Selected by tristanhambling

• 
  PHYSORG

• Australia issues 'catastrophic' alerts as fires rage

  21 Nov 2009 | 8:25 am

  Australia has issued "catastrophic" alerts after record-breaking temperatures and wild lightning storms sparked more than 100 fires across the country, officials said Saturday.

• Quick restart of Big Bang machine stuns scientists

  21 Nov 2009 | 8:21 am

  (AP) -- Scientists moved Saturday to prepare the world's largest atom smasher for exploring the depths of matter after successfully restarting the $10 billion machine following more than a year of repairs.

• GOP: Health test recommendations could affect care

  21 Nov 2009 | 4:20 am

  (AP) -- Republicans are seizing on this week's recommendations for fewer Pap smears and mammograms to fuel concern about government-rationed medical care - and to try to chip away support by women for President Barack Obama's proposed health care overhaul.

• Measure to change U. of Neb. stem-cell rule fails (Update 2)

  21 Nov 2009 | 4:02 am

  (AP) -- The University of Nebraska's governing board on Friday voted not to place tighter restrictions on embryonic stem cell research than those outlined under federal guidelines, which were expanded after President Barack Obama took office.

• Atlantis astronauts take 2nd spacewalk of mission

  21 Nov 2009 | 4:01 am

  (AP) -- An astronaut anticipating the birth of his daughter at any moment embarked on the first spacewalk of his career Saturday, tackling a load of maintenance work outside the International Space Station.

• 
  KURZWEILAI.NET ACCELERATING INTELLIGENCE

• Medibots: The world's smallest surgeons

  19 Nov 2009 | 10:50 pm

  Advances in robotics could revolutionize healthcare, pushing the limits of what surgeons can achieve, from worm-inspired capsules to crawl through your gut, and systems swallowed in pieces that assemble themselves inside the body, to surgical robots that will soon be ready to embark on a fantastic voyage through our bodies, homing in on the part that's ailing and fixing it from the inside. Swimming camera capsule (The Royal College of Surgeons / Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna) (Source: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427351.100-medibots-the-worlds-smallest-surgeons.html)

• IBM scientists create rapid disease diagnostic chip

  19 Nov 2009 | 10:26 pm

  IBM scientists have created a fast, one-step point-of-care-diagnostic test, based on a silicon chip that uses capillary forces to analyze tiny samples of blood serum for the presence of disease markers. It requires less sample volume, is significantly faster, portable, easy to use, and can test for many diseases, including cardiovascular disease -- a small sample of a patient's serum could be tested immediately following a heart attack to enable the doctor to quickly take a course of action to help the patient survive. (Source: http://www.physorg.com/news177880059.html)

• The Emerging Field of Biophotonic Communication

  19 Nov 2009 | 10:15 pm

  Sergei Mayburov at the Lebedev Institute of Physics in Moscow suggests that optical communication is a natural process in many cells of body, closely related to photosynthesis. (Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24425/?a=f)

• On Your Last Nerve: Researchers Advance Understanding of Stem Cells

  19 Nov 2009 | 9:55 pm

  North Carolina State University researchers have identified a gene, FoxJ1, that tells embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing neurons. The research could lead to new treatments to replace damaged or diseased brain tissue. (Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102034.htm)

• A Central Nervous System for Earth: HP's Ambitious Sensor Network

  19 Nov 2009 | 9:32 pm

  HP Labs has announced a project that aims to be a "Central Nervous System for the Earth" (CeNSE): a R&D program to build a planetwide sensing network, using billions of tiny accelerometers that detect motion and vibrations, and later, ones for light, temperature, barometric pressure, airflow and humidity. The nodes could be stuck to bridges and buildings to warn of structural strains or weather conditions and along roadsides to monitor traffic, weather and road conditions. Other uses include in everyday electronics, tracking hospital equipment, sniffing out pesticides and pathogens in food,…

• 
  Next Big Future

• Intel Predicts Brain waves will replace keyboard and mouse, dial phones and change TV channels by 2020

  noreply@blogger.com (bw)

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:36 pm

  By the year 2020, you won't need a keyboard and mouse to control your computer, say Intel Corp. researchers. Instead, users will open documents and surf the Web using nothing more than their brain waves. (H/T Sander Olson)Scientists at Intel's research lab in Pittsburgh are working to find ways to read and harness human brain waves so they can be used to operate computers, television sets and cell phones. The brain waves would be harnessed with Intel-developed sensors implanted in people's brains.To get to that point Pomerleau and his research teammates from Intel, Carnegie Mellon University…

• Uranium to 2020 Update

  noreply@blogger.com (bw)

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:02 pm

  world uranium production by country up to 2008The Ux Consulting Company (UxC) has the Uranium Suppliers Annual. This is a report that nuclear industry businesses pay money to get. They are projecting Kazakhstan increasing their uranium production to about 40,000 tons/year. Kazakhstan will continue its growth until 2015-2017. Kazakhstan is producing about 12,500-13,000 tons in 2009. In 2008, Kazakhstan produced 8521 tons.UxC is projecting large gains in new mines in Africa, Canada, Russia and Australia. Canada has had some delays because of some water flooding problems at the Cigar Lake mine.

• Presbyopia Surgery

  noreply@blogger.com (bw)

  20 Nov 2009 | 1:34 pm

  PresbyLASIK is a surgical technique for presbyopic visual correction using Excimer LASER ablation.Singapore and India offer the treatment now and Canada and the USA have advanced clinical trials, which are showing promising results.PresbyLASIK treatment uses the principles of LASIK surgery to create a multifocal corneal surface aimed at reducing near vision spectacle dependence in presbyopic patients. Among the presbyLASIK techniques, the Excimer LASER ablation creates a central area, which is hyperpositive for near vision leaving the midperipheral cornea for far visionPresbyopia describes…

• Myostatin Inhibiting Gene Therapy Success in Monkeys

  noreply@blogger.com (bw)

  20 Nov 2009 | 1:12 pm

  One person in a million has natural myostatin inhibition genesWork was done on Macaque monkeys. Commonly scientific work is on rhesus macaques.Researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital have shown that a gene delivery strategy that produces follistatin -- a naturally occurring protein that inhibits myostatin, a growth factor expressed specifically in skeletal muscle -- directly to the quadriceps of non-human primates results in long-term gene expression with muscle enhancing effects, including larger muscles with greater strength. The muscles were 15% bigger, 78% stronger and the effect…

• Future Colliders

  noreply@blogger.com (bw)

  20 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am

  The New Scientist looks at the future of particle colliders beyond the Large Hadron Collider Regardless of what is found particle wise (Higgs or no Higgs Boson) there will be new physics to investigate or models of the universe to refine (standard model or something else, supersymmetry or string theory).Super Large Hadron Collider (sLHC)The sLHC would be a massively upgraded LHC. If all goes to plan, it will come online in around a decade (2018, about 1 billion euro) after upgrades. The beams would be 10 times as bright, which would involve increasing the number of protons in each beam by a…

• 
  Broader Perspective

• MMP inhibitor to kill senescent cells

  15 Nov 2009 | 5:52 pm

  Important work in the understanding and remedy of aging at the Buck Institute’s Systems Biology Symposium of Aging held November 10-13, 2009 was presented by Judith Campisi in a keynote talk, “The Four Horsemen – Damage, Inflammation, Cancer and Aging: Integrating Aging and Age-Related Research.”SummaryCampisi has found a common biological explanation for the related phenomena of aging, degenerative disease and cancer: the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Senescent cells produce the SASP, essentially inflammation, which can then trigger degenerative disease (aging)…

• Ubiquitous information technology fields

  8 Nov 2009 | 10:36 am

  The broadest thematic point in futurist Ray Kurzweil’s opening keynote at Singularity University on November 6, 2009 was that once any area becomes an information technology, it starts conforming to the exponential curves of Moore’s Law progress that have defined the computing and communications industries since 1900 or earlier.Health is well on its way to becoming an information science with genomic sequencing and synthesizing, bioinformatics and continuous automated biomarker capture. Energy is starting to be an information science with the smart grid, essentially an electron routing…

• Synthetic biology enables green petroleum

  1 Nov 2009 | 6:25 am

  The good news about the number of worldwide vehicles, approximately 1 billion at present and expected to double in the next few decades, is the number of fossil fuel alternatives feverishly underway, many of which have established pilot projects and are expected to launch in selected commercial markets in 2011.Synbio enables green petroleumThe current killer app of synthetic biology, the programming and engineering of biology, is green petroleum. Several companies are developing improved versions of fossil fuels which can be easily substituted into the existing worldwide fuel infrastructure…

• Role of B.S. in Advanced Society

  25 Oct 2009 | 7:14 am

  B.S. is a deeper philosophical topic than it might seem at first glance. Two interesting books contemplate the matter: B.S. and Philosophy (2006) and On B.S. (2005).What is the role of B.S. in advanced society? Since it exists, it must have some role, possibly related to conflict reduction and social lubrication. A second reason for B.S. could be the complex values hierarchies in which individuals and societies operate. Social pressure and belongingness may trump truth as values. When someone is asked a question, the presupposition is that he or she may be able to answer and the inclination…

• Affinity Capital

  18 Oct 2009 | 9:03 am

  A key concept in the 2.0 Economy is affinity capital. Deeper levels of information about every economic transaction are starting to be available such that individuals, businesses and communities can be very specific in directing and democratizing their capital. In many cases, products can be chosen that are organic, recyclable, fair trade, made from sustainable materials and made by companies with fair labor practices or whatever affinities or attributes the buyer cares about.Affinity-directed capital can influence both cash inflows and outflows. Affinity inflows are the money earned. Earners…

• 
  Sentient Developments

• Deus Sex Machina

  Linda MacDonald Glenn

  19 Nov 2009 | 3:21 pm

  [Linda MacDonald Glenn is guest blogging this month] (cross-posted on the Women's Bioethics Blog)(Roughly translated from Latin as Sex God in the machine) We all know that technology can improve our lives (sometimes....well, at least when it's working properly), but who'd have thunk that nanotechnology could improve your sex life?In yet one more 'tool' in the arsenal against dreaded erectile dysfunction, nanotechnology to the rescue! Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed a foam with nanoparticles encapsulating nitric oxide for the topical…

• John Hodgman pulls off Fermi Paradox schtick

  George

  19 Nov 2009 | 3:07 pm

  I totally love geek humor -- and this TED Talk by John Hodgman has plenty of it, including a bit about the Fermi Paradox and the ultimate question, "Where is everybody?"

• IBM's claim to have simulated a cat's brain grossly overstated

  George

  19 Nov 2009 | 1:18 pm

  This is not a brain. I'm a big fan of IBM's Brain and Mind Institute (BMI) and the Blue Brain project. Initiated in May 2005, the Blue Brain project is an attempt to to model the mammalian cerebral cortex with computers. The intention is not to re-create the actual physical structure of the brain, but to simulate it using arrays of supercomputers. Ultimately, the developers are hoping to create biologically realistic models of neurons. In fact, the results of the simulation will be experimentally tested against biological columns.But I take exception to the recent claim that IBM has created a…

• Call 1-800-New-Organ, by 2020?

  Linda MacDonald Glenn

  16 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am

  [Linda MacDonald Glenn is guest blogging this month]Growing a set of new teeth, or new kidneys, or new eyes, or whatever it is you need, is something we could do as soon as 2020, according to a report that was issued by the Department of Health and Human Services a few years ago. In a follow-up to George's previous post, I'll be following and reporting on issues in regenerative medicine, with a focus on nano-scale materials and technology. The NIH uses the term 'regenerative medicine' interchangeably with 'tissue engineering' and defines it as "a rapidly growing multidisciplinary field…

• Link dump for 2009.11.15

  George

  15 Nov 2009 | 4:36 pm

  From the four corners of the web:Ranking scientists | Physics An analysis of the citation network leads to an alternative way to quantitatively assess the impact of a scientist's work.Your Next Body Is Growing In a Lab Right Now | Gizmodo At TEDMED, I witnessed video clips showing science I never knew was so advanced. Dr. Anthony Atala has been growing human tissue and organs, in a lab, for nearly two decades. He's even printed kidneys from a cell-stuffed inkjet printer. Google Flu Shot Finder Goes Live | MedgadgetGoogle has released a new tool to help Americans find local pharmacies and…

• 
  Accelerating Future

• Molecular Rotor in Motion

  Michael Anissimov

  20 Nov 2009 | 10:12 pm

  This is an animation of a rotor from Drexler and Merkle’s neon pump, animated using Blender. From Machine Phase, a molecular modeling blog. As Vladimir Nesov points out in the comments, all videos like this should be taken with a grain of salt — they’re sped up to many times what the actual speed would be. This rotor, if it were really moving at that speed, would overheat due to friction in a fraction of a second. This video doesn’t even try to show thermal vibration, but if it did, the vibrations would be much faster than could be portrayed with the frame rate.

• Steven Pinker Would Like a Beer With You

  Michael Anissimov

  20 Nov 2009 | 10:07 pm

  I doubt my fixation on Pinker will end anytime soon, because his book How the Mind Works was the single most illuminating work of cognitive science I’ve read, even though it was a popular work.

• You Just Lost the Game

  Michael Anissimov

  20 Nov 2009 | 9:33 pm

  Here are the origins of the game. Here are the rules.

• ProFORMA (Probabilistic Feature-based On-line Rapid Model Acquisition) Video

  Michael Anissimov

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:39 pm

  H/t Futurismic.

• “The Rationalizer” Video Advertisement

  Michael Anissimov

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:34 pm

• 
  Open the Future

• New Fast Company: The Meowtrix

  Jamais Cascio

  19 Nov 2009 | 6:48 pm

  My new Fast Company essay is now up, looking at the news that IBM researchers have produced a cortical computing system with the connection complexity of a cat's brain. (My original title is shown here on the illustration; the replacement title is a bit inaccurate and I've suggested a replacement, so let's just move along.) It's a follow-up to the research from a couple of years ago on a mouse-scale brain simulation; we're still on-target for a human-level brain connection simulation by 2020. All of the stories about this, including my own, have emphasized the cat brain aspect, but in reality…

• Radio Silence

  Jamais Cascio

  18 Nov 2009 | 3:05 am

  Sorry for going quiet for the last few days -- I've been in Vienna, Austria, giving a talk at the "Future Space" event. That bit is done, but now I'm off to another project. The trip included the surreal experience of being interviewed by Die Presse, Austria's newspaper-of-record -- an interview which, of course, included photographs. And the photographer got a bit... artsy. (That's five stories up, btw.) Posting will pick up again next week.

• Blasphemy

  Jamais Cascio

  15 Nov 2009 | 12:15 am

  Superfreakonomics author Steven Levitt has been fighting against the myriad critics going after him for the many, many mistakes in (at least) the global warming section of the book. Interestingly, a phrase that keeps coming up in his rebuttals is "I'm not sure why that is blasphemy." Blasphemy. Hmm. What strikes me as interesting about the use of this term is that it (along with the use of "belief" and explicit references to "global warming religion") changes the frame of the discussion of anthropogenic global warming (AGW) to something for which faith overrides analysis. By claiming that AGW…

• The Singularity, In Five Slides

  Jamais Cascio

  11 Nov 2009 | 3:36 pm

  The Singularity, in Five Slides from Jamais Cascio on Vimeo. Three minute excerpt from the New York talk. (Warning -- about halfway through, somebody bumps the camera, making a loud noise.)

