"Science is organized common sense where many a beautiful theory was killed by an ugly fact." -Thomas Huxley 1825 - 1895

Good afternoon!

I'll get right to it:

• BIL & TED,… no way…Yes way - "TED brings together an extraordinary group of people every year. The catch for most of us is the cost: $6,000. So along with some friends I’m helping organize BIL (brainchild of Todd Huffman), which will be completely free, running March 1st and 2nd, immediately after TED.
  We have the thumbs up from TED Curator Chris Anderson, who has been very supportive.
  Check out the BIL website and add your name if you can attend.
  I hope to see many of you in Monterey, California in a few weeks.
  If you can, please spread the word!
  See also this BIL & TED post from Ethan Zuckerman, one of the main TED bloggers.
  I’m happy to say that SIAI is the founding sponsor of BIL." I think TED rocks! I love their talks and videos. Definately a site to check out.


• Researcher leads international effort to create 'proteinpedia' - "A researcher at the Johns Hopkins Institute of Genetic Medicine has led the effort to compile to date the largest free resource of experimental information about human proteins. Reporting in the February issue of Nature Biotechnology, the research team describes how all researchers around the world can access this data and speed their own research." We need this for the general populace. I still don't understand why the Health Care record system in this country is so disjointed. Probably the same reason there is no universal health care system either...politics!


• Higher-Capacity Memory - "Nanochip's forthcoming array-based memory will provide an alternative to both flash memory and hard drives. In addition to storing more data than flash, it will be cheaper and can be about as fast. The first prototypes will store about 100 gigabytes; eventually, the devices could store terabytes' worth of data. The Nanochip technology stores information by applying a voltage to a thin-film material using an array of microscopic cantilevers, each with an extremely sharp tip. The size of each bit will be 15 nanometers in the first devices, but could theoretically be as small as just a couple of nanometers." I hope to see, within 8 years, hard drives and memory being integrated into one device, and not seperated like they are today. That will allow instant boot up devices and mobile devices that have huge storage capabilities with very robust reliabilty due to no moving parts.


• 'Recordable' proteins as next-generation memory storage materials - "Move over, compact discs, DVDs, and hard drives. Researchers in Japan report progress toward developing a new protein-based memory device that could provide an alternative to conventional magnetic and optical storage systems, which are quickly approaching their memory storage capacities. Their study is scheduled for the March 4 issue of ACS’ Langmuir. "


• de Grey appears on The Colbert Report - A must see.


• Researchers fashion copper for high-speed computing - "As computers and networks gain complexity one thing is always needed: more speed. With that axiom in mind, researchers today said they have developed a fabrication method to create all-copper connections between computer chips and external circuitry, significantly boosting the speed and amount of data that can be sent throughout a computer."


• New Test Detects Early Stage Ovarian Cancer With 99 Percent Accuracy - "Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have developed a blood test with enough sensitivity and specificity to detect early stage ovarian cancer with 99 percent accuracy." I am thinking that Cancer, as a deadly disease, has about 8-10 years. After that people might get it, but it will no longer be life threatening.


• UD researchers discover promising technique for repairing gene defect that causes spinal muscular atrophy - This is a very early step towards adult gene therapy and repair.


• Could smart traffic lights stop motorists fuming? - "Traffic lights that wirelessly keep track of vehicles could speed up journeys, reduce fuel consumption and improve urban air quality. So say Romanian and US researchers who show that "smart" traffic lights might reduce the time drivers spend waiting at intersections by more than 28% during rush hours."