<h2>Artwork for Ants</h2>
A research experiment at the University of Queensland started as an attempt to better understand how fluids flow.
But somewhere along the way the team got sidetracked — by an art project.
&#8220;We were hoping to gain new insights into how our everyday world arises out of the microscopic quantum world, helping us create new quantum-enhanced technologies,&#8221; researcher Tyler Neely explained in a <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2019/05/scientists-paint%E2%80%99-mona-lisa-quantum-canvas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. &#8220;But, while we were at it, we just happened to create some of the world’s smallest masterpieces.&#8221;
<h2>Superfine Art</h2>
To create the tiny works of art, Neely said he and his team took a gas made of rubidium atoms and cooled it the coldest possible temperature — -273.15 degrees Celsius (-459 degrees Fahrenheit) — to create a substance that acts like a &#8220;blob of gaseous quantum matter.&#8221;
The researchers then projected images of the &#8220;Mona Lisa,&#8221; &#8220;<a href="https://futurism.com/contest-creative-robots-fine-art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Starry Night</a>,&#8221; and even their own headshots backwards through a projector illuminated by a laser — so they&#8217;d get smaller instead of larger — and onto the blob.
&#8220;This light ‘stamps’ the image on an area around about 100 microns wide — more or less the width of human hair, which can range from between 17 to 181 microns wide,&#8221; Neely explained. &#8220;We can then take the image, which is only in black and white, and produce color shots by producing a &#8216;red,&#8217; &#8216;blue,&#8217; and &#8216;green&#8217; image, and then combine them on a computer.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2019/05/scientists-paint%E2%80%99-mona-lisa-quantum-canvas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scientists ‘paint’ Mona Lisa on a quantum canvas</a> [The University of Queensland]
More on weird art: <a href="https://futurism.com/contest-creative-robots-fine-art" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Qbits for Cubists: Robots Made These Incredible Works of Fine Art</a>

They started their experiment with a different goal in mind.

Physicists create quantum-scale "Mona Lisa," just for funsies

Microscopic Masterpiece

Researcher from the University of Queensland figured out how to stamp an image of the "Mona Lisa" onto gaseous quantum matter.

Physicists Create Quantum-Scale “Mona Lisa,” Just for Funsies

They "just happened to create some of the world’s smallest masterpieces."

<h2>Kick the Habit</h2>
A newly published study suggests that consuming <a href="https://futurism.com/lsd-works-brain-scans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LSD</a> or <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/denver-decriminalize-magic-mushrooms" target="_blank" rel="noopener">magic mushrooms</a> may help people overcome alcohol dependency — yet another exciting development in the burgeoning field of <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/worlds-first-center-psychedelics-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener">psychedelics research</a>.
&#8220;There’s incredible potential here,&#8221; Johns Hopkins University researcher Matthew Johnson <a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/55918-lsd-psilocybin-alcohol-addiction-stop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Inverse</a>. &#8220;So far, it’s a good bet that these tools will be broadly applicable to a number of disorders.”
<h2>Survey Says</h2>
For the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0269881119845793?journalCode=jopa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a>, which was published Tuesday in The Journal of Psychopharmacology, the researchers used social media and drug discussion websites to track down 343 people who reported a minimum of seven years of problematic drinking prior to having a psychedelic experience.
They then asked the participants — 72 percent of whom met the criteria for alcohol use disorder — to complete anonymous online surveys.
From the surveys, the researchers learned many participants had dramatically decreased the number of drinks they consumed a year after their psychedelic experience. In fact, 83 percent of participants no longer met alcohol use disorder criteria, and 28 percent credited their psychedelic experience for the change in lifestyle.
<h2>Life Changing</h2>
It&#8217;s hard to demonstrate a direct link between the psychedelic experience and the decrease in alcohol consumption. However, Johnson thinks it makes sense that mind-opening drugs could have a positive impact on the lives of people battling alcohol dependence.
&#8220;When you talk to someone who has managed to overcome addiction, they often talk about [how] they had to answer big picture questions that connect to what’s important in life,&#8221; he told Inverse. &#8220;Psychedelics prompt those kinds of questions.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/55918-lsd-psilocybin-alcohol-addiction-stop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Psychedelics&#8217; Role in Beating Alcoholism Illustrated in LSD, Psilocybin Study</a> [Inverse]
More on psychedelics: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/worlds-first-center-psychedelics-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World’s First Center for Psychedelics Research Opens in UK</a>

Most of this study's participants drank far less after tripping.

