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Futurology #150: Bullet-proof custard
Sunday, 11 July 2010
Super new battery: Take some xenon, some fluoride, and add some pressures similar to those found at the center of the Earth for an ultra-battery capable of storing more condensed energy than any other battery ever built (pic).The material used to make the "battery" is xenon difluoride (XeF2), a white crystal primarily used to etch silicon conductors. The crystal was placed in a diamond anvil cell, a tiny device that measures only two inches by three inches. The cell uses two tiny diamond anvils to produce incredibly high pressures in tiny, contained spaces.
Comment — How much does it weigh?
No-mouse computer mouse: The Fluid Interfaces Group at MIT's Media Lab has created "Mouseless" - a beta version of what computers might be like in twenty years. Check out this video at IO9 of somebody controlling a cursor by moving an invisible mouse.
Comment — 'Poltermoust'?
Bullet-proof custard: BAE has tested material by blasting will ball bearings fired at over 600 miles per hour from a gas gun. The video, available on the BBC site, shows a side-by-side comparison of 31 layers of Kevlar and 10 layers of Kevlar combined with a secret new liquid.
Apparently, the liquid has a secret recipe for how it sticks together to absorb the bullet's force. Watching the video, it seems like non-Newtonian fluids are at work (everyday examples of non-Newtonians include ketchup and peanut-butter). Though a cornstarch and water mixture stiffens when you punch it, it's hard to see cornstarch making strides on the battlefield.
Comment — it is eggs, cornflour, sugar? That's all my mum used and hers was pretty bullet proof!
Eye-impanted telescope: A telescopic implant that fits directly into the eye to treat certain kinds of blindness has finally received FDA approval for use in the US after more than five years of waiting.
The Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) is used to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that affects millions around the world. For many, the centre part of their vision becomes blurred or completely dark. The IMT is surgically implanted into the cornea and acts to expand an incoming image onto the peripheral parts of the retina that are undamaged by AMD. The commercial version of the IMT is called CentraSight and is in development by VisionCare Inc. There are likely hundreds of thousands of potential patients in the US alone who may be able to have their vision partially restored now that CentraSight has garnered FDA approval."
Comment — All sorts of uses, really. I am thinking of the Battle of Trafalgar ...
Japanese net asteroid dust: A canister from the Japanese spacecraft Habayusa, the first rocket to travel to an asteroid and back, has dust particles that came from the asteroid . . . hopefully.
Comment — was the satellite an Electrolux or Dyson?
Compound restores memories: A recent study at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center sought out compounds that could protect vulnerable neurons from the ravages of Alzheimer's.
Researchers tested 1000 different molecules on mice that had been engineered to lack a gene critical to the survival of new memory neurons. They found one compound in particular, called P7C3, that greatly reduced the death of these cells, toughening up their outer defenses and helping them maintain a higher energy level.
Comment — Dang, what was that compound called again?
Root canal alternative: A new dental therapy could repair damaged nerves inside teeth, making root canals a thing of the past. And it's all done with an ultrathin layer of nanofilm.
The nano-sized film contains a substance called alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone, or alpha-MSH, which is known for its ability to fight inflammation. A team of European scientists placed the alpha-MSH-coated film onto fibroblasts, the primary kind of cell in dental pulp. The film significantly reduced inflammation on the fibroblasts, and it even promoted new fibroblasts to start growing. Dentists believe this could be the breakthrough they've been waiting for that will allow them to revitalise other damaged teeth, avoiding the need to ever do a root canal.
Comment — but how will my dentist maintain his lavish lifestyle with this stuff?
(I am posting this early so I can watch the World Cup Soccer final – I store it up over the week anyway, so it's the same content I would have posted Monday am.)
