07.24.09
Posted in Critics, Politic, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:09 am by rheil
On the Importance of Being a Cyborg Feminist (written By: Kyle Munkittrick, h+ magazin, July 21, 2009)
„Transhumanism’s relationship with postmodern philosophy and critical theory is a strange one. For example, Nick Bostrom’s influential “A History of Transhumanist Thought” spans centuries, covering the gamut from Utnapishtim to the President’s Council on Bioethics, but makes little mention of those who radically challenge the core Enlightenment narrative upon which he builds his history. Figures like Nietzsche, Marx, and Donna Haraway do all receive a nod in Bostrom’s essay, including Haraway’s cyberfeminist motto, “I’d rather be a cyborg than a goddess,” but their ideas go unanalyzed. Of course, the context for these thinkers is often ignored and their works simply mined for epigraphs and potent, argument-punctuating lines such as Haraway’s. Make no mistake: Bostrom’s essay (indeed, his entire corpus of work) is essential reading for any serious transhumanist. But there are gaps in his history that are reflective of a larger dismissal of certain philosophers by transhumanist intellectuals. Among those neglected, I would list Jean Baudrillard, Michel Foucault, Judith Butler, Donna Haraway, Bruno Latour, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, and Jurgan Habermas. Clearly there is insufficient time and space to even begin to discuss all of these figures properly, so I would like to draw your attention to just one in particular, Donna Haraway, and her work with cyberfeminism.“ [read original article]
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07.19.09
Posted in AI / Singularity, biotech, Critics, Cryonic, Nanotechnology, Neuro, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:20 am by rheil
Singing the Singularity
Mike Treder (posted on IEET, Jul 16, 2009)
„Like many a useful concept, the Technological Singularity has become over-invested with emotion, ideological leanings, and tangential agendas. Can its value be recovered?
On October 3, 2009, the fourth annual Singularity Summit will convene, this time in New York City. Among the speakers featured in the two-day event are IEET fellows Ben Goertzel and Aubrey de Grey, along with Ray Kurzweil, Anders Sandberg, Robin Hanson, Eliezer Yudkowsky, Greg Benford, and many others.
So what’s it all about?“ [read original article]
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Posted in biotech, Evolution / Genetics, Technology at 6:15 am by rheil
DNA Not The Same In Every Cell Of Body: Major Genetic Differences Between Blood And Tissue Cells Revealed
ScienceDaily (July 16, 2009) — „Research by a group of Montreal scientists calls into question one of the most basic assumptions of human genetics: that when it comes to DNA, every cell in the body is essentially identical to every other cell. Their results appear in the July issue of the journal Human Mutation. This discovery may undercut the rationale behind numerous large-scale genetic studies conducted over the last 15 years, studies which were supposed to isolate the causes of scores of human diseases.“ [read original article]
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07.16.09
Posted in biotech, Human Enhancement, Neuro, Technology, Transhumanism at 8:33 am by rheil
The Next Hacking Frontier: Your Brain? (By Hadley Leggett, Wired, July 9, 2009)
„Hackers who commandeer your computer are bad enough. Now scientists worry that someday, they’ll try to take over your brain.
In the past year, researchers have developed technology that makes it possible to use thoughts to operate a computer, maneuver a wheelchair or even use Twitter — all without lifting a finger. But as neural devices become more complicated — and go wireless — some scientists say the risks of “brain hacking” should be taken seriously.
“Neural devices are innovating at an extremely rapid rate and hold tremendous promise for the future,” said computer security expert Tadayoshi Kohno of the University of Washington. “But if we don’t start paying attention to security, we’re worried that we might find ourselves in five or 10 years saying we’ve made a big mistake.”“ [read original article]
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07.15.09
Posted in AI / Singularity, Ethics, Future, Nanotechnology, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:42 am by rheil
Transhumanist Salvation or Judgment Day? (By Lou Cabron, June 30th, 2009, 10 Zen Monkeys)
„We’re starting to brush up against real robots, real nanotech, and maybe even the first real artificial intelligence. But will emerging technologies destroy humankind — or will humankind be saved by an emerging transhumanism?“ [read original article]
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07.11.09
Posted in biotech, Deutschsprachige Seiten, Human Enhancement, Neuro, Technology, Transhumanism at 12:04 pm by rheil
Angst vor dem Neuro-Hacking (Jörg Auf dem Hövel, Telepolis, 07.07.2009)
“Wie sicher sind neuronale Implantate gegen unautorisierte Fremdzugriffe?
