Friday Futures: life in space, live for 1,000 years

space
Image credit: bekulnis / Shutterstock.com

Welcome to Friday Futures, our weekly guide to the latest visions of The Future from around the web. This week: life in space; living for 1,000 years; soft robots; diabetes breakthrough; moon mission to South Pole; time.

Life survived on the outside of the Space Station

The German Aerospace Center just made a bombshell discovery: they found that samples of organisms including bacteria, algae, lichens and fungi survived on the exterior of the International Space Station for 533 days. Read more…

Someone alive today could live to 1,000 – easy

Aubrey de Grey, a scientist who studies regenerative medicine, thinks that new biotechnology will let people who are already alive today reach the ripe old age of 1,000. Read more…

And maybe drive/fly one of these cool motorbikes

Human beta cells in mice might reverse diabetes

Encapsulating human stem-cell-derived beta cells in microcapsules made with a protein that repels key immune cells restored glucose metabolism in diabetic mice and protected the cells from immune system attack. Read more…

Welcome a new type of ‘soft’ robot

Using a new type of dual polymer material capable of responding dynamically to its environment, Brown University researchers have developed a set of modular hydrogel components that could be useful in a variety of “soft robotic” and biomedical applications. Read more…

If the Sun was a black hole, would we get sucked in?

The next US moon mission will go to the South Pole

When American astronauts go back to the moon, they will land at the lunar south pole. Why there? Because there’s ice at the moon’s poles, which Pence claimed could be turned into rocket fuel. Read more…

What is time anyway? Does it even exist?

Tiny sensors: you can have a nutritionist in your mouth

Engineers at Tufts University have created tiny sensors that attach to teeth. The wireless sensors are designed to monitor health and dietary habits. It’s like a little nutritionist in your mouth that keeps tabs on every time you cheat on your diet. Read more…

(Compiled by Alex Leslie, edited by Tony Poulos)

Be the first to comment

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.