So far, 2013 has been the year of the 3D printer. How will the 3D printer change our world in the coming decades? Will the transition be as transformative as the internet revolution?
Read MoreTechnology for the World
Cosmopolitanism is a philosophy that emphasizes thinking globally. This philosophical tradition has been growing over the past few decades. As a result, we are seeing people thinking more and more about how we can develop technologies that help our entire species.
Read MoreMonkey Tool Users
The bearded capuchin monkey is the only known monkey to use tools. In the context of contemporary primate tool-use, where does this species fit? And what can we learn about the evolution of tools from this extreme outlier?
Read More21st Century Neanderthals
A few months ago I pondered what it would have been like if other species within the genus Homo had survived into contemporary times. I hypothesized that based on our poor track record of violent conflict modern humans would have treated them very poorly. We may have a chance to see if I am right, because Harvard geneticist and synthetic biology pioneer George Church claims he could bring Neanderthals into the 21st century.
Read MoreThe Human Neocortex
In How To Create A Mind by Ray Kurzweil, the importance of the human neocortex is explored. What is important about the human neocortex? How did it evolve in our species? The answer to these questions can shed light on one of the most important evolutionary developments in the history of life on Earth.
Read MoreEconomic Evolution
Big history can help us understand many aspects of humanity. When we analyze trends from a big historical perspective, we can better extrapolate the changes that we should expect in the future. Nowhere is this more evident than with the research of economist Robin Hanson. Hanson (1994; 1998; 2008a; 2008b) has conducted groundbreaking research in big history economics. By analyzing the evolution of human economic systems he has revealed what our economic system may be like by the end of the century.
Read MoreA Two-Planet Species
Two private companies have plans to colonize Mars this century: Mars-One and SpaceX. The colonization of Mars would be an important achievement for our species, and it is a necessary next step for our long-term safety. How realistic are these company’s plans? Will both be successful? What would this accomplishment mean for our future?
Read MoreSingularity Failure
I recently read an article by computer scientist Vernor Vinge titled “What If the Singularity Does NOT Happen.” I have become so accustomed to thinking about our future in the context of a technological singularity that a future without one seems strange. What would it mean for our species in the long-term?
Read MoreThinking About "The Long Now"
Does our society have a short attention span? The Long Now Foundation thinks so, but they are trying to change it. They have plans to construct The Clock of the Long Now, a clock designed to operate on a scale of 10,000 years. The Long Now Foundation hopes that this construction will become an iconic symbol that becomes embedded in popular consciousness, making long-term thinking more automatic and common.
Read MoreThe Curiosity Announcement
When Dr. John Grotzinger told NPR that the Mars rover had made a discovery “for the history books” everyone overreacted, including me. Unfortunately, Curiosity did not discover microbial life, but they did discovery complex chemical compounds (e.g., carbon, chlorine). This discovery, although still disappointing for many, raises a few very interesting questions. And we shouldn’t forget that Curiosity’s mission has just begun.
Read MoreScience Meets YouTube
Over the last few weeks I have been interested in how new media is changing education. YouTube has become an exciting avenue for a new generation of science educators to build a global audience. In the future, we should be lucky enough to see more and more interesting and exciting educational channels. This post is a list of my favourite at the moment.
Read MoreThe Universe's Adolescent Pictures
One of the biggest questions in cosmology today is centered around the accelerated-expansion of the universe. In order to better understand how the universe expands a team of scientists explored expansion during the “matter dominated” phase of the universe’s earlier history. Observations from this phase indicate the expansion is more complicated than previously believed and make it even more difficult to understand the ultimate fate of the universe.
Read MoreRethinking Education
The current educational structure is deeply flawed. In an ideal world every student would have a one-on-one tutor. However, for several reasons this is not a feasible teaching structure. But with the development of new computer technologies, it may be possible one day for everyone to have a one-on-one personalized computer tutor. This idea has been called ‘digital Aristotle’, and the basic framework for an educational re-structuring is already in place.
Read MoreDear Universe, Sincerely Earth
In 1977, NASA launched the Voyager Interstellar Mission (VIM). During the first stages of this mission the Voyager 1 and 2 were programmed to explore the gas giant planets in the outer solar system. Today they are still traveling away from Earth and are close to reaching interstellar space. They will be the first human-made objects to enter interstellar space and carry with them an important message our species meant to represent the best of what our species is, and can be.
Read MoreRecent Discovery of an Earth-sized Exoplanet in Context
An Earth-sized planet was recently discovered in a star system 4.3 light years away from Earth. Despite being Earth-sized, it is far too close to its host star to be able to support life. However, this planet represents yet another continuation of an impressive trend in astronomy of finding increasingly more Earth-iike planets. If the pace of exoplanet discovery continues at the current rate and if planet finding technology continues to improve, will we find a 'second Earth' within the next 5 or 10 years?
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