Elektronische Hirnimplantate werden immer häufiger in Forschung und Medizin eingesetzt. Bislang ist der Datenschutz dieser Geräte kaum beleuchtet worden. Wie ist die Zugangskontrolle zu den Geräten organisiert? Viele der Implantate sind durch eine drahtlose Verbindung steuerbar, in den wenigsten ist eine Authentifizierungssystem integriert, das nur autorisierten Personen Zugang zu den Stimulatoren im Gehirn erlaubt.” [zum Originalartikel]
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Posted in Anti-Aging, biotech, Deutschsprachige Seiten, Human Enhancement, Neuro, Nootropics, Technology, Transhumanism at 11:58 am by rheil
Langes Leben mit und ohne Diät
Matthias Gräbner (Telepolis, 09.07.2009)
“In den Spamordnern wird uns bald ein neuer Begriff begegnen: Rapamycin, haben Forscher gezeigt, verlängert das Leben signifikant – und zwar auch bei Säugetieren
50 Milligramm längeres Leben sind derzeit für 32 Euro zu haben. 99-prozentig reines Rapamycin, leicht zu finden, da sogar per Google-Textanzeige beworben vom Hersteller, der Firma LC Laboratories in Woburn, MA – dass die Substanz in der Lage ist, das Leben zumindest von Mäusen signifikant zu verlängern, haben die Spammer seit dieser Woche schriftlich.” [zum Originalartikel]
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Posted in Deutschsprachige Seiten, Neuro, Nootropics, Technology, Transhumanism at 11:49 am by rheil
Doch kein Depressions-Gen
Stephan Schleim (Telepolis, 11.07.2009)
“Eine neue Untersuchung entkräftet die Belege für eine genetische Grundlage der Depression
Depressive Erkrankungen sind für die Betroffenen und die Gesellschaft eine große Belastung. Daher wundert es kaum, dass weltweit mit großem Eifer nach ihren körperlichen Ursachen gesucht wird. Ein Zusammenhang mit dem Botenstoff Serotonin schien durch neuere genetische Untersuchungen untermauert worden zu sein. Eine neue Meta-Analyse widerspricht den früheren Funden jedoch vehement. Damit hat das genetische Programm zur Erforschung der Depression und anderer psychischer Erkrankungen einen herben Rückschlag erlitten. Im Gegensatz zu den Genen gelten schwere Lebensereignisse nach wie vor als großer Risikofaktor für Depressionen. Es stellt sich die Frage, ob die Forschungsgelder bei der Suche nach ihren körperlichen Ursachen überhaupt gut angelegt sind.” [zum Originalartikel]
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Posted in Anti-Aging, biotech, Human Enhancement, Neuro, Nootropics, Technology, Transhumanism at 11:22 am by rheil
First Drug Shown to Extend Life Span in Mammals
Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant, enables elderly mice to live longer.
