I am a scientist at heart. But some things scare me more than a little.
For example ....
Using a process called paleo-experimental evolution, Georgia Tech researchers have resurrected a 500-million-year-old gene from bacteria and inserted it into modern-day Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria.
http://www.rdmag.com/News/2012/07/Life-Sciences-Giving-Ancient-Life-Another-Chance-To-Evolve/?et_cid=2742408&et_rid=54725525&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fNews%2f2012%2f07%2fLife-Sciences-Giving-Ancient-Life-Another-Chance-To-Evolve%2f (http://www.rdmag.com/News/2012/07/Life-Sciences-Giving-Ancient-Life-Another-Chance-To-Evolve/?et_cid=2742408&et_rid=54725525&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fNews%2f2012%2f07%2fLife-Sciences-Giving-Ancient-Life-Another-Chance-To-Evolve%2f)
Are these guys nuts? Haven't they ever had a bad case of the runs? Now they add a "500-million-year-old gene from bacteria" to E.coli!?
What if that thing escapes the lab?
Dinosaur diarrhea!
Paleozoic Poop!
Jurassic Jeebies!
:big grin: :big grin: :yes:
Quote from: Olias on July 11, 2012, 04:26:40 PM
I am a scientist at heart. But some things scare me more than a little.
For example ....
Using a process called paleo-experimental evolution, Georgia Tech researchers have resurrected a 500-million-year-old gene from bacteria and inserted it into modern-day Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria.
http://www.rdmag.com/News/2012/07/Life-Sciences-Giving-Ancient-Life-Another-Chance-To-Evolve/?et_cid=2742408&et_rid=54725525&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fNews%2f2012%2f07%2fLife-Sciences-Giving-Ancient-Life-Another-Chance-To-Evolve%2f (http://www.rdmag.com/News/2012/07/Life-Sciences-Giving-Ancient-Life-Another-Chance-To-Evolve/?et_cid=2742408&et_rid=54725525&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fNews%2f2012%2f07%2fLife-Sciences-Giving-Ancient-Life-Another-Chance-To-Evolve%2f)
Are these guys nuts? Haven't they ever had a bad case of the runs? Now they add a "500-million-year-old gene from bacteria" to E.coli!?
What if that thing escapes the lab?
Dinosaur diarrhea!
It could be a new black death that swept the world. It is definitely dangerous stuff they are playing with. :dead: :skull:
:spooked:
Quote from: Olias on July 11, 2012, 04:26:40 PM
I am a scientist at heart. But some things scare me more than a little...
I'm with ya'! I'm a firm believer in the principle of 'just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should'. :wink:
Quote from: Henry Hawk on July 11, 2012, 04:50:18 PM
Stone Aged Salmonella...
Yep, and we all know what happens to people when they eat meat with Salmonella in it. :dead:
Elephant seals equipped with antennas on their heads to map the oceans; satellites being used to target mosquitoes; an SMS system preventing the sale of counterfeit medicines in Ghana; smartphones that can predict you're going to get depressed; credit cards that know two years before you do that you're headed toward divorce; pills that transmit information directly from your body to your physician.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news-HPC-Human-Face-of-Big-Data-Project-Launches-Multi-Platform-Globally-Crowdsourced-091312.aspx?et_cid=2848639&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews-HPC-Human-Face-of-Big-Data-Project-Launches-Multi-Platform-Globally-Crowdsourced-091312.aspx (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news-HPC-Human-Face-of-Big-Data-Project-Launches-Multi-Platform-Globally-Crowdsourced-091312.aspx?et_cid=2848639&et_rid=41373174&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.scientificcomputing.com%2fnews-HPC-Human-Face-of-Big-Data-Project-Launches-Multi-Platform-Globally-Crowdsourced-091312.aspx)
The age-old dilemmas of science.
Problem is that, once someone has discovered how to do something, you can bet your ass that someone else isn't far behind.
Even if the first explorer decides that the discovery is too dangerous to be made public, the second, third, or fourth will release it anyway.
Ego.
Quote from: followsthewolf on September 14, 2012, 11:20:02 AM
The age-old dilemmas of science.
Problem is that, once someone has discovered how to do something, you can bet your ass that someone else isn't far behind.
Even if the first explorer decides that the discovery is too dangerous to be made public, the second, third, or fourth will release it anyway.
Ego.
So true! We have seen it time and time again.
This isn't really scary. It's actually very cool! But I didn't see an appropriate category to post this in.
Charge your cell phone with fire! Unbelievable!
http://biolitestove.com/campstove/camp-overview/features/ (http://biolitestove.com/campstove/camp-overview/features/)
Wellllllllll..........ok then.
I AM impressed.
Quote from: Olias on November 08, 2012, 10:43:37 AM
This isn't really scary. It's actually very cool! But I didn't see an appropriate category to post this in.
Charge your cell phone with fire! Unbelievable!
http://biolitestove.com/campstove/camp-overview/features/ (http://biolitestove.com/campstove/camp-overview/features/)
If only Tom Hanks had one of those on Castaway. . . . "I make FIRE! I charge CELL PHONE! I get OUT of here!"
(http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSTIUhx6DM-nBYYLMXurz_imKiXX-5nR-6HwPsQ6UgczzdRhEhTVMLXMfA3Sw)
Quote from: Olias on November 09, 2012, 08:30:42 AM
(http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSTIUhx6DM-nBYYLMXurz_imKiXX-5nR-6HwPsQ6UgczzdRhEhTVMLXMfA3Sw)
:biggrin: :devil29: :devil29: :devil29: :devil29: :devil29:
I sure hope they keep this thing contained! Ya never know ........
