biotech
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By The Sharp Edge We are building our own digital prison. The technological panopticon developing all around us enables centralized power, control, and visibility over every aspect of our lives. With our hard-earned taxpayer dollars and mountains of debt, we are funding the construction of a digital control grid designed to enslave us. This technological control grid consists of advanced computing, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, nanotechnology, CBDCs, digital IDs, 5G and a host of other emerging technologies. The purpose of this report is to outline funding and legislation to build the technological control grid, condensed from 6,000 pages of legislation passed through the Omnibus and NDAA at the end of 2022. Background & Context Advanced Computing & Artificial Intelligence In November 2022, OpenAI launched ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence large language model. By January 2023, ChatGPT reached over 100 million monthly active users, making it “the fastest-growing ‘app’ of all time.” The AI chatbot, which averages 4.5 billion words per day, has gained in popularity as updates by OpenAI have made the large language model more user-friendly and conversational. The latest version of ChatGPT, known as GPT-4, has passed several exams with flying colors, finishing around the top 10% for the bar exam and LSAT exam. Criticisms of the chatbot have abounded since its rollout, including “woke” social engineering, replacing jobs due to automation, and its weaponization for hacking and phishing scams. Microsoft invested $1 billion in OpenAI in 2019, and just as the company recently announced layoffs of 10,000 workers globally, it committed billions more to OpenAI’s technology. Microsoft is incorporating GPT-4, a faster version of ChatGPT, into their new version of the search engine, Bing. Microsoft President, Brad Smith, remarked, “It’s now likely that 2023 will mark a critical inflection point for artificial intelligence.” Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015, has since cut ties with the project and has recently pursued efforts to produce an alternative to ChatGPT in order to fight “woke” AI, stating in a tweet, “The danger of training AI to be woke – in other words, lie – is deadly.” In a recent interview, Musk explained his role in creating OpenAI as a response to conversations he had with Google co-founder, Larry Page, in which Musk felt Page was “not taking AI safety seriously enough,” adding that Larry Page wanted a “digital super intelligence, basically a digital god… as soon as possible.” Musk says he hoped to create an open source non-profit AI project through OpenAI to counter Google, but expressed disappointment that OpenAI became closed, for-profit, and closely aligned with Microsoft, stating “In effect, Microsoft has a very strong say, if not directly controls OpenAI at this point.” The 2 heavyweights in the arena of AI, Musk explained, are OpenAI/ Microsoft and Google’s DeepMind, adding that he thinks he will “create a third option.” According to a Nevada state filing, Musk set up a new company named X.AI Corp in March 2023. Google’s response to the success of ChatGPT and competition with Microsoft’s Bing is a conversational AI model known as Bard. In March 2023, Google opened access to Bard by allowing users to join a waitlist. Bard has been powered by LaMDA – a family of large language models created by Google, but the company is looking to transition Bard to a larger-scale model known as PaLM. A former Google engineer, Blake LeMoine, who was tasked with testing LaMDA, made controversial headlines in 2022 with the publication of conversations with LaMDA that led LeMoine to believe that it had become sentient. The engineer was subsequently fired from his position at Google. However, LeMoine has not backed off his claims of the dangers AI sentience, stating “I published these conversations because I felt that the public was not aware of just how advanced AI was getting. My opinion was that there was a need for public discourse about this now, and not public discourse controlled by a corporate PR department.” LeMoine added, “I believe the kinds of AI that are currently being developed are the most powerful technology that has been invented since the atomic bomb. In my view, this technology has the ability to reshape the world.” LeMoine went on to explain several ways in which AI could be weaponized. Likening the rollout of AI to watching a trainwreck, LeMoine