage to the placenta—which occurs in the condition—protecting both mother and growing fetus. Pre-eclampsia causes 75,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 fetal and newborn deaths every year...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/16/study-suggests-an-mrna-shot-could-reverse-this-deadly-pregnancy-condition/
With a single shot, scientists protected pregnant mice from a deadly complication called pre-eclampsia. The shot, inspired by mRNA vaccines, contains mRNA instructions to make a protein that reverses damage to the placenta—which occurs in the condition—protecting both mother and growing fetus. Pre-eclampsia causes 75,000 maternal deaths and 500,000 fetal and newborn deaths every year...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/16/study-suggests-an-mrna-shot-could-reverse-this-deadly-pregnancy-condition/
SingularityHub
Study Suggests an mRNA Shot Could Reverse This Deadly Pregnancy Condition
The shot, inspired by mRNA vaccines, reverses damage to the placenta due to pre-eclampsia—protecting mother and growing fetus.
The Tech World Is ‘Disrupting’ Book Publishing. But Do We Want Effortless Art?
Publishing is one of many fields poised for disruption by tech companies and artificial intelligence. New platforms and approaches, like a book imprint by Microsoft and a self-publishing tech startup that uses AI, promise to make publishing faster and more accessible than ever. But they also may threaten jobs—and demand a reconsideration of the status...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/17/the-tech-world-is-disrupting-book-publishing-but-do-we-want-effortless-art/
Publishing is one of many fields poised for disruption by tech companies and artificial intelligence. New platforms and approaches, like a book imprint by Microsoft and a self-publishing tech startup that uses AI, promise to make publishing faster and more accessible than ever. But they also may threaten jobs—and demand a reconsideration of the status...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/17/the-tech-world-is-disrupting-book-publishing-but-do-we-want-effortless-art/
SingularityHub
The Tech World Is ‘Disrupting’ Book Publishing. But Do We Want Effortless Art?
As tech makes publishing faster and more accessible, it may also threaten jobs and force us to reconsider the status and role of books as cultural objects.
How to Be Healthy at 100: Centenarian Stem Cells Could Hold the Key
When Jeanne Calment died at the age of 122, her longevity had researchers scratching their heads. Although physically active for most of her life, she was also a regular smoker and enjoyed wine—lifestyle choices that are generally thought to decrease healthy lifespan. Teasing apart the intricacies of human longevity is complicated. Diet, exercise, and other...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/18/how-to-be-healthy-at-100-centenarian-stem-cells-could-hold-the-key/
When Jeanne Calment died at the age of 122, her longevity had researchers scratching their heads. Although physically active for most of her life, she was also a regular smoker and enjoyed wine—lifestyle choices that are generally thought to decrease healthy lifespan. Teasing apart the intricacies of human longevity is complicated. Diet, exercise, and other...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/18/how-to-be-healthy-at-100-centenarian-stem-cells-could-hold-the-key/
SingularityHub
How to Be Healthy at 100: Centenarian Stem Cells Could Hold the Key
Centenarians don’t just live longer. They’re also healthier, even in extreme old age. A biobank of centenarian stem cells could help scientists explain why.
Neuralink Rival’s Biohybrid Implant Connects to the Brain With Living Neurons
Brain implants have improved dramatically in recent years, but they’re still invasive and unreliable. A new kind of brain-machine interface using living neurons to form connections could be the future. While companies like Neuralink have recently provided some flashy demos of what could be achieved by hooking brains up to computers, the technology still has...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/19/neuralink-rival-says-its-biohybrid-implant-connects-to-the-brain-with-living-neurons/
Brain implants have improved dramatically in recent years, but they’re still invasive and unreliable. A new kind of brain-machine interface using living neurons to form connections could be the future. While companies like Neuralink have recently provided some flashy demos of what could be achieved by hooking brains up to computers, the technology still has...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/19/neuralink-rival-says-its-biohybrid-implant-connects-to-the-brain-with-living-neurons/
SingularityHub
Neuralink Rival’s Biohybrid Implant Connects to the Brain With Living Neurons
Science Corporation thinks connecting to the brain with living neurons could be a more viable solution for brain-machine interfaces.
