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Using a CT scan and 3D printer to recreate a fossil

November 21, 2013

3d_print_of_fossil

Data from computed tomography (CT) scans can be used with 3D printers to make accurate copies of fossilized bones, according to new research published online in the journal Radiology.

Fossils are often stored in plaster casts, or jackets, to protect them from damage. Getting information about a fossil typically requires the removal of the plaster and all the sediment surrounding it, which can lead to loss of material or… read more

Topics: Biotech | Nanotech/Materials Science

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Chaotic physics in ferroelectric materials may allow for brain-like computing

November 21, 2013

Unexpected behavior in ferroelectric materials explored by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory supports a new approach to information storage and processing known as memcomputing.<br /> Credit: ORNL

Unexpected behavior in ferroelectric materials explored by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory supports a new approach to information storage and processing called “memcomputing,” or memristor-based computing.

Ferroelectric materials are known for their ability to spontaneously switch polarization when an electric field is applied.

So using a scanning probe microscope, the ORNL-led team took advantage of… read more

Topics: Cognitive Science/Neuroscience | Computers/Infotech/UI | Electronics

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Detecting and zapping Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s with lasers

November 20, 2013

chalmers_laser_brain

It is possible to distinguish aggregations of the proteins believed to cause Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob (“mad cow”) diseases from normal proteins by using a multiphoton laser technique, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden the Polish Wroclaw University of Technology have discovered.

Today, amyloid protein aggregates are treated with highly toxic chemicals for detection and removal.

With a multiphoton laser, the chemical treatment would be unnecessary,… read more

Topics: Cognitive Science/Neuroscience

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Biomaterial-delivered chemotherapy could effectively treat brain tumors

November 20, 2013

Polymer structure

A polymer originally designed to help mend broken bones could be successful in delivering chemotherapy drugs directly to the brains of patients suffering from glioblastoma brain tumors, researchers at The University of Nottingham have discovered.

Their study, published in the journal  PLOS ONE (open access), shows that the biomaterial can be easily applied to the cavity created following brain cancer surgery and used to release chemotherapy drugs over several… read more

Topics: Cognitive Science/Neuroscience

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Printing computer displays and solar cells

November 20, 2013

oleds_fraunhofer

Printable curved computer displays, TV screens, signs, clothing, fluorescent wallpaper, and flexible solar cells will soon be possible using a new printing process for flexible, organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs, say German scientists.

“Almost any surface can be made into a display,” said Dr. Armin Wedel, head of division at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP.

The first curved OLED screens were demonstrated at… read more

Topics: Electronics

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Nanomagnets may replace silicon-based transistors in computers, say UC Berkeley researchers

November 20, 2013

As the current passes through a strip of tantalum, electrons with opposite spins separate. This helps in orienting the nanomagnets on the top of the tantalum strip such that they can be switched easily, which is also called "clocking". Thus information propagates from the input magnet along a chain of magnets and thus we perform nanomagnetic logic.

New work by University of California Berkeley researchers could one day make nanomagnetic switches a viable replacement for the conventional power-consuming transistors found in all computers.

“Increased energy consumption of modern day computers is a major challenge that the computer industry faces,” researcher Debanjan Bhowmik explained to KurzweilAI. Bhowmik is a UC Berkeley graduate student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and the first author of a paper on this… read more

Topics: Computers/Infotech/UI | Electronics | Nanotech/Materials Science

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Quantum world record smashed

Qubits survive at room temperature for a world-record 39 minutes
November 19, 2013

A normally fragile quantum state has been shown to survive at room temperature for a world record 39 minutes by Oxford University researchers. An artistic rendition of a 'bound exciton' quantum state used to prepare and read out information stored in the form of quantum bits.<br /> (Credit: © 2013 Stef Simmons with CC BY)

A normally fragile quantum state has been shown to survive at room temperature for a world record 39 minutes, overcoming a key barrier towards building ultrafast quantum computers, the researchers say.

An international team including Stephanie Simmons of Oxford University‘s Department of Materials report in this week’s Science a test performed by Mike Thewalt of Simon Fraser University, Canada and colleagues.

Qubits survive at 25 °C for 39 minutes… read more

Topics: Quantum

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Bacteria incorporate pieces of old DNA in their own genome, scientists discover

What DNA fragments --- some thousands of years old --- from biological waste and wastewater have hospital bacteria incorporated?
November 19, 2013

bacteria_take_dna

From a bacteria’s perspective, the environment is one big DNA waste yard. Now researchers from Denmark and Norway have shown that bacteria can take up small as well as large pieces of old DNA from this scrapheap and include it in their own genome.

