Robotrat: a telecontrolled rat in invisible mazes!

ScienceDirect - Trends in Cognitive Sciences : The amazing adventures of robotrat

Accordingly to Professor Nicolelis, the most important name in the BCI field (do you remember the monkey who could control the robot just thinking?), in a recent work it was obtained a telecontrolled rat just inserting three microelectrodes in the animal’s brain. Two of them are used to stimulate the somatosensory cortex in the whiskers zone, one for the left whiskers and the other for the right ones. The third has to stimulate a zone that is thought to mimic pleasure followed by positive reward. So, if the rat turns in the right direction, it will be pleasured. The final result is a telecontrolled rat!

With this set-up it was possible to teach the rat how to navigate in invisible mazes. After some trials, the rat was able to navigate into the real mazes, knowing exactly where to go. Amazing.

Applications? Of course the “positive” scenario is the usual after-earthquake one: telecontrolled animals could be the perfect tools to locate surviving victims buried in piles of rubble.

No words on the military uses. Anyway, what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve… I feel better.

Apophis Mission Design Competition Rules

Prize offered to tag an asteroid

Apophis could become a testbed for future defence strategies

A $50,000 (£25,000) competition has been launched to find the best way to tag a 400m-wide asteroid.

The Apophis space rock is set to make a close pass of Earth in 2029 and scientists would like to confirm that it poses no danger to our world.

The Planetary Society will give a prize to the designers of a mission that would allow the huge asteroid's orbit to be tracked with the most precision.

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UntitledWorld Health Organization and partners unveil new coordinated approach to treat millions suffering from neglected tropical diseases

26 OCTOBER 2006 | WASHINGTON -- Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) and a group of more than 25 partner organizations unveiled a new strategy to fight some of the most neglected tropical diseases that destroy the lives and health of poor people.

[...]

Work must now begin in earnest to implement the practical guidelines in the manual and sustain the progress that preventive chemotherapy offers. The governments of the Member States of the United Nations have committed themselves to attaining the Millennium Development Goals. The application of preventive treatment for worm infections will make a significant contribution to overcoming the challenges set out for us in the Millennium Development Goals.

Should we think a space contribution in term of System of System???

WHO | World Health Organization and partners unveil new coordinated approach to treat millions suffering from neglected tropical diseases

EU FP7 approved by European Parliament ...

The European Parliament has approved a 54bn euro (£36bn) plan to boost science research in Europe. Framework Programme 7 (FP7) is designed to support several priority areas of research.
Of the different research categories, information technology gets the biggest chunk of funding, with a 9.1bn euro (£6bn) budget.
But research into climate change and energy has received a comparatively small amount of funding in the plan.

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Green light for EU science plan

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Sustainability Competition - Science City in Zürich

Science City represents the vision of a university campus and an urban district that promote a thinking culture. The objective is to transform the ETH Hönggerberg location into an attractive urban district with a high quality of life where science and society come together on a daily basis. People in Science City shall not only teach, learn and conduct research, but also live, shop, meet, exercise, attend cultural events and much more. In realizing this vision, the concept of sustainability plays a central role.The "International Sustainability Competition Science City" will help guide the innovative development of a university campus that allows its users to live and work in a sustainable manner.On behalf of ETH Zurich, the competition is organized by Novatlantis - Sustainability at the ETH Domain.

ETH - Sciencecity - International Sustainability Competition

Robot, heal thyself

University of Vermont engineer invents 'resilient machines' that self-repair

Dr. Joshua Bongard has invented robots that can self-heal. For example, they detecting a missing leg and invent a new way to continue walking.
Bongard's research article entitled, "Resilient machines through continuous self modeling," will appear in Science Magazine, Friday November 17, 2006.
Dr. Bongard is assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Vermont in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.
"There is a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own," said Bongard. "The research is essential for NASA who plan to continue using robots for planetary missions. Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human intervention in the event they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth. Our robot is able to detect -- without a camera -- that something is wrong, and teach itself to continue to walk in spite of incurred damage."

A homemade robot was used for the experiments where one robotic leg was removed. The robot is programmed to do damage assessments by moving in sequences that look playful but allow the robot to determine where damage has occurred; once identified, it then self creates a new way to move without the missing limb and therefore is able to then carry on its mission.
Dr. Bongard intends to use robot construction kits, such as Lego Mindstorms, to continue his research here at UVM, and involve undergraduate and graduate students in the process.

