105 posts · 41,556 views
Random musings of an aspiring science teacher and writer.
Jason Carr
105 posts
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- September 11, 2012
- 04:13 PM
- 624 views
How Genetics Shape Our Addictions
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
Have you ever wondered why some people find it so much easier to stop smoking than others? New research (cited below) shows that vulnerability to smoking addiction is shaped by our genes. A study from the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro, McGill University shows that people with genetically fast nicotine metabolism have [...]... Read more »
Tang DW, Hello B, Mroziewicz M, Fellows LK, Tyndale RF, & Dagher A. (2012) Genetic variation in CYP2A6 predicts neural reactivity to smoking cues as measured using fMRI. NeuroImage, 60(4), 2136-43. PMID: 22342802
- Robotics
- Cosmology and Extragalactic Astrophysics
- Software Engineering
- Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
- Parallel and Distributed Computing
- Neurology
- Operating Systems
- Networks
- Nanoscience
- Biophysics
- Artificial Intelligence
- Quantum Physics
- Computational Theory
- Molecular Physics
- Databases
- Astrobiology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Search for ETI
- August 1, 2012
- 01:48 AM
- 397 views
Holistic Design Factors in Space Colonies
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
Assuming that we never achieve FTL travel, generational colony ships may become a necessary method used to traverse great distances. Inherent in the term generational, individuals will live their entire lives on these massive spaceships as will their descendants. In other words, these space ships will be the only home many generations of inhabitants will [...]... Read more »
Apostolos Papanikolaou. (2010) Holistic ship design optimization . Computer-Aided Design, 42(11), 1028-1044. info:/10.1016/j.cad.2009.07.002
Cooper RA. (2008) Quality-of-life technology. A human-centered and holistic design. IEEE engineering in medicine and biology magazine : the quarterly magazine of the Engineering in Medicine , 27(2), 10-1. PMID: 18472458
- July 18, 2012
- 01:00 AM
- 426 views
Simulated Solutions for Real Problems
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
The way that people look at mathematical statistics is changing. Statistics show up in the news media left and right. People probably view graphs on a daily basis. They’re becoming desensitized to data. However, statistics will be one of the most important aspects of communication in the future. Statistics can actually allow us to predict [...]... Read more »
John W. Tukey. (1967) The Future of Data Analysis. The Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 33(1), 1-67. info:/10.1214/aoms/1177704711
- July 11, 2012
- 09:35 AM
- 368 views
Dark Galaxies of the Early Universe
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
Dark galaxies are small, gas-rich galaxies in the early Universe that are very inefficient at forming stars. They are predicted by theories of galaxy formation and are thought to be the building blocks of today’s bright, star-filled galaxies. Astronomers think that they may have fed large galaxies with much of the gas that later formed [...]... Read more »
Sebastiano Cantalupo, Simon J. Lilly, & Martin G. Haehnelt. (2012) Detection of dark galaxies and circum-galactic filaments fluorescently illuminated by a quasar at z. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. info:/arxiv.org/abs/1204.5753
- July 3, 2012
- 09:13 AM
- 434 views
Artificial Cerebellum in Robotics Developed
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
University of Granada researchers have developed an artificial cerebellum (a biologically-inspired adaptive microcircuit) that controls a robotic arm with human-like precision. The cerebellum is the part of the human brain that controls the locomotor system and coordinates body movements.... Read more »
Luque NR, Garrido JA, Carrillo RR, Tolu S, & Ros E. (2011) Adaptive cerebellar spiking model embedded in the control loop: context switching and robustness against noise. International journal of neural systems, 21(5), 385-401. PMID: 21956931
- June 19, 2012
- 01:23 AM
- 438 views
Do I Look Like an Alien to You?
