Robotics

A new tool being developed by UT Arlington assistant professor of physics could help scientists map and track the interactions between neurons inside different areas of the brain. Subject: Brain & Behavior

Curtin University researchers have found evidence that targeting specific cells in the body can reverse the effects of cancer on the immune system. Dr Connie Jackaman, Early Career Development Fellow at the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI), is leading a study focussed on the capacity of the immune system in older people to deal with cancers. Subject: Health & Medicine

Mayo Clinic researchers have used next generation genomic analysis to determine that some of the more aggressive prostate cancer tumors have similar genetic origins, which may help in predicting cancer progression. The findings appear online today in the journal Cancer Research. Subject: Genetics

We don’t have the budget yet to send Star Trek's U.S.S. Enterprise to probe the surface of strange new worlds, but luckily for humanity, astronomers are figuring out techniques to do that without even needing to leave Earth. Subject: Astronomy/Cosmology

The new pope seems to be struggling to find a way to be inclusive and tolerant while being the head of one of the most intolerant of religions and this is taking him down contradictory paths. Take for example his recent homily that seemed to include even atheists as being among the ‘saved’. Subject: Atheism & Religion

On May 9th, 2013, the Makani team conducted the first fully autonomous flight of an airborne wind generation system. The following video illustrates this landmark turnkey flight (launch, hover, power generation, hover, land) with footage compiled from several recent tests. Makani's Airborne Wind Turbine is a tethered wing that generates power by flying in large circles where the wind is stronger and more consistent. It eliminates 90% of the material used in conventional wind turbines, and can access winds both at higher altitudes and above deep waters offshore.

Here's a robot video that I found interesting: Cuddly is a mobile phone application which will enchant soft objects to enhance human's interaction with the objects. Cuddly utilizes the mobile phone's camera and flash light (LED) to detect the surrounding brightness value captured by the camera. When one integrate Cuddly with a soft object and [...]

Here's a robot video that I found interesting: Nick Donaldson's hexapod robot Grinder showing his skating abilities at RoboGames 2013. See more at http://www.gotrobots.com/grinder Grinder won a Gold Medal in the Walker Challenge and a Silver Best of Show at the competition, held on April 19th-21st 2013 in San Mateo, California. By Nick Donaldson

Researchers at the Universities of Leeds and Chicago have uncovered an important mechanism behind the generation of astrophysical magnetic fields such as that of the Sun. Scientists have known since the 18th Century that the Sun regularly oscillates between periods of high and low solar activity in an 11-year cycle, but have been unable to fully explain how this cycle is generated. Subject: Astronomy/Cosmology

A conference of 500 leading water scientists from around the world today issued a stark warning that, without major reforms, "in the short span of one or two generations, the majority of the 9 billion people on Earth will be living under the handicap of severe pressure on fresh water, an absolutely essential natural resource for which there is no substitute. This handicap will be self-inflicted and is, we believe, entirely avoidable." Subject: Earth Science