| Information overload in the era of 'big data' Aug 20th 2012, 20:10 The ability of botanists and other scientists to generate data quickly and cheaply is surpassing their ability to access and analyze it. Scientists facing too much information rely on computers to search large data sets for patterns that are beyond the capability of humans to recognize. New tools called ontologies provide the rules computers need to transform information into knowledge, by attaching meaning to data, thereby making those data more retrievable and understandable. |  | Search technology that can gauge opinion and predict the future Aug 16th 2012, 11:54 Inspired by a system for categorizing books proposed by an Indian librarian more than 50 years ago, researchers have developed a new kind of internet search that takes into account factors such as opinion, bias, context, time and location. The new technology, which could soon be in use commercially, can display trends in public opinion about a topic, company or person over time - and it can even be used to predict the future. | | Online obesity treatment programmes show promise Aug 15th 2012, 01:33 Computer and web-based weight management programs may provide a cost effective way of addressing the growing problem of obesity, according to a recent review. The researcher found that delivering weight loss or weight maintenance programs online or by computer helped overweight and obese patients lose and/or maintain weight. | | Cyber security risk to smart grids and intelligent buildings Aug 13th 2012, 15:54 Building owners and designers, and particularly members of the building services industry, are racing to implement intelligent buildings and smart grids, which are widely heralded as a boon in terms of both energy efficiency and facilities management. But many are overlooking the potential risk of malicious attacks on these highly networked control systems. | | Rooting out rumors, epidemics, and crime -- with math Aug 10th 2012, 17:31 Scientists have developed an algorithm that can identify the source of an epidemic or information circulating within a network, a method that could also be used to help with criminal investigations. | | Computer scientists present smile database Jul 30th 2012, 15:17 What exactly happens to your face when you smile spontaneously, and how does that affect how old you look? Computer scientists recorded the smiles of hundreds of people, thus creating the most comprehensive smile database ever. The research also shows that you look younger when you smile, but only if you are over forty. If you are under forty, you should look neutral if you want to come across younger. | | New method to find novel connections from gene to gene, drug to drug and between scientists Jul 24th 2012, 21:13 Researchers have developed a new computational method that will make it easier for scientists to identify and prioritize genes, drug targets, and strategies for repositioning drugs that are already on the market. By mining large datasets more simply and efficiently, researchers will be able to better understand gene-gene, protein-protein, and drug/side-effect interactions. The new algorithm will also help scientists identify fellow researchers with whom they can collaborate. | | Paving the way to a scalable device for quantum information processing Jul 24th 2012, 15:50 Researchers have demonstrated for the first time a monolithic 3D ion microtrap array which could be scaled up to handle several tens of ion-based quantum bits. The research shows how it is possible to realize this device embedded in a semiconductor chip, and demonstrates the device's ability to confine individual ions at the nanoscale. | | Like an orchestra without a conductor: Technology achieves synchronicity by itself Jul 24th 2012, 14:41 Is it possible to sound all the church bells across the country at precisely the same time, without one central agent setting the rhythm? Indeed, it is. Future technologies, such as decentralized control mechanisms for motor vehicle traffic or robot swarms, will increasingly come to rely on the ability to function in a similarly synchronous manner. Researchers have now developed a new method of self-organizing synchronization and have delivered mathematical proof of the systems' guaranteed ability to achieve synchrony under their own power. | | Angry Birds meets bioinformatics Jul 20th 2012, 14:33 Informatics researchers create an experimental framework for online, clinic-ready apps and ask others to embrace and expand it. | | Frog calls inspire a new algorithm for wireless networks Jul 17th 2012, 14:01 Males of the Japanese tree frog have learnt not to use their calls at the same time so that the females can distinguish between them. Scientists in Spain have used this form of calling behavior to create an algorithm that assigns colours to network nodes -- an operation that can be applied to developing efficient wireless networks. | |