LSD is helping people end their alcohol dependence

Productive Trip

A new study suggests that consuming psychedelics, such as LSD or magic mushrooms, may help people overcome their alcohol dependency.

LSD Is Helping People End Their Alcohol Dependence

Psychedelics prompt the "big-picture" questions that can help end addiction, says researcher.

<h2>Sound-Alike</h2>
On Wednesday, Canada-based startup Dessa <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/17/18629024/joe-rogan-ai-fake-voice-clone-deepfake-dessa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unveiled</a> a new AI that replicates the voice of Joe Rogan, a podcaster known for his bold views — not to mention <a href="https://futurism.com/elon-musk-interview-joe-rogan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">for getting high with Elon Musk</a>.
As explained in a <a href="https://medium.com/@dessa_/real-talk-speech-synthesis-5dd0897eef7f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blog post</a>, the Dessa team managed this feat by developing a deep learning system called RealTalk that uses text inputs to produce life-like speech in the style of a real person.
It&#8217;s perhaps the best example of an <a href="https://futurism.com/baidu-clone-voices-seconds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">audio deepfake</a> yet. Even those well-acquainted with Rogan&#8217;s voice will likely have a <a href="http://fakejoerogan.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hard time</a> telling apart the fake audio from things the comedian has actually said — and that ability to fool listeners could have terrifying implications for the future.
<iframe width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DWK_iYBl8cA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>Scary Speech</h2>
In the demonstration shared by Dessa, faux Rogan keeps the conversation light, showing off its ability to recite tongue-twisters and contemplating whether chimpanzees could beat humans at hockey.
However, the company is well aware of the potential dangers of such a system. They even provide a bullet-pointed list of all the ways it could go wrong, noting that someone could impersonate a government official to enter a high-security facility or a politician to manipulate an election.
These potentially nefarious uses are why Dessa says it won&#8217;t publicly release its research, model, or datasets for the project.
&#8220;[It’s] one of the coolest, but scariest, things I’ve seen yet in artificial intelligence,&#8221; Alex Krizhevsky, Dessa&#8217;s principal machine learning architect, said in the post. &#8220;Unlike The Singularity, which is this theoretical thing that could happen in 40, 100 years, speech synthesis is soon going to be a reality everywhere.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/17/18629024/joe-rogan-ai-fake-voice-clone-deepfake-dessa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This AI-generated Joe Rogan fake has to be heard to be believed</a> [The Verge]
More on AI: <a href="https://futurism.com/baidu-clone-voices-seconds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China’s Google Equivalent Can Clone Voices After Seconds of Listening</a>

It's perhaps the best example of an audio deepfake yet.

This AI that sounds just like Joe Rogan should terrify us all

Faux Rogan

Canada-based startup Dessa has unveiled a new AI that replicates the voice of Joe Rogan, and it's perhaps the best audio deepfake yet.

This AI That Sounds Just Like Joe Rogan Should Terrify Us All

"[It’s] one of the coolest, but scariest, things I’ve seen yet in artificial intelligence." 

