http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34280084/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/
In this article, a new form of touchscreen is discussed, which is based on circular 'coffee-stain'-like formations. These formations are caused by droplets of water or solvent with dye in them drying. The outer edge dries faster than the middle, causing currents in the water/solvent to push dye to the edge of the circle, depositing it in a ring. When this is done with silver or copper nanoparticles, the rings can conduct electricity, without them being too close together, which would make the touchscreen opaque. Using this, they can create touchscreens which are 95% transparent, and conduct electricity. The added bonus is that they can also generate a small amount of solar power, allowing the device to charge in the presence of light. It is not a very efficient charging mechanism, but it is certainly not a negative addition to the product. Apparently the touch screen industry is searching for alternatives to the current metal used to make them, so this could be a welcome addition to the lineup. In this article it describes the high electrical conductivity of these silver rings, which means they're definitely an efficient and effective means of creating new electronic touchscreen devices. This may not be a high priority technological breakthrough that will affect millions of people, such as breakthroughs in alternative methods of energy aside from fossil fuels, but it definitely is a good thing to research, because new electronics are always being developed, many of which have touchscreens. I was not able to find any information on whether this material would be any cheaper than the current metals used, but if the researchers are happy about the research, it will probably benefit consumers quite a bit, and any cheaper way to make better technology helps out the researchers and developers as well.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Journal 14 November 29
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=solar-power-costs-50-lower-than-las-2009-11
This article describes how the cost of renewable energy sources is becoming cheaper and cheaper. Solar energy should be about 50% cheaper at the end of this year than it was at the end of last year, and prices are expected to continue going down. Equipment for renewable energy sources keeps getting cheaper, and is expected to keep getting even cheaper, while the financing (which is more expensive at the moment) is also expected to get better. This obviously is great, there isn't a single bad thing about this news. As we run out of non-renewable energy sources, like fossil fuels, we're going to need to turn to renewable energy sources. This will also be better for the planet in general, since we won't be burning fossil fuels once they run out, and polluting everything. Energy sources such as solar energy don't produce hazardous waste, don't pollute, are efficient, and could produce a lot more energy than they do now if significant investments are put into them. The downside would be the space taken up by giant solar panels, windmills, et cetera. There are companies planning to put satellites into space which can harvest solar energy and beam it back to earth, though, such as the one discussed in this article. This would solve the space problem, and basically just be a win-win situation for everybody. There are other ways these renewable energy sources are moving forward, such as government incentives, which is even better, since they obviously realize that we need to move in that direction and are steadily trying to reach this goal. Hopefully with these continually decreasing costs, more power companies will invest in solar and wind energy, and we can move to cleaner, more efficient, renewable energy sources.
This article describes how the cost of renewable energy sources is becoming cheaper and cheaper. Solar energy should be about 50% cheaper at the end of this year than it was at the end of last year, and prices are expected to continue going down. Equipment for renewable energy sources keeps getting cheaper, and is expected to keep getting even cheaper, while the financing (which is more expensive at the moment) is also expected to get better. This obviously is great, there isn't a single bad thing about this news. As we run out of non-renewable energy sources, like fossil fuels, we're going to need to turn to renewable energy sources. This will also be better for the planet in general, since we won't be burning fossil fuels once they run out, and polluting everything. Energy sources such as solar energy don't produce hazardous waste, don't pollute, are efficient, and could produce a lot more energy than they do now if significant investments are put into them. The downside would be the space taken up by giant solar panels, windmills, et cetera. There are companies planning to put satellites into space which can harvest solar energy and beam it back to earth, though, such as the one discussed in this article. This would solve the space problem, and basically just be a win-win situation for everybody. There are other ways these renewable energy sources are moving forward, such as government incentives, which is even better, since they obviously realize that we need to move in that direction and are steadily trying to reach this goal. Hopefully with these continually decreasing costs, more power companies will invest in solar and wind energy, and we can move to cleaner, more efficient, renewable energy sources.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Journal 13 Nov 22
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18183-icy-moons-lakes-brim-with-hearty-soup-for-life.html
This is an article about the possibility of life developing on other masses in space, specifically Titan, a moon orbiting Saturn. There is no life currently there, but there are many liquid hydrocarbon lakes on Titan that contain a lot of acetylene, which could react with hydrogen in these lakes for added energy, and be food for cold-resistant organisms that could life in these lakes. It is -180 degrees Celsius on Titan, but life could evolve there regardless. It would definitely be interesting to witness evolution in action from our perspective, since life would start out with microorganisms. It would take millions of years for evolution to create any complex organisms, but if any type of life formed on another planet/moon and we found it, it would be an astonishingly huge discovery. So many people contemplate life in space and connecting with other forms of life that we haven't found yet, and an actual discovery of life would be huge. It would be very interesting to see how these life forms would live in such a vastly different environment, especially with temperatures being as low as they are. That would essentially change every part of an organism's physical structure, and the nutrients available to it in this environment. There probably isn't much else on Titan, since it is so cold there, but everything on Titan has to be made of some kind of elements/chemicals, all of which will interact in different ways than the stuff we're made out of does, so no one really can know how life would turn out on such a planet. The point is, though, that life could potentially develop there, and so there is direction for further space exploration in this field.
