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.
Blue Origin Is Ready to Challenge SpaceX With Its New Glenn Rocket
The company hopes to break SpaceX's industry stranglehold with New Glenn.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/10/blue-origin-is-ready-to-challenge-spacex-with-its-new-glenn-rocket/
The company hopes to break SpaceX's industry stranglehold with New Glenn.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/10/blue-origin-is-ready-to-challenge-spacex-with-its-new-glenn-rocket/
SingularityHub
Blue Origin Is Ready to Challenge SpaceX With Its New Glenn Rocket
The company hopes to break SpaceX's industry stranglehold with New Glenn.
This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through January 11)
These were our favorite articles in science and tech this week.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/11/this-weeks-awesome-tech-stories-from-around-the-web-through-january-11-2/
These were our favorite articles in science and tech this week.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/11/this-weeks-awesome-tech-stories-from-around-the-web-through-january-11-2/
SingularityHub
This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through January 11)
These were our favorite articles in science and tech this week.
A ChatGPT Moment Is Coming for Robotics. AI World Models Could Help Make It Happen.
Robots need an internal representation of the world and its rules like ours.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/13/a-chatgpt-moment-is-coming-for-robotics-ai-world-models-could-help-make-it-happen/
Robots need an internal representation of the world and its rules like ours.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/13/a-chatgpt-moment-is-coming-for-robotics-ai-world-models-could-help-make-it-happen/
SingularityHub
A ChatGPT Moment Is Coming for Robotics. AI World Models Could Help Make It Happen.
Robots need an internal representation of the world and its rules like ours.
Here’s What It Will Take to Ignite Scalable Fusion Power
There's a growing sense that developing practical fusion energy is no longer an if but a when.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/14/heres-what-it-will-take-to-ignite-scalable-fusion-power/
There's a growing sense that developing practical fusion energy is no longer an if but a when.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/14/heres-what-it-will-take-to-ignite-scalable-fusion-power/
SingularityHub
Here’s What It Will Take to Ignite Scalable Fusion Power
There's a growing sense that developing practical fusion energy is no longer an if but a when.
China Is About to Build the World’s Biggest Hydropower Dam—With Triple the Output of Three Gorges
Medog Hydropower Station, as it will be called, will blow other hydropower dams out of the water.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/15/china-is-about-to-build-the-worlds-biggest-hydropower-dam-with-triple-the-output-of-three-gorges/
Medog Hydropower Station, as it will be called, will blow other hydropower dams out of the water.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/15/china-is-about-to-build-the-worlds-biggest-hydropower-dam-with-triple-the-output-of-three-gorges/
SingularityHub
China Is About to Build the World’s Biggest Hydropower Dam—With Triple the Output of Three Gorges
Medog Hydropower Station, as it will be called, will blow other hydropower dams out of the water.
Meta’s New AI Translates Speech in Real Time Across More Than 100 Languages
It's accurate and nearly as fast as expert human interpreters.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/16/metas-new-ai-translates-speech-in-real-time-across-more-than-100-languages/
It's accurate and nearly as fast as expert human interpreters.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/16/metas-new-ai-translates-speech-in-real-time-across-more-than-100-languages/
SingularityHub
Meta’s New AI Translates Speech in Real Time Across More Than 100 Languages
It's accurate and nearly as fast as expert human interpreters.
MIT’s Latest Bug Robot Is a Super Flyer. It Could One Day Help Bees Pollinate Crops.
The bot does acrobatic double flips faster than a fruit fly and stays aloft 100 times longer than other robots.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/17/mits-latest-bug-robot-is-a-super-flyer-it-could-one-day-help-bees-pollinate-crops/
The bot does acrobatic double flips faster than a fruit fly and stays aloft 100 times longer than other robots.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/17/mits-latest-bug-robot-is-a-super-flyer-it-could-one-day-help-bees-pollinate-crops/
SingularityHub
MIT’s Latest Bug Robot Is a Super Flyer. It Could One Day Help Bees Pollinate Crops.
The bot does acrobatic double flips faster than a fruit fly and stays aloft 100 times longer than other robots.
This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through January 18)
These were our favorite articles in science and tech this week.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/18/this-weeks-awesome-tech-stories-from-around-the-web-through-january-18-2/
These were our favorite articles in science and tech this week.
https://singularityhub.com/2025/01/18/this-weeks-awesome-tech-stories-from-around-the-web-through-january-18-2/
SingularityHub
This Week’s Awesome Tech Stories From Around the Web (Through January 18)
These were our favorite articles in science and tech this week.