Is Gravity a realistic view of the hazards of intergalactic travel, or just a reboot of old movie serials with weightlessness thrown in? Is it an examination of solitude and the human need to connect with others, or a soporific woman’s weepie about the pains of unfulfilled motherhood? Gravitas or grasping for meaning?
Continue reading “Cinema Slapdown Round 53: Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity”
Superintelligence asks the questions: What happens when machines surpass humans in general intelligence? Will artificial agents save or destroy us? Nick Bostrom lays the foundation for understanding the future of humanity and intelligent life.
Continue reading “Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies”
Coinciding with the Transamerica Chicago Triathlon, Dr. Steven McCaw of Illinois State University will bring us the latest research and advances in the science of running. If you are one of the millions of Americans who run for exercise or recreation, you won’t want to miss this event.
Predicting the Technologies of Our Future
Star Trek is a story of exploration that has fascinated us for the last 50 years.
A crucial part of this story are unbelievable scientific and technological advances — warp drive, wormholes beaming technology, holodecks — that make the exploration of the universe possible.
The safety of the food supply has emerged as an important and complex global public health, social, and political issue. Although accurate statistics on the scope of foodborne illness are lacking, the most recent estimates published by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that as many as 48 million cases, 128,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths are caused by foodborne illness each year in the U.S.
The Biomedical Applications of 3D Printing
The impact of 3D printing is expected to affect all of our lives at some point in the near future, whether it will be in the products we buy, the educational tools we use, or the medical care we seek.
