Tonic - Top News

Einstein Learns How to Smile

2009-07-11T18:04:00-07:00

A realistic Albert Einstein robot -- complete with bushy mustache and wild grey hair -- has tought itself how to smile, frown and make other human expressions. It's not alive, per se, but uses a process of experimentation and reward. Previously, the scientists at the University of California, San Diego (who created the robot), had to program each of the 31 artificial face muscles individually to get so much as a smirk, according to an article by Wired.

Get ready to be fascinated, and a little creeped out:

When Robot Einstein randomly contorts its face and eventually hits on a recognizable humanlike expression, facial recognition software attached to a camera gives it "reward" feedback. The robot then remembers the expression and the corresponding emotion.

"It's an iterative process," said facial-recognition expert Marian Bartlett, a co-author of the study. "It starts out completely random and then gets feedback. Next time the robot picks an expression, there's a bias towards putting the motors in the right configuration."

After the robot figured out the relationship between different muscle movements and known facial expressions, it started experimenting with new expressions, such as eyebrow narrowing.

In case this sounds like a bunch of geeks sinking thousands of hours into something just for kicks, one of the intended applications of the technology is to better understand how infants learn to recognize and replicate facial expressions. Beyond that, they hope the silicon-brained Einstein eventually will learn how to interact with humans as a tutor.

But with unemployment reaching 10 percent, do we really need more robots competing for our jobs?

Can a Light-Powered Plane Fly at Night?

2009-07-11T18:02:00-07:00

Can a solar-powered airplane fly at night?

That's the question that legendary Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard plans to answer when he attempts the first overnight flight of the Solar Impulse, a super light, solar-powered plane. Flying through the night is just one step along the path toward circumnavigation of the globe, planned for 2012.

Piccard is best known for his amazing voyages by balloon. In fact, he was the first circle the Earth non-stop in a balloon, back in 1999. In 2004, he announced his plan to build and test the Solar Impulse, which he terms "a great human adventure."

Solar powered planes are not a brand new concept. What is new is the idea that such a plane can actually fly through the night -- setting the stage for the development of commercially viable non-polluting aircraft. Says Piccard in a BBC interview:

"The real success for Solar Impulse would be to have enough millions of people following the project, being enthusiastic about it, and saying 'if they managed to do it around the world with renewable energies and energy savings, then we should be able to do it in our daily life"

I'll Be Back. And I'll Bring Help.

2009-07-11T17:54:00-07:00

Disaster has struck.

You're still alive, but trapped within an unstable pile of rubble, and time is not on your side. All of a sudden, you find that you're not alone: an army of cyborg crickets appears from the dark recesses of the debris and begins to crawl all over you.

And you think: could my day possibly get any worse?

In fact, it actually just got much better, although perhaps weirder, with the help of these futuristic insects.

Opening up the whole Pandora's Box of robotic insects may seem pretty creepy, but there's actually a very high potential for helpful, life-saving civilian uses for this currently developing military technology.

By wiring the cricket with both miniature chemical sensors as well as electronic impulse devices to stimulate movement, scientists hope that the part-insect, part-machine will be predictably able to chirp in the presence of an earthquake survivor trapped inside a fallen building or to alert to the presence of airborne chemical hazards.

Fortunately, there's no indication of any current work underway in the fields of cyborg tarantulas, cyborg mimes, or cyborg zombies.

(Photo credit: Grilo Galicia by Luis Miguel Bugallo Sánchez, via Wikimedia Commons)

Ancient Ointment Rolls Back the Years

2009-07-11T18:14:00-07:00

An appreciation for a quality beauty product (and the need to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!) has been a part of the human grooming regimen for a lot longer than we might have thought. In a remarkable archaeological find, a Tuscan tomb has produced a perfectly preserved vial of skin lotion among the offerings placed there, presumably intended to travel with the deceased into the hereafter.

At over 2,000 years old, the discovery is remarkable -- among other reasons -- for the very well-preserved condition of the lotion. One might otherwise expect such organic materials to have long succumbed to degradation.

The ointment was found inside a cosmetics case along with jewelry, combs, and other personal items, and has been found to be composed of vegetable oil and pine resin. Layers of clay that built up over time sealed the case from atmospheric oxygen, apparently contributing to the nearly complete chemical preservation.