The research, done for NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy by Dr. Bongard while at Cornell prior to his arrival at UVM, will air on the Discovery Channel of Canada Thursday, Nov. 16 and on Discoveries This Week on the Science Channel Friday, November 17.
Dr. Bongard is available with video and pictures for media: Friday, Nov. 17 -- 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. and 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. in the Dean's Office 109 Votey Building, University of Vermont.
Science Magazine http://www.sciencemag.org/magazine.dtl

For more information contact:
Dr. Josh Bongard Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences University of Vermont 329 Votey Hall 33 Colchester Avenue Burlington, VT 05405 Tel: 802-656-4665 Fax: 802-656-0696 josh.bongard@uvm.edu

New ideas for wireless power transmission

How wireless energy could work

The answer the team came up with was "resonance", a phenomenon that causes an object to vibrate when energy of a certain frequency is applied.

This would work in a room let's say but you could adapt it to work in a factory Marin Soljacic

"When you have two resonant objects of the same frequency they tend to couple very strongly," Professor Soljacic told the BBC News website.

Resonance can be seen in musical instruments for example.

"When you play a tune on one, then another instrument with the same acoustic resonance will pick up that tune, it will visibly vibrate," he said.

Instead of using acoustic vibrations, the team's system exploits the resonance of electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic radiation includes radio waves, infrared and X-rays.

Typically, systems that use electromagnetic radiation, such as radio antennas, are not suitable for the efficient transfer of energy because they scatter energy in all directions, wasting large amounts of it into free space.

To overcome this problem, the team investigated a special class of "non-radiative" objects with so-called "long-lived resonances".

BBC NEWS | Technology | Physics promises wireless power

Intel researching on CNT for chips

Intel is eyeing carbon nanotubes as a possible replacement for copper wires inside semiconductors, a switch that one day could eliminate some big problems for chipmakers.
The chip giant has managed to create prototype interconnects--microscopic metallic wires inside of chips that link transistors--out of carbon nanotubes and measure how well the interconnects perform. In essence, the experiments are a way to test whether the theories about the properties of carbon nanotubes are accurate.

Mike Mayberry, director of components research at Intel's labs in Oregon, will discuss the research at the International Symposium for the American Vacuum Society next week in San Francisco. Intel worked with California Institute of Technology, Columbia University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Portland State University on the project.

Intel eyes nanotubes for future chip designs | CNET News.com

Climate warming 'seesaws' between the poles: "Antarctic ice-drilling reveals linked cycle of warming and cooling."

(Via Nature Science Update.)

another article on the increase in global carbon emissions

Far from slowing down, global carbon dioxide emissions are rising faster than before, said a gathering of scientists in Beijing on Friday.

Between 2000 and 2005, emissions grew four times faster than in the preceding 10 years, according to researchers at the Global Carbon Project, a consortium of international researchers. Global growth rates were 0.8% from 1990 to 1999. From 2000 to 2005, they reached 3.2%.

Though alarming, the figures confirm expectations. "They make intuitive sense to me," says Jim Watson, deputy leader of the energy programme at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, UK.

Carbon emissions rising faster than ever - earth - 10 November 2006 - New Scientist Tech

China Space White Paper

Full text: China's Space Activities in 2006

The Information Office of China's State Council on Thursday issued a white paper titled "China's Space Activities in 2006".

The following is the full text of the document: China's Space Activities in 2006 Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China October 2006, Beijing Contents Preface I. Aims and Principles of Development II. Progress Made in the Past Five Years III. Development Targets and Major Tasks for the Next Five Years IV. Development Policies and Measures V. International Exchanges and Cooperation

People's Daily Online -- Full text: China's Space Activities in 2006

Rumours on an ambitious Indian Moon Programme

An Indian will walk on the moon in 2020. Or so the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) maintains.

At a forthcoming meeting of the country's top scientists on November 7, ISRO will, for the first time, unveil two of its ambitious plans - to send an Indian into space around 2014 and then to have one walk on the moon about six years later. Both missions will be accomplished without any foreign assistance. ISRO will even find a Sanskrit word equivalent for the US's 'astronaut' and Russia's 'cosmonaut' to describe the Indian in space.G Madhavan Nair, chairman, ISRO, said the proposed missions would be a national endeavour, with the best of the country's laboratories and research-and-development organisations chipping in with technical know-how.

Plan to put Indian on moon in ’20 : HindustanTimes.com

quantum communicating (in chineese) ...