• Biopolitics of Pop Culture -- Updated

  Jamais Cascio

  11 Nov 2009 | 9:57 am

• 
  Nanowerk

• Physicists move one step closer to quantum computing

  Physicists at UC Santa Barbara have made an important advance in electrically controlling quantum states of electrons, a step that could help in the development of quantum computing.

• Polymer mit Honigwabenstruktur

  Physikern der Empa ist es zusammen mit Chemikern des Max-Planck-Instituts fuer Polymerforschung nun erstmals gelungen, ein graphenaehnliches Polymer mit atomarer Genauigkeit zu synthetisieren.

• Nanotechnologist receives Buck-Whitney Award

  Stanislaus S. Wong, a scientist with a joint appointment at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University, has won the Buck-Whitney Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS) Eastern New York Section.

• A fluorescent sensor helps scientists track specific chromosomal modifications that can alter gene activity

  To develop tools for tracking histone acetylation in live cells, Minoru Yoshida of the RIKEN Advanced Science Institute in Wako paired his knowledge of histone acetylation with colleague Kazuki Sasaki's expertise in fluorescent biosensor design.

• Energiesparende Beleuchtungskonzepte und Energiemanagement mit Mikro- und Nanotechnik

  Energieeffiziente und umweltfreundliche Technologien ruecken immer mehr in den Mittelpunkt. Welchen Beitrag die Mikro- und Nanotechnologie dabei leisten kann, zeigt eine Veranstaltung am 1. Dezember in Dortmund auf.

• 
  Responsible Nanotechnology

• Are We Fascists?

  Chris Phoenix

  17 Nov 2009 | 12:45 pm

  We recently received an email referring to a page on CRN's website, and asking the question: "So you're going to monopolize this technology and keep as many people out of the loop as possible?  What are you, capitalists? fascists?" (On reviewing our online content, I think maybe this page would be a better target for the question.)CRN was founded on the belief that nanotechnology will lead to general-purpose manufacturing of high-performance products, some of which could destabilize whole societies (and others of which could solve many of the world's…

• Seeing Smaller Than Light

  Chris Phoenix

  16 Nov 2009 | 3:34 pm

  Seeing nanostructures with light is like trying to read Braille by throwing beanbags at the dots and seeing how they bounce off.A few years ago, it was assumed that light simply could not be used to see things smaller than half its wavelength - which means a large fraction of a micron, not much smaller than a bacterium. But in the past decade, technique after technique has been developed that lets light be used to see nanoscale objects.A new technique has been announced recently - a very clever way of using "near-field" effects - very roughly equivalent to holding the beanbag…

• DNA-Templated Buckytube Transistor

  Chris Phoenix

  13 Nov 2009 | 10:42 pm

  DNA Origami technology has been used to assemble buckytubes in a crossed structure that can act like a transistor.This is important for several reasons. First, it may eventually provide a new way to build computer chips. There's a massive amount of money in semiconductors, and this achievement all but guarantees that DNA origami and nanotube circuitry will get funding.Second, it provides a bridge between "hard" style nanotech - molecules that aren't very flexible, such as buckytubes - and "soft" style nanotech - relatively squishy molecules, like DNA, that can…

• 
  Metamodern

• Most popular posts, continued…

  Eric Drexler

  18 Nov 2009 | 9:21 pm

  Video: A digitally controlled molecular machine (>3 billion years of patchwork) A few weeks ago, I highlighted some of the most popular posts in Metamodern’s first year (see “Knowledge about Knowledge…”). Posts that offer videos, documents, or talk slides also ranked high: With downloadable documents and talk slides: Molecular Nanomachines: Physical Principles and Implementation Strategies My MIT dissertation — a draft of Nanosystems — is now online Slides for Talk on Nanotechnology and Computational Challenges Slides for Berkeley Talk on Molecular Nanosystems The…

• Followup discussion of quantum information and science hype

  Eric Drexler

  17 Nov 2009 | 2:41 pm

  Quantum Bayesian Networks My recent post on quantum computation drew comments from quantum information scientist Robert Tucci, which led us into a discussion of hype in science, the pervasive mistake of equating quantum parallelism with parallel computing, and then to Bayesian quantum networks (see Robert’s wide-ranging blog on developments in quantum information science and technology). You can read the discussion here. Updated with… Another sample from the informative, entertaining, and sometimes-turbulent quantum information science blogosphere: Scott Aaronson’s blog,…

• How to make carbon nanotubes at room temperature

  Eric Drexler

  15 Nov 2009 | 2:29 pm

  Made at 180°C (a record low, not long ago) As I noted in a recent post on self-assembled nanoelectronics (“Carbon Nanotube Transistors through DNA Origami”), carbon nanotubes (CNTs) hold promise for self-assembled nanomechanical systems, too: They are orders of magnitude stiffer than biomolecules, and can serve not only as rigid components, but also as low-friction linear and rotary bearings to support moving parts. Recent research has shown that self-assembled, biopolymer-based structures can incorporate CNTs as components, but could they also be used to help make them — for example…

• A Unique Health Care System

  Eric Drexler

  15 Nov 2009 | 2:28 pm

  International comparison of health care costs and performance metrics Life expectancy and infant mortality vs. total health spending as a percentage of GDP. Data plots are from here and here. Circle areas are proportional to population. I found this surprising. See also: TED-talk video: Let my dataset change your mindset (Gapminder)

• Carbon Nanotube Transistors through DNA Origami

  Eric Drexler

  12 Nov 2009 | 12:40 pm

  Self-assembly of crossed carbon nanotubes Caltech researchers have applied DNA-based self-assembly to bind pairs of carbon nanotubes into structures that can act as field-effect transistors. Nature Nanotechnology has a prepublication release of their paper, “Self-assembly of carbon nanotubes into two-dimensional geometries using DNA origami templates”; the work emerged from a collaboration centered on the Winfree lab. Physorg.com reports the story behind the work — and on the prospects ahead, quoting William Goddard: “This is a scalable technology. That is, one can design the…

• 
  New Scientist

• Greenland ice loss behind a sixth of sea-level rise

  21 Nov 2009 | 3:00 am

  The ice cap lost 1500 cubic kilometres of ice between 2000 and 2008, and the loss is speeding up

• US could ban caffeine-alcohol drinks within months

  21 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am

  The US Food and Drug Administration has asked manufacturers of drinks that combine alcohol and caffeine to provide scientific evidence they are safe

• 'Frankenstein' fix lets asteroid mission cheat death

  20 Nov 2009 | 10:37 am

  The beleaguered Hayabusa asteroid probe is back on track to return to Earth after ground controllers cobbled together a working engine from two dead ones

• Today on New Scientist: 20 November 2009

  20 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am

  Today's stories on newscientist.com, at a glance, including: the rise of the tiny medibots, the colliders that will follow the LHC, and an interview with Belle de Jour

• Belle de Jour: On science and prostitution

  20 Nov 2009 | 9:50 am

  The professional scientist and former prostitute Brooke Magnanti told her agent, "If New Scientist asks for an interview, I'll do it." We did ask

• 
  ScienceDaily

• Barn personnel experience higher-than-average rates of respiratory symptoms

  21 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm

  The estimated 4.6 million Americans involved in the equine industry may be at risk of developing respiratory symptoms due to poor air quality in horse barns, according to a questionnaire study.

