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1Quantum Revolution& Advanced AI2HumanAugmentation3Eco-Regeneration& Geo-Engineering4Science& Diplomacy1.11.21.31.42.12.22.32.43.13.23.33.43.54.14.24.34.44.5HIGHEST ANTICIPATIONPOTENTIALAdvancedArtificial IntelligenceQuantumTechnologiesBrain-inspiredComputingBiologicalComputingCognitiveEnhancementHuman Applications of Genetic EngineeringRadical HealthExtensionConsciousnessAugmentation DecarbonisationWorldSimulationFuture FoodSystemsSpaceResourcesOceanStewardshipComplex Systems forSocial EnhancementScience-basedDiplomacyInnovationsin EducationSustainableEconomicsCollaborativeScience Diplomacy
1Quantum Revolution& Advanced AI2HumanAugmentation3Eco-Regeneration& Geo-Engineering4Science& Diplomacy1.11.21.31.42.12.22.32.43.13.23.33.43.54.14.24.34.44.5HIGHEST ANTICIPATIONPOTENTIALAdvancedArtificial IntelligenceQuantumTechnologiesBrain-inspiredComputingBiologicalComputingCognitiveEnhancementHuman Applications of Genetic EngineeringRadical HealthExtensionConsciousnessAugmentation DecarbonisationWorldSimulationFuture FoodSystemsSpaceResourcesOceanStewardshipComplex Systems forSocial EnhancementScience-basedDiplomacyInnovationsin EducationSustainableEconomicsCollaborativeScience Diplomacy

Appendices:

Best Reads

The GESDA Best Reads provide a carefully curated list of recent key articles and resources in relation to the scientific emerging topics described in the trend section. The GESDA BestReads are available as a monthly newsletter at the following link.
1.1Advanced Artificial Intelligence

NIST Seeking Comments on Draft AI Principles

01.08.2020. Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has issue a set of draft principles for “explainable” artificial intelligence and is accepting…

Prestigious AI meeting takes steps to improve ethics of research

03.12.2020. Nature

For the first time, the organizers of NeurIPS required speakers to consider the societal impact of their work.

AI pioneer Geoff Hinton: “Deep learning is going to be able to do everything”

02.11.2020. MIT Technology Review

Thirty years ago, Hinton’s belief in neural networks was contrarian. Now it’s hard to find anyone who disagrees, he says.

Max Tegmark interview:

03.07.2020. New Scientist

Physicist Max Tegmark wants to make artificial intelligence work for everyone. Here he waxes lyrical about cosmology, consciousness and why AI is like fire

Is AI finally closing in on human intelligence? // 12.11.2020, Financial Times

06.08.2021. Financial Times

Is AI finally closing in on human intelligence? // 12.11.2020, Financial Times

AI is learning how to create itself

05.06.2021. MIT Technology Review

Humans have struggled to make truly intelligent machines. Maybe we need to let them get on with it themselves.

The Next Generation Of Artificial Intelligence (Part 2)

05.02.2021. Forbes

Five years from now, the field of AI will look very different than it does today.

The Next Generation Of Artificial Intelligence

04.11.2020. Forbes

Five years from now, the field of AI will look very different than it does today.

The Next Decade in AI: Four Steps Towards Robust Artificial Intelligence

05.02.2020. arXiv.org

Recent research in artificial intelligence and machine learning has largely emphasized general-purpose learning and ever-larger training sets and more and more compute. In contrast, I propose a hybrid, knowledge-driven, reasoning-based approach, centered around cognitive models, that could provide t…

Why AI is Harder Than We Think // 28.04.2021, arXiv

Since its beginning in the 1950s, the field of artificial intelligence has cycled several times between periods of optimistic predictions and massive investment (“AI spring”) and periods of disappointment, loss of confi- dence, and reduced funding (“AI winter”). Even with today’s seemingly fast pace of AI breakthroughs, the development of...

Robotics, AI, and Humanity - Science, Ethics, and Policy | Joachim von Braun | Springer

06.08.2021. Springer

This book on artificial intelligence covers multidisciplinary research, examines current research frontiers in AI/robotics, and likely impacts on societal well-being, human-robot relationships, as well as the opportunities and risks for sustainable development and peace....

[PDF] Alignment for Advanced Machine Learning Systems | Semantic Scholar

01.01.2018. >Semantic ScholarSemantic Scholar's Logo

We survey eight research areas organized around one question: As learning systems become increasingly intelligent and autonomous, what design principles can best ensure that their behavior is aligned with the interests of the operators? We focus on two major technical obstacles to AI alignment: the …

The science of deep learning

02.12.2020. PNAS

Scientists today have completely different ideas of what machines can learn to do than we had only 10 y ago. In image processing, speech and video processing, machine vision, natural language processing, and classic two-player games, in particular, the state-of-the-art has been rapidly pushed forwa…

AGI Safety Literature Review, May 2018, arXiv

The development of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) promises to be a major event. Along with its many potential benefits, it also raises serious safety concerns (Bostrom, 2014). The intention of this paper is to provide an easily accessible and up-to-date collection of references for the emerging field of AGI safety....

Smart partnerships amid great power competition: AI, China and the Global Quest for Digital Sovereignty (REPORT) // January 2021, Atlantic Council Geotech Center

The report captures key takeaways from various roundtable conversations, identifies the challenges and opportunities that different regions of the world face when dealing with emerging technologies, and evaluates China’s role as a global citizen. In times of economic decoupling and rising geopolitical bipolarity, it highlights opportunities for smart partnerships, describes...

Research Priorities for Robust and Beneficial Artifcial Intelligence, winter 2015, AAAS

Success in the quest for artificial intelligence has the potential to bring unprecedented benefits to humanity, and it is therefore worthwhile to inves- tigate how to maximize these benefits while avoiding potential pitfalls. This article gives numerous examples (which should by no means be construed as an exhaustive list) of...

Experts Doubt Ethical AI Design Will Be Broadly Adopted as the Norm Within the Next Decade

03.06.2021. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech

A majority worries that the evolution of artificial intelligence by 2030 will continue to be primarily focused on optimizing profits and social control. Still, a portion celebrate coming AI breakthroughs that will improve life.

State of AI Report 2020

05.06.2019. Air Street Capital

The State of AI Report analyses the most interesting developments in AI. Read and download here.

Artificial Intelligence: A Vital Tool in the Pandemic

02.05.2021. American Association for the Advancement of Science

As described in a AAAS report released today, “the COVID-19 pandemic provided … a unique opportunity to prove that AI could be harnessed for the benefit of all humanity, and AI developers seized the moment.”

1.1.1Deeper Machine Learning

Deep learning takes on synthetic biology

03.10.2020. EurekAlert!

Machine learning is helping biologists solve hard problems, including designing effective synthetic biology tools. Two teams from the Wyss Institute and MIT have created a set of algorithms that can effectively predict the efficacy of thousands of RNA-based sensors called toehold switches, allowing …

The science of deep learning

02.12.2020. PNAS

Scientists today have completely different ideas of what machines can learn to do than we had only 10 y ago. In image processing, speech and video processing, machine vision, natural language processing, and classic two-player games, in particular, the state-of-the-art has been rapidly pushed forwa…

AI pioneer Geoff Hinton: “Deep learning is going to be able to do everything”

02.11.2020. MIT Technology Review

Thirty years ago, Hinton’s belief in neural networks was contrarian. Now it’s hard to find anyone who disagrees, he says.