Textbook Depictions of Neurons May Be Wrong, According to Controversial Study
In the late 1800s, Spanish neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal drew hundreds of images of neurons. His exquisite work influenced our understanding of what they look like: Cells with a bulbous center, a forest of tree-like branches on one end, and a long, smooth tail on the other. Centuries later, these images remain textbook. But...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/20/textbook-depictions-of-neurons-may-be-wrong-according-to-controversial-study/
In the late 1800s, Spanish neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal drew hundreds of images of neurons. His exquisite work influenced our understanding of what they look like: Cells with a bulbous center, a forest of tree-like branches on one end, and a long, smooth tail on the other. Centuries later, these images remain textbook. But...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/20/textbook-depictions-of-neurons-may-be-wrong-according-to-controversial-study/
SingularityHub
Textbook Depictions of Neurons May Be Wrong, According to Controversial Study
A new study may overturn the century-old understanding of how neurons are shaped—but not everyone is on board.
This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through December 21)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OpenAI Upgrades Its Smartest AI Model With Improved Reasoning Skills Will Knight | Wired “The o3 model scores much higher on several measures than its predecessor, OpenAI says, including ones that measure complex coding-related skills and advanced math and science competency. It is three times better than o1 at answering questions posed by...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/21/this-weeks-awesome-tech-stories-from-around-the-web-through-december-21-2/
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OpenAI Upgrades Its Smartest AI Model With Improved Reasoning Skills Will Knight | Wired “The o3 model scores much higher on several measures than its predecessor, OpenAI says, including ones that measure complex coding-related skills and advanced math and science competency. It is three times better than o1 at answering questions posed by...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/21/this-weeks-awesome-tech-stories-from-around-the-web-through-december-21-2/
SingularityHub
This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through December 21)
From generative AI's killer app to graphene computer chips, check out this week's awesome tech stories from around the web.
AI That Can Design Life’s Machinery From Scratch Had a Big Year. Here’s What Happens Next.
Proteins are biology’s molecular machines. They’re our bodies’ construction workers—making muscle, bone, and brain; regulators—keeping systems in check; and local internet—responsible for the transmission of information between cells and regions. In a word, proteins are crucial to our survival. When they work, we’re healthy. When they don’t, we aren’t. Which is why recent leaps in...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/23/ai-that-can-design-lifes-machinery-from-scratch-had-a-big-year-heres-what-happens-next/
Proteins are biology’s molecular machines. They’re our bodies’ construction workers—making muscle, bone, and brain; regulators—keeping systems in check; and local internet—responsible for the transmission of information between cells and regions. In a word, proteins are crucial to our survival. When they work, we’re healthy. When they don’t, we aren’t. Which is why recent leaps in...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/23/ai-that-can-design-lifes-machinery-from-scratch-had-a-big-year-heres-what-happens-next/
SingularityHub
AI That Can Design Life’s Machinery From Scratch Had a Big Year. Here’s What Happens Next.
It seems imagination is the only limit to AI-based protein design. But there's room for even more progress in 2025.
ET May Look Nothing Like Life on Earth. Scientists Want a Universal Theory of Life to Describe It.
We have only one example of biology forming in the universe—life on Earth. But what if life can form in other ways? How do you look for alien life when you don’t know what alien life might look like? These questions are preoccupying astrobiologists—scientists who look for life beyond Earth. Astrobiologists have attempted to come...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/24/et-may-look-nothing-like-life-on-earth-scientists-want-a-universal-theory-of-life-to-describe-it/
We have only one example of biology forming in the universe—life on Earth. But what if life can form in other ways? How do you look for alien life when you don’t know what alien life might look like? These questions are preoccupying astrobiologists—scientists who look for life beyond Earth. Astrobiologists have attempted to come...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/24/et-may-look-nothing-like-life-on-earth-scientists-want-a-universal-theory-of-life-to-describe-it/
SingularityHub
ET May Look Nothing Like Life on Earth. Scientists Want a Universal Theory of Life to Describe It.
Astrobiologists are working to discover universal rules that govern the emergence of complex physical and biological systems on Earth and beyond.
Exosomes Are Being Hyped as a ‘Silver Bullet’ Therapy. Scientists Say No.
When human stem cells were discovered at the turn of the century, it sparked a frenzy. Scientists immediately dreamed of repairing damaged tissues due to aging or disease. A few decades later, their dreams are on the brink of coming true. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved blood stem cell transplantation for...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/26/exosomes-are-being-hyped-as-a-silver-bullet-therapy-scientists-say-no/
When human stem cells were discovered at the turn of the century, it sparked a frenzy. Scientists immediately dreamed of repairing damaged tissues due to aging or disease. A few decades later, their dreams are on the brink of coming true. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved blood stem cell transplantation for...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/26/exosomes-are-being-hyped-as-a-silver-bullet-therapy-scientists-say-no/
SingularityHub
Exosomes Are Being Hyped as a ‘Silver Bullet’ Therapy. Scientists Say No.
Some tout exosomes as the latest "cure-all"—but alarmed scientists warn we're nowhere near the point when we might responsibly use them as therapies.