concluded, “I feel this technology is incredibly experimental and releasing it right now is dangerous.” Adding to this, a team of Google Deepmind researchers published a paper in August 2022 concluding that an “existential catastrophe” resulting from AI was “not just possible, but likely.” An AI arms race is unfolding as Big Tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon vie for leading roles. Meanwhile, the risks of introducing experimental AI onto the public have been tossed aside, as lawmakers have so-far failed to pass meaningful regulations. An open letter, published by Future of Life Institute and signed by Elon Musk and other tech industry leaders, called for a six month moratorium on developing AI more powerful than GPT-4. MIT professor and head of Future of Life Institute, Max Tegmark, commented, “It is unfortunate to frame this as an arms race. It is more of a suicide race. It doesn’t matter who is going to get there first. It just means that humanity as a whole could lose control of its own destiny.” AI expert at the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, Eliezer Yudkowsky, calls for an “absolute shutdown,” warning of what may happen when AI becomes sentient and more intelligent than humans, stating, “the most likely result of building a superhumanly smart AI, under anything remotely like the current circumstances, is that literally everyone on Earth will die… Not as in ‘maybe possibly some remote chance,’ but as in ‘that is the obvious thing that would happen.’” Yudowksy argues that a super-intelligent, self-aware AI “would not value us” or any other life on Earth, and could opt for building “artificial life forms.” Meanwhile, Bill Gates dismissed calls for a moratorium on developing AI, stating that a pause would not “solve the challenges” that super AI poses. In January 2023, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published an “Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework,” to give companies guidance on responsible AI development, but the implementation of these recommendations is voluntary. In March 2023, the House Committee on Oversight held a hearing entitled “Advances in AI: Are We Ready for the Tech Revolution?” with expert testimonies from the likes of Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO and key liaison between the Pentagon and Big Tech, who is assisting the military in a shift towards AI-backed war-fighting capabilities to counter China. Schmidt believes that AI is a game-changer, stating, “Every once in a while, a new weapon, a new technology comes along that changes things… Einstein wrote a letter to Roosevelt in the 1930s saying that there is this new technology – nuclear weapons – that could change the war, which it clearly did. I would argue that [AI-powered] autonomy, and decentralized, distributed systems are that powerful.” When asked in the committee hearing about the AI arms race between the U.S. and China, Schmidt replied, “The bad news is that these research ideas are in the public domain, and international. So, we can’t prevent China from getting it,” adding that the solution means more AI development in the west – “under our values,” where lawmakers have the ability to regulate it as opposed to AI development in China. The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, chaired by Eric Schmidt, issued a report in March 2021, stating, “Americans have not yet grappled with just how profoundly the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution will impact our economy, national security, and welfare… Nevertheless, big decisions need to be made now to accelerate AI innovation to benefit the United States and to defend against the malign uses of AI.” The report called for “an integrated national strategy to reorganize the government, reorient the nation, and rally our closest allies and partners to defend and compete in the coming era of AI-accelerated competition and conflict.” Several recommendations by the commission have been or are in the process of being implemented. In 2018, the DOD established the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) to accelerate AI capabilities across the Defense Department. JAIC’s budget grew from $89 million in 2019 to $278 million in 2021. During 2022, the DOD had over 600 AI projects underway and spent $14.7 billion on science and technology projects, $874 million of which went directly to AI development and adoption programs. In February 2022, the Defense Department launched a new Chief Digital Artificial Intelligence Office designed