Research*EU Magazine | Number 51 (April 2016)

Author (Corporate)
Publisher
Series Title
Series Details Number 51
Publication Date April 2016
ISSN 1977-4028
EC ZZ-AC-16-003-EN-N
Content Type

Blurring the lines: man meets machine

Summary:

Raymond Kurzweil is probably one of the most inspiring computer scientists and futurists of his generation — with a career paved with head-turning innovations, prestigious awards for his inventions and a place in the US National Inventors Hall of Fame. However, his legacy will mostly be that of a curious prediction: Kurzweil believes that, in around 2045, machines will outsmart people to the point where they can actually improve themselves without any help from their human designers.

According to some theories, that event might actually mark the moment when humans and machines merge with each other. Humans would then be blessed with the likes of eternal life and intellectual and physical capacities beyond imagination. Some 30 years separate us from the potential realisation of this theory. So the question is, are we getting any closer to that point? Are scientific efforts to produce more human-like machines and blur the lines between virtual and ‘real’ reality proving to be fruitful? This edition of the Research*EU magazine is shedding some light on this issue by presenting some of the latest achievements of scientists thanks to EU funding.

Contents:

  • Sex determination genes of the mosquito
  • Pluripotency – Link to carcinogenesis
  • Haematopoietic stem cells and microRNAs
  • International virus library network
  • Ancient textile terminology
  • Early Scandinavian trade
  • Clean, green and innovative transport solutions for cities
  • New thinking about transport
  • Chemical bond formation simplified
  • New environmentally friendly fibre-reinforced cement
  • Sanitising wastewater with UV light
  • Pathway to the Square Kilometre Array
  • Novel econometric models to manage financial crises
  • Observation of global carbon cycle
  • New software tool supports advanced application development and modelling
  • The quest to detect bombs before they are even made
  • Next-generation cryptographic techniques to enhance privacy
  • In-depth perspective of European citizens on surveillance, privacy and security
  • Novel methods to extrapolate ancient climatological conditions
  • Environmental governance in Latin America
  • Air particles and their impact on climate change
  • Understanding forest litter for better climate models

Energy

  • Reliably e-boosting nuclear power safety
  • Swirling secrets in stars' planet-forming discs
  • What regulates the growth of galaxies?
Source Link http://bookshop.europa.eu/uri?target=EUB:NOTICE:ZZ-AC-16-003-EN-N
Alternative sources
  • https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/400781-blurring-the-lines-man-meets-machine
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