Patricia Kuhl: The linguistic genius of babies

If you ever wondered what people meant by 'mind blowing' just watch this video about babies and how they learn language. There are no other words to describe it.


For more information read the full article here  The Decade Of The Mind & Your New Cyborg Brain 1a

First Paragraphs: City Living Changes Brain's Stress Response

This is a very interesting Scientific American article by Katherine Harmon 
Cities can be stressful places, and are a far cry from the sparsely populated landscapes in which our prehistoric ancestors evolved. All of that noise, traffic, pollution and crowding has a well-documented impact on our mental health.

People who live in cities are more likely to have mood or anxiety disorder (21 percent and 39 percent, respectively) and are twice as likely to have schizophrenia. With more than half of the world's population currently living in urban areas—and about 70 percent projected to be city dwellers by 2050—figuring out how to curb the mental toll of city life could become a major public policy issue. And Jens Pruessner, of the Douglas Mental Health University Institute at McGill University, calls it "a cause for concern."

New Breed of Computers That Can Process Data Using Less Power

ScienceDaily (June 23, 2011) — Physicists at the University of Arizona have achieved a breakthrough toward the development of a new breed of computing devices that can process data using less power.
In a recent publication in Physical Review Letters, the physicists propose a way to translate the elusive magnetic spin of electrons into easily measurable electric signals. The finding is a key step in the development of computing based on spintronics, which doesn't rely on electron charge to digitize information.

Nanoparticle infections of 'Cloud' a near-reality very soon @NathanMcGrathSF

The possibility of nanoparticles that function within the brain and nervous system are already being worked on.
When you are reading about the way the nanoparticles and other technologies in ‘Cloud’ remember that it’s not purely fictional.
I did my research to make sure the important elements of the story had a grounding in the possible, not the fantastic.
So, enjoy the book. I hope it inspires you to dig around in the web and discover for yourself the fascinating and sometimes frightening technologies being experimented and worked on across the world.
The key phrase that stuck in my mind was when he said; ‘We’re understanding the software programs that make our bodies run’ - which - manipulating them and coupling this with (already built) molecule sized robots gets you as near as done to the nanoparticles inside Alister.
This video of a TED seminar outlines the incredible acceleration of developments in biology, computing, genetics and nanotechnology.

Research labs are already working on technologies that integrate the latest developments biotechnology, nanotechnology and genetics.
The expediential growth in these technologies - smaller and more powerful computing devices on one hand and the ability to construct biological organisms and manipulate atoms and molecules on the other, have rapidly accelerated the possibilities of producing nanocomputers that have the ability to function in the human body.

First 'living' laser made from kidney cell.

Like I said. the Future is now!
Here's the first few paragraphs of the New Scientist article.
Anyone interested in Science should subscrible as standard.
It's not quite Cyclops, the sci-fi superhero from the X-Men franchise whose eyes produce destructive blasts of light, but for the first time a laser has been created using a biological cell.

The human kidney cell that was used to make the laser survived the experience. In future such "living lasers" might be created inside live animals, which could potentially allow internal tissues to be imaged in unprecedented detail.

Read the full article here

World's oceans in 'shocking' decline

The oceans are in a worse state than previously suspected, according to an expert panel of scientists.
In a new report, they warn that ocean life is "at high risk of entering a phase of extinction of marine species unprecedented in human history".They conclude that issues such as over-fishing, pollution and climate change are acting together in ways that have not previously been recognised. The impacts, they say, are already affecting humanity. Read the Full Article Here!

High Wired: Does Addictive Internet Use Restructure the Brain?

According to research reported in Scientific American (June 17 2011) "Brain scans hint excessive time online is tied to stark physical changes in the brain" More info on the jump here

Personally I think the basic argument is that any kind of frequent, repetitive behaviour is going to affect the way the brain adapts as a result.

My novel extrapolates this to a point where Alister's interactions  with the web begin to severely impair his risk aversion. addicting him to take dangerous risks when things get tough for him. I've simply  dramatised the idea of internet affecting people.
(Image: dionhinchcliffe/Flickr)

These cures are no longer science fiction

While stem cells were discovered 50 years ago at the University of Toronto, it wasn’t until the past decade that their astounding potential to change medicine’s entire approach to fighting disease really took hold. This week 4,200 stem cell researchers from 52 countries are meeting in Toronto to discuss cures that were thought to be science fiction a generation ago, but that are already becoming a reality.
ROBERT MCEWEN.
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
When writing 'Cloud' I constantly updated the details on the technologies to keep up with the pace of development.
Since publication I've been keeping an eye out for further developments. Sometimes I'm astonished by how fast things are developing.