CAS researchers have been successful in achieving the quantum teleportation of a two-qubit composite system, marking an important stride towards teleportation-based quantum computation with photons. The feat was reported as the cover story in the Oct. issue of Nature Physics.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences

more active moon than thought ... new scientist article ...

Blasts of gas from deep beneath the lunar surface are giving the Moon a surprisingly fresh-faced look, suggests a new study. If they are, our picture of the Moon’s geological past will have to change just as dramatically.

The Moon was thought to be geologically inactive. The last volcanoes erupted on it nearly a billion years ago and meteor impacts were believed to be the only thing that could change its surface today. That belief is set to change.

How the Moon sheds its skin - space - 08 November 2006 - New Scientist Space

looks like a very nice idea ....

Pumping carbon dioxide through hot rocks could simultaneously generate power and mop up the greenhouse gases produced by fossil fuel power stations, according to a new study.Harnessing geothermal power involves extracting heat from beneath the surface of the Earth. Normally, this means pumping water down through hot rocks and extracting it again. But the new analysis suggests carbon dioxide could extract heat from rocks more efficiently than water.

Karsten Pruess, a hydro-geologist at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in the US, carried out the study and says carbon dioxide could theoretically boost the amount of energy produced by hydrothermal plants by 50% or more. At the same time, Pruess calculates that the technique could be used to dispose of the carbon dioxide produced by conventional power plants, which contribute to global warming.

Geothermal power plants could also consume CO2 - tech - 08 November 2006 - New Scientist Tech

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another strong message .... from the very top

As Climate Changes, Can We?

By Kofi Annan

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

If there were any remaining doubt about the urgent need to combat climate change, two reports issued last week should make the world sit up and take notice. First, according to the latest data submitted to the United Nations, the greenhouse gas emissions of the major industrialized countries continue to increase. Second, a study by a former chief economist of the World Bank, Sir Nicholas Stern of Britain, called climate change "the greatest and widest-ranging market failure ever seen," with the potential to shrink the global economy by 20 percent and to cause economic and social disruption on par with the two world wars and the Great Depression.

The scientific consensus, already clear and incontrovertible, is moving toward the more alarmed end of the spectrum. Many scientists long known for their caution are now saying that warming has reached dire levels, generating feedback loops that will take us perilously close to a point of no return. A similar shift may be taking place among economists, with some formerly circumspect analysts saying it would cost far less to cut emissions now than to adapt to the consequences later. Insurers, meanwhile, have been paying out more and more each year to compensate for extreme weather events. And growing numbers of corporate and industry leaders have been voicing concern about climate change as a business risk. The few skeptics who continue to try to sow doubt should be seen for what they are: out of step, out of arguments and just about out of time.

Kofi Annan - As Climate Changes, Can We? - washingtonpost.com

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European Ecological Footprint

Footprint Network News - Global Footprint Network - Advancing the Science of Sustainability

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hopefully never necessary ....

We started looking at this also ... not yet conclusive but it seems reasonable to look at all options, even when hoping that humanity would manage to get to reason and change our consumption and GHG emission patterns in time ...

For the past year, Angel has been looking at ways to cool the Earth in an emergency. He's been studying the practicality of deploying a space sunshade in a global warming crisis, a crisis where it becomes clear that Earth is unmistakably headed for disastrous climate change within a decade or two.

Roger Angel

Angel presented the idea at the National Academy of Sciences in April and won a NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts grant for further research in July. His collaborators on the grant are David Miller of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Nick Woolf of UA's Steward Observatory, and NASA Ames Research Center Director S. Pete Worden.

Space Sunshade Might Be Feasible in Global Warming Emergency

what a choice ...

Evolutionary trade-off between weapons and testes

It has long been recognized that male mating competition is responsible for the evolution of weaponry for mate acquisition. However, when females mate with more than one male, competition between males can continue after mating in the form of sperm competition. Theory predicts that males should increase their investment in sperm production as sperm competition is increased, but it assumes that males face a trade-off between sperm production and other life-history traits such as mate acquisition. Here, we use a genus of horned beetle, Onthophagus, to examine the trade-off between investment in testes required for fertilizations and investment in weapons used to obtain matings. In a within-species study, we prevented males from developing horns and found that these males grew larger and invested relatively more in testes growth than did males allowed to grow horns. Among species, there was no general relationship between the relative sizes of horns and testes. However, the allometric slope of horn size on body size was negatively associated with the allometric slope of testes size on body size. We suggest that this reflects meaningful evolutionary changes in the developmental mechanisms regulating trait growth, specifically in the degree of nutrition-dependent phenotypic plasticity versus canalization of traits. Finally, we show how this resource allocation trade-off has influenced the evolutionary diversification of weapons, revealing a rich interplay between developmental trade-offs and both pre- and postmating mechanisms of sexual competition.