By Jocelyn Rice (TechnologyReview, Wednesday, July 08, 2009)
“A drug derived from bacteria in the soil on Easter Island can substantially extend the life span of mice, according to a study published online today in Nature. The drug, called rapamycin, is the first pharmacological agent shown to enhance longevity in a mammal, and it works when administered beginning late in life. Prior to this research, the only ways to increase rodents’ life span were via genetic engineering or caloric restriction–a nutritionally complete but very low-calorie diet.” [read original article]
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Posted in biotech, Neuro, Technology, Transhumanism at 11:17 am by rheil
One step closer to an artificial nerve cell, July 6th, 2009
(PhysOrg.com) – “Scientists at Karolinska Institutet and Linköping University (Sweden) are well on the way to creating the first artificial nerve cell that can communicate specifically with nerve cells in the body using neurotransmitters. The technology has been published in an article in Nature Materials.” [read original article]
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06.24.09
Posted in AI / Singularity, Future, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:20 am by rheil
The AI Report
The Past, Present and Future of artificial Intelligence
„Can machines think? In 1950, Alan Turing, considered by some to be the father of modern computing, published a paper in which he proposed that, “If, during text-based conversation, a machine is indistinguishable from a human, then it could be said to be ‘thinking’ and, therefore, could be attributed with intelligence.” He predicted that a computer would pass this “Turing Test” by the end of the century. That hasn’t happened–yet. But the question continues to provoke and inspire. AI might be just around the corner, or it might be centuries away. Edited By Courtney Boyd Myers“ [read original article]
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06.20.09
Posted in Ethics, Technology at 7:19 am by rheil
Plan to teach military robots the rules of war (NewScientist, 18.06.2009, Tom Simonite)
„Technology has always distanced the soldiers who use weapons from the people who get hit. But robotics engineer Ron Arkin at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, is working to imagine wars in which weapons make their own decisions about wielding lethal force.
He is particularly interested in how such machines might be programmed to act ethically, obeying the rules of engagement.
Arkin has developed an “ethical governor”, which aims to ensure that robot attack aircraft behave ethically in combat, and is demonstrating the system in simulations based on recent campaigns by US troops, using real maps from the Middle East.“ [read original article]
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06.05.09
Posted in Neuro, Technology, Transhumanism at 10:03 am by rheil
Reading the Surface of the Brain (Emily Singer, Technology Review 03.06.2009)
A startup aims to develop a minimally invasive neural prosthesis for disabled patients.
„A technology currently used to monitor epilepsy is being adapted into a neural interface for people who are paralyzed or have motor impairments from neurodegenerative disease. Neurolutions, a startup based in St. Louis, is developing a small, implanted device that translates signals recorded from the surface of the brain into computer commands.“ [read original article]
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06.03.09
Posted in biotech, Evolution / Genetics, Technology, Transhumanism at 8:08 am by rheil
ENGINEERING BIOLOGY – A Talk with Drew Endy (Edge)
„The only thing that hasn’t been engineered are the living things, ourselves. Again, what’s the consequence of doing that at scale? Biotechnology is 30 years old; it’s a young adult. Most of the work is still to come, but how do we actually do it? Let’s not talk about it, let’s actually go do it, and then let’s deal with the consequences in terms of how this is going to change ourselves, how the biosecurity framework needs to recognize that it’s not going to be nation-state driven work necessarily, how an ownership sharing and innovation framework needs to be developed that moves beyond patent-based intellectual property and recognizes that the information defining the genetic material’s going to be more important than the stuff itself and so you might transition away from patents to copyright and so on and so forth.“ [read original article]
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05.23.09
Posted in Future, Human Enhancement, Technology, Texts about Transhumanism, Transhumanism at 6:15 am by rheil
Immortality 2.0: a silicon valley insider looks at California’s Transhumanist movement
By Gelles, David, Publication: The Futurist, Date: Thursday, January 1 2009
„One afternoon in late 2007, a Yahoo executive named Salim Ismail stepped up to a podium at company headquarters to talk about what some call “the world’s most dangerous idea.” An intense man from India, Ismail faced a conference room packed with computer whizzes from the likes of Google, Apple, and Intel and launched into a tirade about the far frontiers of digital technology and the big battle that lay ahead.
“The current system is flawed,” he said, pacing the stage. He went on to talk about routers and interrupt systems, hardly exotic material to his audience. But even within this techy sanctum, his message was a bold one. The flawed system that Ismail lamented was not a computer network, it was the human brain. “We need to design a better one,” he said.“ [read original article]
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05.22.09
Posted in Cryonic, Technology, Transhumanism at 3:37 pm by rheil
Patients who are frozen in time (Wendy M Grossman, The Guardian, Thursday 14 February 2008)
„Cryonics – freezing the dead with the hope of reviving them – has always been a long shot. But, says Wendy M Grossman, advances mean it could be coming a little closer“. [read original article]
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Posted in Critics, Human Enhancement, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:42 am by rheil
If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want to Be Part of Your Revolution!
