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Volcanic super-eruptions are bad. Like really bad. Scientists warn of such a potentially civilization-ending catastrophe in our future, but as a new study shows, we’ll only have a year to prepare once the signs of an impending eruption become visible.

A new microscopic analysis of quartz crystals taken from the site of a massive volcanic eruption that occurred 760,000 years ago in eastern California suggests we’ll only have about a year’s worth of advance warning before a devastating super-eruption. In a paper published in PLOS ONE, Guilherme Gualda from Vanderbilt University and Stephen Sutton from the University of Chicago show that super-eruptions don’t require much time to blow their tops, even though they’re tens of thousands of years in the making.

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I wonder, if NASA and/or SpaceX goes to Mars in the 2030’s as planned, by the time the 2050’s roll around a manned attempt to Ceres or Jupiter trojans might be attempted or perhaps an unmanned vehicle made on Mars beats this sail.

Japan’s space agency has its sights on unexplored asteroids as far away as Jupiter, a project that at one level draws on centuries of sail science.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency this month unveiled a huge prototype solar sail designed to power a JAXA probe as it explores asteroids that circle the sun on roughly the same orbit as Jupiter. The sail measures 2,500 sq. meters and is made up of thousands of ultraslim solar panels.

Continue reading “Huge sail will power JAXA mission to Trojan asteroids and back” | >

I do love biometrics for security; however, many know that we will not only leverage biometrics alone for certifying identification given how easy it is for folks to retrieve others DNA information, etc. from commercial DNA sites, etc.

In the world of security, there are many tools at the IT Staff’s disposal which can be used to fight Cybercrimes of all types and levels. Regarding Physical Access Entry, Smart Cards and FOB’s are available to help alleviate the probability of a Social Engineering attack. Regarding Logical Access Entry, Network Intrusion Devices, Firewalls, Routers, etc. are also all ready to be installed and used.

But, there is one problem with all of these tools above: To some degree or another, all of them can be hijacked, stolen, or even spoofed so that a real Cyber hacker can find their way into a corporation very quickly and easily. For instance, a Smart Card can be easily lost or stolen; or even malformed data packets can be sent to a router and tricking it that it is a legitimate employee trying to gain access.

But, there is one Security technology out there which, for the most part, cannot be spoofed or tricked. As a result, it can provide 100% proof positive of the identity of an end user. This technology is known as Biometrics.

Continue reading “BioCryptography and Biometric Penetration Testing” | >

Dirty water has a use.

New technology doesn’t always look great, but researchers at Binghamton University are aiming to prove that function and style don’t have to be at odds with a new bacteria-powered battery that takes its design cues from origami.

Seokheun “Sean” Choi, an assistant professor of computer and electrical engineering at Binghamton, and two of his students recently published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics a report on their invention of a microbial fuel cell that runs on nothing more than the bacteria found in just a few drops of dirty water.

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Like Botox; another bacteria found a new usage in healthcare.

Researchers at MIT and the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) have recruited some new soldiers in the fight against cancer—bacteria.

In a study appearing in the July 20 of Nature, the scientists programmed harmless strains of bacteria to deliver toxic payloads. When deployed together with a traditional cancer drug, the bacteria shrank aggressive liver tumors in mice much more effectively than either treatment alone.

The new approach exploits bacteria’s natural tendency to accumulate at disease sites. Certain strains of bacteria thrive in low-oxygen environments such as tumors, and suppression of the host’s immune system also creates favorable conditions for bacteria to flourish.

Continue reading “Engineers program E. coli to destroy tumor cells” | >

Wanted to share because I found this extremely interesting in what we’re discovery on implants and cells. I predict we are going to find out that in the next 7 to 10 years that we had some key things wrong as well as learned some new amazing things about cells especially with the synthetic cell & cell circuitry work that is happening for bio computing.

By Bikramjit Basu & his group Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore

For a variety of medical treatments these days, artificial, synthetic materials are inserted into the human body. Common examples include treatment for artery blockage and orthopaedic surgeries, like hip and knee replacements. Human bodies are not very receptive to foreign objects; most synthetic materials are rejected by the body. The choice of material that can be inserted, therefore, has to be very specific.

We do not yet have a material that is easily accepted inside the human body. A variety of materials are used for the different kinds of functions they are intended to perform once inserted inside. At our group, we have been trying to develop a comprehensive understanding of how biological cells in human bodies interact with a material surface. The idea is to recreate conditions that allow human cells to grow and function normally on a synthetic material. If we are able to do that, these materials, or biomaterials as we like to call them, can be used as various implants.

Continue reading “From the lab: Better biomaterials for medical implants” | >

A “Told You So Article” on IP and China.

Techdirt has been warning for years that the West’s repeated demands for China to “respect” patents could backfire badly. In 2010, Mike pointed out that Chinese companies were starting to amass huge patent portfolios, which were soon used as weapons against foreign firms operating in China, most notably Apple. In another 2010 post, Mike wrote the following:

Huawei, the Chinese networking giant, has taken over the lead as filing the most international patents of any company. Just wait until American companies, whose execs complained about China “not respecting intellectual property,” start getting sued in East Texas for violating Huawei’s patents.

Continue reading “Just As We Warned: A Chinese Tech Giant Goes On The Patent Attack — In East Texas” | >

Luv this.

The University of Bristol’s Quantum Technology Enterprise Centre (QTEC) is looking to recruit its first cohort of Enterprise Fellows that will be the next generation of quantum technology entrepreneurs.

Merging training in systems thinking, quantum engineering and entrepreneurship, QTEC will provide the necessary skills for budding innovators to develop their own business ideas and for them to branch out into the emerging field of quantum technologies.

The Centre, which is the first of its kind in the world, was funded as part of the UK’s £270 million investment into quantum technologies. These technologies exploit the laws of quantum mechanics to create practical and useful technologies that will outperform their classical rivals and that have the potential to transform artificial intelligence, healthcare, energy, finance, cyber security and the internet.

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