1.1.2Human-centred AI

Understanding Causality Is the Next Challenge for Machine Learning

04.06.2021. IEEE Spectrum

Teaching robots to understand “why” could help them transfer their knowledge to other environments

Inside AI - June 27th, 2021

00.06.2021. Inside logo

InsideAI Weekend Commentary: The Problem Investing In AI BIas Solutions

The Next Decade in AI: Four Steps Towards Robust Artificial Intelligence

05.02.2020. arXiv.org

Recent research in artificial intelligence and machine learning has largely emphasized general-purpose learning and ever-larger training sets and more and more compute. In contrast, I propose a hybrid, knowledge-driven, reasoning-based approach, centered around cognitive models, that could provide t…

1.1.3Next-level AI

Computer scientists are questioning whether Alphabet’s DeepMind will ever make A.I. more human-like

05.06.2021. CNBC

Computer scientists are questioning whether DeepMind will ever be able to make machines with the kind of “general” intelligence seen in humans and animals.

[PDF] Alignment for Advanced Machine Learning Systems | Semantic Scholar

01.01.2018. >Semantic ScholarSemantic Scholar's Logo

We survey eight research areas organized around one question: As learning systems become increasingly intelligent and autonomous, what design principles can best ensure that their behavior is aligned with the interests of the operators? We focus on two major technical obstacles to AI alignment: the …

1.1.4Interdisciplinary AI

The race to understand the exhilarating, dangerous world of language AI

05.05.2021. MIT Technology Review

Hundreds of scientists around the world are working together to understand one of the most powerful emerging technologies before it’s too late.

1.2Quantum Technologies

The Quantum Age: technological opportunities // 09.2016, Economist

In a world of exciting technological possibilities, among the most significant are those enabled by quantum physics. It is thanks to this field of research that we have the lasers used in precision manufacturing, the transistors on which today’s computers are based and solar cells to provide a clean alternative to...

Here, there and everywhere

06.08.2021. The Economist

The Economist offers authoritative insight and opinion on international news, politics, business, finance, science, technology and the connections between them.

The emerging commercial landscape of quantum computing - Nature Reviews Physics

01.10.2020. Nature Reviews Physics

Quantum computing technologies are advancing, and the class of addressable problems is expanding. What market strategies are quantum computing companies and start-ups adopting?

China Stakes Its Claim to Quantum Supremacy

04.12.2020. WIRED

Google trumpeted its quantum computer that outperformed a conventional supercomputer. A Chinese group says it’s done the same, with different technology.

Alternative tech makes gains in quantum computer race

02.11.2020. Nature

Trapped-ion systems are gaining momentum in the quest to make a commercial quantum computer.

Quantum internet: The race is on to build an unhackable online world

03.05.2021. New Scientist

Great leaps are already being made in creating a super secure quantum internet. It could overturn the role of information in our lives and give us a globe-spanning quantum supercomputer

Quantum for All

01.09.2020. Physics

Propelling the development of quantum technologies will require widespread literacy about quantum concepts, and a commitment to diversity as a source of competitive advantage.

A business leader’s guide to quantum technology

06.05.2021. Deloitte

A quantum-powered future is an increasingly likely scenario.

The future of photonics: sensors and quantum technologies; October 2019, Royal Society

Photonics is the science of light generation, detection and manipulation and is used to develop technologies spanning sources and sensors to quantum computers. It provides the backbone of the internet and will be used in autonomous vehicles, health diagnosis and treatments, and the 5G network.

1.2.1Quantum Communication

Quantum internet: The race is on to build an unhackable online world

03.05.2021. New Scientist

Great leaps are already being made in creating a super secure quantum internet. It could overturn the role of information in our lives and give us a globe-spanning quantum supercomputer

1.2.2Quantum Computing

1.2.3Quantum Sensing and Imaging

1.2.4Quantum Foundations

1.3Brain-inspired Computing

Deep Neural Networks Help to Explain Living Brains

01.01.2021. Quanta Magazine

Deep neural networks, often criticized as “black boxes,” are helping neuroscientists understand the organization of living brains.

Indian Scientists Construct a Powerful Artificial Synaptic Network to Imitate the Human Brain

Scientists at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru, an autonomous institute of the Indian government’s Department of Science and Technology, developed a new approach for fabricating an artificial synaptic network (ASN) that resemble the biological neural network …

Beyond imitation: Zero-shot task transfer on robots by learning concepts as cognitive programs, January 2019, Science Robotics

Beyond imitation: Zero-shot task transfer on robots by learning concepts as cognitive programs, January 2019, Science Robotics

What AI can learn from the biological brain | Books, Et Al.

03.05.2021. Books, Et Al. | Book and media reviews from the journal Science, edited by Valerie Thompson.

Brain development could hold lessons for building better artificial neural networks

1.3.1Neural Network Architectures

Designing customized “brains” for robots

04.01.2021. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT researchers have developed an automated way to design customized hardware that speeds up a robot’s operation. The system, called robomorphic computing, accounts for the robot’s physical layout in suggesting an optimized hardware architecture.

Indian Scientists Construct a Powerful Artificial Synaptic Network to Imitate the Human Brain

Scientists at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru, an autonomous institute of the Indian government’s Department of Science and Technology, developed a new approach for fabricating an artificial synaptic network (ASN) that resemble the biological neural network …

Human brain cells on microchips aim to ‘push boundaries of AI’

03.02.2021. The Independent

‘Our aim is to harness the unrivalled computing power of the human brain to dramatically increase the ability of computers,’ professor says

1.3.2Neuromorphic Systems

A system hierarchy for brain-inspired computing - Nature

03.10.2020. Nature

The concept of neuromorphic completeness and a system hierarchy for neuromorphic computing are presented, which could improve programming-language portability, hardware completeness and compilation feasibility of brain-inspired computing systems

1.3.3Neural Network Algorithms

Deep Neural Networks Help to Explain Living Brains

01.01.2021. Quanta Magazine

Deep neural networks, often criticized as “black boxes,” are helping neuroscientists understand the organization of living brains.

1.3.4Neuromorphic Benchmarking

Brain Implant Bypasses Eyes To Help Blind People See

04.06.2021. IEEE Spectrum

One researcher proposes a new way to stimulate visual neurons in the brain, with inspiration from human evolution

1.4Biological Computing

Computer logic meets cell biology: how cell science is getting an upgrade

03.12.2018. Nature

When manipulating the functions of cells, researchers need to take a multidisciplinary approach.

Google has mapped a piece of human brain in the most detail ever

01.06.2021. New Scientist

A team including researchers at Google took a cubic millimetre of a woman’s brain, sliced it incredibly thin and scanned it to create the most detailed map yet of the connections within our brain

Human brain cells on microchips aim to ‘push boundaries of AI’

03.02.2021. The Independent

‘Our aim is to harness the unrivalled computing power of the human brain to dramatically increase the ability of computers,’ professor says

Cells as computers

05.09.2021. Cells as computers | ETH Zurich

ETH Zurich researchers have developed an OR switch in a human cell for the first time. Such cells could one day be used in medicine.

