News Article

Oct

2010

Could an Experimental Memory Drug Put an End to “Senior Moments”?

Discover, October 19 2010.

A new drug seems to be able to reverse normal age-related memory decline in old mice–like a face-lift for neurons, bringing them back to their younger days. The results of the experimental treatment, which works by blocking certain stress hormones, were published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

“What’s most surprising is that even short-term inhibition was able to reverse memory loss in old mice,” says Jonathan Seckl, a professor of molecular medicine who was involved in the research. “I don’t think people had realized this was so reversible. It takes [the animals] back to being relatively young.” Read More >

Oct

2010

Implantable LEDs Could Be Medical Sensors, or Sweet Glowing Tattoos

Discover, October 19 2010.

Flexible materials technology may just bring the next wave of trendy to the markets, in the form of glowing tattoos and T- shirts. Or the hot new tech could be used for its intended purpose: monitoring medical conditions.

This flexible light-emitting diode (LED) array uses many already existing materials and techniques to create a nano-sized, flexible patch of light. A team lead by John Rogers developed the array as a medical device; it could be implanted to serve as a readout for monitoring internal body conditions, like blood oxygenation or glucose levels, or it could turn on light-activated drugs. Read More >

Oct

2010

Dance, Fembot, Dance–Right Into the Uncanny Valley

Discover, October 18 2010.

The world’s first robot pop star, aka Divabot, made her debut last week at the Digital Contents Expo. Tech News Daily’s take on her:

The warbling robot, with the Star Wars-esque designation HRP-4C, stands at about five feet, two inches (1.58 meters) tall. It has the appearance of a young Japanese girl, although one admittedly wearing a RoboCop suit minus the helmet. Read More >

Oct

2010

Bone Bite Marks Suggest That T. Rex Dabbled in Cannibalism

Discover, October 18 2010.

New bone evidence suggests that Tyrannosaurus rex was not only a scavenger but also a cannibal. While researchers frequently find evidence of bites on bone fossils, Nicholas Longrich was surprised to find big, predator-sized tooth marks on T. rex bones–because the T. rex was the only large carnivore in the area, and therefore the only dinosaur who could have left those marks.

“These animals were some of the largest terrestrial carnivores of all time, and the way they approached eating was fundamentally different from modern species,” Longrich added. “There’s a big mystery around what and how they ate, and this research helps to uncover one piece of the puzzle.” Read More >

Oct

2010

Get Your Steampunk On: This Guy’s Building a Computer From 1837

Discover, October 15 2010.

What would you do with a spare $640,000? John Graham-Cunning would build a steam-powered computer invented in the 1830s. And instead of waiting around for this mysterious spare money to show up, he’s started soliciting donations. The plan: Raise the money by January 2011, build the analytical engine from Charles Babbage’s original design, then donate the machine to a museum. Graham-Cunning knows this idea sounds crazy, but it won’t deter him, as he wrote in an article for the O’Reilly Radar:

It might seem a folly to want to build a gigantic, relatively puny computer at great expense 170 years after its invention. But the message of a completed Analytical Engine is very clear: it’s possible to be 100 years ahead of your own time. Read More >

Oct

2010

NASA and Etsy Team Up to Get Their Space Craft(ing) On

Discover, October 15 2010.

NASA threw down the space-crafting gauntlet for Etsy crafters a few weeks ago, challenging them to create and submit their own NASA-inspired art:

Entrants share an original handmade item or work of art inspired by NASA and NASA’s programs, such as the Space Shuttle Program and human spaceflight, aeronautics, science and exploration of the universe.

The challenge is part of NASA’s effort to reach out to the female members of the younger generation; Etsy’s user base is 96 percent women, and most are under 35. The contest’s grand prize winner will get a $500 shopping spree on Etsy, and a trip to attend the launch of the space shuttle Endeavor in February 2011. Read More >

Oct

2010

2 New Ways to Kick Heroin: A High-Blocking Injection, a Long-Lasting Implant

Discover, October 15 2010.

Two new long-lasting options for treating opioid abuse could help heroin addicts avoid relapses. The new drugs solve a problem with the current treatments for opioid addiction.

These drugs, called methadone and buprenorphine, are really just replacement addictions, and their use needs to be closely monitored; patients take them daily at a clinic, because they can be abused by crushing up the pills and injecting them. Read More >

Oct

2010

What’s That Flavor? I Can’t Taste It Over All This Noise

Discover, October 14 2010.

White noise doesn’t just drown out other noises, it drowns out taste too, says research in the appropriately named Journal of Food Quality and Preference. This could help explain why airplane food tastes so bland, why we eat more with the TV on, and why space tourists need such strong beer, the study’s first author told BBC News:

“There’s a general opinion that aeroplane foods aren’t fantastic,” said Andy Woods, a researcher from Unilever’s laboratories and the University of Manchester. “I’m sure airlines do their best – and given that, we wondered if there are other reasons why the food would not be so good. One thought was perhaps the background noise has some impact.” Read More >

Oct

2010

Plastic Chemical BPA Is Officially Toxic in Canada

Discover, October 14 2010.

The Canadian government today declared bisphenol A, a chemical in plastics also known as BPA, to be toxic.

A scientific assessment of the impact of human and environmental exposure to bisphenol A has determined that this substance constitutes or may constitute a danger to human health and the environment.

The chemical has been linked to heart disease, impotence, and diabetes, while animal and cell culture experiments have shown that it can mimic the female hormone estrogen. It is found in some plastic containers, and some food cans are lined with it. While Canada is forging ahead, most other governments are dithering about whether or not the chemical poses a health threat. Read More >

Oct

2010

X Marks the Spot of a Dramatic Asteroid Collision

Discover, October 14 2010.

Out in the asteroid belt beyond Mars, two asteroids rendezvous-ed in the darkness, with explosive results. Atomic bomb level explosive. These two asteroids, one probably 400 feet wide and the other, smaller asteroid around 10 to 15 feet across, collided sometime in early 2009.

This is the first time we humans have observed an asteroid impact right after it has occurred, and the first time a resulting x-shape has been seen. Researchers aren’t sure what caused the novel shape, and they were surprised by how long the dust tail has lasted. The analysis of the finding, originally announced earlier this year, is published in Nature this week. Read More >