It turns out that the act of putting one's best, moistest, and most supple face to the world is something we've done for at least 2,000 years. But honestly, it doesn't seem a day older than a thousand.

(Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Treble Tones Turn Out Top-Notch Tomatoes

2009-07-11T18:20:00-07:00

Prince Charles talks to his plants. So do lots of gardeners, swearing that it encourages the plants to grow. Now it turns out that His Royal Highness was only half right.

Who's the best gabber for greenery? A study by the Royal Horticultural Society in the U.K. shows that women's voices speed up growth of tomato plants much more than men's. Even more telling, it seems that plants are most likely to sprout when they hear from the right people. According to an article in the U.K.'s Telegraph: "the most effective talk came from Sarah Darwin, whose great-great grandfather was legendary botanist Charles Darwin, one of the founding fathers of the RHS' Scientific Committee. She read a passage from On the Origin of Species and beat nine other 'voices'. Her plant grew nearly two inches taller than the best performing male and half an inch higher than her nearest competitor."

Sadly, no one knows quite why plants prefer women to men. But after a month of plant chatting, women on average saw their plants grow by an inch more than those catered to by men. In fact, according the article, "Some men were so bad that their plants actually grew less than a plant that was left completely alone. "

Vacation in a Tube

2009-07-11T20:36:00-07:00

With the summer in full swing, every sunny day can serve as a constant reminder that one of this season's true luxuries -- a vacation somewhere warm and glamorous -- is beyond the reach of many people thanks (or is that no thanks?) to the recession. But, courtesy of the folks at M.A.C Cosmetics, you can have at least a small taste of being on a deluxe European vacation at a stay-at-home price.

M.A.C recently introduced a collection of summer-friendly lip products called Euristocrats, most of which are named after evocative European destinations most of us can only dream of visiting this year, like Santorini, the Costa del Sol, Paris, and Milan. The color of this tube of DazzleGlass is called "St. Tropez;" using it will help you channel your inner Brigitte Bardot and feel Euro-fabulous in your bikini, even if you're wearing it on the grimy rooftop of your modern American apartment building.

It's worth mentioning that choosing M.A.C makeup over a similar item from another cosmetics brand is definitely something to feel good about. For over 15 years, this fashion-forward makeup company has been helping support and care for those with AIDS and HIV through its M.A.C AIDS fund, And M.A.C was one of the first cosmetics brands to put a recycling program in place. (Bring back 6 empties and get a free lipstick. We humbly suggest you pick Ruby Woo.)

Looking for an upside to staying home this summer? You can keep your sleekly-packaged M.A.C goodies in a designer makeup case instead of a flimsy and disposable quart-sized transparent plastic bag.

Return of the White Rhino

2009-07-11T13:07:00-07:00

Conservationists are celebrating in Uganda. In late June, a baby white rhino was born there -- the first since the species was declared extinct three decades ago.

Once numbering in the thousands, by the 1960s there were only about 300 left, and ultimately they went extinct in the country because of a bloody dictator and poachers going after their horns, which are mostly exported to Asia for use in ornaments or alternative medicines. By 1982, they were completely wiped out from the parks and wild areas of this landlocked, eastern Africa country.

Now, the rhino is on its way back. In 1997, the non-governmental group Rhino Fund of Uganda was founded to work toward restoring the rhino to Uganda. Five years later, the group leased 70 square kilometers to create the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary. Encircled by a solar-powered electric fence and monitored by two dozen armed rangers, the sanctuary is a safe haven for a breeding program that aims to eventually re-introduce the rhinos to all of Uganda’s parks. In 2005, the European Union donated four white rhinos from Kenya to the project. And in August 2006, Disney’s Animal Kingdom donated two more white rhinos. Twelve more rhinos from South Africa are expected to arrive later this year.

Next year, conservationists will begin an environmental education program to teach villagers near Ugandan parks to help preserve the rhino, which is globally endangered (only an estimated 11,000 left in the world) and the second-largest mammal on land after the elephant.

