Wonderjunkie

Teen's invention could charge your phone in 20 seconds

Sat, 18 May 2013 21:56:38 -0700

Teen's invention could charge your phone in 20 seconds:

Waiting hours for a cellphone to charge may become a thing of the past, thanks to an 18-year-old high-school student’s invention.

Researchers successfully convert human skin cells into embryonic stem cells

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:12:01 -0700

Researchers successfully convert human skin cells into embryonic stem cells:

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have successfully reprogrammed human skin cells to become embryonic stem cells capable of transforming into any other cell type in the body. It is believed that stem cell therapies hold the promise of replacing cells damaged through injury or illness. Diseases or conditions that might be treated through stem cell therapy include Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, cardiac disease and spinal cord injuries.

New NASA base shapes the future of green building technology

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:51:28 -0700

New NASA base shapes the future of green building technology:

The new NASA Sustainability Base was designed by William McDonough + Partners to embody the spirit of NASA while fostering collaboration, supporting health and well-being, and exceed the requirements of LEED® Platinum with systems that will eventually use only renewable energy and closed-loop water maintenance facilities. An exoskeleton approach provides for structural stability during seismic events, facilitates glare-free daylighting and shading, natural ventilation and connection to the outdoors, and flexibility of the workspace with its column-free interior.

Powers of Ten Reblog if you remember this awesome video from...

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:21:00 -0700

Powers of Ten

Reblog if you remember this awesome video from school! Or even if you don’t!

Silver nanoparticles provide clean water for $2 a year

Tue, 14 May 2013 20:20:44 -0700

Silver nanoparticles provide clean water for $2 a year:

An aluminium water filter embedded with silver nanoparticles is being tested in India in the hope of reducing waterborne diseases.

The brain as a model for future supercomputers

Tue, 14 May 2013 12:03:57 -0700

The brain as a model for future supercomputers:

A Sandia National Laboratories-supported workshop in Albuquerque called NICE, for Neuro-Inspired Computational Elements workshop, discussed ways to use the brain’s superior ability to send electrical signals along massively parallel channels, with multiple intersections at downstream nodes, to handle rapidly changing, high-volume information.

The hope is that rather than using the limited “if this, then that” logic of conventional computer architectures to absorb steadily increasing yet often incomplete data, cognitive systems will be able—like the brain—to learn, adapt, hypothesize, and then suggest answers.

Come on, get happy, and crank up the music, say psychologists

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:56:41 -0700

Come on, get happy, and crank up the music, say psychologists:

You really can convince yourself to be happier, especially if you’re listening to an upbeat song while doing so.

3D printed ear binds biology with electronics

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:54:32 -0700

3D printed ear binds biology with electronics:

Using 3D printing tools, scientists have created a functional ear that can “hear” radio frequencies far beyond the range of normal human capability.

Scientists develop drug that slows Alzheimer's in mice

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:15:03 -0700

Scientists develop drug that slows Alzheimer's in mice:

A drug developed by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, known as J147, reverses memory deficits and slows Alzheimer’s disease in aged mice following short-term treatment. The findings, published May 14 in the journal Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy, may pave the way to a new treatment.

New closed-captioning glasses help deaf go to the movies

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:03:55 -0700

New closed-captioning glasses help deaf go to the movies:

This is a big moment for the deaf, many of whom haven’t been to the movies in a long time. The new glasses display closed captions just for the wearer, and they’re headed for 6,000 theaters across the country.

What does it mean to be posthuman?

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:19:31 -0700

What does it mean to be posthuman?:

Bioscience and medical technology are propelling us beyond the old human limits. Are Extremes and The Posthuman good guides to this frontier?

Engineering the $325,000 in-vitro burger

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:09:00 -0700

Engineering the $325,000 in-vitro burger:

A researcher in the Netherlands wants to show the world — including potential donors — that in-vitro meat is a reality.

Woman stuns researchers by overcoming cancer with turmeric spice

Sat, 11 May 2013 23:52:25 -0700

Woman stuns researchers by overcoming cancer with turmeric spice:

While expensive cancer drugs linked to premature death and mega-tumors are pushed by many mainstream doctors as the only option outside of chemotherapy, a growing number of informed individuals are consistently opting to instead utilize natural methods that are known to conquer cancer cells and effectively negate the disease — without harsh side effects. One such person, Vicky Stewart of Britain, chose such a path when she refused mainstream medical cancer treatments and instead began consuming powerful turmeric spice.

Man finds out his runny nose was actually a leaky brain

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:34:33 -0700

Man finds out his runny nose was actually a leaky brain:

A man who experienced a nearly constant runny nose was actually leaking brain fluid through his nostrils, according to Fox 10 News.

Joe Nagy of Arizona had suffered from a seemingly endless runny nose. Doctors figured it was just a bad case of allergies, but Nagy’s symptoms were unaffected by medications.

So much win: People are now printing their own prosthetic hands

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:28:20 -0700

So much win: People are now printing their own prosthetic hands:

3D Printed Robohand creates a functioning prosthetic at an affordable price.

Seeds of dementia: What do Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's have in common?

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:30:51 -0700

Seeds of dementia: What do Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's have in common?:

A chain reaction of toxic proteins may help explain Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other killers—an insight that could lead to desperately needed new treatment options

New sleep mask can effortlessly induce lucid dreaming

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:13:02 -0700

New sleep mask can effortlessly induce lucid dreaming:

Instead of spending months learning how to lucid dream, take advantage of this great way to start dreaming consciously.

Juan Enriquez: The Next Species Of Human | TED Even as...

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:53:08 -0700

Juan Enriquez: The Next Species Of Human | TED

Even as mega-banks topple, Juan Enriquez says the big reboot is yet to come. But don’t look for it on your ballot — or in the stock exchange. It’ll come from science labs, and it promises keener bodies and minds. Our kids are going to be … different.

Why You Should Listen To Him:
A broad thinker who studies the intersection of science, business and society, Juan Enriquez has a talent for bridging disciplines to build a coherent look ahead. Enriquez was the founding director of the Harvard Business School Life Sciences Project, and has published widely on topics from the technical (global nucleotide data flow) to the sociological (gene research and national competitiveness), and was a member of Celera Genomics founder Craig Venter’s marine-based team to collect genetic data from the world’s oceans.

Formerly CEO of Mexico City’s Urban Development Corporation and chief of staff for Mexico’s secretary of state, Enriquez played a role in reforming Mexico’s domestic policy and helped negotiate a cease-fire with Zapatista rebels. He is a Managing Director at Excel Medical Ventures, a life sciences venture capital firm, and the chair and CEO of Biotechonomy, a research and investment firm helping to fund new genomics firms. The Untied States of America looks at the forces threatening America’s future as a unified country.

In his TED Book Homo Evolutis (written with Steve Gullens), Enriquez explores the far reaches of human change, and asks: Are we done evolving?

Mind-blowing ad has a secret anti-abuse message that only little kids can see

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:39:10 -0700

Mind-blowing ad has a secret anti-abuse message that only little kids can see:

In an effort to provide abused children with a safe way to reach out for help, a Spanish organization called the Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk Foundation, or ANAR for short, created an ad that displays a different message for adults and children at the same time.

Human brain cells developed in lab, grow in mice

Mon, 06 May 2013 08:19:14 -0700

Human brain cells developed in lab, grow in mice:

A key type of human brain cell developed in the laboratory grows seamlessly when transplanted into the brains of mice, researchers have discovered, raising hope that these cells might one day be used to treat people with Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and possibly even Alzheimer’s disease, as well as and complications of spinal cord injury such as chronic pain and spasticity.