Category: The Future

The Doomsday Glacier

Another day, another fossil fuel induced problem. Bill Nye, famously known as “Bill Nye The Science guy” is a mechanical engineer, science communicator, and television presenter, says that the high amounts of burning of fossil fuels is going to result in all of South Florida sinking below sea level. Bill Nye said that if the world keeps burning fossil fuels at the same frequency as right now, the glacier from Antarctica will completely melt within five years resulting in South Florida sinking. The ocean may rise half a meter above its normal level. This will all happen as the global temperature increases as a result of the burning of fossil fuels causing the glaciers to melt.

Studies say that if all fossil fuels are burned, then all of the ice in Antarctica will melt resulting in a huge disaster. Some of the most prominent signs of global warming include the increase in ocean temperature, increase in air temperature, the sea levels increasing, reduced snow fall, and high increased humidity. 

One of the many reasons for global warming is also due to the cutting down of trees and forests which is increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the air, trapping heat and gas. Due to the vast change in the climate, scientists believe that many areas of the Earth will not be able to sustain life and between 2030-2050, life on earth could be extinct. This supports Bill Nye’s claim that the world (and South Florida) will drown in the water coming from melted glaciers increasing the sea levels throughout the world and causing extreme floods. The heavy moisture in the air and higher sea surface temperatures also cause extreme hurricanes and tropical storms. 

While some scientists say that the world will end in 2100 and some believe it will end somewhere in between 2030 to 2050, at the moment Bill Nye is mainly concerned about South Florida’s current situation which he believes will get worse within the next five years. The only solution to this disastrous problem is to reduce the usage of fossil fuels or completely omit it altogether and instead use renewable energy resources including energy from sunlight, wind, rain, waves, and geothermal heat. By using renewable energy resources, the production of carbon dioxide will decrease and reduce the heat trapped beneath the outer Earth gasses. When carbon pollution is minimized, the process of global warming will slow down resulting in less glacial melt and stabilized sea levels.

Could Augmented Reality Make Reality Disappear

Louis Rosenberg, one of the world’s leading computer engineers believes the metaverse, could one day ‘make reality disappear.’

The scientist known for developing the first functional augmented reality system at Air Force Research Laboratory and founding virtual reality company Immersion Corporation, believes that by integrating virtual reality and augmented reality and having people interact in the digital realm for a significant portion of their day, it could ‘alter our sense of reality’ and distort ‘how we interpret our direct daily experiences.’

‘Our surroundings will become filled with people, places, objects, and activities that don’t actually exist, and yet they will seem deeply authentic to us,’ Rosenberg penned in the piece, published by Big Think.

He is concerned about the legitimate uses of AR by the powerful platform providers that will control the infrastructure

Rosenberg, 62, also worries that augmented reality technology, such as glasses (like those produced by Meta and reportedly being worked on by Apple) will eventually force people to ‘become thoroughly dependent on the virtual layers of information projected all around us.’

‘It will feel no more optional than internet access feels optional today,’ Rosenberg, who made his fortune in technology, explained.

‘You won’t unplug your AR system because doing so will make important aspects of your surroundings inaccessible to you, putting you at a disadvantage socially, economically, and intellectually.

‘The fact is, the technologies we adopt in the name of convenience rarely remain optional — not when they are integrated into our lives as broadly as AR will be.’

In addition to the fact he notes society is living in ‘dangerous times,’ and that augmented reality ‘has the potential to amplify the dangers to levels we have never seen before.’

Rosenberg cited one example that is particularly worrisome to him about a future in which the metaverse overcomes reality:

‘Imagine walking down the street in your hometown, casually glancing at people you pass on the sidewalk.

‘It is much like today, except floating over the heads of every person you see are big glowing bubbles of information.

‘Maybe the intention is innocent, allowing people to share their hobbies and interests with everyone around them.

‘Now imagine that third parties can inject their own content, possibly as a paid filter layer that only certain people can see. And they use that layer to tag individuals with bold flashing words like “Alcoholic” or “Immigrant” or “Atheist” or “Racist” or even less charged words like “Democrat” or “Republican.”

‘Those who are tagged may not even know that others can see them that way.

‘These virtual overlays could easily be designed to amplify political division, ostracize certain groups, even drive hatred and mistrust.

‘Will this really make the world a better place? Or will it take the polarized and confrontational culture that has emerged online and spread it across the real world?’