“We will teach them how to conserve the rhinos and tell them how difficult it is to reintroduce them after their depletion. After that, we will be confident enough to reintroduce them into the wild,” Andrew Seguya, executive director of the government-run Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, UWEC, told the German news agency DPA.

The Rhino Fund says its not yet sure whether the baby is a male or female, but its already decided to name the baby rhino Obama or Michelle, after the US president or the first lady, because they say, like Obama, the father of the rhino is from Kenya while the mother is from the United States.

(Photo courtesy of Rhino Fund of Uganda)

Lyon: A Food Lovers' Dream Destination

2009-07-11T20:37:00-07:00

If your idea of the perfect holiday is eating your way through every local dish and culinary hole-in-the-wall, then a trip to Lyon, France will make you feel like you've found vacation Nirvana. After all, this quaint city (actually the country's second largest, after Paris) is known as the gastronomic capital of France, thanks to a gazillion cafes and bistros (or "bouchons," as the Lyonnais version is called), world-renowned chefs like Paul Bocuse, and extra high quality local produce. For gourmands, it's simply -- pardon my French -- ****ing Paradise.

The Lyon Convention and Visitors Bureau recently launched a new program to help visitors get to know its lovely (albeit potentially fattening) city: Lyon City Greeter. This initiative connects tourists with local Lyon residents, who provide directions, information, and suggestions. The greeters will take you around once you get there, or simply provide suggestions over the internet. The service is free, and the greeters aren't paid -- they're simply proud citizens happy to share their city and make sure visitors have the best trip possible.

Of course, one thing they'll point you towards is the best place to get a perfect croissant and pain au chocolat...and, perhaps, a local branch of Weight Watchers or a place to pick up a large pack of Alka-Seltzer.

Eat Less, Live Longer

2009-07-11T18:08:00-07:00

Years ago, we learned that mice kept on a low calorie diet live longer. Now, we know the same approach works for monkeys. Have we hit on the fountain of youth?

It's been more than 20 years in process (because monkeys live long lives), but a new study suggests that the answer is yes. According to an article in the New York Times, rhesus monkeys kept on a "caloric restriction" diet, seem likely to live an extra ten years -- and are successfully avoiding common illnesses such as diabetes and cancer. Only 37 percent of the comparison monkeys have so far died of "old age," compared with 13 percent of the dieting group (though dieters have died of non-age-related issues).

To get these terrific results, the monkeys are receiving 30% fewer calories than normal by eating smaller portions of their usual diet. Permanently cutting out 30% of a human diet is no small feat. That's why pharmaceutical firms are searching for a pill version of a low-calorie diet. To date, the drug resveratrol, based on a substance found in red wine, has shown promise. Meanwhile, there's no easy way to cut calories without cutting high-calorie foods.

There's plenty of controversy about the monkey study -- many scientists feel the findings are premature or exaggerated. And of course resveratrol, touted as a miracle drug, probably isn't.

Still, you can't lose anything but extra weight by cutting extra calories. And who knows? You may wind up with an extra few years of life as a bonus for good behavior. Of course, you may spend those extra years and the years before them as an irritable grump from being hungry all the time.

Photo Credit: StockXChange

The AP is Crowdsourcing Sotomayor

2009-07-11T11:31:00-07:00

There is a new term on the media landscape. The AP announced that it will be "crowdsourcing" its coverage of Sonia Sotomayor’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearings. Apparently this term has been around since at least 2006. But all I know is that it sounds a lot like "crowdsurfing," which, let me tell you, is not something the news industry — or anyone else — wants to get involved in.

So what is it? The AP will use social media to broadcast news and analysis during the hearings, a method of coverage that is old hat by now. What's new is that it will be a two-way street — the audience will be able to steer reportage by informing the newsmakers what they'd like to hear about. Those keyed in to the AP's Yahoo! blog and its Twitter feed (@AP_Courtside) will be able to help shape the news as it's being made.

Is this a new era of democratic newsmaking or the dumbing-down of the media? Let the debates begin. Whatever your take, I would just like to note that it's kind of funny that "courtside," the AP's Twitter name, is a euphemism for spending time in jail. (Not that I'm implying anything. Crowdsourcing sounds perfectly legal.)

(Photo courtesy EMILY's List's photostream via Flickr share)