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Modeling the brain...
The BBC reports that Blue Gene supercomputer
will be used to simulate the structure and behavior of the
human brain. The objective is not to create artificial intelligence,
but to build a model of neurons and the communication between
them. Work will start with simulation of the neocortical
column. Blue Gene's 8,000 processors will allow 8,000 neurons
to be modeled -- far short of the many millions of neurons
in the brain.
Faxing on the run...
Researchers in Japan have developed software
that allows mobile phones to be used to scan documents.
The software even removes distortion due to curvature of
the page. Scanning takes three to five seconds. The objective,
an NEC spokesperson says, is to use mobile phones as portable
faxes and scanners. The company has no immediate plan to
commercialize the technology, but expects that it will be
made available in about three years.
Out of this world...
Four Frontiers, a Florida-based company,
hopes to create a permanent settlement on Mars. "We
want to establish the Mars settlement envisioned by the
Mars Foundation because we view it as the essential element
that will help open up the rest of the solar system,"
says Joseph Palaia, the company's Vice President of Operations.
Four Frontiers expects that an inner solar system economy
will eventually develop, based on the Earth, the Moon, Mars,
and its two moons.
Globalizing English...
The Oxford English Dictionary has
included many Indian words in its latest edition -- an indicator
of global change. Editor Catherine Soanes says, "Indian
English is one of the growing areas of language, which is
contributing to the language as a whole." The Collins
English Dictionary has also included words commonly
used by Indians. Words like "bindaas," "tamasha,"
"desi," "freshi," "filmi,"
"yaar," "langar" and "badmash"
have now been officially acknowledged.
Yuppies in China...
China now has its own yuppie generation
-- the "xiao zi" or "little bourgeois."
Tens of millions of young Chinese now "are addicted
to instant messaging; change their cell phones every few
months; vacation in Europe, Thailand, Australia and Saipan."
This is the generation, the author says, that will create
China's future and decide how the emerging superpower will
relate to the rest of the world.
Global competition in education...
In a Globalist article, author Richard
Florida says universities are a catalyst for economic growth.
Yet, he says, "higher education doesn't make the cut
in tough economic times." Funding has been cut repeatedly
in the U.S., and universities are becoming less accessible.
The American university system is declining, he says, while
China and India are making huge investments in advanced
education.
In a similar vein, the Economist
reports that "Europe has progressively surrendered
its lead in higher education to the United States."
But forget about catching up with the United States, the
magazine says. "Singapore is determined to turn itself
into a 'knowledge island.' India is spicing up its institutes
of technology. In the past decade China has doubled the
size of its student population while pouring vast resources
into elite universities."
A change of heart...
The Sunday Times reports that British
prime minister Tony Blair has lost faith in finding political
solutions to global warming. Science, technology and the
free market are more likely to provide the required answers,
he now says. Countries need to find a way "for pooling
their resources, their information, their science and technology."
That's the position adopted by the United States when it
withdrew support for the Kyoto treaty in 2001.
David Forrest
we welcome your comments and feedback at mail@innovationwatch.com
SCIENCE
Stanford
Images Offer Unprecedented View Inside Mummy - [Science
Daily] Frame by frame, layer by layer, the images of a mummified
Egyptian child who died two millennia ago spring to life
on a 25-foot computer screen, revealing every remarkable
detail of the skeletal remains, down to the last vertebrae.
Scientists
Make Nerve Stem Cells - [BBC] The world's first pure
nerve stem cells made from human embryonic stem cells has
been created by scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh
and Milan. It is hoped the newly-created cells will eventually
help scientists find new treatments for diseases such as
Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Distractions
'Hit Ageing Memory' - [BBC] An inability to ignore distractions
is the main reason why older people have memory problems,
research suggests.
Japanese
Probe Pulls Up Alongside Asteroid - [MSNBC] Bringing
Japan's most complex space mission near its climax, a probe
is within 12 miles of an asteroid almost 180 million miles
from Earth in an unprecedented rendezvous designed to retrieve
rocks from its surface.
Supercomputer's
Key to the Brain - [BBC] The quest to simulate the mammalian
brain on the world's most powerful supercomputer is neuroscience's
most ambitious project yet.
More
Animals Join the Learning Circle - [New Scientist] Killer
whales and chimpanzees both pass on "traditions"
to other members of their group, according to two separate
studies of feeding behaviour. The findings add to evidence
that cultural learning is widespread among animals.
Mouse
Genome Much More Complex Than Expected - [Science Daily]
Scientists from Australia, Asia, Europe and the US have
been probing the genome of the mouse in a joint study lasting
several years. Their results in some aspects have completely
overturned geneticists' traditional assumptions. The general
conclusion is that the genome of mammals is much more complex
than was hitherto supposed.