This is an article about the possibility of life developing on other masses in space, specifically Titan, a moon orbiting Saturn. There is no life currently there, but there are many liquid hydrocarbon lakes on Titan that contain a lot of acetylene, which could react with hydrogen in these lakes for added energy, and be food for cold-resistant organisms that could life in these lakes. It is -180 degrees Celsius on Titan, but life could evolve there regardless. It would definitely be interesting to witness evolution in action from our perspective, since life would start out with microorganisms. It would take millions of years for evolution to create any complex organisms, but if any type of life formed on another planet/moon and we found it, it would be an astonishingly huge discovery. So many people contemplate life in space and connecting with other forms of life that we haven't found yet, and an actual discovery of life would be huge. It would be very interesting to see how these life forms would live in such a vastly different environment, especially with temperatures being as low as they are. That would essentially change every part of an organism's physical structure, and the nutrients available to it in this environment. There probably isn't much else on Titan, since it is so cold there, but everything on Titan has to be made of some kind of elements/chemicals, all of which will interact in different ways than the stuff we're made out of does, so no one really can know how life would turn out on such a planet. The point is, though, that life could potentially develop there, and so there is direction for further space exploration in this field.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Journal 12 November 15
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33918160/ns/technology_and_science-space/
Water was found on the moon at the lunar south pole in the form of ice. Not a whole lot, the article says there was the equivalent of 12 2 gallon buckets of ice, but there is probably more, since it is obviously possible for water to form on the moon. This is very important to space exploration. If we can actually colonize the moon, there will not only be drinking water, but the water could be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen and used in rocket fuel. If we can get rocket fuel on the moon, ships would not have to carry fuel for the return trip if they're going to and from the moon, or they could refuel on the moon if they are going further than the moon. Apparently the Obama Administration is deciding whether to continue with NASA's program to put men back on the moon by 2020, and this could be a big deciding factor. There would be a lot more work to do involved with colonizing the moon, obviously. So this whole thing would take many years to progress and implement, but it could legitimately happen. A few months ago, the signature of water was found all over the moon, as described in this article. The find was very surprising to everyone involved, but it was simply the signature of light reflected by water found in the ground on the moon. The soil would be like sand from a desert, very dry but there's still actually some water in it. Scientists were convinced as soon as they found that signature, though, that they need to go back and investigate and see what they could find, and they did and were amazed. Space exploration could become a lot more advanced within our lifetimes, and beyond that timeframe I'm sure we will continue to push further and further to explore what we've never been able to.
Water was found on the moon at the lunar south pole in the form of ice. Not a whole lot, the article says there was the equivalent of 12 2 gallon buckets of ice, but there is probably more, since it is obviously possible for water to form on the moon. This is very important to space exploration. If we can actually colonize the moon, there will not only be drinking water, but the water could be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen and used in rocket fuel. If we can get rocket fuel on the moon, ships would not have to carry fuel for the return trip if they're going to and from the moon, or they could refuel on the moon if they are going further than the moon. Apparently the Obama Administration is deciding whether to continue with NASA's program to put men back on the moon by 2020, and this could be a big deciding factor. There would be a lot more work to do involved with colonizing the moon, obviously. So this whole thing would take many years to progress and implement, but it could legitimately happen. A few months ago, the signature of water was found all over the moon, as described in this article. The find was very surprising to everyone involved, but it was simply the signature of light reflected by water found in the ground on the moon. The soil would be like sand from a desert, very dry but there's still actually some water in it. Scientists were convinced as soon as they found that signature, though, that they need to go back and investigate and see what they could find, and they did and were amazed. Space exploration could become a lot more advanced within our lifetimes, and beyond that timeframe I'm sure we will continue to push further and further to explore what we've never been able to.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Journal 11, November 8
http://www.physorg.com/news176879161.html
This article discusses the possibility that Japan will launch a space station consisting of solar energy panels to harvest energy directly from the sun, in space, where the solar energy is more powerful, and beam it down to Earth with laser beams or microwaves. It sounds like a ridiculously difficult idea to make come to life, especially the part where they actually transport materials into space and construct this multiple square kilometer solar panel. Apparently Japan has been researching this since 1998, and recently selected many technological giants to participate in the project, so hopefully research is moving along nicely in Japan. This could be a plausible solution to energy difficulties, since solar energy isn't going to run out, and if it did, we wouldn't need the energy anyway because there wouldn't be a sun. Regardless, the solar energy is more powerful in space than it is within the atmosphere, so as long as they can figure out an effective method to transport the energy from the space station back to Earth and actually make use of it, then this seems like a great idea for energy. This article describes more about the idea, and goes in depth on cost and use of the energy. The $21 billion price tag of the project is pretty high up there, but over the course of this semester I've read about a lot of other projects that cost a lot of money and are much less useful. This space station could power 294,000 homes. The Japanese plan to test a small satellite with this technology by 2015, so this could also be done in a reasonable time frame, at least for this size of project.
