# Wtf/wtg science **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Created:** [January 1, 2021, 3:48pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672 "2021-01-01T15:48:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Breadmaker](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/breadmaker/32/83065_2.png) [@Breadmaker](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Breadmaker)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 1:36am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/82 "2022-05-04T01:36:57Z")
I for one welcome our new enzyme overlords!! 🧬 ---
**Author:** ![soyleche](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/soyleche/32/42_2.png) [@soyleche](https://community.goactuary.com/u/soyleche)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 1:38am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/83 "2022-05-04T01:38:56Z")
I remember seeing an episode of some cartoon (I don’t recall which), where a scientist invented something that would eat anything but glass for a similar purpose. Then it got out… ---
**Author:** ![SredniVashtar](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/srednivashtar/32/2894_2.png) [@SredniVashtar](https://community.goactuary.com/u/SredniVashtar)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 1:59am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/84 "2022-05-04T01:59:35Z")
> [@soyleche](#): > > This sounds like what you might see at the beginning of a sci-fi disaster story… > [@dr\_t\_non-fan](#): > > “And then the proteins became self-aware…” Actual quote from the story “This work really demonstrates the power of bringing together different disciplines, from synthetic biology to chemical engineering to artificial intelligence…" ---
**Author:** ![soyleche](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/soyleche/32/42_2.png) [@soyleche](https://community.goactuary.com/u/soyleche)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 2:02am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/85 "2022-05-04T02:02:05Z")
I think I’m the cartoon they self-replicated too. Always a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![YankeeTripper](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/yankeetripper/32/946_2.png) [@YankeeTripper](https://community.goactuary.com/u/YankeeTripper)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2022, 2:03am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/86 "2022-05-04T02:03:05Z")
Reminds me of a Star Trek TNG episode. ---
**Author:** ![meep](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/meep/32/44_2.png) [@meep](https://community.goactuary.com/u/meep)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 12:41pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/87 "2022-05-12T12:41:55Z")
> ![image](https://community.goactuary.com/uploads/default/original/3X/a/6/a6f5e462913bf47fc809d460635d171def766432.jpeg) [https://twitter.com/ProfThibodeau/status/1523336845446238211](https://twitter.com/ProfThibodeau/status/1523336845446238211) [https://twitter.com/ProfThibodeau/status/1523382979909021696](https://twitter.com/ProfThibodeau/status/1523382979909021696) ![image](https://community.goactuary.com/uploads/default/original/3X/b/f/bfd06c24fbb9b5edda5b576bc1e8f9af70d6a91c.png) ---
**Author:** ![Snikelfritz](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/snikelfritz/32/5728_2.png) [@Snikelfritz](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Snikelfritz)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2022, 3:30pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/88 "2022-05-12T15:30:44Z")
Are the scrolls contacting us about our car’s extended warranty? ---
**Author:** ![ArthurItas](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/arthuritas/32/63_2.png) [@ArthurItas](https://community.goactuary.com/u/ArthurItas)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 12:30pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/89 "2022-05-13T12:30:51Z")
WTG: Researchers may have discovered the cause of SIDS > **[Researchers Pinpoint Important Biomarker for SIDS - Updated](https://www.biospace.com/researchers-answer-how-and-why-infants-die-from-sids)** > > Researchers released a study that has identified the first biochemical marker that could help detect babies more at risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) while they are alive. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35533499/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35533499/) ---
**Author:** ![dr\_t\_non-fan](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@dr\_t\_non-fan](https://community.goactuary.com/u/dr_t_non-fan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/90 "2022-05-13T16:05:52Z")
> They found the activity of the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) was significantly lower in babies who died of SIDS compared to living infants and other non-SIDS infant deaths. BChE plays a major role in the brain’s arousal pathway, explaining why SIDS typically occurs during sleep. OK, so what causes the lower levels of BChE? Nature or nurture? ---
**Author:** ![Actuary321](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Actuary321](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Actuary321)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/91 "2022-05-13T19:34:52Z")
Yep, that is the next question. Along with how to test/screen for it and how to treat it. Hopefully, this is the breakthrough and the next parts come faster. ---
**Author:** ![YankeeTripper](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/yankeetripper/32/946_2.png) [@YankeeTripper](https://community.goactuary.com/u/YankeeTripper)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2022, 6:48pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/92 "2022-05-17T18:48:07Z")
> **[Solar-powered desalination device wins MIT $100K competition](https://news.mit.edu/2022/100k-competition-nona-0516?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark)** > > The winner of the 2022 MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition was Nona Desalination, which is developing a low-cost, portable water desalination and purification device. If this works out that’s great news for potentially cheap and easy desalination. ---