Mysterious bacterium found in Antarctic lake
A new form of microbial life has been found in water samples taken from a giant freshwater lake hidden under kilometers of Antarctic ice, Russian scientists said Monday.
Sergei Bulat and Valery Lukin said in a statement that the "unidentified and unclassified" bacterium has no relation to any of the existing bacterial types. They acknowledged, however, that extensive research of the microbe that was sealed under the ice for millions of years will be necessary to prove the find and determine the bacterium's characteristics.
http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/03/mysterious-bacterium-found-antarctic-lake?et_cid=3138115&et_rid=54725525&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fmysterious-bacterium-found-antarctic-lake (http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/03/mysterious-bacterium-found-antarctic-lake?et_cid=3138115&et_rid=54725525&linkid=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rdmag.com%2fnews%2f2013%2f03%2fmysterious-bacterium-found-antarctic-lake)
The odds of them keeping it contained?
(I know, I'm a pessimist.)
Don't worry. At the rate we are warming it just may be free of the ice cap before they ever figure out what it is. . . :eek:
I was born an optimist. But sometimes ....
My reservations concerning science/invention have always been:
1. Do no harm.
2. You can, but should you.
Just think of the woes visited on humanity that could have been reduced or prevented if those had been given consideration.
Quote from: Y on March 15, 2013, 08:56:03 PM
My reservations concerning science/invention have always been:
1. Do no harm.
2. You can, but should you.
Just think of the woes visited on humanity that could have been reduced or prevented if those had been given consideration.
1. I agree
2. Depends. Doing it just because you can without regard for the consequences, NO.
And Mr. Y, I hope all is well with you. It's been a while since you've posted.
Quote from: libby on March 15, 2013, 09:51:17 PM
1. I agree
2. Depends. Doing it just because you can without regard for the consequences, NO.
And Mr. Y, I hope all is well with you. It's been a while since you've posted.
I was sick for a while, then I've been very busy, but mostly I have a very hard time psyching myself up for arguing with idiots on the internet.
I had a vision that the internet, and places like this, could be an Agora where people could congregate and use facts, evidence, and logic to come to a consensus for issues necessary to propagate a free self-governing people, but instead I found too many crazies that don't care about anything but their insanity who beat the sane voices down by sheer numbers and volume.
This is still one good spot, but even here no matter how hard I try, or how well I present the evidence/facts, or how compelling my argument I can't persuade even one of the fantasists that their worldview doesn't have a leg to stand on.
It's as I stated elsewhere on the forum, I now see America as an asylum being run by the inmates and I fear for us.
Sorry, I didn't intend to be so depressing. I'm as fine as being old, broke down, and a curmudgeon can be. :biggrin:
I'm sorry. When I feel too down, I walk if at all possible. Sometimes I walk and cry, but it always helps.
Quote from: Y on March 15, 2013, 11:10:11 PM
I was sick for a while, then I've been very busy, but mostly I have a very hard time psyching myself up for arguing with idiots on the internet.
I had a vision that the internet, and places like this, could be an Agora where people could congregate and use facts, evidence, and logic to come to a consensus for issues necessary to propagate a free self-governing people, but instead I found too many crazies that don't care about anything but their insanity who beat the sane voices down by sheer numbers and volume.
This is still one good spot, but even here no matter how hard I try, or how well I present the evidence/facts, or how compelling my argument I can't persuade even one of the fantasists that their worldview doesn't have a leg to stand on.
It's as I stated elsewhere on the forum, I now see America as an asylum being run by the inmates and I fear for us.
Sorry, I didn't intend to be so depressing. I'm as fine as being old, broke down, and a curmudgeon can be. :biggrin:
RE: the number of idiots online ...
I had a theory once about this. It's as if the Internet opened up a way for everyone to be seen (albeit anonymously) and 'published' on the internet and the narcissists and self-centered types piled on.
Quote from: Y on March 15, 2013, 11:10:11 PM
I was sick for a while, then I've been very busy, but mostly I have a very hard time psyching myself up for arguing with idiots on the internet.
I had a vision that the internet, and places like this, could be an Agora where people could congregate and use facts, evidence, and logic to come to a consensus for issues necessary to propagate a free self-governing people, but instead I found too many crazies that don't care about anything but their insanity who beat the sane voices down by sheer numbers and volume.
This is still one good spot, but even here no matter how hard I try, or how well I present the evidence/facts, or how compelling my argument I can't persuade even one of the fantasists that their worldview doesn't have a leg to stand on.
It's as I stated elsewhere on the forum, I now see America as an asylum being run by the inmates and I fear for us.
Sorry, I didn't intend to be so depressing. I'm as fine as being old, broke down, and a curmudgeon can be. :biggrin:
The situation you describe is very akin to teaching.
The recipient must be willing to accept the information and then process it; else, the dialogue cannot continue.
If each (or one) party has preconceived ideas about what is being discussed, the exercise is one of futility.
Otherwise, green is green to one and red to the other.
Bad news for people hoping to join the exclusive "220-mile-high club:" Researchers from the University of Montreal have found that sex in space could lead to life-threatening illnesses.