<h2>Trippier Hop</h2>
The 1998 trip-hop album Mezzanine by Massive Attack was a huge hit when it dropped — and as <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/17/massive-attack-mezzanine-neural-network/">Engadget reports</a>, now it&#8217;s getting an AI makeover.
As part of <a href="https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2019/event/ai-more-than-human">an exhibit</a> called &#8220;AI: More than Human&#8221; at London&#8217;s Barbican art center, visitors can listen to a new version of the album that was completely remixed by a machine learning algorithm. The original members of Massive Attack teamed up with Mick Grierson, a professor at the University of Arts London to execute the idea.
<h2>Alien Language</h2>
For almost a year, according to Engadget&#8217;s report, Grierson loaded individual tracks into the algorithm in the morning and checked what it had produced in the evening. The resulting eerie mix of familiar yet jumbled up textures even includes a vocal track inspired by Massive Attack&#8217;s Robert &#8220;3D&#8221; Del Naja who lent his voice to tracks on Mezzanine.
&#8220;It sounds like 3D talking in an alien language,&#8221; Grierson told Engadget.
<h2>Bass Head</h2>
To make the exhibit interactive, Grierson included a small camera that analyzes how many people are in the near vicinity of the speakers. The more people there are, the mix will pump up the drums and bass.
Apart from the unique listening experience, the exhibit also includes a glass display case for a black spray can that holds the entire album in a <a href="https://futurism.com/scientists-stored-album-in-dna">DNA-encoded format</a>. The exhibit will be on at the Barbican through August 2019.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/17/massive-attack-mezzanine-neural-network/">I listened to a Massive Attack record remixed by a neural network</a> [Engadget] 

More on Mezzanine: <a href="https://futurism.com/scientists-stored-album-in-dna">Scientists stored the hottest album from 1998 in literal DNA</a>

Grierson taught the algorithm to continuously analyze different textures of the album.

An AI remixed Massive Attack's classic album "Mezzanine"

AI Remix

The 1998 trip-hop album Mezzanine by Massive Attack got an artificial intelligence makeover at an art exhibit in London.

An AI Remixed Massive Attack’s Classic Album “Mezzanine”

It sounds like the vocalist "3D" is "talking in an alien language."

<h2>Four Deaths</h2>
On March 1, a <a href="https://electrek.co/2019/03/01/tesla-driver-crash-truck-trailer-autopilot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tesla Model 3 crashed</a> into the side of a tractor-trailer in Florida, killing the driver.
But while Jeremy Beren Banner may have been behind the wheel of the Tesla, he wasn&#8217;t wholly in control of it. Based on a newly released preliminary <a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/HWY19FH008-preliminary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), he had Autopilot engaged at the time of the crash.
This marks at least the <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/16/18627766/tesla-autopilot-fatal-crash-delray-florida-ntsb-model-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fourth time</a> a Tesla driver has died with the car&#8217;s autonomous features enabled — adding to the <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-sued-deadly-crash-autopilot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mounting concerns</a> about the system&#8217;s safety.
<h2>Tragic Drive</h2>
According to the report, Banner was driving down a highway when the tractor-trailer pulled across the road, blocking the Model 3&#8217;s path. The Tesla then slammed into the tractor-trailer at 68 miles per hour, skidding underneath it before coming to a stop on the other side.
Banner had Autopilot engaged for about 10 seconds before the crash, the NTSB wrote in the report, and the vehicle did not detect his hands on the wheel in the less than 8 seconds prior to impact.
&#8220;We are deeply saddened by this accident and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy,&#8221; a Tesla spokesperson said in a <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/16/18627766/tesla-autopilot-fatal-crash-delray-florida-ntsb-model-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> to The Verge, before noting that &#8220;our data shows that, when used properly by an attentive driver who is prepared to take control at all times, drivers supported by Autopilot are safer than those operating without assistance.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/16/18627766/tesla-autopilot-fatal-crash-delray-florida-ntsb-model-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tesla’s Autopilot was engaged when Model 3 crashed into truck, report states</a> [The Verge]
More on Tesla: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-sued-deadly-crash-autopilot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tesla Sued for Role in Deadly Crash Involving Autopilot</a>

This marks the fourth fatal crash involving Autopilot.

Report: Tesla had Autopilot engaged during fatal Florida crash

Pattern Emerging

A Model 3 that crashed into the side of a tractor-trailer in Florida, killing the driver of the Tesla, had Autopilot engaged at the time of impact.

Report: Tesla Had Autopilot Engaged During Fatal Florida Crash

The driver didn't have his hands on the wheel just prior to impact.

