Physicist to Present New Exact Solution of Einstein's Gravitational Field Equation

New antigravity solution will enable space travel near speed of light by the end of this century, he predicts.
On Tuesday, Feb. 14, noted physicist Dr. Franklin Felber will present his new exact solution of Einstein's 90-year-old gravitational field equation to the Space Technology and Applications International Forum (STAIF) in Albuquerque. The solution is the first that accounts for masses moving near the speed of light.

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Hyperspace Drive coming soon

According to New Scientist hyperdrives may soon be possible.
Within 5 years.

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MIT Theorizes How To Make Better Muscles

Current robotic artificial muscles are about 100 times slower than human muscles. MIT researchers have a theory that could boost speeds of artificial muscles to 1,000 times faster than human muscles! The new muscles have virtually no extra energy demands and have a simpler design. The artificial muscles actuate, or drive, via conjugated polymers. Conjugated polymers are polymers that can conduct and can carry an electric current like a wire as opposed to rubber or plastic that are insulators and non-conducting. Conjugated polymers can actuate on command if electrical charges can be sent to specific locations in the polymer chain in the form of a solitary wave called "solitons" (charge density waves). The polymer chains are naturally curled and so to relax the muscle, light of a specific frequency is shined on the conducting polymer causing it to straighten out (flex and bend).

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Longevity-linked telomere length inherited from fathers

Genes responsible for longevity-linked cellular components called telomeres are inherited from fathers but not mothers, according to a new study.

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Cure for the common cold?

A new study suggests that an anti-flu, anti-cold pill called COLD-fX cuts the incidence and frequency of recurrent colds by more than half while also cutting cold duration and severity.

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"Nanotowers" built from DNA

A special enzyme has allowed engineers to construct nanoscale towers from short DNA chains—a step towards designing and building biological machines.

The enzyme, TdTase, has allowed engineers from

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Cannabinoids Induce Brain Cell Growth?

The Globe and Mail is reporting that researchers at the University of Saskatchewan are claiming that high doses of cannabinoids have induced new brain cell growth in the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory, in rat subjects. There are some interesting potential implications in regards to high doses of cannabinoids found in substances like marijuana

Machine Makes Dishes on Demand

Researchers at MIT develop a device that presses out durable plates, cups and bowls at the touch of a button -- then consumes them again after the meal.

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Embryonic stem cells make cancer fighters

Embryonic stem cells have been coaxed into producing cancer-killing cells in the lab, a step towards new treatments for various types of tumors.

New Tenth Planet Has a Moon

SPACE.com is reporting that the recently discovered 10th planet of our solar system has a neighbor - a moon. The discovery team also have nicknamed the planet 'Xena' and the moon 'Gabrielle'. Many scientists are objecting to whether the new planet really is a new planet - so what do you call a moon with no planet?

Thinking Cap Brain-Computer Interface

Nature.com says that computer scientists have created a hat that can read your thoughts. Called a brain-computer interface, the device detects activity in certain brain areas linked to movement, and uses the signals to mimic that movement in a virtual world. The scientists setup a virtual road and the users just "think" to walk themselves down the street or grab objects. This could lead to help for those who are paralyzed or physically unable to move otherwise. Remember the story about the Rhesus Monkey that could control a robotic arm that we reported on before?
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Interactive 3D Display: Its Here!

Originally mentioned at Gizmodo as a prototype in 2003, IO2 Technology has just completed the production unit and provided the details behind the revolutionary HelioDisplay which produces interactive 3D dsiplays in thin air (via lasers) from common sources.

The HelioDisplay technology page lists some of its remarkable features:

Inputs from most regular sources: PC,TV, DVD, HDTV, Video game consoles

Projects a 22″ to 42″ (depending on model) diagonal image that floats above the device

It is interactive, like a virtual touch screen: a hand or finger can act as a mouse

Although the HelioDisplay uses lasers, the images are not holographic

Possible uses for this product include advertising, entertainment facilities, design prototyping, teleconferencing etc. Obviously the applications for such a product are endless. Most importantly it may convince my wife to finally allow the purchase of the Brooke Burke Swimsuit calendar for testing purposes! This of course relies heavily on pricing (TBD) and other more, um, personal matters.

Apparently the product is ready for release; visit the product page here which looks like its being updated right now.

Visit the IO2TECHNOLOGY company homepage here.

Carbon Nanotube Gecko Grippers

Geckos have an impressive capacity to walk upside down on almost any surface, using just the attractive forces created by their feet to hold on. With this in mind, scientists have attempted to copy the structure of gecko feet to create strongly adhesive materials. The latest version, developed at the University of Akron and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, US, uses multiwalled carbon nanotubes attached to a polymer backing.