The researchers discovered that changes in gravity impact the reproductive process in plants, a finding that could have serious health implications for humans. Gravity regulates traffic on the intracellular "highways" that maintain the growth and functionality of the male reproductive organ in plants, called the pollen tube.
According to Professor Anja Geitmann of Montreal University's Department of Biology, the pollen tube is responsible for delivering the sperm cells in plants to the egg. However, only two sperm cells are discharged during each act of plant sex.
"Our findings offer new insight into how life evolved on Earth and are significant with regards to human health, as a traffic jam on these highways that also exist in human cells can cause cancer and illnesses such as Alzheimer's," says Geitmann. . . .
http://www.sciencerecorder.com/news/sex-in-space-could-be-deadly-finds-study/ (http://www.sciencerecorder.com/news/sex-in-space-could-be-deadly-finds-study/)
Quote from: Palehorse on March 19, 2013, 12:17:36 AM
Bad news for people hoping to join the exclusive "220-mile-high club:" Researchers from the University of Montreal have found that sex in space could lead to life-threatening illnesses.
The researchers discovered that changes in gravity impact the reproductive process in plants, a finding that could have serious health implications for humans. Gravity regulates traffic on the intracellular "highways" that maintain the growth and functionality of the male reproductive organ in plants, called the pollen tube.
According to Professor Anja Geitmann of Montreal University's Department of Biology, the pollen tube is responsible for delivering the sperm cells in plants to the egg. However, only two sperm cells are discharged during each act of plant sex.
"Our findings offer new insight into how life evolved on Earth and are significant with regards to human health, as a traffic jam on these highways that also exist in human cells can cause cancer and illnesses such as Alzheimer's," says Geitmann. . . .
http://www.sciencerecorder.com/news/sex-in-space-could-be-deadly-finds-study/ (http://www.sciencerecorder.com/news/sex-in-space-could-be-deadly-finds-study/)
Bad news, indeed! I have fantasized about the possibilities of sex in a weightless environment. :biggrin:
Quote from: Olias on March 19, 2013, 08:50:23 AM
Bad news, indeed! I have fantasized about the possibilities of sex in a weightless environment. :biggrin:
I know right?! :icon_twisted:
:( Too bad, PH. I know you were looking forward to that trip; and too bad also for you, Olias. :(
I actually have a pretty good idea of what weightless sex might be like. Several years ago, I was doing some yoga exercises, and was down to the last one -- lying flat on my back on the floor with eyes closed, imagining I was floating on water. I was so deep into it that I could hear the gurgle of water and feel myself gently floating. Then, without any sense of change, I was floating in the sky. Not flying, but floating effortlessly. And I was face down, because I could see treetops, etc. It was a wonderful feeling. I remember thinking, wondering how it was happening and not wanting it to end. Then I had company, and .... :smile:
This was perhaps inevitable ... but still a little scary ...
10 careers robots are taking from you
Should we fear the rise of robots? From pharmacists to fast food cooks, here's a look at 10 advancements in technology that could put you out of work.
http://www.computerworld.com/slideshow/detail/100405 (http://www.computerworld.com/slideshow/detail/100405)
Quote from: Bo D on May 13, 2013, 01:06:14 PM
This was perhaps inevitable ... but still a little scary ...
10 careers robots are taking from you
Should we fear the rise of robots? From pharmacists to fast food cooks, here's a look at 10 advancements in technology that could put you out of work.
http://www.computerworld.com/slideshow/detail/100405 (http://www.computerworld.com/slideshow/detail/100405)
A good friend of mine wrote a song about robots taking over jobs back in the late 70's or early 80's when some of her coworkers jobs were done away with in favor of robots. I'll try to video it next time she does it when she does her solo thing. :smile:
Quote from: Bo D on May 13, 2013, 01:06:14 PM
This was perhaps inevitable ... but still a little scary ...
10 careers robots are taking from you
Should we fear the rise of robots? From pharmacists to fast food cooks, here's a look at 10 advancements in technology that could put you out of work.
http://www.computerworld.com/slideshow/detail/100405 (http://www.computerworld.com/slideshow/detail/100405)
Yeah, ummm. I remember hearing that back in the early 70's too, and it has never come to pass. . . When they make a robot that mows my lawn and weed whacks it, I might get scared. . . :biggrin:
Quote from: Palehorse on May 14, 2013, 12:39:14 PM
When they make a robot that mows my lawn and weed whacks it, I might get scared. . . :biggrin:
Yeah! I am anxiously awaiting THAT to happen!!! :biggrin:
Quote from: Palehorse on May 14, 2013, 12:39:14 PM
Yeah, ummm. I remember hearing that back in the early 70's too, and it has never come to pass. . . When they make a robot that mows my lawn and weed whacks it, I might get scared. . . :biggrin:
Ask and ye shall receive ....
Husavarna Robotic Lawn Mowers http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/robotic-mowers/husqvarna-robotic-mowers-for-homeowners/ (http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/robotic-mowers/husqvarna-robotic-mowers-for-homeowners/)
Quote from: Bo D on May 14, 2013, 01:58:49 PM
Ask and ye shall receive ....
Husavarna Robotic Lawn Mowers http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/robotic-mowers/husqvarna-robotic-mowers-for-homeowners/ (http://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/robotic-mowers/husqvarna-robotic-mowers-for-homeowners/)
http://www.youtube.com/v/HiD2CGkoNts
Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that human genes cannot be patented, but did not rule out genetic research. :yes:
14 Jun 2013
The Washington Post
BY ROBERT BARNES AND BRADY DENNIS
Human genes can't be patented, justices rule
Decision is likely to have a broad impact on research, genetic testing
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday that human genes cannot be patented, a decision that is likely to shape the future of medical and biotech research.