<h2>Grumpy Cat</h2>
The famously dour-looking internet sensation Grumpy Cat has passed away, according to obituaries <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/celebrities/grumpy-cat-dead-intl-scli/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by CNN</a>  and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/business/media/grumpy-cat-dead.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the New York Times</a>.
We could mourn the feline and move on to the next weird internet animal. Or we could embrace the latest in genetic technology and clone her — like iconic singer Barbra Streisand famously <a href="https://futurism.com/clone-dog-barbra-streisand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">did with her dog</a>.
<h2>From Beyond</h2>
There&#8217;s no question that we have the technology to clone Grumpy Cat. Several biotech companies <a href="https://viagenpets.com/cat-cloning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">offer cat-cloning services</a>, which <a href="https://wtop.com/animals-pets/2018/03/cloning-a-pet-involves-some-unpleasant-facts-explains-one-veterinarian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly costs</a> about $25,000.
The demand is there, too. People online have been clamoring for a Grumpy Cat clone since at least 2014, when <a href="https://www.quora.com/Why-dont-they-make-clones-of-Grumpy-Cat-so-that-everyone-could-own-one" target="_blank" rel="noopener">someone on Quora</a> suggested duplicating the puss so that &#8220;everyone could own one.&#8221;
But is that the legacy we&#8217;d want for Grumpy Cat, who reportedly had a <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/53217/16-fun-facts-about-grumpy-cat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sweet personality</a> that clashed with her perpetually ticked-off facial expression?
<h2>Pet Sematary</h2>
The ethics are dicey at best.
The celebrity mouser, who expired at the young age of seven, had <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/17/celebrities/grumpy-cat-dead-intl-scli/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feline dwarfism</a> — a condition the Grumpy Cat replicas would presumably inherit.
Cloned pets are also likely to suffer birth defects and illnesses, <a href="https://wtop.com/animals-pets/2018/03/cloning-a-pet-involves-some-unpleasant-facts-explains-one-veterinarian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to one veterinarian</a>. They can also look different from the original animal and have unique personalities.
Perhaps instead of copying — and maybe monetizing — Grumpy Cat&#8217;s DNA in perpetuity, we should let her rest in peace.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/17/business/media/grumpy-cat-dead.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grumpy Cat, Internet Celebrity With a Piercing Look of Contempt, Is Dead at 7</a> [The New York Times]
More on cloning: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/scientists-cloning-woolly-mammoth" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scientists Just Came Closer Than Ever to Cloning a Woolly Mammoth</a>

For about $25,000, scientists could recreate the surly feline.

Grumpy Cat is dead. We have the technology to clone her.

Clone Zone

We could mourn Grumpy Cat. Or we could embrace the latest in genetic technology and clone her, like Barbra Streisand's dogs.

Grumpy Cat Is Dead. We Have the Technology to Clone Her.

Should we stamp out clones of Grumpy Cat, or let her rest in peace? 

<h2>Amendment Ignored</h2>
Will American astronauts land a Moon mission within the next decade?
Days after NASA and the White House officials <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/white-house-nasa-moon-mission-budget">asked Congress</a> to top up NASA&#8217;s budget by a cool $1.6 billion — in addition to the $21 billion already requested — for a 2024 crewed mission to the Moon, the House Appropriations Committee decided not to set aside any additional funds for any such venture.
The Committee set aside a total of $22.32 billion, as <a href="https://spacenews.com/house-appropriators-pass-on-nasa-budget-amendment/">SpaceNews reports</a>, for 2020. While that&#8217;s technically nearly $1.3 billion more than NASA&#8217;s original request, it mostly ignores Monday&#8217;s amendment request.
Congress is instead increasing budget allocations to the development of NASA&#8217; <a href="https://futurism.com/tags/sls">Space Launch System</a> and Orion spacecraft, while broader exploration efforts and plans for a <a href="https://futurism.com/tags/lunar-gateway">Lunar Gateway</a> will receive less funding.
<h2>Moon 2024?</h2>
&#8220;I am going to reserve judgment on the overall moon landing plan until Congress is provided with more concrete information on the proposed lunar initiative,&#8221; Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said in <a href="http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=54067">a statement</a>.
The news comes after NASA decided to award <a href="https://www.space.com/nasa-private-moon-landers-funding-artemis.html">one of 11 private space companies</a> — including SpaceX and Blue Origin — with $45.5 million to build a private Moon lander for its upcoming crewed missions to the Moon.
Whether NASA will be able to return American astronauts to the surface of the Moon as soon as 2024 is becoming increasingly uncertain. 2028 is <a href="https://www.space.com/nasa-ideas-human-moon-landing-2028.html">starting to sound</a> far more feasible.
READ MORE: <a href="https://spacenews.com/house-appropriators-pass-on-nasa-budget-amendment/">House appropriators take a pass on NASA budget amendment</a> [SpaceNews]
More on NASA&#8217;s Moon mission: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/white-house-nasa-moon-mission-budget">White House, NASA Request $1.6 Billion to Return Humans to Moon</a>

"I am going to reserve judgment on the overall moon landing plan until Congress is provided with more concrete information."

