Issue 51 of the research*eu results magazine: Blurring the lines - man meets machine
Raymond Kurzweil is probably one of the most inspiring computer scientists and futurists of his generation — with a career paved with head-turning innovations, prestigious awards for his inventions and a place in the US National Inventors Hall of Fame. However, his legacy will mostly be that of a curious prediction: Kurzweil believes that, in around 2045, machines will outsmart people to the point where they can actually improve themselves without any help from their human designers. According to some theories, that event might actually mark the moment when humans and machines merge with each other. Humans would then be blessed with the likes of eternal life and intellectual and physical capacities beyond imagination. Some 30 years separate us from the potential realisation of this theory. So the question is, are we getting any closer to that point? Are scientific efforts to produce more human-like machines and blur the lines between virtual and ‘real’ reality proving to be fruitful? This edition of the research*eu results magazine is shedding some light on this issue by presenting some of the latest achievements of scientists thanks to EU funding. Other topics in this edition include the following highlights: - Epigenetic alterations key for detecting and preventing breast cancer - New recommendations for reducing poverty in Europe - Constructing energy efficient schools for the future - Novel methods to extrapolate ancient climatological conditions - A new bandwidth variable transmitter to build future optical networks - Chemical bond formation simplified - The quest to detect bombs before they are even made - New magnetic radiation shielding to protect astronauts during deep space missions The research*eu results magazine is the main source of information for all findings related to EU-funded science projects. It covers a large spectrum of topics including biology and medicine, environment, energy, transport, ICT, industrial technologies, social sciences and space. It is published 10 times per year in English. For more information, sign up for a free subscription and to download the new edition, please visit: http://cordis.europa.eu/research-eu/magazine_en.html(opens in new window)
Countries
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, United Kingdom