The future is closer than you think

When I was writing 'Cloud' I constantly updated details on the technology and what was happening with Anonymous and cyber-activists. In my book, after the Big Freeze, Anonymous are definitely the good guys. Along with the Situationists, Anonymous make sure the truth gets out there and people have the information they need to survive.
What really surprised me is the speed at which we are getting to a point where the scifi technologies are nearing reality

Anonymous. "The Plan" is now Live. Phase 1:

Remember. it's more than just watching, or re-posting. Your actions make the difference. The Future is closer than you think.

Alister's nanoparticles just one step away from Reality

So these nanoparticles can deliver drugs. The next step is to engineer a nanoparticle that hosts biological material to enables the particle to fuse with the brain and central nervous system producing a parallel network that shares information with the human host. The rest is future-history; Alister's predicament becomes a reality.

'Catch and Release' Program Could Improve Nanoparticle Safety Assessment

Depending on whom you ask, nanoparticles are, potentially, either one of the most promising or the most perilous creations of science. These tiny objects can deliver drugs efficiently and enhance the properties of many materials, but what if they also are hazardous to your health in some way? Now, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found a way to manipulate nanoparticles so that questions like this can be answered.

M-Theory. Science predicts Multiple Universes naturally as a Physical Law

Integrated Circuit Smaller Than a Pinhead

The nanocomputers absorbed by Alister were small enough to be absorbed through the skin and integrate with his nervous system, using the electrical energy  of the body as a power source. The devices wireless capability of the nano computers gave him the ability to link to any device. Here is the beginning of that technology.

ScienceDaily (June 11, 2011) — IBM Research scientists have announced that they have achieved a milestone in creating a building block for the future of wireless devices. In a paper published in the journal Science, IBM researchers announced the first integrated circuit fabricated from wafer-size graphene, and demonstrated a broadband frequency mixer operating at frequencies up to 10 gigahertz (10 billion cycles/second).

Full story here

Ultrathin Copper-Oxide Layers Behave Like Quantum Spin Liquid

ScienceDaily (June 11, 2011)
— Magnetic studies of ultrathin slabs of copper-oxide materials reveal that at very low temperatures, the thinnest, isolated layers lose their long-range magnetic order and instead behave like a "quantum spin liquid" -- a state of matter where the orientations of electron spins fluctuate wildly.

Link to full story here 

The Soft-Machine is on its way

In 'Cloud'  The Soft-Machine military outfit can adapt to any combat situation to protect the wearer from any climate or condition and adapt to camouflage the wearer.

The convergence of neuroscience and nanotechnology

 http://tiny.ly/ocWX

Abstract:
The convergence of neuroscience and nanotechnology holds promise for the successful development of electronic devices capable of directly interfacing with the central nervous system (CNS). In particular, neural prosthetic devices have become a powerful clinical strategy for the treatment of a variety of neurological disorders, including those sustained as a result of traumatic brain injury, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease (PD). Our research will have a substantive impact on the future abilities of health-care professionals to prevent or ameliorate the effects of neurological disorders using chronically-implanted neural prosthetic devices. Full Article

Biological Circuits for Synthetic Biology

Members of the fast-growing "synthetic biology" research community are designing and constructing novel organisms and biologically-inspired systems -- or redesigning existing organisms and systems -- to solve problems that natural systems cannot. The range of potential applications for synthetic biological systems runs broad and deep, and includes such profoundly important ventures as the microbial-based production of advanced biofuels and inexpensive versions of critical therapeutic drugs.
synthetic biologists aim to create biological circuits that can be used for the safer and more efficient construction of increasingly complex functions in microorganisms. A central component of such circuits is RNA, the multipurpose workhorse. Full article here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110526103006.htm

So are the nanoparticles inside Alister so far fetched?
come to think of it, yes, it is sci-fi after all :-)
Download 'The Cloud Connection' ebook for the whole story.

Heartbeat of nanoparticles made visible

Heartbeat of Nanoparticles Made Visible

ScienceDaily (June 2, 2011) — Even tiny gold nanoparticles, with a diameter of only 40 millionths of a millimeter, have something like a heartbeat. When focusing a short laser pulse on the particles they heat up very briefly and start to vibrate. But even the best microscopes can not resolve these nanoparticles, which are therefore very difficult to study.

The Janus Supercomputer uses Gold and other Noble metal nanoparticles tracked by a laser array as part of its quantum processing.

Structure and Operation of the Quantum Supercomputer
The core of the processing within the Janus Supercomputer is based upon Shors algorithm using photonic quantum gates.
Janus is the first and only quantum supercomputer to be 80% liquid: a liquid that actually generates and recycles up to thirty five percent of its own energy whilst in operation. There is no memory, CPU or hard drive. The liquid quantum supercomputer contains a suspension of Rare-earth – d-transition-metal compounds, particles of diamond, gold, silicon and tetragonal compounds. These are used to trigger quantum calculations.

(from 'An Introduction to Janus' Howards, Earl and Phillips. Montclair University.