| Human disease modeled in an organ-on-a-chip Nov 7th 2012, 19:10 Researchers have mimicked pulmonary edema in a microchip lined by living human cells. They used this "lung-on-a-chip" to study drug toxicity and identify potential new therapies to prevent this life-threatening condition. The study offers further proof-of-concept that human "organs-on-chips" hold tremendous potential to replace traditional approaches to drug discovery and development. |  | Supercomputing for a superproblem: A computational journey into pure mathematics Nov 6th 2012, 17:55 In 1900, twenty-three unsolved mathematical problems, known as Hilbert's Problems, were compiled as a definitive list by mathematician David Hilbert. A century later, the seven most important unsolved mathematical problems to date, known as the 'Millennium Problems', were listed by the Clay Mathematics Institute. Solving one of these Millennium Problems has a reward of US $1,000,000, and so far only one has been resolved, namely the famous Poincare Conjecture, which only recently was verified. Now a negative solution to one of Hilbert's problems has been found. Mathematicians are working on the more challenging of maths problems -- and the only one that appears on both lists -- Riemann's zeta function hypothesis. | | Computers 'taught' to ID regulating gene sequences Nov 5th 2012, 19:01 Researchers have succeeded in teaching computers how to identify commonalities in DNA sequences known to regulate gene activity, and to then use those commonalities to predict other regulatory regions throughout the genome. The tool is expected to help scientists better understand disease risk and cell development. | | 'Attack navigator' protects against weak spots in security Nov 5th 2012, 13:14 Everyone is familiar with the yellow 'Post-it' memos, showing login details, that are often found stuck to computer monitors. The same goes for USB sticks found in car parks. However, few grasp the real impact of such actions on an organization's business or brand. Both may eventually lead to data theft, not as a result of any technical failure, but as a result of the vagaries of human behaviour. The TREsPASS project's `attack navigator' combines technical and human aspects of security to identify weak points in organizations and their infrastructure. | | Music in our ears: The science of timbre Nov 1st 2012, 21:19 A new study offers insight into the neural underpinnings of musical timbre. Researchers have used mathematical models based on experiments in both animals and humans to accurately predict sound source recognition and perceptual timbre judgments by human listeners. | | Hurricane Sandy: Power outage prediction model was accurate Nov 1st 2012, 19:34 A team of researchers spent days tracking Hurricane Sandy's power outage potential as the storm made its deadly march up eastern seaboard. The researchers fed weather forecasts as well as real-time and historic hurricane data into a computer model to predict the total number of power outages. How'd they do? Their predictions were accurate overall, when compared with figures released by the federal government on actual outages. | | Particle and wave-like behavior of light measured simultaneously Nov 1st 2012, 18:11 What is light made of: waves or particles? This basic question has fascinated physicists since the early days of science. Quantum mechanics predicts that photons, particles of light, are both particles and waves simultaneously. Physicists now give a new demonstration of this wave-particle duality of photons, dubbed the "one real mystery of quantum mechanics" by Nobel Prize laureate Richard Feynman. | | Computational medicine enhances way doctors detect, treat disease Nov 1st 2012, 15:10 Computational medicine, a fast-growing method of using computer models and sophisticated software to figure out how disease develops -- and how to thwart it -- has begun to leap off the drawing board and land in the hands of doctors who treat patients for heart ailments, cancer and other illnesses. | | Animation research could offer unparalleled control of characters without skeletons Aug 2nd 2012, 19:32 Computer-generated characters have become so lifelike in appearance and movement that the line separating reality is almost imperceptible at times. But while bipeds and quadrupeds have reigned supreme in CG animation, attempts to create and control their skeleton-free cousins using similar techniques has proved time-consuming and laborious. Researchers have found a possible solution to this challenge by developing a way to simulate and control movement of computer-generated characters without a skeletal structure. | | Adding a '3D print' button to animation software Jul 31st 2012, 14:29 Watch out, Barbie: omnivorous beasts are assembling in a 3D printer near you. A new tool turns animated characters into fully articulated action figures. Computer scientists have created an add-on software tool that translates video game characters —- or any other three-dimensional animations —- into fully articulated action figures, with the help of a 3D printer. | | Controlling your computer with your eyes Jul 13th 2012, 02:46 Millions of people suffering from multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries or amputees could soon interact with their computers and surroundings using just their eyes, thanks to a new device that costs less than £40. Composed from off-the-shelf materials, the new device can work out exactly where a person is looking by tracking their eye movements, allowing them to control a cursor on a screen just like a normal computer mouse. | | Inexperienced video gamers show Macbeth effect Jul 12th 2012, 13:24 Current research found that when study participants were asked to select gift products after they had played a violent video game, inexperienced players selected more hygienic products, such as shower gel, toothpaste and deodorant, compared to those who played violent video games more often. Inexperienced players also felt higher moral distress from playing violent games. | |
