Menu

Blog

Page 9200

Mar 23, 2018

Affectiva’s Automotive AI could keep distracted and drowsy drivers from causing accidents

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

AI company Affectiva recently announced its Automotive AI platform that observes people’s emotional states to potentially help prevent distracted or drowsy driving.

Read more

Mar 23, 2018

How the ‘Many Worlds’ Interpretation Was Born

Posted by in category: futurism

Adam Becker, Scientific American March 23, 2018.

Read more

Mar 23, 2018

New innovations in cell-free biotechnology

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, innovation

A Northwestern University-led team has developed a new way to manufacture proteins outside of a cell that could have important implications in therapeutics and biomaterials.

The advance could make possible decentralized manufacturing and distribution processes for that might, in the future, promote better access to costly drugs all over the world.

The team set out to improve the quality of manufactured proteins in vitro, or outside a cell, and found success across a number of fronts.

Read more

Mar 23, 2018

Genetic switch activates transformation of stem cells into heart muscle cells

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

The discovery of a genetic switch that triggers stem cells to turn into heart cells is a major step in finding treatment for damaged hearts.

Researchers from A*STAR and their colleagues in India have been investigating the molecular and genetic processes by which human embryonic differentiate into the body’s many types of cells—in particular, cardiomyocytes, or .

“The effort is underway globally to find ways to differentiate these stem cells into beating functional heart muscle cells so that they can be used for cell-based therapies to treat structural abnormalities,” says Prabha Sampath, from the A*STAR Institute of Medical Biology.

Read more

Mar 23, 2018

Massive cyberhack by Iran allegedly stole research from 320 universities, governments, and companies

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, futurism

Targets included nearly 8000 professors in 22 countries.

Read more

Mar 23, 2018

The bigger the earthquake, the longer it takes to issue an alert

Posted by in category: futurism

Earthquake early warning systems can give people crucial seconds to move to safety—but only if they send the message in time. Now, scientists working on such systems have discovered that the bigger the tremor, the longer it takes to issue an alert—giving people little time to prepare for the big one, but lots of time to brace for a ho-hum event.

All earthquakes start with P waves, which are fast moving and cause little damage. S waves come next, moving more slowly but causing more destruction. Early warning systems measure ground movement during the fast P waves to predict how much shaking the S waves will cause, and then send out an alert.

Continue reading “The bigger the earthquake, the longer it takes to issue an alert” »

Mar 23, 2018

Superbugs could outstrip cancer in disease-related deaths

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Antibiotic hunter Dr Mark Blaskovich says antibiotic resistance is growing faster than the research and has the potential to bring modern medicine to a halt.

Read more

Mar 23, 2018

Does your kids’ DNA matter more than which school they go to?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, education

How well your kids do at school depends in part on the DNA you bequeathed them. What’s not clear is what we should do about this.

Read more

Mar 23, 2018

Scientists unveil high-sensitivity 3D technique using single-atom measurements

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

Researchers at Griffith University working with Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have unveiled a stunningly accurate technique for scientific measurements which uses a single atom as the sensor, with sensitivity down to 100 zeptoNewtons.

Using highly miniaturised segmented-style Fresnel lenses — the same design used in lighthouses for more than a century — which enable exceptionally high-quality images of a single atom, the scientists have been able to detect position displacements with nanometre precision in three dimensions.

“Our atom is missing one electron, so it’s very sensitive to electrical fields. By measuring the displacement, we’ve built a very sensitive tool for measuring electrical forces.” Dr Erik Streed, of the Centre for Quantum Dynamics, explained.

Continue reading “Scientists unveil high-sensitivity 3D technique using single-atom measurements” »

Mar 23, 2018

Chip detects Legionnaires’ bacteria in minutes, not days

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing

When the water in the rooftop cooling towers of a building’s air conditioning system gets infected with Legionella bacteria, people in the building can get potentially-fatal Legionnaires’ disease. Therefore, it’s important to check that water for the bacteria on a regular basis. A new chip is promised to do it faster than ever.

The typical method of checking for Legionella involves putting a water sample in a Petri dish, then waiting 10 to 14 days to see if any bacterial cultures grow. Unfortunately, populations of Legionella can reach outbreak levels is as short a period as one week. Additionally, if an outbreak has already occurred, then its source needs to be ascertained as fast as possible.

That’s why the new LegioTyper chip was created.

Read more