[tt] KurzweilAI.net Daily Newsletter

Thu Aug 28 14:20:52 UTC 2008

KURZWEILAI.NET NEWSLETTER

NEWS
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Big step in tiny technology
PhysOrg.com Aug. 27, 2008
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University of St Andrews
researchers have developed a method
of creating self-assembling
nanostructures just one molecule
thick -- no sophisticated equipment
or special environment (such as a
high vacuum) required -- as an
alternative to conventional
lithography, which is imprecise on a
scale of a few nanometers. (Manfred
Buck) The...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=9297&m=40924

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Gene therapy for ultimate human
running speed and strength
Next Big Future Aug. 27, 2008
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Humans will soon have the ability
to modify and greatly enhance muscle
fiber strength, enabling speeds of
45 miles per hour and five-seconds
times for 100 meters, says Professor
Peter Weyand, Southern Methodist
University (Texas), known for his
expertise in terrestrial locomotion
and human and animal performance.
DARPA is also spending 3...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=9296&m=40924

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Wind Energy Bumps Into Power Grid's
Limits
New York Times Aug. 26, 2008
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Expansive dreams about renewable
energy from wind power and other
sources are bumping up against the
reality of a power grid that cannot
handle the new demands. An Energy
Department plan to source 20 percent
of the nation's electricity from
wind calls for a high-voltage
backbone spanning the country, but
it would cost $60 billion or more
and...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=9295&m=40924

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Researchers Report Advances in Cell
Conversion Technique
New York Times Aug. 27, 2008
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Biologists at Harvard have
converted cells from a mouse's
pancreas into the insulin-producing
cells that are destroyed in
diabetes, using master proteins
called transcription factors that
control which sets of genes are
active in a cell and thus what
properties the cell will possess.
The research suggests that the
natural barriers between the...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=9294&m=40924

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Textured graphics can be captured
in a flash
New Scientist Tech Aug. 27, 2008
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University of Manchester scientists
have developed a simple technique to
add depth to textured surfaces
displayed as backdrops in computer
games and digital dome
presentations. They found they could
reconstruct the depth of a surface
simply by taking two photos of it --
one with a flash and one without --
and processing the resulting shading...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=9293&m=40924

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Milestone reached in search for
deafness cure
NewScientist.com news service Aug. 27, 2008
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John Brigande of Oregon Health and
Science University has developed an
experimental gene therapy that
generates hair cells that are
damaged or missing in deaf animals.
His team injected mice embryos with
a gene called Atoh1, apparently a
hair- cell master switch that
activates genes that turn developing
cells into hair cells. The cells
grew...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=9292&m=40924

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Why you should go with your gut
feeling
NewScientist news service Aug. 27, 2008
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Our brains are capable of picking
up subliminal signals in making
decisions, University College London
researchers have found....
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=9291&m=40924

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A Helping Hand for Surgery
Technology Review Aug. 28, 2008
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Johns Hopkins University
researchers have developed a tiny
handlike gripper that can grasp
tissue or cell samples and could
make it easier for doctors to
perform minimally invasive surgery,
such as biopsies. (Timothy
Leong/JHU) The device curls its
"fingers" around an object when
triggered chemically, and it can be
moved around remotely...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=9290&m=40924

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A Genetic Link for Vision Loss
Technology Review Aug. 27, 2008
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Researchers from multiple
institution have identified a
genetic link associated with dry
macular degeneration, which they say
may lead to treatments for the
debilitating...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=9289&m=40924

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