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
I finally got a chance to see Prometheus this weekend and it reminded me why I love both technology and space so much. Without giving too much away for those of you that haven’t yet watched it, one of the more prominent ideas put forth in the movie is that we were created by alien [...]... Read more »
Ehrenfreund P, Spaans M, & Holm NG. (2011) The evolution of organic matter in space. Philosophical transactions. Series A, Mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences, 369(1936), 538-54. PMID: 21220279
Ziurys LM. (2006) The chemistry in circumstellar envelopes of evolved stars: following the origin of the elements to the origin of life. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 103(33), 12274-9. PMID: 16894164
Kerr RA. (2012) Planetary science. Homegrown organic matter found on Mars, but no life. Science (New York, N.Y.), 336(6084), 970. PMID: 22628628
Davies PC. (2003) Does life's rapid appearance imply a Martian origin?. Astrobiology, 3(4), 673-9. PMID: 14987473
Frederick Su. (1996) Extraterrestrial life forms examined. SPIE. DOI: 10.1117/2.6199612.0001
- June 14, 2012
- 01:12 PM
- 328 views
Reducing Youth Suicide in America
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
Recently a young man committed suicide in a small East Texas town devastating his entire family (myself included). He had his whole life ahead of him, a family that loved him, and gave no warning that anything was wrong. One moment he was here, the next he was gone. This is the first time I’ve [...]... Read more »
Slovak, K., & Singer, J. (2012) Engaging parents of suicidal youth in a rural environment. Child , 17(2), 212-221. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2206.2012.00826.x
- June 11, 2012
- 07:37 AM
- 281 views
Molecular Machines for Nanotech Applications
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
Enabling bioengineers to design new molecular machines for nanotechnology applications is one of the possible outcomes of a study by University of Montreal researchers that was published in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology yesterday (cited below). The scientists have developed a new approach to visualize how proteins assemble, which may also significantly aid our understanding [...]... Read more »
Vallée-Bélisle, A., & Michnick, S. (2012) Visualizing transient protein-folding intermediates by tryptophan-scanning mutagenesis. Nature Structural . DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2322
- May 29, 2012
- 01:17 PM
- 461 views
First Ever Chemical Circuit Created
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
Klas Tybrandt, doctoral student in organic electronics at Linkoping University, Sweden, has developed an integrated chemical chip. The results have just been published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications (cited below). The Organic Electronics research group at Linköping University previously developed ion transistors for transport of both positive and negative ions, as well as biomolecules. [...]... Read more »
Tybrandt, K., Forchheimer, R., & Berggren, M. (2012) Logic gates based on ion transistors. Nature Communications, 871. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1869
- May 24, 2012
- 08:55 AM
- 587 views
Robotics & Mechanical Limbs
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
As people continue to struggle with problems involving organ donation, a few robotic engineers continue to push the boundaries between humanity and machinery. A recent report in Nature (cited below) showed that two patients were able to overcome some aspects of their paralysis by way of an implant. Reaching and grabbing motions were possible by way [...]... Read more »
Hochberg, L., Bacher, D., Jarosiewicz, B., Masse, N., Simeral, J., Vogel, J., Haddadin, S., Liu, J., Cash, S., van der Smagt, P.... (2012) Reach and grasp by people with tetraplegia using a neurally controlled robotic arm. Nature, 485(7398), 372-375. DOI: 10.1038/nature11076
- May 17, 2012
- 08:26 PM
- 284 views
We Can Learn A Lot From Other Species
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
A long-held assumption confirmed Researchers at the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics and the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute have confirmed the long-held belief that studying the genes we share with other animals is useful. The study (cited below), published today in the open access journal PLoS Computational Biology, shows how bioinformatics makes it possible to test the [...]... Read more »
Winter C, Adrian M. Altenhoff, Romain A. Studer, Marc Robinson-Rechavi, & Christophe Dessimoz. (2012) Resolving the Ortholog Conjecture: Orthologs Tend to Be Weakly, but Significantly, More Similar in Function than Paralogs. PLoS Comput Biol 8(5): e1002511. . info:/doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002514
- May 17, 2012
- 08:26 PM
- 361 views
Learning From Other Species
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
A long-held assumption confirmed Researchers at the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics and the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute have confirmed the long-held belief that studying the genes we share with other animals is useful. The study (cited below), published today in the open access journal PLoS Computational Biology, shows how bioinformatics makes it possible to test the [...]... Read more »
Winter C, Adrian M. Altenhoff, Romain A. Studer, Marc Robinson-Rechavi, & Christophe Dessimoz. (2012) Resolving the Ortholog Conjecture: Orthologs Tend to Be Weakly, but Significantly, More Similar in Function than Paralogs. PLoS Comput Biol 8(5): e1002511. . info:/doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002514
- May 17, 2012
- 01:02 AM
- 352 views
Where Has Our Capitalist Spirit Gone?
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
The Source of Consumption and Commodity Max Weber was concerned, sociologically, on the effects of class, status, party, and the bureaucratic nature of the struggling lower classes in everyday life. He, too, spent much time contemplating religion (since it has been known to shape party), status, and the daily life of citizens, as well as effecting attitudes [...]... Read more »
Coser, L., & Agger, B. (1991) The Decline of Discourse: Reading, Writing and Resistance in Postmodern Capitalism. Contemporary Sociology, 20(2), 282. DOI: 10.2307/2072981
- May 16, 2012
- 01:16 AM
- 368 views
Are Invisible Extraterrestrials Out There?
