Bioethics & Visions of the Future

Researchers from Monash University have designed a sponge-like chitosan biopolymeric nanoparticle "trojan horse" particle that protects antioxidants from being destroyed in the gut, ensuring a better chance of being absorbed in the digestive tract. The longer-term aim is to include similarly treated nanoparticles into food items. (Source: http://www.physorg.com/news138871826.html)

In the WINSOC project, European and Indian researchers are applying principles learned from living organisms to design self-organizing networks of wireless sensors suitable for a wide range of environmental monitoring purposes,robust against node failures and capable of being implemented on large scales. They developed mathematical models of biological systems and translated them into algorithms to determine how the sensor nodes should interact with each other, using self-organization. The sensor nodes communicate with their neighbors to arrive at a consensus on what has been sensed. The network then finds the best path through the available nodes to relay this information to the control centre. (Source: http://www.physorg.com/news138892683.html)

Vernor Vinge's "Rainbows End" science-fiction novel portrays a world in 2025 when the Singularity seems near, based on intelligence amplification (IA), in which humans get steadily smarter by pooling their knowledge with one another and with computers, possibly even wiring the machines directly into their brains. The alternative to IA, he figures, could be the triumph of AI that far surpasses the human variety. If that happens, Dr. Vinge says, the superintelligent machines will not content themselves with working for their human masters, nor will they remain securely confined in laboratories. Also see: How to Get Smarter (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/26/science/26tier.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin)

The Long Now Foundation has developed a modern Rosetta Stone -- a backup of human languages that future generations might cherish -- etched on a 3-inch nickel disc with an estimated lifespan of 2,000 to 10,000 years. The disc contains an archive of 13,500 scanned pages in more than 1,500 human languages with human-readable scripts, text, and diagrams (using a microscope). The plan is to replicate the disc and distribute them around the world in nondescript locations so at least one will survive their 2,000-year lifespan. (Source: http://kk.org/kk/2008/08/very-longterm-backup.php)

Étienne Ghys of the École Normale Supérieure in Lyon, France has created a series of videos teaching others to visualize four dimensions the way he does. (Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/35740/title/Seeing_in_four_dimensions)

Affluent Mexicans worried by soaring kidnapping rates are spending thousands of dollars to implant tiny transmitters under their skin so satellites can help find them. (Source: http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn14589-mexicans-get-microchipped-over-kidnapping-fears.html?feedId=online-news_rss20)

Governments around the world are developing increasingly sophisticated electronic surveillance methods in a bid to identify terrorist cells or spot criminal activity. German electronics company Siemens has gone a step further, developing a complete "surveillance in a box" system called the Intelligence Platform, pooling data from sources such as telephone calls, email and internet activity, bank transactions and insurance records. It then sorts through this mountain of information using software that Siemens dubs "intelligence modules." (Source: http://technology.newscientist.com/channel/tech/dn14591-surveillance-made-easy.html?feedId=online-news_rss20)

University of Michigan researchers propose that tiny "nano thrusters" could be made into flat sheets mounted on the side of spacecraft. Nanoparticles just tens of nanometers across are ionized by electrodes in a chamber. Those charged ions are accelerated by the electric field and ejected from a vent, producing thrust. (Source: http://www.newscientist.com/blog/invention/2008/08/flat-panel-ion-thrusters.html)

Leading consumer electronics industry players are revamping their audio and video equipment for a future centered around the Internet, a world in which televisions, stereos and computers --even dishwashers and refrigerators -- can communicate with each other over a wireless home network. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/25/technology/25ifa.html?ref=technology)

Apple's slick use of touch technology on its iPhone has created a new market for touch screens. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/technology/24proto.html?ref=technology)

Two teenagers checked 60 samples of seafood in restaurants using a simplified genetic fingerprinting technique to see whether the fish New Yorkers buy is what they think they are getting. They weren't. Although the testing technique is at the forefront of research, the fact that anyone can take advantage of it by sending samples off to a laboratory meant the kind of investigative tools once restricted to Ph.D.'s and crime labs can move into the hands of curious diners and amateur scientists everywhere. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/science/22fish.html?ref=science)

At a conference on global risks like cyberterrorism, climate change, nuclear weapons and the world's lagging energy supply, participants were not particularly optimistic. They presented data showing that the boom in biofuels was depleting Southeast Asian rain forests, that "bot herders" -- computer hackers for hire -- were hijacking millions of computers, and that the lack of progress over handling nuclear waste was both hampering the revival of nuclear energy and adding to terrorism risks. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/world/europe/24sicily.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin)