This article discusses the possibility that Japan will launch a space station consisting of solar energy panels to harvest energy directly from the sun, in space, where the solar energy is more powerful, and beam it down to Earth with laser beams or microwaves. It sounds like a ridiculously difficult idea to make come to life, especially the part where they actually transport materials into space and construct this multiple square kilometer solar panel. Apparently Japan has been researching this since 1998, and recently selected many technological giants to participate in the project, so hopefully research is moving along nicely in Japan. This could be a plausible solution to energy difficulties, since solar energy isn't going to run out, and if it did, we wouldn't need the energy anyway because there wouldn't be a sun. Regardless, the solar energy is more powerful in space than it is within the atmosphere, so as long as they can figure out an effective method to transport the energy from the space station back to Earth and actually make use of it, then this seems like a great idea for energy. This article describes more about the idea, and goes in depth on cost and use of the energy. The $21 billion price tag of the project is pretty high up there, but over the course of this semester I've read about a lot of other projects that cost a lot of money and are much less useful. This space station could power 294,000 homes. The Japanese plan to test a small satellite with this technology by 2015, so this could also be done in a reasonable time frame, at least for this size of project.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Journal 10 November 1
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Space/wireStory?id=8944861
I haven't heard much about Russia's space program, but they did get a head start over us, so they do have experience with space exploration. This idea could be a major landmark in space exploration, since it could potentially put a man on Mars or other places in space farther out than the moon. It is nuclear powered, though, which could be very dangerous, and is very expensive. The article mentioned that the government was urged to find the money, not just spend it, so they probably don't even have the money to fit this into their budget. Lack of funding could delay the research and development and building of the ship, but maybe they will find a way to afford it. If they could put a man on Mars, we could learn all kinds of things about space and other planets. To make it to Mars, however, the fuel and power would not be the only issues that would need to be addressed. The astronauts would need food and water for however long that journey would take, which would probably be a long time. They would also need enough food and water for the journey back to Earth, and enough power to go both ways, which is a lot of energy. The research, development, and ship itself will already be very expensive, about 17 billion rubles ($600 million), and the cost to power the ship, feed the astronauts, and provide the gear to explore space and the planets they can land on would make that number even larger. If the Russians can manage a nuclear powered ship that can land a man on Mars, then it will definitely be a huge tool for space exploration. On the other hand, it does not appear to be an idea that would be affordable.