• Saliva proteins change as women age

  21 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm

  In a step toward using human saliva to tell whether those stiff joints, memory lapses, and other telltale signs of aging are normal or red flags for disease, scientists are describing how the protein content of women's saliva change with advancing age. The discovery could lead to a simple, noninvasive test for better diagnosing and treating certain age-related diseases in women, they suggest.

• Brain disease 'resistance gene' evolves in Papua New Guinea community; could offer insights into CJD

  21 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm

  A community in Papua New Guinea that suffered a major epidemic of a CJD-like fatal brain disease called kuru has developed strong genetic resistance to the disease, according to new research by scientists in the UK.

• Hidden threat: Elevated pollution levels near regional airports

  21 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm

  Scientists are reporting evidence that air pollution -- a well-recognized problem at major airports -- may pose an important but largely overlooked health concern for people living near smaller regional airports. Those airports are becoming an increasingly important component of global air transport systems. The study, one of only a handful to examine airborne pollutants near regional airports, suggests that officials should pay closer attention to these overlooked emissions, which could cause health problems for local residents.

• Software knowledge unnecessarily lost

  21 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm

  All too often the knowledge acquired by software architects is unnecessarily lost. Moreover, it is difficult to simply and quickly assess the quality of software. According to researchers these problems can, however, be easily resolved. They investigated how architectural knowledge can be better disseminated and retrieved.

• 
  Slashdot

• Has Sci-Fi Run Out of Steam?

  Soulskill

  21 Nov 2009 | 10:20 am

  Barence writes "Science fiction has long inspired real-world technology, but are the authors of sci-fi stories finally running out of steam? PC Pro has traced the history of sci-fi's influence on real-world technology, from Jules Verne to Snow Crash, but suggests that writers have run out of ideas when it comes to inspiring tomorrow's products. 'Since Snow Crash, no novel has had quite the same impact on the computing world, and you might argue that sci-fi and hi-tech are drifting further apart,' PC Pro claims. Author Charles Stross tells the magazine that he began writing a sci-fi novel in…

• NIMF To Close Its Doors

  Soulskill

  21 Nov 2009 | 9:18 am

  eldavojohn writes "One of the driving forces behind the ESRB toughening its ratings is closing its doors on December 31st, 2009. The National Institute on Media and the Family was funded by Fairview Health Services, and simply could no longer justify the yearly $750,000 price tag given today's economic climate. NIMF's reign of nagging has been pretty consistent since 1996, and was often indirectly featured on Slashdot. Don't worry, president and founder Dr. David Walsh promises to keep writing and giving speeches ... and imploring us all to think of the children."Read more of this story at…

• WHO Says Swine Flu May Have Peaked In the US

  Soulskill

  21 Nov 2009 | 8:18 am

  Hugh Pickens writes "The World Health Organization says that there were 'early signs of a peak' in swine flu activity in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, including the US. The American College Health Association, which surveys more than 250 colleges with more than three million students, said new flu cases had dropped 27 percent in the week ending on November 13th from the week before, the first drop since school resumed in the fall. Nonetheless, Dr. Anne Schuchat, the director of vaccination and respiratory disease at the CDC, chose her words carefully. 'We are in better shape today than we…

• Apple Voiding Smokers' Warranties?

  Soulskill

  21 Nov 2009 | 7:17 am

  Mr2001 writes "Consumerist reports that Apple is refusing to work on computers that have been used in smoking households. 'The Apple store called and informed me that due to the computer having been used in a house where there was smoking, [the warranty has been voided] and they refuse to work on the machine "due to health risks of second hand smoke,"' wrote one customer. Another said, 'When I asked for an explanation, she said [the owner of the iMac is] a smoker and it's contaminated with cigarette smoke, which they consider a bio-hazard! I checked my Applecare warranty and it says nothing…

• Pittsburgh To Tax Students

  Soulskill

  21 Nov 2009 | 6:14 am

  societyofrobots writes "Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has proposed taxing college and professional students for the privilege of receiving an education in the city. The proposed tax will charge students in the city at a rate of 1% of their yearly tuition — which, at Carnegie Mellon, would mean roughly a $400 tax (PDF) on most students. As the tax proposal hit local media outlets this week, the mayor repeatedly emphasized the burden that college students have placed on city services, and the need for students to pay their 'fair share.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

• 
  Mind Hacks

• Cold asylum

  20 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am

  New Scientist has a gallery of striking photos taken from Christopher Payne's book that details his photographic tour of abandoned asylums in the US. In both the UK and the US, and, I suspect, in many other countries, there are numerous unused decaying mental asylums that have become obsolete as 'care in the community' has become the flag under which mental health services have been reformed or ignored. The NewSci gallery captures the faded grandeur of some of these impressive buildings and has photographs of the devices and technology from a psychiatry of a bygone era. As we discussed…

• Feliz Día Nacional del Psicólogo en Colombia

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am

  Colombia has an official Day of the Psychologist and you might be forgiven for thinking that it's a self-declared promotional event by the psychology association here, but it isn't, the day is established by law. Article 92 of Law 1090 establishes 20th November as the official celebration. Psychology departments around the country usually celebrate the day with conferences and parties. I was kindly invited to give a talk on the 'Neuropsicología de Alucinaciones' at the four day conference (wow) at the University of Antioquia, so many thanks to everyone who attended. Later on, there is a free…

• 2009-11-20 Spike activity

  20 Nov 2009 | 12:00 am

  Quick links from the past week in mind and brain news:

• Time-space fusion

  19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 am

  Neurophilosophy has an excellent piece on 'time-space' synaesthesia where affected individuals experience units of time - such as hours, days, or months - as occupying specific locations in space relative to their own body. The image on the right is taken from a BBC News article on time-space synaesthesia and was drawn by one lady to illustrate how days of the week appear to her. However, Neurophilosophy piece covers two new studies, one on a person with synaesthesia who experiences months in the space around her body in the form of a '7' shape: Michelle Jarick of the Synaesthesia Research…

• Selecting for kuru resistant cannibals

  19 Nov 2009 | 4:00 am

  New Scientist reports on a new study on how a gene that gives protection against the deadly brain disease kuru became more common in people exposed to the condition through their cannibalistic tradition of eating the bodies of dead relatives. Kuru is a prion disease, meaning the damage is caused by a poorly arranged or folded protein molecule which can trigger the same damaging changes in other proteins it comes into contact with. The condition is related to what we know as 'mad cow disease' and causes a distinctive form of shaking, brain degeneration and eventually leads to death. It was…

• 
  Institute For The Future

• IFTF announces new FutureCast series...starting November 20

  Lisa Mumbach

  16 Nov 2009 | 11:14 am

  teaser:  IFTF is happy to announce that we will be introducing a new FutureCast podcast series, starting Friday, November 20, at 11 am Pacific Time. Our first podcast will be hosted by Jerry Michalski, and our guest expert will be Arthur Brock of The Metacurrency Project. Promote to what's new on front page:  Promote to what's new on front page IFTF is happy to announce that we will be introducing a new FutureCast podcast series, starting Friday, November 20, at 11 am Pacific Time. Our first podcast will be hosted by Jerry Michalski, and our guest expert will be Arthur Brock of…

• IFTF announces new FutureCast series...starting November 20

  Kathi Vian

  16 Nov 2009 | 7:43 am

  IFTF is happy to announce that we will be introducing a new FutureCast podcast series, starting Friday, November 20, at 11 am Pacific Time. Our first podcast will be hosted by Jerry Michalski, and our guest expert will be Arthur Brock of The Metacurrency Project. IFTF Staff Posts read more

• kibera

  Tessa Finlev

  6 Nov 2009 | 11:41 am

• skipstairs

  Vivian Distler

  28 Oct 2009 | 5:16 pm

• McDonald's QR code reader

  Vivian Distler

  28 Oct 2009 | 4:45 pm

• 
  Ethical Technology

• Marcelo Rinesi Henry, Stadiums, and Video

  21 Nov 2009 | 9:00 am

  Thierry Henry’s handball during the now infamous France-Ireland World Cup qualifying match, clearly caught on camera and later acknowledged by the player himself, has reignited in some quarters an often discussed call for the use of technology to aid referee decisions during soccer matches. But the real problem isn’t technology, and rather than being behind the times, soccer has actually been ahead of much of society. Stadiums have always been places where authority over the field is on the hands of a specific individual or group, yet all events are also seen first-hand by the…

• Large Hadron Collider Working Again

  21 Nov 2009 | 6:44 am

  IEET readers have weighed in with their opinions about why the LHC project kept running into seemingly endless delays on its way to running protons into each other. Now that it’s back up and operating, perhaps some of our more far-fetched conjectures will be proved wrong.

