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VISTA gigapixel mosaic of the central parts of the Milky Way

November 7, 2012

eso1242a

This striking view of the central parts of the Milky Way was obtained with the VISTA survey telescope at the European Southern Observatory (ESO)’s Paranal Observatory in Chile. This huge picture is 108,500 by 81,500 pixels — nearly nine billion pixels. It was created by combining thousands of individual images from VISTA, taken through three different infrared filters, into a single monumental mosaic. VISTA has a… read more

Topics: Physics/Cosmology | Space

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Political posts

November 6, 2012

Last evening, I posted a video and a blog item related to the U.S. economy and election, meant to stimulate a one-time discussion on a subject that is normally off-topic on KurzweilAI. Some readers found them offensive or irrelevant to the science/technology focus of KurzweilAI. I have now removed them, with apologies to anyone who was offended. It was solely my decision to post them, based on my own political… read more

Topics: Social/Ethical/Legal

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Blind mole rats may hold key to cancer

November 6, 2012

Palestine_Mole-rat_1

Some 23% of humans die of cancer, but blind mole rats — which can live for 21 years, an impressive age among rodents — seem to be immune to the disease.

Cell cultures from two species of blind mole rat, Spalax judaei and Spalax golani, behave in ways that render them impervious to the growth of tumors, according to work by Vera Gorbunova at the University of Rochester,… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Biotech

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Can you design the ultimate augmented-reality system for warfighters?

November 6, 2012

PIXNET

Imagine a single camera that can fuse (integrate) images across a wide spectrum on light, from visible light to near-infrared and far-infrared (thermal) images (for night vision), replacing multiple cameras.

It would be part of a head-up display (HUD) that is helmet-mounted. It would be lightweight, low-cost, easy to use, and draw minimal power. And it would interface wirelessly with an Android-based smart phone for fusing images and networking… read more

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

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A holographic microscope for just $250

November 6, 2012

Holographic-micrscope

You can build a holographic microscope for $250 (for parts), MIT Technology Review Physics arXiv Blog reports.

Holographic microscopes record the 3D shape of tiny objects such as cells in high resolution, unlike traditional microscopes, which have a tiny field of view and shallow depth of field.

With a holographic microscope, you make a hologram of the sample: split a laser beam in two, use one as… read more

Topics: Innovation/Entrepreneurship | Physics/Cosmology

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Fast, low-cost early cancer detection from a drop of blood

November 6, 2012

spedoc_project

It may soon be possible to test a person for cancer with just a drop of their blood and a small machine.

An EPFL team is developing an extremely sensitive, easy-to-use device for detecting the HSP70 protein, which is over-expressed in patients with many types of cancer.

The suitcase-size device is expected to be on the market in 2014. The objective: to make a… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Innovation/Entrepreneurship

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An agile humanoid robot

November 6, 2012

NimbRo-OP_5_900

University of Bonn computer scientists have developed a scoccer-playing robot called NimbRo-OP intended to develop new capabilities for humanoid bipedal robots, such as using tools, climbing stairs, and using human facial expressions, gestures and body language for communicating.

With 20 drive elements that convert computer commands into mechanical motions, NimbRo-OP is highly agile. For example, it can kick a soccer ball, and get… read more

Topics: AI/Robotics

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Asteroid belts at just the right place are friendly to life

November 6, 2012

planet_outside_asteroid_belt

Solar systems with life-bearing planets may be rare if they are dependent on the presence of asteroid belts of just the right mass, according to astronomers.

They suggest that the size and location of an asteroid belt, which is shaped by the evolution of the sun’s planet-forming disk and by the gravitational influence of a nearby giant Jupiter-like planet, may determine whether complex life will evolve on an Earth-like… read more

Topics: Physics/Cosmology | Space

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Physicists build laser tweezers controlled with Kinect

November 5, 2012

kinect_optical_tweezers

Now anybody can pick up and move micron-scale particles using their hands and arms thanks to a Kinect-controlled infrared holographic laser device called HoloHands. The interface allows user to “pick up” and “push” particles they see on a computer screen using hand, arm and body movements alone, Technology Review Physics arXiv Blog reports.

The system shows users the field of view in which the tweezers operate. A wave… read more

Topics: Nanotech/Materials Science | VR/Augmented Reality/Computer Graphics

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Help discover dark matter in the universe, win money

November 5, 2012

Galaxy Cluster Abell 1689

Can you generate new algorithms to spot dark matter in Hubble images?

Observing Dark Worlds aims to capitalize on the ever-growing field of citizen science, where non-experts are asked to sift through data to help make discoveries, Wired Science reports.

Dark matter is thought to be a strange form of matter that doesn’t interact with electromagnetism and light, accounting for roughly 85 percent of… read more

Topics: Physics/Cosmology | Social Networking/Web/Education

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Obama or Romney? Face-reading software monitors viewers’ responses to debate

November 5, 2012

third_debate

New Scientist asked readers to take part in an online project designed to give a more fine-grained view of the public’s reactions to politics.

About 80 readers watched clips from the third and final presidential debate while face-reading software recorded subtle emotional cues via webcams. Developed by Affectiva of Waltham, Massachusetts, the software tracked six categories of expression: smiles, surprise,… read more

Topics: Cognitive Science/Neuroscience | Social/Ethical/Legal

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First therapy in the western world to correct errors in a person’s genetic code approved

November 5, 2012

Creation of the adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector (credit: uniQure),

European regulators have approved the first therapy in the western world that can correct errors in a person’s genetic code, according to Amsterdam-based uniQure (formerly Amsterdam Molecular Therapeutics),

Europe has approved Glybera for treatment of Lipoprotein Lipase Deficiency (LPLD), a very rare, inherited disease. Patients with LPLD are unable to metabolize the fat particles carried in their blood, which leads to inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).… read more

Topics: Biotech

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China proposes space collaboration with India

November 4, 2012

Space solar power satellite (credit: SpaceWorks Engineering, Inc./Spaceworks Commercial)

The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) proposed on Nov. 2 a joint collaboration for a space solar power mission with India and met with former Indian president APJ Abdul Kalam.

“Kalam assured, certainly he will take up this interest to the Government of India and ISRO [Indian Space Research Organization], so that a hard cooperation and collaboration between ISRO, DRDO [Defence Research & Development Organisation of India] and CAST is… read more

Topics: Energy | Space

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How science can build a better you

November 4, 2012

How far would you go to modify yourself using the latest medical technology?

In a New York Times article Saturday, author and broadcaster David Ewing Duncan offers a partial checklist of cutting-edge medical-technology therapies now under way or in an experimental phase that might lead to future enhancements, including:

Present:

  • supermemory or attention pill
  • cochlear implant to improve hearing
  • brain-boosting neuro-feedback and

… read more

Topics: Human Enhancement | Social/Ethical/Legal

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Will cities of the future be filled with vertical slums?

November 4, 2012

Torre David

After a skyscraper in Caracas was abandoned, it quickly became home to 750 families. As cities develop, will slums build up instead of out? Fast Company Co.EXIST explores.

The 45-story Torre David office tower in Caracas, Venezuela, was nearly complete in the early 1990s when a pair of events changed the building’s trajectory forever: First, the project’s developer, David Brillembourg, died in 1993.

Then, the next year,… read more

Topics: Social/Ethical/Legal

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