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Showing posts from September, 2018

WIRED

The transmission electron microscope was designed to break records. Using its beam of electrons, scientists have glimpsed many types of viruses for the first time. They’ve used it to study parts of biological cells like ribosomes and mitochondria. You can see individual atoms with it. WIRED

A controversial theory claims past, present, and future exist at the same t

We seem to perceive time as passing in one direction. After all, we can't just just forward to the future or revisit our past if we felt like it. Every minute of every day appears to move us ahead, pulling us through our lives towards an inexorable demise. A controversial theory claims past, present, and future exist at the same t

A stretchy stick-on patch can take blood pressure readings from deep inside

The last time you had your blood pressure checked, it was probably at a doctor’s office with a bulky cuff wrapped around your arm. One day soon, perhaps, you will just need a simple stick-on patch on your neck that’s no bigger than a postage stamp. A stretchy stick-on patch can take blood pressure readings from deep inside

The Gluten-Free Trend Is On the Rise, Even Though Celiac Disease Diagnoses

More people are going gluten-free in recent years, according to a study out this week, especially young white women. But the prevalence of celiac disease—the main medical reason doctors and nutritionists recommend cutting out wheat products—hasn’t changed. The Gluten-Free Trend Is On the Rise, Even Though Celiac Disease Diagnoses

If a pill could replace exercise's benefits, would it be worth it?

Years ago a close friend was trying to quit smoking. He asked for advice. I offered a few yogic breathing exercises to help him maintain composure and focus, hoping that if he took the time to notice his relationship to breathing it would inspire him to stop. His reply: “No, I meant a pill.” If a pill could replace exercise's benefits, would it be worth it?

Prime Numbers And Crystal-Like Materials Share A Hidden Organization | Scie

As it turns out, prime numbers and crystals have a lot in common. A new analysis from researchers at Princeton University suggests that the patterned distribution of prime numbers in the number line is remarkably similar to patterns found in the atomic structure of certain crystal-like materials. Prime Numbers And Crystal-Like Materials Share A Hidden Organization | Scie

This South African cave stone may bear the world’s oldest drawing | Science

Ancient humans sketched the line pattern around 73,000 years ago by running a chunk of pigment across a smoothed section of stone in Blombos Cave, scientists say. Until now, the earliest drawings dated to roughly 40,000 years ago on cave walls in Europe and Indonesia. This South African cave stone may bear the world’s oldest drawing | Science

The Woman Who Smashed Codes: The Untold Story of Cryptography Pioneer Elize

While computing pioneer Alan Turing was breaking Nazi communication in England, eleven thousand women, unbeknownst to their contemporaries and to most of us who constitute their posterity, were breaking enemy code in America — unsung heroines who helped defeat the Nazis and win WWII. The Woman Who Smashed Codes: The Untold Story of Cryptography Pioneer Elize

Apple’s Watch isn’t the first with an EKG reader but it will matter to more

Apple’s COO Jeff Williams exuberantly proclaimed Apple’s Watch was the first to get FDA clearance as an over-the-counter electrocardiogram (EKG) reader during the special event at Apple headquarters on Wednesday. While Apple loves to be first to things, that statement is false. Apple’s Watch isn’t the first with an EKG reader but it will matter to more

Scientists discover a 'tuneable' novel quantum state of matter

When the Princeton researchers turn an external magnetic field in different directions (indicated with arrows), they change the orientation of the linear electron flow above the kagome (six-fold) magnet, as seen in these electron wave interference patterns on the surface of a topological quantum ka Scientists discover a 'tuneable' novel quantum state of matter

A plan to advance AI by exploring the minds of children - MIT Technology Re

The next big breakthroughs in artificial intelligence may depend on exploring our own minds. So says Josh Tenenbaum, who leads the Computational Cognitive Science lab at MIT and is the head of a major new AI project called the MIT Quest for Intelligence. A plan to advance AI by exploring the minds of children - MIT Technology Re

Give Your Team the Freedom to Do the Work They Think Matters Most

Since at least the time of Frederick Taylor, the father of “scientific management,” control has been central to corporate organization: Control of costs, of prices, of investment and—not least—of people. Control, even a perception of it, can be comforting. Give Your Team the Freedom to Do the Work They Think Matters Most

Meet the woman who put 50 million stolen articles online so you can read th

Alexandra Elbakyan is a highbrow pirate in hiding. The 27-year-old graduate student from Kazakhstan is operating a searchable online database of nearly 50 million stolen scholarly journal articles, shattering the $10 billion-per-year paywall of academic publishers. Meet the woman who put 50 million stolen articles online so you can read th

What are our ethical obligations to future AI simulations? | Aeon Essays

If you’ve ever dabbled in role-playing games – either online or in old-fashioned meatspace – you’ll know how easy it is to get attached to your avatar. It really hurts when your character gets mashed by a troll, felled by a dragon or slain by a warlock. What are our ethical obligations to future AI simulations? | Aeon Essays

Google Search now uses Service Worker for repeated searches | VentureBeat

Google Search is now using Service Worker to cache repeated searches, loading results twice as fast. The tidbit was shared this week by Dion Almaer, Google director of engineering, and Ben Galbraith, Google senior director of product, at Pluralsight Live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Google Search now uses Service Worker for repeated searches | VentureBeat

Arnold’s nerve cough reflex: evidence for chronic cough as a sensory vagal

Arnold’s nerve ear-cough reflex is recognised to occur uncommonly in patients with chronic cough. In these patients, mechanical stimulation of the external auditory meatus can activate the auricular branch of the vagus nerve (Arnold’s nerve) and evoke reflex cough. Arnold’s nerve cough reflex: evidence for chronic cough as a sensory vagal

Memory app Timehop built an ad server to go from near-death to profitable -

Timehop had three months of runway in the bank when it decided its current advertising solution wasn’t going to cut it. The app — a way to reminisce on photos and posts across social media — had raised $14.1 million since its launch in 2010. Memory app Timehop built an ad server to go from near-death to profitable -