Category Archives: Futurism

To the Moon and Back, Again

On Monday, SpaceX revealedplans to fly two private citizens around the Moon by late 2018, 45 years after NASAs astronauts last embarked on a lunar mission. Heres a quick rundown of what you need to know about it.

Its a private endeavor. The two passengers actually approached SpaceX and have already paid a significant deposit for the first private space tickets to ever be sold. The passengers will be trained and prepared for this mission, of course. We expect to conduct health and fitness tests, as well as begin initial training later this year. Other flight teams have also expressed strong interest and we expect more to follow, SpaceX said in a statement.

Though a private mission, it has NASAs approval. NASA commends its industry partners for reaching higher. We will work closely with SpaceX to ensure it safely meets the contractual obligations to return the launch of astronauts to U.S. soil and continue to successfully deliver supplies to the International Space Station, NASA said in a statementreleased after Mondays announcement.

SpaceX will use its Crew Dragon spacecraftfor this mission. It will be launched viaa Falcon Heavy rocket, which is still currently in development but will blast off for a test flight this summer.

A Dragon aboard a Falcon Heavy is set for a crew-less maiden voyage to the International Space Station (ISS) by the end of this year as part of a program with NASA. SpaceXs first crewed flight is slated for the spring of 2018, and the Moon mission will be just the second time the rocket venture company launches people into space.

Its not a landing mission, really. Its more like a cruise during which the Crew Dragon spacecraft will loop around the Moon.

During the announcement, Musk said the Crew Dragon would skim the surface of the moon before heading further out into deep space to be thrust back to Earth.According to Time, the mission will follow a circumlunar trajectory, in which the ship simply swings around the far side of the moon and allows lunar gravity to fling it home, rather than settling into orbit.

The journey will probably take around six to seven days: two to three days going to the Moon and another two to three coming back. Extra supplies of propellants, oxygen, water, etc., will be on board to sustain the passengers.

The biggest hurdle is the launch. SpaceX has had some troubles with those in the past, and this time, people will be on board. The company has beentaking extra precautions to ensure the safety of itslaunches, and it hasnt experienced any mishaps since its Falcon 9 rocket explosion in September.

Reentering the atmosphere is another challenge. Though designed for a touchdown, SpaceX has said previously that its Dragon spacecrafts can safely land anywhere, even on water.

The success of SpaceXs private lunar mission is in everyones best interests, of course. Designed from the beginning to carry humans, the Dragon spacecraft already has a long flight heritage. These missions will build upon that heritage, extending it to deep space mission operations, an important milestone as we work towards our ultimate goal of transporting humans to Mars, SpaceX said.

This mission has the potential to usher in an era of deep space tourism as long as you have the money to pay SpaceX for the tickets, of course.

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Everything You Need to Know About SpaceX's Trip to the Moon - Futurism

In Brief

Our access to information in todays digital world is unprecedented in human history. The internet is the hub of everything, and its already changed the way weconsume information, including how we watch video content. In fact,according to a Nielsen study, people now watch YouTube more than traditional television, and on-demand services are more popular than ever.

Given the enormous amount of available content on YouTube, subscription-based sites like Netflix, and innumerable other sources online, the process of finding something you really want to watch can take a long time. According to one study, the average Americanwill end up spending fullyearsworth of time during their life just in the pursuit of something to watch.

Much of that time is wasted on listless browsing in the hopes of stumbling across something interesting especially if youve just finished binge-watching the latest season of your favorite Netflix series. Wouldnt it be nice to have a site that curates the videos that best match your interests? Wouldnt it be even nicer if that site could generate new content based on what you like, so you can just sit back, relax, and not bother with browsing at all?

Thats precisely what Neverthink.TVoffers.

Neverthink.TV doesnt just compile videos into one site; it collects videos from the internet in real time and groups them into different channels, everything from gaming and artto fashion and food.