I haven't heard much about Russia's space program, but they did get a head start over us, so they do have experience with space exploration. This idea could be a major landmark in space exploration, since it could potentially put a man on Mars or other places in space farther out than the moon. It is nuclear powered, though, which could be very dangerous, and is very expensive. The article mentioned that the government was urged to find the money, not just spend it, so they probably don't even have the money to fit this into their budget. Lack of funding could delay the research and development and building of the ship, but maybe they will find a way to afford it. If they could put a man on Mars, we could learn all kinds of things about space and other planets. To make it to Mars, however, the fuel and power would not be the only issues that would need to be addressed. The astronauts would need food and water for however long that journey would take, which would probably be a long time. They would also need enough food and water for the journey back to Earth, and enough power to go both ways, which is a lot of energy. The research, development, and ship itself will already be very expensive, about 17 billion rubles ($600 million), and the cost to power the ship, feed the astronauts, and provide the gear to explore space and the planets they can land on would make that number even larger. If the Russians can manage a nuclear powered ship that can land a man on Mars, then it will definitely be a huge tool for space exploration. On the other hand, it does not appear to be an idea that would be affordable.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Journal 9, October 25
http://www.physorg.com/news175692544.html
This article is about gene therapy, and how it has been used to help children and adults who were classified as legally blind to see. Half of the patients improved enough to no longer be considered legally blind, some with exceptional results. A child who could only see light and shadows since he was born was able to see the color of his fathers eyes, and was able to play soccer with his father. This is a great advancement in the medical field, and is important for gene therapy as well. If diseases related to the retina and eyes can be fixed with gene therapy, other diseases could be improved or cured as well, with slightly different methods. Senses are something that most people take for granted, but not everyone is able to enjoy being able to see the world around them. Being able to improve the sight of children who were born legally blind is definitely something to be celebrated. It doesn't only help children, though, adults and teenagers participated in the research as well and showed good results. The best results were in the children, but some as old as 44 participated and still showed some results. This particular disease is age-dependent, though, and if action is to be taken it is best to do so before the damage to the retina progresses beyond the point of repair. If eyes can be fixed with gene therapy, then other things can, as well, and I think this is a great use of medicine and will benefit a lot of people.
This article is about gene therapy, and how it has been used to help children and adults who were classified as legally blind to see. Half of the patients improved enough to no longer be considered legally blind, some with exceptional results. A child who could only see light and shadows since he was born was able to see the color of his fathers eyes, and was able to play soccer with his father. This is a great advancement in the medical field, and is important for gene therapy as well. If diseases related to the retina and eyes can be fixed with gene therapy, other diseases could be improved or cured as well, with slightly different methods. Senses are something that most people take for granted, but not everyone is able to enjoy being able to see the world around them. Being able to improve the sight of children who were born legally blind is definitely something to be celebrated. It doesn't only help children, though, adults and teenagers participated in the research as well and showed good results. The best results were in the children, but some as old as 44 participated and still showed some results. This particular disease is age-dependent, though, and if action is to be taken it is best to do so before the damage to the retina progresses beyond the point of repair. If eyes can be fixed with gene therapy, then other things can, as well, and I think this is a great use of medicine and will benefit a lot of people.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Journal 8 October 18
http://www.physorg.com/news175092210.html
Chemists have recently discovered a way to make cheaper, more efficient fuel cells. They have found a way to create energy at higher temperatures, allowing different (and cheaper) metals to be used to do this. Platinum is currently used, which is very expensive, and different metals could reduce the overall cost of the fuel cells. Reactions occurring at higher temperatures will also happen significantly faster, increasing the rate at which the fuel cell creates energy, making it more efficient. So overall, we get a better, faster, and cheaper fuel cell. This is quite obviously a good thing, since energy is an incredibly valuable resource, and anything that will make it cheaper and more efficient should be embraced. The technology may not be ready to implement as soon as some people would like, but eventually this newer technology could be used to power vehicles, heat buildings, or be used in backup power supplies in case of emergencies. Creating alternate energy sources for vehicles is a great idea, as it would reduce pollution from combustion of fossil fuels. It also may add extra cost on to the vehicle to use fuel cells for power, but the driver wouldn't have to constantly buy gas for their car, so it would reduce the upkeep cost. Having more efficient means of power to use in emergency situations is great, as well, for obvious reasons. This article describes other advances in fuel cell research, overcoming problems with humidity, as water is necessary to make the fuel cells work. With this research going on as well, fuel cells are being improved greatly so that they work more efficiently, in more climates, and for cheaper costs. The Department of Energy gave the chemical engineers $1.5 million to advance the research, so it is definitely something that is being looked into as a major alternate energy source.
