Whole Mouse brain mapping within reach with methods for reconstruction of all nerve cells and their connections

Learning, it is widely believed, is based on changes in the connections between nerve cells. Knowing which nerve cells are connected to which other nerve cells would considerably help us to understand how the brain works. Scientists have therefore long dreamed of mapping and then decoding the connectome, the circuit diagram of the brain. With …

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Ten Times More Throughput on Optic Fibers

Two EPFL scientists have shown how to achieve a dramatic increase in the capacity of optical fibers. Their simple, innovative solution reduces the amount of space required between the pulses of light that transport data. The breakthrough could increase the throughput of data in telecommunications systems by a factor of ten. Researchers have come up …

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Comparing centenarians to extremely sick diabetic people has found more genes that cause diabetes

Aging researcher compared centenarians on one side and T2D patients with severe complications (people with extreme diabetic complications) on the other, thus maximizing possible genetic differences among patients and controls. Their data suggest that the use of relatively small numbers of cases and controls with extreme phenotypes (thus reducing sample heterogeneity) in genetic association studies …

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Focardi who worked with Rossi on the Energy Catalyzer has died

Rossi has announced that Prof. Sergio Focardi has died. Sergio Focardi worked with Rossi to develop the highly controversial energy catalyzer (cold fusion / LENR – low energy nuclear reaction) device. Sergio Focardi (1932–2013) was an Italian physicist and professor emeritus at the University of Bologna. He led the Department of Bologna of the (Italian) …

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Volvo Kers Flywheel System boosts fuel efficiency by 25% and will look to put it into production cars

Volvo Cars tests of flywheel technology confirm fuel savings of up to 25 per cent in a S60 sedan. Volvo Car Group has completed extensive testing of kinetic flywheel technology on public roads – and the results confirm that this is a light, cheap and very eco-efficient solution. “The testing of this complete experimental system …

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Medvedev Expresses concern about Chinese migrants to Siberia

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday issued a veiled warning about China’s rising influence in Russia’s resource-rich Far East, saying it was essential to defend the area against “excessive expansion by bordering states”. Speaking days after Russia’s first deputy defense minister said two new nuclear submarines would be sent to the Pacific Fleet, Medvedev also …

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Rumors of an iPad – Macbook Air Hybrid and other future Apple iPad Variations

V3.co.uk – Following a meeting with Cook, Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner published a research note suggesting Apple may be about to redesign the iPad to meet the needs of those wanting an ARM-based hybrid device It is possible that Apple could offer some form of tablet-laptop hybrid similar to the Asus Transformer Prime, given the …

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A Comet may have caused a coronal mass ejection

Universe Today – the SOHO mission (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) shows a sun-diving comet hitting the solar surface on October 1, 2011 and unexpectedly a huge explosion occurs shortly after. Are the two events related? Probably not, but solar scientists don’t know for sure. The region where the coronal mass ejection (CME) originated was on …

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Seasteading Institute’s position on the recent Details article

This is a planned (concept) seastead boat, but they will NOT be launching it next year Seasteading has recently received a lot of media attention after an article published in Details on August 13. Nextbigfuture also provided coverage of Seasteading Nextbigfuture also covered David Brins comments Seastead has some corrections Not launching a big seastead …

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Cheaper and more efficient water desalination

In the new study, Elimelech and William Phillip, now at the University of Notre Dame, demonstrate that reverse osmosis requires a minimum amount of energy that cannot be overcome, and that current technology is already starting to approach that limit. Instead of higher water flux membranes, Elimelech and Phillip suggest that the real gains in …

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Researchers propose ‘whole-system redesign’ of U.S. agriculture

Incremental improvements to agriculture have been which have included adoption of two-year crop rotations, precision agriculture technologies, classically bred and genetically engineered crops, and reduced- or no-tillage management systems. US David researchers are recommending innovative agricultural systems such as organic farming, grass-fed and other alternative livestock production systems, mixed crop and livestock systems, and perennial …

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