Hasta La Gadget!

On May 1, we saw the world’s smallest movie, which was made by IBM by moving around individual atoms to create a type of stop-motion film. Fast-forward a month, and another world’s first has been achieved with atoms, this time in the form of imaging. Via atomic force microscopy, scientists have captured photographs of a molecule’s individual atomic bonds rearranging.

If you’ve spent any part of your life studying chemistry, the first thing you’ll notice in the images, one of which is available above, is the structure of the actual molecule, and how similar it appears to its diagram equivalent. This is quite astounding the similarity it has to the diagram equivalent, which was based on an estimation of what the real-life deal would look like.

To give it as much perspective as possible for something so small, the atomic bonds measure in at a handful of ten-millionths of a single millimeter in length. Such images are the by-product of an effort by researchers to use graphene for creating nanostructures, something done by rearranging linear-chain atoms into a six-sided creation.

According to Wired, such atomic rearranging produces a reaction with the possibility to create different types of molecules. The issue with such a project is the inability to take a peek at the molecules and see what resulted and if the project turned out the way desired. Such an issue resulted in the seeking of a solution that ultimately resulted in the incredible images.

The microscope used to take the images was acquired from a Berkeley lab and used to photograph the atoms rearranging. This was achieved by a tiny pointing device used to measure the electric force the molecules give off, with the side effect of being deflected and causing the bond realignment.

SOURCE: Wired

Scientists capture world’s first images of molecule rearranging bonds is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

As humankind ramps up efforts to send its first fleet of astronauts to Mars, research into the various effects of such a trip are being studied extensively, including the psychological state of those who travel and live on the Red Planet. It has been known that radiation levels on Mars are high, and as such radiation shields will be used to protect against its negative effects. Current research, however, shows that the risk of developing cancer is higher than currently acceptable for NASA astronauts.

In order to determine the levels of radiation astronauts would be exposed to on Mars from within a radiation-shielded spacecraft, NASA used the Radiation Assessment Detector on Curiosity rover. Such a tool is designed to provide valuable data on radiation and shielding efforts, to allow the agency’s researchers to determine the effectiveness of different methods.

Said NASA’s Associated Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations William Gerstenmaier: “As this nation strives to reach an asteroid and Mars in our lifetimes, we’re working to solve every puzzle nature poses to keep astronauts safe so they can explore the unknown and return home … we’ll continue to make the advances we need in life sciences to reduce risks for our explorers. Curiosity’s RAD instrument is giving us critical data we need so that we humans, like the rover, can dare mighty things to reach the Red Planet.”

NASA has a career limit in place for the amount of radiation an astronaut can be exposed to, a measure in place to minimize the astronaut’s chance of developing cancer as a result of the exposure. What the study conducted with RAD revealed was a possible radiation exposure level for Mars travelers that exceeds this limit, which means either new better shielding is needed or the lifetime limit needs to be increased.

A single Sievert measurement of radiation exposure represents a 5-percent increased risk of developing a fatal cancer, which is higher than NASA’s 3-percent lifetime exposure limit. The average radiation exposure measured by RAD came in at 1.8 milliSieverts per day, most of which was not the result of solar activity. According to one researcher, this is equivalent to getting a whole-body catscan every 5 – 6 days.

SOURCE: NASA

Mars astronauts have higher chance of cancer is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve written about the Mars One project extensively, a plan to select, train, and send astronauts to Mars, where they will live out the rest of their lives. Other future projects won’t necessarily involve a permanent life on Mars, but all will require a substantial number of years, and as such will require a very stable psychological state to handle. For its part, NASA is looking into monitoring the psychological state of its astronauts with a sensor-based “badge.”

Imagine for a moment the nature of life on Mars. Residents will live in special – and likely cramped – housing, devoid of the vast majority of comforts they’ve spent their lives enjoying, and perhaps not the kind of comforts you are imaging. Things like a stroll in the park, a drive across the state, and other things we do to relax – and decompress when stressed, angry, or hurt – are no longer an option.

