Astounding News

This article speaks for itself: UCLA team creates functional neurons from adult somatic cells. Yes, it’s pop science, but good pop science.

Amazing and Fantastical!

I swear I’ll post something significant soon, really. I have some mind-blowing posts in the works.

Michael Crichton, Complexity, and the Environment

I was saddened by the death of Michael Crichton. Not only did the world lose an incredibly interesting storyteller, but an incredibly intelligent and objective man.

Here he writes about complex systems, and how they apply to the environment; He even throws little economics and sociology in there. Anybody interested in “saving” the environment should read this. In fact, any body the least bit interested in science, complexity theory, economics, should read this; as it is not only incredibly interesting but incredibly informative.

….who believes that the complex system of our atmosphere behaves in such a simple and predictable way that if we reduce one component, carbon dioxide, we will therefore reliably reduce temperature? CO2 is not like an accelerator on a car. It’s not linear (and by the way, neither is a car accelerator.) And furthermore, who believes that the climate can be stabilized when it has never been stable throughout the earth’s history? We can only entertain such an idea if we don’t really understand what a complex system is.

There are also lots of pictures. So please, read it. It really is very good. A great tribute to a mind that is no longer with us.

Skyray 48 Takes Flight

Read the full article here.

P.S. – I just realized that a few too many of my posts come from a Forum I frequent; maybe I should just post a permanent link to there?

First Direct Image of Multiple Exoplanets Orbiting a Star

This is another great development in science and technology:

For the first time, astronomers have taken a visual image of a
multiple-planet solar system beyond our own.

Using the Gemini North telescope and the W. M. Keck Observatory on Hawaii's Mauna Kea, researchers observed in infrared light three planets orbiting around a star about 130 light-years away from Earth, called HR 8799. The discovery,published today in Science Express, is a step forward in the hunt for planets, and life, beyond Earth.

The next logical step will be to look at the light spectrum coming off the planets, which well tell astronomers what type of gases are in the atmosphere.

If there is an abundance of oxygen, that is pretty strong indicator of organic life. That is something I would very much like to see.

Brain Powered

A few posts ago I mentioned how ‘it really feels like we are starting to live in the future’; to reiterate that point, here is another incredible breakthrough:


Watch CBS Videos Online

This has far more application then merely a diversion for the handicapped; applications which will be created after this technology become more practical.

I am always one for skepticism when it comes to extreme claims; but the ‘man-machine interface’ does seem well underway.

High-Speed Gene Sequencing

It really feels like we're starting to live in the future:



Full article here.

Scientific Method and Video Games

Who says video games are making people stupid? According to one Clive Thompson at Wired News, many video games encourage the use of the scientific method, even if the gamers don’t know it.

I knew all the hours I dedicated to World of Warcraft would pay off somehow.

Art = Painkiller

As it turns out, art can serve as a kind of painkiller. According to a study carried out by the University of Bali, people report feeling less pain when viewing art they considered beautiful.

Looking at a beautiful piece of art has long been said to have the power to heal emotional wounds but the new research also claims it offers a distraction from physical pain.

The research….could help vindicate hospitals who are accused of wasting money on art and decor as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients overcome discomfort and pain.

The article goes on to say:

They were then asked to contemplate either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly painting, or a blank panel while the team zapped a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been pricked by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when contemplating the ugly paintings or the blank panel.

Electrodes measuring the brain's electrical activity also confirmed a reduced response to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings.

This is all very interesting; not just because it enhances the importance to art, but also its implications on how the brain processes information in various circumstances (not to mention the relationship between the mind and the brain.)

Aesthetics is an interesting field; why the human brain is so affected by it remains one of the most mysterious questions science has yet to completely answer.

Cell Video

This is an incredible time-lapse video of some zebrafish embryos:

SpaceX: Falcon I Launch

With the election in full swing, and the current financial crisis (and its political ramifications) it is easy to lose sight of what is really happening in the world; especially when it comes to developments in science, or in this case, technology.

In a soaring step forward for privatized space exploration, the Falcon I rocket has made it into space (after a few failures.) This is all aimed at the goal to, “make spaceflight ten times cheaper then it is now.”


This, of course, follows in the footsteps of the incredible achievements of SpaceshipOne and Virgin Galactic; a company more aimed towards space tourism.

There is an obvious industry for communication in space, which is now being exploited, after long years of being held down by silly government mandates (like the law against advertising on your space-craft, or how NASA works at a loss to lift satellites.) Despite the incredible achievements made by government space agencies, the first real push into space (and eventual colonization) will come from private ventures.

Though there are many issues that need to be panned out first. Ownership of other worlds like Mars and even the Moon; drilling and exploitation rights on objects like meteorites; who handles threats like meteorites and comets when it comes to Earth’s safety; and just what can a person do and not do in space?

In my humble opinion, many of these issues can be dealt with before they actually come up; and governmental forces will need to get involved. Property rights on distant worlds can be decided beforehand (and will actually create powerful incentives for exploration.) Large scale (Earth-wide) threats like comets and meteorites will require government; and certain codes and laws for transporting possibly contaminated material from space will also need to be created.