From the Cover: Evolutionary trade-off between weapons and testes -- Simmons and Emlen 103 (44): 16346 -- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

who voluneers?

Another brain research study that probably would not have passed the french ethical committee approval ...

Zapping sleepers’ brains boosts memory

Applying a gentle electric current to the brain during sleep can significantly boost memory, researchers report.

A small new study showed that half an hour of this brain stimulation improved students’ performance at a verbal memory task by about 8%. The approach enhances memory by creating a form of electrical current in the brain seen in deep sleep, the researchers suggest.

Zapping sleepers’ brains boosts memory - health - 05 November 2006 - New Scientist

ACT - Advanced Concepts

ACT - Advanced Concepts

Nature article on Stern report ...

While it is not advanced concept and directly space related, the Stern report (Stern report) is definitely a good reading...

How much will it cost to save the world?

The Stern Review won't be the last word on the cost of global warming. But it has upped the stakes in the debate. Jim Giles reports.He's a highly respected researcher and a former chief economist at the World Bank. He had a year and the help of more than 20 of Britain's brightest civil servants and academics. His work was commissioned by Gordon Brown, who controls Britain's budget and is likely to be the country's next prime minister. So could Nicholas Stern settle the debate about the economic impact of climate change?

news @ nature.com - How much will it cost to save the world? - The Stern Review won't be the last word on the cost of global warming. But it has upped the stakes in the debate. Jim Giles reports.

paper on smart paper ...

Smart paper may put lightweight spies in the skies

Paper aeroplanes could fly by flapping their wings thanks to smart paper that bends when bathed in an electric field. The material raises the prospect of swarms of tiny lightweight aircraft carrying sensors that act as the eyes and ears of a surveillance network.

Electroactive paper (EAPap) is ordinary cotton-based paper, similar to the material used to make US bank notes, coated on each side with a thin layer of gold. The smart paper has been made by researchers from Inha University, South Korea, and Texas A & M University, US

Smart paper may put lightweight spies in the skies - tech - 12 June 2006 - New Scientist Tech

Did we come across this in our Ariadna study on artificial muscles?

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A new type of battery substitution for small probes? Pulsing gels could power tiny devices

A gel that pulses regularly when doused with certain chemicals has been modelled in detail for the first time. The scientists behind the modelling say it may one day be used to power miniature robots or other devices.So-called Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) gels were first discovered in 1996 by researchers at the National Institute of Materials and Chemical Research in Japan. They consist of long polymer molecules containing a metal catalyst made from ruthenium – a rare metal similar in structure to platinum.

Pulsing gels could power tiny devices - tech - 02 November 2006 - New Scientist Tech

I have never heard about this type of gels - lets have a closer look at it ...

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Interesting article

Climate change special: State of denial - earth - 04 November 2006 - New Scientist

Kevin Trenberth reckons he is a marked man. He has argued that last year's devastating Atlantic hurricane season, which spawned hurricane Katrina, was linked to global warming. For the many politicians and minority of scientists who insist there is no evidence for any such link, Trenberth's views are unacceptable and some have called for him step down from an international panel studying climate change. "The attacks on me are clearly designed to get me fired or to resign," says Trenberth.

The attacks fit a familiar pattern. Sceptics have also set their sights on scientists who have spoken out about the accelerating meltdown of the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica and the thawing of the planet's permafrost. These concerns will be addressed in the next report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global organisation created by the UN in 1988 to assess the risks of human-induced climate change. Every time one of these assessments is released, about once every five years, some of the American scientists who have played a part in producing it become the targets of concerted attacks apparently designed to bring down their reputations and careers. At stake is the credibility of scientists who fear our planet is hurtling towards disaster and want to warn the public in the US and beyond.

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lets get started ...

here we go ... waiting until we will finally be able to add the blog function to our wiki, I have created us this blog.
The easiest way to blog seems to be to use this new "social browser" called flock (www.flock.com) - you just have to right click on an article to add it to one of your blogs .... just try it out.
LS