Congress denies NASA request for more Moon mission money

Talk to the Hand

The House Appropriations Committee slapped down the White Houses's request for additional funds for a 2024 Moon Mission by NASA.

Congress Denies NASA Request for More Moon Mission Money

Will NASA still be able to land humans on the Moon by 2024?

<h2>Minecraft Earth</h2>
&#8220;Minecraft,&#8221; one of the most popular video games in the world, is making a major augmented reality push later this year, courtesy of Microsoft.
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dYKxBKj29dI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;Minecraft Earth,&#8221; <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/17/18627341/minecraft-earth-ios-android-free-ar-game-features-pokemon-go">announced today</a>, will allow users to collect items, blocks, and creatures while roaming around in the real world with other real-world friends — think of it as a &#8220;Minecraft&#8221;-themed &#8220;Pokémon Go&#8221; experience, but with more fishing, building and resource management.
<h2>Blocks Everywhere</h2>
While the extremely popular smartphone game &#8220;Pokémon Go&#8221; relied on augmented reality only minimally, the new &#8220;Minecraft&#8221; title will double down on the technology. A new feature called Azure Spatial Anchors will allow users to plop down objects in augmented reality — and persist indefinitely. Other users will also be able to interact with those same objects.
The goal is to eventually have players build their own &#8220;Minecraft&#8221; worlds for others to experience in augmented reality through their phones.
&#8220;&#8216;Minecraft Earth&#8217; proposes to completely break the dogma that has lived with us in computing since the beginning: this idea of a single person that holds a single device to create a single experience,&#8221; Alex Kipman, Microsoft&#8217;s HoloLens and Kinect creator, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/17/18627341/minecraft-earth-ios-android-free-ar-game-features-pokemon-go">told The Verge</a>. &#8220;With &#8216;Minecraft Earth&#8217; that&#8217;s no longer the case. The content is in the real world.&#8221;
A &#8220;Minecraft Earth&#8221; beta will open up to early adopters this summer, but Microsoft has yet to announce a launch date.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/17/18627341/minecraft-earth-ios-android-free-ar-game-features-pokemon-go">Minecraft Earth for iOS and Android goes a step beyond Pokémon Go</a> [The Verge]
More on Minecraft: <a href="https://futurism.com/videos/build-your-own-minecraft-like-rollercoaster-in-vr">Build Your Own Minecraft-Like Rollercoaster in VR</a>

New "Minecraft" game will let you build stuff in the real world

Minecraft Earth

"Minecraft Earth," announced today, will allow users to collect items, blocks, and creatures while roaming around in the real world with friends.

New “Minecraft” Game Will Let You Build Stuff in the Real World

Can persistent "Minecraft" structures in the real world recreate the success of "Pokémon Go"?

