Discovery pinpoints new connection between cancer cells, stem cells

Telomerase, best known for enabling unlimited cell division of stem cells and cancer cells, has a surprising additional role in the expression of genes in an important stem cell regulatory pathway, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

The unexpected finding may lead to new anticancer therapies and a greater understanding of how adult and embryonic stem cells divide and specialize.

Sea level rise: It's worse than we thought

The continued melting of glaciers and ice caps outside of Greenland and Antarctica will add another 10 to 20 centimeters to sea level by 2100, according to one report.

Robot rescue "rat" feels its way through rubble

A new robot with artificial whiskers could one day be used to locate survivors of natural disasters, or people trapped in burning buildings.

Open-Source Data Glove

AcceleGlove, a low-cost programmable glove that records hand and finger movements, could be used for robotic control and in video games, sports training, or physical rehabilitation.

NASA, Japan Release Most Complete Topographic Map Of Earth

NASA and Japan have released a new digital topographic map of Earth that covers more of our planet than ever before, produced with detailed measurements from NASA's Terra spacecraft.

Can a new implant coating technique create a new six million dollar man?

An electrochemical process for coating metal implants to make them resemble biological material vastly improves their functionality, longevity and integration into the body a Tel Aviv University researcher has found.

Computer-Guided Nanoparticle Therapy Destroys Tumors

Polymer-coated gold nanorods completely destroyed all tumors in a nonhuman animal model of human cancer with a single dose, scientists have found.

Why microbes are smarter than you thought

Examples of "intelligent" behavior by microbes include chemical conversations and "quorum sensing" to decide when to launch an attack on their host.

Review: Wetware by Dennis Bray

Living cells are chemical computers.


(Volker Steger/Christian Barpelle/SPL)

They take information from the environment and process it to produce behavioral "outputs." The processing units are proteins, which perform all the same operations as the logic gates of a computer. Inputs from the environment cause the proteins to flip shape, to aggregate, and to chemically modify other proteins in a cascade of information processing that sweeps through the cell until it reaches effector proteins that make the cell move or change shape.

Carbon Ring Storage Could Make Magnetic Memory 1,000 Times More Dense

A method of improving storage density by three orders of magnitude using cobalt dimers on hexagonal carbon rings has been developed by researchers at Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research.

Toyota Develops Mind-Controlled Wheelchair

Toyota researchers have built a brain/machine interface that controls a wheelchair using EEG sensors placed over the areas of the brain that control motion, with plans for a wide range of applications in medicine and nursing care.

Singularity University - Day One

Day 1 at Singularity University featured discussions with Peter Diamandis and Ray Kurzweil.

Medicine's New Toolbox

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells (adult cells genetically reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells) could capture the details of human disease with unprecedented accuracy and revolutionize the way researchers search for new treatments.

Because each cell line comes from a human patient, the cells reflect the complex array of factors that led to the patient's disease: the genetic mutations, the effects of environmental history. And because those cells can be prodded to develop into a variety of tissue types, scientists can watch the disease unfold in a petri dish.

A Robot that Navigates Like a Person

European researchers have developed a robot capable of moving autonomously by algorithms designed to mimic different parts of the human visual system, with two cameras that serve as "eyes" in a movable "head."

Scientists create first quantum processor

A team led by Yale University researchers has created the first rudimentary two-qubit solid-state quantum processor, taking another step toward building a quantum computer.

Solar X-rays may create DNA building blocks on Titan

Blasting the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan with X-rays can produce adenine, a base component of DNA, a new laboratory study suggests.

When meteoroid impacts deliver water to the moon's surface, the finding adds to evidence that Titan may be ripe for life.

Africa alone could feed the world

There is enough space in the world to produce the extra food needed to feed a growing population. And contrary to expectation, most of it can be grown in Africa, say two international reports published this week.