Those who challenged the notion that something that occurs naturally in the human body can be "owned" by a company said the decision could open a new era of expanded research and lower costs for genetic testing.
At the same time, the ruling held out hope for industry that certain research methods and the creation of synthetic DNA can be protected and thus worth the investment.
"Today, the court struck down a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation," said Sandra Park of the American Civil Liberties Union, which represented doctors, researchers and cancer patients who brought the challenge.
"Because of this ruling, patients will have greater access to genetic testing, and scientists can engage in research on these genes without fear of being sued."
The issue received national attention last month when actress Angelina Jolie revealed that she had a double mastectomy because genetic testing showed she carried a defective gene that greatly increased her chance for cancer.
The ruling was a split decision for Myriad Genetics Inc., which holds patents on genes that have been linked to breast and ovarian cancer and thus is the only company that offers the genetic tests, which can cost more than $3,000.
Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the court, said that merely isolating those specific genes — BRCA1 and BRCA2 — was not worthy of a patent. The decision was a departure from decades of decisions to the contrary from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
"Myriad did not create anything," Thomas wrote. "To be sure, it found an important and useful gene, but separating that gene from its surrounding genetic material is not an act of invention."
He added that "groundbreaking, innovative, or even brilliant discovery does not by itself " overcome the fact that "laws of nature, natural phenomena, and abstract ideas" are beyond the domain of patent protection.
On the other hand, Thomas wrote, when Myriad and others create a synthetic form of DNA — called cDNA and particularly useful in conducting experiments and tests, such as cancer screening — their work does deserve patent protection.
"The lab technician unquestionably creates something new when cDNA is made," he wrote.
Myriad focused on that part of the decision.
"We believe the Court appropriately upheld our claims on cDNA, and underscored the patent eligibility of our method claims, ensuring strong intellectual property protection for our BRACAnalysis test moving forward," Peter D. Meldrum, the company's president and chief executive, said in a statement. "More than 250,000 patients rely upon our BRACAnalysis test annually, and we remain focused on saving and improving peoples' lives and lowering overall healthcare costs."
The average American woman has a 12 to 13 percent chance of developing breast cancer, according to the court's opinion, but mutations in the two genes isolated by Myriad increase the risk to as much as 80 percent for breast cancer and 50 percent for ovarian cancer. Myriad developed tests useful in detecting those mutations.
The court's opinion required the nine justices to confront not only the mysteries of DNA — their struggle was apparent during the case's complicated oral arguments — but also the purpose of patents.
"As we have recognized before, patent protection strikes a delicate balance between creating incentives that lead to creation, invention, and discovery," Thomas wrote, "and "impeding the flow of information that might permit, indeed spur, invention."
Some experts in the field said the decision provides needed clarity.
"The biotechnology industry won today, because they have some certainty," said Kevin Noonan, a leading biotechnology and intellectual-property lawyer. "The synthetic DNA is patentable. ... This [particular issue] is off the table. It's not going to be challenged."
Matthew J. Dowd, a Washington lawyer who filed a brief opposing Myriad's position on human genes on behalf of James Watson, the scientist who co-discovered the structure of DNA, said the court's ruling on cDNA was especially important for companies.
"The cDNA has the same genetic information as our natural gene, but it's in a user-friendly form," Dowd said. "If you think of a human gene as gold still in a gold mine, then cDNA is the gold after it's been mined and polished."
But not all were happy. Jim Greenwood, president and chief executive of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said the decision will put U.S. companies at a disadvantage.
"The United States is now the only developed country to take such a restrictive view of patent eligibility, signaling an unjustified indifference towards our global economic and scientific leadership in the life sciences," Greenwood said in a statement.
Those who challenged the patents said the ruling will spur research and competition. "The cost of genetic testing should come down considerably," said Harry Ostrer of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University in New York.
Ostrer noted that there were about 4,000 gene-related patents that can now be challenged, and he predicted that additional tests for heart conditions and neuromuscular diseases will become available.
Companies already are announcing plans to offer genetic screening similar to Myriad's test. But Ostrer and others said the company, which won the race to locate and isolate the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in the early 1990s, remains far ahead of the rest of the field.
Even though Noonan noted that Myriad's patent is scheduled to expire in 2015, he added: "Myriad has a 15-year head start on everybody. They started this. They have all the relationships with everybody. They are still going to be the gold standard."
The court's opinion does not settle all questions about the issue.
For instance, Timothy McCaffrey, director of the division of genomic medicine at George Washington University, said the emerging practice in his field is to patent a method or process of working with a gene, rather than trying to isolate and patent the gene itself.
Thomas's opinion held out that option.
"Had Myriad created an innovative method of manipulating genes while searching for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, it could possibly have sought a method patent," Thomas wrote. "But the processes used by Myriad to isolate DNA were well understood by geneticists at the time."
While the briefs and opinion in the case often offered theoretical arguments, reaction to the decision was more emotional.
Lisbeth Ceriani, one of the plaintiffs represented by the ACLU, said the decision means that a part of the human body is "not being held hostage by a private company anymore."
The ruling was also praised by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who underwent a double mastectomy and had her ovaries removed after Myriad's test showed she carried the gene mutation. Her treatment required seven surgeries, she said. "Because one company had a patent on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, I was unable to get a second opinion," Schultz said.