• Mike Treder Deciding Whose Death Matters Most

  20 Nov 2009 | 1:23 pm

  Asking the question is comparatively easy. Finding the answer is hard. Would you run into a burning building to try to save a baby you knew was trapped inside? Would it make a difference if that baby was your own?

 Would you run into a burning building to try to save an 80 year-old woman you knew was dying of cancer? What if she was your mother? Imagine working in a triage unit during wartime or following a natural disaster. Given limited medical supplies and severe constraints on available personnel, how would you decide who gets treated first? Does it matter more that 17,000…

• Ben Scarlato Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:36 am

  [Contains spoilers] Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is a movie released straight to Blu-ray and digital download, which retells the miniseries and the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica from the perspective of the Cylons. Although it doesn’t answer all the questions one may have had after the series finale, such as the nature of Starbuck or the Cylon god, it does closely follow the events of the series, providing answers to questions such as how Shelly Godfrey disappeared and why Boomer didn’t kill Adama when she attempted to assassinate him. It was exciting that this…

• Heather Bradshaw Morphological Freedom

  20 Nov 2009 | 8:03 am

  In 2003, the idea that one might have a freedom to change one’s body and brain as one liked was being discussed in relation to the Transhumanist FAQ. This idea receives much less attention in the current FAQ, where it is largely replaced by a lesser freedom to enhance. This is interesting, because morphological freedom has significant implications. In a 2007 interview for Enhancing Me, Todd Huffman spoke about the importance of social enhancements and the social value of enhancements. Email, he pointed out, is only any use if possessed by at least two people. Similarly, it’s all…

• 
  NANODOT NEWS AND DISCUSSION

• Reynolds advocates faster nano/AI R&D for safety reasons

  Christine Peterson

  19 Nov 2009 | 11:32 am

  In Popular Mechanics, longtime Foresight friend Prof. Glenn Reynolds looks at the future of nanotech and artificial intelligence, among other things looking at safety issues, including one call that potentially dangerous technologies be relinquished.  He takes a counterintuitive stance, which we’ve discussed here at Foresight over the years: But I wonder if that’s such a good idea. Destructive technologies generally seem to come along sooner than constructive ones—we got war rockets before missile interceptors, and biological warfare before antibiotics. This suggests that there…

• Nano PVs: cheaper or better?

  J. Storrs Hall

  17 Nov 2009 | 5:26 am

  Over at Nanoclast, Dexter Johnson writes: It seems when nanotech is applied to photovoltaics it can either boost their efficiency to new heights or it can cheapen their manufacturing process. But it never seems to provide a solution to both of these. It’s always a tradeoff: increased efficiency but difficult manufacturing processes or a cheaper production process but less efficiency. The solution to this, of course, is that the efforts in nanotech research should be going toward developing atomically-precise machinery that can do the manufacturing.  Like any form of research and capital…

• Gallery – A joyride through the nanoscale – Image 1 – New Scientist

  J. Storrs Hall

  16 Nov 2009 | 6:54 am

  Gallery – A joyride through the nanoscale – Image 1 – New Scientist. This New Scientist article has some nice images from Whitesides recent book, sort of a retake on the “Secret House” idea.  

• Technology Review: Self-Cleaning, Super-Absorbant Solar Cells

  J. Storrs Hall

  14 Nov 2009 | 4:54 am

  Technology Review: Self-Cleaning, Super-Absorbant Solar Cells. Amorphous-silicon solar cells patterned with nanoscale domes absorb more light–and shed water and dust.  

• Moore’s Law Marches On

  J. Storrs Hall

  12 Nov 2009 | 11:24 am

  According to the loose length-scale based definition, nanotechnology has long since conquered the world: feature sizes in microprocessors have been below the 100 nanometer mark for some time, qualifying them, if anyone wanted to, to be called nanoprocessors. The latest reports and plans are mentioning 22-nanometer parts just 2 years from now: DailyTech – AMD Desktop Roadmap Features Bulldozer Architecture, New Chipsets. Next Big Future: AMD has an Ambitous Roadmap for 2010 and 2011

• 
  Nanotechnology Now

• NIEHS Awards Recovery Act Funds to Focus More Research on Health and Safety of Nanomaterials

  21 Nov 2009 | 11:41 am

  The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health, is increasing its investment in understanding the potential health, safety and environmental...

• RUSNANO to Study Sweden’s Government-Supported Nanotechnology Industry

  21 Nov 2009 | 11:41 am

  A RUSNANO delegation headed by CEO Anatoly Chubais will visit Sweden on November 19-20, 2009 to study the support that government offers for innovative developments, share with Sweden's business and s...

• www.bharatbook.com : Liquidia Technologies, Inc. - Alternative Energy - Deals and Alliances Profile

  21 Nov 2009 | 11:41 am

  www.bharatbook.com included a new report on "Liquidia Technologies, Inc. - Alternative Energy - Deals and Alliances Profile" into its market report catalogue for reselling.

• Stanislaus S. Wong Receives Buck-Whitney Award from the American Chemical Society Eastern New York Section

  21 Nov 2009 | 11:41 am

  Stanislaus S. Wong, a scientist with a joint appointment at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University, has won the Buck-Whitney Award from the American...

• 3-D Nanostructures Capture Rare Tumor Cells in Blood

  21 Nov 2009 | 11:41 am

  Perhaps the earliest sign that cancer is starting to spread is the appearance of so-called circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, in the blood stream. These are the forward army of a metastatic tumor, the...

• 
  Scientific American

• Circulation of LHC Beams Could Resume in Earnest over the Weekend

  20 Nov 2009 | 12:50 pm

  The Large Hadron Collider , the world's most powerful particle accelerator, is drawing near to its long-awaited reboot. More than a year after the European collider's initial start-up was quashed by a helium leak caused by a faulty electrical connection , particle beams have been injected into the collider, known as the LHC, and may be guided fully through its rings in the coming hours. [More]

• How Long Can a Nuclear Reactor Last?

  20 Nov 2009 | 12:27 pm

  Could nuclear power plants last as long as the Hoover Dam?Increasingly dependable and emitting few greenhouse gases, the U.S. fleet of nuclear power plants will likely run for another 50 or even 70 years before it is retired -- long past the 40-year life span planned decades ago -- according to industry executives, regulators and scientists. [More]

• Novel Nova: Stellar Blast Powered by Helium May Leave a Tantalizing Remnant

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:05 am

  A stellar explosion known as a nova that was detected in 2000 formed a two-lobed shell of material ejected from the star. Shaped like a bow tie, it continues to swell at great velocity. But, curiously, the coat of ejecta flowing outward from the star lacks hydrogen, the most common gas in the universe. [More]

• Cracked Corn: Scientists Solve Maize's Genetic Maze

  19 Nov 2009 | 2:48 pm

  The complex corn genome--coming in at a hearty two billion base pairs (compared with the human genome's 2.9 billion base pairs)--has been mapped by more than 150 researchers, who worked for years to decipher the grain's genetic code . It's the most complicated plant genome to be deciphered to date and promises to increase the efficiency of the crop itself. [More]

• Can Flywheels Help Balance Electricity Supply and Demand?

