Artificial intelligence no longer simply exists in science fiction movies and books. From self-driving cars to intelligent computers to help doctors, these technologies are already being developed. At the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, scientists discussed the benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence and how it will change the world. Elizabeth Lee reports.
Originally published at – http://www.voanews.com/media/video/ar…
The colonization of space has only just begun. Numerous parties have great ambitions to explore outer space for tourism, transportation and raw materials. It’s a race, and slowly but surely it’s becoming clear that there is a need for clear rules concerning the entering and use of this space. Space lawyer Frans von der Dunk is currently one of the few people in the world who is trying to shed some light on this.
On a sunny morning in 1889, hundreds of covered wagons were ready to start a race. Under the motto ‘first come, first served’, settlers could claim their own piece of land. This Oklahoma Run got completely out of control. Today, we’re on the eve of a new colonization: this time it’s outer space. The new space race is about the claims that can be made: to space itself and to the various planets and asteroids. It seems everyone wants to go into space. Whether you want to plant the national flag of China, the Czech Republic or Israel, or mine raw materials. Whether your company is called Deep Space Industries or Planetary Resources, and whether your name is Elon Musk or Richard Branson. Countries have strategic and political interests, companies have commercial ones, plus there is a growing number of wealthy adventurers who want to explore space.
Up till now, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty was the starting point for ‘space law’, but it’s completely outdated. The massive and irreversible space race which is about to start is crying out for a new legislation that’s clear to all parties involved. Frans von der Dunk, professor of Space Law at the University of Nebraska, has written the first manual for outer space. He hopes his book will become the first real standard work for the new space legislation.
As a pioneer in the field of space law, he is now consulted around the world by companies and countries with extraterrestrial ambitions. The main questions are about resolving conflicts concerning the extraction of raw materials, which is the topic of a forthcoming important and potentially historic moment: the adoption of the so-called Asteroid Act by the U.S. Senate. With this act, the United States wants to give American companies the opportunity to mine raw materials in space. But it’s a national law, so the U.S. is ignoring other countries, risking international conflicts as a result. So Frans von der Dunk has his work cut out for him.
VPRO Backlight traveled with space lawyer Frans von der Dunk for a month. His agenda is filled with exciting and surprisingly diverse meetings in the world of space travel: from Vienna to Washington, from Abu Dhabi to Jerusalem.
With: Frans von der Dunk (space lawyer and professor of Space Law at the University of Nebraska), Buzz Aldrin (the second man on the Moon) and Peter Marquez (former Space Policy advisor for presidents Bush and Obama, and currently vice president Planetary Resources).
Noah Poponak, aerospace and defense senior equity research analyst in Goldman Sachs Research, explains why dissolving barriers to entry – combined with geopolitical tensions – have ignited a new space race, with implications for scientific research, defense, communications and travel. Learn more: http://link.gs.com/1EMM
See more Stories of Progress: www.gs.com/progress
Goldman Sachs helped structure a first-of-its-kind financing solution when DC Water needed to finance its Clean Rivers Project, which will help restore and protect the ecosystems and biodiversity in and around the waterways of Washington D.C
This is the ultimate secret to a healthy organic garden, a healthy soil food web. Discover how a healthy soil food web works by watching this video, or for the entire lesson on healthy soil, check out the free garden show at http://thelivingfarm.org/high-perform…
An incredibly enthusiastic, intelligent, visionary, and motivated young woman, Abigail Harrison is setting her sites on being the first astronaut to land on Mars. Starting in 5th grade with the GEMS program (Girls in Engineering, Mathematics and Science) to being invited as guest blogger for NASA’s ISS blog, corresponding with Italian astronaut Luca Parmatano, and attending the legendary Russian Soyuz space launch as a VIP guest, Abby is well on her way. Currently, she juggles dual high school and college courses, gymnastics, blogging, and public appearances. With a deep appreciation for space exploration of the past, Abby has already embraced its future.
Bas Lansdorp (1977) has never been one to let bold ventures intimidate him. A born entrepreneur, he sees potential and opportunity when others shy away. He utilizes an articulate vision and genuine enthusiasm coupled with infectious powers of persuasion to get his point across. These attributes are useful in his new company, Mars One, that will send humans to Mars in 2023.
Organizing a manned mission to Mars has been Bas’ dream for many years. Before starting Mars One, he was the co-founder of Ampyx Power. Despite the success of Ampyx Power, he decided to leave when someone gave him the idea that merged all the pieces of the Mars dream together: a mission to Mars can be financed by involving the whole world as an audience for the mission.
Bas received his Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Twente University in 2003. He worked on a PhD at Delft University of Technology for five years before abandoning it to start his first company Ampyx Power. Since February 2011, Bas is working full time on getting humanity to Mars.
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. It was filmed and edited by Tijo Media at the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage in Richmond, VA.
Dr. Levine is Research Professor in the Department of Applied Science at the College of William and Mary. Prior to joining the College of William and Mary in 2011, he spent 41 years at NASA, as Senior Research Scientist, Science Directorate, NASA Langley Research Center and as Mars Scout Program Scientist, Mars Exploration Program, NASA Headquarters. He is Principal Investigator of the proposed NASA Langley ARES Mars Airplane Mission, which is being planned and developed. He served as Co-Chair as NASA’s Human Exploration of Mars Science Analysis Group and is Co-Editor of 976-page volume, The Human Mission to Mars: Colonizing the Red Planet (Cosmology Science Publishers, 2010). Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Levine received a BS (Physics), Brooklyn College, City University of NY, a MS (Meteorology), New York University, and a MS (Aeronomy and Planetary Atmospheres) and a PhD (Atmospheric Sciences), both from the University of Michigan.
It sounds like science fiction, but journalist Stephen Petranek considers it fact: within 20 years, humans will live on Mars. In this provocative talk, Petranek makes the case that humans will become a spacefaring species and describes in fascinating detail how we’ll make Mars our next home. “Humans will survive no matter what happens on Earth,” Petranek says. “We will never be the last of our kind.”
The Organic Week in the Biodiversity Park of the Expo Milano, 03-05 September 2015, featured a number of presentations and discussions.
The first day examined the state of our soils and saw leading experts such as Helen Browning (Soil Association), Tobias Bandel (Soil & More), and John D. Liu (Environmental Education Media Project & Commonland Foundation) take to the stage. They highlighted the urgent need to conserve soils and the instrumental role organic agriculture can play in doing so. In declaring 2015 the International Year of Soils, the United Nations acknowledged that without healthy soils, we cannot feed the world.
Welcome to Transition Studies. To prosper for very much longer on the changing Earth humankind will need to move beyond its current fossil-fueled civilization toward one that is sustained on recycled materials and renewable energy. This is not a trivial shift. It will require a major transition in all aspects of our lives.
This weblog explores the transition to a sustainable future on our finite planet. It provides links to current news, key documents from government sources and non-governmental organizations, as well as video documentaries about climate change, environmental ethics and environmental justice concerns.
The links are listed here to be used in whatever manner they may be helpful in public information campaigns, course preparation, teaching, letter-writing, lectures, class presentations, policy discussions, article writing, civic or Congressional hearings and citizen action campaigns, etc. For further information on this blog see: About this weblog. and How to use this weblog.
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