Future Now
Nature Tech Symbiots
Episodes
Tuesday Jul 23, 2024
Tuesday Jul 23, 2024
E 75
Our Guest is Dr. Jonathan Trent - on Extremophile Lifeforms, his deep NASA research, and the magic of Bioreactors and Fuel Cells in solving Earth Issues. Other news includes Cheap Fakes & Politics, Bobby & Kamila, Beyond Opioids, MRI study of Psilocybin
Interestingly Dr. Trent had his start in oceanography and the study of small water-based lifeforms at UCSC back in the 1970’s as an undergraduate. Later at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a post doc in Germany at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry he became one of the world’s experts in how biology was able to adapt to the most extreme conditions on Earth imaginable. He was brought back home to NASA Ames, where he, as an astrobiologist delved deeply into how such life might exist elsewhere in the solar system. NASA did an extensive interview of his career, posted here.
Now, semi-retired in the Santa Cruz area, he brings home his knowledge of extreme forms of life in creating solutions to some of our biggest issues of today, namely the escalating food, water, and energy crisis. His latest project is called “UpCycle Systems,” and its goal is to create a cohesive green life support system for our growing need of Data Centers, places that are needed for cloud computing, AI, Crypto, memory storage, etc.
In Dr. Trent’s vision, data centers will not simply use massive amounts of water and power, they will generate such resources by turning our organic waste into clean power and water, with excess energy to share. This works through the combination of several innovative technologies, including bioreactors and fuel cells. I think you’ll enjoy hearing Dr. Trent’s story, we sure did! Enjoy..
UpCycle Data Centers that will contribute clean water and energy to the community instead of taking it.
Now that US national politics is heating up, so are the cheap fakes being made of the candidates, making them heroic, silly, smart, stupid, you name it. Just for cheap fakes and poltitics and off you go. We discuss this a bit and look at what can be done. And since are politics up, Bobby reveals to us his encounters with Kamila Harris, when she was Attorney General in Californa.
Opiods have been a serious issue for some time and there is some relief in the form of alternative pain drugs soon to hit the market. And in a study of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, researchers have disovered more detail and how they may work, with the help of MRI imaging of the subject’s brains as they are tripping. Enjoy!
Episode 75 Show Links July 23, 2024
Tuesday May 28, 2024
Tuesday May 28, 2024
E 67
Ergothioneine, the 'longevity vitamin,' Adaptogenic Superblend MycoSpectrum, Tauonium-Beyond Hydrogen, The upcoming Starship Flight #4, Dreamchaser to take Flight, Dandelion Rubber, Personality and Dementia
Though we covered a fair number of topics in today’s podcast, we kept coming back to discussing the health benefits of fungi, from how they assist the ATP Kreb's cycle in generating bodily energy to memory enhancement and longevity. We also had the privilege of once again speaking with Gabrielle Cianfrani, who has created an adaptogenic blend of 14 fungi for optimal health. And there’s something about Ergothioneine and improved cognition and energy.. Go figure.. Meanwhile, Starship Test #4 will be flying shortly as will the Dreamchaser space plane!
Episode 67 Show Links May 28, 2024
Tuesday Apr 23, 2024
Tuesday Apr 23, 2024
E 62
Living Solar Panels, Llama 3 freely available, Messages from Voyager, Light Sail 3 Launched, Dune 2 & Anti-social Network reviews, Our view of venture capitalist Vinod Khosla's world changing predictions, AI $$ ideas, jokes, and blended coffee!
A promising future lies in potential symbiotic relationships between our tech and nature. A example of theat lies with the use of algae in the generation of energy from solar panels. And…how might the climate change gas of methane be actually useful in making things better for us and our planet? This week, the Planetary Society’s latest Solar Sail spacecraft is now in orbit, and if successful, could pave the way for easy and cheap travel to other planets..slow but steady.. We were inspired by Nina Paley’s review of the new Dune 2 movie and had to share some quotes with you. And while on the movie front, Mrs. Future had some profound things to say about the Netflix documentary, “The Antisocial Network,” about the history of 4chan and how it led to the QAnon conspiracy theory and the January 6th riots. Nothing to think about there :-) .
We also discuss some of the big future predictions of venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, such as how expertise will soon be free and we’ll all use AI agents for getting information. And there are our initial experiments to see how the AI’s can make $$ for us, including the use of humor. Also this week we enlisted the free ‘expertise’ of coffee entrepreneur Gabrielle Cianfrani in evaluating AI’s foray into coffee blending, and it’s somewhat atypical choices. Enjoy!
Episode 62 Show Links April 23, 2024