Science News Feeds

Welcome to the Age of Surprise

2012-09-14T20:58:00.003-05:00

Awesome video...

Smart Sand & Robot Pebbles

2012-04-26T20:44:00.000-05:00

This video is a bit dry, but the idea is that you can program pebbles, or sand, to assemble into any shape at all... pretty cool!

Learn About Tissue Regeneration and Organ Printing

2012-04-19T20:01:00.000-05:00

From Wikipedia

Tissue engineering is the use of a combination of cells, engineering and materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physio-chemical factors to improve or replace biological functions. While it was once categorized as a sub-field of bio materials, having grown in scope and importance it can be considered as a field in its own right.

While most definitions of tissue engineering cover a broad range of applications, in practice the term is closely associated with applications that repair or replace portions of or whole tissues (i.e., bone, cartilage, blood vessels, bladder, skin etc.). Often, the tissues involved require certain mechanical and structural properties for proper functioning. The term has also been applied to efforts to perform specific biochemical functions using cells within an artificially-created support system (e.g. an artificial pancreas, or a bio artificial liver). The term regenerative medicine is often used synonymously with tissue engineering, although those involved in regenerative medicine place more emphasis on the use of stem cells to produce tissues.

Aubrey de Grey: The Economics Of Immortality

2012-04-05T21:26:00.000-05:00

Aubrey de Grey discusses the expenses of failing health in our advancing years and how radical life extension will resolve it by living in good health indefinitely. He also posits his opinions on over-population and the economics of ending aging.

From Wikipedia:

Indefinite lifespan or, indefinite life extension, is a term used in the life extension movement to refer to the longevity of humans, and other life-forms, under conditions in which aging can be effectively and completely prevented and treated. Such individuals would still be susceptible to accidental or intentional death by trauma or infectious diseases, but not death from aging. Their lifespans would be "indefinite," because protection from the effects of aging on health does not guarantee survival. Some life extensionists consider the term "indefinite lifespan" technically more correct than "immortality" which, especially in religious contexts, implies an inability to die.

Man Controls Robotic Hand with Mind

2012-03-29T00:53:00.000-05:00

Watch this guy control his prosthetic robotic hand - using his mind!

Nanofactory Movie

2012-03-22T22:23:00.000-05:00

This short video shows how desktop nanofactories will work someday.

New Laser Zaps Mosquitoes in Slow Motion

2012-03-15T22:26:00.000-05:00

Watch this high tech method for zapping mosquitoes with lasers!

Aliens Attack?

2012-03-08T13:55:00.000-06:00

Dr. Michio Kaku discusses the reality of an possible alien invasion.

Do You Want To Live To Be 1,000 Years Old?

2012-03-02T00:42:00.000-06:00

Scientist Aubrey de Grey discusses the question of living to the age of 1000 years.

Wireless Power Technology

2012-02-24T00:34:00.000-06:00

Watch this guy (who has no problem waiting for applause) talk about powering devices without any cords.

First Step Towards Cloaking Device

2012-02-16T23:00:00.000-06:00

Watch scientists operate a very small cloaking device.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cloaking devices are advanced stealth technologies still in development that will cause objects, such as spaceships or individuals, to be partially or wholly invisible to parts of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum. Fictional cloaking devices have been used as plot devices in various media for many years, but developments in scientific research show that real-world cloaking devices can obscure objects from at least one wavelength of EM emissions. Scientists already use artificial materials called metamaterials to bend light around an object.

Singularity University

2012-02-02T23:00:00.000-06:00

In 2009 Ray Kurzweil discussed the future of information technology as well as the formation of Singularity University. From their website -

A number of exponentially growing technologies will massively increase human capability and fundamentally reshape our future. This warrants the creation of an academic institution whose students and faculty will study these technologies, with an emphasis on the interactions between different technologies. Our mission is to assemble, educate and inspire a new generation of leaders who strive to understand and utilize exponentially advancing technologies to address humanity’s grand challenges.

Sebastian Thrun: Google's Driverless Car

2012-01-27T00:59:00.000-06:00

Sebastian Thrun helped build Google's amazing driverless car.

An autonomous car, also known as robotic or informally as driverless, is an autonomous vehicle capable of fulfilling the human transportation capabilities of a traditional car. As an autonomous vehicle, it is capable of sensing its environment and navigating on its own. A human may choose a destination, but is not required to perform any mechanical operation of the vehicle.

Autonomous cars are not in widespread use, but their introduction could produce several direct advantages:

Fewer crashes, due to the autonomous system's increased reliability compared to human drivers
Increased roadway capacity due to reduced need of safety gaps and the ability to better manage traffic flow.
Relief of vehicle occupants from driving and navigation chores.
Removal of constraints on occupant's state - it would not matter if the occupants were too young, too old or if their frame of mind were not suitable to drive a traditional car. Furthermore, disabilities would no longer matter.
Elimination of redundant passengers - humans are not required to take the car anywhere, as the robotic car can drive empty to wherever it is required.

Indirect advantages are anticipated as well. Adoption of robotic cars could reduce the number of vehicles worldwide, reduce the amount of space required for vehicle parking, and reduce the need for traffic police and vehicle insurance.

Autonomous vehicles sense the world with such techniques as laser, radar, lidar, GPS and computer vision. Advanced control systems interpret the information to identify appropriate navigation paths, as well as obstacles and relevant signage. Autonomous vehicles typically update their maps based on sensory input, such that they can navigate through uncharted environments.

