Science Not Fiction

I’m officially a blogger for Discover Magazine’s amazing Science Not Fiction blog!!!! Read it! Tell your friends and family!

Pop Transhumanism is on indefinite hiatus while I get my feet under the new blog and get used to my new job.

No More Dentist’s Drill

A drilless cavity solution that isn’t just speculation, FINALLY:

The gel or thin film contains a peptide known as MSH, or melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Previous experiments, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that MSH encourages bone regeneration.

Bone and teeth are fairly similar, so the French scientists reasoned that if the MSH were applied to teeth, it should help healing as well.

To test their theory, the French scientists applied either a film or gel, both of which contained MSH, to cavity-filled mice teeth. After about one month, the cavities had disappeared, said Benkirane-Jessel.

Hallelujah!

Blood Stem Cells Can Be Reprogrammed

Soon enough, the whole embryonic stem cell debate will be out the window:

Three research groups used similar methods to prod certain immune cells in human blood to become induced pluripotent stem cells. Because they are reprogrammed adult cells, these stem cells share many of the same regenerative abilities as true embryonic stem cells but may not have as much versatility in the kinds of mature cells they can become. But induced pluripotent cells are harvested from adults and so don’t face the same ethical mires posed by embryo-derived stem cells. And as techniques for manipulating induced pluripotent cells improve, some researchers think they may be just as useful.

The new studies accomplished the reprogramming feat by using viruses to deliver a four-gene cocktail that reverts the cells to a naive state in which any developmental path is open. In theory at least, these induced pluripotent stem cells could go on to form neurons in the brain, muscle cells in the leg or beating heart cells.

My Exobrain is Broken

In addition to working like a madman, my exobrain is totally kaputz. Sure it takes phone calls, but when it isn’t doing that it’s trying to ruin my life.

Assorted Links

1. My Daddy’s Name is Donor
2. The British public is pretty chill about the whole synthetic life thing.
3. No orgasm, please. We’re women.
4. Wayne MFing Barlowe.
5. (Very Good) Thoughts on AR.
6. Robots at war, now.

Dudes, Chicks, Have Different Hopes for “Friends With Benefits” Relationships

If you aren’t subscribed to discoblog or, worse yet, you are unfamiliar with the concept of NCBI ROFL, I suggest you get with the program. One of the best nuggets of research-based comedy gold: how men and women perceive “Friends With Benefits” relationships:

Results indicated many overall similarities in terms of how the sexes approach FWB relationships, but several important differences emerged. For example, sex was a more common motivation for men to begin such relationships, whereas emotional connection was a more common motivation for women. In addition, men were more likely to hope that the relationship stays the same over time, whereas women expressed more desire for change into either a full-fledged romance or a basic friendship. Unexpectedly, both men and women were more committed to the friendship than to the sexual aspect of the relationship.

Good to know we’re all on the same page.

Sincerely, the 21st Century

SMBC who else?

Futurisms Takes My Favorite Picture at H+

Our frienemies over at Futurisms went to the H+ summit at Harvard and had lots to say. So many that after more than ten posts on the topic, there are still some scraps on the side. One such scrap is the above photo, of J. Hughes, Natasha Vita-More and IEET intern (coffee! Bring me coffee. NOW NOW NOW) Ben Scarlato. Ari Schulman does most of the post-conference digesting. At one point, he even takes on my hero and yours, Ron Bailey:

In his talk at the conference, Reason magazine science writer Ron Bailey used a common transhumanist trope, comparing the end of laws discriminating against racial minorities to the end of laws discriminating against another supposed minority — the enhanced. Bailey only does this implicitly, but it’s funny how often criticism of transhumanism gets explicitly compared to chauvinism for white males, since most transhumanists are, as most of the attendees at this conference were, males and predominantly white.

Aside from Bailey’s disdain [this guy!] for democracy, it’s worth pointing out that he also groups legal restrictions on embryonic stem cell research under the umbrella of “democratic tyranny,” yet evinces no concern for exercising tyranny over the rights of these beings.

Now, I’m sure there is a coherent thought struggling to get out from that mishmash of words, but I’m having trouble finding it. Most “enhancement” technologies would immediately provide benefit for the differently abled – be they those with physical restrictions, neurodiverse individuals, transsexual individuals, those with sense impairments, or even infertile individuals; even if it is indeed white men who would comprise the minority fighting for the right to be “enhanced.” The “too many white dudes” is a general problem in both philosophy and STEM in general, which happens to be the intersection where transhumanism finds itself.

But somehow I doubt that Schulman is concerned with our inability to speak for the subaltern, so I’ll just say thanks for posting that great picture of J, Natasha, and Ben.

Star Trek: Tik Tok

How I woke up this morning, no joke:

Thanks dove4med. Wooh owah owa-HOOOOOO

“But I can’t wait to get back on my own two — artificial — feet again”

Roger Simon, chief political editor for Politico, had his legs amputated. His interview is spectacular.