Chemists have recently discovered a way to make cheaper, more efficient fuel cells. They have found a way to create energy at higher temperatures, allowing different (and cheaper) metals to be used to do this. Platinum is currently used, which is very expensive, and different metals could reduce the overall cost of the fuel cells. Reactions occurring at higher temperatures will also happen significantly faster, increasing the rate at which the fuel cell creates energy, making it more efficient. So overall, we get a better, faster, and cheaper fuel cell. This is quite obviously a good thing, since energy is an incredibly valuable resource, and anything that will make it cheaper and more efficient should be embraced. The technology may not be ready to implement as soon as some people would like, but eventually this newer technology could be used to power vehicles, heat buildings, or be used in backup power supplies in case of emergencies. Creating alternate energy sources for vehicles is a great idea, as it would reduce pollution from combustion of fossil fuels. It also may add extra cost on to the vehicle to use fuel cells for power, but the driver wouldn't have to constantly buy gas for their car, so it would reduce the upkeep cost. Having more efficient means of power to use in emergency situations is great, as well, for obvious reasons. This article describes other advances in fuel cell research, overcoming problems with humidity, as water is necessary to make the fuel cells work. With this research going on as well, fuel cells are being improved greatly so that they work more efficiently, in more climates, and for cheaper costs. The Department of Energy gave the chemical engineers $1.5 million to advance the research, so it is definitely something that is being looked into as a major alternate energy source.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Journal 7 October 8
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33182077/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/
New technology is being developed for use in cars to detect and sound alerts when the driver is distracted or impaired. The technology can observe the driver's behavior and sound an alert and tug on the driver's seatbelt to notify them of obstacles. They can see obstacles in the road such as stopped traffic, and if the system thinks the driver hasn't noticed, it can alert them so they can stop instead of rear ending somebody. There is also technology in development that will read a driver's facial features for signs of fatigue or impairment, such as frequently closing their eyes. Some of these systems will flat out tell the driver to pull over and will continue to jerk the seatbelt until the driver pulls over and stops. A lot of these systems do similar things like look ahead with cameras and detect when the driver is drifting out of the lane they are in. Nissan is actually developing a system that will detect alcohol on the driver's breath and give a dashboard warning if the driver fails the test. If the driver then attempts to shift out of park, their skin will be tested and if they fail, the car will be locked in park. This technology is a great implementation to cars. It could greatly crack down on people driving while impaired, fatigued, or distracted. It won't stop people from doing it immediately, but it will help correct the behavior as it happens and teach people to pay more attention to the road. Of course, people don't have to pay the extra money to get these features installed, but the more cars with them, the better. In this article, the ignition interlock form of anti drunk driving is described. Basically, before the car will even start, the driver has to blow into a tube to have their blood alcohol level tested. If they fail, the car won't start. This is a great idea and should be implemented into more cars, as it would greatly reduce the drunk driving problem.
New technology is being developed for use in cars to detect and sound alerts when the driver is distracted or impaired. The technology can observe the driver's behavior and sound an alert and tug on the driver's seatbelt to notify them of obstacles. They can see obstacles in the road such as stopped traffic, and if the system thinks the driver hasn't noticed, it can alert them so they can stop instead of rear ending somebody. There is also technology in development that will read a driver's facial features for signs of fatigue or impairment, such as frequently closing their eyes. Some of these systems will flat out tell the driver to pull over and will continue to jerk the seatbelt until the driver pulls over and stops. A lot of these systems do similar things like look ahead with cameras and detect when the driver is drifting out of the lane they are in. Nissan is actually developing a system that will detect alcohol on the driver's breath and give a dashboard warning if the driver fails the test. If the driver then attempts to shift out of park, their skin will be tested and if they fail, the car will be locked in park. This technology is a great implementation to cars. It could greatly crack down on people driving while impaired, fatigued, or distracted. It won't stop people from doing it immediately, but it will help correct the behavior as it happens and teach people to pay more attention to the road. Of course, people don't have to pay the extra money to get these features installed, but the more cars with them, the better. In this article, the ignition interlock form of anti drunk driving is described. Basically, before the car will even start, the driver has to blow into a tube to have their blood alcohol level tested. If they fail, the car won't start. This is a great idea and should be implemented into more cars, as it would greatly reduce the drunk driving problem.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Journal 5 September 24
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/24/eye.microchip.wired/index.html
This article describes a microchip that will allow the blind to have some vision again. This could be an incredible invention if it makes it through the research and development process and is implemented. It would not be like having actual eyes and having full vision again, but it would be enough to see the world around them, recognize people, and be able to interact better with people and things in their immediate vicinity. Basically, the blind person would wear a pair of glasses with a small camera in them, which would send information to the microchip, which could send the information to the brain, bypassing the damaged eyes. This would not work for people who are blind due to issues with their brain, but at least fixing damaged eye blindness is a start, and a very impressive one at that. Helping someone to regain a lost sense is like reintroducing them to a part of the world they've been missing out on, and is definitely something great that science can do for people. This article from last year also describes the same type of microchip being developed, and also says there is little room for error in such a microchip, as it interacts directly with a human organ, so as long as data is transferred without problems, there isn't much else that could go wrong. Last year the chip was far along enough in development to allow test subjects to see patterns of light and dark, perceive motion, count things, and differentiate and locate large items around them. This was only a first generation device, and this particular researcher was working on a third generation device last year, so the development of this microchip is well on its way and looks like it will actually be available in the near future. This invention will change a lot of lives when it becomes available, and is definitely a good thing for scientists to be researching.
