Thoughtware.TV

If human-equivalent AI is possible, this is a huge, huge deal. It would basically mean that you could turn inanimate matter into intelligence. Say that it requires about 500 teraflops (Tflops), roughly equivalent to one of the fastest supercomputers today, to run a human-equivalent AI program. A really fast supercomputer costs about $100 million. As you may know, the cost of computing power tend... More

Revolutionary 1990 book by Raymond Kurzweil that foresaw many of the technical developments of the coming decade, chronicling the progress leading the way.

Milan Ćirković of the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade, and one of the world's leading authorities on astrobiology and the evolution of galaxies and baryonic dark matter, has outlined along with philosopher Robert Bradbury the six great mega-trajectories of the biological evolution on Earth: 1. From the origin of life to the ”Last Common Ancestor" 2. Prokaryote diversification 3. ... More

Jill Price, has a condition called "hyperthymestic syndrome" -- the continuous, automatic and perfect recollection of the minutiae of every day life. Price claims to be able to remember virtually every detail of her life since the age of 14.

An analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is exponential, contrary to the common-sense "intuitive linear" view. So we won't experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century -- it will be more like 20,000 years of progress (at today's rate). The "returns," such as chip speed and cost-effectiveness, also increase exponentially. There's even exponential growth in ... More

New observations made by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), currently circling the planet, have revealed evidence that vast regions of the southern highlands of Mars were altered by water in a variety of environments billions of years ago. Water is a key condition for life as we know it. Though there is no firm evidence that Mars has ever harbored life, knowing that the planet was once we... More

Transhumanist Nick Bostrom wrote this letter from the perspective of a potential future self. Bostrom argues that nothing in the laws of nature indicate that posthuman forms and utopian society are impossible. The trick, he says, is to get from here to there without "burning our wings." "I am concerned that the pursuit of utopia could bring out the worst in you. Please take my message in ... More

The digital revolution now engulfing our world emerged from the events during and immediately after the Second World War, when intellectual titans such as Alan Turing, John von Neumann, Norbert Wiener, and Claude Shannon roamed the Earth. Many of the predictions they made for the future in those early days are now reality, or something close to it. Turing foresaw computers as artificial intelligenc... More

Should Humans Welcome or Resist Becoming Posthuman? This was a key question debated at the 2003 World Transhumanist Association conference at Yale University by attendees, who met to lay the groundwork for a society that would admit as citizens and companions intelligent robots, cyborgs made from a free mixing of human and machine parts, and fully organic, genetically engineered people who aren't n... More

Materials scientists have been singing graphene's praises since it was first isolated in 2005. Now, for the first time, researchers have measured the intrinsic strength of graphene, and they've confirmed it to be the strongest material ever tested, providing good evidence that graphene transistors could take the heat in future ultrafast microprocessors. A sheet of graphene would be strong enough... More

Humans are evolving faster than ever before, picking up new genetic traits and talents that may help us survive a turbulent future.

"Man-Computer Symbiosis" is a key speculative paper published in 1960 by psychologist/computer scientist J.C.R. Licklider, which envisions that mutually-interdependent, "living together", tightly-coupled human brains and computing machines would prove to complement each other's strengths to a high degree: "Man-computer symbiosis is a subclass of man-machine systems. There are many man-machine sy... More

Along with cellulose, the cyanobacteria developed by Professor R. Malcolm Brown Jr. and Dr. David Nobles Jr. secrete glucose and sucrose. These simple sugars are the major sources used to produce ethanol.

Researchers may have found a way to halt the biological clock which slows down our bodies over the decades.

Scientists have stopped the aging process in an entire organ for the first time, a study released today says. Published in today's online edition of Nature Medicine, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York City also say the older organs function as well as they did when the host animal was younger. The researchers, led by Associate Professor An... More

Worms calculate how much the strength of different tastes is changing — equivalent to the process of taking a derivative in calculus — to figure out if they are on their way toward food or should change direction and look elsewhere, says University of Oregon biologist Shawn Lockery, who thinks humans and other animals do the same thing. The calculating-worm conclusion was reached by studyin... More

Finally experiments have been funded to test the viability of diamond mechanosynthesis as described in detail by Robert Freitas and Ralph Merkle. This is a major step towards achieving the long held vision of molecular nanotechnology as envisioned by Eric Drexler. UPDATE: Based on an interview of Robert Freitas in 2007. Based on the computational chemistry work, their latest estimates suggest... More

Ever wanted to build your own robot but didn't know where to start? Here is your chance! This article outlines step by step exactly what to do to build a robot for under $50.

Humans can already form social bonds with robots, but the real trick may be getting AI equally interested in us.

Personalized genomics just got a lot more accessible. Until tonight, the cheapest genome scan was available for just under a thousand dollars. Thanks to improvements in microarray technology, 23andMe has been able to cut that cost by more than half -- to $399 -- well within the reach of cash-strapped grad students, frugal genealogy buffs and other not-so-early adopters. “By taking advantage of... More

"We want to preserve the best of what it is to be human and maybe even amplify that," Bostrom told CNN. Transhumanists, according to Bostrom, anticipate a coming era where biotechnology, molecular nanotechnologies, artificial intelligence and other new types of cognitive tools will be used to amplify our intellectual capacity, improve our physical capabilities and even enhance our emotional wel... More

University of Reading scientists have developed a robot controlled by a biological brain formed from cultured neurons. And this is a world’s premiere. Other research teams have tried to control robots with ‘brains,’ but there was always a computer in the loop. This new project is the first one to examine ‘how memories manifest themselves in the brain, and how a brain stores specific pieces ... More

As people age, their cells become less efficient at getting rid of damaged protein — resulting in a buildup of toxic material that is especially pronounced in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Now, for the first time, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have prevented this age-related decline in an entire organ — ... More

One day a machine will blink into consciousness, but is it just wishful thinking to believe that people could escape death by uploading their minds?

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, San Francisco, Aug. 21, 2008 – Intel Corporation's chief technology officer took a fascinating look at how technology will bring man and machine much closer together by 2050. Justin Rattner, during his keynote today at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, predicted big changes are ahead in social interactions, robotics and improvements in computer's ability to... More