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Replacement Bladders Work Effectively
2008-05-20 21:57:00
Popular Science reports on new artificial bladders made by a company named Tengion. The bladders are grown on biodegradable scaffolds using the patient's own cells, collected via a biopsy from the patients natural bladder. According to the report, the neo-bladders created and implanted during their testing, after re-implantation, grew to the same size as the original bladders and functioned effectively. The company hopes to start clinical trials in 2009. Hopefully the company will be able to extend this technology effectively to other organs, allowing the growing of replacement organs for which people currently have to spend time on a waiting list for donors.
More About: Work

New Process Improves Cost, Usefulness of Titanium
2008-05-20 17:30:00
Researchers working with the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have devised a new system for creating objects using titanium powder that could dramatically reduce the cost of using the material. The process uses considerably less energy for constructing parts from titanium powders because it does not involve having to melt the powders. The researchers see new applications in armor for soldiers and vehicles, new alloys for brake rotors, more durable artificial join replacements, and more. The clearest gain is in armor for military vehicles. The titanium alloy armors do a much better job of stopping bullets and shrapnel, but are also lighter. By being lighter, the vehicles become more responsive and mobile, making them more useful to the military. And obviously, by stopping more bullets, the vehicles are clearly more useful to the soldiers inside. Similarly, new corrosion-resistant alloys could make their way into automobiles, making them lighter and more re...
More About: Cost , Process , Titanium

Texas Oilman Bets on Wind
2008-05-20 17:22:00
T. Boone Pickens, a billionaire Texas oilman, thinks that the U.S. needs to reduce its dependence on oil. That's why he's putting billions of dollars of his own money into building down in Texas what will be the largest wind farm in the world. Pickens is starting with 600 wind turbines from GE which will be capable of producing a gigawatt of energy. This is the first stage of a massive project to build a four gigawatt network of wind turbines by 2015. In some areas, people object to wind turbines because they think they are ugly and detract from the natural beauty. Personally, I like them, as I see them as a sign of progress and advancement. For the local farmers down in Texas, though, Pickens plan brings something better... money. Each wind turbine that a farmer puts on his or her land brings in approximately $20,000 per year in royalties. My favorite part of this CNN story is the last paragraph, where Pickens says, "But we are going to have to do something different in A...
More About: Wind , Bets

Boeing Fires High-Energy Chemical Laser
2008-05-19 23:44:00
According to a report from the New Mexico Business Weekly, Boeing has for the first time fired its high-energy laser weapon from a C-130H aircraft, demonstrating its ability to precisely hit targets on the ground with minimal collateral damage. I haven't seen any video footage of the event, but that's okay. I saw the movie a long time ago. One has to wonder if they went through extra precautions to make sure that Val Kilmer was nowhere near the site of their test....
More About: Laser , Energy , High , Fires

Are You Sure That Avatar You're Talking to in Second Life is a Person?
2008-05-19 16:40:00
From the Associated Press comes an article yesterday about how researchers at Rensselaer Polytech have created an artificial intelligence that can operate a Second Life avatar. The avatar even has a name, Edd Hifeng. Edd has a limited ability to converse, but what really makes this AI entity interesting is its ability to make inferences. In one example, Edd witnessed a different avatar switching a gun from one briefcase to another. Edd was able to infer that another avatar not currently in the room would believe the gun to still be in the first briefcase. It may seem fairly simple to you and me, but this ability to make inferences has long been a weakness of artificial intelligence. Bridging this gap is a big step toward creating artificially intelligent entities. I'm all in favor of this type of research into artificial intelligence, as long as it can be done responsibly. As a software developer myself, I do have some concerns about the days when computers become smarter t...
More About: Second Life , Talking , Avatar , Person

Obesity Promotes Global Warming...?
2008-05-19 05:46:00
As if those of us who are overweight needed another reason to feel bad about that fact, it seems that we're also helping cause global warming. How? According to an article quoted by John Tierney over at the New York Times the obese population consumes 18% more calories than the general population. And because we weigh more, it takes more energy to transport us in vehicles. Thus global warming. That's all I'm going to write about that for now. I have to go do some sit-ups....
More About: Global Warming , Obesity , Global

Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Breast Cancer Risk
2008-05-16 20:25:00
From the L.A. Times and Mount Sinai Hospital comes a report that breast cancer patients who had below-normal levels of vitamin D when diagnosed were a staggering 94% more likely to have their cancer metastasize, and 73% more likely to die within 10 years of diagnosis. These results are preliminary and it is far too early for doctors to begin advising women to take vitamin D to help combat cancer. That said, striving for 100% of the daily recommended amount would be wise anyway. Vitamin D has a number of beneficial effects on the body, although taking too much can also cause problems. The best form of vitamin D, D3, is produced naturally in the body due to exposure to sunlight, and is considered the most useful form. So spending more time in the sunlight may have beneficial effects for helping fight breast cancer or preventing its spread. But be careful not to get skin cancer from over-exposure!
More About: Cancer , Breast Cancer , Breast , Risk

Robotic Exoskeletons
2008-05-16 19:09:00
From CNN comes news of a robotic exoskeleton being developed for the military. This isn't the first time I've seen reports about the military's plans for this sort of thing, but it is the first time I've seen an advanced demonstration and up-to-date information. Technology like this could go a long way toward keeping our soldiers alive in dangerous situations, but it could also do more. Imagine if a group of a hundred or a thousand relief workers equipped with this technology could be deployed following a major disaster, such as the recent earthquake in China. Combing through the rubble in a powered exoskeleton would be much faster, and could save a large number of lives by getting to trapped people sooner.
More About: Robotic

Happy Birthday, Laser
2008-05-16 18:47:00
Forty-eight years ago today, Theodore Maiman used a synthetic ruby to create the world's first laser. Maiman didn't invent the theory, but he did build the first working laser. A number of brilliant minds have worked on laser technology over the past half-century, and without them we wouldn't have such things as DVD players, laser eye surgery, laser range-finders, laser welding, or optical computer mice. Sometimes it still amazes me how a single scientific or technological advance can lead to such great advances in our understanding of the universe and our quality of life.
More About: Laser , Happy , Birthday , Happy Birthday

Blog Purpose
2008-05-13 16:28:00
When I first launched this blog a couple of years ago, I began by compiling daily science/tech/future/space/medical news and summarizing them here. Then I discovered that there were other blogs that were doing the same thing, often better. So I shifted the focus of this blog to have fewer, higher-quality (in my mind) posts of original, often educational, content. But over the past several months, a couple of the blogs that were aggregating the latest cool news seem to have disappeared. I keep waiting for them to come back, but they haven't. So I'm wondering, should I start doing that again, or is that a service that's even in demand? Is it beneficial to you to go to a blog that aggregates that kind of stuff so you don't have to go look for it in a hundred places yourself? Please let me know your opinion as to what you think this blog should focus on going forward.
More About: Blog , Purpose

WorldWide Telescope
2008-05-13 16:25:00
In case you missed it, Microsoft released its WorldWide Telescope software for free yesterday. This is an application that combines their Photosynth technology with astronomy images and data to create an interactive view of the universe around us. It's a pretty cool application, and even cooler that they released it for free. Check it out.
More About: Worldwide

Answering Fermi
2008-05-12 21:43:00
In a post last year, I talked about the Drake Equation (for predicting the number of intelligent species in the galaxy). In that post, I also mentioned the Fermi paradox, which begs the question, if there are as many intelligent species in the galaxy as the Drake Equation seems to predict, then where are they all? Theoretical answers to the question have been proposed and, in many cases, explored through science fiction, and I'm going to discuss them further here. Really, the possible answers to the Fermi paradox fall into one of two categories: There is no other intelligent life in the universe They're out there, but we haven't found them yet Each of these two categories has several sub-examples that might be applicable. In the first case, the most obvious answer might be that we are, in fact, the only intelligent life in the universe. Scientifically this answer is both unplausible and unpalatable. We know that conditions in our universe are right for the formation of l...

