A system for bar-coding DNA using brilliant crystals called quantum dots could revolutionize our ability to identify genes in the human genome.
A group at Indiana University in Bloomington has developed a way to embed quantum dots in tiny Styrofoam-like beads attached to DNA to create unique labels. The paper
appears in Nature Biotechnology.
The dots are semiconductor crystals of cadmium selenide wrapped in shells of… read more
The U.S. Army plans to use nanotechnology to develop an interactive, protective uniform for soldiers and nanoscale methods of releasing drugs and preventing infectious diseases. It’s also planning robotics systems to do more of the dangerous work.
News Tip: Anthony Zidek
In this Wired News Radio interview, Ray Kurzweil says A.I.: Artificial Intelligence offers a good glimpse of things to come.
The show can be listened to via download or stream.
Quantum dynamical tunnelling — in which atoms can jump back and forth between two stable states of motion without passing through the zero momentum state — has been demonstrated by researchers.
The phenomenon could form the basis of a quantum computer.
A smart walker that will guide users, providing assistance with steering and braking, has been developed by a research team at the University of Virginia’s Medical Automation Research Center.
The prototype uses a laser scanner to sense the environment, detecting a user’s intentions primarily via pressure monitors in the handles. If a person loses footing, the walker will detect the high force and burst of speed, then hit the… read more
The National Science Foundation is seeking a quantum-chip-making process that will work with any one of the quantum-computing architectures being proposed today.
Today, researchers experimenting with quantum computer chips must craft their own process technology. The problem: quantum dots store information in domains that are only a few square nanometers, containing 50 to 10,000 atoms per stored quantum bit (qubit).
Individual devices can be hand-assembled using a scanning… read more
The first single-electron transistor (SET) to operate at room temperature have been developed. Its minute size and low-energy requirements should make it an ideal device for molecular computers, as reported in the 29 June issue of Science.
SETs only require one electron to toggle between on and off states. In contrast, transistors in conventional microelectronics use millions and are limited in packing density because of… read more
Researchers have shown that a liquid, ultra-cold helium-3, demonstrates quantum interference, just as the classic “two-slits” experiment shows that a beam of light is a quantum wave.
This quantum interference is identical to the interference between light waves, electrons, atomic beams and electrical currents in solid superconductors. It had never before been observed in a liquid.
The findings by UC Berkeley researchers was published in Nature… read more
Two rival teams that cracked the human genome may have underestimated the number of human genes, according to a new computer analysis.
“There are probably between 65,000 and 75,000 transcriptional units,” said Ohio State University’s Dr Yuan.
A transcriptional unit is a length of DNA that shows strong evidence of being a gene but which requires future verification.
The next big producers of biotech crops could very well be nations in the developing world. Countries such as China and India are now gearing up to commercialize dozens of genetically modified plants in the next few years.
But some developing nations, concerned that agricultural exports could be negatively affected by existing or future bans on plant biotech in Europe and elsewhere, are putting the brakes on research.
Final Fantasy’s hyperreal animation was achieved by Honolulu-based Square USA, using Maya for animation authoring and RenderMan for rendering.
Square animators used four Silicon Graphics M 2000 series servers, four Silicon Graphics Onyx2 visualization systems, and 167 Octane workstations.
Special challenges — realistic flowing hair and follicles, the physics of how cloth wrinkles and drapes as the body wearing the fabric moves, the fluidity… read more
Human embryos have been created in the lab for the sole purpose of harvesting their stem cells for the first time.
Until now, scientists had derived stem cells only from excess embryos donated from infertility treatments. In this case, the scientists approached donors and informed them that their eggs and sperm would be used to develop embryos for stem-cell research.
The work, conducted by researchers at the Jones… read more
Scientists have turned the world’s smallest nanotubes into superconductors.
Researchers at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology demonstrated that the world’s smallest nanotubes appear to reach superconductivity at temperatures below 20 degrees Kelvin.
Superconducting nanotubes could one day be used in nanoscale sensors and nanoelectronic devices. Their lack of electrical resistance could mitigate one of nanoelectronics’ anticipated problems: the buildup of heat from tightly… read more
Statistical mechanics is offering new insights into the structure and dynamics of the Internet, the World Wide Web and other complex interacting systems.
The challenge for physicists is to unearth the signatures of order from the apparent chaos of millions of nodes and links.
Findings include:
* The Web is a scale-free network whose links follow a power-law distribution, which implies that there is an abundance… read more
Silicon can be developed into a biocompatible and biodegradable material that could lead to smaller, smarter and more-interactive implants in the human body. The secret: “porous” silicon – bulk silicon that has been deliberately riddled with nanometer-sized holes.
Rather than having to shield a silicon-based device from body tissues and the bloodstream, it is now theoretically possible to construct silicon-based devices that are genuinely “bioactive.”
The surface of a… read more