science

Topics and developments in science and medicine, presented by Futurism.

Where the Body Ends and the Self Begins
In a few months we will be able to see the first human head transplant. After years of preparation and planning, surgeons hope that the procedure, successful or not, will lead to new treatments for the severely disabled. The procedure itself will be a grueling thirty six hours, and if the early tests on mice are any indication, the volunteer patient might only have a few hours to enjoy his new body. Other researchers point to other dangers that might arise, including a real possibility that the severely damaged spinal cord nerves might trigger unimaginable, permanent pain. Regardless, the surgeons are moving forward in what they hope will be a great leap for science.
By Haybitch Abersnatchy8 years ago in Futurism
Are There Wormholes at the Black Holes' Core?
What happens when you remove the singularity from a black hole? A wormhole might appear right in the center of it. Can you go through, can we travel through time? Nobody knows for sure, but in case you are immensely bold, the easiest way to find out is diving right into it.
By pionic8 years ago in Futurism
Is The Human Mind Capable Of Manipulating Our Physical World?
Lucien Hardy is a theoretical physicist from the Perimeter Institute in Canada. Hardy was always asking questions, gathering information, looking for paradoxical thought experiments and provoking the world of quantum mechanics. He even devised his own Hardy Paradox back in 1992 studying particle interactions.
By pionic8 years ago in Futurism
Catching 40 Billion Winks
Humanity’s first trip to a distant star is likely to be boring. I’m not talking I’m-so-bored-I-can’t-find-anything-to-watch-on-237-cable-channels-or-Netflix kind of bored. I mean stuck-in-a-doctor’s-office-with-muzak-and-no-magazines-with-no-escape-for-20-years kind of bored. Think of it this way, it would be like a cruise ship without the water, ports, destinations, wave pools, an open bar or anything to even really look at. Oh, and the food would probably suck pretty bad, too.
By C. A. Wilke8 years ago in Futurism
Entropy
I think in today's society we can look into the world and see ourselves as separate beings, but this is largely a fallacy I believe. More and more I see the connection we all have with one another. It might be the simple observation that everybody at the supermarket somehow randomly decides to check out at the same time, or it might be the awareness of how life is filled with constant coincidence. For whatever reason, more and more I'm noticing things as more of a whole rather than events happening as an individual.
By Sound And The Messenger8 years ago in Futurism
Top Alternate Universe Theories
For the longest time, alternate universes were just used as an excuse to have a new character, a weird plot line, or just a cool story in media. If you're like me, you've probably wondered what life would be like in an alternate universe, or if there's an alternate version of you somewhere in a parallel universe.
By Sarah McDaniel8 years ago in Futurism
Unnatural Philosophy?
Thank goodness today's natural philosophers have their fancy tools at hand when it comes to proving their theories and letting us know just what's what. Imagine the embarrassment of say, Aristotle, were he to be resurrected and held accountable for some of his ideas about the nature of things; notably his belief that the world was composed of four elements — Earth, Air, Fire and Water, as you all well know.
By Kevin McClintock9 years ago in Futurism
On-Demand Spaceship Parts from Pink Goop?
One of the most fascinating technologies to be birthed out of the turn of the millennium is additive, or 3D, printing. And like many other scientific discoveries and inventions, it doesn’t take a ton of imagination to see how something like that might be useful in space. In fact, I would argue that in order for something like a colony/generation ship to be successful, it would absolutely need to have the ability to manufacture new parts on the spot.
By C. A. Wilke9 years ago in Futurism
What is Consciousness?. Top Story - August 2017.
Perhaps one of the strangest mysteries of the universe is the question of how we became cognizant creatures. Being conscious is one of the bare-bone requirements of being alive, and yet, we still don't understand how it all came to be.
By Sarah McDaniel9 years ago in Futurism
Nanotechnology
"Why can't we write all the 24 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica on the head of a pin?" This question raised by the great scientist Richard Feynman became the cradle for a revolutionary idea — the technology of the future — nanotechnology. It is the study and control of matter at the nano scale, rearranging atoms and molecules. Nanotechnology has made marvelous contributions in many diverse fields, ranging from computer science to medical science. Nanotechnology is a wonderful new technology in which scientists rearrange atoms and molecules of matter to nano specifications. Or, to put it differently, the use and control of tiny matter is called nanotechnology. The time matter is referred to as nano particles. These particles are measured in nano meters. Matter at the nano scale has different properties from the same matter in bulk form. In modern times, nanotechnology has become increasingly important. It has many uses from developing sports equipment to medical applications and is a faster, cheaper, and a better technology for use in many applications.
By sharan r9 years ago in Futurism
India in Space
Their beginning was humble, and they had no achievements to boast about. Not even a good laboratory . But, this dream team, had a great vision for India.
By sharan r9 years ago in Futurism
Origin of Life
When I was just a little kid, I was convinced that life popped up from just about anything, especially things that were rotting. It wasn't long before a discarded apple core turned into a cloud of tiny flies. A little dirt from the park across the street yielded all kinds of worms after sitting in a jar of water. Yep, life was just a force of Nature.
By Arthur M.9 years ago in Futurism