First Bionic Eye Sees Light of Day in U.S.
After years of research, the first bionic eye has seen the light of day in the United States, giving hope to the blind around the world.
Developed by Second Sight Medical Products, the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System has helped more than 60 people recover partial sight, with some experiencing better results than others. Read more…
(via neurosciencestuff)
truebluemeandyou: DIY Valentine’s Branch Message. Reblogging because this is the cheapest but most creative alternative to boring store bought cards I’ve posted (besides the You Light Up My Life Matchbox here, and the Carved Heart in the Branch Photo Holder here). For over 25 pages of hearts/Valentines Day DIYs go here: truebluemeandyou.tumblr.com/tagged/hearts
DIY Valentine’s Day Inspiration from SHinH catalog online at Flickr here. These are fake wood, but you could either be crafty and do it out of polymer clay (not so easy) or paint cut branches or leave it natural. *Edit: The originals may be made out of chalk as I finally found their website and they make something like this for BHLDN here.
(Source: explore-blog)
Mobile Internet data traffic to grow 13-fold by 2017, says Cisco
One point also worth highlighting is that it appears researchers are forecasting mobile data traffic to increase sharply because of more devices online — not users.
By 2017, Cisco is predicting there will be 5.2 billion mobile users — up from 4.3 billion in 2012. But they also predicted that there will be more than 10 billion connected devices (including more than 1.7 billion M2M connections) within four years — up from 7 billion total in 2012.
» via CNET
(via emergentfutures)
Number of People with Alzheimer’s Disease May Triple by 2050
The number of people with Alzheimer’s disease is expected to triple in the next 40 years, according to a new study by researchers from Rush University Medical Center published in the February 6, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
“This increase is due to an aging baby boom generation. It will place a huge burden on society, disabling more people who develop the disease, challenging their caregivers, and straining medical and social safety nets,” said co-author, Jennifer Weuve, MPH, ScD, assistant professor of medicine, Rush Institute for Healthy Aging at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “Our study draws attention to an urgent need for more research, treatments and preventive strategies to reduce the impact of this epidemic.”
For the study, researchers analyzed information from 10,802 African-American and Caucasian people living in Chicago, ages 65 and older between 1993 and 2011. Participants were interviewed and assessed for dementia every three years. Age, race and level of education were factored into the research.
The data was combined with U.S. death rates, education and current and future population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The study found that the total number of people with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2050 is projected to be 13.8 million, up from 4.7 million in 2010. About 7 million of those with the disease would be age 85 or older in 2050.
“Our projections use sophisticated methods and the most up-to-date data, but they echo projections made years and decades ago. All of these projections anticipate a future with a dramatic increase in the number of people with Alzheimer’s and should compel us to prepare for it,” said Weuve.
Computer files stored accurately on DNA in new breakthrough Scientists have recorded data including Shakespearean sonnets and an MP3 file on strands of DNA, in a breakthrough which could see millions of records stored on a handful of molecules rather than computer drives.
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By translating computerised files into DNA similar to that found in plants and animals, the researchers claim it is possible to store a billion books’ worth of data for thousands of years in just a small test tube. Although the method is expensive, it could still be much more efficient than hard drives or magnetic tape for long-term storage of large sets of data such as government records, the scientists said. Within a decade, they expect the technique to have become cheap enough that DNA storage could become cost-efficient for the public to store lifelong keepsakes like wedding videos. Dr Nick Goldman of the European Bioinformatics Institute, who led the study, said: “We already know that DNA is a robust way to store information because we can extract it from bones of woolly mammoths, which date back tens of thousands of years, and make sense of it. “It’s also incredibly small, dense and does not need any power for storage, so shipping and keeping it is easy.” (via Computer files stored accurately on DNA in new breakthrough - Telegraph)
Researchers use their findings to support the idea that understanding things involves both intelligence and applying that knowledge ‘to social situations.’