Athena Andreadis (Sentient Development)
„Those who know my outermost layer would consider me a science geek. I’m a proponent of genetic engineering, an advocate of space exploration, a reader and writer of science fiction. However, I found myself unable to warm to either transhumanism or its literary sidekick, cyberpunk. I ascribed this to the decrease of flexibility that comes with middle age and resumed reading Le Guin’s latest story cycle. […]
And I finally realized why I balk at cyberpunk and transhumanism like an unruly horse. Both are deeply anhedonic, hostile to physicality and the pleasures of the body, from enjoying wine to playing in an orchestra. I wondered why it had taken me so long to figure this out. After all, many transhumanists use the repulsive (and misleading) term “meat cage” to describe the human body, which they deem a stumbling block, an obstacle in the way of the mind.“ [read original article]
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Posted in Future, Human Enhancement, Nanotechnology, Neuro, Nootropics, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:33 am by rheil
Harnessing science to create the ultimate warrior
NewScientist, 20 May 2009 by Linda Geddes
„BATALLIONS of super-soldiers could be selected for specific duties on the basis of their genetic make-up and then constantly monitored for signs of weakness. So says a report by the US National Academies of Science (NAS).
If a soldier is struggling, a digital “buddy” might step in and warn them about nearby threats, or advise comrades to zap them with an electromagnet to increase their alertness. If the whole unit is falling apart, biosensors could warn central commanders to send in a replacement team.“ [read original article]
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05.15.09
Posted in biotech, Ethics, Evolution / Genetics, Human Enhancement, Neuro, Nootropics, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:10 am by rheil
Will designer brains divide humanity?
13 May 2009 by Andy Coghlan, NewScientist
„WE ARE on the brink of technological breakthroughs that could augment our mental powers beyond recognition. It will soon be possible to boost human brainpower with electronic “plug-ins” or even by genetic enhancement. What will this mean for the future of humanity?“ [read original article]
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04.29.09
Posted in Neuro, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:56 am by rheil
Brain Wave of The Future -What If You Could Move Objects With Your Mind? Well, That Time Has Come.
By Joel Garreau, Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, April 23, 2009
„You slip the wireless headset on. It looks like something a telemarketer would wear, except the earpieces are actually sensors, and what looks like a microphone is a brain wave detector. You place its tip against your forehead, above your left eyebrow.
A few feet away is a ping-pong ball in a clear tube called the Force Trainer. The idea is to use your thoughts alone, as recognized by the wand on your forehead, to lift the ball. Your brain’s electrical activity is translated into a signal understood by a little computer that controls a fan that blows the ball up the tube. Levitates it. As if by magic. It’s mind over matter.
All you have to do is concentrate. On anything, it doesn’t matter. The harder you concentrate, the higher the ball goes. A musician says he played a song in his head and focused on a particular chord change. A former high school tennis star focused on his 120-mph serve. One woman brought the image of a candle flame to mind. The ball rose.
Concentrate. Concentrate.“ [read original article]
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04.28.09
Posted in AI / Singularity, Anti-Aging, biotech, Deutschsprachige Seiten, Future, Human Enhancement, Nanotechnology, Technology, Transhumanism at 12:36 pm by rheil
Glaube, Technik, Zukunft, von Richard Jones (Technology Review)
„In der TR-Essay-Reihe zur Technik untersucht der britische Physiker Richard Jones, der auch das Blog Soft Machines betreibt, den heutigen Glauben an die Technik, die wirkliche Fragilität der modernen Zivilisation und den Fehler des Determinismus in hochtechnisierten Erlösungsphantasien.“ [zum Originalartikel]
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04.11.09
Posted in biotech, Deutschsprachige Seiten, Ethics, Evolution / Genetics, Future, Human Enhancement, Neuro, Nootropics, Technology, Transhumanism at 8:44 am by rheil
Neuroimplantate, pharmakologisches Menschendesign und Elitenzucht?