But for now, let’s just enjoy the achievements of companies like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic; the ones just beginning to bring us into a new age of spaceflight and exploration; the first real Space Age has not even been born yet; but thanks to them, it might happen sooner then we think.

Fun Video on Quantum Physics

Quantum Physics is weird.

Blue Brain Project

"In July 2005, EPFL and IBM announced an exciting new research initiative - a project to create a biologically accurate, functional model of the brain using IBM's Blue Gene supercomputer. Analogous in scope to the Genome Project, the Blue Brain will provide a huge leap in our understanding of brain function and dysfunction and help us explore solutions to intractable problems in mental health and neurological disease."

I would say that the project offers far more advantageous then that; understanding the nature of the brain, and by extension, the nature of intelligence, could radically accelerate our knowledge in dozens of fields.

I see technologies like this as the first real steps to the digital human analogue that I spoke about before; as well as created truly intelligent machines; improving the human brain; and from a more academic perspective, improve our understanding of ourselves and the universe.

Visit the site here (and be sure to look around, information is a bit hidden.)

My Rule

I’ve recently made a rule for myself concerning this blog: if I don’t post anything in five days or more, I need to post something, about anything at all

You see, I made a mistake; I got so exited about blogging that I started making blogs about every subject I was interested in. I now have eight blogs. This has turned blogging into a chore, and I now have eight mediocre blogs then one good one.

Well, I plan to fix this problem soon; but until then, I have to stick to the rule. So here it goes:

Camponotus saundersi


This is a Malaysian Ant species with a very unique defense mechanism. When threatened, the solider ants will contract their bodies, causing glands to explode which sprays poison in all directions, killing the surrounding enemy. Of course, the ant dies in the process. It turns out Nature created suicide bombers long before we did.

So there, I have posted something, the rule is satisfied.

Hope for Alzheimers Victims

This is fantastic news:

Breakthrough: The new drug reverses symptoms in 81% of patients….A new drug halts the devastating progress of Alzheimer’s disease, say British scientists.

Read the full article here.

There’s another article about this breakthrough here.

Large Hadron Collider Rap

This is a rap about CERN’s Large Hardron Collider (as you could probably deduce from the title of this post) and the physics around it:



You might know about this from reading Dan Brown’s Angles and Demons (which was just a little bit exaggerated.)

White Knight Two Revealed!

I’m highly skeptical of most claims- blame it on my cynical nature - but I really do think that we could be witnessing the dawning of a new age for space flight and exploration. Case and point, Virgin has actually delivered on its promises; first to get into low orbit, and now to roll out the new carrier vehicle for Virgin Galactic: a vehicle for the first private space tours. They call it White Knight Two.

Just read this from the press release:

Christened “EVE” in honor of Sir Richard’s mother, who performed the official naming ceremony, WK2 is both visually remarkable and represents ground-breaking aerospace technology. It is the world’s largest all carbon composite aircraft and many of its component parts have been built using composite materials for the very first time. At 140 ft, the wing spar is the longest single carbon composite aviation component ever manufactured.

Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Galactic) continued with some comments about the ships greater significance:

….Virgin Galactic is central to our ambition at Virgin to become the world’s leading group in the operation of energy and environmentally efficient transportation, in the air, on the ground and in space. We arrived here this morning on an aircraft operated by Virgin America, who run the most fuel efficient commercial fleet in the US, to roll out what by most definitions, is the most energy efficient aircraft in history. We are naming it EVE after my Mother, Eve Branson but also because it represents a first and a new beginning, the chance for our ever growing group of future astronauts and other scientists and payload specialists to see our world in a completely new light. I for one can’t wait!”

I for one can’t wait. For all those who felt that the end of the “space age” left a particular emptiness in the world, and those that never experienced it; thank you-Virgin-for giving us something to admire.

I also like the whimsical art on the craft:

Cassini Nears Four-year Mark

“NASA's Cassini Spacecraft is now reaching the end of its four-year prime mission (on June 30th), and about to enter into its extended mission. What a nice excuse for a retrospective of some of the great images sent back home by Cassini over the past four years.”

Get some more pictures here.

Phoenix Lands on Mars

I am happy to say that the new Mars probe, the Phoenix, has successfully landed on the Northern Planes of Mars. A unique feature of this probe is that it incorporates a digging element to its explorations (something only touched on in previous missions.) The Phoenix will attempt to explore several inches below the Martian service for further clues to its nature and past.

Read about it here.

The Chicago Spire

One bit of construction I am very exited about is America’s new skyscraper, the Chicago Spire. At over 150 floors tall, it will be the largest skyscraper in the U.S..

But it’s not just its size that makes it inspired, it’s the design; it is simple design, but eloquent and colorful; it will certainty provide strong contrast to Chicago’s now dominant Sears Tower.

Supposedly, the building is going to be almost 100 percent residential; in a city already known for its high-rise-apartments (unlike the New York, in which rent control and other policies have stunted the city’s height and quality) this building will fit right in. I also like the fact that it’s a completely private venture.

I expect, once completed, this building will become the symbol of the city: the same way the Space Needle is to Seattle; the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco; and how the trade towers used to be to New York.

I can’t wait for it to be finished.