Brain-computer interfacing, or BCI, isn't new. Researchers have used computers to read signals from the brain before -- DARPA is sponsoring initiatives to use such technology to develop prosthetic limbs that respond to neural commands -- but Dr. Christopher James at the University of Southampton has taken BCI a step further, showing that person-to-person communication is possible through true brain-to-brain interfacing.

In James's experiment, two people are hooked up to EEG amplifiers that measure activity in specific parts of the brain. The first person generates a series of zeros and ones, imagining moving his left are for zero and his right arm for one. The first subject's PC recognizes those thoughts as ones and zeros and transmits them over the Web to the second subject's PC, which flashes an LED at two different frequencies for one and zero. The EEG extracts the LED light's information from the subject's visual cortex and parses it back into binary code. Thus, brain-to-brain communication is achieved.

While this initial step is clearly rudimentary, the transmission of ones and zeros via the brain mimics the transfer of data by computers, albeit at much lower volumes (for now). For those suffering from severe muscle wasting ailments or "locked-in" syndrome, brain-to-brain communication could open a channel for conversation with the world around them, and even Dr. James admits it has Existenz-esque implications for gaming.

If that's not sci-fi enough, consider this: the person receiving the data via the LED flashes doesn't even know whether the light pulses represent ones or zeros. The differences in the light patterns are too subtle for the human eye to detect, but using human optics as a conduit, the computer can extract the patterns in the light and decode the message. That's right, singularity devotees and conspiracy theorists: the machines are using you.

[Science Daily]

The "time telescope" works by passing the data-laden pulses of light through two "time lenses." A silicon waveguide combines a passing light pulse with another infrared laser pulse that vibrates the atoms of the waveguide, in turn shifting the frequencies of the pulse before it exits the waveguide. The front of the wave pulse is shifted down in frequency, the back end shifted up. The result: the front slows, the rear speeds up, and the light pulse crushes together like a soda can that's been stepped on, with the rear catching up to the front right at the lens's focal point.

In the Cornell team's test, they frequency-shifted a pulse carrying 24 bits of data. A second time lens at the end of the telescope then converted the compressed pulse back to its original state. But the second lens is stronger, creating a 24-bit pulse that is 1/27th as long as the original, shrinking the pulse duration to 92 picoseconds from 2.5 nanoseconds.

While all that sounds somewhat technical, the technology is essentially a simple telescope applied to fiber optic signals, but its potential is vast. If "time telescopes" were deployed across the optical networks that connect the entire globe, we could achieve data rates that dwarf the broadband we enjoy today. Using the same wavelength channels we are using now, we could pack 27 times more information with a decompression lag at the receiving end of only one millisecond. Even Ted Stevens won't be able to complain about the pipes getting clogged at those speeds.

[via New Scientist]

The nano-enhanced seeds experienced an increase in germination percentage and better seedling growth, likely due to increased water absorption. Though findings are preliminary, the seeds exposed to nanotubes contained more moisture, which appears to be the catalyst behind their enhanced growth.

On its face, the discovery means carbon nanotubes could potentially unlock a new breed of fertilizers that spur growth in food crops without introducing chemicals to soil and nearby water supplies. Moreover, enhanced growth means enhanced biomass, which could spell big implications for the biofuel arena.

But increased food supply and better biomass doesn’t come without its drawbacks. The effects of nanotubes on the environment aren’t very well documented. Specifically, the way they might move through the food chain could pose problems down the road. Some single-walled nanotubes are toxic to some insects; testing on mice has found multi-layer nanotubes (like the kind used in the study) have carcinogenic effects similar to those of asbestos. Suffice it to say, the golden age of carbon nanotube farming isn’t upon us just yet, but the potential is there, and not just for bigger tomatoes.

[Technology Review]

Technological advances have brought audio recording a long way over the past several decades, but, as with so many things, microphone recording is limited by the very technology that has pushed it forward. In this particular case, that limit is the diaphragm that converts sound into electrical signals by measuring vibrations made by incoming sound waves. Because each diaphragm has its own characteristics, all microphones are not created equal; and because the sound waves are converted by these diaphragms, there is always some degree of mechanical interference with the sound.

