Friday, 11. July 2008, 09:36:55
sonam, books, sonam dangers, of
...
It looks like that i've taken heavily to reading books in my free-time. 10 books in two week can certainly certify this. This is the third book by Chetan Bhagat, who has definitely become one of the most read and loved english author. After his "Five Point Someone" and "One Night @ Call Center", this is his third book.
After reading all his three novels, i can say that Chetan is not a great writer like J.K. Rowling or Dan Brown, but he's a great story-teller, something of the same calibre as the above authors.
This is a story about a boy and his two friends. Its about their passions, cricket and buisness and the politics surrounding them- the old Hindu-Muslim rivalry. And it is about the three mistakes that he makes, first to invest all his savings for a shop in a new mall, which later collapses during an earthquake. Second, he had a fling with his best friend's sister. And the last is left for the reader to discover....
Saturday, 8. March 2008, 09:06:21
bacterium, software, genome, scientists
...
Scientists have synthesised DNA but is that getting a life?
The journal Science reported recently that a team of American scientists had succeeded in building the entire DNA code of a small bacterium in the laboratory using genetic material they had chemically synthesised bit by bit. Specifically what they did was use yeast to staple together four long strands of DNA into the genome match of a bacterium called Mycoplasma genitalium god transplanted it into another cell so that it could exploit the already existing machinery inside to boot up and start growing and reproducing. It did so. But is that creating a new life form? Not really, because DNA is only a set of instructions- massively complex, of course, but essentially just that- which requires a host to actually carry them out.
It's like computer software, without the hardware to run it on, it can only sit there doing nothing. At most, with this technology they can sit there doing nothing. A most, with this technology they can probably design a genome to incorporate a particular chemical process to change what the cells are eating and making and thus, make robotic cells. In other words, create new types of custom or biofuels like ethanol which humans can use.
At the same time, the fact that bioethics groups- in particular a Canadian one which has dubbed the new creation Synthia- have immediately protested, saying this is where mankind should never go, shows they're worried. "For the first time, God has competition",they said. They could be right. Because he the software can be made, how long for the hard stuff to be made? When that happens scientists who finally be doing what the Earth has been doing some four billion years ago when it churned out cellular life-as-we-know-it-today on this planet. Yet other kinds of lives which we never dreamed could be possible are already looming over our horizon.
Self-replicating mechanical devices such as nanobots and sapiens but bodiless artificial intelligence without physical manifestation are constructs that could in the future defy current definitions of what constitutes something as "alive". So could digitised brains uploaded into computers or silicon minds downloaded from them into organic bodies. And we're not ever talking about the rest of the universe, of what shape life may have taken there in the past, or, even as I write this, shaping up to do so right now.
Thursday, 6. March 2008, 18:15:35
improve, earth, identify, technology
...
Scientists Identify 14 Major Hurdles Which Can Vastly Improve Quality Of Life On Earth
A panel of experts from around the world have identified 14 grand challenges for engineering that, if met, may significantly improve the quality of life on Earth.
The US Nationat Academy of Engineering(NAE) has revealed that the panels choices fall into four groups that are essential for humanity to flourish namely, sustainability, health, reducing vulnerability and joy of living.
The panel, established in 2006 at the request of the US National Science Foundation, met several times to discuss and develop the list of challenges. Its effort recieved worldwide input from prominent engineers and scientists as well as general public, through an interactive website. Even my suggestion was selected, about e-medicine, albeit some changes.
Over 50 subject-matter experts reviewed the panels conclusion.
The committee did not attempt to include every important challenge, nor did it endorse particular approaches to meeting those selected.
Instead of focussing on predictions or gee-whiz gadgets, it decided to identify what needs to be done to help people and the planet thrive.
Here is the list....
Advance health informatics
Stronger health information systems not only improve everyday medical visits, but they are essential to counter pandemics and biological or chemical attacks
Engineer better medicines
Engineers are developing new systems to use genetic information, sense, small changes in the body, assess new drugs, and deliver vaccines
Advance personalised learning
Instruction can be individualized based on learning styles, speeds, and interests to make learning more reliable
Provide access to clean water
The world's water supplies are facing new threats, affordable, advanced technologies could make a difference for millions of people around the world
Make solar energy economical
Solar energy provides less than 1% of the world's total energy, but it has the potential to provide much more
Manage the nitrogen cycle
Engineers can help restore balance to the nitrogen cycle with better fertilization technologies and by capturing and recycling waste
Reverse engineer the brain
The intersection of engineering and neuroscience promises great advantage in health care, manufacturing, and communication
Engineer the tools of scientific discovery
In the century ahead, engineers will continue to be partners with scientists in the great quest for understanding many unanswered questions of nature
Provide energy from fusion
Human-engineered fusion has been demonstrated on a small scale. The challenge is to scale up the process to commercial proportions, in an efficient, economical, and environmently benign way
Develop carbon sequestration methods
Engineers are working on ways to capture and store excess carbon dioxide to prevent global warming
Prevent nuclear terror
The need for technologies to prevent and respond to a nuclear attack is growing
Secure Cyberspace
Its more than preventing identity theft. Critical systems in banking, national security, and physical infrastructure may be at risk
Enhance Virtual reality
True virtual reality creates the illusion of actually being in a different space. It can be used for training, treatment and communication
Restore and improve urban infrastructure
Good design and advanced materials can improve transportation and energy, water and waste systems and also create more sustainable urban environments
(0%)
WIDGETIZE