Issue #183
This week – meet the biohackers; CRISPR babies follow-ups; DeepMind’s AI folds proteins; Waymo launches taxi services in Arizona; a cyborg plant; and more!
More Than A Human
[The gene-edited Chinese twins represent a multi-generational ethical quandary](https://www.popsci.com/gene-edited-twins-hint-at-huge-ethical- quandary) The birth of the first genetically-modified humans spawned many questions about the ethics of altering the human genome. This article focuses on one of those questions – the question of informed consent.
The Military Is Investing Millions in Exoskeleton “Super- Soldiers” US Army is investing $6.9 million into ONYX – Lockheed Martin’s exoskeleton suit that straps on over the soldier’s clothes — instantly turning them into a “super-soldier”
Artificial Intelligence
► Research at NVIDIA: The First Interactive AI Rendered Virtual World This video shows a machine-generated world from a video. The machine learning algorithm was trained to render urban environments from videos of cities. This technique can find use in video games for example, where it can make generating realistic cities easier.
Robotics
Largest police force in the US steps into the drone age The New York Police Department has shown off its first fleet of drones. The department said Tuesday that potential uses for its 14 drones include search and rescue, hard-to-reach crime scenes, hostage situations, and hazardous material incidents. It says drones can reduce risk to officers and bystanders during a response to dangerous situations. They’ll be operated by officers who are specially trained and licensed. The NYPD says the drones won’t be used for routine patrol or traffic enforcement.
[Congress Races to Pass a Self-Driving Car Law By Year’s End](https://www.wired.com/story/av-start-act-senate-congress-new-language- self-driving/) With Waymo rolling out autonomous cars into the wild city environment, the law needs to catch up with the technology. In the US, senators began to circulate new language for the AV Start Act, a bill that has lingered in congressional limbo for almost a year. In this new draft language, the bill would create a loose framework for the testing and deployment of automated vehicles.
Could drones replace cameras for making animated movies? New research shows how drones can greatly reduce the effort required to make realistic animated figures for movies and television. It requires two drones flying around actors in the scene, picking the right angles to record their movement and doing motion capture on the fly.
Biotechnology
[Baboons Survive for Half a Year after Heart Transplants from Pigs](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/baboons-survive-for-half-a- year-after-heart-transplants-from-pigs/) Four baboons were able to live with a transplanted hearts grown in a pig bringing human trials into view.