Whoa!!! Here's a blow to vegetarians! PLANTS DO MATH!
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/plants-do-sums-get-through-night?et_cid=3332315&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/06/plants-do-sums-get-through-night?et_cid=3332315&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
And if they are that smart, then vegetarians may be eating sentient beings after all! :spooked:
Huh. Maybe that's why I resist eating my daily quota of vegetables. :sneaky:
Seriously, I think we can be pretty sure plants don't stay awake at night worrying about their starch reserves any more than we stay awake worrying about what our autonomic nervous systems are up to.
On second thought, is that study being funded by Monsanto? :eek:
On third thought, back to not seriously: if plants are sentient beings, I guess that would include trees. :smile: (Back in my sci-fi reading days, I imagined being a tree in one of my lives.)
And finally, when I spend time in the morning writing something like the above, I know I need to get away for a while. I'm headin' for the mountains. Goin' home for a few days.
OK ... this is definitely scary ... remember Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Total Recall?"
MIT scientists implant a false memory into a mouse's brain
Sometime soon, a lab mouse could wake up thinking he had snuggled up to a girl mouse the night before. But he hadn't. The memory would be fake.
Scientists have successfully implanted a false memory into a mouse's brain
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/inception-mit-scientists-implant-a-false-memory-into-a-mouses-brain/2013/07/25/47bdee7a-f49a-11e2-a2f1-a7acf9bd5d3a_story.html (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/inception-mit-scientists-implant-a-false-memory-into-a-mouses-brain/2013/07/25/47bdee7a-f49a-11e2-a2f1-a7acf9bd5d3a_story.html)
I read that yesterday and started to post it. As usual, I got distracted by something else and completely forgot about it.
;D
Same here. I saw it but didn't read it. My time has not been my own lately. And it IS scary.:spooked:
Quote from: Bo D on July 26, 2013, 12:12:18 PM
OK ... this is definitely scary ... remember Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Total Recall?"
MIT scientists implant a false memory into a mouse's brain
Sometime soon, a lab mouse could wake up thinking he had snuggled up to a girl mouse the night before. But he hadn't. The memory would be fake.
Scientists have successfully implanted a false memory into a mouse's brain
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/inception-mit-scientists-implant-a-false-memory-into-a-mouses-brain/2013/07/25/47bdee7a-f49a-11e2-a2f1-a7acf9bd5d3a_story.html (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/inception-mit-scientists-implant-a-false-memory-into-a-mouses-brain/2013/07/25/47bdee7a-f49a-11e2-a2f1-a7acf9bd5d3a_story.html)
Been thinking about it a little more. That belongs in the category of the mad scientists in science fiction. There are so many "what-ifs" that it is :spooked: :eek:
'Nuff said....
Researcher Controls Colleague's Motions in First Human Brain-to-Brain Interface
Researchers have performed what they believe is the first noninvasive human-to-human brain interface, with one researcher able to send a brain signal via the Internet to control the hand motions of a fellow researcher. Using electrical brain recordings and a form of magnetic stimulation, Rajesh Rao sent a brain signal to Andrea Stocco on the other side of the University of Washington campus, causing Stocco's finger to move on a keyboard.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/08/researcher-controls-colleague%E2%80%99s-motions-first-human-brain-brain-interface?et_cid=3450191&et_rid=41373174&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2013/08/researcher-controls-colleague%E2%80%99s-motions-first-human-brain-brain-interface?et_cid=3450191&et_rid=41373174&location=top)
Wow!
Had your breakfast yet? :icon_twisted:
http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/10/pills-made-feces-cure-serious-gut-infections?et_cid=3519052&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/10/pills-made-feces-cure-serious-gut-infections?et_cid=3519052&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Pills made from feces cure serious gut infections
Doctors have found a way to put healthy people's poop into pills that can cure serious gut infections—a less yucky way to do "fecal transplants." Canadian researchers tried this on 27 patients and cured them all after strong antibiotics failed to help.
:spooked: :spooked:
Um-hm, poop pills! NOT! :no:
That's like those folks who drink urine. Bllllllleeeeeeeechhh!
Quote from: Y on November 17, 2013, 01:19:35 PM
Um-hm, poop pills! NOT! :no:
That's like those folks who drink urine. Bllllllleeeeeeeechhh!
What about using it to make cheese? I first read about it :eek: in a novel I read when I was a girl -- about a Chinese boy in Tibet. Fascinating book for a girl living in a 'holler' in West Virginia.
My thoughts on the subject are......... :groan: :puke:
This really is scary .....
Could Chess Robots Cause Judgment Day?
Next time you play a computer at chess, think about the implications if you beat it. It could be a very sore loser!
.... humans should be very careful to prevent future systems from developing anti-social and potentially harmful behaviour.
Like a plot from The Terminator movie, we are suddenly faced with the prospect of real threat from autonomous systems unless they are designed very carefully.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/04/could-chess-robots-cause-judgment-day?et_cid=3890852&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/04/could-chess-robots-cause-judgment-day?et_cid=3890852&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Holy cow!
It makes perfect sense that could happen though. :spooked:
Quote from: Bo D on April 18, 2014, 11:14:16 AM
This really is scary .....
Could Chess Robots Cause Judgment Day?
Next time you play a computer at chess, think about the implications if you beat it. It could be a very sore loser!