Autonomous vehicles are only legal to operate on public roads in one jurisdiction in the world: the U.S. state of Nevada. The law to authorize the use of autonomous vehicles was passed in June 2011, with the support of Google. The Google driverless car is one of the leading projects in this field.

Shocking Facts You Did Not Know A Minute Ago

2012-01-13T00:43:00.000-06:00

Learn a few things that you surely don't know.

TED | Markus Fischer: A Robot That Flies Like A Bird

2012-01-05T22:50:00.000-06:00

This is worth watching just to see the mechanical bird flying at the end... truly amazing!

Microsoft Office Labs | Microsoft Futuristic Concept Home

2011-12-29T22:41:00.000-06:00

Check out Microsoft's idea of the home of tomorrow...

Flight Assembled Architecture

2011-12-25T19:54:00.000-06:00

This video has a very Star Trek-ian feel to it. Small flying robots zip around building a pretty cool structure while folks mingle below. Say hello to the future of construction. Just give this technology a few years to mature.

10 Future Technologies That Already Exist

2011-12-23T00:39:00.000-06:00

Watch this video about futuristic technologies that are already in the works.

Carbon Nanotubes and Free Energy

2011-12-15T20:27:00.000-06:00

Okay, bear with me. This 12 minute video would probably only take 5 minutes if they guy didn't talk so freakin' slow! If what he had to say weren't so damned interesting, I wouldn't bother with it. The materials this guy is dealing with are awesome. Carbon nanotubes can be used to make your windows trap heat or reject heat. They can also generate energy and transmit energy with NO POWER GRID WHATSOEVER!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical nanostructure. Nanotubes have been constructed with length-to-diameter ratio of up to 132,000,000:1, significantly larger than for any other material. These cylindrical carbon molecules have unusual properties, which are valuable for nanotechnology, electronics, optics and other fields of materials science and technology. In particular, owing to their extraordinary thermal conductivity and mechanical and electrical properties, carbon nanotubes find applications as additives to various structural materials. For instance, in (primarily carbon fiber) "baseball bats, car parts" and even "golf clubs", where nanotubes form only a tiny portion of the material(s).

Experiments Hint Of Longer Lives

2011-12-08T20:36:00.000-06:00

Cynthia Kenyon discusses various experiments that hint of longer lives in humans. Damaging specific genes has been proven to double life expectancy in some organisms. The same idea could be applied to us.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Life extension science, also known as anti-aging medicine, experimental gerontology, and biomedical gerontology, is the study of slowing down or reversing the processes of aging to extend both the maximum and average lifespan. Some researchers in this area, and "life extensionists" or "longevists" (who wish to achieve longer lives for themselves), believe that future breakthroughs in tissue rejuvenation with stem cells, molecular repair, and organ replacement (such as with artificial organs or xenotransplantations) will eventually enable humans to have indefinite lifespans through complete rejuvenation to a healthy youthful condition.

Fun With Vibrations

2011-11-30T23:00:00.000-06:00

This amazing video shows the power of vibration. Turn down your volume, though. The frequency is pretty annoying.

Nanobot Defense In The Body

2011-11-24T22:30:00.000-06:00

Watch this brief video displaying how nanobots will soon be defending our bodies from the inside.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nanorobotics is the emerging technology field of creating machines or robots whose components are at or close to the microscopic scale of nananometer (10⁻⁹ meters). More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots, with devices ranging in size from 0.1-10 micrometers and constructed of nanoscale or molecular components. The names nanobots, nanoids, nanites, nanomachines or nanomites have also been used to describe these devices currently under research and development.

Michio Kaku and Nanotechnology

2011-11-17T22:25:00.000-06:00

Physicist Michio Kaku discusses nanotechnology and the strongest material known to man.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nanotechnology (sometimes shortened to "nanotech") is the study of manipulating matter on an atomic and molecular scale. Generally, nanotechnology deals with developing materials, devices, or other structures possessing at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometres.Quantum mechanical effects are important at this quantum-realm scale.

Nanotechnology is very diverse, ranging from extensions of conventional device physics to completely new approaches based upon molecular self-assembly, from developing new materials with dimensions on the nanoscale to investigating whether we can directly control matter on the atomic scale. Nanotechnology entails the application of fields of science as diverse as surface science, organic chemistry, molecular biology, semiconductor physics, microfabrication, etc.

There is much debate on the future implications of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology may be able to create many new materials and devices with a vast range of applications, such as in medicine, electronics, biomaterials and energy production. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as any new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials, and their potential effects on global economics, as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios. These concerns have led to a debate among advocacy groups and governments on whether special regulation of nanotechnology is warranted.

IBM Social Media | The Internet of things

2011-11-16T22:33:00.000-06:00

Learn how data, information, knowledge, and wisdom are all growing due to the Internet.

The Coming Singularity

2011-11-13T22:21:00.000-06:00

Ray Kurzweil discusses the coming Singularity and when the future will arrive.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Technological singularity refers to the hypothetical future emergence of greater-than-human intelligence through technological means. Since the capabilities of such an intelligence would be difficult for an unaided human mind to comprehend, the occurrence of a technological singularity is seen as an intellectual event horizon, beyond which the future becomes difficult to understand or predict. Nevertheless, proponents of the singularity typically anticipate such an event to precede an "intelligence explosion", wherein superintelligences design successive generations of increasingly powerful minds.

The term was coined by science fiction writer Vernor Vinge, who argues that artificial intelligence, human biological enhancement or brain-computer interfaces could be possible causes of the singularity. The concept is popularized by futurists like Ray Kurzweil and it is expected by proponents to occur sometime in the 21st century, although estimates do vary.