Archive for January, 2011
Blast from the Past – How Integrated Circuits (chips) Work
by Marshall Brain | January 24, 2011
The following video takes us back to Fairchild Semiconductors in 1967, as the age of integrated circuits is getting underway. It is talking about integrated circuits that contain 20 components (transistors, resistors, etc.), and therefore are far simpler than the billion-transistor chips we see today. It is also an era when the masks used to [...]
IBM Teams Up With ARM for 14-nm Processing – “Monday IBM announced a partnership with UK chip developer ARM to develop 14-nm chip processing technology. The news confirms the continuation of an alliance between both parties that launched back in 2008 with an overall goal to refine SoC density, routability, manufacturability, power consumption and performance….” [...]
How Proton Therapy Works – great for brain tumors and prostate cancer
by Marshall Brain | January 21, 2011
There are several traditional ways to treat cancer: Surgery – cut out the cancer Chemotherapy – poison the cancer cells Radiation – kill the cancer cells with radiation (see Cyberknife, but also done with radioactive seeds and other techniques) X-ray therapy And so on… Proton therapy is a new way to treat cancer, and it [...]
You Asked:
Will there be enough food to feed people in 2050? — Garry, Bristol, United Kingdom
Marshall Brain Answers:
Are there plants on board the International Space Station?
by Marshall Brain | January 21, 2011
You Asked: Are there plants on board the International Space Station? — Mark, Corona, Calif. Marshall Brain Answers: There are some plants on the ISS, as part of different experiment packages. Here is a description of the APEX-Cambium experiment, which grew tree seedlings on the space station: Why aren’t there more plants on the ISS, [...]
Women’s Brains Can Sniff Out Sexy Sweat
by Cristen Conger | January 21, 2011
We know that smell is one of the most emotionally powerful senses, triggering vivid memories from even a wisp of a waft. On Stuff Mom Never Told You, Molly and I have discussed how people unconsciously “sniff out” biologically suitable mates with complementary gene pools. A 2009 psychology study from Rice University adds another compelling note to this complex perfume of humans’ conscious and unconscious smell responses.
I’m teleworking today from one of my favorite places on Earth: My super-cozy bed. Or at least I WAS, until my Internet conked out and I had to head out in search of free WiFi. Well, not technically free I suppose since a meal is involved, but hey, a person has to eat. What a person doesn’t have to do (read: want to do) is place an order, crack open a laptop, and find out that connecting to WiFi costs additional dinero. Luckily, I found a place that fit the bill, but I’m not always so lucky. So, in the event of future outages, I thought it might be a good idea to scout out some additional options. Mellow Mushroom makes a good pizza, after all, but pizza isn’t something I like to make a habit of eating.
You will find this to be a very nice brain game that is quite calming and visual – it is described as a “medetative puzzle game”: Entanglement It’s interesting because the “way” to play it unfolds in layers, and there is no way to “lose”. That makes it a cheerful game that is very engaging. [...]
This infographic if funny, fascinating, surprising… Delta IV vs. Dodge Truck So why compare a pickup truck and a gigantic rocket? Because they both have roughly the same carrying capacity. The Delta IV puts 28,000 pounds into geosynchronous orbit, while the Dodge truck can haul 25,000 pounds of cargo around the country. It’s a great [...]
Recent Postings by Category
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