Science – GeekWire

Seismologists register ‘fan quakes’ from the Seattle Sounders’ stadium crowd

by Alan Boyle on November 10, 2019November 10, 2019 at 4:39 pmComment

Can Seattle Sounders fans match the Seahawks’ “Beast Quakes” when it comes to making the earth move? Seismologists from the University of Washington and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network conducted… Read More

2019’s Allen Distinguished Investigators will focus on the mysteries of our cells

by Alan Boyle on November 6, 2019November 6, 2019 at 11:20 amComment

The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group, a division of Seattle’s Allen Institute, is making a total of $7.5 million in awards to its latest class of five biomedical researchers. The… Read More

Planting the seeds of digital agriculture: Startup bets the farm on Microsoft’s new ag tech platform

by Alan Boyle on November 6, 2019November 7, 2019 at 11:24 pmComment

Microsoft’s cloud-based platform for data-driven farming, Azure FarmBeats, had its official coming-out party this week at the company’s annual Ignite conference for developers, but Steve Mantle has already been using… Read More

Video

Bill Gates’ nuclear venture teams up on project to make coal-based carbon fiber

by Alan Boyle on November 5, 2019November 5, 2019 at 12:22 pmComment

BELLEVUE, Wash. — TerraPower, the venture that’s working on next-generation nuclear reactors with backing from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, is now working on next-generation uses for coal as well. The… Read More

Video

Microsoft CEO says Azure Quantum will address the big challenges in computing

by Alan Boyle on November 4, 2019November 4, 2019 at 8:33 amComment

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella today took the wraps off Azure Quantum, a full-stack, cloud-based approach to quantum computing that he said would play well with traditional computational architectures. “With all… Read More

Video

‘Terminator’ is back! AI experts do a reality check on Hollywood’s new robo-nightmare

by Alan Boyle on November 2, 2019November 2, 2019 at 3:53 pm 2 Comments

He promised he’d be back — and 35 years after Arnold Schwarzenegger created what’s now a cliche for artificial intelligence gone wrong in the first “Terminator” movie, the cinematic nightmares… Read More

Video

Earthquake drill gives Kymeta’s emergency communication system a shakedown test

by Alan Boyle on October 31, 2019October 31, 2019 at 5:29 pmComment

When disaster strikes, cellphone connections are among the first things to go by the wayside — so what will emergency responders who rely on that connectivity do? That’s one of… Read More

Video

Scientists track the arms race that’s playing out between bacteria in your gut

by Alan Boyle on October 30, 2019October 30, 2019 at 8:46 pm1 Comment

The balance of bacteria in your gut can make the difference between sickness and health — and now scientists report that different species of bacteria share immunity genes to protect… Read More

Video

OceanGate plans to build submersibles capable of going far below Titanic depths

by Alan Boyle on October 30, 2019October 30, 2019 at 7:02 pmComment

Everett, Wash.-based OceanGate says it’ll build not just one, but two deep-sea submersibles capable of taking crews as far down as 6,000 meters (3.7 miles) beneath the ocean surface, into… Read More

Video

WWII destroyer located by Paul Allen’s research vessel is deepest shipwreck ever discovered

by Kurt Schlosser on October 30, 2019October 30, 2019 at 11:22 am1 Comment

The late Paul Allen’s ship-hunting team aboard the Research Vessel Petrel has reached record new depths with its latest discovery. Vulcan Inc. released footage Wednesday of the deepest shipwreck ever… Read More

Allen Institute maps out a high-resolution ‘org chart’ for connections in the brain

by Alan Boyle on October 30, 2019October 31, 2019 at 3:36 pmComment

Researchers at Seattle’s Allen Institute say a new and improved map of the mouse brain reveals not only how different regions are connected, but how those connections are ordered in… Read More

Video

Bill Gates-backed Pivotal Commware raises $10M as it ramps up 5G hardware

by Alan Boyle on October 29, 2019October 30, 2019 at 12:00 amComment

Pivotal Commware, one of several metamaterials startups backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, says it has secured $10 million in convertible-debt financing to help it roll out signal repeater systems… Read More

Video

NASA will send VIPER rover to the moon in 2022 to track down south pole’s water ice

by Alan Boyle on October 25, 2019November 1, 2019 at 11:02 amComment

NASA says it’ll send a rover to the moon’s south pole by the end of 2022 to answer one of the biggest questions surrounding its Artemis moon program: Just how… Read More

Video

Google’s ‘quantum supremacy’ computing feat earns respect — even from Microsoft

by Alan Boyle on October 23, 2019October 24, 2019 at 8:33 amComment

Word that a Google-led team of researchers had achieved “quantum supremacy” with a new type of computer chip leaked out weeks ago, but today’s publication of the team’s study in… Read More

AI2’s Semantic Scholar search engine now takes in the full sweep of scientific papers

by Alan Boyle on October 23, 2019October 22, 2019 at 8:42 pmComment

Seattle’s Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence says its academic search engine, Semantic Scholar, is now in high gear — thanks to a power boost from Microsoft that helped expand its… Read More

Boeing puts Global Services chief in charge of commercial airplanes amid 737 MAX controversy

by Alan Boyle on October 22, 2019October 22, 2019 at 2:32 pmComment

Boeing is shifting the head of its growing Global Services division to take over its troubled Commercial Services division, in hopes that his familiarity with supply chains and customers will… Read More

Second Japanese aircraft carrier lost at Battle of Midway located by Paul Allen’s research vessel

by Kurt Schlosser on October 18, 2019October 21, 2019 at 9:03 am 5 Comments

The Research Vessel (R/V) Petrel, owned and operated by the late Paul Allen’s Vulcan Inc., continues to locate historic shipwrecks on the ocean floor, this time discovering for the first… Read More

Allen Institute kicks brain wave recording into overdrive with Neuropixels probe

by Alan Boyle on October 14, 2019October 14, 2019 at 9:15 amComment

Seattle’s Allen Institute for Brain Science is sharing 70 trillion bytes’ worth of data documenting electrical activity in mouse brains, collected by a new type of silicon probe that can… Read More

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and students cut the ribbon to open New Burke Museum

by Alan Boyle on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019 at 5:25 pmComment

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and other dignitaries got a helping hand from a troop of third-graders today when they cut a hand-woven cedar ribbon to mark this weekend’s opening of… Read More

GeekWire Calendar Picks: Hacking for NASA; celebrating Minecraft; and solving a crime

by Nicole Tanner on October 11, 2019October 10, 2019 at 9:33 pmComment

— The ability to travel through the stars is something that we all dream of, but in reality, becoming one of those people is very, very hard. But you can… Read More

Fred Hutch scientist on how gold nanoparticles could bring CRISPR to the developing world

by James Thorne on October 10, 2019October 10, 2019 at 11:21 amComment

Genetically editing cells using CRISPR could be the answer to curing genetic disorders such as sickle cell anemia. But in order for the technology to be available for people in… Read More

A sports car in the sky? Boeing and Porsche target urban air mobility market

by Alan Boyle on October 10, 2019October 10, 2019 at 11:14 amComment

Boeing and Porsche say they’ve signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the premium air mobility market and the potential for extending urban traffic into airspace. In short, they’re thinking… Read More

Video

How ‘avatars’ could let you see the world — and your family — through telepresence

by Alan Boyle on October 10, 2019October 10, 2019 at 8:33 amComment

When it was time for Kevin Kajitani to put his ideas for traveling through telepresence to the test, he chose a familiar experimental subject: his son. Kajitani — the co-director… Read More

A year after Paul Allen’s death, sources say Vulcan holding company is cutting jobs

by Alan Boyle on October 9, 2019October 10, 2019 at 7:31 pmComment

Vulcan Inc., the holding company created by the late Seattle billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, is in the midst of a round of job reductions, sources have told… Read More