This article describes a microchip that will allow the blind to have some vision again. This could be an incredible invention if it makes it through the research and development process and is implemented. It would not be like having actual eyes and having full vision again, but it would be enough to see the world around them, recognize people, and be able to interact better with people and things in their immediate vicinity. Basically, the blind person would wear a pair of glasses with a small camera in them, which would send information to the microchip, which could send the information to the brain, bypassing the damaged eyes. This would not work for people who are blind due to issues with their brain, but at least fixing damaged eye blindness is a start, and a very impressive one at that. Helping someone to regain a lost sense is like reintroducing them to a part of the world they've been missing out on, and is definitely something great that science can do for people. This article from last year also describes the same type of microchip being developed, and also says there is little room for error in such a microchip, as it interacts directly with a human organ, so as long as data is transferred without problems, there isn't much else that could go wrong. Last year the chip was far along enough in development to allow test subjects to see patterns of light and dark, perceive motion, count things, and differentiate and locate large items around them. This was only a first generation device, and this particular researcher was working on a third generation device last year, so the development of this microchip is well on its way and looks like it will actually be available in the near future. This invention will change a lot of lives when it becomes available, and is definitely a good thing for scientists to be researching.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Journal 4 September 20
http://www.physorg.com/news172672409.html
Scientists have recently been able to assist rats with complete spinal injuries to walk again, or at least be able to walk with the assistance of equipment and drugs. The scientists administered drugs that affect serotonin, and also administered electricity to the area of the spinal cord below the injury, and a certain part of the brain that allows for rhythmic motion of the legs (not quite walking, but "stepping") was activated, and the rats were able to walk on a treadmill. With regular exercise, they were able to not only walk, but they could walk backwards, sideways, and could run. This could lead to some amazing breakthroughs medically, and could inspire hope for people who have spinal injuries and are unable to walk. It would take time and research to be able to make the devices necessary mobile and cheap enough for someone to afford, but in time this could help people with crippling injuries walk again. If a way could be found to create these electrical currents without the assistance of researchers, such as a device that could strap to the injured person's back and apply the current, then it may be more plausible to say that this could be a legitimate project to deal with debilitating injuries. This discovery may not be everything it seems, though. The part of the brain that is tapped into in the experiment allows the rats to "step" but not walk as they used to. It is more of an automated rhythm generated by the brain and not a conscious effort to actually walk in the desired direction. There has been other research on the topic of spinal cord injuries, as well, like regenerating the axons of the spinal cord that are damaged or destroyed, such as in this article. These types of research combined could probably help a lot more than each one individually, although they deal with different types of treatment. If the spinal cord is repaired, there isn't really a need to bypass it to get the legs to walk without connection to the brain.
Scientists have recently been able to assist rats with complete spinal injuries to walk again, or at least be able to walk with the assistance of equipment and drugs. The scientists administered drugs that affect serotonin, and also administered electricity to the area of the spinal cord below the injury, and a certain part of the brain that allows for rhythmic motion of the legs (not quite walking, but "stepping") was activated, and the rats were able to walk on a treadmill. With regular exercise, they were able to not only walk, but they could walk backwards, sideways, and could run. This could lead to some amazing breakthroughs medically, and could inspire hope for people who have spinal injuries and are unable to walk. It would take time and research to be able to make the devices necessary mobile and cheap enough for someone to afford, but in time this could help people with crippling injuries walk again. If a way could be found to create these electrical currents without the assistance of researchers, such as a device that could strap to the injured person's back and apply the current, then it may be more plausible to say that this could be a legitimate project to deal with debilitating injuries. This discovery may not be everything it seems, though. The part of the brain that is tapped into in the experiment allows the rats to "step" but not walk as they used to. It is more of an automated rhythm generated by the brain and not a conscious effort to actually walk in the desired direction. There has been other research on the topic of spinal cord injuries, as well, like regenerating the axons of the spinal cord that are damaged or destroyed, such as in this article. These types of research combined could probably help a lot more than each one individually, although they deal with different types of treatment. If the spinal cord is repaired, there isn't really a need to bypass it to get the legs to walk without connection to the brain.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Journal 3, September 10
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17770-mighty-mouse-takes-off--thanks-to-magnets.html
This article is about scientists studying the effects of zero gravity on mice to see what effects extended exposure to zero gravity could have on astronauts. The scientists use a super powerful magnet to levitate a mouse, which works because the magnetic field is so strong it distorts the movement of electrons in water molecules, creating an opposing magnetic field which causes the mouse to float. I think it is absolutely ridiculous that we have technology like this. I suppose when scientists have the ability to cool things to just a few degrees above absolute zero, as in this experiment, and making superconducting magnets some pretty crazy things can happen. It seems like they were skeptical of the magnet's ability to levitate a mouse, even though it had been done with strawberries and frogs before, but it obviously worked very well, for hours at a time. I had no idea magnetic fields could even do anything close to make living beings levitate and float around, but technology has come a long way.
