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Jul 15, 2018

Scientists peer into heart of hurricanes to improve intensity forecast

Posted by in category: climatology

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) — Despite advances in predicting where hurricanes are heading, forecasters are still struggling to determine a crucial factor in deciding emergency measures and evacuations: their intensity.

With a better way to predict a storm’s power, or intensity, people on the ground will be more prepared in knowing whether a hurricane headed their way will cause devastating floods and winds that can uproot trees like Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico last year, or just shake branches and rattle windows.

“The fact that we have a much better understanding of where these storms are going to go is a great first step. We sort of have half the circle filled in, and we need to get that other half filled in, which is that intensity component,” said Steve Bowen, director and meteorologist for insurer Aon Benfield’s Impact Forecasting team.

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Jul 15, 2018

The brain may clean out Alzheimer’s plaques during sleep

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

Sleep deprivation may speed up development of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Jul 15, 2018

New Jersey Dad May Lose All His Limbs from Flesh Eating Bacteria

Posted by in category: food

The dad came into contact with the bacteria on a crabbing trip.

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Jul 15, 2018

A ‘super telescope’ has captured an astounding image of the massive black hole at the centre of our galaxy

Posted by in category: cosmology

An astounding image of the massive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way has been captured by a super telescope in South Africa.

The clearest image yet of the centre of the Milky Way galaxy has been released from South Africa’s shiny new radio telescope, MeerKAT.

This $330 million (R4.4 billion) 64-dish radio telescope will listen to the relatively weak signals from space to help scientists understand what is going on in the far reaches of the universe. It will eventually become part of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) which will be 50 to 100 times more sensitive than any other radio telescope on earth.

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Jul 15, 2018

Artificial Intelligence And Prosthetics Join Forces To Create New Generation Bionic Hand

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, cyborgs, robotics/AI, transhumanism

“Our main goal is to let patients control them as naturally as though they were their biological limbs,” says Professor Dario Farina from Imperial College.


A team of scientists from Imperial College London and the University of Göttingen have teamed up to create a ‘next generation’ bionic hand. This bionic hand is special because it uses artificial intelligence to improve its functionality.

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Jul 15, 2018

On this day: 15 July 1799

Posted by in category: space

On this day: 15 July 1799, as French soldiers were strengthening the defences of Fort Julien, just north-east of the Egyptian port of Rosetta (Rashid), Lt Pierre-François Bouchard spotted a slab of stone with inscriptions on one side that his soldiers had uncovered. This slab was named the Rosetta Stone, and a few hundred years later, the name would be carried by ESA’s Rosetta Mission, hoping to unlock the secrets of a comet… More at http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/coll…1&partId=1

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Jul 15, 2018

All Ears: Always-On Listening Devices Could Soon Be Everywhere

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Kind of think it would be a dumb idea to try and make every separate device smart. Focus on an AI assistant for the house that can manage all of the devices.


Tiny microphones are moving us toward a world in which all gadgets can respond to a voice command. For those worried about privacy: meet a $200 trash can.

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Jul 15, 2018

A Landmark Legal Shift Opens Pandora’s Box for DIY Guns

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, government, law

Defense Distributed, the anarchist gun group known for its 3D printed and milled “ghost guns,” has settled a case with the federal government allowing it to upload technical data on nearly any commercially available firearm. Read the full story on WIRED: https://wired.trib.al/sSDiBFv

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Jul 15, 2018

Amazing Facts About Nebulae

Posted by in category: futurism

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Jul 14, 2018

How Nantes team’s 3D printing may alter shape of homes to come

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, habitats, robotics/AI

For some months now, a 3D printed house in Nantes has drawn lots of attention, not just because a printer was involved but also because it went up from start to finish so quickly (54 hours to print, then add some more time for the windows and roof). Interesting Engineering said it took some more time to add the roof, windows and doors.

A robot printer was used to print layers from the floor upwards to form the walls, and videos show a beautiful result of five rooms with rounded walls.

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