Technology

Open Access Reproducible Research Gets A New Gold Standard- From Computer Scientists

A new gold standard has been set for openness and reproducibility in research- and it was done by Cambridge computer scientists. At a talk today at the 12th USENIX Symposium on Networked Systems Design and Implementation in Oakland, they are going to unve ...

Article - News Staff - May 4 2015 - 11:47am

Virtual Worlds, Real Stereotypes

In a study of how people interacted with avatars in World of Warcraft, women received less help from fellow players than men when they operated an unattractive avatar- even less than when they used a male avatar, according to a paper in the Journal of Broa ...

Article - News Staff - May 4 2015 - 2:29pm

Don’t Blame Robots For The Rise In Inequality

Since the Great Recession ended in 2009, the recovery in jobs has lagged behind that of Corporate America. Corporate profits and business purchases of equipment and software returned to or near records within a year, yet unemployment remained stubbornly h ...

Article - The Conversation - May 8 2015 - 8:00am

Assuming Control

For the last decade, engineers have deployed increasingly capable underwater robots to map and monitor pockets of the ocean to track the health of fisheries, and survey marine habitats and species. When deploying such autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) ...

Article - News Staff - May 12 2015 - 9:31am

Simple Artificial Neural Circuit A Step Forward In Artificial Intelligence

Researchers  have demonstrated the functionality of a simple artificial neural circuit- a circuit of about 100 artificial synapses was proved to perform a simple version of a typical human task: image classification. The brain has 10 15 (one quadrillion) s ...

Article - News Staff - May 11 2015 - 4:29pm

Big Data Could Help Modernize Informed Consent

Imagine you are negotiating with a documentary maker to film your expensive and precious home. You are unsure about it, but are reassured that there are fixed procedures to follow; documents to sign and insurance policies to review. The producer seems gen ...

Article - The Conversation - May 12 2015 - 2:32pm

In Quantum Computing, All Known Digital Signatures Will Be Vulnerable

When certified, digital signatures- mechanisms for authenticating the validity or authorship of a certain digital message- have the same legal power as traditional signatures. Introduced by Diffie and Hellman in 1976, they are in all ways digital counterp ...

Article - News Staff - May 14 2015 - 9:56am

Sound Waves Instead Of X-Rays For Diagnosing Minor Fractures

A study of portable ultrasound in detecting the presence of minor fractures in patients showed that 85% of patients with a fracture confirmed by X-ray had injuries detected through ultrasonography. You'd still want a radiographer to rule out fractures ...

Article - News Staff - May 14 2015 - 3:30pm

GoldenGATE And XML Markup Can Give New Life To Old Taxonomic Data

A new paper demonstrates how XML markup using GoldenGATE can address the challenges presented by unstructured legacy data, like those presented in the widely used PDF format.  The paper demonstrates how structured primary biodiversity data can be extracted ...

Article - News Staff - May 15 2015 - 1:20pm

Light-Emitting Fork Created Using Spray-On Technology

Light-emitting diodes are the future, and will quickly bypass government-mandated and subsidized compact fluorescent bulbs and the prospect of wearing a Haz-Mat suit if you break one. Why be limited to bulbs, though? Why not a light-emitting fork?  Physici ...

Article - News Staff - May 18 2015 - 9:28am