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
I recently watched The Darkest Hour, a film about invisible aliens that invade and terrorize Earth. While the movie itself leaves much to be desired, the concept of invisible aliens is one that I find noteworthy. As we search for alien lifeforms, could we be missing them due to their invisibility? While invisibility has been [...]... Read more »
Johnsen, S., & Widder, E. (1999) The Physical Basis of Transparency in Biological Tissue: Ultrastructure and the Minimization of Light Scattering. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 199(2), 181-198. DOI: 10.1006/jtbi.1999.0948
Johnsen, S. (2000) Transparent Animals. Scientific American, 282(2), 80-89. DOI: 10.1038/scientificamerican0200-80
Johnsen, S. (2001) Hidden in Plain Sight: The Ecology and Physiology of Organismal Transparency. Biological Bulletin, 201(3), 301. DOI: 10.2307/1543609
Zylinski, S., & Johnsen, S. (2011) Mesopelagic Cephalopods Switch between Transparency and Pigmentation to Optimize Camouflage in the Deep. Current Biology, 21(22), 1937-1941. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2011.10.014
Nikolopoulos, D. (2002) The Relationship between Anatomy and Photosynthetic Performance of Heterobaric Leaves. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, 129(1), 235-243. DOI: 10.1104/pp.010943
- May 14, 2012
- 10:38 AM
- 379 views
The Impact of Death on Belief Systems
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
As demonstrated in Jessica L. Tracey’s paper, Death and Science: The Existential Underpinnings of Belief in Intelligent Design and Discomfort with Evolution (referenced below), many turn to intelligent design theory in search for meaning when faced with their own mortality. Despite the scientific proof supporting evolutionary theory (and the one that I believe is most accurate), [...]... Read more »
Tracy JL, Hart J, & Martens JP. (2011) Death and science: the existential underpinnings of belief in intelligent design and discomfort with evolution. PloS one, 6(3). PMID: 21479169
- May 8, 2012
- 01:03 PM
- 562 views
Looking for Earths by Looking for Jupiters
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
In the search for Earth-like planets, it is helpful to look for clues and patterns that can help scientist narrow down the types of systems where potentially habitable planets are likely to be discovered. New research from a team including Carnegie’s Alan Boss narrows down the search for Earth-like planets near Jupiter-like planets. Their work [...]... Read more »
Steffen, J., Ragozzine, D., Fabrycky, D., Carter, J., Ford, E., Holman, M., Rowe, J., Welsh, W., Borucki, W., Boss, A.... (2012) Kepler constraints on planets near hot Jupiters. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1120970109
- May 1, 2012
- 08:24 AM
- 472 views
Cybernetics – Left Ventricular Assist Device
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
Left ventricular assist device technology isn’t necessarily new, but it is one of the biggest harbingers of cybernetic technology. People with weak hearts that are waiting for a donor can use these sorts of heart pumps to bridge patients over until they can receive a full transplant. However, such LVAD machines are usually located in [...]... Read more »
Rizzieri, A., Verheijde, J., Rady, M., & McGregor, J. (2008) Ethical challenges with the left ventricular assist device as a destination therapy. Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine, 3(1), 20. DOI: 10.1186/1747-5341-3-20
- April 25, 2012
- 11:26 AM
- 503 views
A Paradoxical Laser Effect [Research]
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
Two lamps are brighter than one. This simple truism does not necessarily apply to lasers, as a team of scientists, led by the Vienna University of Technology found out. When one laser is shining and next to it another laser is turned on gradually, complex interactions between the two lasers can lead to a total [...]... Read more »
Liertzer, M., Ge, L., Cerjan, A., Stone, A., Türeci, H., & Rotter, S. (2012) Pump-Induced Exceptional Points in Lasers. Physical Review Letters, 108(17). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.173901
- April 24, 2012
- 05:38 AM
- 484 views
Let’s Explore Surface Electromyography
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
Surface electromyography is apparently now able to recognize and even synthesize speech based on a certain pattern. An acoustic signal is corrupted by high environmental noise. Astronauts that perform operations in spacesuits fall victim to this phenomenon. Earthbound firefighters are … Continue reading →... Read more »
Jorgensen, C., & Dusan, S. (2010) Speech interfaces based upon surface electromyography. Speech Communication, 52(4), 354-366. DOI: 10.1016/j.specom.2009.11.003
- April 23, 2012
- 12:15 PM
- 489 views
When Cellular Automata Come to Life
by Jason Carr in Wired Cosmos
Cellular automata are probably the closest things to machine life that most people have gotten an opportunity to experiment with in recent years. John Conway invented a piece of software titled the Game of Life in 1970. He carefully set up the rules to create a balanced world. While this might sound like old news, [...]... Read more »
Arima V, Iurlo M, Zoli L, Kumar S, Piacenza M, Della Sala F, Matino F, Maruccio G, Rinaldi R, Paolucci F.... (2012) Toward Quantum-dot Cellular Automata units: thiolated-carbazole linked bisferrocenes. Nanoscale, 4(3), 813-23. PMID: 22159165
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