To the Stars with Data: July 18 2021
Communicating via brain waves, unbelievably fast internet, solar probes, and more...
Hello Datanauts!
Two quick things:
It’s pretty obvious that I am excited about all things space. So you can imagine my reaction when I stumbled across SpaceREDUX, a compilation of resources for space enthusiasts. The full version, SpaceMAX, is truly mind-boggling in the sheer amount of knowledge provided. Huge props to its editor, Ricardo Nuno Silva.
Are you an expert or enthusiast about a futurist or scientific topic? Are you someone who consumes tons of nerdy media? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you have my attention. I'm working on a learning resource repository to aid learners interested in futurism and am looking for collaborators. If you’re interested, please get in touch by replying to this email!
That's all for now. Enjoy this week's issue!
Joe
Thought-Provoking Data Viz
☠ Fossil Fuel Emissions and Mortality
Quick Hits. In 2019, humans emitted over 35 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) by burning fossil fuels. These emissions are taking a toll on our health; scientists estimated that fossil fuel emissions caused 3.6 million excess deaths in 2015. And I haven't even mentioned its effect on global warming.
My Thoughts. Let's say a city depends on a nearby lake for drinking water. Because the lake is so large, the city dumps its sewage into the lake, thinking there won’t be any impact for years to come. Meanwhile, the city has the technology to create a water treatment plant. I know what you’re thinking, “The city needs to build the sewage plant so its citizens aren’t drinking polluted water!” But here’s the thing: by depending on fossil fuels for electricity, this is what we are doing to our air.
Earth News
🧠Man with paralysis can “type” with aid of machine that reads his brain
Quick Hits. A man with paralysis was able to type up to 18 words per minute (with up to 93% accuracy) with the help of a machine that directly read his brain. Researchers implanted an electrode directly on the man’s speech motor cortex and hooked it up to a computer with algorithms that were taught to decode up to 50 different words. The researchers claim this was the first case of a person with paralysis communicating through directly reading brain activity.
My Thoughts. This article is especially moving to me because I’ve recently realized how important communication is in our daily lives. My experience would be completely different if I weren’t able to communicate via speech or typing. I’m also in awe of the technology involved; brain implants that can decode individual words is next-level. I’m interested to see how this technology progress, given that human brains are so plastic. Assuming current exponential growth in brain resolution and computer power, I’ll likely see huge strides in this area within my lifetime.
😲 Japan has shattered the internet speed record at 319 terabits per second
Quick Hits. Researchers in Japan have broken the internet speed record with 319 terabits of information transmitted per second (Tb/s). The previous record was 178 Tb/s in 2020 and 44 Tb/s before that. The researchers accomplished this by enhancing fiber-optic infrastructure by splitting the transmitted information into multiple channels and amplifying the signal along its passage.
My Thoughts. 319 TB is a lot of data. Let's break this down. It’s the equivalent of ~160,000 movies, ~107,000,000 songs, or ~320,000,000 e-books. PER SECOND. The average hard drive space for a modern laptop is 750 GB. This is ~425 laptops. PER SECOND. This speed is over 1 MILLION times as fast as my wifi. Where can I sign up?
Space News
🛰 Probe gets closer to the sun than any probe has gone before
Quick Hits. The Parker Solar Probe ventured closer to the sun than any probe has gone before, within 0.1 AU. AU stands for Astronomical Unit and is the average distance between Earth and the Sun. Being so close, researchers were able to directly measure the sun’s electrical field.
My Thoughts. Other than shooting things at the sun being totally awesome by itself, gathering this data is incredibly important. As the article points out, this probe can help solve the Coronal Heating Problem, or why the sun’s corona is 1,000,000 degrees Celsius while the surface of the sun is only 6,000 degrees Celsius.
🛰 NASA signs contract to begin construction of HALO module
Quick Hits. NASA signs a $1 billion contract with Northrop Grumman to build the HALO module, a component of the Lunar Gateway. The HALO module will orbit the moon and serve as a hub while astronauts are moving among the moon, vehicles, and other components of the Lunar Gateway. According to the design, the HALO module will initially be about the size of a small studio apartment.
My Thoughts. One of the first steps of extraplanetary exploration is to establish the infrastructure to get there. The Lunar Gateway will serve as this infrastructure, making trips to the moon (and mars, down the road) far easier. The Lunar Gateway will also serve as a key component to the Artemis Program, where NASA plans to land astronauts on the moon in 2024.
Things that make you think
🔥 Google CEO Insists AI Revolution Bigger Than Invention of Fire
Quick Hits. Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, recently stated that the AI revoluation will be more “profound” than the invention of electricity, the internet, and fire. He moves on to say that, because AI will be so ubiquitous no matter your location or background, AI could bring us together and usher in a world of peace.
My Thoughts. Experts are torn on what the AI revolution (sometimes called the “Singularity”) will look like, but some argue that it will either lead to our extinction or immortality. If you want to read more on this, I recommend this Wait But Why article (buckle up for a wild ride). Regardless of whether AI will become more important than fire, electricity, or the internet, it’s a given that AI will have a huge impact on our lives. Just think about how reliant we already are on algorithms for curating our social media feeds.
Future-Thinking Companies
💨 Twelve. They harvest CO2 from the atmosphere and transform it into consumer products.
🌍 Single.Earth. They monitor land use and automatically provide landowners with payment when they capture 100kg of carbon. This is done through their own cryptocurrency, MERIT.