For example, if you like technology, Neverthink.TV collects tech news videos from the internet and collates them into one channel for youto watch. It plays the latest videos one by one, so essentially, the site is bringing back the experience of watching TV, except this time, youll only see videos that youre likely to find interesting.

Neverthink.TV will change the way you consume video content, but it will do so in a manner familiar. It combines the best part of the past with the best part of thepresent to create the viewing experience of the future.

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This Company is Disrupting the Way We Consume Videos - Futurism - Futurism

3,770,000,000 Years Ago

The origin of life has long been contentiously debated, often because researchers are trying to understandevents that occurredbillions of years ago. Adding to the debate is a recent discovery from deep in the exotic landscape of the Nuvvuagittuq (nuh-vu-ah-gi-took) belt in Canada where scientists have uncovered fossils they believe to be 3.77 billion years old. If theyre right, that would make their discovery the oldest fossil evidence on record.

Claims that speculate the age of ancient fossils always set the science world ablaze, mainly because very old rocks often undergogeological deformations. Everything from erosion to weatheringcan remove signs of life, making it highly unlikely wed find anything thousands, let alone billions, of years later. However, lead researcherMatthew Doddis confident that his teams Canadian discovery will hold up to the scrutiny.

The straw-shaped microfossils uncovered by the team were found in a part of Canada that once was a hydrothermal vent on the ocean floor. The microscopic microbes that created these fossils would have germinated around thevents to take advantage of their volatile chemistry to create fuel. When themicrobes died, iron in the water would latch onto their decaying bodies, eventually replacing their organic structures with stone that the researchers can now study.

After proper analysis, the youngest estimate of the microbes isaround 3.77 billion years. However, the microbes may be as old as 4.28 billion yearsthats only about260 million years after the Earth was formed.The research is published in the journalNature.

Our current understanding of the origin of life on Earth is that it dates back to 3.4 to 3.5 billion years ago. The present findings suggest that the first incidence of life occurred300 million years sooner than that, so if the age of the microbe fossils is verified, the implications would be tremendous.

In addition to the findings by Dodds team, the discovery of reportedly 3.7 billion year old fossils in Issua, Greenlandis awaiting verification as well. Those fossils indicated the existence of a photosynthetic bacteria, while Dodds team is suggesting their discovery is of a chemosynthetic bacterias fossil. The age and apparent diversity of these organisms suggests a much more profound outlook on the origin of life in the universe.

These fossils would challenge our fundamental understanding of the origin of life. We would have to revisit what we thought we knew about the potential for organic matter to flourish during a time when the Earth wasbombarded by asteroids, the environment was changing radically every hundred years, and the planets surface was sodden with molten lava. If life was able to develop under those conditions, were left with more questions than answers.

What we believed to be a steady process that required time and caution might just be something more sporadic, which would in turn suggest that life might be more of a cosmic phenomenon than just an Earth-based one. This could change how we think about the potential for life on other planets, or evenMars, which was teeming with oceansand warm 3.77 billion years ago.Not finding life on the Red Planet would tell us a lot, too, namely that life on Earth is due to some fluke or a phenomenon unique to our planet.

Now, all thats left to do is wait to find out if these ancient fossils are as ancient as their discoverers hope.

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Scientists Just Found Fossils Containing the Oldest Evidence of Life on Earth - Futurism

Sons Predictions

The CEO of Japanese telecommunications giant and internet multinational Softbank is at it again. Masayoshi Son has been consistent with his predictions as to when the technological singularity will occur. This time, Son predicted that the dawn of machines surpassing human intelligence is bound to occur by 2047 during a keynote address at the ongoing Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Son famously made the same prediction at the 2016 ARM TechCon, when he revealed that Softbank is looking to make the singularity happen.

One of the chips in our shoes in the next 30 years will be smarter than our brain. We will be less than our shoes. And we are stepping on them, Son said during his MWC address. In fact, he expects that a single computer chip will have an IQ equivalent to 10,000 by that point in time. Thats far beyond what the most intelligent person in the world has (roughly 200). What should we call it? he asked. Superintelligence. That is an intelligence beyond peoples imagination [no matter] how smart they are. But in 30 years, I believe this is going to become a reality.

