Computing using water droplets
Forget optical computing or quantum computing: researchers at Aalto University have successfully used water droplets as bits of digital information.
Using what they term 'superhydrophobic droplet logic', they've built a memory device, as well as devices for elementary Boolean logic operations. Their invention's based on the discovery that when two water droplets collide with each other on a highly water-repellent surface, they rebound like billiard balls. "I was surprised that such rebounding collisions between two droplets were never reported before, as it indeed is an easily accessible phenomenon," says Henrikki Mertaniemi... |  |
Race to save Alaskan Arctic archaeology
A recently discovered 500-year-old Alaskan settlement is rapidly disappearing into the Bearing Sea. The exquisitely preserved frozen site provides a spectacular insight into the Yup'ik Eskimo culture.
Researchers from the University of Aberdeen are using isotope analyses on recovered Eskimo hair to investigate how humans adapted to rapid climate change in the Arctic village. The research was discussed at the British Science Festival. The Yup'ik culture was one of the last contacted Eskimo societies, but prevailed over an area three times the size of Scotland. |  |
Counterfeit fossils undermine research projects
Fake fossils are duping scientists and museums, a senior paleontologist has warned, after a scholar was forced to retract a controversial essay that stated the cheetah originated in China.
According to Li Chun, associate researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, counterfeits are now widespread and have become a serious risk to genuine study projects.
"I believe many scholars are victims of fake fossils," he said, before estimating that more than 80 percent of marine reptile specimens on display in Chinese museums "have been altered or artificially combined to varying degrees".
According to Li Chun, associate researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, counterfeits are now widespread and have become a serious risk to genuine study projects.
"I believe many scholars are victims of fake fossils," he said, before estimating that more than 80 percent of marine reptile specimens on display in Chinese museums "have been altered or artificially combined to varying degrees".
Ancient Tomb Built to Flood—Sheds Light on Peru Water Cult?
Archaeologists in Peru thought they had discovered something special when they uncovered the tomb of a pre-Inca priestess and eight other corpses in 2011. But an even bigger find was right beneath their feet.
Continuing their search for artifacts a year later, the team dug beneath the priestess, uncovering a basement tomb they believe was built by an ancient water cult and meant to flood.
"This is a very valuable finding," said Carlos Wester La Torre, head of the excavation and director of the Brüning National Archaeological Museum in the Lambayeque region—a region named after the little-known culture that built the stacked tomb. "The amount of information of this funerary complex is very important, because it changes [what we know of] the political and religious structures of the Andean region.".
Continuing their search for artifacts a year later, the team dug beneath the priestess, uncovering a basement tomb they believe was built by an ancient water cult and meant to flood.
"This is a very valuable finding," said Carlos Wester La Torre, head of the excavation and director of the Brüning National Archaeological Museum in the Lambayeque region—a region named after the little-known culture that built the stacked tomb. "The amount of information of this funerary complex is very important, because it changes [what we know of] the political and religious structures of the Andean region.".
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales attacks government's 'snooper's charter'
Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, has sharply criticised the government's "snooper's charter", designed to track internet, text and email use of all British citizens, as "technologically incompetent".
He said Wikipedia would move to encrypt all its connections with Britain if UK internet companies, such as Vodafone and Virgin Media, were mandated by the government to keep track of every single page accessed by UK citizens. He said the British government would have to resort to the "black arts" of hacking to break encryptions: "It is not the sort of thing I'd expect from a western democracy. It is the kind of thing I would expect from the Iranians or the Chinese and it would be detected immediately by the internet industry," he told MPs and peers. |  |
See the 'Google pyramids' up close
The place that went viral last month as the potential site of a mysterious Egyptian pyramid looks more like a series of mounds on the surface of Mars when you see it up close. Three weeks after the Dimai archaeological site burst into the spotlight, it's become a lot less mysterious — but there are still secrets to uncover.
The site has been familiar to Egyptologists since the 1920s: It's thought to have been the locale for a desert settlement going back to Egypt's Ptolemaic era, when Greek and Roman influences were on the ascendance. Did these mounds serve as watchtowers, or tombs, or well sites? That's what the Soknopaiou Nesos Project wants to find out. One of the project's directors, Egyptologist Paola Davoli of Italy's University of Salento in Lecce, filled me in about the current state of her group's research last week. |  |
Voyager 1 Probe's 35-Year Trek to Interstellar Space Almost Never Was
NASA's Voyager 1 probe is streaking toward interstellar space these days, but the most far-flung man-made object in the solar system almost got stuck in Earth orbit after launching 35 years ago today (Sept. 5).
Voyager 1's Titan-Centaur rocket came within 3.5 seconds of running out of fuel when it carried the spacecraft aloft on Sept. 5, 1977, mission officials said today during a celebration of the launch's 35th anniversary at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. |  |
Drought Withers U.S. Corn Crop, Heats Debate on Ethanol
Ethanol has been good to Galva, Iowa. This kernel of a community has grown almost 20 percent since the 2000 census, to 434 people—a growth spurt that locals attribute to a new golden age for corn and their very own ethanol plant, which opened in 2002.
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'Who The (Bleep) Did I Marry?': Man Steals Moon Rocks To Impress A Girl
Unlike most stories on "Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?," Kaydee Wilson's husband wasn't particularly dangerous or violent, and she didn't suffer any physical harm at his hands. Instead, she was associated with one of the most unexpected and bizarre crimes imaginable.
Her husband, Thad Roberts, was an intern for NASA in the summer of 2002 when he orchestrated a heist. His targets were rocks from the moon. They were estimated to be worth about $21 million. But why did he do it?. |  |
Neil Armstrong will be buried at sea
U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, will be buried at sea, family spokesman Rick Miller said on Thursday.
Armstrong died on Aug. 25. He was 82. A public memorial service will be held at the Washington National Cathedral on Sept. 13 and will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed online at nasa.gov and nationalcathedral.org. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong, who led the Apollo 11 mission, became the first human to walk on the moon. |  |
Forget passwords: How playing games can make computers more secure
It seems like something out of a Robert Ludlum spy novel. Someone tries to coerce you into revealing your computer security passwords. You might be tempted to give in, but it is impossible for you to reveal your authentication credentials. You do not actually know them because they are safely buried deep within your subconscious.
Sounds a bit extreme just to make sure no one can log on to your laptop or smartphone, but a team of researchers from Stanford and Northwestern universities as well as SRI International is nonetheless experimenting at the computer-, cognitive- and neuroscience intersection to combat identity theft and shore up cyber security—by taking advantage of the human brain’s innate abilities to learn and recognize patterns. |  |
Robo-cheetah can outrun Usain Bolt
The Cheetah robot from Boston Dynamics, makers of BigDog, has set a new legged-robot speed record, and actually tops out at speeds that would leave Usain Bolt behind — barely.
We first encountered the Cheetah back in February, when it was shown running, or rather galloping, at 18 mph — far faster than the record at the time, 13.1 mph. On Wednesday, the robot maker published a new video of the Cheetah breaking its own record by hitting an incredible 28.3 mph, or just a touch faster than Usain Bolt at his fastest. |  |
New DNA Encyclopedia Attempts to Map Function of Entire Human Genome
A torrent of new data charts the human genome in unprecedented detail, a landmark accomplishment compared by some scientists to the genome’s sequencing in 1999.
Hundreds of thousands of new genomic pieces, catalogued for the very first time, are contained in the data, which is described Sept. 4 in 30 papers published by Nature and the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Also included are preliminary descriptions of how these pieces fit together. Of course, if history is any guide, expectations should be tempered. The more that’s learned about the genome, the more complex it proves to be — a mountain that seems taller with every ascending step. But the view deserves to be appreciated. |  |
Roman provicial town revealed – street by street
An ancient Italian town, which disappeared 1,500 years ago after it was finally abandoned by it’s inhabitants now lies buried beneath the ground. The site has been mapped by archaeologists using the latest remote sensing technology, revealing the location of its theatre, marketplace and other buildings.
Originally founded as a colony in the 4th century BCE, the site of Interamna Lirenas lies in the Liri Valley in Southern Lazio, about 50 miles south of Rome itself. It was founded in 312 BCE as a colony of Latins in an area already settled by Volscans , on the route of the Via Latina. It was situated at the confluence of the Liri and Rio Spalla Bassa rivers, where the name “Interamna” (meaning “between river”). It was abandoned around the year 500 CE, and then scavenged for building materials until today, the site is an uninterrupted stretch of farmland, with almost no recognisable archaeological features.
Originally founded as a colony in the 4th century BCE, the site of Interamna Lirenas lies in the Liri Valley in Southern Lazio, about 50 miles south of Rome itself. It was founded in 312 BCE as a colony of Latins in an area already settled by Volscans , on the route of the Via Latina. It was situated at the confluence of the Liri and Rio Spalla Bassa rivers, where the name “Interamna” (meaning “between river”). It was abandoned around the year 500 CE, and then scavenged for building materials until today, the site is an uninterrupted stretch of farmland, with almost no recognisable archaeological features.
Lost Medieval Church Discovered Beneath Parking Lot
The hunt for King Richard III's grave is heating up, with archaeologists announcing today (Sept. 5) that they have located the church where the king was buried in 1485.
