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Thursday February 7, 2013 Daily edition   News and Blog Headlines The quantum internet Treatment to prevent Alzheimer’s disease moves a step closer Listening to cells: scientists probe human cells with ultrasound pulses With evolved brains, robots creep closer to animal-like learning Stroke damage in mice overcome by training that ‘rewires’ brain centers First test of seismic invisibility cloak Earth-like planets are right next door Latest News The quantum internet February 7, 2013   A University of Innsbruck research team has directly transferred the quantum information stored in an atom onto a particle of light for the first time. Background Thanks to the strange laws of quantum mechanics, quantum computers would be able to carry out certain computational tasks much faster than conventional computers. Among the most promising technologies … more… Treatment to prevent Alzheimer’s disease moves a step closer February 7, 2013   A new drug designed to prevent the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease could enter clinical trials in a few years’  time, according to scientists. Alzheimer’s disease begins when a protein called amyloid-β (Aβ) starts to clump together in senile plaques in the brain, damaging nerve cells and leading to memory loss and confusion. Professor David … more… Listening to cells: scientists probe human cells with ultrasound pulses February 7, 2013   Researchers from the University of Bordeaux in France used high-frequency sound waves to test the stiffness and viscosity of the nuclei of individual human cells to help answer questions such as how cells adhere to medical implants and why healthy cells turn cancerous. “We have developed a new non-contact, non-invasive tool to measure the mechanical … more… With evolved brains, robots creep closer to animal-like learning February 7, 2013   Get ready for four-legged bots of all shapes and sizes — and for all sorts of uses — that learn how to maneuver through landscapes with the grace of a cheetah, Fast Company reports. The most nightmare-inducing characteristic of Big Dog, DARPA’s robotic military mule, might be the way it moves so stiffly, yet unrelentingly, … more… Stroke damage in mice overcome by training that ‘rewires’ brain centers February 7, 2013   Mice can recover from physically debilitating strokes that damage the primary motor cortex, the region of the brain that controls most movement in the body if the mice are quickly subjected to physical conditioning that rapidly “rewires” a different part of the brain to take over lost function, Johns Hopkins researchers have found. The … more… First test of seismic invisibility cloak February 7, 2013   Engineers and physicists are developing acoustic versions of metamaterials that steer sound, which could be used to steer seismic waves around high-value buildings such as nuclear power stations or airports. The Institut Fresnel in Marseille and the ground improvement specialist company, Menard, both in France, say they’ve built and tested a seismic invisibility cloak in an alluvial … more… Earth-like planets are right next door February 7, 2013   Six percent of red-dwarf stars have habitable, Earth-sized planets, astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) have found. Red dwarfs are the most common stars in our galaxy; about 75 percent of the closest stars are red dwarfs. The closest Earth-like planet could be just 13 light-years away, Harvard astronomer and lead author Courtney … more… New EVENTS   ICWN’13 – The 2013 International Conference on Wireless Networks Dates: Jul 22 – 25, 2013 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada more... New VIDEOS   A small robot driven by a moth Visit KurzweilAI.net You are currently subscribed to the KurzweilAI.net newsletter as *|EMAIL|* To unsubscribe, please click here. To change your email preferences, please click here. *|LIST:ADDRESS|*.