Enter digital audio innovator David Schwartz’s Laser-Accurate microphone. Using a laser to measure the deflections that sound waves make as they travel through a steady stream of smoke, this wholly new type of mike eliminates virtually all mechanical interference with the sound. That means crisper recordings, and more consistent sound quality coming out of the studio, though right now the device is still but a rough prototype in the lab.

Schwartz, the inventor of the mp3 format, is no stranger to pushing the technological envelope, but in this case the mechanics of his device are fairly simple and derived from existing technologies. A steady stream of smoke passes through a cylinder with holes drilled near the top where sound waves can enter. Intersecting the point where sound meets smoke is a laser beam that can detect movements in the individual smoke particles. As the particles are nearly weightless, they will more closely form to the original sound waves than an electronic diaphragm will. And presto: better sound quality, better consistency.

Naturally, as you can see from the videos, Kanye won’t be snatching a hand-held version of this technology from anyone for quite a while. But for studio recording, the concept is quite feasible. Schwartz hopes to show off a second, better-sounding prototype next month.

[Dvice via Gizmag]

The researchers discovered that when suspended in fluid and snorted, stem cells migrate quickly to the brain, arriving within an hour in most cases. Researchers initially tested the procedure on mice, having them sniff adult rat stem cells suspended in solution. An hour later, the inhaled stem cells were visible within the brain. Testing a second time using stem cells from a human tumor, the cells again migrated straight to the brain, also within an hour's time.

The stem cells likely reach the brain by way of the olfactory nerves, which give us our sense of smell. Fluid-filled spaces surrounding blood vessels that pass from the nose to the brain are also a likely conduit. Only 584 of 300,000 cells reached the brain initially, but researchers found that when they added an enzyme called hyaluronidase that makes connective tissue more permeable, the number of cells that reached the brain nearly tripled.

The convenience of the procedure is a boon to neurosurgeons, but there are added advantages over surgical implanting that go beyond the ease of execution. For one, if a certain treatment doesn't take hold, doctors can easily try again without having to wait for the patient to recover from surgery (and without then conducting a second tricky surgery). The procedure also has vast implications for many neurological diseases like Alzheimer's, Huntington's and Parkinson's, that currently enjoy few treatment options.

There are no approved stem-cell therapies for brain disorders currently, but intra-nasal cell delivery could help persuade the FDA that such procedures can be performed safely. As such, the next step for researchers is to ensure intra-nasal stem cell technology doesn't cause any inflammation or infection of brain tissue, or precipitate any autoimmune response. Even so, the right cocktail of stem cells and anti-inflammatories or antibiotics could mean the next generation of nuero-treatments could be administered as easily as over-the-counter nasal decongestants.

[U.S. News & World Report]

This machine uses no sensors, no feedback -- just the power of math -- to do its tricks

In theory, designing a robot that continuously juggles a single ball should not be difficult. Calibrating the machine would be a pain but once you got the thing running, it should continue to juggle the ball until some variable intervenes. In a perfect world, this would occur elegantly, but here on Earth things just don't come off so beautifully. However, through some smart design and precise math, researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have created the Blind Juggler, so named because it juggles a ball continuously, even when variables are introduced, without the use of sensors.

The two constants that a robot of this nature needs to maintain its juggle are the height at which the ball bounces and the location at which it hits the robot's paddle. But keeping those elements constant is easier said than done. To work around the location issue, Blind Juggler's designers created a paddle that is slightly concave, so if the ball starts to stray from the center of the paddle, the slight slope nudges it back toward the center on the next bounce.

But the real elegance is in the deceleration of the paddle as it moves upward to strike the ball. Working essentially from the principal of mechanical feedback, the paddle decelerates very precisely before reaching the pinnacle of its upstroke and moving back down again. If the ball is bouncing too low, it reaches the paddle earlier on the upstroke, and thus is hit with more force, sending the ball higher. If it's bouncing too high, the ball reaches the paddle later in the deceleration phase, giving it less of a boost on the next bounce.

