2019 – Page 91 – Impact Lab

3D Printer, Health & Fitness, Healthcare, Medicine, Science & Technology News

Scientists find a way to 3D print one pill for all that ails you

January 9, 2019

Multiple medications with different release times—all in one pill.

Last year, the FDA approved a 3D-printed pill for the first time. And now, researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a method to make 3D printing medicine even better. NUS Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Assistant Professor Soh Siow Ling, with the help of PhD student Sun Yajuan, created a cheap, simple way to prompt a 3D printer to create multiple medications with different release formulas—all in one pill.

Continue reading… “Scientists find a way to 3D print one pill for all that ails you”

AI, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Science & Technology News

This clever AI hid data from its creators to cheat at its appointed task

January 9, 2019

Depending on how paranoid you are, this research from Stanford and Google will be either terrifying or fascinating. A machine learning agent intended to transform aerial images into street maps and back was found to be cheating by hiding information it would need later in “a nearly imperceptible, high-frequency signal.” Clever girl!

But in fact this occurrence, far from illustrating some kind of malign intelligence inherent to AI, simply reveals a problem with computers that has existed since they were invented: they do exactly what you tell them to do.

Continue reading… “This clever AI hid data from its creators to cheat at its appointed task”

Science & Technology News

The most amazing Artificial Intelligence milestones so far

January 8, 2019

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the hot topic of the moment in technology, and the driving force behind most of the big technological breakthroughs of recent years.

In fact, with all of the breathless hype we hear about it today, it’s easy to forget that AI isn’t anything all that new. Throughout the last century, it has moved out of the domain of science fiction and into the real world. The theory and the fundamental computer science which makes it possible has been around for decades.

Continue reading… “The most amazing Artificial Intelligence milestones so far”

Healthcare, Medical Breakthrough, Medicine, Science & Technology News

Goodbye surgery? Scientists just made eye drops that dissolve cataracts

January 8, 2019

It could mean a cheap, painless way to restore vision to thousands.

Most of us take our vision for granted. As a result, we take the ability to read, write, drive, and complete a multitude of other tasks for granted. However, sight is not so easy for everyone. Indeed, for many people, simply seeing is a struggle.

There are more than 285 million people worldwide who have vision problems. According to the Fred Hollows Foundation, an estimated 32.4 million people around the world are blind. Ultimately, 90% of these people live in developing countries, and more than half of these cases of blindness are caused by cataracts. Indeed, cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world.

Continue reading… “Goodbye surgery? Scientists just made eye drops that dissolve cataracts”

Brain, brain hacking, brain-computer interfaces, Engineering

Brains of 3 people have been successfully connected, enabling them to share thoughts

January 8, 2019

Neuroscientists have successfully hooked up a three-way brain connection to allow three people to share their thoughts – and in this case, play a Tetris-style game.

The team thinks this wild experiment could be scaled up to connect whole networks of people, and yes, it’s as weird as it sounds.

Continue reading… “Brains of 3 people have been successfully connected, enabling them to share thoughts”

Bitcoin, Crypto-Technology, Money Talk, Science & Technology News

NYSE operator’s crypto project Bakkt brings in $182M

January 7, 2019

The Intercontinental Exchange’s (ICE) cryptocurrency project Bakkt celebrated New Year’s Eve with the announcement of a $182.5 million equity round from a slew of notable institutional investors. ICE, the operator of several global exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange, established Bakkt to build a trading platform that enables consumers and institutions to buy, sell, store and spend digital assets.

Continue reading… “NYSE operator’s crypto project Bakkt brings in $182M”

Award Winner, Batteries, Internet of Things, Netflix

A massive, ‘semi-infinite’ trove of rare-earth metals has been found in Japan

January 7, 2019

Researchers have found hundreds of years’ worth of rare-earth materials underneath Japanese waters — enough to supply to the world on a “semi-infinite basis,” according to a study published in Nature Publishing Group’s Scientific Reports.
Rare-earth metals are crucial in the making of high-tech products such as electric vehicles and batteries, and most of the world has relied on China for almost all of its needs.

Continue reading… “A massive, ‘semi-infinite’ trove of rare-earth metals has been found in Japan”

AI, Artificial Intelligence, China, Machine Learning, Science & Technology News

AI competition is the new space race

January 7, 2019

The technology still has a long way to go despite progress in 2018. The EU, U.S. and China are all determined not to be left behind.

It’s been another year of relentless artificial-intelligence hype and incremental AI achievement. Machines still beat humans only in carefully constructed environments or at narrow tasks. The good news is that, as the technology progresses, the race for leadership is still wide open, and even Europe, where politicians fret that the continent is lagging behind China and the U.S., is still quite competitive.

Continue reading… “AI competition is the new space race”

China, Internet, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Rise of foreign stars in Chinese social media marks the beginning of a new trend

January 5, 2019

China’s internet celebrity economy has expanded exponentially in recent years. According to a report released by iResearch, the number of online celebrities in China with more than 100,000 followers has increased by 57.3 percent since 2016.

With a single embedded ad in a WeChat post worth up to $145,000 USD for influencers with dedicated followings, and a total market estimated at $14 billion USD in 2018 by Beijing-based research agency Analysus, it’s a sizeable, attractive market for internet personalities.

Chinese internet celebrities have capitalized on these huge audiences and lucrative businesses, but foreigners have started to realize they can join in the fun.

Continue reading… “Rise of foreign stars in Chinese social media marks the beginning of a new trend”

Big Problems, Ecological Products, Green Friendly, Science & Technology News

Microorganisms that eat seaweed can create biodegradable plastic

January 6, 2019

Ocean Of Opportunity

Earth’s oceans contain tens of millions of tons of plastic pollution. But a new technique that creates biodegradable plastics out of seaweed could finally give the oceans relief.

Bioplastics are plastics manufactured from biomass sources instead of fossil fuels. Many degrade far more quickly than traditional plastics, but creating them typically requires fertile soil and fresh water, which aren’t available everywhere.

Now, researchers have found a way to create a bioplastic using seaweed, a far more accessible resource — a promising new approach that could both reduce strain on the plastic-clogged oceans and reduce the Earth’s dependence on fossil fuels.

Continue reading… “Microorganisms that eat seaweed can create biodegradable plastic”

facebook, Google, government, Legal Issues, Science & Technology News

The dawn of a new Big Tech regulatory era?

January 6, 2019

At the ShellyPalmer Innovation Series Breakfast at CES 2018, I had a Socratic discussion about the influence of the big technology platforms and other emerging technologies on our lives and the need for responsible innovation with David Sapin, US Risk & Regulatory Leader, PwC. We also talked about the growing “techlash” buzz for more industry regulation and, while we agreed that there was a need for formal approach around some aspects of the industry, we felt that the best approach at the time might be an industry self-regulatory approach to responsible innovation (see A Case for Responsible Innovation).

Continue reading… “The dawn of a new Big Tech regulatory era?”

China, Farming, Science & Technology News

Some of the biggest livestreamers in China are not teenagers, but farmers

January 5, 2019

When most people think about countryside life, they envision plowing fields, feeding farm animals, and other grueling work. But China is seeing a new type of farm work becoming popular: livestreaming.

Yes, farmers livestreaming their work has become a hit in China – so much so that one of the country’s biggest ecommerce platforms has set up a special program to train them. Alibaba has announced that it’s planning a special poverty alleviation program for Taobao sellers in the countryside, including incubating 1,000 farmer livestreamers.

Continue reading… “Some of the biggest livestreamers in China are not teenagers, but farmers”