  19 Nov 2009 | 1:48 pm

  Beacon Power Corp. broke ground today on a 20-megawatt, energy-storage facility in southeastern New York. [More]

• 
  NYT: Science

• Hacked E-Mail Is New Fodder for Climate Dispute

  By ANDREW C. REVKIN

  21 Nov 2009 | 8:31 am

  Private messages hacked from a British university are causing a stir among global warming skeptics.

• Proton Beams Are on Track at Collider

  By DENNIS OVERBYE

  21 Nov 2009 | 7:37 am

  The successful operation of the Large Hadron Collider marked the resumption of the world’s biggest and most expensive physics experiment.

• Signs Swine Flu Wave May Have Peaked in U.S.

  By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

  21 Nov 2009 | 3:56 am

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said flu activity was declining in all regions of the country.

• World Briefing | Europe: Italy: Galileo’s Body Parts to Be on Display

  By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

  21 Nov 2009 | 12:45 am

  Two fingers and a tooth removed from Galileo Galilei’s corpse in the 18th century and given up for lost have been found again and will soon be put on display, a Florence museum said Friday.

• Voracious Invader May Be Nearing Lake Michigan

  By MONICA DAVEY

  21 Nov 2009 | 12:12 am

  Evidence of Asian carp, a fish that some fear could destroy the ecosystem of Lake Michigan, has been found beyond a barrier intended to keep the fish out.

• 
  TechCrunch

• TechCrunch Readers: God is Your Co-Pilot, and Stuff that Piggy Bank

  Vivek Wadhwa

  21 Nov 2009 | 7:45 am

  When pitching to VC’s, entrepreneurs hype the heck out of their ideas, years of experience and management teams. But I’ve never heard of anyone touting their luck or connection to God. After reading the posts on TechCrunch, one could easily get the impression that God doesn’t play much of role in Silicon Valley. But ask any successful entrepreneur in private what made them successful, and you might just hear a different story. In a research project my team just completed, the majority of 549 company founders told us that their most important success factor, after “experience” and…

• Uh-Oh: Gameloft Moves Away From Android Development

  Greg Kumparak

  21 Nov 2009 | 7:33 am

  The sudden surge in interest in Android (largely due to all of the hype surrounding the Droid) has caused a lot of developers to reconsider the platform. Atleast one major development house, however, isn't impressed. Earlier today, Alexandre de Rochefort, Finance Director of Gameloft, told an investor conference that the company had "significantly cut [their] investment in Android platform, just like ... many others". Gameloft is one of the largest mobile games companies around, having pulled in roughly $132 million in the last three quarters alone. While there are plenty of fish in the…

• Google Wave iPhone App Hits The App Store … Temporarily

  Robin Wauters

  21 Nov 2009 | 6:46 am

  Do a search for Google Wave on the App Store from your iPhone or desktop client, and you’ll see an application called just that pop up, ready to be installed as soon as you fork over $0.99 (or €0.79 in my case). One caveat: it’s not built, authorized or in any way endorsed by Google. Spotted by Stuart Dredge over at Mobile Entertainment, the unofficial Google Wave iPhone app seemingly slipped past Apple’s usually and notoriously rigorous quality assurance and trademark compliance team and made its way to the App Store (iTunes link – up to you to decide if this is…

• London VC: European Startups Need To Work Much Harder

  TechCrunch Europe

  21 Nov 2009 | 4:50 am

  This is our third guest post written by a London-based VC. To allow them to speak plainly without jeopardising their fund or their career in the small village that is the London VC scene, I'm allowing them to post anonymously. FYI, LondonVC is a genuine VC and TechCrunch Europe has met them face to face. One of the biggest challenges for any investor (regardless of the stage/type of investment they target) and founders alike is hiring great talent. In early stage investing the team may be the single criteria upon which an investment decision is based (considering how many times when that's…

• Naspers Could Be The Next Owner Of ICQ (And Why That Would Make Sense)

  Robin Wauters

  21 Nov 2009 | 1:55 am

  Last week, it was reported that AOL – amid restructuring efforts in the lead-up to the imminent Time Warner spin-off and IPO – was putting its instant messaging service unit ICQ on the block and had hired bankers Allen & Co. and Morgan Stanley to assist in the sales process. According to the reports, AOL was looking to offload the asset for $300 million and talking to a pair of non-US companies about an acquisition (likely in a part cash, part stock transaction). Question is: who are those potential buyers? We’ve pinned down one who, sources say, has already engaged in…

• 
  NYT > Technology

• Hacked E-Mail Is New Fodder for Climate Dispute

  By ANDREW C. REVKIN

  21 Nov 2009 | 8:31 am

  Private messages hacked from a British university are causing a stir among global warming skeptics.

• For the Volt, How’s Life After 40 (Miles)?

  By LINDSAY BROOKE

  21 Nov 2009 | 12:26 am

  A reporter test-drove a Chevrolet Volt to see how it performed after its electric power supply was depleted.

• BigDeal Puts a New Spin on 'Entertainment Shopping'

  By BRAD STONE

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:37 pm

  BigDeal, a new venture-backed "entertainment auction" site, takes on Swoopo.com by saying there is no way to lose.

• A Look at California's New TV Energy Rules

  By ERIC A. TAUB

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:02 pm

  While it will be a challenge, TV manufacturers believe that they'll be able to meet new California standards for HDTV power consumption.

• Sony Ericsson's Infinite Hope for a Turnaround

  By SAUL HANSELL

  20 Nov 2009 | 1:05 pm

  Sony Ericsson hopes to differentiate its new smartphones with an "Infinite Button" that links entertainment and communications. But will it ever be sold in the United States?

• 
  Wired Top Stories

• Vanish! How Wired Readers Caught Our Fugitive Writer

  Evan Ratliff

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:45 pm

  In an age when everyone is following everything, is it ever possible to disappear? On Aug. 13, one man drove out of San Francisco determined to stay hidden in plain sight and test this possibility.

• Shaggy to Bald: Evan's Daily Costume Change

  Nicholas Thompson

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:41 pm

  While on the run, Evan Ratliff snapped a self-portrait each day to document his constantly evolving appearance.

• Stories From the Hunt for Evan Ratliff

  Nicholas Thompson

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:40 pm

  After Evan Ratliff was captured, Wired asked the most active hunters to send in their stories. Why were they drawn to the hunt, what did they do and what did they learn?

• Wired Tests Writer With Series of Bold Challenges

  Nicholas Thompson

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:39 pm

  With a week remaining in the hunt for Evan Ratliff, Wired decided to up the stakes with of five challenges hidden in New York Times crossword puzzles.

• Delete Browser Cookies, Clean Up Your Trail of Crumbs

  How-To Wiki

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:30 pm

  The web is watching you, and it’s doing it using browser cookies — small snippets of tracking code. Do away with them to be free of watchers, and annoy the heck out of Big Brother too.

• 
  BBC: Technology

• Panel power

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:04 am

  Solar power technology comes of age.

• UK climate unit's e-mails hacked

  20 Nov 2009 | 6:13 am

  The e-mail system of one of the world's leading climate research units has been breached by hackers.

