Research monkey’s genetic code deciphered - Science - MSNBC.com

Research monkey’s genetic code deciphered - Science - MSNBC.com: "Macaques branched off from the ape family tree far earlier, about 25 million years ago — yet still share about 93 percent of their DNA with humans, the new work shows.
Here’s the key: Six million years isn’t long in evolutionary history. So if a particular gene is different in the human and the chimp, it’s impossible to know which version came first. Add these more ancient Old World monkeys into the mix, however, and it may be possible to tease out genetic changes that were important for key traits of modern humans, such as higher brain power and walking upright.
“That does point us, in a much more powerful way, to answering the question, ’What does humanness mean?’ at the DNA level,” said Collins, director of NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute."

Farhang Jahanpour, Islam and Human Rights

Farhang Jahanpour, Islam and Human Rights: "The military as an instrument of mass killing is a waste institution - humans, energy, oil, metals, scientific and technical skills, money - it consumes all and restores nothing to the resources of the planet. "

: "'The future is process, not a destination.' -- Bruce Sterling The future is not the end of the story -- people won't reach the 'future' and declare victory. Ten years from now has its own ten years out, and so on; people of tomorrow will be looking at their own tomorrows. The picture of the future offered by foresight consultants, scenario planners, and futurists of all stripes should never be a snapshot, but a frame from a movie, with connections to the present and pathways to the days and years to come."

: "The future is usually the present, only moreso. Conversely, don't expect changes to happen quickly and universally. The details will vary, but most of the time, the underlying behaviors and practices will remain consistent. Most people (in the US, at least) watch TV, drive a car, and go to work -- even if the TV is high definition satellite, the car is a hybrid, and work is web programming."

: "'Prediction is very hard, especially when it's about the future.' -- Yogi Berra Completely accurate foresight is a rare thing; most of the time, good futurism means getting key elements right, even if the superficial details are wrong. Predictions based on physical principles and scientific knowledge tend to do better than those based on 'trendspotting' and 'cool hunting,' and are more likely to be corroborated by other specialists. In every case, however, the most important question to ask is 'why?' Why would the suggested change happen? Why would people make the predicted choice? Why would we see this particular outcome?"

Does Technology Drive History? - The MIT Press

Does Technology Drive History? - The MIT Press: "These thirteen essays explore a crucial historical question that has been notoriously hard to pin down: To what extent, and by what means, does a society's technology determine its political, social, economic, and cultural forms?

Karl Marx launched the modern debate on determinism with his provocative remark that 'the hand-mill gives you society with the feudal lord; the steam-mill, society with the industrial capitalist,' and a classic article by Robert Heilbroner (reprinted here) renewed the debate within the context of the history of technology. This book clarifies the debate and carries it forward."

Responsible Nanotechnology: Congress and the Singularity

Responsible Nanotechnology: Congress and the Singularity: "The first is that continued material demands and competitive pressures will continue to drive technology forward. Second, at some point artificial intelligence advances to a point where computers enhance and accelerate scientific discovery and technological change. In other words, intelligent machines start to produce discoveries that are too complex for humans. Finally, there is an assumption that solutions to most of today’s problems including material scarcity, human health, and environmental degradation can be solved by technology, if not by us, then by the computers we eventually develop."

Responsible Nanotechnology: Congress and the Singularity

Responsible Nanotechnology: Congress and the Singularity: "Enhanced abilities to understand and manipulate matter at the molecular and atomic levels promise a wave of significant new technologies over the next five decades. Dramatic breakthroughs will occur in diverse areas such as medicine, communications, computing, energy, and robotics. These changes will generate large amounts of wealth and force wrenching changes in existing markets and institutions."

GLOBAL HISTORY

GLOBAL HISTORY: "Obviously, this process is wrong: Firstly, the productive forces (technical progress) have to be invented. It means that individual consciousness is at the beginning of the process and not at its end! Secondly, these productive forces can determine some social classes just like the wind 'determines' the layers of a cliff. Anyway, these social classes do not determine anything. They are just passive like our cliff layers. Once again, it is the men consciousness which animates these classes through political or institutional changes.
Just imagine that all the productive forces (Tools and other manufactured goods) are suddenly destroyed. Let 'us suppose that the inhabitants are well educated (with scientific and technical knowledge's). Be sure that all the productive's forces will be soon restored. On the other hand, imagine that a no-educated tribe suddenly occupies an industrial state. Do you imagine that the existing productive forces, acting by themselves, will change the mind of the no-educated tribe? Be sure that all the industrial network will be soon completely destroyed!
It means that knowledge, and more largely the spirit, determine the productive forces and not inversely. It means that creativity ( And so Human consciousness) is the real driver of human History."

GLOBAL HISTORY

GLOBAL HISTORY: "Another picture could take in account the evolution of the manufactured products toward complexity. We use to distinguish the prehistoric ages according to their tools (Stone, age, Iron age and so on). Now, let's us imagine a museum with all the manufactured products since the beginning of history. From 4000 BCE to 1800 AD, you will observe quite the same tools with regard to their complexity. For example, a light Roman chariot and a stage coach does not differ very much. Of course, there are many tiny improvements between the former and the latter. However, they all belong to the same 'age'. Today, a jet plane cannot be compared with any means of transportation produced in the past. It means that our jet plane belongs to a new 'age'"

GLOBAL HISTORY

GLOBAL HISTORY: "1-Manufactured products: Evolution in index base 100 in year 1900
Years Index
1800 30
1900 100
1950 600
2000 4500

2-World population: Evolution in millions
Years world population
1000 300
1500 500
1800 950
1900 1650
1950 2500
2000 6200 "