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From Pessimism to Optimism Despite the Headlines

Why we need to adopt an abundance mindset.


Peter Diamandis shared an email blast about dire headlines that keep us on edge: the war in Ukraine, food and gasoline prices, climate change, and the neverending pandemic. Getting away from bad news is difficult, it appears, because of the way we are wired. Mass media feeds the bad far more than the good.

In his missive, Peter talks about Matt Ridley, a zoologist, who wrote and published The Rational Optimist in 2010. The book takes a profoundly optimistic view of human progress, a counterblast to the prevailing pessimism of our day. Ridley coined the phrase “moaning pessimism” to describe the current state.

The following summarizes Peter’s talking points joined by some editorializing on my part. I welcome your optimism, less so your pessimism in any comments you wish to share with my subscribers and casual visitors and readers.

Is there any reason for optimism today asks Peter? A glance at current headlines is enough to set anybody on edge. And with an endless media stream of bad press that includes online and hard copy, it’s hard to be optimistic. What makes all of this worse is that evolution has shaped us to be acutely aware of danger so the bad gets larger mindshare than anything good and our ability to appreciate the positive that is happening is compromised.

Single brain scan can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease

The research uses machine learning technology to look at structural features within the brain, including in regions not previously associated with Alzheimer’s. The advantage of the technique is its simplicity and the fact that it can identify the disease at an early stage when it can be very difficult to diagnose.

Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, getting a diagnosis quickly at an early stage helps patients. It allows them to access help and support, get treatment to manage their symptoms and plan for the future. Being able to accurately identify patients at an early stage of the disease will also help researchers to understand the that trigger the disease, and support development and trials of new treatments.

The research is published in the Nature Portfolio Journal, Communications Medicine.

Rune Labs secures FDA clearance to use Apple Watch to track Parkinson’s symptoms

Rune Labs, a precision neurology company, has announced its StrivePD software ecosystem for Parkinson’s disease has been granted 510(k) clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to collect patient symptom data through measurements made by Apple Watch.

By combining powerful wearable technology and self-reported symptom information with brain imaging, electrophysiology, genetic and other clinical data, StrivePD enables a data-driven approach to care management and clinical trial design for Parkinson’s.

Longevity. Technology: With this clearance, the Rune Labs’ StrivePD app enables precision clinical care and trial participation for tens of thousands of Parkinson’s patients who already use these devices in their daily lives.

Tour of Real-World Machine Learning Problems

Mike LorreyThe arguments I put into my article in The Space Review for the Space Force are valid to this discussion. https://www.thespacereview.com/article/3576/1


Real-world examples make the abstract description of machine learning become concrete.

In this post you will go on a tour of real world machine learning problems. You will see how machine learning can actually be used in fields like education, science, technology and medicine.

Each machine learning problem listed also includes a link to the publicly available dataset. This means that if a particular concrete machine learning problem interest you, you can download the dataset and start practicing immediately.

Liz Parrish at the Digital Enterprise Show 2022 in Málaga, Spain

Enjoy the talk given by Liz Parrish on June 14, 2022 during the Digital Enterprise Show 2022. The event took place from June 14th to the 16th in Málaga, Spain.


BioViva Science is using bioinformatics to improve gene therapies to enhance healthy human longevity and combat age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. TimeKeeper™ is an epigenetic clock and the BioViva BioVault™ is a bioinformatics database for researchers and consumers.

Gene Therapy for Interstellar Travel

Space is not a hospitable place. Radiation, zero gravity, and the vast distances between stops make interstellar travel look like a pipe dream right now, but they can be made more manageable with gene therapy. Along with obvious choices like follistatin to fight the loss of muscle mass, anti-aging gene therapies for telomerase induction, and Klotho expression can promote overall health. Keeping the crew healthy is essential when the nearest hospital could be billions of miles away.

In a statement to Astronomy Magazine, Dr João Pedro de Magalhães said “this roadmap sets the stage for enhancing human biology beyond our natural limits in ways that will confer not only longevity and disease resistance but will be essential for future space exploration.” There’s a big overlap between the genes needed to keep people healthy on earth and the genes needed to keep them safe in space.

There are a vast array of genes that will likely prove helpful to making long space voyages safe and comfortable. A vector, like BioViva’s CMV, will be needed to deliver the substantial genetic payloads astronauts will want to take with them into space.

A celebrated AI has learned a new trick: How to do chemistry

Sign in Welcome! Log into your account your username your password Forgot your password? Get help Default Kit Password recovery Recover your password your email A password will be e-mailed to you. HometechA celebrated AI has learned a new…


Artificial intelligence has altered the practise of science by enabling researchers to examine the vast volumes of data generated by current scientific instruments. Using deep learning, it can learn from the data itself and can locate a needle in a million haystacks of information. AI is advancing the development of gene searching, medicine, medication design, and chemical compound synthesis.

Scientists Detect Fastest-Growing Black Hole in the Universe

To extract information from fresh data, deep learning employs algorithms, often neural networks trained on massive volumes of data. With its step-by-step instructions, it is considerably different from traditional computing. It instead learns from data. Deep learning is far less transparent than conventional computer programming, leaving vital concerns unanswered: what has the system learnt and what does it know?

Albumin: What’s Optimal For Youth And Health? (2022 Update)

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Papers referenced in the video:
Age and sex variation in serum albumin concentration: an observational study.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26071488/

Commonly used clinical chemistry tests as mortality predictors: Results from two large cohort studies.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33152050/

Calculate your biological age with Levine’s test using the downloadable Excel file in this link:

Quantifying Biological Age

Stress accelerates aging of immune system, new research shows

Stress – whether it’s job strain, emotional wrangles or health worries – is something we all experience. However, a new study from USC shows stress accelerates aging of the immune system, potentially increasing a person’s risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and illness from infections such as COVID-19 [1].

Longevity. Technology: The new research, which has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help explain disparities in age-related health, including the unequal toll of the pandemic, and identify possible points for intervention.

“As the world’s population of older adults increases, understanding disparities in age-related health is essential. Age-related changes in the immune system play a critical role in declining health,” said lead study author Eric Klopack, a postdoctoral scholar in the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “This study helps clarify mechanisms involved in accelerated immune aging [2].”

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