Campaigns that succeed are those that carefully consider what makes content go viral. Does your marketing to-do-list include creating the next viral hit? If you’re in the marketing or social media industry, the answer is probably “Yes!” (and if you’re not, and the answer is probably still “Yes!”).
Continue reading… “The science of viral content: Why people share?”
Ununseptium – the 117th element
The discovery of the periodic table’s 117th element has been confirmed after four years of painstaking research. Element 117, otherwise known as ununseptium, was originally discovered back in 2010 by a group of American and Russian physicists with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR). However, it has taken years for the discovery to be replicated by another independent team, which the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) requires. Now the element, with the approval of the IUPAC, can be named and added to the periodic table, extending our understanding of transuranium elements.
Continue reading… “Scientists confirm existence of the periodic table’s 117th element”
Play-i robot
Like no other tool, robots can capture a child’s imagination by creating a fun, physical learning process. With robots, kids learn programming via interactive play by moving a robot in various sequences and using intuitive, visual programming on a computer screen. The children also learn STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) by watching and interacting with robots that demonstrate the practical results of the day’s lesson.
Continue reading… “4 robots that teach children STEM in engaging ways”
Science fiction can be used to help scientists think about the uses and ethics of their inventions.
The Smithsonian Magazine May issue has an essay on the relationship between science, science fiction, and the future by Boing Boing buddy Eileen Gunn. She writes, “What’s science fiction good for? Major writers — Ursula K. Le Guin, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Samuel R. Delany, Kim Stanley Robinson, Cory Doctorow and others — talk about why science fiction likes to think about the future and how science fiction can be used to help scientists think about the uses and ethics of their inventions. The rest of the issue covers science and ethical issues of the near future.”
Continue reading… “Science fiction influences our thinking about the future”
Futurist Thomas Frey: For the past several months I’ve been wrestling with this topic, and how to discuss it from a centrist viewpoint.
Continue reading… “Which Requires More Faith, Science or Religion?”
Physicists create a device that binds photons together to form “light molecules.”
A vacuum chamber the size of a shoebox has made history in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard physicist Ofer Firstenberg has created a new form of matter: a pair of photons, stuck together.
Continue reading… “Physicists turn light into matter”
Physicist Brian Greene
Companies and universities that run massive open online courses are struggling to prove their value. But Columbia University professor and physicist Brian Greene thinks he has a new and potentially more effective way to teach students online: World Science U, a science education platform that offers everything from two-minute educational videos to full-fledged university-level classes.
A review and update of a controversial 20-year-old theory of consciousness published in Elsevier’s Physics of Life Reviews claims that consciousness derives from deeper-level, finer-scale activities inside brain neurons.
Snake oil?
There are many conflicting studies and reports about health supplements. Is Vitamin C worth taking or not? Does Echinacea kill colds? Am I missing out not drinking Goji juice, wheatgrass extract and flaxseed oil every day? Author David McCandless has created a visualization of scientific evidence of health supplements.
Futurist Thomas Frey: 2013 has been a year of considerable change for both me and the rest of our team at the DaVinci Institute. While most of what you see here on Futurist Speaker is about my research, thinking, and philosophy on the future, I thought this might be a good time to step back and fill you in on the people behind everything you’re reading.
Continue reading… “Top 13 ‘Futurist Speaker’ Columns in 2013”
Genomes use the genetic code to write two separate languages.
A secret second code hiding within DNA which instructs cells on how genes are controlled has been discovered by scientists. The amazing discovery is expected to open new doors to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, according to a new study.
Continue reading… “Secret code discovered in human DNA”
Students in Shanghai ranked as the world’s best.
The OECD is out with new global rankings of how students in various countries do in reading, science, and math. You can see below how Asian countries are obliterating everyone else in these categories.
Continue reading… “U.S. students rank below global average in math, reading, and science”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
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