**Author:** ![SteveGrondin](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/stevegrondin/32/3257_2.png) [@SteveGrondin](https://community.goactuary.com/u/SteveGrondin)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2022, 9:10pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/93 "2022-05-17T21:10:22Z")
The study used the blood from natal heel pricks that are used for other screenings (PKU , etc), so pretty soon after birth. Not much time for nurture (at least extra-utero) to make a difference. ---
**Author:** ![dr\_t\_non-fan](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@dr\_t\_non-fan](https://community.goactuary.com/u/dr_t_non-fan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2022, 9:18pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/94 "2022-05-17T21:18:30Z")
Cool beans. So, now the question becomes, genetic or gestatic? (Yeah, neologism (according to this site), meaning “during pregnancy.”) ---
**Author:** ![SteveGrondin](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/stevegrondin/32/3257_2.png) [@SteveGrondin](https://community.goactuary.com/u/SteveGrondin)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2022, 3:02am UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/95 "2022-05-18T03:02:37Z")
I think they have yet to narrow it down. But the lower expression of the enzyme might mean closer monitoring for a baby and reduce the incidence of SIDS, which would be awesome. ---
**Author:** ![SredniVashtar](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/srednivashtar/32/2894_2.png) [@SredniVashtar](https://community.goactuary.com/u/SredniVashtar)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2022, 2:49pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/96 "2022-05-23T14:49:39Z")
Another Surrealist AI drawing I love: Prompt: Scenic views in this National Park made of baking ingredients ![](https://community.goactuary.com/uploads/default/original/3X/1/3/137b9675a4271a7892e46a35f5a6e82711439ede.jpeg) I said I wasn’t going to turn this into a DALLE-2 thread, but I was crossing my fingers behind my back. I think this is this stupid AI Bot is the most important thing to happen in 2022. It is capable of generating semi-professional level art at the push of the button. And it feels like Intelligence, human or alien, is just on the other side of that mountain of flour. ---
**Author:** ![SredniVashtar](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/srednivashtar/32/2894_2.png) [@SredniVashtar](https://community.goactuary.com/u/SredniVashtar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 1:41pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/97 "2022-06-14T13:41:55Z")
Google engineer put on leave for shouting that their latest Chat Bot is sentient. [https://cajundiscordian.medium.com/is-lamda-sentient-an-interview-ea64d916d917](https://cajundiscordian.medium.com/is-lamda-sentient-an-interview-ea64d916d917) I don’t quite buy “sentient” and wtf does sentient even mean? But I think the current gen miiiiiiiight have human-like understanding and creativity. It’s hard to say because we really don’t know shit about intelligence. Human intelligence. Monkey intelligence. Dog intelligence. Cat intelligence. We have no idea at all about how brains actually work. We just know that “consciousness” and “sentience” is going on inside our brains, somewhere, somehow. As such, we have no way of measuring intelligence directly. We try to invent indirect measures (eg. IQ tests) but they’re pretty shitty, also… So, my guess is that we will invent a “Strong AI” before we know what it is. Maybe we have already? Sort of? Or will soon? People want to dismiss chat-bots on a fundamental level, because all they can possibly do is play Word Games. But I am suspicious that we humans are just animals that are good at Word Games. Humans are marginally better at it, for now. ---
**Author:** ![ArthurItas](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/arthuritas/32/63_2.png) [@ArthurItas](https://community.goactuary.com/u/ArthurItas)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 11:47pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/98 "2022-06-15T23:47:02Z")
For reference here is the Google engineer who emailed everyone at the company that his AI was sentient before he got put on leave ![20220615_194240](https://community.goactuary.com/uploads/default/original/3X/6/8/68fa11c62a241d6aa88e938065e332509cdb0464.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Breadmaker](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/breadmaker/32/83065_2.png) [@Breadmaker](https://community.goactuary.com/u/Breadmaker)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 11:56pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/99 "2022-06-15T23:56:01Z")
He seems nice. ---
**Author:** ![OldTimer](https://community.goactuary.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/o/8797f3/32.png) [@OldTimer](https://community.goactuary.com/u/OldTimer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 12:21pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/100 "2022-06-16T12:21:33Z")
Shouldn’t Batman be looking into this guy? ---
**Author:** ![SredniVashtar](https://community.goactuary.com/user_avatar/community.goactuary.com/srednivashtar/32/2894_2.png) [@SredniVashtar](https://community.goactuary.com/u/SredniVashtar)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2022, 1:24pm UTC](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672/101 "2022-06-16T13:24:09Z")
Within a decade or two, I bet we will have super-intelligent AIs writing novels and screenplays, creating and performing music, proving theorems, peer-reviewing science, proposing experiments, providing advice, acting as professors and doctors and lawyers and shrinks, and we will all be split on what that means. I do not think AIs have a “soul” or whatever, but I think that belief will become increasingly common as people wake up to the fact that we are creating something very special. Other people will take the opposite approach, and insist that AIs lack intelligence for a while after it becomes obvious. I could definitely be wrong here. But I feel like it is all coming together very fast. [Previous page](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672.md?page=4) [Next page](https://community.goactuary.com/t/wtf-wtg-science/1672.md?page=6)