Dd the Earth Move for You, Baby?
2008-04-18 15:23:00
When I woke up at 4:37 CDT this morning, I knew instantly what was going on in spite of the facts that (a) I had just woken up from a deep sleep; (b) We don't get a lot of earthquakes in Indiana; and (c) that was the strongest earthquake I've ever personally experienced. So I hopped out of bed while the doors were still rattling and went downstairs to my computer, where I immediately went to the USGS' Earth quakes site. It took a while for their data and map to catch up, but I eventually got confirmation of a 5.2 earthquake, the strongest we've had in this area in about 40 years. If you've read this blog in the past or if you look back through the archives, you'll know that I spend a lot of time harping on people to contribute to science in whatever way they can. Well, I had forgotten about this until today, but the USGS has a way you can contribute in events like this. On the Earthquakes site, there is a link called "Did You Feel It?" which you can click on to report how ...
More About: Baby , Move

Virgle
2008-04-03 05:52:00
Every year on April's Fools Day, there are a number of great jokes that appear on the internet, but Google usually has some of the best. And this year was no exception. In case you missed it, one of their "announcements" yesterday involved a joint venture with Richard Branson's Virgin Group called Virgle. Virgle's goal? The colonization of Mars! It's pretty entertaining. My favorite part is the application to be a "Virgle Pioneer."

A Giant Loss
2008-03-19 16:25:00
The world lost one if its true giants today. I'm talking, of course, about Arthur C. Clarke: author, futurist, scientist, and inventor. And it's safe to say that he will be not only missed but celebrated for his contributions to our modern world. After World War II, Clarke authored a series of scientific articles proposing the use of geosynchronous orbit (GEO = 36,000 km above the equator) for telecommunications satellites. As a result, this orbit is commonly called the "Clarke Orbit," and the communications satellites there have allowed such things as international calling, satellite television, and satellite radio. Without those satellites (still the most profitable business in space) the Internet would be a very different place. Best known for his writings, Clarke believed that his true legacy would be popularizing the concept of the space elevator. And, of course, the title of this blog comes from one of his sayings (see above). His contributions to society were great,...
More About: Giant , Loss

Endeavour Launches Tonight
2008-03-10 22:40:00
Space Shuttle Endeavour launches tonight or early tomorrow morning, depending on what time zone you live in. The launch is scheduled for 2:28 AM EDT (1:28 AM here in the Central time zone) which means this will be the first launch in quite a while I have not watched live online. This is a major mission, the longest duration flight to the ISS so far at 16 days. Over the course of the mission, the Japanese Kibo laboratory module will be added to the space station, along with a newer, improved robotic arm system (with two arms and fine manipulator "hands") from the Canadian Space Agency. Additionally, Endeavour will be delivering Garrett Reisman for a stay aboard the ISS as part of Expedition 16 and will bring European astronaut Leopold Eyharts home from the space station. Forecasters are projecting a ninety percent chance of good weather, and no problems have been indicated as of now, nine hours before the launch.
More About: Tonight

Grand Challenges Revisited
2008-02-27 22:55:00
A while back, I posted about the National Academy of Engineering's quest to decide what the Grand Engineering Challenges for the 21st century are. As a refresher, users were asked to submit their ideas, and a panel of experts would consider the suggestions and pick the ones they believe were the truly great challenges that need to be resolved. Well, the experts have spoken, and the list has been narrowed to fourteen challenges: Make solar energy economical Provide energy from fusion Develop carbon sequestration methods Manage the nitrogen cycle Provide access to clean water Restore and improve urban infrastructure Advance health informatics Engineer better medicines Reverse-engineer the brain Prevent nuclear terror Secure cyberspace Enhance virtual reality Advance personalized learning Engineer the tools of scientific discovery The Grand Challenges site has lots of great information about each of these challenges, and I urge you to take a look for yourself.