Physics brings realism to virtual reality

The latest multi-core processors and some smart software allow techniques used by physicists and engineers to simulate the real world in extreme detail, creating virtual worlds governed by real physics, rather than the simplified versions used today.

One expert evens predicts that such techniques could be used to create Matrix-like virtual worlds indistinguishable from reality within just a few years.

A Ham Radio Weekend for Talking to the Moon

On Saturday, amateur radio operators will bounce signals off the moon, using parabolic antenna radio telescopes around the world.

Also see Echoes of Apollo

Stem cell surprise for tissue regeneration

Genes that make muscle stem cells in the embryo are surprisingly not needed in adult muscle stem cells to regenerate muscles after injury, scientists working at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Embryology with colleagues have found.

The finding challenges the current course of research into muscular dystrophy, muscle injury, and regenerative medicine, which uses stem cells for healing tissues, and favors using age-matched stem cells for therapy.

Domestic robots with a taste for flesh

Five domestic robots that gain energy by eating flies and mice, digested by an internal microbial fuel cell, have been built by James Auger, at the Royal College of Art, London and collaborator.

Teenage 'baby' may lack master aging gene

Brooke Greenberg is 16 years old now (the picture shows her at age 11), but hasn't aged since she was an infant. Understanding her condition could provide an insight into the genetics of aging.



Richard Walker of the University of South Florida College of Medicine thinks that Brooke is the first recorded case of what he describes as "developmental disorganization." His hypothesis is that the cause is disruption of an as-yet unidentified gene, or genes, that hold the key to aging by orchestrating how an organism matures to adulthood, reproduces, then gradually ages and dies.

Brooke's condition could give important leads to the identity of this master regulator.

Invisibility cloak could hide buildings from quakes

The physics of invisibility cloaks could allow for designing a cloak that could render objects "invisible" to destructive storm waves or tsunamis, say physicists in France and the UK.

When waves travel through the cloak they are compressed into tiny fluctuations in pressure and density that travel along the fastest path available. By tuning the cloak's properties, that path can be made to be an arc that directs surface waves away from an area inside the cloak. When the waves exit the cloak, they return to their previous, larger size.

Hidden cancer threat to wildlife revealed

Cancer poses a serious threat to wild animals, say twp pathologists working for the Wildlife Conservation Society, the second leading cause of death, as in humans.

Understanding the cancers in animals will help understand them better in humans. The pathologists list 22 species that suffer from viral cancers. While some of the viruses have only been found in wildlife, others are closely related to human viruses, including papilloma virus, herpes simplex virus and hepatitis virus.

Finding a fair price for free knowledge

If we really want to end scarcity, we will have to build institutions that promote knowledge-sharing, while at the same time ensuring that there are incentives for creative and technical minds to contribute.

Wikipedia and Google's book-scanning projects are examples of such institutions.

Waterproof Lithium-Air Batteries

Lightweight, high-energy batteries that can use the surrounding air as a cathode are being developed by PolyPlus.

Warning over 'superbug' risk from pets

Antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" originating in hospitals are now increasingly being found in cats and dogs, and in victims of bites.

Ironically, most animals probably acquired their infections originally from their owners.

Daily Coverage From Singularity University All Next Week

H+ magazine writer Lisa Rein will be sitting in on the first week of Singularity University, starting Monday, blogging daily and twittering (@lisarein).

Privacy Requires Security, Not Abstinence Protecting an inalienable right in the age of Facebook. By Simson Garfinkel * E-mail * Audio » o Listen - Flash o Listen - MP3 o Subscribe to podcast o

"We need to learn how to protect privacy by intention, not by accident," says security expert Simson Garfinkel.

"Although technology can help, my belief is that such protections need to start with clearly articulated polices... We need some kind of Privacy Protection Agency to give our rights a fighting chance. Our piecemeal approach is no longer acceptable."

