Tag Archives: Technology

New Research Videos: “In Search Of The Amazon’s Tallest Tree” (Cambridge)

Research has discovered the tallest known tree in the Amazon, towering above the previous record holder at a whopping 88.5 metres. This giant could store as much carbon as an entire hectare of rainforest elsewhere in the Amazon. Toby Jackson, a plant scientist in the University of Cambridge, took part in an expedition to find the tree in a remote region of northern Brazil, and validate its height the old-fashioned way – by climbing it.

To read more: https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/expedition-finds-tallest-tree-in-the-amazon

New Tech Books: “The Future Is Faster Than You Think”, Peter H. Diamandis & Steven Kotler (Jan 2020)

The Future Is Faster Than You Think Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler 2020Technology is accelerating far more quickly than anyone could have imagined. During the next decade, we will experience more upheaval and create more wealth than we have in the past hundred years. In this gripping and insightful roadmap to our near future, Diamandis and Kotler investigate how wave after wave of exponentially accelerating technologies will impact both our daily lives and society as a whole. What happens as AI, robotics, virtual reality, digital biology, and sensors crash into 3D printing, blockchain, and global gigabit networks? How will these convergences transform today’s legacy industries? What will happen to the way we raise our kids, govern our nations, and care for our planet?

Peter Diamandis The Future Is Faster Than You ThinkRecently named by Fortune as one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” Peter H. Diamandis is the founder and executive chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, which leads the world in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions.  He is also the executive founder of Singularity University, a graduate-level Silicon Valley institution that counsels the world’s leaders on exponentially growing technologies.

As an entrepreneur, Diamandis has started over 20 companies in the areas of longevity, space, venture capital and education. He is co-founder of BOLD Capital Partners, a venture fund with $250M investing in exponential technologies, and co-founder and Vice
Chairman of Celularity, Inc., a cellular therapeutics company.

Website: https://www.diamandis.com/

Future Of Mobility: BMW Design Chief Talks About Brand’s “Vision M NEXT” Car Technology (Video)

Domagoj Dukec Head Of BMW Design‘we believe in the power of choice,’ begins domagoj dukec. as cars embrace new technologies such as autonomous systems, BMW and their designers are ensuring customers are still offered their own ultimate driving experience. in fact, they are actually integrating technology into the background of their designs, from the powertrains to the adaptable furniture and interior fabrics, creating mobility spaces that adapt to your needs. the innovations are there to help and enhance the experience but are free to the user to choose when, where and how it affects their journey. this power of choice is exemplified by BMW‘s two driving modes and vision cars: EASE and BOOST, and the Vision iNEXT and Vision M NEXT.

DesignBoom video

Medical Technology: “TeleNeurology” Remote Consultations Are As Effective As Office Visits

From a Becker’s Hospital Review online release:

Neurology Journal December 2019Telemedicine extends care accessibility to people with epilepsy, who may be unable to drive to appointments, as well as people with mobility issues stemming from neurologic disorders such as multiple sclerosis. Virtual care also helps address geographic barriers by allowing patients in rural areas to see a neurologist through telemedicine technology instead of having to travel hours for in-person care, said lead author Jaime Hatcher-Martin, MD, PhD, a member of AAN, according to the news release.

Teleneurology is Neurology Dec 4 2019

The studies’ analysis found that patients and their caregivers were equally satisfied with virtual physician visits and in-person appointments. Some studies showed that the use of telemedicine is as effective as in-person care to make accurate diagnoses. However, the researchers noted that there have been few randomized, controlled studies on telemedicine for neurology apart from stroke care.

To read more: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/telehealth/telemedicine-may-be-as-effective-for-neurological-disorders-as-in-person-office-visits-analysis-finds.html

Food Trends: “Kitchen United” Delivery-Only Restaurants Wins “2019 Innovator Of The Year”

From a Restaurant Dive online article:

Restaurant Dive Awards 2019“What virtual kitchens, or the Kitchen United concept does, is create a new economic model, where no longer do [restaurants] have to invest in expensive real estate and fancy front-of-house overhead and dining rooms, [they] can share kitchen space, optimize capital that is there and hopefully create a more profitable model for delivery,” NPD Group Vice President David Portalatin told Restaurant Dive. 