If the magnets have any health effects on the mice, though, it would be difficult to distinguish between those effects and the effects of zero gravity, which is the intended purpose of this, not just to make mice float around their cages. The article says that rats exposed to a magnetic field just over half the strength of this one suffered no ill effects, however, so this could be very useful in understanding what happens to astronauts when they stay in space for long periods of time. It even says that the mice got used to zero gravity pretty quickly, spending hours floating around, even eating and drinking, after the initial terror of floating off the ground without expecting to do so. Understanding the changes that happen in astronauts bodies in space could help us to prevent unwanted health effects, and possibly explore more of space than we have been able to before. There are obviously still a large number of factors that do not allow us to do that, such as astronauts needing food for the entire trip, and obviously not being able to resupply until they return. This is a step in the right direction, though, space is a vast frontier that we have explored very little of, and there are an infinite number of possibilities as to what could be out there.
This article is about scientists studying the effects of zero gravity on mice to see what effects extended exposure to zero gravity could have on astronauts. The scientists use a super powerful magnet to levitate a mouse, which works because the magnetic field is so strong it distorts the movement of electrons in water molecules, creating an opposing magnetic field which causes the mouse to float. I think it is absolutely ridiculous that we have technology like this. I suppose when scientists have the ability to cool things to just a few degrees above absolute zero, as in this experiment, and making superconducting magnets some pretty crazy things can happen. It seems like they were skeptical of the magnet's ability to levitate a mouse, even though it had been done with strawberries and frogs before, but it obviously worked very well, for hours at a time. I had no idea magnetic fields could even do anything close to make living beings levitate and float around, but technology has come a long way.
If the magnets have any health effects on the mice, though, it would be difficult to distinguish between those effects and the effects of zero gravity, which is the intended purpose of this, not just to make mice float around their cages. The article says that rats exposed to a magnetic field just over half the strength of this one suffered no ill effects, however, so this could be very useful in understanding what happens to astronauts when they stay in space for long periods of time. It even says that the mice got used to zero gravity pretty quickly, spending hours floating around, even eating and drinking, after the initial terror of floating off the ground without expecting to do so. Understanding the changes that happen in astronauts bodies in space could help us to prevent unwanted health effects, and possibly explore more of space than we have been able to before. There are obviously still a large number of factors that do not allow us to do that, such as astronauts needing food for the entire trip, and obviously not being able to resupply until they return. This is a step in the right direction, though, space is a vast frontier that we have explored very little of, and there are an infinite number of possibilities as to what could be out there.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Journal 2, September 3
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/02/wireless.electricity/index.html
This article describes ways in which technology is advancing to bring wireless power to a new level. We already do have the ability to send electricity wirelessly, but it is not very efficient at this time, and that's what scientists are trying to improve. This could end up being expensive for consumers, since the technology itself is more expensive to research, develop, implement, and produce. It would bring a new level of convenience to electronics, though. For example, you could have one power pad to charge multiple electronics in your house, or simply drive an electric car into a garage fitted with a charger as stated in the article, as opposed to plugging these things in. The way society is progressing, people who can afford it are generally in favor of things like this, it brings more convenience to their every day lives. In the article, it also says that this technology may not increase the cost of things such as cell phones and mp3 players by much, although it would go up. The majority of people own these devices, at least a cell phone, and this technology would be widely popular if it were developed effectively. Wireless technology is already a big part of the technological world, as described in this article. The article talks mainly about use of devices without cords, not specifically charging them without cords. The fact that so many people already use this technology, support it, and are helped by it means that providing wireless power sources and even more convenience would definitely not be a bad thing. This could also be very environmentally friendly, especially if a solution for electric cars can be worked out. If people can charge things wirelessly, though, they won't need batteries, which just get thrown out when they're dead, creating trash that is far from biodegradable. In the more distant future, perhaps we could progress to electric cars with the assistance of this technology, which would reduce pollution greatly and probably be cheaper for people driving these cars.
