Neuroscientists’ stimulate brain cells and reveal how those neurons influence the rest of the brain.

This image shows a map of neural activity in the awake mouse brain, top, and pattern of brain communication when the sensory projection neurons are optically driven, bottom. The hotter colors indicate higher correlation. There are about 100 billion neurons in the human brain, and each one belongs to elaborate networks that control our behavior, …

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Answer to Edge 2011 Question – What scientific concept to improve everyones cognitive toolkit

“How Would You Disprove Your Viewpoint?!” by Howard Gardner (H/T Reddit Psychologist, Harvard University; Author, Truth, Beauty, And Goodness Reframed: Educating For The Virtues In The 21St Century Thanks to Karl Popper, we have a simple and powerful tool: the phrase “How Would You Disprove Your Viewpoint?!” In a democratic and demotic society like ours, …

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Stem cell discovery could lead to improved bone marrow transplants and stem cells and baldness

1. Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have identified a key molecule for establishing blood stem cells in their niche within the bone marrow. The findings, reported in the January issue of Cell Stem Cell, may lead to improvements in the safety and efficiency of bone marrow transplants. The new study shows that …

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Machine Washable electrically conducting nanotube yarns for smart clothing

Nanotechnologists have developed conducting fabrics that can survive a washing machine. Multifunctional applications have been limited by the ability to spin important materials into yarns and make sure they stay there even after washing. They make a yarn peppered with “guest” particles of interest – titanium dioxide to create self-cleaning fabrics and wrap the particles …

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US Nuclear energy generation for 2010 will be close to best years in 2007 and 2008

For the first 11 months of 2010, nuclear generation is 0.9% higher than the same period in 2009. For 2010, nuclear generation was 732.9 billion kilowatt-hours compared to 726.3 bkWh for the same period in 2009 and 734.5 bkWh in 2007 (the record year for nuclear generation). In 2007, nuclear power generated 806.5 billion kilowatt-hours …

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Techonomy – Reinventing Sustenance: Feeding a world of 9.4 billion people

Ad Support : Nano Technology   Netbook    Technology News    Computer Software Reinventing Sustenance: Feeding a world of 9.4 billion people Speakers: Raoul Adamchak, UC Davis Student Farm/Agricultural Sustainability Institute Fred Pearce, New Scientist Prabhu Pingali, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Moderator: Vijay Vaitheeswaran, The Economist First Green revolution – we doubled food production and tripled water usage …

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Dwave Quantum Optimization will Outperform Classical Solvers by 10,000 to 1 million Times Even Without Scaling Advantage

Ad Support : Nano Technology   Netbook    Technology News    Computer Software For problems with up to 128 variables, the adiabatic times for the simulated processor architecture are about 4 and 6 orders (10,000 to 1 million times faster) of magnitude shorter than the two classical solvers’ times. This performance difference shows that, even in the potential absence …

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Nanoparticles of Tin have 60% Stronger Superconducting Properties

Ad Support : Nano Technology   Netbook    Technology News    Computer Software Enhanced superconductivity has been observed in 1-50 nanometer sized particles of tin. [Nanowerk coverage] Quantum effects in the tiny particles can intensify superconductivity up to 60 %, but only if a “magical” size is reached that can be predicted accurately. These results provide new starting points …

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Carnival of Nuclear Energy 3 – NEI 2009 Stats, Nuclear Renaissance and More

Welcome to the third Carnival of Nuclear Energy. 1. NEI summarizes the updated 2009 nuclear statistics. * US nuclear plants generated slightly less electricity in 2009 than in 2008, yet nuclear’s fuel share increased from 19.6% in 2008 to 20.2% in 2009. That’s simply because electricity generation declined by four percent in the US due …

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Japan Plans $2.2 billion Robotic Moon Base at South Pole of the Moon by 2020

Ad Support : Nano Technology   Netbook    Technology News    Computer Software Japan plans to use $2.2 billion to make a lunar base operated by robots at the south pole of moon by 2020. * A Japanese government panel has produced a draft paper outlining how humanoid rover robots will begin surveying the moon by 2015, according to …

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