Is Science Faith-Based?
2008-02-19 15:53:00
Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, has a new post highlighting the differences between science and faith. And he does a much better job, in my opinon, than I did.
More About: Science , Faith

Atlantis Reaches Space
2008-02-07 20:51:00
The weather turned out to be benign (at least at Cape Canaveral) and the fuel sensors worked successfully, allowing Atlantis to launch on-time at 2:45 PM EST. The shuttle reached space several minutes later and is on its way to the International Space Station carrying the Columbus science laboratory (Europe's single largest contribution to the station). Columbus is about 23 feet long and 15 feet wide, allowing it to hold 10 "racks" of experiments, each approximately the size of a phone booth. Five NASA racks will be added to the laboratory once it is in orbit. Each rack provides independent controls for power and cooling, as well as communication links to earthbound controllers and researchers. These links will allow scientists all over Europe to participate in their own experiments in space from several user centers and, in some cases, even from their own work locations.

Atlantis Passes Fuel Sensor Checks; to Launch at 2:45 PM EST
2008-02-07 20:36:00
Space Shuttle Atlantis passed all checks on the low-fuel sensors that failed in December, prompting NASA's two-month delay. The shuttle is due to launch in just a few minutes, at 2:45 PM EST, if the weather holds.
More About: Fuel , Launch , Sensor

PlanetQuest Update
2008-01-25 14:59:00
Laurence Doyle posted a new update early this morning on PlanetQuest , saying: I applied for the NASA Kepler Science Team and included PlanetQuest as the educational component of the proposal. I proposed to find planets in the multiple star systems that Kepler observes and won the proposal. So, there will be NASA Kepler spacecraft data in the PlanetQuest Collaboratory (we'll divvy it up evenly) to look for planets in. What is amazing about these data is that the precision will be 100 times anything achieved on Earth -- that is, the detection of Earth-sized planets around Sunlike stars will be possible. So this seems like good news for both Dr. Doyle's PlanetQuest efforts and the Kepler Mission, both of which are projects that I've been interested in for a very long time. Now, if PlanetQuest can just get their software out the door and into my grubby little hands....
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Launch Postponed
2007-12-07 00:13:00
So the weather was perfect, but the shuttle wasn't. Two of four low-level fuel sensors on the Atlantis' external fuel tank malfunctioned, prompting a delay of at least 24 hours. Hopefully they'll get things fixed and launch the shuttle tomorrow. 12/07/2007 8:09 AM - UPDATE: It's not going to be today, either. NASA is going to spend a little time trying to figure out how to fix the wiring to the sensors. If they can't come up with a solution quickly, they may just launch tomorrow, anyway. These sensors are redundant systems, so not having them won't impact the launch unless the primary systems fail.
More About: Launch

Shuttle Launch Tomorrow
2007-12-05 23:37:00
So you probably know by now, but Atlantis is due to launch tomorrow at 4:31 pm EST (3:31 pm here in the Midwest) carrying the European Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station. The weather looks good, so barring any unforseen complications, the next step in space-borne science should be getting underway pretty soon.
More About: Launch , Tomorrow , Shuttle , Morrow , Tomo

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grade Chimp?
2007-12-04 15:45:00
Researchers from Kyoto University's Primate Research Institute created a working memory task that involved displaying a series of numbers on the screen for a fraction of a second then covering them with boxes. The subjects (chimps and university students) were tasked to touch the white squares in the correct numerical order. What they discovered was that the nine university students performed progressively worse as the time the numbers were visible decreased from 0.6 seconds to 0.21 seconds, as they had expected. The explanation is that humans cannot scan the screen fast enough to see and mentally record all of the numbers. One of the two chimps in the study, Ai, demonstrated the same results. The other chimp, seven-year-old Ayumu, however, demonstrated no decreased ability as the time interval shrank. In other words, Ayumu actually performed better on this task than any of the students. The students' performance was on par with Ai, the older chimp. Is it possible that ...