Is 2025 the Year AI Agents Take Over? Industry Bets Billions on AI’s Killer App
Despite the hype around AI in recent years, the technology’s disruptive impact has been fairly modest. Experts say that’s likely to change next year as AI agents force their way into all aspects of our lives. Since the surprise success of ChatGPT in late 2022, billions of dollars have poured into the AI industry as...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/27/is-2025-the-year-ai-agents-take-over-industry-bets-billions-on-ais-killer-app/
Despite the hype around AI in recent years, the technology’s disruptive impact has been fairly modest. Experts say that’s likely to change next year as AI agents force their way into all aspects of our lives. Since the surprise success of ChatGPT in late 2022, billions of dollars have poured into the AI industry as...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/27/is-2025-the-year-ai-agents-take-over-industry-bets-billions-on-ais-killer-app/
SingularityHub
Is 2025 the Year AI Agents Take Over? Industry Bets Billions on AI’s Killer App
Industry experts say AI will begin to live up to the hype next year as AI agents force their way into all aspects of our lives.
These Were the 10 Most Popular SingularityHub Stories of 2024
This year, readers were again fascinated by stories about artificial intelligence. One algorithm learned to make short, playable video games from video footage; another cloned real people’s personalities; and yet another took on the role of your future self—ready and willing to impart wisdom. Other popular pieces dug into the rise of robotaxis, tantalizing hints...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/28/these-were-the-10-most-popular-singularity-hub-stories-of-2024/
This year, readers were again fascinated by stories about artificial intelligence. One algorithm learned to make short, playable video games from video footage; another cloned real people’s personalities; and yet another took on the role of your future self—ready and willing to impart wisdom. Other popular pieces dug into the rise of robotaxis, tantalizing hints...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/28/these-were-the-10-most-popular-singularity-hub-stories-of-2024/
SingularityHub
These Were the 10 Most Popular SingularityHub Stories of 2024
This year's top stories included AI learning to make video games, chatbots cloning real people, and a unified theory of consciousness.
Inside VillageOS: A ‘SimCity’-Like Tool for Regenerative Living Spaces
“We exist, and life exists on Earth, because of 12 to 14 inches of topsoil. When that goes away, we go away,” said James Ehrlich, director of compassionate sustainability at Stanford University. It was an offhand and exasperated tangent more than an hour into a lengthy interview for this article and one of many sobering...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/29/inside-villageos-a-simcity-like-tool-for-regenerative-living-spaces/
“We exist, and life exists on Earth, because of 12 to 14 inches of topsoil. When that goes away, we go away,” said James Ehrlich, director of compassionate sustainability at Stanford University. It was an offhand and exasperated tangent more than an hour into a lengthy interview for this article and one of many sobering...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/29/inside-villageos-a-simcity-like-tool-for-regenerative-living-spaces/
SingularityHub
Inside VillageOS: A ‘SimCity’-Like Tool for Regenerative Living Spaces
Living in small intentional communities might not only be an environmental solution to global challenges but could also make us happier and healthier.
‘Mirror Bacteria’ Could Wreak Havoc on Life and the Environment, Scientists Warn
Our hands are mirror images of each other. Unless you flip one hand around, they’ll never look the same. Scientists call this chirality, and the mirror-like property is fundamental to all life on Earth. DNA and RNA—life’s genetic molecules, from viruses to humans—are made of components that exist in their right-handed form. Amino acids, the...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/30/mirror-bacteria-could-wreak-havoc-on-life-and-the-environment-scientists-warn/
Our hands are mirror images of each other. Unless you flip one hand around, they’ll never look the same. Scientists call this chirality, and the mirror-like property is fundamental to all life on Earth. DNA and RNA—life’s genetic molecules, from viruses to humans—are made of components that exist in their right-handed form. Amino acids, the...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/30/mirror-bacteria-could-wreak-havoc-on-life-and-the-environment-scientists-warn/
SingularityHub
‘Mirror Bacteria’ Could Wreak Havoc on Life and the Environment, Scientists Warn
Scientists have been engineering “mirror life” by changing the chirality of life’s building blocks. Now, it's time to set some boundaries.