"The discoveries so far leave us in no doubt that we are on the site of Leicester's Franciscan Friary, meaning we have crossed the first significant hurdle of the investigation," Richard Buckley, the lead archaeologist on the dig, said in a statement. |  |
The Ecce Homo Dilemma: Spain Puzzles over an Art Disaster Gone Viral
It was the botch job heard around the world. So laughably executed was Cecilia Giménez’s supposed restoration of a fresco titled Ecce Homo that it appeared on the cover of newspapers from New York to Sydney, launched a Twitter contest with over 2,000 entries to date and made its way onto an extended sketch on the Conan O’Brien show. A foodstall in Madrid is even selling crepes burnished with the image. But all the media attention directed at what Spanish wits have dubbed Ecce Mono (the original title translates as “Behold the Man”; the revised version as “Behold the Monkey”), has left the city of Borja, located roughly 60 km northwest of Zaragoza with a dilemma: What the heck do they do with the thing now?
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Apple and Orangutans: Apes Found to be Enamored with iPads
The comparisons between orangutans and humans are undeniable and multifaceted – they can recognize themselves in a mirror, they have hairlines (that recede, just like ours), they share 97% of our genetic code, and the males tend to be sociable only during mating (we kid). And now, zookeepers across the U.S. and Canada have discovered, both species share a technological fascination, too. For orangutans, playing with iPad apps appears to be as popular among the apes as it is with humans.
As part of a program called Apps for Apes, launched by New York based not-for-profit Orangutan Outreach, 12 zoos across North America have incorporated playing on donated iPads as part of the orangutans’ mental enrichment time. |  |
Psilocybin and Personality
Recent research suggests fascinating connections between the effects of the psychedelic drug psilocybin and personality traits related to inner experience. Personality appears to influence response to psilocybin and psilocybin can promote changes in personality, suggesting a reciprocal relationship. Further research in this area could lead to new insights into the basis of human personality and creativity.
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Inception helmet creates alternative reality
Christopher Nolan's 2010 blockbuster Inception is set in a distant future where military technology enables one to infiltrate and surreptitiously alter other people's dreams. Leonardo Di Caprio plays Dom Cobb, an industrial spy tasked with planting an idea into the mind of a powerful businessman. The film has a complex, layered structure: Cobb and the other characters create dreams within dreams within dreams, but they cannot distinguish between reality and the dream states they fabricate.
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Deep-sea crabs have colour vision
Deep-sea crabs have a type of colour vision despite living up to 1000m below the surface, say scientists.
Investigating the "murky depths", US-based researchers recorded the glow of tiny bioluminescent species using a submersible vehicle. The team also studied how crustaceans react to this light, and found previously unknown sensitivities to blue and ultra violet wavelengths. They suggest crabs use their colour vision to discern edible food. |  |
Patagonian Glaciers Melting in a Hurry
Ice fields in southern South America are rapidly losing volume and in most cases thinning at even the highest elevations, contributing to sea-level rise at "substantially higher" rates than observed from the 1970s through the 1990s, according to a study published Wednesday.
The rapid melting, based on satellite observations, suggests the ice field's contribution to global sea-level rise has increased by half since the end of the 20th century, jumping from 0.04 millimeters per year to about .07 mm, and accounting for 2 percent of annual sea-level rise since 1998. |  |
Worldwide army of scientists cracks the 'junk DNA’ code
Hailed as the biggest breakthrough in genomics in a decade, the project explained how swathes of DNA once thought to have no purpose, actually form a complex “control panel” for our genes.
The study is expected to lead to new medical treatments by pinpointing key areas of the genome which cause diseases such as cancer. Certain “switches” have already been linked to 100 diseases including Crohn’s disease, childhood diabetes and schizophrenia. Only one to two per cent of our genome contains genes, the parts of our DNA bearing instructions for the creation of proteins from which cells are made. |  |
Life from Mars could have 'polluted' Earth: Krauss
Unless you've been living under a rock—Earth or Martian—in the past month, surely you have heard about the Curiosity rover's landing and early adventures on Mars.
The prospects for what the rover could find has many in the space community very excited, even though Curiosity is supposed to look for habitable environments, not life itself. However, a couple of weeks ago, noted theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss said he wouldn't be surprised if we do find evidence of life on Mars. In an interview with CNN (below), Krauss said it's possible Martian life could have "polluted" Earth early in our planet's history, giving rise to life as we know it today. |  |
Mars's Dramatic Climate Variations Are Driven by the Sun
On Mars's poles there are ice caps of ice and dust with layers that reflect to past climate variations on Mars. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute have related the layers in the ice cap on Mars's north pole to variations in solar insolation on Mars, thus established the first dated climate history for Mars, where ice and dust accumulation has been driven by variations in insolation.
The ice caps on Mars's poles are kilometres thick and composed of ice and dust. There are layers in the ice caps, which can be seen in cliffs and valley slopes and we have known about these layers for decades, since the first satellite images came back from Mars. The layers are believed to reflect past climate on Mars, in the same way that Earth's climate history can be read by analysing ice cores from the ice caps on Greenland and Antarctica. |  |
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