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Optical WLAN - Downloads At The Speed Of Light

Optical WLAN - Downloads At The Speed Of Light

Aug 02 2011 | comment(s)

The future of networking may mean streaming high-definition movies at blazing fast speeds and the routers are the lights in the room.

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI in Berlin, Germany, have developed a new transfer technology for video data and were able to transfer data at a rate of 100 megabits per second (Mbit/s), without any losses, using LEDs in the ceiling that light up more than ten square meters (90 square feet). 

"This means that we transferred four videos in HD quality to four different laptops at the same time," says Dr. Anagnostis Paraskevopoulos from the HHI.

Welcome To Humans, Version 3.0

Welcome To Humans, Version 3.0

Aug 02 2011 | comment(s)

Where are we humans going, as a species? If science fiction is any guide, we will genetically evolve like in X-Men, become genetically engineered as in Gattaca, or become cybernetically enhanced like General Grievous in Star Wars.

All of these may well be part of the story of our future, but I'm not holding my breath. The first of these - natural selection - is impracticably slow, and there's a plausible case to be made that natural selection has all but stopped acting on us.
No Screwdrivers In Space

No Screwdrivers In Space

Aug 02 2011 | comment(s)

What do you get when you mix Mad Men styling, IKEA how-to, and NASA high tech?  In an incredibly terse 1 minute and 28 seconds, with no sound needed, NASA asks "So, You Want to Build a Satellite?" and explains why rocket science is hard.  Seriously, this is the sort of video that you don't need sound, and it features no talking heads or chatty scientists.  It's an elegant, straightforward wake-up call about the intrinsic difficulties that space exploration brings.


Bedwetting: What Causes It And What To Do About It

Bedwetting: What Causes It And What To Do About It

Aug 02 2011 | comment(s)

What is Bedwetting?

The medical name for not being able to control urination is Enuresis (pronounced: en-yuh-ree-sis). It is sometimes also called involuntary urination. Nocturnal enuresis is involuntary urination that occurs at night, usually while the childis sleeping.

There are two kinds: Primary and Secondary. Primary is bedwetting that has occurred since infancy. Secondary develops at least 6 months, or even several years, after the child has learned to control their bladder.

The Plot Of The Week - ATLAS Test Of The CDF Dijet Mass Bump

The Plot Of The Week - ATLAS Test Of The CDF Dijet Mass Bump

Aug 02 2011 | comment(s)

Do you remember the dijet mass bump found by CDF in W plus jets events ? That signal, whose significance exceeded four standard deviations, had everybody around go crazy for a while.
Ending Back Pain With Bio-Engineered Discs

Ending Back Pain With Bio-Engineered Discs

Aug 02 2011 | comment(s)

Millions of people are suffering from back pain, making it a major continuous source of physical discomfort for many. Normally, each vertebra in the spine is cushioned by intervertebral discs (see figure 1). But these discs can degenerate due to age or injury, potentially pinching nerves, causing pain and impeding movement. The normal course of treatment for degenerated discs, is the administration of painkillers, physical therapy and steroid injections to ease inflammation. As a last resort, surgery to fuse two vertebra together can be done, limiting back flexibility. Artificial discs have been developed in the past few years, but these are all made of plastic or metal, and they can wear out and don’t provide a full range of motion.

   

Shot in the Head

Shot in the Head

Aug 02 2011 | comment(s)

My work on gravity received a fatal blow in the Spring of 2007. A patient, creative exploration in the neighborhood of a deep truth might find an alternative expression to dodge the bullet that killed my math haiku. This blog tells the story.

The cranial trauma was caused by a vector current coupling term in the Lagrangian, JuAu. An analysis of the phase reveals the mediating particle is spin 1. Like charges repel for forces mediated by spin 1 particles. Like charges attract for gravity. Therefore my proposal "violently disagrees with observation." Gravity must be mediated by spin 2 particles so that like charges attract.Click or Skip a reading of this blog
More Agenda Driven Research

More Agenda Driven Research

Aug 02 2011 | comment(s)

It is always disappointing to see agendas being rationalized by what passes for "research".  A good example occurs in this article examining the impact of smoke-free laws in rural or urban businesses.

Of course, it is never quite clear what the impact was anticipated to be, since there are clearly no alternatives to customers (given state-wide bans). In essence, the argument is simplistic by arguing that smoking is likely to be higher in rural areas, so it was anticipated to have a greater impact on business.  
Arctic Ice August 2011

Arctic Ice August 2011

Aug 01 2011 | comment(s)

Arctic Ice August 2011

In the days of sailing ships and the early days of steam, even into the early years of the 20th century, much of the Arctic remained inaccessible due to the extensive pack ice.

When explorers attempted to penetrate the ice, it is often found from their journals that they did so in late August.  There are many references to be found of an 'open season' during which it was possible to maneuver a ship through an open lead during a period which was often only of two weeks duration, or less.  In some years, the ice simply did not open as expected, and the explorers would either go home or overwinter nearby, to try again the next year.
Gloating And Envy - Oxytocin Is Not All Cuddling

Gloating And Envy - Oxytocin Is Not All Cuddling

Aug 01 2011 | comment(s)

The hormone oxytocin may be the "cuddle chemical" but recent research has found that oxytocin can promote negative emotions too.