Sound like every single human-vs-machine sci-fi flick youve seen? Son doesnt quite think so.

Instead of conflict, he sees a potential for humans to partner with artificial intelligence (AI), echoing the commentsElon Musk madein Dubai last month: I think this superintelligence is going to be our partner, said Softbanks CEO. If we misuse it, its a risk. If we use it in good spirits, it will be our partner for a better life.

Already, individuals are working to ensure thatthe coming age of super synthetic intelligences is, indeed, one that is beneficial for humanity. Case in point,Braintree founder Bryan Johnson is investing $100 millionto research the human brainand, ultimately, make neuroprostheses that allow us to augment our own intelligence and keep pace with AI. This will be accomplished, in large part, by making our neural code programmable.

Johnson outlinesthe purpose of his work, stating that its really all about co-evolution:

Our connection with our new creations of intelligence is limited by screens, keyboards, gestural interfaces, and voice commands constrained input/output modalities. We have very little access to our own brains, limiting our ability to co-evolve with silicon-based machines in powerful ways.

To that end,Johnsons company, Kernel, wants to ensure that we have a seamless interface with our technologies (and our AI).

Son isnt alone in expecting the singularity around 2047 Google Engineering director and futurist Ray Kurzweil shares this general prediction. As for his predicted machine IQ, Son arrived at that figure by comparing the number of neurons in the human brain to the number of transistors in a computer chip. Both, he asserts, are binary systems that work by turning on and off.

By 2018, Son thinks that the number of transistors in a chip will surpass the number of neurons in the brain, which isnt unlikely considering recent developments in microchip technology overtaking Moores Law. Its worth pointing out, however, that Son put the number of neurons in the brain at 30 billion, which is way below the 86 billion estimatemade by many.

That doesnt matter, Son said. The point is that mankind, for the last 2,000 years 4,000 years has had the same number of neurons in our brain. We havent improved the hardware in our brain, he explained. But [the computer chip], in the next 30 years, is going to be one million times more. If you have a million times more binary systems, I think they will be smarter than us.

Will these super intelligent machines trample over humankind? We dont know. But Son is convinced that, given our abundance of smart devices, which include even our cars, and the growth of the internet of things (IoT), the impact of super intelligent machines will be felt by humankind.

If this superintelligence goes into moving robots, the world, our lifestyle, dramatically changes, said Son. We can expect all kinds of robots. Flying, swimming, big, micro, run, two legs, four legs, 100 legs.

And we have 30 years to prepare for them all. Fortunately, a number of innovators are already working on solutions.

Disclosure: Bryan Johnson is an investor in Futurism; he does not hold a seat on our editorial board or have any editorial review privileges.

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Softbank CEO: The Singularity Will Happen by 2047 - Futurism - Futurism

History of the Clean Water Rule

The Clean Water Rule (CWR) was established in 2015in a joint effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army. The aim was to protect the countrys streams and wetlands from pollution and define the exact waters protected under the Clean Water Act (1972). When the CWR was established, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said, For the water in the rivers and lakes in our communities that flow to our drinking water to be clean, the streams and wetlands that feed them need to be clean too.

One in three people (117 million) were getting their drinking water from streams that were not clearly protected before the establishment of the CWR. Clean water is also an important part of conservation nearly all species need water to survive. The newsrelease states:

Streams and wetlands provide many benefits to communities by trapping floodwaters, recharging groundwater supplies, filtering pollution, and providing habitat for fish and wildlife. Impacts from climate change like drought, sea level rise, stronger storms, and warmer temperatures threaten the quantity and quality of Americas water. Protecting streams and wetlands will improve our nations resilience to climate change.

Specifically, the CWR protects navigable waterways and their tributaries. Basically, anything that flows downstream into bigger water is covered by the CWR.

