Cambridge to study risks posed by robots

PTI | Nov 27, 2012, 05.52 AM IST

LONDON: The Cambridge University is set to open a centre for 'terminator studies' where leading academics will study the danger that robots pose, with experts saying in future machines may be an existential threat to humans.

Its purpose will be to study the four greatest threats to the human species, artificial intelligence, climate change, nuclear war and rogue biotechnology.

The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) will be co-launched by Lord Rees, the astronomer royal and one of the world's top cosmologists, the 'Daily Mail' reported.

Rees's 2003 book 'Our Final Century' had warned that the destructiveness of humanity meant that the species could wipe itself out by 2100. The idea that machines might one day take over humanity has featured in many science fiction books and films, including the Terminator, in which Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a homicidal robot.

In 1965, Irving John 'Jack' Good wrote a paper for New Scientist called 'Speculations concerning the first ultra-intelligent machine'.

A key that lets parents apply brakes on kids’ speeding cars

PTI | Nov 26, 2012, 05.56 AM IST

inShare

1 Comments

LONDON: In a good news for protective parents, they can now limit the speed of their reckless kids' cars by using a new control key system to be available in the market soon.

The system called MyKey, which will be on shelves in the UK from next month, interfaces with the computer systems on board its latest cars to place restrictions on drivers using the special keys. It works by recognizing different keys for the same car and then adjusting the vehicle settings according to the owner's requirements , with the capacity to limit the top speed to 128 kmph, the Daily Mail said.

The limits are linked to the specific key, so parents concerned about their inexperienced children can limit top speed and stereo volume for youngsters while retaining full functionality for themselves.

"MyKey allows parents to tailor vehicle performance and driver environment to suit individual users," the company said.

"Permanent enabling of safety and driver aids and speed and audio limiting give parents greater control without impacting on young drivers' independence," it said.

Manufacturers claim the MyKey system can also be programmed to alert the driver that fuel is running low.

Drug that can halt cancer spread

LONDON: Scientists have developed a new drug which they claim can put cancerous cells to sleep to stop them from multiplying.

The drug called Aflibercept tricks tumours into becoming dormant by flipping molecular switches in the structure of the cancer so it cannot spread.

Positive results are being seen already in the UK, where trials have seen patients enjoy a "significant" extension of life, the Daily Mail reported. More than 1,400 patients were involved in trials, with some participants with advanced bowel cancer who had already had chemotherapy prolonged life by two years.

Scientists think the drug could be used across a range of different cancers in future studies.

A report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology said Aflibercept had a 'statistically significant survival benefit' compared to conventional drug regimes treating bowel cancer that had spread after initial treatment.

"The trial results were positive . Around 10,000 patients a year die from bowel cancer and most of them are having some form of chemotherapy so it is theoretically applicable to those," said Dr Rob Glynne Jones, Macmillan Clinical Lead for Gastrointestinal Cancer at Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood, Middlesex, said.

"I am sure this drug will have a research programme and they will be extending it to all other cancers. Maybe they will find other cancers where it may be more effective," Jones said.

Aflibercept is administered as a 30-minute infusion alongside chemotherapy. It is available in the US, and European approval is expected soon, the paper said.

Protein tied to breast cancer growth found

Scientists have discovered a protein "partner" used by breast cancer cells to unlock genes needed for spreading the disease around the body. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University found that "the protein JMJD2C is the key that opens up a whole suite of genes needed for tumours to grow and metastasize".