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How ‘bullet time’ will revolutionize exascale computing

The filming technique used in The Matrix will change the way we access the huge computer simulations of the future, say computer scientists
February 12, 2013

( Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

The exascale computing era is almost upon us and computer scientists are already running into difficulties. 1 exaflop is 10^18 floating point operations per second, that’s a thousand petaflops. The current trajectory of computer science should produce this kind of  capability by 2018 or so.

How do humans access and make sense of the exascale data sets?

The answer, of course, is to find some way to compress… read more

Topics: Computers/Infotech/UI | VR/Augmented Reality/Computer Graphics

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Self-assembling molecules offer new clues on life’s possible origin

A pair of RNA-like molecules can spontaneously assemble into gene-length chains
February 12, 2013

rna_lite_tapas

Billions of years ago, related molecules may have created a rudimentary form of genetic information that eventually led to the evolution of RNA and life itself, the researchers say. Although it’s likely to be difficult, if not impossible, to prove whether similar proto-RNAs were present at the dawn of life, the researchers are working to see if the proto-RNAs can indeed faithfully encode information and evolve… read more

Topics: Synthetic Biology

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Biofeedback mobile app

February 12, 2013

lg-icon-biozen2

The Department of Defense has released an Android smartphone app to help service members use the therapeutic benefits of biofeedback.

BioZen, a mobile app from the Defense Department’s National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2), uses Bluetooth-coupled sensors to show the user their physical level of relaxation.

It is the first portable, low-cost method for clinicians and patients to use biofeedback in… read more

Topics: Cognitive Science/Neuroscience

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Project Holodeck hands-on demo and interview with director Nathan Burba

February 12, 2013

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Recently I got a chance to meet up with Project Holodeck director Nathan Burba, Ben Lang writes at Road to VR.

Not only did we sit down for a detailed interview, but I was also fortunate enough to get a hands-on demo of the system. Project Holodeck is an immersive virtual reality multiplayer platform. …

Project Holodeck, which will actually be using the Oculus… read more

Topics: Entertainment/New Media | VR/Augmented Reality/Computer Graphics

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Microscopic 3D printing

February 11, 2013

Nanoscribe_Hellcat 2013_001

Nanoscribe GmbH, a spin-off of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has developed the world’s fastest 3D printer of micro- and nanostructures, the German company claims.

With this printer, three-dimensional objects, often smaller than the diameter of a human hair, can be manufactured with minimum time consumption and maximum resolution. The printer is based on a novel laser lithography method.

Nanoscribe systems are… read more

Topics: Nanotech/Materials Science

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Watson provides cancer treatment options to doctors in seconds

February 11, 2013

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IBM and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center unveiled Friday the first commercially developed Watson-based cognitive computing breakthroughs.

These innovations stand alone to help transform the quality and speed of care delivered to patients through individualized, evidence based medicine, says IBM.

For more than a year, IBM has partnered separately with WellPoint and Memorial Sloan-Kettering to… read more

Topics: AI/Robotics | Biomed/Longevity

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Peering into living cells at the nanoscale without chemicals

February 11, 2013

Using a holographic microscope and a rotating laser beam, this image of a full living cell can be computed in minutes. The user can choose any section to see what is inside -- such as the nucleus (left) and its genetic material. (Credit: Yann Cotte & Fatih Toy/EPFL)

Two EPFL researchers have designed a device that combines holographic microscopy and computational image processing to observe living biological tissues at the nanoscale.

Going beyond conventional microscopes, they can acquire images of living cells in just a few minutes at a resolution of less than 100 nanometers — without using contrast dyes or fluorescents, to avoid distortion by the presence of foreign substances.

Being… read more

Topics: Biotech | Physics/Cosmology

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Researchers control animals’ movements with light

February 11, 2013

Photographs of spinalized zebrafish responding to laser photostimulation (credit: David Kokel/Nature Chemical Biology)

A drug-like molecule called “optovin” has been found to let researchers control movements in mice and fish with flashes of light.