Salespeople love oxytocin - they think if they spray it on customers will trust them more.  Mothers bond with babies due to oxytocin.  It's positive effects are well known but studies have also found that oxytocin can increase gloating and envy.
Oxygen Molecules Found In Orion

Oxygen Molecules Found In Orion

Aug 01 2011 | comment(s)

Molecules of oxygen have been found in the nearby Orion star-forming complex, the first undisputed detection of oxygen molecules in space.   Previous missions looking for the molecular variety, two atoms of oxygen bonded together, had been fruitless.

Yet as interesting as the discovery is, it leads to a bigger question; the observed amount of atomic oxygen is far less than expected.  Where is all the oxygen hiding in the cold clouds?

Dark oxygen, anyone?

Women In Science - You Are Oppressed, Even If You Are Not

Women In Science - You Are Oppressed, Even If You Are Not

Aug 01 2011 | comment(s)

Some stereotypes are self-reinforcing.   If someone tells you over and over that you are oppressed, if you hit an obstacle and fail, like all of us do at some point in our lives, a convenient excuse is that you are discriminated against.(1)

There is zero data showing women are discriminated against in science, math or engineering - none.   But because there used to be far more men and those men were not lined up against the wall and shot to make room for women in faculty, the claim is that science academia is still prejudiced against women.
Isobutene Better Than Hydrogen For Alternative Fuel Solutions?

Isobutene Better Than Hydrogen For Alternative Fuel Solutions?

Aug 01 2011 | comment(s)

With an oil issue that is pinching us on two fronts, cost and pollution, alternative energy research is going fuel speed ahead, including on solutions that have tried and failed in the past, like ethanol.

But ethanol was not flawed as a concept, it was just pushed by activists who ignored the science and wanted it rushed to market - using food as inefficient fuel was not a great idea but bio-ethanol made from biomass, like left over cornstalks or weeds instead of fuel, might work to improve pollution issues.
Natural Selection on Humans, With the Help of Lions

Natural Selection on Humans, With the Help of Lions

Aug 01 2011 | comment(s)

Came across this video of comedian Louis CK on Letterman, where he argues that we should add lions as selection pressure on human beings. In his words:   
“I think human beings are still evolving and we’re all responsible for that. There’s nothing less than the human evolution at stake when you act like an idiot. And If you are idiot then you should be selected out. Not by a committee, but by lions…”
It's an interesting point overall, though. We are increasingly changing our environments, and, in doing so, also the selective pressures that act upon us. 


Enjoy.
Human Generosity As Evolutionary By-Product?

Human Generosity As Evolutionary By-Product?

Aug 01 2011 | comment(s)

In both biology and economy, game-theory models are used to understand human behavior, mainly concerning cooperation. These models usually incorporate gains, benefits, and reciprocity. And this reciprocity seems to be very important. Basically, if you do something for me, I’ll return the favor (in such a way that the benefits for me outweigh the costs). But human beings also show generosity towards complete strangers in one-shot encounters. How, then, can this be explained?

Defining Dallas: Drought And The Heat Island Effect

Defining Dallas: Drought And The Heat Island Effect

Aug 01 2011 | comment(s)

As with everything, my insatiable curiosity leads me to adventures.  This past week I went on a hike to one of the remote areas of Trinity River Audubon Center to view a pond that I hadn't seen before (because you have to hack your way through a lot of brush to get there, and I'd never gotten around to it.)  It's been hot here in Texas (you may have noticed) but the sight of the pond itself was eerie.  The shores had receded nearly 40 feet in some areas and there were dead carp (skeletons) strewn on the shoreline and at least 40 large dead mussels.  Wading birds were wading in the water, but it wasn't very deep water.
A Tale of Two (Wrong) Theories

A Tale of Two (Wrong) Theories

Aug 01 2011 | comment(s)

Two theories that have been making the biological rounds have been group selection which argued for evolution and selection operating "for the good of the group" and the "selfish gene" which argued that everything (including cooperation) was ultimately based on selfish actions.  The latter being especially pronounced in giving rise to all manner of explanations that argued for genetic representation in the future as being the ultimate criteria to which an organism would act.

We now have an article that uses a similar explanation in describing "exploding bacteria".
Pretty Young Squid

Pretty Young Squid

Aug 01 2011 | comment(s)

I thought I'd write a compelling story about Humboldt squid and one of their favorite prey items, the lightfish Vinciguerria. These two creatures are quite the dynamic duo: one flashing like a red-and-white strobe, the other studded with glowing photophores. They clearly belong at some kind of deep-sea rave.

But I'm riding a train, and I keep getting distracted by the scenery. I can't help it; I love the California hills!

By the fifth false start, I realized that if I wanted to post anything today, it would have to be light and fluffy. So here is a picture I took of a juvenile Humboldt squid in an aquarium:


Football Concussion Researcher Captures Real-Time Data Of Player's Broken Neck

Football Concussion Researcher Captures Real-Time Data Of Player's Broken Neck

Jul 31 2011 | comment(s)

For the crowd watching an Illinois high school football game last fall, it was a sickening feeling watching one of their Unity High School cornerbacks collapse to the ground after delivering a heads-down tackle on an opposing running back (see video here.) 

For Steven Broglio, an assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Michigan, it was a mixed feeling of concern and curiosity as to the extent of the injury.  Since 2007, Broglio has been collecting data on the violent collisions that occur in high school football and their contribution to concussions and other head injuries.