When Kitchen United received $40 million in funding from RXR Realty during the summer, it became clear the two-year-old shared kitchen startup is paving a path for rapid expansion. The company will partner with the real estate company to open kitchens in New York City and the tri-state area.

This partnership fits within Kitchen United’s overall goal of opening 400 kitchen centers and 5,000 kitchens within the next few years. But it certainly isn’t alone in opening virtual kitchens, or restaurants without a traditional retail storefront. Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats have all been trying their hand in delivery-only restaurants over the last two years.

To read more; https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/innovator-kitchen-united-restaurant-dive-awards/566463/

Classic Car Nostalgia: “1968 Triumph TR6” – 1st Year (Classic Driver)

From a Classic Driver online listing:

1968 Triumph TR6 Classic Driver

Offered as an affordable, six-cylinder sports car, the first Triumph TR6 rolled off the production line in 1968 as a 1969 model. It’s intended target was to rival similar sports cars at the time, and although most were designed with sleek, curved lines, the TR6 was squared off at both ends, making it stand out from it’s competitors. With just a seven year production span, the TR6 grew to become a true British classic.

The Triumph TR6 was offered as a convertible only, with a factory steel hard top available optionally.

Triumph produced a range of TR models, from the TR1 right up to a limited run of the TR8, but it was the sixth car in the range that really stood out from a sales point of view. The TR5 enjoyed a very brief thirteen-month period of manufacture between 1967 and 1968. Less than 3,000 units were produced before the TR6 came in to improve on many of the specifications. Unlike its predecessors, the Triumph TR6 was more reliable mechanically, which means that there are many original models still on our roads.

Website: https://www.classicdriver.com/en/car/triumph/tr6/1968/723270

Genetic Engineering: Harvard Scientist George Church Seeks To “Reverse Aging” (60 Minutes Video)

Our lives have been transformed by the information age. But what’s coming next is likely to be more profound, call it the genetic information age. We have mapped the human genome and in just the last few years we have learned to read and write DNA like software. And you’re about to see a few breakthroughs-in-waiting that would transform human health. For a preview of this revolution in evolution we met George Church, a world leading geneticist, whose own DNA harbors many eccentricities and a few genes for genius.

Website: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvard-geneticist-george-church-goal-to-protect-humans-from-viruses-genetic-diseases-and-aging-60-minutes-2019-12-08/

 

Health: Caltech Scientists Develop “Wearable Sweat Sensor” To Detect Gout, Disease-Based Compounds

From a Caltech online news release:

Nature Biotechnolgy“Such wearable sweat sensors have the potential to rapidly, continuously, and noninvasively capture changes in health at molecular levels,” Gao says. “They could enable personalized monitoring, early diagnosis, and timely intervention.”

The development of such sensors would allow doctors to continuously monitor the condition of patients with illnesses like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or kidney disease, all of which result in abnormal levels of nutrients or metabolites in the bloodstream. Patients would benefit from having their physician better informed of their condition, while also avoiding invasive and painful encounters with hypodermic needles.

Caltech logoGao’s work is focused on developing devices based on microfluidics, a name for technologies that manipulate tiny amounts of liquids, usually through channels less than a quarter of a millimeter in width. Microfluidics are ideal for an application of this sort because they minimize the influence of sweat evaporation and skin contamination on the sensing accuracy. As freshly supplied sweat flows through the microchannels, the device can make more accurate measurements of sweat and can capture temporal changes in concentrations.

To read more: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/wearable-sweat-sensor-detects-gout-causing-compounds

 

New Medical Innovations: Ultrasound Treatment For Prostate Cancer Proves 80% Effective

From a Radiological Society of North America release:

Radiological Society of North AmericaThe TACT Pivotal study of MRI-guided TULSA for whole-gland ablation in men with localized prostate cancer met its primary PSA endpoint in 96% of patients, with low rates of severe toxicity and residual GG2 disease. MRI at 12mo detected residual disease with NPV of 93%.

The new technique is called MRI-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) and has been under development for a number of years. The minimally invasive technology involves a rod that enters the prostate gland via the urethra and emits highly controlled sound waves in order to heat and destroy diseased tissue, while leaving healthy tissue unharmed.

To read more: https://press.rsna.org/pressrelease/2019_resources/2129/abstract.pdf