Unlike similar experiments using a light-based technique known as optogenetics, to achieve the neural control, the new method doesn’t require researchers to genetically engineer animals, MIT Technology Review reports.

The techniques is a powerful research tools for understanding the brain, and may one day be… read more

Topics: Biotech | Cognitive Science/Neuroscience

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Artificial bone scaffold combines stem cells and plastic to heal broken bones

February 11, 2013

SEM image of a vertical cross-section of the<br /> scaffold shows porous channel formation between 50–600 μ m length, and each channel wall consists of a submicron pore structure; h) (highlighted<br /> in (g)), arrows indicate sub-micrometer pores (f, h). i

To improve bone healing, researchers at Edinburgh and Southampton universities have used a honeycomb scaffold structure, which allows blood to flow through it, enabling stem cells from the patient’s bone marrow to attach to the material and grow new bone.

Over time, the plastic slowly degrades as the implant is replaced by newly grown bone.

The researchers used a pioneering technique to… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Biotech

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What comes after the cloud? How about the fog?

February 11, 2013

(Credit: Rick Hyman/iStockphoto)

Startup Symform thinks it can provide better disaster resilience than even data centers hundreds of miles apart. And, says Bassam Tabbara, Symform cofounder and Chief Technical Officer, it can do that in a way that’s extremely cheap — and in some cases free — to its customers, Tekla Perry writes on IEEE Spectrum.

Tabbara describes Symform’s approach as a “decentralized, distributed, virtual, and crowd-sourced” cloud. .… read more

Topics: Computers/Infotech/UI | Internet/Telecom

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How to lab-test your brain with an iPhone

February 10, 2013

iDichotic test (credit: Bergen fMRI Group)

Suggestion: for better validity, download and try the free iDichotic iOS app first before continuing to read this. I found it very interesting.  — Editor

A new study shows that an iOS (iPhone, iPad, etc.) app yields results on a dichotic listening test that are as reliable as laboratory tests.

Two years ago, psychology researcher Josef Bless was listening to music on his phone when… read more

Topics: Cognitive Science/Neuroscience | Innovation/Entrepreneurship

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New flexible classroom design

February 8, 2013

Classroom (credit:

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a classroom design that gives instructors increased flexibility in how to teach their courses and improves accessibility for students, while slashing administrative costs.

The new flexible approach acknowledges the fact that students are now bringing their own laptops to class. The classrooms also include mobile infrastructure, where whiteboards, desks and tables can be reconfigured according to the… read more

Topics: Computers/Infotech/UI | Innovation/Entrepreneurship | Social Networking/Web/Education

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Blocking this molecule in the brain could prevent age-related cognitive decline

February 8, 2013

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Researchers have discovered a molecule that accumulates with age and inhibits the formation of new neurons. The finding might help scientists design therapies to prevent age-related cognitive decline.

The investigators identified the molecule, called Dickkopf-1 or Dkk1, in the brains of aged mice. By blocking production of Dkk1, “we released a brake on neuronal birth, thereby resetting performance in spatial memory tasks back to levels observed in… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Cognitive Science/Neuroscience

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A building block for optical quantum networks

February 8, 2013

Quantum device (credit: New Journal of Physics)

Another approach to creating optical quantum networks has been developed by Cal Tech, HP, and University of Washington researchers. (See The quantum internet,)

In an optical quantum network, information is carried between points by photons. It could enable quantum computers that are millions of times faster at solving certain problems than what we are used to today.

This new device, which combines a single… read more

Topics: Electronics | Nanotech/Materials Science | Physics/Cosmology | Quantum

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Nanoscale capsule kills cancer cells without harming healthy cells

February 8, 2013

Treatment of apoptin nanocapsules resulted in tumor growth retardation from apoptosis (green)

A degradable nanoscale shell to carry proteins to cancer cells and stunt the growth of tumors without damaging healthy cells has been developed by a team led by researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Tiny shells (about 100 nanometers in length, roughly half the size of the smallest bacterium) are composed of a water-soluble polymer that safely delivers a protein… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Biotech | Nanotech/Materials Science

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