<h2>Tech Talk</h2>
On Wednesday, <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/15/google-translatotron-direct-speech-translation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google unveiled Translatotron</a>, an in-development speech-to-speech translation system.
It&#8217;s <a href="https://medium.com/sciforce/top-8-speech-to-speech-translation-apps-of-2017-f0534370f48" target="_blank" rel="noopener">not the first system</a> to translate speech from one language to another, but Google designed Translatotron to do something other systems can&#8217;t: retain the original speaker&#8217;s voice in the translated audio.
In other words, the tech could make it sound like you&#8217;re speaking a language you don&#8217;t know — a remarkable step forward on the path to breaking down the <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/translation-tech-english-language" target="_blank" rel="noopener">global language barrier</a>.
<h2>Streamlined Speech</h2>
According to <a href="https://ai.googleblog.com/2019/05/introducing-translatotron-end-to-end.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google&#8217;s AI blog</a>, most speech-to-speech translation systems follow a three-step process. First they transcribe the speech. They then translate the transcription into the target language, before finally generating audio of the translated speech.
Translatotron, however, skips the text part of this process altogether and instead converts the speech into a spectrogram, an image that depicts audio frequencies. The system then creates a new spectrogram, this time in the target language, which it uses to produce the new audio.
<h2>First Steps</h2>
In theory, Translatotron will be much faster than other speech-to-speech translation systems since it only has to complete one process rather than three. The use of spectrograms also makes it easier to retain elements of the original audio, such as the speaker&#8217;s voice and cadence.
The system isn&#8217;t ready to roll out just yet — the examples shared on <a href="https://google-research.github.io/lingvo-lab/translatotron/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google&#8217;s GitHub page</a> still sound fairly robotic, and the translations are far from perfect — but the tech offers an exciting glimpse at the future of communications.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/15/google-translatotron-direct-speech-translation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Google&#8217;s Translatotron can translate speech in the speaker&#8217;s voice</a> [Engadget]
More on translation tech: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/translation-tech-english-language" target="_blank" rel="noopener">English’s Reign as the “Global Language” Might End, Says Expert</a>

It does so by converting audio into images instead of text.

Amazing Google AI speaks another language in your voice

Babel Fish

Google is working on a speech translation system that retains the original speaker's voice and cadence in the outputted audio.

Amazing Google AI Speaks Another Language In Your Voice

It's designed to retain your voice and cadence in translated audio.

<h2>Holodeck</h2>
When you&#8217;re plugged into a good virtual reality experience, you might talk about how it &#8220;feels real.&#8221;
That&#8217;s apparently not good enough for engineer James Bruton, who built a robot to punch him while he brawls with a virtual automaton in a VR game. The setup isn&#8217;t commercially available — the game and robot were custom made, <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/16/18628059/arduino-mega-htc-vive-vr-james-bruton">The Verge reports</a>, but it represents an impressive attempt to bring virtual reality to life.
<iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OYfzaAWIBpc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&nbsp;
<h2>Pinch Me</h2>
Bruton&#8217;s life-sized Rock &#8216;Em Sock &#8216;Em robot, which was built in collaboration with students from the University of Portsmouth, wheels around the room while jabbing at Bruton in time with the virtual robot in his VR headset.
Meanwhile, motion trackers in the room monitor of how Bruton moves his arms, equipped with sword and shield, to deflect the robotic punches and fight back.
Without being able to test the system, it&#8217;s unclear whether getting punched by a real robot would ramp up the <a href="https://futurism.com/guy-week-vr-headset">feeling of immersion</a> or ruin the experience, but what is clear is that I really want to give it a try.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/16/18628059/arduino-mega-htc-vive-vr-james-bruton">This robot hits you in real life when you get hit in VR</a> [The Verge]
More on VR: <a href="https://futurism.com/vr-app-replace-offices">I Tried a VR App Meant to Replace Offices, and It Was Glorious</a>

The video game feels so real it leaves bruises.

This robot bludgeons you with boxing gloves while you play games

Realism

An engineer built a robot that tries to punch him in real life while he fights a digital robot in a virtual reality video game.

This Robot Bludgeons You With Boxing Gloves While You Play Games

Finally, a truly immersive virtual reality experience.