Singularity University Launches Inaugural Summer Program At Moffett Field

Singularity University (SU) -- the new academic institution with the goal of preparing the next generation of leaders to address "humanity's grand challenges" -- today announced the selection of 40 students to represent the inaugural class for the Graduate Summer Program (GSP). Singularity University narrowed the final 40 students from a pool of more than 1,200 candidate applications around the globe. The summer program begins on June 29, 2009, based at its campus on NASA Ames Research Park.

SU also announced that leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm ePlanet Ventures joins SU as the newest Corporate Founder to support the institution.

Singularity University is modeled after the successful International Space University, founded at MIT in 1987, which has become one of the leading interdisciplinary, international and intercultural institutions for the study of space. The Graduate Summer Program is a nine-week graduate-level interdisciplinary curriculum designed to facilitate understanding, collaboration, and innovation across a broad range of carefully chosen scientific and technological disciplines whose developments are exponentially accelerating.

A Look at the Summer Class
Students for the inaugural summer program were chosen based on their level of expertise in individual "tracks," demonstrated entrepreneurial and leadership skills, and their commitment to addressing and solving important issues facing our world.

"The level of interest from candidates around the world exceeded our initial expectations," said Dr. Ray Kurzweil, co-founder of Singularity University. "We received applications from expert candidates in over 60 countries, so competition was very tough for the 40 open spots. Narrowing the field was challenging. The selected students embody the key characteristics, experience, and 'start-up mentality' we believe are required to address our grandest challenges today and tomorrow."

The summer class is composed of 26 men and 14 women, ranging in age from 22 to 47 years old. The 13 nations represented are: USA, Canada, Israel, United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Bolivia, India, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Turkey, and Russia.

Specific experience and expertise in one of the ten key fields of study, or "tracks," was required to secure a spot in the inter-disciplinary institution. The number of student experts in each of the ten tracks are: future studies and forecasting - 5; policy, law and ethics - 7; finance and entrepreneurship - 5; networks and computing systems - 6; biotechnology and bioinformatics - 3; nanotechnology - 2; medicine, neuroscience and human enhancement - 4; AI, robotics - 3; energy and ecological systems - 2; and space and physical sciences - 3.

"It's rare that a new university comes into existence, and we are proud of the students representing this first class," said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, co-founder of Singularity University. "Ray Kurzweil and I look forward to seeing what this stellar combination of students and faculty will produce throughout the course of the program. The potential is unlimited. And, we truly believe Singularity University will positively impact humanity."

Venture Capital Support Behind SU
ePlanet Ventures joins SU as the only venture capital firm at the Corporate Founder level, with a donation of $250,000. In addition to financial support for SU, the firm will mentor students as they develop projects and new business ideas, a partner will serve as an advisor and lecturer on the Finance and Entrepreneurship track, and sit on the Board of Trustees. Google is an existing Corporate Founder.

"The close alignment of our goals with SU made the partnership a natural fit," said Asad Jamal, Chairman and CEO of ePlanet Ventures. "ePlanet Ventures was founded to support innovation in technology and sciences, and has been a leader in discovering disruptive innovation and promoting cross-border migration of technological innovation, business models and entrepreneurship. We anticipate great ideas and global solutions to come from SU with the expert concentration of students, faculty, and other supporters. We're thrilled to be a part of this innovative venture from the start."

Interest in sponsoring Singularity University has been strong since its founding, and nearly all its financial supporting positions have been filled. Three positions are still available to join ePlanet Ventures and Google as Corporate Founders, and SU is in discussions with a number of the Bay Area companies to fill the remaining positions. They can visit www.singularityu.org/interested for more information on corporate and individual sponsorship.

Looking Forward
Singularity University will offer 3-day "C-level" and 10-day "mid-level" executive management programs in Fall '09. Exact program dates will be announced later in the year. Interested candidates can submit applications and request additional information at www.singularityu.org/interested.

Full disclosure: KurzweilAI newsletter editor Amara D. Angelica is Curriculum Lead for Singularity University

Source: Singularity University press release