At the Intel Developer Forum, Intel Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner showed off a number of technologies in computing, robotics, and communication that he cited as evidence that Ray Kurzweil's concept of "Singularity," when machine intelligence surpasses human intelligence, is impending. Demonstrations spotlighted the wireless transmission of electrical power, dextrous robots with new sensory abilities, a direct interface to the brain, programmable materials that can be used for shape-shifting devices such as resizable cell phones, and silicon photonics that enables chips to communicate with photons rather than electrons. Jan Rabaey, a professor at the University of California-Berkeley, believes each person will have about 1,000 radios soon, most of them vanishingly small, "cognitive," and collaborative, able to link together in a mesh network that collectively can transmit data faster, in greater quantity, more efficiently, and more reliably. Intel envisions devices constructed from tiny programmable elements called catoms (claytronics atoms). With shape-shifting technology, a mobile phone could shrink for unobtrusive storage in a pocket, then expand to a more convenient size when in use, or build a fluidly reconfigurable model of a car. Also see: Intel's vision of future machine intelligence Intel CTO Says Gap between Humans, Machines will Close by 2050 (Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-10023055-76.html)

Realistic special effects coming soon for home videos: think of it as Photoshop for video Two more face transplant triumph: full face transplant may be next; problem: the eyelid Carnegie Mellon MRI technology non-invasively locates, quantifies specific cells in the body: fluorocarbon labeling produces images showing labeled cells at their precise location in the body Statins: No Cancer Risk: Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs do not increase cancer risk, says Tufts University's Richard Karas, MD, who last year warned of a possible risk Iran wants to send man into space … within 10 years. Smart plankton to 'see' underwater: sensors will drift through the ocean collecting data, using flashing lights to communicate at up to 1 gigabit per second Electronic nose radiation sniffer: invention detects hydrogen peroxide generated when weak gamma rays interact with water World heading towards cooler 2008: La Nina makes it coolest this century Thinking outside the square finds light in oven: how to make solar cells in a pizza oven MIT zeroes in on Alzheimer's structures: finding specific tau protein structures associated with Alzheimer's (targets for new drugs) Coatings to help medical implants connect with neurons: new coatings encourage neurons to connect directly with electrodes -> smaller, more densely packed electrodes (more stimulation), preserving surrounding tissue (Source: )

University of California, Davis researchers have developed a system that allows follower robots to use behavioral cues from human leaders and other robots in order to track and follow them. Behavioral cues that robots might use could include any action or signal that the leader exhibits that hints at a future action. These might be intended behaviors, such as pointing or waving. Other cues might be unconscious, such as behaviors that indicate stress or sadness, since they may indicate generally quick or slow movement patterns. Also, studies on human walking have shown that people unconsciously turn their head up to 25 degrees about 200 milliseconds before turning. The ability to follow will likely be essential as robots continue to work alongside people more and more, such as in office buildings, hospitals, and airports. (Source: http://www.physorg.com/news138547570.html)

For faster surfing, upgrade to a higher-tier Internet access, add more RAM to your computer, switch to Firefox, and use Google Web Accelerator (for Windows). (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/technology/personaltech/21basics.html)

Skin-cancer tumors give off a characteristic odor profile that could be used for fast, early detection, Monell Chemical Senses Center scientists have found. Sensor technology like the electronic noses under development could be programmed with the levels of chemicals indicative of a tumor. (Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/Biotech/21296/?a=f)

A Monash University scientist has discovered that key appetite control cells in the human brain -- POMC neurons -- degenerate over time, causing increased hunger and potentially weight gain as we grow older. POMC neurons are attacked by free radicals after eating, especially after meals rich in carbohydrates and sugars. People aged 25 to 50 are most at risk. Source: Monash University news release (Source: )

Individuals who say they can't choose between two available options may in fact already know what to do, thanks to attitudes that lurk outside their awareness, a new study by University of Western Ontario psychologists indicates. The psychologists recommend that pollsters consider adding measures of automatic associations to their survey repertoire. (Source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/35668/title/Undecided_voters_not_so_undecided)

A UK team has developed software that allows an uncrewed aerial vehicle to harness upward-moving thermal air currents to keep it aloft longer. The GPS-based system combines the locations of dome-shaped clouds formed by rapidly rising hot air with real-time weather forecasts, computer simulations of air flow across the local terrain, and expert advice to predict the locations of further thermal currents. (Source: http://technology.newscientist.com/article/mg19926705.500-robot-aircraft-will-ride-thermals-to-save-fuel.html)