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Tuesday February 12, 2013 Daily edition   News and Blog Headlines Injection-free vaccination Is the ozone layer on the road to recovery? Can interacting with avatars reduce depression? How ‘bullet time’ will revolutionize exascale computing Self-assembling molecules offer new clues on life’s possible origin Biofeedback mobile app Project Holodeck hands-on demo and interview with director Nathan Burba Latest News Injection-free vaccination February 12, 2013   Scientists at King’s College London have demonstrated the ability to deliver a dried live vaccine to the skin without a traditional needle, and shown for the first time that this technique is powerful enough to enable specialized immune cells in the skin to kick-start the immunizing properties of the vaccine. Funded by the Bill & … more… Is the ozone layer on the road to recovery? February 12, 2013   Satellites show that the recent ozone hole over Antarctica was the smallest seen in the past decade. Long-term observations also reveal that Earth’s ozone has been strengthening following international agreements to protect this vital layer of the atmosphere. According to the ozone sensor on Europe’s MetOp weather satellite, the hole over Antarctica in 2012 was … more… Can interacting with avatars reduce depression? February 12, 2013   A preliminary study by researchers at Case Western Reserve University suggests that depression symptoms may be significantly reduced when 18- to 25-year-olds interact with computerized avatars — virtual 3D images of a healthcare provider like a nurse practitioner or physician — as a way to rehearse office visits ahead of time and learn self-management skills. … more… How ‘bullet time’ will revolutionize exascale computing February 12, 2013   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 … more… Self-assembling molecules offer new clues on life’s possible origin February 12, 2013   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 … more… Biofeedback mobile app February 12, 2013   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 … more… Project Holodeck hands-on demo and interview with director Nathan Burba February 12, 2013   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. … … more… New EVENTS   NewSpace 2013 Conference Dates: Jul 25 – 27, 2013 Location: San Jose, California more... New books The Annotated and Illustrated Double Helix author James D. Watson, Alexander Gann, Jan Witkowski   Published to mark the 50th anniversary of the Nobel Prize for Watson and Crick’s discovery of the structure of DNA, an annotated and illustrated edition of this classic book gives new insights into the personal relationships between James Watson, Frances Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin, and the making of a scientific revolution. In his … more… Latest Kurzweil Collection posts Five ways William Gibson and Ray Kurzweil influenced Ra Ra Riot’s new album   Source: MTV Hive — February 7, 2013 | Kory Grow Halfway into the synth-poppy title track for Ra Ra Riot‘s new album, Beta Love, frontman Wes Miles sings, “In this city of robot hearts, ours were made to be.” No mere fantastical hiccup, that line — and the song’s programming speak title — stem from Miles’ and his bandmates’ interest in science and science fiction, namely the … more… Read full article here 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|*.