TECHNOLOGY
The
World’s Smallest Robot - [Live Science] Researchers
have built an inchworm-like robot so small you need a microscope
just to see it. In fact about 200 hundred of them could
line up and do the conga across a plain M&M. The tiny
bot measures about 60 micrometers wide (about the width
of a human hair) by 250 micrometers long, making it the
smallest untethered, controllable microrobot ever.
Camera
Phones Will Be High-Precision Scanners - [New Scientist]
Software developed by NEC and the Nara Institute of Science
and Technology (NAIST) in Japan goes further than existing
cellphone camera technology by allowing entire documents
to be scanned simply by sweeping the phone across the page.
Bluetooth
Scanner 'Stroke Hope' - [BBC] Scientists hope a portable
brain scanner that uses Bluetooth radio technology could
lead to stroke victims receiving treatment much more quickly.
Billboards
Beam Adverts to Passing Cellphones - [New Scientist]
Ignoring adverts is about to get a lot tougher with the
development of billboards and advertising posters that use
Bluetooth to beam video ads direct to passing cellphones.
As people walk past the posters they receive a message on
their phone asking them if they wish to accept the advert.
Researchers
Create DNA-Based Sensors for Nano-Tongues and Nano-Noses
- [PhysOrg] Nano-sized carbon tubes coated with strands
of DNA can create tiny sensors with abilities to detect
odors and tastes, according to researchers at the University
of Pennsylvania and Monell Chemical Sciences Center.
Micro
Spacecraft To Explore Planets - [Space.com] NASA and
The Aerospace Corporation of El Segundo, CA are preparing
to flight test 'micro spacecraft' as early as 2006. The
first versions would be attached to larger space vehicles
as 'black box' flight recorders to provide an independent
monitor of conditions as standard-sized craft attempt to
land on other planets.
MIT
Launches RFID, Internet Project - [Food Production Daily]
As part of its programme to develop a seamless system for
tracking goods through the supply chain, MIT's Auto-ID Laboratory
is in the process of building a software simulation to study
how data will flow to global trading partners using radio
frequency identification (RFID) and the Internet.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
Why
US Companies Love China - [rediff.com] Of more than
450 US companies in China surveyed by the American Chamber
of Commerce, 68% today say they are profitable, and 70%
say their China margins equal or exceed their global average.
Such an answer would have been unthinkable just five years
ago, before China entered the World Trade Organisation and
had to open its economy wider to foreign companies.
Outsourcing:
It’s Cheaper In China - [CIO] CIOs are beginning
to see China as a cheaper alternative to India. Nypro, a
global plastics manufacturer, shares some lessons from its
experiences over there.
New
Company Launches With Aim of Colonizing Mars - [Space.com]
The Martian research and outreach center will be operated
by Four Frontiers, a new Florida-based space commerce company
whose main objective is the establishment of a permanent
human settlement on Mars.
Alonovo:
Shopping for a Better World - [WorldChanging] If you
believe the opinion polls and market surveys, a significant
majority of US consumers are looking to align their consciences
with their pocketbooks.
IBM
to Back Employees Who Leave to Teach - [MSNBC] International
Business Machines Corp., worried the United States is losing
its competitive edge, will financially back employees who
want to leave the company to become math and science teachers.
Sarbanes-Oxley
Seen as Biggest IT Time Waster - [Computerworld] IBM
users expect compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act rules
governing US public companies to prove to be the least effective
or the most wasteful use of their IT resources, according
to the results of an online poll of Share members released
late yesterday.
The
Essence of Leadership - [HBS Working Knowledge] What
are the essential qualities of an effective leader? Can
these be recognized in young people? Can they be developed?
SOCIETY
Global
Aging - [Business Week] What happens when the baby boom
becomes the geezer glut? How successfully this transition
is managed around the world could determine the rise and
fall of nations and reshape the global economy.
English,
the Indian Way - [World Press Review] With English the
commonly spoken language in India, Indians are contributing
their bit at enrichment. The effect of Indian English, more
commonly known as Hinglish as well as Indian words or Indianisms
is being felt.
China's
'Little Bourgeois' Generation - [Taiwan News] The Chinese
equivalent of yuppies, they have the name "xiao zi,
or "little bourgeois." This generation will shape
the Chinese superpower that will emerge in the coming decades.
Silver
Surfers Ready to Storm Shops - [BBC] almost two out
of every three of those coming up to retirement are using
the web, compared with just a third in 2001, signalling
an impending silver surfer shopping bonanza.
Number
of Centenarians in Japan Reaches Record - [San Diego
Union-Tribune] The number of Japanese aged 100 or older
at the end of this month is projected to reach a record
25,606, with women comprising 85 percent of the total, the
government said.
The
Vulgar Face a Rude Awakening -
[Scotsman] Are we all ill-mannered louts or is it just the
pace of life and technology which is to blame for a lack
of airs and graces? Psychologist Cynthia McVey believes
a loss of manners is, in some cases, more about changes
in society than deliberate rudeness.
