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Scientists reveal controversial plan to launch 50,000 MIRRORS into space for 'sunlight on demand' - but sceptics warn it poses 'serious risks' to wildlife and humans

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Horrifying next twist in the Alexander brothers case: MAUREEN CALLAHAN exposes an unthinkable perversion that's been hiding in plain sight Hollywood icon who starred in Psycho after Hitchcock dubbed her'my new Grace Kelly' looks incredible at 95 Alexander brothers' alleged HIGH SCHOOL gang rape video: Classmates speak out on sick'taking turns' footage... as creepy unseen photos are exposed Model Cindy Crawford, 60, mocked for her'out of touch' morning routine: 'Nothing about this is normal' Kentucky mother and daughter turn down $26.5MILLION to sell their farms to secretive tech giant that wants to build data center there Tucker Carlson erupts at Trump adviser as she hurls'SLANDER' claim linking him to synagogue shooting NFL superstar Xavier Worthy spills all on Travis Kelce, the Chiefs' struggles... and having Taylor Swift as his No 1 fan Heartbreaking video shows very elderly DoorDash driver shuffle down customer's driveway with coffee order because he is too poor to retire Amber Valletta, 52, was a '90s Vogue model who made movies with Sandra Bullock and Kate Hudson, see her now Nancy Mace throws herself into Iran warzone as she goes rogue on Middle East rescue mission: 'I AM that person' Scientists reveal controversial plan to launch 50,000 MIRRORS into space for'sunlight on demand' - but sceptics warn it poses'serious risks' to wildlife and humans Scientists have revealed a controversial plan to launch 50,000 mirrors into space to offer'sunlight on demand'. California-based startup, Reflect Orbital, is poised to secure permission to launch a 60-foot (18.3-metre) prototype mirror into orbit to beam sunlight back to the Earth's surface. Once it has reached an altitude of 400 miles (640 km), the mirror will unfurl and illuminate a patch of Earth about three miles (4.8 km) wide. Someone looking up from the ground would see a small dot of light about as bright as the moon. Reflect Orbital says its space mirrors could allow solar power plants to operate 24 hours a day, provide lighting for disaster-struck regions, and even replace street lights.


China Has a Controversial Plan for Brain-Computer Interfaces

WIRED

At a tech forum in Beijing last week, a Chinese company unveiled a "homegrown" brain-computer interface that allowed a monkey to seemingly control a robotic arm just by thinking about it. In a video shown at the event, a monkey with its hands restrained uses the interface to move a robotic arm and grasp a strawberry. The system, developed by NeuCyber NeuroTech and the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, involves soft electrode filaments implanted in the brain, according to state-run news media outlet Xinhua. Researchers in the US have tested similar systems in paralyzed people to allow them to control robotic arms, but the demonstration underscores China's progress in developing its own brain-computer interface technology and vying with the West. Brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, collect and analyze brain signals, often to allow direct control of an external device, such as a robotic arm, keyboard, or smartphone.


The UK rolls back controversial plans to open up text and data mining regulations • TechCrunch

#artificialintelligence

The U.K. Government is seemingly backtracking on plans that would have allowed text and data mining "for any purpose," plans designed to position the U.K. as a "global AI superpower." The news emerges following months of blowback from creative industries concerned about what impact the rules might have on protected works. Text and data mining, for the uninitiated, is an essential component of just about every AI application, allowing researchers and developers to leverage disparate datasets to train their algorithms. But gaining access to a sufficient amount of data is not a straight-forward endeavor, given that data is often owned by organizations or individuals that might not want third-parties to have access to their data. Or, they may only make said data available under a commercial license, making it prohibitively expensive to harness.