Jörg Auf dem Hövel (telepolis, 11.04.2009)
„Die Welt im Jahr 2070 – Teil 1
Die Cyborgs sind schon lange unter uns. Klinisch eingesetzte Implantate und künstliche Organe gehören zum Alltag der Krankenhäuser in den Industrienationen. Angefangen bei Linsen und Zähnen, zieht sich die Reihe über Knochenimplantate, künstliche Hüften, Gelenke, Sehnen und Brusteinsätze bis hin zu Membranen und Herzklappen. Dazu kommen in den letzten Jahren Methoden, die über Elektro-Stimulation und eingebaute Chips mehr oder minder direkt mit dem Gehirn Kontakt aufnehmen. Während die Ärzte forschen und operieren, diskutiert die techno-affine Öffentlichkeit die Phänomene dieser invasiven Technik unter Begriffen wie “Brain Computer Interface” oder Mensch-Maschine-Schnittstellen.“ [zum Originalartikel]
Die Welt im Jahr 2070 – Teil 2
“Der Erfolg der zukünftigen Implantat- und Pharma-Technik wird sich zum einen an dem praktisch Möglichen orientieren, zum anderen aber auch nach den Medien verhandelten Körperbildern richten. Diese Bilder wiederum entstehen in einem Meinungsraum, der den wirtschaftlichen Interessen der Medien, aber auch den realen Lebensverhältnissen Rechnung trägt. Anders formuliert: Je krisenhafter die Lebensbedingungen der Menschen (und das ist sowohl ökonomisch wie mental gemeint) sein werden, umso eher werden sie geneigt sein, den Verheißungen einer Technik zu glauben, die sie “weiter bringt”, nämlich “von hier weg”, und sie damit gleichsam erneuert.” [zum Originalartikel]
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04.03.09
Posted in AI / Singularity, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:47 am by rheil
The Robot Scientist
„The Robot Scientist is perhaps the first physical implementation of the task of Scientific Discovery in a microbiology laboratory. It represents the merging of increasingly automated and remotely controllable laboratory equipment and knowledge discovery techniques from Artificial Intelligence.
Automation of laboratory equipment (the “Robot” of Robot Scientist) has revolutionised laboratory practice by removing the “drudgery” of constructing many wet lab experiments by hand, allowing an increase in both the scope and scale of potential experiments. Most lab robots only require a simple description of the various chemical/ biological entities to be used in the experiments, along with their required volumes and where these entities are stored. Automation has also given rise to significantly increased productivity and a concomitant increase in the production of results and data requiring interpretation, giving rise to an “interpretation bottleneck” where the process of understanding the results is lagging behind the production of results.“ [read original article]
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04.01.09
Posted in Deutschsprachige Seiten, Nanotechnology, Neuro, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:23 am by rheil
Mit Gedanken einen Roboter steuern, Florian Rötzer, Telepolis, 01.04.2009
„Japanische Wissenschaftler haben eine Gehirn-Maschinen-Schnittstelle entwickelt
Bislang konnte man mit der Abnahme von Gehirnwellen einen Cursor auf dem Bildschirm steuern. Honda ist nun einen Schritt weiter gekommen und hat eine Gehirn-Maschinen-Schnittstelle (BMI) entwickelt, um mit Gedanken einen Roboter im Raum zu steuern.“ [zum Originalartikel]
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03.26.09
Posted in Nanotechnology, Neuro, Technology, Transhumanism at 7:36 am by rheil
To Fight Drug Addiction, Researchers Target the Brain with Nanoparticles, Physorg, March 23rd, 2009
(PhysOrg.com) – „A precise, new nanotechnology treatment for drug addiction may be on the horizon as the result of research conducted at the University at Buffalo.“ [read original article]
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