Because everyone responds to certain situations differently, and because humans living on Mars is unprecedented, it can be hard to anticipate the psychological effects of these planned missions and projects. A lot of research is being done in the area by NASA, which has reportedly paid $1.3 million to Michigan State University psychologists, who will work on the development of a sensor-based badge that the agency’s astronauts will wear while on Mars.

The sensors would serve as a kind of quasi mental-social warning apparatus, monitoring such things as conversation length and vocal patterns. Such a badge could advise a wearer when he or she is acting in a manner that is interpreted as aggressive, could advise someone that their actions are inappropriate, watch for signs of depression, and other such things. If the sensor picks up particularly worrisome signals, such that indicates the wearer could be in or heading towards a precarious mental state, it could relay the information to a ground crew, who could then take steps to intervene.

In addition to the sensor, NASA is also helping fund a project that creates a digital therapist, which the astronauts would be able to utilize as necessary. Work is also being done in determing how to best select compatible teams, as well as trying to anticipate what things might stress the teams and individuals so they can be dealt with ahead of time.

SOURCE: The Verge

NASA to use sensor-based badge to monitor Mars astronauts’ mental state is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Summer is upon many of us, and with it comes mosquitoes. Such tiny creatures are more than a nuisance, serving as disease transmitters of things like malaria. In light of this, researchers undertook a project that could, in part, mitigate such an issue using gene manipulation. Via altering a gene related to the mosquito’s ability to smell, the scientists effectively made the insects “blind” to the scent of humans, leaving them to seek out other warm-blooded prey instead.

Although mosquitoes seek out all sorts of warm-blooded prey, they prefer humans, something that is unfortunate for us. The researchers’ work demonstrated that the insect’s ability to seek out humans is largely based on its sense of smell, although it does use carbon dioxide and body heat as means of detection as well. Its ability to tell when such two factors come from humans rather than animals, however, is based on its ability to smell.

A senior researcher from New York City’s Rockefeller University Leslie Vosshall said that as such, smell is the most important factor for mosquitoes. This led to the discovery of an important gene that facilitates a mosquito’s ability to smell. Eliminating the gene made it so the insects used in the experiment could no longer seek out humans over other warm-bodied creatures.

Vosshall said the team doing the science does not plan to release “mutant mosquitoes” into the public space, but rather is performing the research in part to help create repellents that work better than what is already available. Such work inspires bigger questions, however, primarily whether altering the mosquito populations in areas with, for example, high instances of malaria could reduce the number of disease transmissions.

The biggest question is whether impairing a mosquito’s ability to smell will make it harder for it to survive in the wild – genetically modifying the insects to their detriment would be a negative effect, after all. Another question is whether such a plan would even be effective in reducing disease transmission, because although the mosquitoes wouldn’t be able to sniff out humans, they would still be able to identify them as a food source based on carbon dioxide and body heat. Therefore, mosquitoes in a highly populated area will still have significant access to humans, and the inability to smell may not have any notable effect.

SOURCE: Philly
Image via Svilen Milev

Scientists alter mosquito genes with “people” blindness is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Can you identify Beethoven’s Sonata No. 9 after hearing a mere three notes? Probably not, but a group of computer scientists and music scholars have built a machine that can do just that. The team — composed of Pablo Rodriguez Zivic, Favio Shifres and Guillermo Cecchi — has developed an algorithm capable of identifying patterns across distinct periods of Western music based on semi-tones and notes. Beyond its musical application, the machine represents tantalizing possibilities for research into disorders that affect speech. For example, current mechanical methods are already capable of recognizing vocal patterns common in the early stages of Parkinson’s, but the trio hopes to utilize their project for even earlier detection. Such an algorithm could also be instrumental in identifying psychiatric conditions that impact the speech centers of the brain. Unfortunately, the lack of a comprehensive database of different types of speech patterns stands in the way of wider implementation. Even so, the team is hopeful that verbal tests might someday be used in place of invasive diagnostic procedures to identify certain illnesses.

Filed under: Science, Alt

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Via: IBM

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences