Important Innovations

Purdue University Celebrates 150 Years of Innovation Source:  Purdue University Personal Health Monitoring that Costs 5 cents to Make Scientists and engineers at Purdue have created a wearable, flexible, electronic sticker device that's easily attached to the skin.  It monitors physical activity and can alert the user in real-time about possible health problems and risks.  It can be used for patients, athletes and anyone who wants to monitor their health. Personalized Medicine Made from Paper It's made out of paper and costs only 5 cents to make.  Not only is it wearable;  it's nearly invisible.  And it's biodegradable.  This is the latest health innovation that Purdue has contributed over the past 150 years.....a history it's marking with its "Giant Leaps" celebration. Available Very Soon The smart stickers are composed of cellulose.  They are biocompatible and breathable.  They can also be implanted in the body for monitoring.  They are ex

Aviation Innovation Chinese Style Artist Rendering of H-20 Official Unveiling of the H-20 in 2019 Chinese media are reporting that Beijing will unveil its H-20 nuclear stealth bomber in 2019.  The event to highlight the 70th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army Air Force. Maiden Flight Very Soon There are also reports that the H-20, also known as the Hong-20, will soon make its maiden flight. It's a much anticipated piece of Chinese aviation innovation and the object of much speculation.  It's debut will be epic.  It's compared to the US' B-2 stealth bomber but the specifications are relatively unknown. Expert Opinion Military experts say it's a 4-engine, stealth bomber with a dual nuclear and conventional role.  China's goal is for it to have a 7500 mile range and a 20 ton payload.  Some experts think a range of 5000 miles and 10 ton payload are more likely.  Even that would pose a threat to Taiwan and US aircraft carriers in the Pac

Innovation's Core - STEM TF-X Biggest Jobs of the Future:  STEM At the core of innovation is expertise in science, technology, engineering and math.  Experts believe STEM will be the biggest job generator of upcoming decades.  A fascinating example of STEM expertise is the prototype flying car, the TF-X designed by a young MIT Ph.D in Engineering, Dr. Carl Dietrich.  The TF-X is a marvel of engineering.  It drives like a car and flies like a helicopter with vertical takeoffs and landings.  In about 5 years it will be on the market and enable you to take-off and land from your driveway. STEM Classroom Resource In order to excite the public and particularly students about the marvels of innovation being created by expertise in STEM, there's an e-book on Amazon's Kindle Select.  "Important Innovations:  Transportation".  It can be borrowed for free.  It's a great resource for the classroom and motivator for STEM.  It can be found in the Technology an

The Holy Grail - AI with Common Sense DARPA's New Initiative It's so ironic.  AI can identify objects in nanoseconds, enable cutting edge robotics and perfectly mimic the human voice.  But most machine intelligence doesn't understand the basics of everyday life like actions and objects.  The US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency DARPA is on a mission to teach AI basic common sense. Not So Fast and Not So Easy DARPA calls the initiative the Machine Common Sense Program.  They're teaming up with Seattle-based The Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence.  The team is facing a profoundly daunting task.  They acknowledge it probably won't be solved in a year to two. Goals DARPA wants to define the problem and make progress on it.  AI works extremely well and at warp speeds, for instance on the classification of very specific areas.  According to DARPA:  "The absence of common sense prevents an intelligent system from und

Rising Acidification of the Oceans Dissolving Shells Source:  University of Tsukuba, Japan Climate Change's Relentless Pace Another startling sign of climate change.  The ocean is getting increasingly acidified.  To the point that in sea regions with high level of carbon dioxide the shells of sea snails are dissolving from it.  Marine biologists say shelled sea creatures are fighting for survival. International Research Marine scientists from the University of Tsukuba, Japan and University of Plymouth, UK studied the impact of rising carbon dioxide levels on shellfish.  They found those living off Japan with high levels of carbon dioxide are 1/3 the size of their counterparts.  They also found shell deterioration in terms of thickness, strength, density, structure and in some cases shells totally dissolved. Scientific Warning The UK and Japanese university scientists warn that if carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise unchecked, it poses a clear threat to marine

Boston Dynamics' Atlas - Your Tough Companion at the Gym Humanoid Extraordinaire Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot Atlas is a multi-talented, multi-tasker.  His latest feat is to bound up multi layers of platform, shifting his weight from right foot to left and back to the right foot as it runs upstairs.  In other words, it can do parkour training, using exercise movements developed from military course training. Backflips Too Atlas can backflip, run through the snow without falling, bound up stairs.  It's athletic prowess is being constantly upgraded to manage its way in the world and assist humans as a humanoid robot walking, running and jumping among us. Exciting Future of Robotics Robotic technology is advancing leaps and bounds.  Robots are clearly a growing part of our future, whether on 2 legs like Atlas, 4 legs like Boston Dynamics' Spot Mini or flying through the air like DARPA's flying robotic insects.

