Blog archive
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Twins Hold Special Role in Medical Science
Twins hold a special place in medical science by uniquely providing insight into how behavior and genetics affect disease, aging, and response to medical treatments. Through twin studies, scientists understand the interplay between genetics and the environment in ways that the study of unrelated peopleāor even other types of siblingsāis unable to do. Because identical…
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āBlack Marbleā: Stunning Views of the Earth at Night
This composite image of the world, called the āBlack Marble,ā was taken with the day-night band of NASAās Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). The day-night band sensor in the instrument was designed and developed by SRI using the latest extended dynamic range charge-coupled device (CCD) technology that can capture the finest details, even in…
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1968 āMother of All Demosā Forecasted Much of the Technology We Use Every Day
We all have our share of anniversaries to remember, but hereās one that has impacted all of our lives: on December 9, 1968, Douglas Engelbart and his SRI team delivered what has come to be known as the āMother of All Demos.ā Hard to believe, but in one presentation, Dr. Engelbart and his Augmentation Research…
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Finding the Links between College-Level STEM Participation and Autism Spectrum Disorder
Thereās a common perception that people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are more likely than the general population to gravitate toward science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. It turns out the perception is true. Our study results, published online in the November 1 issue ofĀ Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, confirmed for the first…
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Closing the Gap between Science Students and STEM Workers of the Future
Many of todayās high-wage jobs and fastest growing occupations require science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills. There is general agreement that strengthening STEM teaching and learning is key to workforce readiness and growth of the U.S. economy. Tomorrowās thinkers will need STEM skills to develop innovative solutions to the worldās increasingly complex problems. Yet,…
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Reframing the Debate about the Future of Our Energy Supply
Today is Election Dayāand no matter who wins, our energy problems will continue to be a prominent but unfortunately neglected issue. To date, the political debate has been oversimplified and presented as a battle between the moral imperatives of protecting the environment and the critical need to preserve our economic interests. Too often, our difficult…
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The Role of Nonprofit Institutes in Pharmaceutical Development
When I describe to friends and colleagues what I do for a living, I typically get a response like, āSo, you are really no different than a pharmaceutical company.ā Exactly. And not at all. SRI International has played a major role in the development of therapeutics for a wide range of diseases over the years…
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SRIās Unique Innovation Charter
Innovation is one of those words greatly in danger of overuse and exaggeration. These days, you hear the term mentioned in almost every corner of industry and even in reference to culture, society, and our personal lives. At SRI, we donāt use the word āinnovationā lightly. We have a clear and crisp definition for what…
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Letās Get Real about Our Future Energy Supply
Energy supply is perhaps the largest global problem facing us today, yet the public is largely unaware of the scale of the problem. Meeting the future global demand for energy is a daunting challenge and will affect the lives of billions of people. Therefore, the public must engage in making decisions to determine how we…
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Meet Lola, a Virtual Personal Assistant for Banking
We are very excited to publicly announce the Lola project, and the future of Virtual Personal Assistants for banking. This project, which weāve been working on with BBVA for several years now, is the first application of what we see as the next generation of virtual personal assistant technology beyondĀ Siri.
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The Cellās Fuel Sensor and Cancer
Imagine a pile of a bright white powder weighing about 120 kgāif youāre an average-sized, healthy adult, that powder represents the total amount of a fuel molecule calledĀ ATPĀ that you use every day for routine activity; indeed, for life itself. Recent work in SRIās Cancer Biology Program indicates that an enzyme that regulates ATPāthe cellās fuel…
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SRI Licenses and Ventures: the Keys to Our Success
In the last 17 years, SRI has earned more than $200 million in gross royalty and equity value from our licensing and venture portfolio. We have started more than 50Ā venturesĀ with four IPOsāwith a total market capitalization that exceeds $29 billion, and with many successful private company exits, most notably,Ā Siri. We are known for being anĀ engine…