Scientists make brain tissue from stem cells

Japanese researchers have succeeded in creating a cerebral cortex, the part of the brain involved in thinking and motion, from embryonic stem cells, providing hope for future treatment of brain-related diseases., thus boosting the possibility of future treatment of brain-related diseases.

Yoshiki Sasai and Mototsugu Eiraku, of the government-backed Riken Centre for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan have managed to create the part of the brain involved in thinking and motion using stem cells, which have the ability to change into other types of cells. This is the first time researchers have been able to create brain tissue from other types of cells, reports The Mainichi Daily News.

 

"In regenerative therapy, only a limited number of diseases can be cured with simple cell transplants. Transplanting tissues could raise hopes for greater functional recovery," the institute said in official statement.

"Cultivated tissues are still insufficient and too small to be used to treat stroke patients. But study of in-vitro cultivation of more mature cortex tissues, such as those with six zones like in the adult human brain, will be stepped up," it said.

Findings from the research were published in the online edition of the U.S. journal Cell Stem Cell on Thursday.

Bulletproof Paper Is Stronger Than Kevlar

Bulletproof vests of the future may be constructed from an unlikely material: paper. a team of scientists announced in may a new “nanopaper”—made of tightly woven nanosize cellulose threads—proven in lab tests to be stronger and tougher than cast iron.

Cellulose fibers are hardy strands of sugar found in the cell walls of plants and algae; they are the most abundant polymer on the planet. Cellulose fibers give wood hardness and cotton toughness. Materials scientist Lars Berglund of the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, used enzymes and a blender to chew standard wood pulp into a stew of much finer particles—about one-thousandth their original size. Then they filtered the stew into a goopy gel and smashed it in a press, creating sheets of nanopaper. In this form, the cellulose fibers could intertwine in strong, tight networks, just as they do in nature.

The nanopaper’s structure is just like that of Kevlar, Berglund says. But unlike Kevlar, it can be manufactured from renewable materials at relatively low temperature and pressure. “It’s a beautiful fiber structure,” Berglund adds. “It’s really a fantastic illustration of how biology can do things much more elegantly than commercial processes.”

Creative Vado HD Camcorder

It seems like everyone is getting into the compact high definition video camera act. Creative has now stepped into the ring as they have recently unveiled the new Vado HD.

The Vado HD is meant to be an upgrade of Creative’s Vado, and it has a similar flexible USB arm. The screen is slightly larger, and the built-in memory has been doubled to that of 8GB. This is enough memory to shoot about 2 hours of footage in HD mode, which is shot with a 1280 x 720 CMOS sensor in H.264 AVI format at 30 fps. The user also has the option of shooting in VGA mode at 640 x 480 resolution for about 8 hours.

The video quality from this camera is phenomenal considering its price tag. No its not a Canon HV30 but its not supposed to be.There is very little motion blur and the colors are nicely saturated. Due to the higher quality video shakiness is more pronounced in the videos but its not terrible. The more still you can hold this camera the better. The sound is crisp and clear. I can easily say the quality of this camera trumps all other flash based camcorders in this price bracket. You can watch a full HD video sample on HD Youtube.


The Vado HD from Creative it's available at a price of about $229.

Radiation Neutralizer

Ok. I friend asked me to write something about this:

Every day, we’re swimming in a sea of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) produced by electrical appliances, wiring in buildings, power lines and cell phones. All this comes along with our modern life. From the dishwasher and microwave oven in the kitchen and the clock radio next to your bed, to the cellular phone you hold to your ear—sometimes for hours each day—exposure to EMR is growing and becoming a serious health threat. I am finding myself in the same position right now. I am speaking on my cell phone 1-2 hours per day. So, after searching the internet for a solution for myself and others interested in self-health I found The Neutralizer.

What is The Neutralizer? It's a device that will neutralize hazardous cell phone radiation and electromagnetic pollution. 

Product Description from Amazon:
Thanks to modern technology and science you can now protect yourself from harmful EMF's from your cell phone, computer/T.V. screen, and microwave ovens. The Neutralizer prevents our DNA from breaking 100% of the time. Protect yourself and your loved ones!!!! No one knows the long term effect this may have on your health.

 A. Harsche wrote about this item:

MY DAUGHTER HAS GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME WHICH IS A TYPE OF BRAIN CANCER. VERY AGGRESSIVE TYPE. GLIOMA TUMORS HAVE BEEN LINKED TO CELL PHONE AND APPLIANCE RADIATION WAVES. I HAVEN'T USED THEM YET, BUT THEY ARE THE CHEAPEST MOST EFFECTIVE PRODUCT I HAVE CAME ACROSS IN DOING MY RESEARCH.

Star Trek-style shields could become reality

Scientists believe they have found a way of shielding astronauts from a dangerous source of space radiation, thus lifting a major doubt clouding the dream to send humans to Mars.

Their breakthrough is reported this week in the journal Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion – it takes forward ideas born in the golden age of science fiction, including a proton shield used in the TV show Star Trek, say the researchers.

Read more here