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These Were Our Favorite Tech Stories From Around the Web in 2024
Every Saturday we post a selection of our favorite science and technology articles from the week. With 2024 nearing its end, we dug through all those posts again to surface 25 stories worth revisiting. Here you’ll find meditations on AI’s evolution, a ChatGPT moment in robotics, first contact with whale civilization, the inaugural jet suit...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/31/these-were-our-favorite-tech-stories-from-around-the-web-in-2024/
Every Saturday we post a selection of our favorite science and technology articles from the week. With 2024 nearing its end, we dug through all those posts again to surface 25 stories worth revisiting. Here you’ll find meditations on AI’s evolution, a ChatGPT moment in robotics, first contact with whale civilization, the inaugural jet suit...
https://singularityhub.com/2024/12/31/these-were-our-favorite-tech-stories-from-around-the-web-in-2024/
SingularityHub
These Were Our Favorite Tech Stories From Around the Web in 2024
From the end of AI's GPT era to first contact with whale civilization, these were the science and tech stories we loved in 2024.
Four Clinical Trials We’re Watching That Could Change Medicine in 2025
Breakthroughs in medicine are exciting. They promise to alleviate human suffering, sometimes on global scales. But it takes years, even decades, for new drugs and therapies to go from research to your medicine cabinet. Along the way, most will stumble at some point. Clinical trials, which test therapies for safety and efficacy, are the final...
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/02/four-clinical-trials-were-watching-that-could-change-medicine-in-2025/
Breakthroughs in medicine are exciting. They promise to alleviate human suffering, sometimes on global scales. But it takes years, even decades, for new drugs and therapies to go from research to your medicine cabinet. Along the way, most will stumble at some point. Clinical trials, which test therapies for safety and efficacy, are the final...
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/02/four-clinical-trials-were-watching-that-could-change-medicine-in-2025/
SingularityHub
Four Clinical Trials We’re Watching That Could Change Medicine in 2025
What new medicines are poised to take the leap from breakthrough to approval in 2025? Here’s what to expect this year.
Here’s How Nvidia’s Vice-Like Grip on AI Chips Could Slip
In the great AI gold rush of the past couple of years, Nvidia has dominated the market for shovels—namely the chips needed to train models. But a shift in tactics...
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/03/heres-how-nvidias-vice-like-grip-on-ai-chips-could-slip/
In the great AI gold rush of the past couple of years, Nvidia has dominated the market for shovels—namely the chips needed to train models. But a shift in tactics...
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/03/heres-how-nvidias-vice-like-grip-on-ai-chips-could-slip/
SingularityHub
Here’s How Nvidia’s Vice-Like Grip on AI Chips Could Slip
A recent change in priorities at the biggest AI developers could shake up the industry.
What Is an AI Agent? A Computer Scientist Explains the Next Wave of AI Tools
The AI agents big tech companies are now developing possess the ability to take actions on your behalf.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/04/what-is-an-ai-agent-a-computer-scientist-explains-the-next-wave-of-ai-tools/
The AI agents big tech companies are now developing possess the ability to take actions on your behalf.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/04/what-is-an-ai-agent-a-computer-scientist-explains-the-next-wave-of-ai-tools/
SingularityHub
What Is an AI Agent? A Computer Scientist Explains the Next Wave of AI Tools
The AI agents big tech companies are now developing possess the ability to take actions on your behalf.
This Molecule Mimics the Antiaging Effects of Dieting—Without the Hunger
What if we could package up the longevity effects of dieting in a pill?
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/07/this-molecule-mimics-the-antiaging-effects-of-dieting-without-the-hunger/
What if we could package up the longevity effects of dieting in a pill?
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/07/this-molecule-mimics-the-antiaging-effects-of-dieting-without-the-hunger/
SingularityHub
This Molecule Mimics the Antiaging Effects of Dieting—Without the Hunger
What if we could package up the longevity effects of dieting in a pill?
Time Expansion Experiences: Why Time Slows Down in Altered States of Consciousness
When the boundary between us and the world softens, our sense of time expands.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/08/time-expansion-experiences-why-time-slows-down-in-altered-states-of-consciousness/
When the boundary between us and the world softens, our sense of time expands.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/08/time-expansion-experiences-why-time-slows-down-in-altered-states-of-consciousness/
SingularityHub
Time Expansion Experiences: Why Time Slows Down in Altered States of Consciousness
When the boundary between us and the world softens, our sense of time expands.
CRISPR Baby 2.0? Controversial Simulation Touts Benefits of Gene Editing Embryos
Scientists are grappling with the implications of a CRISPR-baby world.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/09/crispr-baby-2-0-controversial-simulation-touts-benefits-of-gene-editing-embryos/
Scientists are grappling with the implications of a CRISPR-baby world.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/09/crispr-baby-2-0-controversial-simulation-touts-benefits-of-gene-editing-embryos/
SingularityHub
CRISPR Baby 2.0? Controversial Simulation Touts Benefits of Gene Editing Embryos
Scientists are grappling with the implications of a CRISPR-baby world.