.... humans should be very careful to prevent future systems from developing anti-social and potentially harmful behaviour.
Like a plot from The Terminator movie, we are suddenly faced with the prospect of real threat from autonomous systems unless they are designed very carefully.
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/04/could-chess-robots-cause-judgment-day?et_cid=3890852&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2014/04/could-chess-robots-cause-judgment-day?et_cid=3890852&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Hey Bo! Do you remember our conversation where I pointed out that science in general should have some deep discussions about forethought and that there are some directions that would be better off not pursued?
Talk about scary science! :spooked: :confused:
Here's the paper edition headline of an article in today's Washington Post:
Implants eyed for tackling brain disorders.
Defense agency aims to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD with advanced technologies
-- and the online version:
Pentagon investigates brain-zapping implants to help wounded warriors
By Tanya Lewis and Live Science, Published: June 2 , 2014
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is launching a program to develop technologies to treat psychiatric disorders by electrically stimulating the brain.
DARPA's SUBNETS program (short for Systems-Based Neurotechnology for Emerging Therapies) will fund teams of researchers to develop brain interfaces, computational models of brain activity and clinical therapies for such illnesses as depression, chronic pain, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The project is part of the Obama administration's BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies), a collaborative effort between government agencies and industry to revolutionize understanding of the human brain.
"The neurotechnologies we will work to develop under SUBNETS could give new tools to the medical community to treat patients who don't respond to other therapies, and new knowledge to the neuroscience community to expand the understanding of brain function," Justin Sanchez, the DARPA program manager for SUBNETS, said in a statement.
In health and disease, brain activity is not confined to distinct parts of the brain, but rather is distributed over different neural systems. The brain is also very plastic: It can adapt its anatomy and physiology over time. The SUBNETS program will take advantage of these characteristics to develop treatments, inspired by deep-brain stimulation, that aim to restore normal brain function in people with neural illnesses, program officials said.
"Real-time, closed-loop neural interfaces allow us to move beyond the traditional static view of the brain and into a realm of precision therapy," Sanchez said.
The program will fund two research teams, one at the University of California at San Francisco and the other at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
The San Francisco team aims to develop an implanted device that targets brain regions involved in an individual's psychiatric or neurological disease. The device would record signals from and stimulate neurons to rehabilitate the malfunctioning brain circuitry. If the approach is successful, the device might be removed after treatment, DARPA officials said.
The Boston team will work to identify common components of neurological and psychiatric illnesses, such as increased anxiety, impaired memory or inappropriate reactions to things in the environment. The team will use behavioral testing as well as detailed recordings of individual neurons to discover these common features. The researchers will then work with Draper Laboratories of Cambridge, Mass., to develop an implantable brain device that would be effective throughout a person's life.
DARPA hopes these studies will lead to more-accurate diagnoses and more-targeted treatments of psychiatric disorders.
— Live Science
Huh??? What the ... ????
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2015/12/computing-time-travel?et_cid=4993876&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2015/12/computing-time-travel?et_cid=4993876&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Quote from: Bo D on December 11, 2015, 11:26:15 AM
Huh??? What the ... ????
http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2015/12/computing-time-travel?et_cid=4993876&et_rid=54725525&location=top (http://www.scientificcomputing.com/news/2015/12/computing-time-travel?et_cid=4993876&et_rid=54725525&location=top)
Quantum physics is scary stuff, but add computers, and :spooked: :spooked: I read somewhere that Bluefield, WV's Nobel prize winning John Nash was delving into the subject when he went bonkers.
The subject fascinates me, but I don't have the math to study it formally, and I guess that's a good thing, considering the following, from the book
The Cosmic Code, by Heinz R. Pagels:
I think it is safe to say that no one understands quantum mechanics. Do not keep saying to yourself, if you can possibly avoid it, 'But how can it be like that?" because you will go "down the drain" into a blind alley from which nobody has yet escaped. Nobody knows how it can be like that. -- Richard Feynman
"Don't cuss in front of the children, and be careful what you teach the robot, dear." (I knew it would happen sooner or later. I grew up reading sci-fi. The following is from today's Washington Post).
"Microsoft axes chatbot that learned a little too much online
FILE - This July 3, 2014, file photo, shows the Microsoft Corp. logo outside the Microsoft Visitor Center in Redmond, Wash. Artificial-intelligence software designed by Microsoft to tweet like a teenage girl has been suspended after it began spouting offensive remarks, according to the company Thursday, March 24, 2016. Microsoft said it is making adjustments to the Twitter chatbot after users found a way to manipulate it to tweet racist and sexist remarks and made a reference to Hitler. (Associated Press)
By Brandon Bailey | AP March 24 at 9:19 PM
SAN FRANCISCO — OMG! Did you hear about the artificial intelligence program that Microsoft designed to chat like a teenage girl? It was totally yanked offline in less than a day, after it began spouting racist, sexist and otherwise offensive remarks.
Microsoft said it was all the fault of some really mean people, who launched a "coordinated effort" to make the chatbot known as Tay "respond in inappropriate ways." To which one artificial intelligence expert responded: Duh!
Well, he didn't really say that. But computer scientist Kris Hammond did say, "I can't believe they didn't see this coming."
Microsoft said its researchers created Tay as an experiment to learn more about computers and human conversation. On its website, the company said the program was targeted to an audience of 18 to 24-year-olds and was "designed to engage and entertain people where they connect with each other online through casual and playful conversation."