• Facebook acts on follower trade

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:46 am

  Social networking site Facebook has threatened legal action against a site that sells friends and followers.

• After the hype

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:22 am

  Once it was huge, but what happened to Second Life?

• YouTube gets automatic subtitles

  20 Nov 2009 | 2:40 am

  Automatic captions for YouTube videos are to roll out across its channels, says parent company Google.

• 
  ReadWriteWeb

• Weekly Wrapup: Google Chrome OS, Obama's Twitter, Blogging Statistics, And More...

  21 Nov 2009 | 5:00 am

  In this edition of the Weekly Wrapup - our newsletter summarizing the top stories of the week - we report on President Obama's (non)-use of Twitter, take a look at the past decade in the media industry, review the latest statistics about blogging, question if Oxford Dictionary should've chosen "unfriend" as its word of the year, and more. We also check in on our two main channels: ReadWriteEnterprise (devoted to 'enterprise 2.0' trends and products) and ReadWriteStart (dedicated to profiling startups and entrepreneurs). Sponsor Subscribe to Weekly Wrapup You can subscribe to the…

• 3 Great Light Blogging Tools Compared

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:35 pm

  Once the service for those serious enough to pay for the privilege to post, TypePad recently released a free "Micro" service. The company made the decision to offer a free product realizing the demand for a platform more formal than Twitter and less formal than Wordpress or Typepad's original product. ReadWriteWeb compared TypePad's Micro against 2 other leading light blogging tools. Below are our thoughts: Sponsor TypePad Micro: In addition to being able to blog via email, iPhone app, "Blog It" bookmarklet and the general WYSIWYG dashboard, this tool also allows users to cross post to…

• An iPhone Visualization App That Syncs with the Cloud

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:50 pm

  Roambi announced a pro version of its iPhone application this week that syncs with Salesforce.com and other cloud-based services or on-premsie sales environments. It's a visualization application, providing mobile workers with a pretty cool way to see sales information. Integration is by far one of the most significant trends we are seeing in the enterprise space. It's a wave, really, marked this week by Salesforce.com and its move to turn the Force.com development platform into a service that makes all of its applications social. Sponsor A good example of this trend are small companies like…

• 8tracks to Launch Playback API and Developer Program

  20 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm

  It appears that the time for freemium music services in the US has passed. Earlier this week streaming music site Imeem sold to MySpace for under $10 million dollars while laying off a large number of staff. For a company with all four major record labels signed, more than 15 million uniques a month and well over 5 million tracks in its catalogue, it came as a sobering blow to the industry. While many companies move to a subscription model, 8tracks continues to forge along in what some describe as a convenient loophole. As of this weekend the company is publicly launching its API for Boston's…

• Memento: Protocol-Based Time Travel for the Web

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:45 am

  The Web constantly changes and evolves. That, of course, is what makes the Internet so exciting, but it also means that finding older versions of a website is hard. The current push towards the real-time web is making this problem even more apparent. Memento, a project based at Old Dominion University, wants to make it easier to access older versions of a web page without having to go to the Internet Archive. To do this, the project is using a relatively obscure feature of the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Sponsor The Memento project wants to give browsers a 'time-travel' mode.

• 
  BBC: Video: Sci-Tech

• 'Big Bang' experiment to re-start

  20 Nov 2009 | 1:22 am

  The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment could be re-started on Saturday morning at the earliest, officials have said.

• Astronauts hook up antenna on ISS

  19 Nov 2009 | 9:52 am

  Astronauts from the space shuttle Atlantis have been taking the first spacewalk of their shuttle mission.

• Meteor illuminates the Utah sky

  19 Nov 2009 | 1:30 am

  A meteor briefly illuminated parts of the sky in Utah to daylight-level on Wednesday.

• Japan's hi-tech bid to boost food

  17 Nov 2009 | 10:44 pm

  A company in Japan is experimenting with a "hi-tech" approach to farming in an effort to boost food supplies.

• Network sites 'need help buttons'

  17 Nov 2009 | 10:38 pm

  Social networking site, Bebo, has introduced a child safety link that gives users access to police officers trained to deal with online grooming.

• 
  NYT Health: Research

• U. of Nebraska Defeats Tighter Limits on Stem Cell Research

  By MONICA DAVEY

  20 Nov 2009 | 9:06 pm

  The effort had been seen by opponents as a possible new front in the national debate over the matter.

• News Analysis: Screening Debate Reveals Culture Clash in Medicine

  By KEVIN SACK

  20 Nov 2009 | 8:53 pm

  Backers of science-driven medicine cheered the new recommendations on cancer screening, while many patients still believe that more is always better.

• Vital Signs: Childhood: U.S. Draws Low Marks on Premature Births

  By RONI CARYN RABIN

  20 Nov 2009 | 12:30 pm

  The nation, where one out of eight babies are born prematurely each year, earned a D from the March of Dimes.

• Vital Signs: Smoking in U.S. Declines but Not by Much

  By Roni Caryn Rabin

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:52 am

  Some 20.6 percent of Americans were current smokers in 2008, a drop from 20.9 percent in 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

• Mammogram Debate Took Group by Surprise

  By GINA KOLATA

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:35 am

  The Preventive Services Task Force, which urged women to get less-frequent screening for breast cancer, was created to be apolitical.

• 
  Brains On Purpose

• What's attention got to do with it? Quantum physics of the brain in mediation

  StephanieWestAllen

  17 Nov 2009 | 3:01 pm

  I often talk about the importance of paying attention to what you are paying attention to in conflict resolution, and in life. Because I think it is so important, the A in the acronym of my CARVE Disputes Model™ stands for Attention. In case you have not seen CARVE, here it is: C - Curiosity A - Attention R -...

• There's a new blog on the neuroscience of social interactions

  StephanieWestAllen

  17 Nov 2009 | 11:24 am

  For those of you not reading idealawg, here's information about a new blog being written by a grad student in social cognitive neuroscientist Kevin Ochsner's lab.

• Mediate.com celebrates!

  StephanieWestAllen

  16 Nov 2009 | 11:22 am

  Mediate.com recently published the 300th issue of The Mediate.com Weekly. The web version of the Weekly is at www.mediate.com/Newsletter. The Weekly began 13 years ago under the guidance of Founding Editor John Helie. Over time, the newsletter became a bi-weekly and then weekly publication under the leadership of Editors John Ford and Jim Melamed. The Weekly offers the latest articles,...

• Do you tell your clients about neuroscience? A quick poll

  StephanieWestAllen

  13 Nov 2009 | 9:16 am

  I am writing an article about what I call neuroscience transparency. By that I mean how much conflict professionals tell their clients about brain science. Some dispute resolvers give clients much information about the mind and the brain; others believe the science is "just between us mediators" (quoting a presenter I heard last year). I have prepared a short, quick...

• Want to know a brain? Don't take it out of context

  StephanieWestAllen

  9 Nov 2009 | 1:33 pm

  Brains are changing all the time (when I think of neuroplasticity—brain changing—I sometimes imagine the brain as a verb instead of a noun), and that changing is not in isolation. Brain changes are facilitated by social interactions such as a dispute, as well as by interactions with the non-people environment and the culture. To highlight the fact that the brain...

• 
  NYT: Health

• Democrats Press Ahead on Debate Before Health Vote

  By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and ROBERT PEAR

  21 Nov 2009 | 8:38 am

  Senate Democrats made a case for legislation to revamp the nation’s health care system in a parade of floor speeches aimed at cementing party unity ahead of a first crucial vote.

• The Breaking Point: Hospital Falters as Refuge for Illegal Immigrants

  By KEVIN SACK

  21 Nov 2009 | 5:06 am

  When an Atlanta hospital closed its dialysis unit, many illegal immigrants had to scramble to find treatment.