Blood of the Young

According to scientists, you can now stay younger if you transfuse blood from younger people into your body. The very first experiment on this was done in the early 1950s which is known as Parabiosis where they took two mice, a young mouse and an old mouse and paired them together by removing a part of each mouse’s skin from their sides and stitching them together so the two mice shared their blood systems. The muscles of the older mouse started becoming like the younger mouse’s muscles after about a month of the pairing. Scientists then again started researching this experiment in the early 2000s which gained a lot of interest. By 2016, this idea became so popular that an American business called Ambrosia started collecting the plasma from young blood, which was quite pricey. This organization was later shut down by the authorities as the benefits of this transfusion were not yet completely proven to work and was also a threat to the health of the young donors. Scientists are now researching to see if the blood of people of younger ages could cure some age related diseases. 

The mouse experiment worked because mice have different particles in their blood called extracellular vesicles (EV) which send instructions for to longevity protein called “Klotho” which in turn sends signals to the muscle cells. Scientists are now working to see if the same blood transfusion will be able to work on humans as well. Currently a team from the University of Pittsburgh is working on finding how effective the blood transfusion from a younger person could be. Their aim is to figure out if this transfusion will help in slowing down the aging process as well as helping to understand how muscle regeneration and its biology works. The mice experiment could also prove if a young persons blood transfusion will slow down the aging process or even possibly stop it.

This blood transfusion process could be a big risk to the lives of the young people as they have developing systems which is why scientists are also working to ensure that it is a safe practice for both parties. Some scientists are also analyzing the differences between the cells in order to find some supplements or alternatives to provide to aged people which provide similar benefits to young blood plasma. The reversing of age might also change the way people look which is also a big plus point for people who are conscious about their skin and their wrinkles. But as younger people are involved in this, it is very important to be 100% sure that this transfusion is completely safe.

Organic Molecules on Mars

In 2017, NASA’s Mars Curiosity swept up the first samples of Martian dirt. Successful researchers have teamed up to test those samples. Using chemical reagents, a mixture was prepared inside the cup. As the mixture cooled, organic molecules were released, which NASA did not investigate or detect ever before. Scientists and researchers have been trying to untangle the mystery behind this discovery.

According to the team of researchers, they conducted the rover’s wet chemistry experiments, which were successful, and, they found two evident chemicals present in the mixture; ammonia and benzoic acid. Both of these chemicals are clear indicators of ancient life. While searching for organic molecules on Mars, the scientists aimed to understand and learn about the past viability for life on Mars, and are looking to discover where these molecules originated.

In addition to showing the past habitability of Mars, the studies also suggest that these molecules might have developed from the planet’s geological processes. Moreover, these studies have demonstrated that the onboard experiment technique of the rover can be used to explore organic molecules. Scientists have carried out these experiments without drilling any holes into the rocks. According to the researchers, these organic molecules are complex and were floating around on the lake of Mars over 3 billion years ago.

The organic molecules found are made from carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and many other elements as well. An analysis by Curiosity shows that billions of years ago, a lake inside the Gale cavity had everything necessary for life, including synthetic structure blocks, energy sources, and fluid water. Observing and finding antiquated carbon preserved right on the Martian surface gives researchers certainty that NASA’s Mars 2020 rover and the European Space Agency’s ExoMars rover will find considerably more organic material on a superficial level.

The rover was originally planned to be used during a two-year mission to accumulate information and samples to help understand if the planet could uphold life, have fluid water, as well as study the environment and geology of Mars. But because of its success, the mission has been expanded endlessly and has now been active for more than 2,000 days. Moreover, the rover has a few logical instruments ready, including the Mast Cam, which comprises two cameras and can take high-goal pictures and recordings in genuine shading.

Further investigations of Mars will ideally find more components of the planet that could uncover much more with regard to its origin and what conditions could potentially support life there. Furthermore, as the astrobiologists’ study shows, there might be more associations between Earth and Mars.

The unexpected occurrence and discovery of these molecules has made it easier for scientists to understand and gather information about the history of Mars. Moreover, besides being cold and barren in today’s time, scientists believe that Mars once had an ancient microbial life.

Progress with Anti-Gravity Tech

Everyone must have heard the tales of secret technologies created by the USA, Russia, and various other global agencies. For instance, anti-gravity technology has always been mentioned multiple times by the great scientists of NASA and DARPA, especially during the discussions about UFOs.