<h2>Fair Shot</h2>
The SAT is adding another score alongside Verbal and Math — and it&#8217;s one students won&#8217;t be able to raise with a little extra test prep.
Every year, about <a href="https://www.collegeboard.org/releases/2018/more-than-2-million-students-in-class-of-2018-took-sat-highest-ever" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two million students</a> take the SAT as part of the college admissions process, and students&#8217; scores tend to reflect their <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280232788_Race_Poverty_and_SAT_Scores_Modeling_the_Influences_of_Family_Income_on_Black_and_White_High_School_Students'_SAT_Performance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">socio-economic backgrounds</a> — those raised in upper-income families often score higher than those from lower-income families, for example.
In an effort to ensure colleges are aware of those background factors when considering prospective students, the College Board, which is the nonprofit that oversees the SAT, has <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/sat-to-give-students-adversity-score-to-capture-social-and-economic-background-11557999000?mod=e2tw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced plans</a> to give each test-taker an &#8220;adversity score&#8221; — a bold move that has the potential to level the educational playing field for America&#8217;s youth.
<h2>Fifteen Factors</h2>
The College Board <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/sat-to-give-students-adversity-score-to-capture-social-and-economic-background-11557999000?mod=e2tw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Wall Street Journal</a> it takes 15 factors into account when producing each student&#8217;s adversity score, which the students themselves won&#8217;t be able to see. These include the crime and poverty rates in the student&#8217;s neighborhood and whether they come from a single-parent family.
The nonprofit already tested the adversity scores with 50 colleges, and it plans to expand to 150 schools this fall before a widespread rollout.
&#8220;There are a number of amazing students who may have scored less [on the SAT] but have accomplished more,&#8221; College Board chief executive David Coleman told the WSJ. &#8220;We can’t sit on our hands and ignore the disparities of wealth reflected in the SAT.&#8221;
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/sat-to-give-students-adversity-score-to-capture-social-and-economic-background-11557999000?mod=e2tw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SAT to Give Students ‘Adversity Score’ to Capture Social and Economic Background</a> [The Wall Street Journal]
More on poverty: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/poverty-bill-gates-completely-wrong" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Expert: Bill Gates Is “Completely Wrong” About Global Poverty</a>

Colleges will see the score, but students won't.

Students taking the SAT will now get a secret "adversity score"

New School

The College Board has announced plans to give each SAT taker an "adversity score" designed to reflect their socio-economic background.

Students Taking the SAT Will Now Get a Secret “Adversity Score”

"We can’t sit on our hands and ignore the disparities of wealth reflected in the SAT."

<h2>Ticking Clock</h2>
In about five billion years, the Sun will begin to die, rapidly expanding and incinerating the Earth in its death throes. That&#8217;s not for a while, but any humans left will need to plan well in advance if they want to escape cosmic obliteration.
Humanity&#8217;s best bet is migrating to another planet, according to an essay by Glasgow space engineer Matteo Ceriotti in <a href="https://theconversation.com/wandering-earth-rocket-scientist-explains-how-we-could-move-our-planet-116365">The Conversation</a>. But with enough planning, he argues, it could be possible to push Earth&#8217;s orbit around the Sun to a safe distance where the explosion won&#8217;t reach us.
<h2>Balancing Act</h2>
Space travel technology will presumably improve over the next five billion years, but Ceriotti ran the numbers based on today&#8217;s standard. To propel the Earth out to the distance of Mars&#8217; orbit using state-of-the-art SpaceX Falcon Heavy boosters, humanity would need to mine 85 percent of the planet&#8217;s mass in order to build enough rockets — 300 billion of them — to push the remaining 15 percent of the planet.
<h2>Tough Choice</h2>
Other proposals, like using <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/lawyer-rule-nuke-apocalyptic-asteroids">nuclear bombs</a> or <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasas-dart-spacex-incoming-asteroids">nearby satellites</a> to propel Earth as we might an approaching asteroid, were equally impractical.
Ceriotti argued that yet-undeveloped laser thrusters, or using the gravity of passing asteroids to &#8220;slingshot&#8221; Earth away from the Sun, might be more successful than using Falcon Heavy boosters. But overall his most realistic suggestion was to find a new home planet altogether.
READ MORE: <a href="https://theconversation.com/wandering-earth-rocket-scientist-explains-how-we-could-move-our-planet-116365">Wandering Earth: rocket scientist explains how we could move our planet</a> [The Conversation]
More on space: <a href="https://futurism.com/planetary-defense-nasa-asteroid">NASA Scientist: Asteroid Deflection Mission Not Like “Armageddon”</a>

But our best bet would probably be to migrate to a new home world.

Space engineer: we could move Earth's orbit to escape a dying Sun

Yeet

If any humans are alive in 5 billion years, they'll see the dying Sun engulf the Earth. Space Engineer Matteo Ceriotti suggests some possible escape plans.