Restoring the function of arms that have been disconnected from the brain January 17, 2014 at 4:42 pm
Case Western University has solved more problems regarding getting prosthetic arms to work than perhaps any other institution. A new project aims to use its accumulated suite of technologies to restore function to real arms that have been disconnected from the brain due to injury.
Understanding an alien intelligence: Generalizations from the crow January 14, 2014 at 4:01 pm
The crow and its larger cousin the raven are universally held as avian geniuses, chess champions among birds. A recent study in Nature takes a closer look at some of their skills and raises a fundamental question: would a general intelligence, either artificial, alien, or of our natural world, have features or behaviors we might predict from the organization of its brain alone?
World’s first affordable powered exoskeleton is almost here: Prepare for mech wars January 8, 2014 at 1:33 pm
The first affordable, mass-produced robotic exoskeleton will be on sale next year from Panasonic. For 500,000 yen, or slightly under $5,000, this full-body power garment will let you hoist 100kg objects and move at speeds up to 8 km/hr. While this device would make a nice addition to any wardrobe, will it have immediate practical value, or will it mainly be purchased by hobbyists and educators as a base platform for mere experimentation?
Motorola patents e-tattoo that can read your thoughts by listening to unvocalized words in your throat January 7, 2014 at 10:37 am
A new patent application filed by Motorola Mobile for integrating smart tattoos with smartphones as an auxiliary control device points at some tantilizing new possibilities. Some strange wording buried in the text raises a few questions as to motivations behind the patent.
Attempting to understand the most important chemical reaction on the planet: Photosynthesis December 17, 2013 at 3:42 pm
While there are hopes of one day channeling photosynthetic outputs directly to our needs, many key details of the process, including the actual efficiency, are still incompletely known. Researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have just received a big grant to map the molecular events that take place inside one the most complex biological machines known to man — a group of electron-shuffling proteins known as photosystem II.
Spermbots: Remote-controlled sperm, for guaranteed delivery December 16, 2013 at 12:46 pm
Researchers from the Dresden Institute for Nanosciences, have devised a way to control sperm with magnetic fields. Their so-called spermbots may have several new applications in general life sciences, and perhaps also in the science of life.
High quality graphene wafers fabricated using beetle tech December 13, 2013 at 1:49 pm
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have used a similar bubble trick to develop a way to make high quality graphene films. Their new technique is the first which can accomplish both the growth and transfer steps of graphene onto a silicon wafer.
New artificial, bionic hands start to get real feelings December 6, 2013 at 12:45 pm
A new prosthesis, designed and built by researchers at Case Western University is now capable of using measurements from 20 sensor points to the control grip force of its digits. Incredibly, the sensor data is linked directly to the sensory nerves in the forearm. The control for the grip closure is then extracted myoelectrically from the muscles in the forearm.
Scientists prove that fears and memories can be inherited via sperm December 4, 2013 at 11:53 am
While scientists have documented numerous cases where the children of parents who experienced significant trauma in life have in fact inherited specific predispositions, direct experimental evidence for this phenomenon, and a plausible mechanism, has until now, been lacking. Reporting in Nature Neuroscience, researchers have now shown that mice can inherit the acquired fears of their fathers through some mysterious reprogramming of — his sperm.
Naked DNA gene therapy used to non-invasively cure heart disease December 2, 2013 at 2:08 pm
While many patients make an excellent recovery, the body does not readily forget the trauma of this now-familiar procedure. A softer, more creative approach to treating damaged hearts has recently been developed by Amit Patel at the Utah School of Medicine. Patel just injected a smart bomb comprised of naked DNA into the ailing heart of actor Ernie Lively — and Lively scarcely skipped a beat.