However, the serious investigation and discussion into such technology has so far been elusive to leading scientists, or at least, was until November 2020. It was the beginning of an evolution that brought the leading scientists from NASA, DARPA, and Harvard on a single platform through the Zoom app, in an open discussion about anti-gravity tech. 

Anti-gravity discussion – Is it a Taboo?

On 10 November 2020, and nearly a year into the covid-19 pandemic, Google meetings, and Zoom calls had become commonplace. However, the scheduled conference was confidential, and the individuals were anything but ordinary.

Far from the myriad of online meetings held since last summer, the introductory Alternative Propulsion Energy Conference (APEC) was created to provide scientists an opportunity to discuss anti-gravity by using alternative ideas besides mainstream science. Undoubtedly, theoretical physics is respectable, but the conference was steering towards engineering, which ultimately leads to new experimental methods, all with a mutual goal of trying to comprehend and hopefully understand the most significant force in our universe, gravity.

According to The Debrief’s reports, the experts have attended almost 22 virtual meetings to discuss Non-Newtonian Propulsion, and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP).

Avoiding conflicts:

During an interview, conference organizer Tim Ventura notified The Debrief about the convergence of the Alt Propulsion community, and how they’ve collided between the theories of aerospace, defense, electrical engineering, UFOs, physics, and the frontier science cultures.

Tim further stated that they’re acquiring residents from all of these cultures who attend the conferences, regardless of having different beliefs from others on certain topics; they avoid providing room for any conflict.

According to The Debrief, despite the unusual subject, 16 out of 71 witnesses at the November conference were current or prior NASA scientists and engineers, while the others were associated with well-known institutions including, MIT and Harvard.

UFOs in the spotlight:

The subject of UFOs created a pivotal pop-culture revival this year, with military pilots discussing their. Previously, every scientist was aware of UFO reorts, but due to the lack of acknowledgment, they weren’t utterly relevant. With that said, the scientific community is now examining the subject more seriously than ever.

Regardless of their exceptional efforts, gravity remains unbeaten.

Lab Grown Meat

As meat consumption increases around the globe, food scientists are working harder to develop healthier, appetizing, and more sustainable plant-based protein nutrients replicating meat as well as poultry products including, cheese, eggs, and milk.

According to a BBC report, over 100,000 genetically modified barley plants are being grown in a greenhouse in Iceland for producing artificial meat. These genetic alterations along with the natural evolutionary changes have resulted in ordinary food that are now genetically distinct from their ancestors.

The modified barley was gathered and refined with an aim to eliminate the human race’s reliance on living animals in the meat sector. With meat production contributing to approximately 60% of all greenhouse gases, such a progression could have profound implications in our fight against climate change.

Utilizing Cultivation methods:

ORF Genetics, the organization behind the greenhouse is harvesting the biogenetically changed barley over 22,000 sq. feet by utilizing futuristic hydroponic cultivation methods. The growth factors that are uprooted from the barley’s seeds are of pivotal importance for the well-being of stem cells. In 2010, ORF created a skin care product by using the growth factor hormones. Over 10 years, the platform expects to enter the cell-cultured beef market. Growth factor hormones help the tissues containing animal muscles and fatty cells.

ORF Genetics director of protein technology, Arna Runarsdottir, reported to the BBC about the rise in population and how they’re responsible for their nourishment. Fortunately, artificially prepared meat would offer a plethora of benefits that might help feed the world if researchers could figure out how to produce it for the masses.

How it becomes a matter of concern?

The extract of Mesokine from a barley seed is said to be a budget-friendly and scalable technology compared to traditional growth factor sources.

Indeed, the cost of producing cell-based meat has decreased over time. For instance, a Chinese biotech company has recently revealed its lab-grown pork. However, the growth factor hormone is still a luxury ingredient that blocks the way of extensive manufacture and commercialization, but Mesokine might change that.

Social disruption ahead:

Beneficial outcomes of these genetic modifications include enhanced food production and improved nutritional values. These objectives continue to motivate research companies who have designed modern genetic modifications for recognizing, selecting, and analyzing individual living organisms that possess genetically attractive features.

In any food industry, there’re plenty of players, and some are more focused on sustainability than others. As an undetermined technology, it suggests that synthetic lab grown food might be harmful to the livelihoods of farmers, certainly in the progressing world. While reporting to the BBC, Arna Runarsdottir said that it’s a more reliable and environmental-friendly option compared to traditionally grown meat.