Artificial nervous system senses light and learns to catch like humans

05.04.2021. New Scientist

A simple artificial nervous system is able to mimic the way humans respond to light and learn to perform basic tasks. The principle could extend to creating more useful robots and prostheses

1.4.1Bio-architectures

Cells as computers

05.09.2021. Cells as computers | ETH Zurich

ETH Zurich researchers have developed an OR switch in a human cell for the first time. Such cells could one day be used in medicine.

The Xenobot Future Is Coming—Start Planning Now

03.11.2020. WIRED

We’re on the cusp of being able to program biological systems like we program computers. That raises some thorny questions.

1.4.2Bio-computational Logic and Strategies

Deep learning takes on synthetic biology

03.10.2020. EurekAlert!

Machine learning is helping biologists solve hard problems, including designing effective synthetic biology tools. Two teams from the Wyss Institute and MIT have created a set of algorithms that can effectively predict the efficacy of thousands of RNA-based sensors called toehold switches, allowing …

1.4.3Programmable Bio-synthesis

An all-natural bioinspired structural material for plastic replacement - Nature Communications

02.11.2020. Nature Communications

It is desirable yet challenging to develop sustainable structural materials to replace petroleum-based plastics. Here, the authors report a facile assembly method for manufacturing high-performance structural materials with a unique combination of high strength, toughness and stiffness.

1.4.4Novel Bio-computing Paradigms

Computer logic meets cell biology: how cell science is getting an upgrade

03.12.2018. Nature

When manipulating the functions of cells, researchers need to take a multidisciplinary approach.

2.1Cognitive Enhancement

My Subconscious Made Me Do It: Legal Issues of Brain-to-Computer Interface

01.06.2021. American Council on Science and Health

What if you could knock someone off merely by thinking about it – and no way to trace those thoughts to the crime? And more horrendous still: what if you could harm someone because of some subconscious desire, one that you weren’t even aware of? This isn’t the stuff of science fiction....

Elon Musk’s vision of the future takes another step forward

04.09.2020. The Economist

A pig now has one of his implants in its brain | Science & technology

Scientists Completed the First Human Trial of a Wireless High-Bandwidth Brain-Computer Interface

01.04.2021. Singularity Hub

Two patients who had been paralyzed by spinal cord injuries were able to use the brain-computer interface to control a computer cursor in their homes.

Science News - February 13, 2021 - page26

06.08.2021. February 13, 2021

Four ethical priorities for neurotechnologies and AI - Nature

04.11.2017. Nature

Artificial intelligence and brain–computer interfaces must respect and preserve people’s privacy, identity, agency and equality, say Rafael Yuste, Sara Goering and colleagues.

Neurotechnologies for Human Cognitive Augmentation: Current State of the Art and Future Prospects

04.11.2018. Frontiers

Recent advances in neuroscience have paved the way to innovative applications that cognitively augment and enhance humans in a variety of contexts. This paper aims at providing a snapshot of the current state of the art and a motivated forecast of the most likely developments in the next two decades…

Brain–Computer Interfaces for Human Augmentation

04.01.2019. MDPI

The field of brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) has grown rapidly in the last few decades, allowing the development of ever faster and more reliable assistive technologies for converting brain activity into control signals for external devices for people with severe disabilities [...]

Pharmacological Human Enhancement: An Overview of the Looming Bioethical and Regulatory Challenges

06.12.2019. Frontiers

Cognitive enhancement, a rather broad-ranging principle, can be achieved in various ways: healthy eating and consistent physical exercise can lead to long-term improvements in many cognitive domains; commonplace stimulants such as caffeine, on the other hand, temporarily raise levels of alertness, a…

Recommendations for Responsible Development and Application of Neurotechnologies - PubMed

05.01.2021. PubMed

Advancements in novel neurotechnologies, such as brain computer interfaces (BCI) and neuromodulatory devices such as deep brain stimulators (DBS), will have profound implications for society and human rights. While these technologies are improving the diagnosis and treatment of mental and neurologic…

Brain-computer interfaces and the future of neurotechnology governance

03.09.2020. OECD Innovation Blog

Elon Musk’s brain implants may sound like science fiction, but this future may be closer than you think. The OECD Neurotechnology Recommendation aims to ensure that the technology is developed in a responsible way, while still supporting innovation.

OECD Recommendation on Responsible Innovation in Neurotechnology - OECD

06.08.2021. OECD

Data, research and country reviews on innovation including innovation in science and technology, research and knowledge management, public sector innovation and e-government., This Recommendation aims to provide guidance for governments and innovators to anticipate and address the ethical, legal and…

iHuman Blurring lines between mind and machine

Neural interfaces, brain-computer interfaces and other devices that blur the lines between mind and machine have extraordinary potential. These technologies could transform medicine and fundamentally change how we interact with technology and each other. At the same time, neural interfaces raise critical ethical concerns over issues such as privacy, autonomy,...

2.1.1Brain Monitoring

Computers can now predict our preferences directly from our brain

01.06.2021. Tech Xplore

A research team from the University of Copenhagen and University of Helsinki demonstrates it is possible to predict individual preferences based on how a person’s brain responses match up to others. This could potentially be used to provide individually-tailored media content—and perhaps even to enl…

Researchers wirelessly record human brain activity during normal life activities

01.05.2021. National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH BRAIN Initiative-funded study opens the door to correlating deep brain activity and behavior.

New neural interfaces make it easier for scientists to observe the brain in action

06.04.2021. Axios

BCI technology has emerged as a major area of scientific research and increasingly consumer technology.

2.1.2Neuromodulation Delivery Systems

High-frequency neuromodulation improves obsessive–compulsive behavior - Nature Medicine

01.01.2021. Nature Medicine

Selective and personalized neuromodulation of orbitofrontal beta–gamma rhythms in humans, achieved with an alternating current, robustly attenuates obsessive–compulsive behavior for 3 months.

Implantable brain device relieves pain in early study

01.06.2021. Medical Xpress

A computerized brain implant effectively relieves short-term and chronic pain in rodents, a new study finds.

Scientists Drove Mice to Bond by Zapping Their Brains With Light

02.05.2021. NYTimes

The study, a tour de force in bioengineering, comes after two decades of research on brain-to-brain synchrony in people.

2.1.3Hybrid Cognition

Scientists Completed the First Human Trial of a Wireless High-Bandwidth Brain-Computer Interface

01.04.2021. Singularity Hub

Two patients who had been paralyzed by spinal cord injuries were able to use the brain-computer interface to control a computer cursor in their homes.

How AI Could Upgrade Brain Stimulation Therapies

01.04.2021. Gizmodo

The human brain, just like whatever you’re reading this on, uses electricity to function. Neurons are constantly sending and receiving electrical signals. Everyone’s brain works a bit differently, and scientists are now getting closer to establishing how electrical activity is functioning in individ…

Bursting potentiates the neuro–AI connection - Nature Neuroscience

04.05.2021. Nature Neuroscience

For decades, researchers have wondered whether algorithms used by artificial neural networks might be implemented by biological networks. Payeur et al. have strengthened the connection between neuroscience and artificial intelligence by showing that biologically plausible mechanisms can approximate …

2.1.4Memory Modification

Scientists discover brain cells that compete to sustain or suppress traumatic memories

03.05.2021. National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Findings could provide important insights into human conditions such as PTSD, anxiety.