• Signs Swine Flu Wave May Have Peaked in U.S.

  By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.

  21 Nov 2009 | 3:56 am

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said flu activity was declining in all regions of the country.

• Nebraska Senator Will Vote to Start Health Debate

  By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

  21 Nov 2009 | 12:03 am

  Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska, one of three wavering Democrats, said Friday that he would vote to start debate on a giant health care bill.

• U. of Nebraska Defeats Tighter Limits on Stem Cell Research

  By MONICA DAVEY

  21 Nov 2009 | 12:02 am

  The effort had been seen by opponents as a possible new front in the national debate over the matter.

• 
  WSJ: Today's Most Popular

• The Henry Ford of Heart Surgery

  21 Nov 2009 | 7:45 am

  In India, Devi Shetty's heart hospital offers cutting-edge medical care at a fraction of what it costs elsewhere in the world.

• Eric Holder's Baffling KSM Decision

  20 Nov 2009 | 7:24 pm

  The attorney general's Senate testimony this week did nothing to reassure the families of 9/11's victims.

• Interview with Meb Keflezighi: Running Man

  20 Nov 2009 | 7:14 pm

  The New York City marathon champion on running, religion and what it means to be an American.

• Obama Union Rules

  20 Nov 2009 | 7:06 pm

  A federal agency rips up 75 years of labor policy.

• The End of HSAs

  20 Nov 2009 | 7:06 pm

  Harry Reid wants to kill consumer-driven health care.

• 
  Technology Review Feed - Tech Review Top Stories

• Blog - Oars 'n' Others

  20 Nov 2009 | 9:10 pm

  The best of the rest from the physics arXiv this week:

• Blog - Mathematician Solves Rowing Boat "Wiggle" Problem

  19 Nov 2009 | 9:10 pm

  A mathematician has discovered two entirely new arrangements of rowers in a racing eight in which the rowing forces cancel to make the boat wiggle-free.

• Blog - How to Spur U.S. Renewable Energy

  19 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm

  Industry experts weigh in at a conference in Washington, DC.

• A New Route to Cellulosic Biofuels

  19 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm

  ZeaChem's pilot plant will make ethanol using termite microbes.

• Self-Policing Cloud Computing

  19 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm

  IBM security tool searches for and destroys malicious code in the cloud.

• 
  New Scientist - The Human Brain

• Better-looking sportsmen more likely to win

  19 Nov 2009 | 10:07 am

  New research, along with a Twitter-facilitated study conducted by New Scientist, reveals an important trait of the best jocks: a handsome face

• Gene change in cannibals reveals evolution in action

  19 Nov 2009 | 6:27 am

  Devastating brain disease caused by human cannibalism promoted protective gene mutation to emerge just 200 years ago

• Toddlers insensitive to fear go on to commit crimes

  17 Nov 2009 | 3:20 am

  Adult criminals tend to be fearless, but whether this quality emerges before or after their crimes wasn't clear until now

• NASA to restart primate irradiation testing

  16 Nov 2009 | 3:07 am

  The effect of space radiation on astronauts is still a big question mark for deep space exploration – primate research is meant to cut it down to size

• Signature of consciousness captured in brain scans

  12 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am

  Consistent patterns linked to awareness of particular images could be used to detect consciousness in brain-damaged people

• 
  Livescience.com

• Marmots Remember Long-Gone Predators

  21 Nov 2009 | 5:09 am

  Colorado marmots “remember” a long-gone foe.

• Harnessing Wave Energy

  20 Nov 2009 | 12:01 pm

  Energy from ocean waves seems like the ultimate in renewable fuel, yet research lags behind studies of solar and wind power. Research now underway is based on ocean buoy generators. As ocean swells hit the buoy, electrical coils create electricity.

• Science Nation

  20 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm

  Science for the People: Surprising discoveries and fascinating researchers.

• Really Rare Rhinos Found by Dung-Sniffing Dogs

  20 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm

  Two dogs are helping scientists figure out how many Javan rhinos are left in the wild.

• How to Take a Gorilla's Blood Pressure: Very Carefully

  20 Nov 2009 | 9:59 am

  For the first time, researchers have obtained blood pressure readings from a gorilla while it was awake.

• 
  ScienceDaily: Biotechnology News

• Why bird flu has not caused a pandemic

  21 Nov 2009 | 8:00 am

  Bird flu viruses would have to make at least two simultaneous genetic mutations before they could be transmitted readily from human to human, according to new research.

• Amaizing: Corn genome decoded

  21 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am

  In recent years, scientists have decoded the DNA of humans and a menagerie of creatures but none with genes as complex as a stalk of corn, the latest genome to be unraveled. A team of scientists has published the completed corn genome -- an accomplishment that will speed efforts to develop better crop varieties to meet the world's growing demands for food, livestock feed and fuel.

• First map of chromosome terminals of higher fungi

  21 Nov 2009 | 2:00 am

  Scientists have described for the first time how the telomeres and adjacent sequences of the oyster fungus are organized.

• Antioxidant found in vegetables has implications for treating cystic fibrosis

  20 Nov 2009 | 8:00 pm

  Scientists have discovered that a dietary antioxidant found in such vegetables as broccoli and cauliflower protects cells from damage caused by chemicals generated during the body's inflammatory response to infection and injury. The finding has implications for such inflammation-based disorders as cystic fibrosis, diabetes, heart disease and neurodegeneration.

• Unknowingly consuming endangered tuna

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:00 am

  New DNA barcoding shows that nearly a third of the tuna plated in sushi restaurants was bluefin -- even if it was not labeled bluefin on the menu.

• 
  Holy Kaw!

• How to save time

  21 Nov 2009 | 9:25 am

  Here’s a great tool: Sue Shellenbarger, over at the Wall Street Journal, has test drove three time management tools for us, so we don’t have to try them ourselves. Talk about time saving. The three tested methods are: • Getting things done. • The Pomodoro Technique. • Franklin Convey’s Focus. Read the article to see what she found. We’ve got lots more ways to get things done and hack your life, too. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• How to re-imagine the color of your room with no paint

  21 Nov 2009 | 9:14 am

  Want to see what your room would look like with different paint? Check out colorjive.com, a really cool site that takes your pictures and changes the colors of the walls in just a few easy steps. It's fun! And it could save a lot of fails. More cool design sites. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• Common mistakes in social media and other insights on impact

  21 Nov 2009 | 9:03 am

  Over on SmartBlog, Mary Ellen Slayter interviews Olivier Blanchard (above), a seasoned brand strategist at BrandBuilder Marketing. Blanchard delves into his perspective on how businesses can maximize their return on social media. He shares, for instance, three common mistakes companies make when trying to measure the value of social media: Focusing too much on digital measurement. Not understanding the difference between nonfinancial impact and financial impact. Not establishing clear goals and objectives when launching a social media program. How can you avoid this fate, and what other…

• A geography of BBQ

  21 Nov 2009 | 8:38 am

  As a newcomer to DC, people keep telling me that my BBQ education is about to begin. Though complete strangers and close roommates have preached the glories of BBQ, this article is the clearest introduction to the sauce I’ve seen yet. Did you know there are at least four kinds of sauce? Kansas City Style Sauce Texas Style Sauce North Carolina Style Sauce South Carolina Style Sauce Check out the article to see just how each of them differ. Hungry for more? There’s much more about food and recipes. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• France vs. Ireland controversial goal video

  20 Nov 2009 | 10:58 pm

  In case you haven’t seen the controversial goal in the France versus Ireland game, here you go. Total coverage of soccer. Permalink | Leave a comment  »