Recent Inactivity
2007-11-15 20:16:00
Okay, I know I haven't been blogging much lately. I've been extremely busy with work and a new business venture, but I am going to make an attempt to pick up the activity on this blog. I've been trying to write more feature-type entries and do less of just re-posting other people's news. Hopefully, I can put pressure on myself to write more by doing things like signing up for a Technorati Profile.
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Failed Predictions
2007-11-03 16:00:00
"Difficult to see... always in motion is the future." - Yoda, Empire Strikes Back The future is hard to predict accurately. Some of the smartest people who've ever lived have tried their hands at it and failed miserably. To illustrate that, a poster on The List Universe recently posted a list of the Top 30 Failed Technology Predict ions . It's pretty interesting to see some of the predictions that have been proven wrong over the years.

Occam's Razor
2007-10-03 17:18:00
entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem For those of you who don't read Latin, that translates as "entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity," and it's one of the most important concepts of logical thinking - Occam's Razor . Occam's Razor (also known as Ockham's Razor, since it was named after William of Ockham, the 14th century Franciscan monk who first postulated it) is more commonly phrased as, "all other things being equal, the simplest answer tends to be the right one." This is usually applied when multiple theories are used to describe a situation; the theory that makes the fewest assumptions and the fewest entities tends to be the most accurate theory. One of the main reasons we prefer simpler theories (according to philosopher Sir Karl Popper) is because simpler theories apply more broadly than complext theories, and thus they are more easily tested (and refuted). Since valid scientific theories can never be proven, only disproven, a theory that c...

Hey Buddy, Wanna Be an Astronomy Researcher (Again)?
2007-09-17 21:51:00
Back in January, I posted my first Hey Buddy ... post, introducing a service called systemic that allowed amateurs (like you and me) to contribute to astronomical research. I bring this up now to introduce a new program that will allow amateurs and school children to participate in a project to help map star visibility. The program, known as the Great World Wide Star Count, allows citizen scientists and school children to record their observations of various constellations during the period of October 1-15. The event, which is free and open to everyone who wants to participate, is organized by the Windows to the Universe project at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), in conjunction with planetariums and scientific societies across the country and abroad. Funding is provided by the National Science Foundation. Bright outdoor lighting at night is a growing problem for astronomical observing programs around the world. By searching for the same constellations,...
More About: Astronomy

Garage Researcher Makes Possible Breakthrough Discovery
2007-09-12 15:37:00
If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I try to highlight opportunities for amateurs to help make advances in science and technology. A lot of people may think that the days of amateurs working on research in their basements or garages and making major discoveries is long past. Those people would apparently be wrong. John Kanzius was trying to find a way to use radio frequencies to de-salinate saltwater more efficiently when he stumbled upon something rather surprising: the right combination of radio frequencies applied to the water caused the molecular bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen to weaken, releasing hydrogen gas. In other words, Kanzius found a way to allow salt water to become flammable. The results were confirmed by Rustum Roy, a Penn State University chemist, and now Roy is seeking funding for the Department of Defense to conduct research into the possibility of using saltwater--one of the most abundant and easily accessible resources on th...
More About: Garage , Discovery , Discover , Disc , Ossi

We're Here... Where are They?
2007-08-20 20:12:00
If, as some science-fiction novels and movies would have us believe, the universe is teeming with intelligent aliens, that begs the question: where are they? If they're out there, why haven't they come to visit us yet (and please, for the love of God, don't refer me to stories of alien abductions and UFOs)? That question has been pondered many times over the years (most famously by Enrico Fermi in 1950), by many scientists far smarter than a lowly computer geek like me. The heart of the matter comes down to one question: just how common is intelligent life? In 1960, Dr. Frank Drake proposed a method for estimating the number of intelligent species present in the galaxy by use of a mathematical equation, as follows: N = R* x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x L Okay, you're saying, but what the heck does that mean? Well, N is the number of intelligent alien species currently in our galaxy with which we might hope to be able to communicate. R* is the average rate of star formation i...