Video

Too big to fail? FTC commissioner sees parallels between Big Tech and bank crisis

by Alan Boyle on October 8, 2019October 10, 2019 at 7:33 pm1 Comment

During his first year and a half on the Federal Trade Commission, Rohit Chopra has built a reputation as Big Tech’s toughest critic — and today at the GeekWire Summit,… Read More

Biotech experts gather at the White House for ‘Summit on America’s Bioeconomy’

by Alan Boyle on October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 at 5:13 pmComment

More than 100 biotech researchers, industry executives and government officials met at the White House today for a summit focusing on America’s bioeconomy — the range of products, services and… Read More

Video

MagniX revs up 750HP all-electric motor in preparation for first test flights in B.C.

by Alan Boyle on October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 at 11:55 am 3 Comments

The Magni500 sounds just about as loud as you’d expect for an airplane engine — but technically speaking, this is no engine. It’s a 750-horsepower, all-electric motor that MagniX has… Read More

Bill Gates lays out his predictions for global health during tribute to Stephen Hawking

by Alan Boyle on October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 at 11:38 am 2 Comments

What’s the shape of global health to come? Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates issued two hopeful predictions for the year 2040 today during a lecture given at the late physicist Stephen… Read More

Photos

Photos: New Burke Museum freshens up age-old Northwest treasures — and adds brand-new ones

by Alan Boyle on October 5, 2019October 6, 2019 at 2:47 pmComment

After a three-year, $99 million construction effort, the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture is putting the finishing touches on a new home that shows off old favorites and… Read More

Pacific Northwest National Lab plays role in federally funded AI research center

by Alan Boyle on October 3, 2019October 3, 2019 at 6:42 pmComment

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is joining forces with two other research powerhouses to pioneer a new $5.5 million research center created by the U.S. Department of Energy to focus on… Read More

Seismologists register ‘fan quakes’ from the Seattle Sounders’ stadium crowd

2019’s Allen Distinguished Investigators will focus on the mysteries of our cells

Planting the seeds of digital agriculture: Startup bets the farm on Microsoft’s new ag tech platform

Bill Gates’ nuclear venture teams up on project to make coal-based carbon fiber

Microsoft CEO says Azure Quantum will address the big challenges in computing

‘Terminator’ is back! AI experts do a reality check on Hollywood’s new robo-nightmare

Earthquake drill gives Kymeta’s emergency communication system a shakedown test

Scientists track the arms race that’s playing out between bacteria in your gut

OceanGate plans to build submersibles capable of going far below Titanic depths

WWII destroyer located by Paul Allen’s research vessel is deepest shipwreck ever discovered

Allen Institute maps out a high-resolution ‘org chart’ for connections in the brain

Bill Gates-backed Pivotal Commware raises $10M as it ramps up 5G hardware

NASA will send VIPER rover to the moon in 2022 to track down south pole’s water ice

Google’s ‘quantum supremacy’ computing feat earns respect — even from Microsoft

AI2’s Semantic Scholar search engine now takes in the full sweep of scientific papers

Boeing puts Global Services chief in charge of commercial airplanes amid 737 MAX controversy

Second Japanese aircraft carrier lost at Battle of Midway located by Paul Allen’s research vessel

Allen Institute kicks brain wave recording into overdrive with Neuropixels probe

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and students cut the ribbon to open New Burke Museum

GeekWire Calendar Picks: Hacking for NASA; celebrating Minecraft; and solving a crime

Fred Hutch scientist on how gold nanoparticles could bring CRISPR to the developing world

A sports car in the sky? Boeing and Porsche target urban air mobility market

How ‘avatars’ could let you see the world — and your family — through telepresence

A year after Paul Allen’s death, sources say Vulcan holding company is cutting jobs

Too big to fail? FTC commissioner sees parallels between Big Tech and bank crisis

Biotech experts gather at the White House for ‘Summit on America’s Bioeconomy’

MagniX revs up 750HP all-electric motor in preparation for first test flights in B.C.

Bill Gates lays out his predictions for global health during tribute to Stephen Hawking

Photos: New Burke Museum freshens up age-old Northwest treasures — and adds brand-new ones

Pacific Northwest National Lab plays role in federally funded AI research center

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