Neuroscientists discover a molecular mechanism that allows memories to form

01.10.2020. EurekAlert!

Encoding memories in engram cells is controlled by large-scale remodeling of the proteins and DNA that make up cells’ chromatin, according to an MIT study. This chromatin remodeling, which allows specific genes involved in storing memories to become more active, takes place in multiple stages spread…

2.2Human Applications of Genetic Engineering

Expert panel outlines steps before future ‘CRISPR babies’ attempts - STAT

04.09.2020. STAT

Nearly two years after the birth of the first “CRISPR babies,” an international group of experts warned such human experimentation should not be conducted.

CRISPR Gene Editing in Human Embryos Wreaks Chromosome Mayhem

04.06.2020. Scientific American

Three studies showing large DNA deletions and reshuffling heighten safety concerns about heritable genome editing

‘Incredible’ gene-editing result in mice inspires plans to treat premature-aging syndrome in children

03.01.2021. Science | AAAS

Gene therapy using “base editor” derived from CRISPR extends life span, preserved aortas in mice with progeria

Adopt a moratorium on heritable genome editing

03.03.2019. Nature

Eric Lander, Françoise Baylis, Feng Zhang, Emmanuelle Charpentier, Paul Berg and specialists from seven countries call for an international governance framework.

Why the Synthetic Cell Needs Democratic Governance

06.08.2021. Trends in Biotechnology

Engineering synthetic cells from the bottom up is expected to revolutionize biotechnology. How can synthetic cells support societal transitions necess…

Setting ethical limits on human gene editing after the fall of the somatic/germline barrier

02.06.2021. PNAS

The ethical debate about what is now called human gene editing (HGE) has gone on for more than 50 y. For nearly that entire time, there has been consensus that a moral divide exists between somatic and germline HGE. Conceptualizing this divide as a barrier on a slippery slope, in...

A catalog of tens of thousands of viruses from human metagenomes reveals hidden associations with chronic diseases

02.06.2021. PNAS

Mechanisms of many human chronic diseases involve abnormal action of the immune system and/or altered metabolism. The microbiome, an important regulator of metabolic and immune-related phenotypes, has been shown to be associated with or participate in the development of a variety of chronic diseases…

What’s new in clinical CRISPR? - Nature Medicine

04.01.2021. Nature Medicine

In the past year, there has been more CRISPR news than the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier. Gene editing has continued its forward momentum in major ways, and scientists are beginning to see results.

In the Era of the Actionable Genome, Everyone is Responsible - PubMed

01.01.2021. PubMed

Genomics professionals and the general public have a responsibility to bridge the gap between science and society. The general public has a responsibility to deliberate, as their choices not only impact themselves but also shape society. Conversely, genomics professionals have a responsibility to en…

Reactions to the National Academies/Royal Society Report on Heritable Human Genome Editing

06.08.2021. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

In September 2020, a detailed report on Heritable Human Genome Editing was published. The report offers a translational pathway for the limited approval of germline editing under limited circumstances and assuming various criteria have been met. In this perspective, some three dozen experts from the fields of genome editing, medicine,...

Human enhancement: Genetic engineering and evolution

06.09.2019. OUP Academic

Abstract. Genetic engineering opens new possibilities for biomedical enhancement requiring ethical, societal and practical considerations to evaluate its implic

Search-and-replace genome editing without double-strand breaks or donor DNA - Nature

01.10.2019. Nature

A new DNA-editing technique called prime editing offers improved versatility and efficiency with reduced byproducts compared with existing techniques, and shows potential for correcting disease-associated mutations.

SIENNA project: Codes, guidelines & legal requirements for human enhancement

For “All of Us”? On the Weight of Genomic Knowledge

This collection of essays is the first written product of The Hastings Center's Initiative in Bioethics and the Humanities. This new initiative, which we created with generous support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and private donors, has three aims. The first is to bring together insights from the...

Ethics of Genome Editing

The advent of new genome editing technologies such as CRISPR/CasX has opened new dimensions of what and how genetic interventions into our world are possible. This Opinion addresses the profound ethical questions raised and revived by them.

CRISPR/Cas for genome editing – today and tomorrow

The CRISPR/Cas technology has revolutionized the field of genome editing. The technology has been widely adopted in research and is leading to the development of a wide range of applications. But how do we deal with new technologies like CRISPR as a society? Is CRISPR the new golden standard in...

2020 NHGRI Strategic Vision

01.06.2021. Genome.gov

This vision describes the most compelling research priorities and opportunities in human genomics for the coming decade, signaling a new era in genomics for NHGRI and the field.

2.2.1Gene-based Diagnostics and Prevention

Major EU project will harness AI and genomics for disease prevention

01.01.2021. Mirage News

An international collaboration project to develop and implement novel genome-based disease prediction tools has received over 10 million euros from the...

2.2.2Gene Therapies and Enhancement

The current landscape of nucleic acid therapeutics - Nature Nanotechnology

01.05.2021. Nature Nanotechnology

This Review provides an overview of four platform technologies that are currently used in the clinic for delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics, describing their properties, discussing technical advancements that led to clinical approval, and highlighting examples of approved genetic drugs that make …

Injection of light-sensitive proteins restores blind man’s vision

01.05.2021. Nature

The first successful clinical test of a technique called optogenetics has allowed a person to see for the first time in decades, with the help of image-enhancing goggles.

What’s new in clinical CRISPR? - Nature Medicine

04.01.2021. Nature Medicine

In the past year, there has been more CRISPR news than the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier. Gene editing has continued its forward momentum in major ways, and scientists are beginning to see results.

2.2.3Novel Bioengineering Approaches

Scientists use machine learning to tackle a big challenge in gene therapy

04.02.2021. STAT

Scientists at Dyno Therapeutics, Google Research, and Harvard used machine learning models to identify AAV2 capsids for gene therapy.

Computers design precise genetic programs

02.06.2021. NIBIB Logo

A change of instructions in a computer program directs the computer to execute a different command. Similarly, synthetic biologists are learning the rules for how to direct the activities of human cells.

2.2.4Synthetic Organisms

Of Mice and Men, Monkeys, and Pigs. The Ethics of Chimeric Research.

04.04.2021. American Council on Science and Health

In Greek mythology, the Chimera was a fearsome, fire-breathing monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a dragon’s tail. She terrorized the Lycians until felled by Pegasus, the winged horse. The Chimeric beast lives on in people’s imaginations, her name becoming synonymous with grotesque monst…

Why the Synthetic Cell Needs Democratic Governance

05.08.2021. Trends in Biotechnology

Engineering synthetic cells from the bottom up is expected to revolutionize biotechnology. How can synthetic cells support societal transitions necess…

Neanderthal-like ‘mini-brains’ created in lab with CRISPR

04.02.2021. Nature

Organoids that contain an ancient version of a gene that influences brain development are smaller and bumpier than those with human genes.

2.3Radical Health Extension

How Long Can We Live?

03.07.2021. NYTimes

New research is intensifying the debate — with profound implications for the future of the planet.

Has this scientist finally found the fountain of youth?

04.06.2021. MIT Technology Review

Editing the epigenome, which turns our genes on and off, could be the “elixir of life.”

NAD+ in aging, metabolism, and neurodegeneration

05.12.2015. Science

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a coenzyme found in all living cells. It serves both as a critical coenzyme for enzymes that fuel reduction-oxidation reactions, carrying electrons from one reaction to another, and as a cosubstrate for other enzymes such as the sirtuins and poly(adenosine…

Long live humankind | Books, Et Al.

03.05.2021. Books, Et Al. | Book and media reviews from the journal Science, edited by Valerie Thompson.

Data collection and analysis earn top spots among factors that have drastically increased life expectancy

Research: A new era for research into aging

04.01.2021. eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd

eLife is publishing a special issue on aging, geroscience and longevity to mark the rapid progress made in this field over the past decade, both in terms of mechanistic understanding and translational approaches that are poised to have clinical impact on age-related diseases.

Ageing and the Life Course: Research for Longer Lives (2020)

06.08.2021. Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina

Die Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina berät Politik und Gesellschaft unabhängig zu wichtigen Zukunftsthemen.

2.3.1Age-related Diagnostics and Prevention

Study suggests scientists may need to rethink which genes control aging

04.06.2021. National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH scientists discover that bacteria may drive activity of many hallmark aging genes in flies.

Longitudinal analysis of blood markers reveals progressive loss of resilience and predicts human lifespan limit - Nature Communications

02.05.2021. Nature Communications

Aging is associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases and functional decline. Here, the authors investigate the fluctuations of physiological indices along aging trajectories and observed a characteristic decrease in the organism state recovery rate.

Breakdown of gene coordination during aging suggests a substantial challenge to longevity

01.11.2020. EurekAlert!

In a study published in the journal <i>Nature Metabolism</i>, researchers from Bar-Ilan University in Israel report evidence that supports, for the first time, a longstanding theory on the aging process in cells. Using a novel approach from physics, they developed a computational method that quantif…

2.3.2Fundamental Geroscience

Harvard Scientists Pinpoint ‘Ground Zero’ of Aging in Mouse Embryo Study

01.06.2021. Singularity Hub

A Harvard team has shown mouse embryos reset their age to zero a week into development. The study could lead to breakthroughs in longevity science.

This Tiny Creature Survived 24,000 Years Frozen in Siberian Permafrost

01.06.2021. NYTimes

The microscopic animals were frozen when woolly mammoths still roamed the planet, but were restored as though no time had passed.

2.3.3Slowing Biological Ageing

Can blood from young people slow aging? Silicon Valley has bet billions it will

04.04.2021. Newsweek

Biotech startups are trying to hack the process of aging and, in the process, stave off the most devastating diseases

Hibernating marmots don’t seem to age - could humans do the same?

02.03.2021. New Scientist

A key sign of ageing slows right down when ground squirrels are hibernating. This suggests we might be able to induce similar changes to put humans in suspended animation for long-distance space travel

2.3.4Reversing Ageing

Ageing process is unstoppable, finds unprecedented study

05.06.2021. The Guardian

Research suggests humans cannot slow the rate at which they get older because of biological constraints

Reversal of biological clock restores vision in old mice

03.12.2020. Nature

‘Reprogramming’ approach seems to make old cells young again.

First hint that body’s ‘biological age’ can be reversed

04.09.2019. Nature

In a small trial, a cocktail of drugs seemed to rejuvenate the body’s ‘epigenetic clock’.

2.4Consciousness Augmentation

A $50,000 Helmet Can Read User’s Mind. And It’s Ready

04.06.2021. NDTV

Over the next few weeks, a company called Kernel will begin sending dozens of customers across the U.S. a $50,000 helmet that can, crudely speaking, read their mind.

What’s the Origin of Consciousness? Global Effort Puts Two Top Theories to the Test

03.06.2021. Singularity Hub

Six different teams from across the globe are uniting in a challenge to test our fundamental theories of consciousness.

Is it time to give up on consciousness as ‘the ghost in the machine’?

04.06.2021. The Conversation

Consciousness is sometimes referred to as ‘the ghost’ in the machinery of our brain. Is it time we gave up the ghost to focus on the machine?

Consciousness isn’t just the brain: The body shapes your sense of self

03.06.2020. New Scientist

Electrical signals coming from your heart and other organs influence how you perceive the world, the decisions you take, your sense of who you are and consciousness itself.

Is Consciousness Everywhere?

00.03.2021. The MIT Press Reader

Experience is in unexpected places, including in all animals, large and small, and perhaps even in brute matter itself.

Human Enhancement: Scientific and Ethical Dimensions of Genetic Engineering, Brain Chips and Synthetic Blood

02.07.2016. Pew Research Center Science & Society

Human enhancement is at least as old as human civilization. People have been trying to enhance their physical and mental capabilities for thousands of years, sometimes successfully – and sometimes with inconclusive, comic and even tragic results.

GCSP Article | Neurotechnologies and Future Warfare

03.12.2020. Neurotechnologies and Future Warfare

This commentary was first published by S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

2.4.1Cognitive Capacity Enhancement

GCSP Article | Neurotechnologies and Future Warfare

03.12.2020. Neurotechnologies and Future Warfare

This commentary was first published by S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

2.4.2Consciousness Assessment

Does consciousness come from the brain’s electromagnetic field? | Aeon Essays

01.04.2021. Aeon Magazine

Instead of a code encrypted in the wiring of our neurons, could consciousness reside in the brain’s electromagnetic field?

What’s the Origin of Consciousness? Global Effort Puts Two Top Theories to the Test

03.06.2021. Singularity Hub

Six different teams from across the globe are uniting in a challenge to test our fundamental theories of consciousness.

A Sexy New Theory of Consciousness Is All Up in Your Feelings

01.03.2021. WIRED

Neuroscience is bad at explaining what it’s like to be alive. Mark Solms thinks he can change that—with help from Freud, of all people.

2.4.3Brain-Machine Interfaces

A $50,000 Helmet Can Read User’s Mind. And It’s Ready

04.06.2021. NDTV

Over the next few weeks, a company called Kernel will begin sending dozens of customers across the U.S. a $50,000 helmet that can, crudely speaking, read their mind.

Brain–Computer Interfaces for Human Augmentation

04.01.2019. MDPI

The field of brain&ndash;computer interfaces (BCIs) has grown rapidly in the last few decades, allowing the development of ever faster and more reliable assistive technologies for converting brain activity into control signals for external devices for people with severe disabilities [...]

Quantum mechanics and human consciousness, developing technologies for brain-inspired computation – Physics World

04.02.2021. Physics World

A neuroinformatics expert and a quantum biophysicist are our guests on the podcast this week

2.4.4Sense-expanding Technologies

How the brain makes sense of touch

03.02.2021. Logo EPFL, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

EPFL researchers have identified specific neurons that help activate sensory processing in nearby nerve cells — a finding that could explain how the brain integrates signals necessary for tactile perception and learning.

An artificial neural tactile sensing system - Nature Electronics

04.06.2021. Nature Electronics

A tactile sensing system that can learn to identify different types of surface can be created using sensors that mimic the fast and slow responses of mechanoreceptors found in human skin.

3.1Decarbonisation

Marking the decarbonization revolutions - Nature Energy

04.06.2021. Nature Energy

Stopping climate change requires revolutionary transformations in industry and agriculture. Ahead of several major climate meetings this year, policymakers struggling to measure progress on climate change should focus less on global emissions, which will be slow to change, and more on technological …

Toward Deep Decarbonization

05.07.2021. Foreign Policy

Transformational technologies essential to the clean energy transition.

Half of the world’s emissions cuts will require tech that isn’t commercially available

02.05.2021. MIT Technology Review

We need to accelerate investments into better batteries, clean hydrogen, biofuels and carbon removal, a new International Energy Agency report finds.

Breakthrough Batteries - RMI

01.02.2021. RMI

Rapid advancements in battery technology are poised to accelerate the pace of the global energy transition and play a major role in addressing the climate crisis. With more than $1.4 billion invested in battery technologies in the first half of 2019 alone, massive investments in battery manufacturing and steady advances...

Green Hydrogen The next transformational driver of the Utilities industry

In our Carbonomics report we analysed the major role of clean hydrogen in the transition towards Net Zero. Here we focus on Green hydrogen (“e-Hydrogen”), which is produced when renewable energy powers the electrolysis of water. Green hydrogen looks poised to become a once-in-a-generation opportunity: we estimate it could give...

Net Zero by 2050 A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector

Despite the current gap between rhetoric and reality on emissions, our Roadmap shows that there are still pathways to reach net zero by 2050. The one on which we focus is – in our analysis – the most technically feasible, cost‐effective and socially acceptable. Even so, that pathway remains narrow...

Risk governance and the low-carbon transition

06.08.2021. Infoscience

This IRGC policy brief focuses on the risks associated with the transition to a low-carbon society and economy. It is based on a multi-stakeholder expert workshop held in September 2020. It incorporates views and insights from academia, industry, non-governmental organizations and policy-making inst…

Columbia | SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy | Opportunities and Limits of CO2 Recycling in a Circular Carbon Economy: Techno-economics, Critical Infrastructure Needs, and Policy Priorities

02.05.2021. Opportunities and Limits of CO2 Recycling in a Circular Carbon Economy: Techno-economics, Critical Infrastructure Needs, and Policy Priorities

This report, part of the Carbon Management Research Initiative at Columbia University’s Center on Global Policy, examines 19 CO2 recycling pathways to understand the opportunities and the technical and economic limits of CO2 recycling products gaining market entry and reaching global scale.

3.1.1Negative Emission Technologies

New generation of carbon dioxide traps could make carbon capture practical

03.03.2021. Science | AAAS

New CO2-grabbing materials and tax credits could cut emissions from fossil fuel plants

Lego-like assembly of zeolitic membranes improves carbon capture

01.10.2020. Logo EPFL, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

EPFL chemical engineers have developed a new way to manufacture zeolitic membranes, state-of-the-art materials used for gas separation in harsh conditions.

Carbon capture ‘moonshot’ moves closer, as billions of dollars pour in

03.08.2021. The Guardian

While some say CO2 capture is part of the problem, billions of dollars are being invested in it as a part solution to the climate crisis

3.1.2Energy Transition

Differences in carbon emissions reduction between countries pursuing renewable electricity versus nuclear power - Nature Energy

01.10.2020. Nature Energy

Nuclear and renewable energy are considered two of the most important technologies towards decarbonization though it is not clear how their adoption relates to national emission reductions. Sovacool et al. look at data from 123 countries to examine emission reductions associated with nuclear- or ren…

Department of Energy picks two advanced nuclear reactors for demonstration projects

01.10.2020. Science | AAAS

Commercial molten-salt and gas-cooled reactors to be built within 7 years

The future of nuclear: power stations could make hydrogen, heat homes and decarbonise industry

03.11.2020. The Conversation

Don’t count nuclear energy out – it may be our best hope of reaching net-zero emissions within the time we have left.

3.1.3Advanced Materials

How we could make carbon-negative concrete

06.10.2020. TED Talks

Concrete is all around us: we use it to build our roads, buildings, bridges and much more. Yet over the last 2,000 years, the art of mixing cement and using it to bind concrete hasn’t changed very much -- and it remains one of the world’s biggest emitters of carbon....

Researchers create self-sustaining, intelligent, electronic microsystems from green material

02.06.2021. Phys.org

A research team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst has created an electronic microsystem that can intelligently respond to information inputs without any external energy input, much like a self-autonomous living organism. The microsystem is constructed from a novel type of electronics that…

Asbestos could be a powerful weapon against climate change (you read that right)

02.10.2020. MIT Technology Review

Scientists are exploring ways to use mineral waste from mines to pull huge amounts of carbon dioxide out of the air.

3.1.4Energy Storage

Lithium: The big picture

05.08.2021. One Earth

Lithium is a key resource in global efforts toward decarbonization. However, like the extraction process associated with this soft, white metal, the l…

We’re running out of lithium for batteries – can we use salt instead?

03.01.2021. New Scientist

Lithium-ion batteries power the world, but with lithium running low, we desperately need a viable alternative. Here’s why common salt may be our best bet

Why ‘nuclear batteries’ offer a new approach to carbon-free energy

05.06.2021. Tech Xplore

We may be on the brink of a new paradigm for nuclear power, a group of nuclear specialists suggested recently in The Bridge, the journal of the National Academy of Engineering. Much as large, expensive, and centralized computers gave way to the widely distributed PCs of today, a new generation...

3.2World Simulation

Copernicus Marine Service to contribute to digital twin of the ocean project | Meteorological Technology International

04.06.2021. Meteorological Technology International

Non-profit ocean science organization Mercator Ocean International has announced that it will participate in the European Space Agency-funded digital twin of the ocean project. Mercator, which implements the Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) on behalf of the European Commission, will participate in …

Digital Twin Earth, quantum computing and AI take centre stage at ESA’s Φ-week

00.08.2021. Digital Twin Earth, quantum computing and AI take centre stage at ESA’s Φ-week

ESA’s 2020 Φ-week event kicked off this morning with a series of stimulating speeches on Digital Twin Earth, updates on Φ-sat-1, which was successfully launched into orbit earlier this month, and an exciting new initiative involving quantum computing.

Europe is building a ‘digital twin’ of Earth to revolutionize climate forecasts

04.10.2020. Science | AAAS

Ingesting more data than ever, exascale model will simulate the impact of climate change on humans

The human factor — why data is not enough to understand the world

05.05.2021. Financial Times

Companies are turning to anthropology to balance the insights of algorithms and AI

Computational social science: Obstacles and opportunities

05.08.2020. Science

The field of computational social science (CSS) has exploded in prominence over the past decade, with thousands of papers published using observational data, experimental designs, and large-scale simulations that were once unfeasible or unavailable to researchers. These studies have greatly improved…

CMIP6: the next generation of climate models explained | Carbon Brief

03.11.2020. Carbon Brief

Climate models are one of the primary means for scientists to understand how the climate has changed in the past and may change in the future. These models simulate the physics, chemistry and biology of the atmosphere, land and oceans in great detail, and require some of the largest supercomputers...

3.2.1Physical Models

CMIP6: the next generation of climate models explained | Carbon Brief

03.08.2021. Carbon Brief

Climate models are one of the primary means for scientists to understand how the climate has changed in the past and may change in the future. These models simulate the physics, chemistry and biology of the atmosphere, land and oceans in great detail, and require some of the largest supercomputers...

