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December 24, 2005
Think Away The Pain
Pain can be mysterious, untreatable and debilitating, and its causes can be unknown. But if you can see the pain - or at least, your brain's reaction to it - you might be able to master it.
A study from researchers at Stanford University and MRI technology company suggests that's possible. The researchers asked people in pain to try to control a pain-regulating region of the brain by watching activity in that area from inside a real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging or fMRI machine. Initial results showed subjects managed to reduce their pain dramatically and in some cases, completely force the pain to subside.
This type of brain control could be similar to what many Eastern cultures have done for thousands of years - as a form of meditation to control physical pain. As they say, it's all in the mind. Damn, I can almost feel my jedi powers surging thru my mind. This is very very interesting stuff.
via Wired
Posted by tranism at 1:44 AM | Permalink
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Synthetic Biology
Work on the world's first human-made species is well under way at a research complex in Rockville, Md., and scientists in Canada have been quietly conducting experiments to help bring such a creature to life.
Their goal? To play a key role in the production of the first synthetic life-form - a microbe made from scratch.
The work is an extreme example of a burgeoning new field in science known as synthetic biology. Several scientific groups are trying to make genes that do not exist in nature, in hopes of reconstructing microbes that perform useful tasks such as producing industrial chemicals, clean energy and cheap drugs.
I find this bit of news fascinating. It has become apparent that we as humans have one tool that sets up apart from every other creature on this planet; we can be inventive, learn, and then pass that information on. It would seem our fate might be dictated by our hand after all and the ability to manufacture micro-organisms to solve many of our diseases and energy problems could revolutionize the way we live and improve the quality of life ten-fold.
However, just with any other new science, international security and ethics concerns place valid eyes on this new field. Could this technology be used to cheaply manufacture bio-weapons? Are we attempting to play the role of "God" by creating life on our own?
Currently, opponents have no warranted fear since even our advance science cannot get around the one universal law; you can't create an egg without the chicken. Sure we can put together all the genetic codes to make our microbe but we need that spark of life in order for the microbe to become active. Scientists are attempting to use natural microbes as a vehicle to absorb the artificially composed DNA and manufacture more by synthesis. To continue our example with the egg and chicken, they basically want to use a natural microbe as a surrogate mother.
I can't wait to hear more about this science.
Posted by tranism at 1:25 AM | Permalink
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December 20, 2005
Killing Polar Bears
plankton here, jackin' electro's blog account again.
Approx. 62.5 Miles is how far the polar bear has to swim to find food. Researchers have now found proof that the bears are dying due to global warming.
They are all great swimmers but the distance they need to travel has gotten too far. They simply drown along the way in the icy waters. Several bears have been found along the northern coast of Alaska last month.
Even though the temperature has only shifted a few degrees it has done enough damage to the areas where the polar bears dwell. Large ice caps have melted away leaving many bears stranded with no option but to swim.
This will naturally push the bears even further north where ice shelfs are still intact. There are about 20,000 polar bears today in the arctic parts of the world, all soon will compete for the same foods in less space.
And NO, there are no polar bears in Sweden...not for the last 12,000 years.
Posted by tranism at 10:29 AM | Permalink
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December 16, 2005
Visionaire
Visionaire is a groundbreaking collaboration with International Flavors & Fragrances combining scientific and creative talents of the worlds leading flavorists, contemporary artists, chefs, and photographers. Together, they've created works of art that stretch sensual boundaries of imagination by simultaneously engaging the viewer's eyes and tongue.
Visionaire 47 TASTE (as the project is referred to) uses taste-film technology, much like the popular breath films on the market - to deliver completely unprecedented flavors to the mouth. Each taste, such as Orgasm, Guilty, and Mother are accompanied by an image interpreting the concept. Some tastes are easy to identify while others are highly conceptual. This is considered to be the first time taste and flavor are used as a pure art medium, totally disconnected from food.
mmmm sounds soooo TASTY!
Posted by tranism at 3:27 PM | Permalink
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December 14, 2005
magenn Floating Wind Turbines
Want free electricity? Here's how. The magenn flying wind turbine is held up by helium generating 4Kw, enough to power your needs. Cost is about 10k, but it pays for itself in about 6 years depending on usage.
It's anchored by a tether that can extend up to 1,000 feet above ground. Generally, 400 feet is enough to catch the minimum 3 meters/sec wind speed needed to sustain a nice supply of electricity. The turbine spins in the air turning the generators. The rotation also stabilizes the turbine while energy is transfered down the tether which also acts as the transfer system.
If you're seriously interested, read more about it here and if you're REALLY interested, order one. :)
another picture after the jump
via treehugger
Posted by tranism at 2:08 AM | Permalink
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December 12, 2005
KiteGen
So it's another alternative way to harness the power of wind but there's more than meets the eye. This is no crazy looking windmill turned on its side. No, this is a giant KITE FLYING MACHINE.
Yes just imagine, giant sized kites attached to a generator as they fly around in a carousel potentially generating 1 gigawatt of power!
Invented by scientist Massimo Ippolito, he believes in a future of clean energy. He envisions multiple KiteGen machines that could produce more power than a nuclear plant. He's also a realist, pointing out that NO human activity is "clean" but he believes we should strive to move towards an era where efficiency is achieved from a balance between new and renewable. You can read his full interview here.
It's a shame that more high profile projects like this aren't taken seriously or even have a launch pad to start from here in the States. I fear the U.S. is slipping further and further behind.
Posted by tranism at 4:25 PM | Permalink
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Hopping Robots on Mars
Penelope Boston and Steven Dubowsky have received a grant from NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts to work on tiny hopping robots. An array of the micro-bots could be deployed on Mars, coordinating with one another like a swarm of insects to search for life below the surface of the planet.
The spheres would store up muscle energy, and then "boink" themselves off in various directions.
The researchers have calculated that about a thousand of the robots could be packed into a payload mass the size of one of the current Mars Exploration Rovers. That would give them the flexibility so suffer the loss of a large percentage of the units and still have a network that could be doing recon, sensing, imaging and perhaps even some other science functions.
A fleet of these little spheres would be sent to some promising landing site, exiting from the lander and then making their way over to some subsurface or hazardous terrain, where they deploy themselves as a living robotic network working independently and together. They create a cellular communication network, on a nodal basis.
Some of the units could be fitted with magnification capability, so one could look at the textures of the materials that they are landing on. Some would also have chemical sensors to sniff and sense the chemical environment.
So freakin cool but it reminds me of that one Futurama episode where humans had to do battle with these super intelligent bouncing balls. Hummmmm. . .
Posted by tranism at 3:33 PM | Permalink
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