science
Topics and developments in science and medicine, presented by Futurism.
The Consciousness Paradox . Top Story - June 2017.
Unlike any other species on this planet, humans develop extreme anxiety when thinking about the possibility of nothingness after death. With strong egos and attachment to the material world, ideas and theories of what comes after death and how humankind came to this land were developed. We found comfort in these thoughts, reassuring ourselves that our lives have purpose, meaning, and existence even beyond death. Humans find comfort in having purpose, for without it life seems almost meaningless... hopeless.
By Justin Gignac9 years ago in Futurism
A Thinking Person's Artificial Intelligence
Over the past decade, artificial intelligence migrated from computer geeks' workshops to something many people encounter in their everyday lives, but not without fears of its effects. Last year, the Pew Research Center assembled a panel of more than 1,300 experts, polled on the impact of increasing our reliance on algorithms—mathematical models underpinning artificial intelligence that aid in making decisions and completing tasks—and whose responses were boiled down into a set of themes.
By Alan Kotok9 years ago in Futurism
Sinister Dexterity (Or, Let's Get Sinister)
You've been using your right hand all your life. Well, with the exception of the ten percent this whole article is backward for. Next time you do something you've grown to consider a single-command operation, try using the hand that isn't the one that wants to do it. Open doors, tie your shoes, write, all with one hand and not the expected one. Let's get into why.
By Casey Parker9 years ago in Futurism
Can Better Data Head Off Environmental Disasters?
Do you live within 200 yards of an oil or gas pipe? More than 60% of Americans do, but no one—not public agencies, not commercial customers, and not even the energy companies that own the pipes—could tell you exactly where defects in those pipes are. As that infrastructure ages far beyond its intended lifespan, the costs of maintaining and servicing pipelines pose a $68 billion headache for the industry and a ticking time bomb for the public.
By Rob Salkowitz9 years ago in Futurism
Science Fiction: Science as Craft
Writing is a craft. We talk of crafting a story, and of wordsmiths who forge metaphors from the white heat of their imaginations. The creation of fiction, therefore, involves a process akin to that of making art. This process involves the mind constructing a fabrication which will more clearly define our reality, or even go beyond our understanding of what reality is.
By Nadia Davidson9 years ago in Futurism
Sir Hans Sloane, Magic Mirrors and the British Museum
The British Museum collection began with the intellectual curiosity of an Irish doctor called Sir Hans Sloane. He began collecting when he was working in Jamaica, as a physician to the governor. He returned to London in 1689 and continued collecting. He was a very wealthy and successful doctor. His patients included the diarist Samuel Pepys and Queen Anne. Soon his house in Bloomsbury Place was overflowing with ‘plants, fossils, minerals, zoological, anatomical and pathological specimens, antiquities …prints, drawings and coins, books and manuscripts.’ His collecting got so out of control that he had to buy the house next door. When that house was full he moved to a new house in Chelsea!
By Christine Alford9 years ago in Futurism
Exoplanet Update: NASA Releases New Kepler Data
NASA released the latest data from the Kepler space telescope project. A total of 219 objects were identified as new planet candidates. More significantly, 10 of those were determined to be possible Earth-like exoplanets which orbit their star at a distance called the habitable zone, where water could exist in a liquid state.
By Anya Wassenberg9 years ago in Futurism
The Inner Realm
“The law of attraction works universally on every plane of action, and we attract whatever we desire or expect. If we desire one thing and expect another, we become like houses divided against themselves, which are quickly brought to desolation. Determine resolutely to expect only what you desire, then you will attract only what you wish for.”- Ralph Trine.
By Alva v.Harzi9 years ago in Futurism
Killing Clones
For a heart-stopping second, I feel my foot slip and I stumble dangerously close to the cliff's edge. I turn just fast enough to see the knife flying towards my face and I dodge it as best as I can. It misses my vital features but still cuts deeply into the flesh of my cheek before clattering to the ground. I feel warm blood dripping down my chin.
By Iris Sinclair9 years ago in Futurism