This article describes ways in which technology is advancing to bring wireless power to a new level. We already do have the ability to send electricity wirelessly, but it is not very efficient at this time, and that's what scientists are trying to improve. This could end up being expensive for consumers, since the technology itself is more expensive to research, develop, implement, and produce. It would bring a new level of convenience to electronics, though. For example, you could have one power pad to charge multiple electronics in your house, or simply drive an electric car into a garage fitted with a charger as stated in the article, as opposed to plugging these things in. The way society is progressing, people who can afford it are generally in favor of things like this, it brings more convenience to their every day lives. In the article, it also says that this technology may not increase the cost of things such as cell phones and mp3 players by much, although it would go up. The majority of people own these devices, at least a cell phone, and this technology would be widely popular if it were developed effectively. Wireless technology is already a big part of the technological world, as described in this article. The article talks mainly about use of devices without cords, not specifically charging them without cords. The fact that so many people already use this technology, support it, and are helped by it means that providing wireless power sources and even more convenience would definitely not be a bad thing. This could also be very environmentally friendly, especially if a solution for electric cars can be worked out. If people can charge things wirelessly, though, they won't need batteries, which just get thrown out when they're dead, creating trash that is far from biodegradable. In the more distant future, perhaps we could progress to electric cars with the assistance of this technology, which would reduce pollution greatly and probably be cheaper for people driving these cars.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Journal 1, August 30
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/08/28/hurricanes.gates.gray/index.html
As soon as I went to CNN's technology news page, the top story instantly stood out at me. This article is about Bill Gates and other scientists attempting to invent something to control ocean temperatures during hurricane season to weaken hurricanes. This invention seems very impractical, considering the economic uncertainty discussed briefly in the article. If this invention was put in place, and no hurricanes formed that year, a lot of money would be spent to do basically nothing. However, if it could actually weaken a hurricane and reduce the damage done when the storm hits land, it could be a groundbreaking invention.
This isn't the first instance of controlling the weather the world has seen, though. According to this article, China has done work with creating clouds in order to make it rain, usually the day before an important event, so that the skies will be clear and blue for the event, as opposed to rainy. Weather control is a powerful creation, if you ask me. The invention Bill Gates is creating is different, though. The Chinese attempt to control the weather in order to boost morale/public opinion by essentially creating a better atmosphere for important events. Bill Gates is attempting to tame Mother Nature, though, and prevent damage from hurricanes. This venture is amazing, and I think that important things like this should happen in the world. It will take time to develop anything of this magnitude, but the human race has the capacity to do great things like this, and more and more inventions and discoveries are coming up that would've been though insane and ridiculous years ago. Overall, I think this particular invention is impractical, given the information in the article. Considering it could be very expensive, and would probably not eliminate the hurricane, or affect the outer areas, but weaken the center, it could be very useful, but might not be the best thing to invest money in. On the other hand, Bill Gates is the kind of person who could put that kind of money into something like this, so I think it's great that inventions like this are coming about and the human race is progressing, and creating whatever can be fathomed with the resources we have.
As soon as I went to CNN's technology news page, the top story instantly stood out at me. This article is about Bill Gates and other scientists attempting to invent something to control ocean temperatures during hurricane season to weaken hurricanes. This invention seems very impractical, considering the economic uncertainty discussed briefly in the article. If this invention was put in place, and no hurricanes formed that year, a lot of money would be spent to do basically nothing. However, if it could actually weaken a hurricane and reduce the damage done when the storm hits land, it could be a groundbreaking invention.
This isn't the first instance of controlling the weather the world has seen, though. According to this article, China has done work with creating clouds in order to make it rain, usually the day before an important event, so that the skies will be clear and blue for the event, as opposed to rainy. Weather control is a powerful creation, if you ask me. The invention Bill Gates is creating is different, though. The Chinese attempt to control the weather in order to boost morale/public opinion by essentially creating a better atmosphere for important events. Bill Gates is attempting to tame Mother Nature, though, and prevent damage from hurricanes. This venture is amazing, and I think that important things like this should happen in the world. It will take time to develop anything of this magnitude, but the human race has the capacity to do great things like this, and more and more inventions and discoveries are coming up that would've been though insane and ridiculous years ago. Overall, I think this particular invention is impractical, given the information in the article. Considering it could be very expensive, and would probably not eliminate the hurricane, or affect the outer areas, but weaken the center, it could be very useful, but might not be the best thing to invest money in. On the other hand, Bill Gates is the kind of person who could put that kind of money into something like this, so I think it's great that inventions like this are coming about and the human race is progressing, and creating whatever can be fathomed with the resources we have.
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