Fertility
Laws Revamp Could Allow Choice on Baby's Sex - [Scotsman]
Families could be allowed to choose the sex of their child
and even create "saviour siblings", following
the first overhaul of British laws governing fertility treatment
and embryo research.
GLOBAL POLITICS
Fixing
the United Nations - [International Herald Tribune]
The Volcker committee's painstaking report on the United
Nations' oil-for-food program in Iraq should not be viewed
simply as a negative verdict on the leadership of Secretary
General Kofi Annan. The report's true value lies in its
unsparing portrait of the UN as an organization riddled
with structural flaws and desperately in need of reform.
Terrorism
as Virus - [Washington Post] A global counterterrorism
campaign inspired by classic counter-epidemic measures would
simultaneously seek to contain the spread of Islamist militancy,
protect those who are most susceptible and remedy the key
environmental factors that foster it.
Creative
Capital: The Key to Prosperity - [The Globalist] The
US university system is a prime source of scientific, social
and creative leadership from around the world. But Richard
Florida, author of "The Flight of the Creative Class,"
warns that it is heading in the wrong direction. He says
the US intellectual infrastructure is eroding as leaders
overlook the enormous economic potential of universities.
How
Europe Fails Its Young - [Economist] Since the second
world war Europe has progressively surrendered its lead
in higher education to the United States. America boasts
17 of the world's top 20 universities, according to a widely
used global ranking by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
American universities currently employ 70% of the world's
Nobel prize-winners, 30% of the world's output of articles
on science and engineering, and 44% of the most frequently
cited articles.
Russia
and China: Joint Military Exercises - [World Press Review]
Russia and China conducted their first joint military exercises,
dubbed “Peace Mission 2005." Many observers contend
that the maneuvers were meant to send a clear message to
the United States, Japan, and the rest of the world that
the jury is still out over power in Taiwan and Central Asia.
"The
UK Failed the Globalization Challenge" - [Yale
Global] Across the world, the spectacular economic ascent
of China and India is being watched with a mixture of awe,
anticipation and fear. For the past two decades, China has
been growing, on average, by 9 per cent annually, India
by 6 per cent. Faster than we secure access to their markets,
they are selling into ours.
Australia:
More Ore For China's Mills - [Business Week] Even as
Washington balks at Chinese bids for American assets, Australia
has rolled out the welcome mat for investment from the mainland.
At least a half-dozen Chinese companies have bought into
minerals producers Down Under in the past year, and more
purchases are likely as China's turbocharged growth fuels
its consumption of everything from aluminum to zinc.
ENVIRONMENT
Flooded
Metro Helps Sizzling Tokyo Cool Off - [New Scientist]
At a test site, directly outside Japan's parliament building
in central Tokyo, a solar and wind-powered pump forces subway
flood water into high-pressure sprinklers that spray it
over a 350-metre stretch of road. Recently, researchers
managed to cool the road surface -- which often reaches
up to 60 °C during the summer -- by 10 °C, and the
air above the road by 1 °C.
'Firms
Must Act on Climate Change' - [Guardian] Tackling carbon
emissions and climate change is seen as a greater priority
for businesses and government than terrorism or competition
from the developing world, according to a new survey.
The
Climax of Humanity - [Scientific American] Demographically
and economically, our era is unique in human history. Depending
on how we manage the next few decades, we could usher in
environmental sustainability -- or collapse.
Making
a Case for Dusting off DDT - [Boston Globe] No one speaks
much about DDT nowadays. The initials themselves seem barbarous,
almost blasphemy, and mentioning them, especially around
schoolchildren and young adults, kills conversation. DDT
strikes under-50 Americans as viciously bad, although they
often know little about it. As West Nile virus and plant
infestations sweep across North America, perhaps south-of-Boston
residents might reexamine the insecticide.
Algae
to Fuel our Cars? - [ZDNet] Several teams of U.S. researchers
are working on the idea of building algal farms to produce
hydrogen for the fuel cells that will power our cars in
a decade or two. According to ScienCentral News, we generate
today ten million tons of hydrogen. But by re-engineering
algae at the molecular level, it would be feasible to generate
ten times that amount, and without using any fossil fuels.
Warming
World Blamed for More Strong Hurricanes - [New Scientist]
A massive global increase in the number of strong hurricanes
over the past 35 years is being blamed on global warming,
by the most detailed study yet. The US scientists warn that
Katrina-strength hurricanes could become the norm.
Blair
Signals He’s Cooling Towards Kyoto - [Times] Tony
Blair has hinted Britain may pull out of attempts to draw
up a successor to the Kyoto climate treaty because the economic
price of cutting greenhouse gas emissions is too high. The
prime minister told an international meeting in New York
he was “changing (his) thinking about this”.
THE FUTURE
The
Newest Students - [JournalNews] Students entering college
these days really are different. They've been dubbed "the
Millennium Generation" by sociologists, and colleges
must be aware that their parents are fierce advocates on
their behalf.
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