3.2.2Ecological Models

Copernicus Marine Service to contribute to digital twin of the ocean project | Meteorological Technology International

04.06.2021. Meteorological Technology International

Non-profit ocean science organization Mercator Ocean International has announced that it will participate in the European Space Agency-funded digital twin of the ocean project. Mercator, which implements the Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) on behalf of the European Commission, will participate in …

3.2.3Socio-economic Models

Computational social science: Obstacles and opportunities

05.08.2020. Science

The field of computational social science (CSS) has exploded in prominence over the past decade, with thousands of papers published using observational data, experimental designs, and large-scale simulations that were once unfeasible or unavailable to researchers. These studies have greatly improved…

3.2.4Integration and Coupling

Climate policy models need to get real about people — here’s how

02.06.2021. Nature

To predict how society and political systems might actually respond to warming, upgrade integrated assessment models.

3.3Future Food Systems

The food issue

05.01.2021. MIT Technology Review

Technology has made food cheap, plentiful, tasty, and novel—but not for everybody, and not always for the good of the planet. How can we put our tools to better use?

Biotech lobbies gear up for gene editing regulation battle

02.05.2021. Science|Business

Biotech lobbies see the European Commission’s recent change of heart over the use of novel genomic techniques as a window of opportunity and are gearing up for a battle over regulation. A new report published on Monday gives more ammunition for advocates for the use of gene editing in crop...

Combined innovations in public policy, the private sector and culture can drive sustainability transitions in food systems - Nature Food

04.04.2021. Nature Food

Transition theory and the political economy of food regimes provide insights for transforming food systems. Recent historic case studies of scientific, technological, political and cultural innovations, including advances in tilapia farming and ultra-heat treatment of milk, provide lessons for futur…

Food as a commodity, human right or common good - Nature Food

04.03.2021. Nature Food

Different framings of food may shape food policies and their impact. Despite acknowledging food systems’ complexities, the European Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy still addresses food as a commodity instead of a human right or common good.

The persistent threat of emerging plant disease pandemics to global food security

02.06.2021. PNAS

Plant disease outbreaks are increasing and threaten food security for the vulnerable in many areas of the world. Now a global human pandemic is threatening the health of millions on our planet. A stable, nutritious food supply will be needed to lift people out of poverty and improve health outcomes.…

A framework for examining justice in food system transformations research - Nature Food

04.06.2021. Nature Food

Global interest and investment in food system transformation should be accompanied by critical analysis of its justice implications. Multiple forms of injustice, and the potential role that research might play in exacerbating these, are key considerations for those engaging with food system transfor…

Sustainable nutrition

03.12.2020. Nature

Sustainable nutrition

Major nutrition study aims to learn which diet best suits your genes and gut

01.02.2021. Science | AAAS

Effort will draw on All of Us study run by National Institutes of Health

Future Food Systems: For people, our planet, and prosperity - September 2020

This report includes important recommendations and advice for leaders at the most senior levels in countries and international organisations. It is also of direct relevance to decision makers, professionals, actors in the private sector, experts and researchers with interests in food systems and diets. Many of these individuals will be...

New book covers fragile status of the genetic diversity of our food

01.03.2021. EurekAlert!

A new global evaluation of the conservation of plant genetic resources is published as nations discuss new biodiversity conservation targets at the Convention on Biological Diversity

3.3.1Ecosystem-level Genetic Modification

New book covers fragile status of the genetic diversity of our food

01.03.2021. EurekAlert!

A new global evaluation of the conservation of plant genetic resources is published as nations discuss new biodiversity conservation targets at the Convention on Biological Diversity

3.3.2Alternative Proteins

An Israeli Startup Is 3D Printing Cultured Ribeye Steaks

03.02.2021. Singularity Hub

The technology, developed with Israel’s Technion University, is similar to that being used in medical research to print “organoids” for drug testing.

ESA investigates cultured meat as novel space food

05.08.2021. ESA investigates cultured meat as novel space food

ESA is seeking proposals to investigate the application of cellular agriculture&nbsp;as a novel technique to produce food, in particular cultured meat, during future long-term space missions.

3.3.3Resilient Farming

Vertical farming is on the way up

03.05.2021. Axios

Startups like Bowery Farming promise to bring agriculture into cities, reducing environmental costs

3.3.4Personalised Nutrition

What if everyone’s nutrition was personalised?

03.07.2021. The Economist

How the mass adoption of personalised nutrition is changing people’s health—and the food industry. An imagined scenario from 2035 | What If?

3.4Space Resources

New centre in Luxembourg sets out to exploit space resources

03.11.2020. Science|Business

The European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC), opening today, aims to lay the foundations for exploiting extra-terrestrial resources, such as water on the moon, and metals and minerals in asteroids, as the basis of an in-space economy.

Opinion | The New ‘Gold Rush in Space’

05.08.2020. The Wall Street Journal

Russian immigrant Mikhail Kokorich talks about America’s edge in the new era of private exploration, and his own plans for a water-fueled space transport.

Growing Interest in Moon Resources Could Cause Tension - SpaceRef

01.11.2020. SpaceRef

Lunar Gold Rush Could Create Conflict on the Ground if We Don’t Act Now—New Research

04.12.2020. Singularity Hub

Many countries and private companies have ambitious plans to explore or mine the moon. This won’t be at some remote point in time but soon.

NASA: Artemis

00.08.2021. NASA

Artemis is the name of NASA’s program to return astronauts to the lunar surface. We are going forward to the Moon to stay.

Report outlines science goals of first Artemis human lunar landing mission - SpaceNews

03.12.2020. SpaceNews

A report released by NASA Dec. 7 outlined the science that the first crewed Artemis mission to the lunar surface could accomplish, but also some challenges.

China launches space mining test spacecraft on commercial rideshare mission - SpaceNews

04.04.2021. SpaceNews

China launched a small space mining test spacecraft and eight other commercial satellites into orbit on a Long March 6 rocket late Monday.

Concentrated lunar resources: imminent implications for governance and justice

00.08.2021. logo

Numerous missions planned for the next decade are likely to target a handful of small sites of interest on the Moon's surface, creating risks of crowding and interference at these locations. The Moon presents finite and scarce areas with rare topography or concentrations of resources of special value. Locations of...

The Space Report 2020

The Space Report 2020 Q2 provides insight and analysis about what is happening across a variety of sectors in the space industry. The data compiled is from 2019, well before coronavirus became a global economic issue.

30 Voices on 2030 The future of space Communal, commercial, contested

This paper highlights that the potential of space to open up to new businesses and customers, create new products and services, and speak to our sense of curiosity and desire to understand the world beyond our planet is huge. Organisations across different industries – and not just traditional space industry...

SPACE ECONOMY Initiative 2020 Outcome Report January 2021

The present report provides an overview of all Space Economy 2020 virtual events, based around the key outcomes of this opening series of activities, which respectively focused on: • Introducing the Space Economy, 15 June 2020 • Making the Case for Space: Baselines for building support for space economic...

3.4.1Earth Orbit

ESPI Insights Space Sector Watch Issue 15 April 2021

How the Space Station Became a Base to Launch Humanity’s Future

01.08.2021. NYTimes

Once derided as a poster child for government waste, the outpost in orbit is now seen as a linchpin for future economic activity in space.

3.4.2The Moon

Concentrated lunar resources: imminent implications for governance and justice

05.08.2021. logo

Numerous missions planned for the next decade are likely to target a handful of small sites of interest on the Moon's surface, creating risks of crowding and interference at these locations. The Moon presents finite and scarce areas with rare topography or concentrations of resources of special value. Locations of...