This discovery may have major consequences both in connection with resistance to antibiotics in hospitals and in our perception of the evolution of life itself.… read more

Topics: Biotech | Survival/Defense

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First ‘mini-kidney’ structures from human stem cells generated by Salk scientists

Findings may lead to much-needed therapies for kidney disease
November 19, 2013

For the first time, Salk scientists have grown human stem cells into early-stage ureteric buds, kidney structures responsible for reabsorbing water after toxins have been filtered out. In the laboratory, they used mouse embryonic kidney cells (seen here in red) to coax the human stem cells to grow into the nascent mushroom-shaped buds (blue and green). Their discovery is a major step in developing regenerative techniques for growing replacement human kidneys.<br /> Image: Courtesy of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies

A team of researchers led by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has generated three-dimensional kidney structures from human stem cells for the first time, opening new avenues for studying development and diseases of the kidneys and discovery of new drugs that target human kidney cells.

The findings were reported November 17, 2013 in Nature Cell Biology.

Diseases affecting the kidneys represent a major and… read more

Topics: Biotech

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New hologram technology created by nanoantennas on a ‘metasurface’

A potentially revolutionary new technology for advanced sensors, high-resolution displays, and information processing
November 19, 2013

Laser light shines through the metasurface from below, creating a hologram 10 microns above the structure. (Xingjie Ni, Birck Nanotechnology Center)

Researchers have created tiny holograms using a “metasurface” capable of the ultra-efficient control of light, representing a potential new technology for advanced sensors, high-resolution displays and information processing.

The metasurface, thousands of V-shaped nanoantennas formed into an ultrathin gold foil, could make possible “planar photonics” devices and optical switches small enough to be integrated into computer chips for information processing, sensing and telecommunications, said Alexander Kildishev, associate research professor… read more

Topics: Electronics | Internet/Telecom | Nanotech/Materials Science

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A precise new quantitative brain-scan measurement method

Can quantify the volume of specific brain tissues, a critical measurement of the progression of brain diseases
November 19, 2013

The image is of the macromolecule tissue volume (MTV) map in a 3D view within a human brain.

An interdisciplinary Stanford team has developed a new method for quantitatively (using numbers) measuring human brain tissue using MRI (which formerly provided mostly qualitative, such as “bright” or “dark,” information).

The team members measured the volume of large molecules (macromolecules) within each cubic millimeter of the brain. Their method may improve how doctors diagnose and treat neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

“We’re moving from qualitative… read more

Topics: Cognitive Science/Neuroscience

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Engineered glowing worms detect neural effects of drugs

November 18, 2013

Neurons in the worms (marked by arrows) glow as the animals sense attractive odors. (Credit: Image courtesy of Worcester Polytechnic Institute)

A research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and The Rockefeller University in New York has developed a novel system to image brain activity in multiple awake and unconstrained worms.

The technology makes it possible to study the genetics and neural circuitry associated with animal behavior,  but it can also be used as a high-throughput screening tool for drug development targeting autism, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and other… read more

Topics: Cognitive Science/Neuroscience | Electronics

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A durable, low-cost water splitter made of silicon and nickel

New fuel cells can more efficiently generate electricity when the sun isn't shining or demand is high
November 18, 2013

his image shows two electrodes connected via an external voltage source splitting water into oxygen (O2) and hydrogen (H2). The illuminated silicon electrode (left) uses light energy to assist in the water-splitting process and is protected from the surrounding electrolyte by a 2-nm film of nickel. (Illustration: Guosong Hong, Stanford University)

Stanford researchers have developed an inexpensive, corrosion-free device that uses light to split water into oxygen and clean-burning hydrogen.

The goal is to supplement solar cells with hydrogen-powered fuel cells that can generate electricity when the sun isn’t shining or demand is high.

The novel device — a silicon semiconductor coated in an ultrathin layer of nickel — could help pave the way for large-scale production of… read more

Topics: Electronics | Energy | Environment/Climate

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New video series aims to popularize transhumanism; Kickstarter launched

November 18, 2013

BIOPS

The newly formed British Institute of Posthuman Studies (BIOPS), A UK think-tank that aims to popularize transhumanism, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the £65,000 needed to produce a series of six in-depth, animated video investigations of transhumanist themes and ideas during 2014.

BIOPS has created Posthuman: An Introduction to Transhumanism (below), a series introduction focusing on superlongevity (Aubrey de Grey’s ideas), superintelligence (Ray Kurzweil’s),… read more

Topics: Biomed/Longevity | Human Enhancement | Singularity/Futures

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New Fox science-fiction show Almost Human features androids

November 17, 2013

Almost human poster

Almost Human is a new TV series set in 2048 when humans in the Los Angeles Police Department are paired up with lifelike androids, featuring a detective with a bionic leg paired with an android capable of emotion.

The series premieres Sunday Nov. 17 and Monday Nov. 18 on Fox. Full episodes are also viewable here.

Executive-produced by J.J. Abrams (“Fringe,” “Lost,” the “Star… read more

Topics: AI/Robotics | Entertainment/New Media | Human Enhancement | Singularity/Futures

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