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A new solid-state hard drive that uses ultrasound to store more data

February 21, 2013

Acoustic-assisted magnetic recording (credit: Oregon State University)

Electrical engineers at Oregon State University have discovered a new method, called acoustic-assisted magnetic recording, to use high-frequency sound waves to create durable solid state storage that allows for storing more data in a smaller space, using less power.

“We’re near the peak of what we can do with the technology we now use for magnetic storage,” said Pallavi Dhagat, an associate professor in the… read more

Topics: Computers/Infotech/UI | Electronics

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Water on the moon: it’s been there all along

February 21, 2013

Traces of water have been detected within the crystalline structure of mineral samples from the lunar highland upper crust obtained during the Apollo missions, according to a University of Michigan researcher and his colleagues.

The lunar highlands are thought to represent the original crust, crystallized from a magma ocean on a mostly molten early moon. The new findings indicate that the early moon was wet and that water there… read more

Topics: Environment/Climate | Space

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Google Glass: how to get one

February 21, 2013

google_glass

“We’re looking for bold, creative individuals who want to join us and be a part of shaping the future of Glass,” says the Google Glass team.

“We’d love to make everyone an Explorer, but we’re starting off a bit smaller. We’re still in the early stages, and while we can’t promise everything will be perfect, we can promise it will be exciting.”

“Using Google+… read more

Topics: VR/Augmented Reality/Computer Graphics

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Stanford scientists fit light-emitting bioprobe in a living cell

Light-based probes can be inserted without damage to the cell, could have profound impact on biological research
February 20, 2013

This image shows a photonic nanobeam inserted in a cell. Clearly visible are the etched holes through the beam as well as the sandwich-like layer structure of the beam itself. The beam structure alternates between layers of gallium arsenide and photonic crystal containing the light-producing quantum dots. (Photo credit: Gary Shambat, Stanford School of Engineering)

Stanford engineers have developed a new class of biophotonic (light-emitting) probes small enough to be injected into individual cells for intracellular sensing and control, without harm to the host.

The researchers call their device a “nanobeam,” because it resembles a steel I-beam with a series of round holes etched through the center. This beam, however, is not massive, but measures only a few microns in length and… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Biotech | Physics/Cosmology

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Stay cool and live longer?

Scientists have known for nearly a century that cold-blooded animals, such as worms, flies and fish all live longer in cold environments, but have not known exactly why
February 20, 2013

Roundworms' secret of long life: being cool (credit: The Goldstein Lab)

Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute have identified a genetic program that promotes longevity of roundworms (nematodes) in cold environments — and this genetic program also exists in warm-blooded animals, including humans.

“This raises the intriguing possibility that exposure to cold air — or pharmacological stimulation of the cold-sensitive genetic program — may promote longevity in mammals,” said… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Biotech

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New self-driving car system tested on UK roads

February 20, 2013

Self-driving RobotCar

Scientists at Oxford University have developed a self-driving car that can cope with snow, rain and other weather conditions. The system can be fitted to existing cars and could one day cost just £100 (US$150), The Guardian reports.

The new system has been installed in a Nissan Leaf electric car and tested on private roads around the university. It will halt for pedestrians, and could take over… read more

Topics: AI/Robotics

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Bioengineering cells for more efficient biofuel production

Yeast research takes a step toward production of alternatives to gasoline
February 20, 2013

Yeast Cell ---an image within an exhibit called "From Another Kingdom" at the National Botanic Garden of Wales (credit: flickr.com/col and tasha)

In the search for renewable alternatives to gasoline, heavy alcohols such as isobutanol are promising candidates.

They contain more energy than ethanol and are also more compatible with existing gasoline-based infrastructure.

For isobutanol to become practical, however, scientists need a way to reliably produce huge quantities of it from renewable sources.

MIT chemical engineers and biologists have now devised a way… read more

Topics: Biotech | Energy | Synthetic Biology

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Engineering a better spinal implant

February 20, 2013

The top scanning electron microscope image (b) shows a cross section of the bioactive hydroxyapatite/YSZ coating without heat treatment. Note how the two layers are distinct. The bottom image (f) shows the coating after heat treatment. Note how the layers are now integrated. (Credit: Rabei )

Researchers from North Carolina State University have for the first time successfully coated polymer implants with a bioactive film.

The discovery should improve the success rate of such implants, which are often used in spinal surgeries.

The polymer used in polymer (plastic) implants, called PEEK, does not bond well with bone or other tissues in the body. This can result in the implant rubbing… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Nanotech/Materials Science

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Has dark matter finally been found?

February 19, 2013

Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (left) (credit: NASA)

Big news in the search for dark matter may be coming in about two weeks, the leader of a space-based particle physics experiment said Feb. 17 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Space.com reports.

That’s when the first paper of results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a particle collector mounted on the outside of the International Space Station,… read more

Topics: Physics/Cosmology | Space

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Soft arrays of miniature electrodes for improved Parkinson’s treatment

February 19, 2013

Microelectode_Enhanced_Probe

Miniature, ultra-flexible electrodes could be the answer to more successful treatment for Parkinson’s diseases, according to Professor Philippe Renaud of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland.

He has developed soft arrays of miniature electrodes in his Microsystems Laboratory that open new possibilities for more accurate and local deep brain stimulation (DBS).

Some 90,000 patients per year are treated for Parkinson’s disease, a number that… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Cognitive Science/Neuroscience

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Disruptions: on the fast track to routine 3D printing

February 19, 2013

makerbot

Hod Lipson, an associate professor and the director of the Creative Machines Lab at Cornell, said “3D printing is worming its way into almost every industry, from entertainment, to food, to bio- and medical-applications,” The New York Times reports.

Dr. Lipson, the co-author of “Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing,” said… read more

Topics: Nanotech/Materials Science

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New therapy uses alternating current to cancel out Parkinson tremors

February 19, 2013

corticol stimulation

A new therapy could help suppress tremors in people with Parkinson’s disease, an Oxford University study suggests.

The technique — called transcranial alternating current stimulation (TACS) — cancels out the brain signal causing the tremors by applying a small, safe electric current across electrodes on the outside of a patient’s head.

In a preliminary study, conducted with 15 people with Parkinson’s disease at Oxford‘s John Radcliffe… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Cognitive Science/Neuroscience | Electronics

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Obama seeking to boost study of human brain

February 18, 2013

brain-rays

The Obama administration is planning a decade-long scientific effort to examine the workings of the human brain and build a comprehensive map of its activity, seeking to do for the brain what the Human Genome Project did for genetics, The New York Times reports.

The project, which the administration has been looking to… read more

Topics: Cognitive Science/Neuroscience

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Quantum cryptography to protect electric grid security

February 18, 2013

The miniature transmitter communicates with a trusted authority to generate random cryptographic keys to encode and decode information (credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory)

Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have completed the first-ever demonstration of using quantum cryptography to make control data for electric grids secure  .

Controllers for the electric distribution grid tend to be  vulnerable to intrusion.

The electric grid also needs to accommodate new renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and wind generators, because their availability can fluctuate on short time scales.

Control… read more

Topics: Electronics | Energy | Physics/Cosmology | Quantum

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How the brain quickly rebounds from injuries

It quickly switches to secondary backup areas, scientists find
February 18, 2013

TMS stimulation

Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University‘s Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging (CCBI) have used a new combination of neural imaging methods to discover exactly how the human brain adapts to injury.

When one brain area loses functionality, a “back-up” team of secondary brain areas immediately activates, replacing not only the unavailable area but also its confederates (connected areas), the research shows.

For the study,… read more

Topics: Cognitive Science/Neuroscience

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