On February 28, 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order entitled Restoring the Rule of Law, Federalism, and Economic Growth by Reviewing the Waters of the United States Rule. This calls for a review of the CWR by the Administrator of the EPA and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. The intent is to either rescind or revise the rule so that the countrys navigable waters are protected from pollution, while at the same time promoting economic growth, minimizing regulatory uncertainty, and showing due regard for the roles of the Congress and the States under the Constitution.

The Executive Order also asks that the term navigable waters be interpreted as former Justice Scalia did in Rapanos v. United States. Scalia wrote in his opinion that the waters of the United States include only relatively permanent, standing or flowing bodies of water.

The American Farm Bureau Federation is also in opposition to the CWR, creating an ad campaign against it. They state that the permits required are restrictive and expensive. They didnt feel heard by the Obama administration.

President Trump said that he is paving the way for the elimination of the CWR with the passing of his Executive Order. He said of the CWR: It was a massive power grab. Regulations and permits started treating our wonderful small farmers and small businesses as if they were a major industrial polluter. They treated them horribly.

However, according to Jon Devine, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, actually overturning the rule cant be accomplished through an executive order. Ellen Gilinsky, a former EPA administrator who was involved in the creation of the CWR,said, I really think theres a lot of blood shed over this rule that didnt need to be. I think theres an opportunity to take another look at it and bring everyone to the table and get a rule everyone can feel good about. Hopefully, either way, our drinking water will stay clean and safe for everyone.

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President Trump Aims to 'Eliminate' the Clean Water Rule Through an Executive Order - Futurism

Industry Adoption

Blockchain has become increasingly popularin the last fewyears, but many people still arent sure exactly what it is. Essentially, its a way to arrange and keep data digitally, where it can be shared across networks and accessed by those who need it, without requiring it to be centrally located. Most people are probably familiar with itthrough cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. In recent years its also become particularly popular withenterprise users, notably banks and other financial institutions even WallStreet. For those familiar with the technology, all of this comes as no surprise. As far as databases go, blockchain is a particularly safe, secure, and decentralized way of storing records.

That being said, outside of Bitcoin and banking, it has a lota host of other potential uses.Perhaps the most popular blockchain-based development technology for enterprise use nowadays is Ethereum. Introduced in 2013 by then-19-year-old developer Vitalik Buterin and developed through Swiss nonprofit Ethereum Foundation, Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs on a custom-built blockchain.

Ethereum is used in payment systems, crowdfunding, gold investing, and many other cloud computing functions. Industry users include Accenture, Microsoft, Intel, a number of banks, and several blockchain startup innovators. Considering the scope of usage around the world,users have come together to form the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA).

The EEA was formedto ensure a better future for the Ethereum blockchain. Its founding members include Accenture, Banco Santander, BlockApps, BNY Mellon, CME Group, ConsenSys, IC3, Intel, J.P. Morgan, Microsoft, and Nuco. Together, the members of the EFA hope to learn from the success of Ethereum and promote software development that can make the complex process usable for businesses around the world.

[E]nterprises expect resilient secure systems and a robust controls environment. EEA aims to bring these together, both to provide enterprises the forum they need and also to advance Ethereum generally, Jeremy Millar, founding board member of EEA, explained in a press release for the launch.

Buterin is hopeful that this partnership will bring about a future of diverse Ethereum use. The Enterprise Ethereum Alliance project can play an important role in standardizing approaches for privacy, permissioning and providing alternative consensus algorithms to improve its usability in enterprise settings, and the resources the project and its members are contributing should accelerate the advancement of the Ethereum ecosystem generally, he said.

As competition amongst businesses in many industries stiffens, blockchain technology is likely to become even more in-demand in the years to come. While there are many competing blockchain programsout there, with the backing of the EEA by so many high profile companies, it stands to reason that Ethereum could become the go-to as more businesses seek to incorporate the technology.

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Ethereum Is Poised to Become the Global Blockchain of Choice - Futurism