3.4.3Asteroid Belt

How the asteroid-mining bubble burst

05.04.2021. MIT Technology Review

A short history of the space industry’s failed (for now) gold rush

3.4.4Mars

Swarms of robots could dig underground cities on Mars

05.05.2021. Phys.org

Underground habitats have recently become a focal point of off-planet colonization efforts. Protection from micrometeorites, radiation and other potential hazards makes underground sites desirable compared to surface dwellings. Building such subterranean structures presents a plethora of challenges,…

3.5Ocean Stewardship

Climate change, rich-poor gap, conflict likely to grow-U.S. report

00.08.2021. news.trust.org

Climate change, disease, financial crises and technological disruption “are likely to manifest more frequently and intensely in almost every region and country,” the report said

Ocean benefits increasingly undermined by human activity, UN assessment reveals

05.04.2021. UN News

Greater understanding of the ocean is essential if the world is to recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve agreed targets on sustainable development and climate action, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday in launching a major study on what he called “the life suppor…

Enabling conditions for an equitable and sustainable blue economy - Nature

03.03.2021. Nature

The capacity to create an equitable and sustainable ‘blue economy’ from ocean resources will be determined by addressing social conditions, governance and infrastructure, not just resource availability, as shown by a fuzzy logic model incorporating multidisciplinary criteria.

The Deep Sea Is Filled with Treasure, but It Comes at a Price

01.06.2021. The New Yorker

We’ve barely explored the darkest realm of the ocean. With rare-metal mining on the rise, we’re already destroying it.

The ocean in humanity’s future

03.12.2020. Nature

Fourteen world leaders ask an international group of researchers where next for the ocean economy. This collection delivers some of the answers.

Ocean Stewardship 2030 - Ten ambitions for Ocean Stewardship

The ocean provides the primary means to conduct global trade and it is increasingly important for humanity’s dietary and energy needs. At the same time, ocean health is rapidly diminishing, and we need to address critical dimensions of public and private governance to accelerate sustainable ocean-related solutions for the future...

Challenger 150 - Home - Challenger 150

02.07.2021. Challenger 150

THE DEEP OCEAN MATTERS Our mission is to map the role of the deep sea in human society We have designed a global scale programme of field work that is needed to deliver…

Scientists call for decade of concerted effort to enhance understanding of the deep seas

03.11.2020. EurekAlert!

An international team of scientists, spanning 45 institutions in 17 countries, has called for a dedicated decade-long programme of research to greatly advance discovery in the deep ocean.

Ocean Solutions That Benefit People, Nature and the Economy | System of Environmental Economic Accounting

00.08.2021. Welcome to the United Nations

The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel) is a unique initiative by 14 world leaders who are building momentum for a sustainable ocean economy. This work has been commissioned as an input to the Ocean Panel. The report builds on the latest scientific research, analyses and...

3.5.1Harnessing Ocean Biodiversity

Deep-sea mining is making the seabed the hottest real estate on Earth

03.11.2020. New Scientist

As the race to extract valuable minerals from the deep ocean ramps up, how can we also protect unique marine ecosystems?

3.5.2Transition Ecosystems

The Ongoing Collapse of the World’s Aquifers

02.01.2021. WIRED

When humans over-exploit underground water supplies, the ground collapses like a huge empty water bottle. It’s called subsidence, and it could affect 1.6 billion people by 2040.

Du Groenland à la Suisse, les eaux des glaciers livrent leurs secrets

06.04.2021. Logo EPFL, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne

Depuis deux ans, des équipes de l’EPFL échantillonnent et analysent les micro-organismes présents dans les ruisseaux des plus importants glaciers du monde. Récit, en grand format sur notre nouvelle plateforme, d’une aventure scientifique qu’il est encore temps de vivre.

3.5.3Repairing the Ocean

Charting a new path to protect the high seas

05.05.2021. Geneva Solutions

From jellyfish collagen applied to accelerate wound healing, to cosmetics, to squid-based plastic alternatives, the ocean’s biodiversity holds immeasurable potential in knowledge and resources for humans. It also produces at least half of the Earth’s oxygen and feeds over three billion people worldw…

Ocean protection needs a spirit of compromise

03.03.2021. Nature

A proposal that weighs up options for meeting climate, conservation and food-provision goals deserves serious consideration.

Unlocking the single-cell mysteries of a reef-building coral

05.08.2021. Cell

Coral reefs are one of the most important ecosystems in the world but least understood from a cellular level. In this issue of Cell, Levy et al. unrav…

3.5.4Improved Ocean Observation

The deep ocean has ‘answers to problems we don’t even know we have yet’

03.06.2021. Geneva Solutions

Exploring the depths of the ocean used to be the stuff of science fiction novels. But now more than ever, tools and technologies are providing oceanographers with increasing opportunities to go sleuthing for new scientific breakthroughs on the seafloor – though there is still much to be discovered. …

Scientists call for decade of concerted effort to enhance understanding of the deep seas

03.11.2020. EurekAlert!

An international team of scientists, spanning 45 institutions in 17 countries, has called for a dedicated decade-long programme of research to greatly advance discovery in the deep ocean.

4.1Complex Systems for Social Enhancement

Realism about reskilling

02.02.2021. Brookings

This report reviews how to upgrade the career prospects of America’s low-wage workers.

The technonationalism issue

02.09.2020. MIT Technology Review

Technology is changing the ways countries relate to one another and to their citizens. The stories in this issue explain how and why.

Digital Democracy: The Tools Transforming Political Engagement

00.08.2021. nesta

This paper shares lessons from Nesta’s research into some of the pioneering innovations in digital democracy which are taking place across Europe and beyond

Office of the Director of National Intelligence - Global Trends

00.08.2021. Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Office of the Director of National Intelligence - Global Trends

4.1.1Computational Social Science

Integrating explanation and prediction in computational social science - Nature

03.06.2021. Nature

The combination of computational and social sciences requires the integration of explanatory and predictive approaches into ‘integrative modelling’, according to Hofman and colleagues.

Computational social science: Obstacles and opportunities

05.08.2020. Science

The field of computational social science (CSS) has exploded in prominence over the past decade, with thousands of papers published using observational data, experimental designs, and large-scale simulations that were once unfeasible or unavailable to researchers. These studies have greatly improved…

4.1.2Digital Democracy

On developing a better digital citizenry

00.06.2021. Jordan Times

The rapid rate of change of new communications technologies and the ever present global media industry, has forced almost everyone to be constantly connected to at least one social media platform and to be exposed to, and engaged with, modern digital culture. There are more choices for information a…

An autonomous debating system - Nature

03.03.2021. Nature

An artificial intelligence system that can engage in a competitive debate with humans is presented.

Digital Democracy: The Tools Transforming Political Engagement

05.08.2021. nesta

This paper shares lessons from Nesta’s research into some of the pioneering innovations in digital democracy which are taking place across Europe and beyond

4.1.3Collective Intelligence

Inclusion in citizen science: The conundrum of rebranding

05.06.2021. Science

As the scientific community, like society more broadly, reckons with long-standing challenges around accessibility, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, we would be wise to pay attention to issues and lessons emerging in debates around citizen science. When practitioners first placed the modif…