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Crocodile's Immune System Kills HIV

In an ongoing effort to stop the spread of HIV, scientists in Australia have discovered that crocodiles can fight off HIV and kill the virus. This is a major boon to medicine because the crocodile serum can also fight things that are penicillin resistant such as staphylococcus aureus.

U.S. Okays Virgin Galactic Plans

Space.com reports that the U.S. Department of State's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has approved collaboration of technical details between Scaled Composites of Mojave, California and Virgin Galactic of the United Kingdom to build passenger-carrying suborbital spaceliners. The next suborbital ship will be a nine person vessel." From the article: "Details about the new company were unveiled at the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) AirVenture air show held July 25-31 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The Spaceship Company will build a fleet of commercial suborbital spaceships and launch aircraft. Scaled Composites is to be under contract for research and development testing, as well as certification of a 9-person SpaceShipTwo (SS2) design, and a White Knight Two (WK2) mothership to be called Eve.

Lab-grown meat "feasible"

An international research team says that it's possible to mass produce lab-grown meat using today's technology.

According to BBC News, the researchers say that advances in tissue engineering mean that cells from animals could now be directly grown into meat in the lab.

"In the long term, this is a very feasible idea," says research team member Jason Matheny of the University of Maryland.

In order to mass produce meat, Matheny and colleagues suggest growing animal cells on large sheets that are stretched to provide simulated exercise for growing muscles.

Otherwise, says Matheny, the meat would be mush.

In a commentary (PDF) in the journal Tissue Engineering, Matheny and colleagues note the following benefits of lab-grown meat:

With cultured meat, the ratio of saturated to polyunsaturated fatty acids could be better controlled; the incidence of foodborne disease could be significantly reduced; and resources could be used more efficiently, as biological structures required for locomotion and reproduction would not have to be grown or supported.

Review of Goals and Plans for NASA's Space and Earth Sciences

"The main sources of gaps and potential missed opportunities in some roadmaps are a shortage of scientific justification for their stated goals and an overly narrow interpretation of the presidential vision by the NASA roadmap teams."

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Analogical Reasoning in Machines

Identifying pairs of words that are analogous is easy for humans. For example, most of us can easily understand that the words cat:meow are analogous to dog:bark. Our ability to identify the relational similarity between simple pairs of words is thought to underly many cognitive and linguistic processes. A new paper by Peter D. Turney titled Measuring Semantic Similarity by Latent Relational Analysis (PDF format), describes an algorithm called, you guessed it, Latent Relational Analysis (LRA) that can give machines the ability to measure the relational similarity of words. The algorithm uses a vector space model (VSM) in which words are represented by vectors determined by the frequencies of patterns. The similarity of words is calculated from the cosine of the angle between two word's vectors. The new algorithm was able to achieve human-level performance on analogy questions from a college-level multiple-choice test. For more information see the author's website.

Giant virus holds antiaging secrets

A virus with a huge genome produces a compound that could be used in antiaging treatments.

Called Emiliania huxleyi virus 86, the virus infects chalk-covered marine algae and uses the compound to slow down its host's aging process.

Researchers at the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge have now decoded the virus's genome.

They discovered a cluster of genes responsible for producing ceramide, a key component of anti-wrinkle and antiaging creams that can control mechanisms leading to programmed cell death. The genes have only previously been found in animal and plant cells.

"For an invading virus, the ability to control when your host will die and ensure your own survival is quite incredible," says researcher Willie Wilson in a news release. "Essentially the virus hijacks the cell and slows down the aging process by keeping it healthy for as long as possible. It uses the cell as a kind of factory to replicate itself and eventually takes over completely, killing off the cell."

The genome of the virus comprises 407,000 letters of genetic code, giving it almost as many as the simple celled organism Mycoplasma.

The discovery of viral ceramide could be a boon for scientists and industries looking for new sources for medicines and cosmetics.

The research is reported in the journal Science.

NASA Mars orbiter launches

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been successfully launched.

The orbiter's mission is to see if long-standing bodies of water ever existed on Mars. This could help determine whether the planet ever had water long enough to provide a habitat for life.

The spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 7:43 AM EDT morning aboard NASA's first Atlas V rocket.

The US space agency reports that it is healthy, performing as designed, communicating with ground stations and unfurling its solar arrays.

The spacecraft now begins a seven-month journey to Mars, followed by six months of refining its orbit.

The launch follows two failed attempts. Yesterday's attempt was abandoned because of a fuel sensor problem and Wednesday's was cancelled following concerns over the failure of a gyroscope of the type used in the Atlas V.