Harvesting the blood of horseshoe crabs.
The marvelous thing about horseshoe crab blood besides the baby blue color, is a chemical found only in the amoebocytes of its blood cells that can detect mere traces of bacterial presence and trap them in inescapable clots.
The digital design of the crown is transmitted to a CNC (computer numerical control) milling machine.
By Saul Kaplan: As a tech junkie and geek wannabe I’ve been paying attention to 3D printing and the exploding maker movement. When I say paying attention, I mean reading about it, watching hackers and hobbyists make stuff, and wondering if there is more to the technology than the brightly colored plastic tchotchkes cluttering my desk. 3D printing really hasn’t affected me yet. That is until I recently chipped a tooth and had no choice but to visit my family dentist. It was the dentist’s chair that more than any article or demo converted me to the potential of 3D printing. Sometimes disruption has to hit you right in the mouth before you pay attention.
Paul J. Zak: It is quiet and dark. The theater is hushed. James Bond skirts along the edge of a building as his enemy takes aim. Here in the audience, heart rates increase and palms sweat. I know this to be true because instead of enjoying the movie myself, I am measuring the brain activity of a dozen viewers. For me, excitement has a different source: I am watching an amazing neural ballet in which a story line changes the activity of people’s brains.
Continue reading… “Good storytelling – why your brain loves it”
“Over the past five years we’ve seen major disruptions to work, and the driver is technology.”
Several trends will profoundly reshape the context and practice of work in coming decades, according to Lynda Gratton, professor of management practice at the London Business School. These include the rebalancing of globalized markets for goods and labor; dramatically changing demographics; the widening of skills gaps; the demise of middle-skill work; and the rise in the importance of talent clusters. But one other stands out as having the most profound impact on the way work is done and, indeed, as underpinning all of these: IT-enabled hyperconnectivity.
Continue reading… “How digital forces are shaping the future of work”
Among the many concepts researchers have devised are theoretical tunnels known as wormholes.
Humans have long dreamed of traveling into deep space. That’s the major theme of the science fiction movie Interstellar, which will take Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway to the places we hope to one day reach ourselves. Except for that tiny hiccup called deep space travel.
Continue reading… “Will interstellar travel by wormhole ever be possible?”
Users can download the Zachary Quinto-produced film, Banshee Chapter: Oculus Rift Edition.
The virtual reality device, Oculus Rift made it’s debut more than two years ago. Possibilities of what the device can do remain exciting, so far the reality has been less thrilling. But today the technology is taking a big step: A full-length 3-D movie that you can strap to your head and immerse yourself in. (Video)
Continue reading… “You can now watch a full length 3D movie on Oculus Rift”
A specialized fluid and pump has been developed that provide the heart with oxygen, reducing damage and preserving the tissue.
Two Australian patients have had hearts successfully transplanted that had been dead for over 20 minutes thanks to a new method of preservation. The ability to save hearts that have stopped beating will drastically widen the amount of organs available, possibly suiting the needs of 30% of those on the transplant wait list. The research was a joint effort between Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and Sydney’s St. Vincent’s Hospital, with Professor Bob Graham leading the team.
Continue reading… “Surgeons transplant ‘dead’ hearts into patients for the first time ever”
Brainform 3D printed brain.
Brainform is New Zealand-based company that will print a high quality 3D model of your brain. The company’s mission is simply stated on its website: “We 3D print brains.”
Digital currency may soon become an issue that could unite US politicians.
Recent US Congresses have been some of the least productive in the country’s history, and the 113th Congress has been no different. The sheer number of policy-related issues tabled since January 2013 has put the current Congress on pace to become the least productive in the nation’s history, rivaling the 112th Congress in how few laws it could ultimately pass.
Continue reading… “Will Bitcoin become a policy issue for the U.S. Congress?”
U.S. based executives see a larger share of their manufacturing capacity will be in the U.S. in 5 years.
The number of U.S. manufacturers moving home is growing. According to a new survey from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), more U.S. companies are moving production back from China.
Continue reading… “More U.S. manufacturers are moving production back from China”
The ‘biospleen’ uses protein-equipped nanobeads and a magnet to cleanse blood of pathogens.
Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have developed a high-tech method to rid the body of infections — even those caused by unknown pathogens. A device inspired by the spleen can quickly clean blood of everything from Escherichia coli to Ebola, researchers report on 14 September in Nature Medicine.
Continue reading… “Researchers develop artificial spleen that cleans up blood infections”
A single HeLa cell in metaphase (during mitosis), imaged by a lattice light sheet microscope.
A new imaging platform called a “lattice light sheet” developed by Nobel laureate Eric Betzig and colleagues at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus is a significant leap forward for light microscopy. It captures high-resolution images rapidly and minimizes damage to cells, so it can image the three-dimensional activity of molecules, cells, and embryos in fine detail over longer periods than was previously possible, according to the HHMI scientists. (Videos)
Continue reading… “New microscope captures ultra-high-resolution movies of live 3D biomolecules”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.