In other words, the program used a lot of slang and tried to provide humorous responses when people sent it messages and photos. The chatbot went live on Wednesday, and Microsoft invited the public to chat with Tay on Twitter and some other messaging services popular with teens and young adults.
"The more you chat with Tay the smarter she gets, so the experience can be more personalized for you," the company said.
But some users found Tay's responses odd, and others found it wasn't hard to nudge Tay into making offensive comments, apparently prompted by repeated questions or statements that contained offensive words. Soon, Tay was making sympathetic references to Hitler — and creating a furor on social media.
CONTENT FROM SAMSUNG
Technology and health intersect for better care
A nation that combines innovation with responsive care and sound policy succeeds, and thrives.
"Unfortunately, within the first 24 hours of coming online, we became aware of a coordinated effort by some users to abuse Tay's commenting skills to have Tay respond in inappropriate ways," Microsoft said in a statement.
While the company didn't elaborate, Hammond says it appears Microsoft made no effort to prepare Tay with appropriate responses to certain words or topics. Tay seems to be a version of "call and response" technology, added Hammond, who studies artificial intelligence at Northwestern University and also serves as chief scientist for Narrative Science, a company that develops computer programs that turn data into narrative reports.
"Everyone keeps saying that Tay learned this or that it became racist," Hammond said. "It didn't." The program most likely reflected things it was told, probably more than once, by people who decided to see what would happen, he said.
The problem is that Microsoft turned Tay loose online, where many people consider it entertaining to stir things up — or worse. The company should have realized that people would try a variety of conversational gambits with Tay, said Caroline Sinders, an expert on "conversational analytics" who works on chat robots for another tech company. (She asked not to identify it because she wasn't speaking in an official capacity.) She called Tay "an example of bad design."
Instead of building in some guidelines for how the program would deal with controversial topics, Sinders added, it appears Tay was mostly left to learn from whatever it was told.
"This is a really good example of machine learning," said Sinders. "It's learning from input. That means it needs constant maintenance."
Sinders said she hopes Microsoft will release the program again, but only after "doing some work" on it first.
Microsoft said it's "making adjustments" on Tay, but there was no word on when Tay might be back. Most of the messages on its Twitter account were deleted by Thursday afternoon.
"c u soon humans need sleep now so many conversations today thx," said the latest remaining post.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."
www.washingtonpost.com
Haifa-based scientist Jeff Steinhauer has simulated a black hole in his laboratory, and it might be the breakthrough that helps celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking win the Nobel Prize. CNN's Ian lee reports.
http://www.cnn.com/videos/tech/2016/08/26/black-hole-breakthrough-lee-pkg.cnn
:spooked:
Now what could possibly go wrong with that? :spooked: :spooked:
Quote from: Locutus on August 26, 2016, 11:29:31 AM
Haifa-based scientist Jeff Steinhauer has simulated a black hole in his laboratory, and it might be the breakthrough that helps celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking win the Nobel Prize. CNN's Ian lee reports.
http://www.cnn.com/videos/tech/2016/08/26/black-hole-breakthrough-lee-pkg.cnn
:think: :dizzy2: :science: :genius: :read: Wish I could think of something smart to say other than all I know about black holes is what I learned from Star Trek .... Seriously, a black hole is a singularity, which is defined as "a point of infinite curvature of space, where the equations of general relativity break down." (As my friend Dorothy sometimes says, "There. Is that as clear as mud?")
Thanks for posting that, Locutus. My life is kinda crazy right now, so stopping and thinking about something totally different that I've always been interested in really helps. :smile:
I'm just wondering about the ramifications of something like that if the experiment goes awry, or if he is successful in maintaining a black hole for any extended period of time in the laboratory. :spooked:
Quote from: Locutus on August 26, 2016, 11:58:41 PM
I'm just wondering about the ramifications of something like that if the experiment goes awry, or if he is successful in maintaining a black hole for any extended period of time in the laboratory. :spooked:
Beyond being curious, I guess I hope he is wrong, because if he's right, and he can get the same result again -- and it doesn't fizzle out ? :spooked: :dizzy2:
Quote from: Locutus on August 26, 2016, 11:58:41 PM
I'm just wondering about the ramifications of something like that if the experiment goes awry, or if he is successful in maintaining a black hole for any extended period of time in the laboratory. :spooked:
I don't think man with his puny science could make a black hole. But, but if he did we wouldn't have any time to find a hole to crawl in before it gobbled us up. :yes: :biggrin:
Quote from: Locutus on August 26, 2016, 11:58:41 PM
I'm just wondering about the ramifications of something like that if the experiment goes awry, or if he is successful in maintaining a black hole for any extended period of time in the laboratory. :spooked:
A little far fetched I know but it would be awful if it did go awry and started absorbing all the sound waves and exchanging them for a total different type of sound wave from inside especially if those sound waves were out of our hearing range. I really don't think that would happen but it did go through my mind.
