humanity
The evolution of humanity, from one advancement to the next.
Physics of Frisbees
No one gives a flying disk about Frisbees. It’s just a sport reserved for semi-athletic college students who don’t want to try out for a real team, right? Wrong. In 2012, Ultimate Frisbee players developed the American Ultimate Disc League which now has 25 teams across North America, according to the New Yorker. In August of 2015, the International Olympic Committee recognized Ultimate Frisbee is eligible to be an event at the summer Olympics. Some people have become so passionate about Frisbees that they have dedicated their lives to studying the physics behind them. That’s exactly what Tom McClintock, a University of Arizona Physics graduate, is doing with his career. He plans on studying the physics behind Frisbees so that he can help UltimateFrisbee players increase their skills on the field.
By Futurism Staff8 years ago in Futurism
Nothing But Stars in the Sky
Lt. Rand Jones lay in a puddle of his own blood on a flat, rocky shelf. He was separated from his squad during a firefight and barely escaped with what was left of his life. He knew if he didn't get medical treatment soon he would be just another corpse in the Iraqi desert.
By Steve Benton8 years ago in Futurism
Can Technology Help Mankind's Moral Compass?
Guide, like most new technologies, began in a billionaire's dream of reason. The PR-generated story of Guide's origin posited it as a passion project of Metra's cofounder and longtime CEO. Its aim was simple, universal: help people act more rationally.
By Ken Baumann8 years ago in Futurism
Rio 2016—The Olympic Games Meet The Science Fiction Games
If intellectual luminaries of Ancient Greece such as Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle could see a modern interpretation of our classic Olympic games, they’d likely be gratified their legendary athletic contest evolved into a unifying global event. Compare the ancient Olympians with our present day athletic engagement and depictions of a far flung future in sci-fi romps such as, The Hunger Games, Star Wars, and Star Trek, and if nothing else, it’s clear challenging athletic contests will survive centuries of sweeping, transforming modernity.
By Will Stape8 years ago in Futurism
Most Deceptive Scientific Frauds
There are so many problems in the world that demand solving, and scientific research is the source for such desired lifesaving innovation. However, this pressure can be a double-edged sword. Scientists are inspired to work hard to release quality research, but this can also lead to situations where people will stoop to deception to achieve fame. Fabricating data to prove a theory is an easy way to cut corners, after all, and peer review has its limitations.
By Futurism Staff8 years ago in Futurism
Science of Identical Twins
“Double your pleasure, double your fun” couldn’t be more true when it comes to identical twins. Starting with the moment your obstetrician tells you, “There are two of them,” your life is never the same. Twins are double the fun and doubly amazing. Aside from the remarkable science behind them and the totally random happenstance of their creation, the very fact that two people can have identical faces and DNA is just miraculous. Here you have two babies who have spent nine months keeping each other company in the womb and then, upon being released into the world, continue to amaze all those around them. Parents of twins have reported identical sleeping positions, finding their twins sleeping in the same bed; As babies, when they would nap in the same crib, and even if they started out on opposites sides, they would always end up holding on to each other, most likely as they did in-utero.
By Stephanie Gladwell8 years ago in Futurism
Can Memories be Transferred by Eating Them?
There’s an episode of J.J. Abram's cult favorite Fringe where Olivia chugs a beaker full of chopped up worms. Walter, the stereotypical absent minded professor-slash-mad scientist wonders, "Can memories be transferred by eating them?" Walter remembers an experiment that transferred memories between worms by chopping them up and feeding them to each other. In the context of the show, Walter’s worm shake seems like one of many implausible examples of “fringe” science, like pyrokinesis or interdimensional travel. But 50 years ago these experiments actually happened, blurring the lines between fact and fiction and igniting one of the fiercest controversies in the history of neuroscience.
By Christina Agapakis8 years ago in Futurism
America’s Election 2016—the Presidential Candidates & the Starship Captains
Politics… The Fantastical Frontier… These Are The Voyages Of Election 2016. Its Seemingly Never Ending Mission… To Explore Strange New Candidates… To Seek Out New Gaffes And New Attack Ads… To Boldly Go Where Nobody Politically Viable Nominee Has Gone Before…
By Will Stape8 years ago in Futurism
Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
Studies in artificial intelligence started as a US defense project in the 1960s with the goal of understanding how humans process information. This concept would then be simulated and adapted within “logical systems.” Although development slowed a couple of decades later, innovations in technology have propelled advances in artificial intelligence in recent years. These advances are now making our lives easier and safer.
By Futurism Staff8 years ago in Futurism
Present Rewritten
He knew it was an explosion, but only because of the compression. The quick, crystalline blowout happened so fast that everything was over before the sound even reached his ears. He watched his kindergarten year flash through his mind. There wasn't even time for first grade.
By Steve Benton8 years ago in Futurism