Constantly self-correcting, the robot can maintain its juggle even when variables are introduced, as evidenced by the researcher moving the robot around in the video below.

[Blind Juggler via BotJunkie]

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a byproduct of natural selection. Antibiotics like penicillins and cephalosporins are generally effective in destroying many common bacteria. But some bacteria have developed an ability to produce an enzyme, known as metallo-beta-lactamase, that renders those common antibiotics ineffective. With overuse and misuse of antibiotics over the past half-decade, the non-metallo-beta-lactamase bacteria have been killed off and the resistant bacteria have been left to reproduce, making them the dominant strain over time.

But the researchers in Texas have developed a chain of nucleic acids, called an aptamer, that stops metallo-beta-lactamase enzymes from breaking down antibiotics. Aptamers themselves are not new, but these particular aptamers bind to the enzymes, rendering the bacteria's defenses impotent. As a result, even older antibiotics, in conjunction with the right aptamers, should be able to destroy bacteria that previously were resistant.

Pre-clinical trials on the aptamers are already getting underway. If successful, the use of aptamers alongside standard classic antibiotics could rejuvenate efforts to destroy infectious bacteria in places where it's been either impossible or far too expensive before.

[PhysOrg]

Judy Wall, a biochemistry professor at the University of Missouri, has found that certain sulfate-reducing bacteria can convert the toxic forms of radioactive metals to inert substances, by altering the solubility of heavy metals. For instance, these bacteria can turn radioactive uranium to the nearly-insoluble form uraninite naturally, no Hazmat suit required. The radioactivity of the substances isn't removed, but the metals are no longer chemically available to be absorbed by organisms that might be harmed by them.

With a tweak here and there, these bacteria could clean up abandoned uranium mines, industrial waste riddled with heavy metals and storage tanks where radioactive materials have been stowed. They also might be able to cleanse water of heavy metal pollutants. The bacteria are already present in more than 7,000 heavy metal contaminated sites, but there's one tiny catch: the bacteria only live at highly specific levels of oxygen and temperature, making them a finicky work force to boss around.

Wall and collaborators from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab are working with the bacteria in a sealed environment to isolate genes in order to develop an oxygen-tolerant strain. The obstacles are many, but the team has already isolated a handful of genes critical to converting uranium. If successful, environmental authorities could potentially reclaim large areas long ago contaminated by mining and industry without the expense, or hazard, of putting human bodies to the task.

[Science Daily]

The turbine, known as Hywind, towers 213 feet above the waterline, but the steel spar on which it is mounted plunges another 328 feet below the surface, where it is anchored to the sea floor by three stabilizing cables. The spar is filled with water and rocks to provide ballast that keeps the turbine from capsizing in rough seas. Located about six miles off of Karmoey near the country's southwestern coastline, Hywind will serve as a test bed for offshore technologies over the next two years as engineers work on getting the cost of Hywind down and figure out how best to develop even larger deep-water turbines.

Hywind, which was covered in Popular Science's "Future of Energy" issue, is a fairly standard 2.3-megawatt wind turbine, but implementing it in such deep water (Hywind can be installed in depths ranging from 400 feet to nearly 2,300 feet, far deeper than existing shallow-water wind technologies allowed) cost StatoilHydro $66 million. Bringing the price in line with that of fixed turbines that are installed in 200-foot depths is one of the goals of StatoilHydro's ongoing research with Hywind.

If successful, Hywind could revolutionize offshore wind power, especially in countries like Japan, South Korea, the U.S. and Spain, where coastline is plentiful and wind is abundant. The U.S. Department of the Interior estimates the U.S. alone could generate 900 gigawatts off its Pacific coast, but many offshore wind farms face objections from wildlife groups concerned with the effects on avian life along the shores as well as coastline dwellers concerned with their being an eyesore. Hywind could circumvent both problems for the most part, while also proving that it's possible to place turbines in offshore areas where winds are generally stronger and more consistent. StatoilHydro said the turbine should be producing electricity in the next few weeks.

[PhysOrg]