Human Brain Cell Transplant Provides Incredible Detail on How Brain Operates Human Brain Cells Breakthrough Neuroscience by Imperial College London Scientists have created a window into the brain, which allows them to watch in real-time and with incredible details how human brain cells develop, connect and communicate with each other. The potential of their approach may result in better understanding of brain conditions like autism and provide eventual cures. Volunteer Donators Researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge transplanted human brain cells from volunteers into a mouse brain.  It allowed them to study the way human brain cells interact in a natural environment. Down Syndrome The team used the technique to model Down Syndrome using brain cells donated by 2 individuals with the condition.  They saw significant differences in the brain cells from those with Down Syndrome and those without it.  They noted the cells are not as active a

New Research:  Aerobics Improve Cognitive Performance Source:  Maryanne Kane's Photo of Katie Kane in Competition Running to Prime Your Mind Our brains are at their best when our bodies are in motion, like running, walking, biking rather than sedentary and sitting at a desk.  A new study by German scientists just confirmed it.  As a runner, I've always thought that I do my most deliberative thinking during a morning run.  Now science confirms it.  Wondered if as a jogger, biker, runner, walker and exerciser, you've had the same instincts?  Do you do your best thinking in motion?  Active Motion Works Scientists from Ludwig-Maximilian University in Germany took electroencephalogy brain readings on 24 participants when exercising and at rest.  They found that exercise and upright posture improved visual working memory (that's the ability to maintain visual info to do ongoing tasks) significantly over passive and seated positions. Counterintuitive From Cent

Infant's Brain Foreshadows the Adult's Emotional Control and Cognition UNC's Breakthrough Neuroscience Research Medical researchers at University of North Carolina Health Care have made a remarkable series of discoveries. Using MRI's, they've shown that the brain circuits needed for successful emotional regulation in adults emerge in babies one to two years old.  These brain circuits are the foundation of successful emotional development and IQ. Predictors of Future Behavior and IQ The growth rates of the emotion circuits in the brain during the child's second year "predict", according to the scientists, anxiety and emotional regulation at the age of four.  It also predicts the child's IQ at the age of 4.  Abnormal processing in the circuits is associated with depression, anxiety and schizophrenia in adults. From the MRI's of Babies The importance of these discoveries is the ability to foresee the individual's emotional contro

Potential Weapon Against Diabetes Diabetes Insulin Management Technology in Use Fasting Cuts Need for Insulin Medical findings reported in the BMJ Case Report document that planned intermittent fasting may help to reverse Type 2 Diabetes.  Three patients in the care of doctors who fasted were able to cut the need for insulin completely and quickly.  With planned, intermittent fasting their blood glucose levels were back in control. Diabetes is a Big Health Problem 1 in 10 people in the US and Canada have diabetes.  It costs the US economy alone $245 billion per year.  Drugs help patients control their diabetes but they don't stop the progression of the disease. Medical researchers have been searching for a cure for decades. First, Preliminary but Impressive Results on Fasting The findings are an informational study as only 3 patients, all men, are involved.  The men have Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  Under their doctors' care, they

University of Californa - Berkeley Creates Solar Fuel from Gold + Bacteria Source:  University of California - Berkeley The Midas Touch University of California Berkeley researchers have just demonstrated a novel and efficient means of creating biofuels.  They've placed gold nanoclusters that absorb light into a bacterium.  A biohybrid results that produces a high yield of chemical products like biofuels.  It's a new source of sustainable energy. High Value Biohybrid The biohybrid captures sunlight and carbon dioxide to make chemicals useful both on earth and in space.  It's a breakthrough discovery and has just been published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. Artificial Photosynthesis Producing Solar Fuels The bacterium is photosensitive and is named Moorella thermoacetica.  It has an appetite for gold.  The researchers feed it a nanocluster of 22 gold atoms.  The gold slips through the cell wall.  With great efficiency, it produces solar fuels through

Findings:  Caltech Time Traveling Illusions Trick the Brain Source:  California Institute of Technology Rabbit Illuson How the Brain Retroactively Computes Rapid Audio & Visual Stimuli Researchers at California Institute of Technology have developed 2 new illusions to document time travelling.  The illusions, called The Rabbit Illusions as tracked above, reveal how the senses influence each other as they are received at rapid speed by the brain.  In particular, how sound can trigger and create visual illusions after the fact. Time Travel through "Postdiction" by the Brain With the onrush of sensory perceptions to the brain, the illusions occur so rapidly that they trigger a brain phenomenon called postdiction as opposed to prediction.  Postdiction happens when a stimulus that occurs later can retroactively affect our perception of an earlier event.  That's time-traveling at the pure scientific research level. Innovative and Breakthrough Neuroscience Th

Biodegradable, Wireless, Tiny Implants Courtesy:  Northwestern University - Bioelectric Medicine Pulses of Electricity to Accelerate Nerve Regeneration Northwestern University researchers and Washington University neurosurgeons have developed the first example of bioelectric medicine.  It's an implantable, biodegradable, wireless device.  It speeds nerve regeneration and improves healing by pulses of electricity targeted directly at the site. Size of a Dime The implant is tiny.  It's the size of a dime and has the thickness of a piece of paper.  It delivers pulses of electricity to damaged nerves.  In lab tests on post-operative animals, it proved very successful in accelerating the regeneration of nerves and enhancing the recovery of muscle strength and control. Naturally Disappears In a week or two, the implant biodegrades, is naturally absorbed into the body and totally disappears.  The next steps will be testing it on humans.  The research team believes that