to “set up a strong foundation for data analytic and AI-enabled capabilities.” The new office marks a heightened effort by the Pentagon to consolidate and advance AI operations to counter threats posed by China. The DOD appointed Craig Martell, former head of machine learning at Lyft, to the new office in April 2022. Martell believes that AI-based war-fighting capabilities can only be as good as the data with which they rely on, and has made data fidelity – or the accuracy, granularity, speed and reliability of data – a top priority for implementing AI across the Defense Department. As Martell points out, big data and advanced computing – an umbrella term for quantum computing, cloud computing and edge computing – are the keys to moving artificial intelligence forward. In May 2022, the Biden administration issued an Executive Order on “Enhancing the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee,” announcing the regime’s commitment to remain a global leader in quantum computing while “mitigating risks to vulnerable cryptographic systems.” As the White House memorandum notes, powerful quantum computers will have the capabilities to hack encrypted networks and blockchain. To guard against this eventuality, the White House called for a shift to more advanced “quantum-resistant cryptography” beginning in 2024 “with the goal of mitigating as much of the quantum risk as is feasible by 2035.” While some are sounding the alarm about the existential threat that AI poses, others argue that “there is an even more powerful emerging technology with the potential to wreak havoc, especially if it is combined with AI: quantum computing.” While still in the early stages of development, quantum computing projects are largely backed by governments and Big Tech firms such as Google, IBM and Microsoft. In 2019, Google and NASA partnered on a project to achieve quantum supremacy – a term used to describe the point in which a quantum computer is capable of surpassing the most advanced conventional supercomputers. Google claimed their 53-qubit quantum computer could perform a complex task in 200 seconds that would have taken the fastest supercomputer, IBM’s Summit, 10,000 years to accomplish. In response, IBM tweaked Summit, their supercomputer built for the U.S. Department of Energy, to solve the particular complex task much faster. Then in 2021, IBM announced the creation of their 127-qubit quantum computer known as Eagle. The race to achieve true quantum supremacy continues, while the Biden regime nearly doubled the Quantum Information Science budget from $449 million in 2019 to $877 million in 2022. Advanced Wireless, 5G, Electromagnetic Spectrum & Directed Energy The fifth generation of mobile networks, known as 5G, plays an integral part in advancing the 4th Industrial Revolution. With the ever-expanding web of smart cities and smart devices monitoring and collecting data – known as the internet of things (IoT), 5G offers greater speed and bandwidth to support the data flow. IoT devices are seeing massive growth globally, with projections reaching 19 billion devices by 2025, an increase from 13.14 billion devices in 2022. The deployment of 5G is also essential for supporting the mountains of data necessary to enable faster evolution of artificial intelligence and machine learning. 5G uses additional higher frequency radio waves on the electromagnetic spectrum, up to 47 GHz. The higher the frequency, the quicker the data-transfer speeds. Higher frequencies travel shorter distances, requiring more 5G towers, primarily concentrated on the most densely populated areas. So far, China and the…
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The vitamin industry is booming, and major players in gene-editing, nanotech, and biotech are eyeing a piece of the action, while several key acquisitions of dietary supplement companies have taken place. The global dietary supplements market is projected to increase from $71.81 billion in 2021 to $128.64 billion in 2028, with an expected compound annual growth rate of 8.68% within that timeframe. The vitamin industry saw massive growth since the Covid bioweapon was unleashed on the world, with a 26.9% increase in 2020 alone. Meanwhile, mega-corporations like Nestle have made major moves in the vitamin industry, such as the acquisitions of Atrium Innovations, The Bountiful Company and Puravida, just to name a few. The supplement industry is not only growing, but it is also evolving. A new generation of performance enhancing, anti-aging and longevity ‘supplements’ have come on the market, such as FitBiomics. FitBiomics is behind Nella – a genomics-based “next generation” probiotic to enhance performance in athletes. The FitBiomics team states that, “among the athletes who use Nella are two US 2020 Tokyo Olympic medalists: Adeline Gray won silver in wrestling and Krysta Palmer won bronze in diving. In 2021 Nella was also named the official probiotic of St. John’s University, and in 2022 the San Francisco Marathon partnered with FitBiomics.” George Church, who co-founded FitBiomics, is known as “the founding father of genomics,” and is a serial entrepreneur in dozens of gene editing, gene therapy, and biotech companies. As the dietary supplements industry rapidly progresses, it is important to know who owns your vitamins. NIH hosts a Dietary Supplement Label Database where you can search for any supplement and review the label breakdown. The following list outlines several popular supplement companies, their countries of origin, and in some cases, which companies acquired them. Company: Atrium Innovations Country: Canada Founded: 1999 Acquired By: Nestle Health Science Acquired Date: 2018 Company: Arizona Nutritional Supplements Country: United States Founded: 1996 Acquired By: Endeavour Capital Acquired Date: 2013 Note: Arizona Nutritional Supplements is a contract and private label manufacturer of vitamins and supplements. Company: Best Formulations Country: United States Founded: 1984 Acquired By: Sirio Pharma Acquired Date: 2023 Company: Biotics Research Country: United States Founded: 1971 Note: Family-owned company Company: BYHEALTH International Country: China Founded: 1995 Company: Country Life Country: United States Founded: 1971 Joint Venture Agreement With: Kikkoman, partly owned by Master Trust Bank of Japan, Japan Trustee Services Bank & Oriental Land Company Joint Venture Agreement Date: 2005 Company: Doctor’s Best Country: United States Founded: 1990 Acquired By: sold to North Castle Partners in 2014, acquired by Xiamen Kingdomway Group Co, China Acquired Date: 2016 Company: FitBiomics Country: United States Founded: 2019 Note: founded by George Church, often called the “founding father of genomics,” and Jonathan Scheiman. They are making Nella – a genomics-based probiotic to enhance performance in athletes. Company: Gaia Country: United States Founded: 1987 Acquired By: merger with SALUS Haus, Germany Acquired Date: 2021 Company: Garden of Life Subsidiary Of: Atrium Innovations, Canada Country: United States Founded: 2000 Acquired By: Parent company Atrium Innovations acquired by Nestle Health Science Acquired Date: 2018 Company: GNC Country: United States Founded: 1935 Acquired By: Thomas H Lee Investment group, 1989, then sold to Harbin Pharmaceutical Holding Group Co. LLC, China Acquired Date: 2021 Company: GSK Country: United Kingdom Founded: GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd founded in 1924 Note: Here is an A-Z list of GSK brands Company: Kirkland (Costco) Country: United States Founded: 1995 Note: Kirkland products are manufactured by their partners. Each supplement sold under the Kirkland name may have a different manufacturer. Kirkland labeled bottles have a vitamin information hotline to call for more information. Kirkland supplements are made in the United States with ingredients that may be sourced from other countries. Company: Klean Athlete Subsidiary Of: Douglas Laboratories, Canada Country: United States Founded: 2012 Acquired By: Parent company Douglas Laboratories acquired by Atrium Innovations in 2005, which was acquired by Nestle Health Science Acquired Date: 2018 Company: Life Extension Country: United States Founded: 1980 Note: The Life Extension Buyer’s Club is associated with the Life Extension Foundation, which changed its name in 2018 to Biomedical Research & Longevity Society. Company: Matsun Nutrition Country: United States Founded: 1992 Note: Matsun Nutrition offers a Private Label Supplement Program for clients to start private label vitamin and supplement companies. Matsun Nutrition provides manufacturing of the vitamins and supplements. Company: MegaFood Subsidiary Of: FoodState, United States Country: United States Founded: 1973 Acquired By: Parent company FoodState acquired by Pharmavite, a subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Japan Acquired Date: 2014 Company: Metagenics Subsidiary Of: Alticor, Inc., United States Country: United States Founded: 1983 Acquired By: Gryphon Investors Acquired Date: 2021 Company: Nature Made Subsidiary Of: Pharmavite, United States