HIV drug may slow down metastatic breast cancer

HIV drug may slow down metastatic breast cancer: The HIV drugs known as CCR5 antagonists may also help prevent aggressive breast cancers from metastasizing, researchers say.

Fish show autism-like gene expression in water with psychoactive pharmaceuticals

Fish show autism-like gene expression in water with psychoactive pharmaceuticals: Psychoactive medications in water affect the gene expression profiles of fathead minnows in a way that mimics the gene expression patterns associated with autism spectrum disorder in genetically susceptible humans, according to new research.

Brain wave meter knows what you're thinking, so get your mind out of the gutter (video)

Brain wave meter knows what you're thinking, so get your mind out of the gutter (video):

A team from Keio University has built a brain scanner that knows when you're stressed, sleepy or interested. Resembling John McEnroe's headband, the device examines the frequency rather than the type of waves your noggin produces. That data, combined with the team's algorithm enables your thoughts and feelings to be examined in real time. Advertisers might want to use the tech to learn what holds our interests, but there's probably plenty of better uses we could think of -- you can come up with some yourself when you watch the footage after the break.
Continue reading Brain wave meter knows what you're thinking, so get your mind out of the gutter (video)

Brain wave meter knows what you're thinking, so get your mind out of the gutter (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 01:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Diginfo  | Email this | Comments

Army scientists juice battery voltage, hike life up to 30 percent

Army scientists juice battery voltage, hike life up to 30 percent:

With the modern US soldier turning into a walking gadget, the army has some heavy reasons to lower battery weights. Its own scientists might have the answer, claiming 30 percent energy density jumps could happen using additives they developed. Those "sacrificial agent" materials would bond with electrodes to allow five volts instead of the four they've been stuck on, permitting a "quantum leap" in efficiency and weight. We'll have to see if that'll come to pass, but given the sheer volume of tech that soldiers are strapping on these days, it couldn't be too soon. To see a video of how it works, zap past the break.
Continue reading Army scientists juice battery voltage, hike life up to 30 percent

Army scientists juice battery voltage, hike life up to 30 percent originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 04:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  US Army  | Email this | Comments

Buttons That Morph Out of Your Touchscreen

Buttons That Morph Out of Your Touchscreen:



kkleiner writes "Wouldn't it be awesome if our tablets and smartphones could have buttons that morphed out of the touchscreen, and then went away again when we didn't need them? It sounds like magic, but now it is reality. Created by Tactus Technology, a Fremont, California-based start-up, Tactus is a deformable layer that sits on top of a touchscreen sensor and display. 'The layer is about 0.75mm to 1mm thick, and at its top sits a deformable, clear layer 200 nm thick. Beneath the clear layer a fluid travels through micro-channels and is pushed up through tiny holes, deforming the clear layer to create buttons or shapes. The buttons or patterns remain for however long they are needed, just for a few seconds or for hours when you’re using your iPad to write that novel. And because the fluid is trapped inside the buttons, they can remain for however long without additional power consumption. They come or go pretty quickly, taking only a second to form or disappear.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Macabre Cat humor

This article is about a guy who loved his cat and then after it died, turned it into a catcopter.

http://motherboard.vice.com/2012/6/4/why-hate-the-catcopter-drones-are-the-real-flying-death--2

Brain scans support Freud: Guilt plays key role in depression

Brain scans support Freud: Guilt plays key role in depression: Scientists have shown that the brains of people with depression respond differently to feelings of guilt -- even after their symptoms have subsided.

New statistical model lets patient's past forecast future ailments

New statistical model lets patient's past forecast future ailments: Analyzing medical records from thousands of patients, statisticians have devised a statistical model for predicting what other medical problems a patient might encounter.

Artist's Catcopter Causes a Stir

Artist's Catcopter Causes a Stir:



derekmead writes "I'm not sure that Dutch artist Bart Jansen had political commentary in mind when he created the Orvillecopter — combining a stuffed cat with a quadrotor, and naming it after Orville Wright — but indeed it's art, whose meaning will lie in the eye of the beholder. And for those that say stitching up a dead animal around the guts of a helicopter and flying it around is 'sick,' what of the massive drone industry, which, more than just producing a symbol, actually is creating flying death?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Physicists close in on a rare particle-decay process: Underground experiment may unlock mysteries of the neutrino

Physicists close in on a rare particle-decay process: Underground experiment may unlock mysteries of the neutrino: In the biggest result of its kind in more than ten years, physicists have made the most sensitive measurements yet in a decades-long hunt for a hypothetical and rare process involving the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei. If discovered, the researchers say, this process could have profound implications for how scientists understand the fundamental laws of physics and help solve some of the universe's biggest mysteries.

Chinese Censors Accidentally Block Shanghai Index

Chinese Censors Accidentally Block Shanghai Index:



New submitter Vulcan195 writes "Now this is amusing in so many ways ... Today (June 4, 1989 ... i.e. 6/4/89) is the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. Naturally, the Chinese Censors were working overtime to block anything that made remote or oblique references to that event. Well, sometime during the day the Shanghai Composite Index dropped by 64.89 points; You can guess what happened next."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Mosquitos Have Little Trouble Flying in the Rain

Mosquitos Have Little Trouble Flying in the Rain:



sciencehabit writes with an interesting article about the (surprisingly not well studied) effects of rain on flying insects. From the article: "When a raindrop hits a mosquito, it's the equivalent of one of us being slammed into by a bus. And yet the bug will survive and keep flying. That's the conclusion of a team of engineers and biologists, which used a combination of real-time video and sophisticated math to demonstrate that the light insect's rugged construction allows the mosquito to shrug off the onslaught of even the largest raindrop. The findings offer little aid in controlling the pest but could help engineers improve the design of tiny flying robots."

Bats, unfortunately, aren't so lucky: "...these furry fliers need about twice as much energy to power through the rain compared with dry conditions."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

NASA gets two 'Hubble-class' military telescopes, fist-pumps with joy

NASA gets two 'Hubble-class' military telescopes, fist-pumps with joy:

Imagine all you wanted for Christmas was a telescope. As you frantically peel off layer after layer of wrapping, there it is -- your brother's old one. Well, okay, if your brother was the National Reconnaissance Office (and you were NASA) this might not seem quite as unjust. Thankfully so, as that's effectively what's just happened. The NRO has given NASA two 2.4-meter "space qualified" telescopes and satellite casings for it to play with. The gifts -- which can observe about 100 times the area of the Hubble telescope -- could complement existing projects and provide much-needed resources at the space agency. As there is currently no funded mission for them, however, they'll remain firmly on the ground for now, but at least this implies they're not needed elsewhere -- hinting at improved international relations. Unless the NRO just got an upgrade?

NASA gets two 'Hubble-class' military telescopes, fist-pumps with joy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jun 2012 05:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink USA Today  |  Washington Post  | Email this | Comments