Menu

Blog

Page 11221

May 3, 2016

Brain Cells Divide The Work To Recognize Bodies

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Specific regions of the brain are specialized in recognizing bodies of animals and human beings. By measuring the electrical activity per cell, scientists from KU Leuven, Belgium, and the University of Glasgow have shown that the individual brain cells in these areas do different things. Their response to specific contours or body shapes is very selective.

Facial recognition has already been the subject of much research. But what happens when we cannot recognize an animal or a human being on the basis of a face, but only have other body parts to go on? The mechanism behind this recognition process is uncharted territory for neuroscientists, says Professor Rufin Vogels of the KU Leuven Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology.

“Previous research in monkeys has shown that small areas in the temporal lobes — the parts of the brain near the temples — are activated when the monkeys look at bodies instead of objects or faces. Brain scans tell us that these regions of the brain correspond to the ones activated in human beings. But that only tells us which regions are active, not which information about bodies is passed on by their cells.”

Read more

May 3, 2016

Watch immune cells ‘glue’ broken blood vessels back together

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, neuroscience

Very cool!


As we age, tiny blood vessels in the brain stiffen and sometimes rupture, causing “microbleeds.” This damage has been associated with neurodegenerative diseases and cognitive decline, but whether the brain can naturally repair itself beyond growing new blood-vessel tissue has been unknown. A zebrafish study published on May 3 in Immunity describes for the first time how white blood cells called macrophages can grab the broken ends of a blood vessel and stick them back together.

“Microbleeding occurs very often in the human brain, particularly in elderly people,” says Lingfei Luo, a developmental geneticist at Southwest University in China. “We believe that this macrophage behavior is the major cellular mechanism to repair ruptures of blood vessels and avoid microbleeding in the brain.”

To simulate a human brain microbleed, Luo and his colleagues shot lasers into the brains of live zebrafish to rupture small blood vessels, creating a clean split in the tissue with two broken ends. Then, the researchers used a specialized microscope to watch what happened next.

Read more

May 3, 2016

Augmented Reality Transforms Worker Safety and Efficiency

Posted by in categories: augmented reality, innovation

AR working ; I cannot wait to see what we do with AR in many of the other enterprise apps.


Augmented reality is transforming field maintenance. With DAQRI Smart Helmet™, workers get real-time visual instructions, equipment diagnostics, and operational data, turning every user into a maintenance expert.

By combining DAQRI’s innovative design with Intel’s powerful technology, DAQRI Smart Helmet helps workers be more productive and less error-prone. As an example of how powerful augmented reality can be, Kazakhstan Seamless Pipe (KSP Steel) used the helmet to achieve a 40% increase in worker productivity and a 50% reduction in factory downtime.

Continue reading “Augmented Reality Transforms Worker Safety and Efficiency” »

May 3, 2016

Osterhout Design Group Teams with NuEyes for Solution to Help Those with Low Vision

Posted by in category: augmented reality

I cannot wait to get a set for my mom.


In a partnership that could change the lives of millions of people, NuEyes, a pioneer in the field of low-vision technology, and Osterhout Design Group (ODG), maker of the world’s most advanced Augmented Reality (AR) smartglasses, today announced the availability of portable head-worn devices that c…

Read more

May 3, 2016

Quantum logical operations realized with single photons

Posted by in categories: computing, particle physics, quantum physics

More insights around the logical quantum gate for photons discovered by Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ). Being able to leverage this gate enables Qubits in transmission and processing can be more controlled and manipulated through this discovery, and places us closer to a stable Quantum Computing environment.


MPQ scientists take an important step towards a logical quantum gate for photons.

Scientists from all over the world are working on concepts for future quantum computers and their experimental realization. Commonly, a typical quantum computer is considered to be based on a network of quantum particles that serve for storing, encoding and processing quantum information. In analogy to the case of a classical computer a quantum logic gate that assigns output signals to input signals in a deterministic way would be an essential building block. A team around Dr. Stephan Dürr from the Quantum Dynamics Division of Prof. Gerhard Rempe at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics has now demonstrated in an experiment how an important gate operation — the exchange of the binary bit values 0 and 1 — can be realized with single photons. A first light pulse containing one photon only is stored as an excitation in an ultracold cloud of about 100,000 rubidium atoms.

Read more

May 3, 2016

US intelligence awards multimillion dollar grant to Sydney University quantum science lab

Posted by in categories: neuroscience, quantum physics, science, security

All I can say is WOW!!!! US Security Intelligence awards contract to University of Sydney who is also partnering with China. Also, this should send a huge message to the university in the US that Sydney is kicking it.


The US office of the director of national intelligence has awarded a mutlimillion dollar research grant to an international consortium that includes a quantum science laboratory at the University of Sydney.

Read more

May 3, 2016

There’s a new thing called ‘fog computing’ and no, we’re not joking

Posted by in category: computing

Enough said; glad folks are seeing the light — (no pun intended)


It could be the thing after cloud computing, if Cisco has its way.

Read more

May 3, 2016

Australia opens quantum computing lab in Sydney

Posted by in categories: quantum physics, supercomputing

I am totally jealous right now!


Australia opened a new quantum computing lab at the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

This follows the government’s $26-million investment in the Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation & Communication Technology (CQC2T) as part of the National Innovation and Science Agenda. The government’s investment is supported by $10 million each from Telstra and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA).

Continue reading “Australia opens quantum computing lab in Sydney” »

May 3, 2016

SuperFlex’s lightweight exosuit will put a spring in your step

Posted by in categories: cyborgs, robotics/AI

Cool. I run and walk everyday and each time, I tear up my left shin and ankle. I am ready for this technology.


The SuperFlex exosuit is made from a lightweight flexigrip material that keeps robotic muscles, sensors and processors in place.

Continue reading “SuperFlex’s lightweight exosuit will put a spring in your step” »

May 3, 2016

Scientists Develop Powerful Bio-Compatible Nano-Motor

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, nanotechnology

Cambridge’s new nano-scale light-powered piston engine that may one day energize devices to treat diseases directly or deliver drugs.


At the University of Cambridge researchers have developed a nano-scale light-powered piston engine that may one day energize devices to treat diseases directly or deliver drugs in powerful new ways. The device consists of charged gold nanoparticles within a polymer that bends and relaxes in response to heat changes. The polymer absorbs water when cooled, expanding in size, while heating the gold nanoparticles using a laser raises the temperature of the polymer, shedding the absorbed water and relaxing in response. This process happens in a fraction of a second, and as long as a laser is made to flip between being on and off, the engine keeps working.

According to the researchers, the force generated given the weight of the device is quite huge, at least a hundred times greater than existing motors or even muscle cells.

Continue reading “Scientists Develop Powerful Bio-Compatible Nano-Motor” »