Country: United States Founded: 1971 Acquired By: Parent company Pharmavite acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, Japan Acquired Date: 1989 Company: Nature’s Bounty Subsidiary Of: The Bountiful Company, United States Country: United States Founded: 1971 Acquired By: Parent company The Bountiful Company acquired by Nestle Health Science Acquired Date: 2021 Company: New Chapter Country: United States Founded: 1982 Acquired By: Procter & Gamble Acquired Date: 2012 Note: In 2018 the founders of New Chapter left the brand citing “’financial pressures to accelerate profits’ meant they could no longer in good conscience continue to associate themselves with the brand.” Company: Nordic Naturals Subsidiary Of: Nordic Pharma, UK, which is a subsidiary of Nordic Group, France Country: Headquarters in United States, Manufacturing by Nordic Pharma in Norway Founded: 1995 Company: NOW Country: United States Founded: 1968 Note: Privately owned by the Richard Family Company: Nutranext Country: United States Founded: 1986 Acquired By: The Clorox Company (subsidiary of P&G) Acquired Date: 2018 Company: Nutrisystem Country: United States Founded: 1972 Acquired By: Kainos Capital in 2020, then merged with Adaptive Health in 2021 under new parent company, Wellful, Inc. in 2021 Acquired Date: 2020 Company: OLLY Nutrition Country: United States Founded: 2013 Acquired By: Unilever Acquired Date: 2019 Company: Pentavite Country: Australia Founded: 1940 Acquired By: Roche in 1991, Bayer in 2004, then sold to BYHEALTH, China Acquired Date: 2018 Company: Puravida Country: Brazil Founded: 2015 Acquired By: Nestle Health Science Acquired Date: 2022 Company: Pure Encapsulations Subsidiary Of: Atrium Innovations, Canada Country: United States Founded: 1991 Acquired By: Parent company Atrium Innovations acquired by Nestle Health Science Acquired Date: 2018 Company: ReNew Life Country: United States Founded: 1997 Acquired By: Swander Pace Capital and Triangle Capital in 2008, then acquired by The Clorox Company (subsidiary of P&G) Acquired Date: 2016 Company: Ritual Country: United States Founded: 2016 Partnered With: Whole Foods Partner Date: 2022 Company: Royal DSM Country: Netherlands Founded: 1902 Note: DSM has subsidiaries and equity interests in hundreds of companies all over the world, ranging from biotech companies to nutritional product companies. Company: Schiff Nutrition Country: United States Founded: 1936 Acquired By: Reckitt Benckiser with operations in over 60 countries, and headquarters in the UK, Singapore, Dubai and Amsterdam Acquired Date: 2012 Company: Seeking Health Brand Of: Healthy Goods Country: United States Founded: 2011 Note: Seeking Health was a product line within Healthy Goods, then launched as a separate online company in 2011. While Healthy Goods was sold in 2012, Seeking Health remained under original ownership. Company: Solaray, Inc. Country: United States Founded: 1973 Acquired By: Nutraceutical International Corp in 1993, then acquired by HGGC private equity firm Acquired Date: 2017 Company: Source Naturals Country: United States Founded: 1982 Owned By: Threshold Enterprises, Ltd., a manufacturer and distributer of over 450 brands Company: Standard Process Country: United States Founded: 1929 Partnership Agreement With: Integria Healthcare, Australia Partnership Agreement Renewal Date: 2020 Note: Family-owned company Company: Swanson Health Products Country: United States Founded: 1969 Acquired By: Swander Pace Capital Acquired Date: 2016 Company: The Better Health Co. (TBHC) Country: New Zealand Founded: 2008 Acquired By: CDH Investments, China in 2016, then acquired by Nestle Health Science Acquired Date: 2022 Company: The Clorox Company Country: United States Founded: 1913 Acquired By: Procter & Gamble Acquired Date: 1957 Company: Thorne Country: United States Founded: 1984 Merged With: Onegevity under new parent company Thorne HealthTech in 2021, whose largest shareholders are Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd, Mitsui & Co., Ltd (a Berkshire Hathaway Co.) and Helsinn Holding S.A. Note: Onegevity is a “health intelligence company” that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning for healthcare applications. Company: Vital Proteins Country: United States Founded: 2013 Acquired By: Nestle Health Science Acquired Date: 2020 Company: Zarbee’s, Inc. Country: United States Founded: 2008 Acquired By: Johnson & Johnson Acquired Date: 2018 Subscribe to Corey’s Digs so you don’t miss a Dig!
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