Quote from: Locutus on August 26, 2016, 11:29:31 AM
Haifa-based scientist Jeff Steinhauer has simulated a black hole in his laboratory, and it might be the breakthrough that helps celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking win the Nobel Prize. CNN's Ian lee reports.
http://www.cnn.com/videos/tech/2016/08/26/black-hole-breakthrough-lee-pkg.cnn
Quote from: Locutus on August 26, 2016, 11:29:52 AM
:spooked:
Now what could possibly go wrong with that? :spooked: :spooked:
Quote from: libby on August 27, 2016, 11:25:54 AM
Beyond being curious, I guess I hope he is wrong, because if he's right, and he can get the same result again -- and it doesn't fizzle out ? :spooked: :dizzy2:
I've had a little time to think, and today listened to the comments of Jeff Steinhauer, and, it seems we don't have anything to worry about (yet). "It's not a real black hole -- it absorbs sound waves" -- he said. :rolleyes: As Locutus wrote above, what could possibly go wrong with that? :spooked: :spooked:
Quote from: libby on August 28, 2016, 01:11:39 AM
"It's not a real black hole -- it absorbs sound waves" -- he said. :rolleyes: As Locutus wrote above, what could possibly go wrong with that? :spooked: :spooked:
Nothing as long as we can get him to create and maintain one right beside Donald Trump's mouth! :icon_twisted:
:rotfl:
Quote from: Locutus on August 28, 2016, 06:48:39 PM
Nothing as long as we can get him to create and maintain one right beside Donald Trump's mouth! :icon_twisted:
:rotfl:
I'm thinkin' more like Hillary's mouth, that laugh and voice are like nails on a chalkboard. Well, I have to include Palin in this too I guess as bad as I hate to but her voice is also very annoying. I know it's the one they were born with and they can't help it but dang........
I miss Bo D's science stories! Where are you, Bo?
Me too!
Same here!!
I think it's safe to say that he's gone fishin'. ;D
Quote from: Locutus on September 21, 2016, 02:02:15 PM
I think it's safe to say that he's gone fishin'. ;D
I would say you're probably correct. I look for him back when the temps drop and the snow flies. :)
The following is from yesterday's Washington Post. Fascinating stuff.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is linked to delayed brain development
By Amy Ellis Nutt February 15
A new study confirms that ADHD, especially in children, such as this Maryland adolescent negotiating a laser maze, is a brain disorder. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)
For the first time, scientists can point to substantial empirical evidence that people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have brain structures that differ from those of people without ADHD. The common disorder, they conclude, should be considered a problem of delayed brain maturation and not, as it is often portrayed, a problem of motivation or parenting.
In conducting the largest brain imaging study of its kind, an international team of researchers found that ADHD involves decreased volume in key brain regions, in particular the amygdala, which is responsible for regulating the emotions. Although the study, published Wednesday in the Lancet Psychiatry, included children, adolescents and adults, the scientists said the greatest differences in brain volume appeared in the brains of children.
[ADHD linked to banned chemical still in use in hospitals]
Of seven subcortical brain regions targeted in the study, five, including the amygdala, were found to be smaller in those with ADHD, compared with those in a control group. The other regions that showed reductions in volume were: the caudate nucleus (which has been linked to goal-directed action), the putamen (involved in learning and responding to stimuli), the nucleus accumbens (which processes rewards and motivation) and the hippocampus (where memories are formed).
The first author, geneticist Martine Hoogman of Radboud University in the Netherlands, said the amygdala "is a structure that is not so well known to be implicated in ADHD. ... We do know from other functional studies of the amygdala that it is involved in emotion regulation and recognizing emotional stimuli. But it is also involved in the process of [inhibiting] a response. Both cognitive processes are characteristic of ADHD, so it does make sense to have found this structure to be implicated in ADHD."
The research was conducted by an ADHD working group that is part of a worldwide consortium called ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis). The group aims to bring together scientists in fields such as imaging, genomics, neurology and psychiatry to better understand brain structure and function. Its ADHD project was four times the size of the previously largest study and was conducted at 23 locations in nine countries by 80 researchers, primarily psychiatrists and neuroscientists.
A total of 3,242 people, ages 4 to 63, underwent MRI brain scans. Almost half of them had been diagnosed with ADHD. The other half were control subjects.
"The reliability of ADHD research has not been great, because of [small] sample sizes," said Jonathan Posner, who did not take part in the study but who does pediatric brain imaging research at Columbia University Medical School. "So because this study was orders of magnitude higher in terms of participants, and because it involved sampling broadly and internationally, it gives us more confidence."
[My daughter has my eyes, my hair and my ADHD]
By being able to point to measurable differences in the brains of those with ADHD, the ENGIMA scientists hope their study will also help the general public better understand the disorder.
"I think most scientists in the field already know that the brains of people with ADHD show differences, but I now hope to have shown convincing evidence ... that will reach the general public," said Hoogman, "and show that it has [a basis in the brain] just like other psychiatric disorders. ... We know that ADHD deals with stigma, but we also know that increasing knowledge will reduce stigma."
The researchers were able to conclude that the brain differences were not related to medication people took, to other psychiatric disorders people with ADHD may also have had, or even to the severity of their symptoms.
The smaller brain structures in children with ADHD but not in adults fits with a "delayed peak volume" theory that ADHD is associated with an "altered velocity of cortical development," the authors said. That is, their brain development may be delayed compared with children who do not have ADHD, but it may catch up as they grow into adulthood.
[CDC: Americans are overmedicating youngest children with ADHD]
Finding that the amygdala, the brain's emotional regulator, had the greatest volume reduction in ADHD was particularly important to the researchers because of the ubiquity of emotional problems in the disorder. The study might be relevant for updates to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the guidebook psychiatrists use to identify conditions. "Those [emotional] symptoms are often present in patients with ADHD," the authors wrote, "but these disease characteristics have not [yet] been included into the official DSM criteria."
amy.nutt@washpostcom