Gene Called Link Between Life Span and Cancers - New York Times

Gene Called Link Between Life Span and Cancers - New York Times:

"Biologists have uncovered a deep link between life span and cancer in the form of a gene that switches off stem cells as a person ages.

The critical gene, well known for its role in suppressing tumors, seems to mediate a profound balance between life and death. It weighs the generation of new replacement cells, required for continued life, against the risk of death from cancer, which is the inevitable outcome of letting cells divide.

To offset the increasing risk of cancer as a person ages, the gene gradually reduces the ability of stem cells to proliferate."

Space Elevator Competition

The Observer World Nasa hopes to catch an elevator to space:

courtesy the eye

In a few weeks, scientists from across the world will gather in the New Mexico desert to compete for one of the strangest - and most ambitious - technological competitions ever devised.
Some researchers will unveil robots, powered by solar panels, that will climb long lengths of cable. Others will demonstrate materials so light and strong that mile-long stretches of the stuff could be hung in the air without snapping. And some will highlight their plans to launch satellites carrying sets of mini-probes tethered together, to discover how they behave in space.
All these different projects are united by one extraordinary goal: to build a stairway to heaven.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_future_in_forecasts

Methuselah Mouse Prize - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Methuselah Mouse Prize - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Methuselah Mouse Prize or Mprize is a growing $3.5 million prize started in 2003 to accelerate research into slowing and eventually reversing cellular aging and breakdown in humans. The Methuselah Foundation awards prizes to researchers who extend the lifespan of a mouse to unprecedented lengths.

Timeline of the future in forecasts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Timeline of the future in forecasts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Timeline of the future in forecasts is a list by future chronology of various predictions. As prominent writers, social thinkers, politicians and scientists have all shared with the world their visions of the future, some of these individual predictions have been completely off the mark, while others have been rather accurate. However, taken together, they paint a picture of changing perceptions about various aspects of the future in our society and provide insight into aspirations and beliefs of their authors. Also, sometimes such predictions appear realistic enough to warrant a closer look at them.

Below is a comprehensive list of major future events, including technological inventions and scientific advances, that were repeatedly predicted by various authors, but that have not yet come into being. The list is centered not around the authors, but around specific events. In most cases alternative time estimates offered by other authors are provided. Since the futurist authors come from very different backgrounds (academic research, science fiction writing, politics, philosophy), the accuracy, realism and relevancy of their forecasts vary. The qualifications and bias of different authors are explained.

The Age of Spiritual Machines: Timeline

KurzweilAI.net:

The Age of Spiritual Machines: Timeline

by Raymond Kurzweil

A timeline by Ray Kurzweil from the birth of the universe through 2099.