Soon, You Will Be Able To Wear A Computer

It might be not long before you start wearing a computer just as you put on your shoes, watch and jacket.
"As general computing systems become smaller, we are reaching a point at which it becomes conceivable to don these devices easily," Andy Fagg of the computer science faculty at the University of Massachusetts has been quoted by online ScienceDaily as saying.
Fagg, who is developing a wearable computer, said such a device offers access to information and communication resources at any time during walking hours.
"It isn't about being able to write a paper or send an e-mail while you are grocery store. It's about having digital assistance as you go about your life," he added.
Fagg's aim, ScienceDaily said, is to teach the computer to "notice" a user's routines and offer information accordingly.
For instance, if the computer notices that he enters a conference room at a particular time, "it should figure out he is going to a meeting and pull out appropriate documents, including minutes of the last meeting, and notes from related discussions.
Another example offered by him: "I could tell the system I'm going to be cooking a certain recipe for dinner. The system will know what I have in the kitchen cabinets at home. If I drive near the grocery store, it wakes up and whispers, 'Don't forget to stop at the grocery store, and by the way, you need these three items for the dinner you want to cook tonight.'"

Asteroid May Strike Mars in January 2008

Scientists at the Near Earth Object Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory believe a newly discovered asteroid has a 1 in 75 chance of hitting Mars on January 30, 2008.
Astronomer Steve Chesley said,"These odds are extremely unusual. We frequently work with really long odds when we track ... threatening asteroids. We know that it's going to fly by Mars and most likely going to miss, but there's a possibility of an impact"
Halfway between Earth and Mars, the asteroid, known as 2007 WD5, was discovered in late November and initially estimated to have a 1 in 350 chance of making impact. However, as new observations were made, the odds increased and scientists expect them to grow even more next month.
2007 WD5 is similar in size to the object believed to have impacted the Tunguska River in Siberia in 1908, devastating a huge area of land. The Tunguska blast unleashed equivalent energy to a 15-megaton nuclear bomb, wiping out over 60 million trees. An impact by 2007 WD5 could create a crater on Mars roughly equal to the size of one in Arizona known as "Meteor Crater."
If a Mars impact does occur, it will most likely be near the equator, an area that the robotic rover, Opportunity, has been exploring. The rover, itself, is not in any danger because it is outside of the possible impact area.
Chesley says, "Unlike an Earth impact, we're not afraid, but we're excited."

Active Glacier Found On Mars

A probable active glacier has been identified for the first time on Mars.
The icy feature has been spotted in images from the European Space Agency's (Esa) Mars Express spacecraft.
Ancient glaciers, many millions of years old, have been seen before on the Red Planet, but this one may only be several thousand years old.
The young glacier appears in the Deuteronilus Mensae region between Mars' rugged southern highlands and the flat northern lowlands.
"If it was an image of Earth, I would say 'glacier' right away," Dr Gerhard Neukum, chief scientist on the spacecraft's High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), told reporters.
"We have not yet been able to see the spectral signature of water. But we will fly over it in the coming months and take measurements. On the glacial ridges, we can see white tips, which can only be freshly exposed ice."
This is found in very few places on the Red Planet because as soon as ice is exposed to the Martian environment, it sublimates (turns from a solid state directly into gas).

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2007

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2007 jointly to
Albert Fert
Unité Mixte de Physique CNRS/THALES, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France,
and
Peter Grünberg
Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany

Prize amount: SEK 10 million to be shared equally between the Laureates

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2007: Peter Grünberg

Peter Grünberg, German citizen. Born 1939 in Pilsen. Ph.D. in 1969 at Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany. Professor at Institut für Festkörperforschung, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, since 1972.www.fz-juelich.de/portal/gruenberg_e

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2007: Albert Fert

Albert Fert, French citizen. Born 1938 in Carcassonne, France. Ph.D. in 1970 at Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France. Professor at Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France, since 1976. Scientific director of Unité mixte de physique CNRS/Thales, Orsay, France, since 1995. www2.cnrs.fr/en/338.htm

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2007

Nanotechnology gives sensitive read-out heads for compact hard disks

This year's physics prize is awarded for the technology that is used to read data on hard disks. It is thanks to this technology that it has been possible to miniaturize hard disks so radically in recent years. Sensitive read-out heads are needed to be able to read data from the compact hard disks used in laptops and some music players, for instance.In 1988 the Frenchman Albert Fert and the German Peter Grünberg each independently discovered a totally new physical effect – Giant Magnetoresistance or GMR. Very weak magnetic changes give rise to major differences in electrical resistance in a GMR system. A system of this kind is the perfect tool for reading data from hard disks when information registered magnetically has to be converted to electric current. Soon researchers and engineers began work to enable use of the effect in read-out heads. In 1997 the first read-out head based on the GMR effect was launched and this soon became the standard technology. Even the most recent read-out techniques of today are further developments of GMR.A hard disk stores information, such as music, in the form of microscopically small areas magnetized in different directions. The information is retrieved by a read-out head that scans the disk and registers the magnetic changes. The smaller and more compact the hard disk, the smaller and weaker the individual magnetic areas. More sensitive read-out heads are therefore required if information has to be packed more densely on a hard disk. A read-out head based on the GMR effect can convert very small magnetic changes into differences in electrical resistance and there-fore into changes in the current emitted by the read-out head. The current is the signal from the read-out head and its different strengths represent ones and zeros.The GMR effect was discovered thanks to new techniques developed during the 1970s to produce very thin layers of different materials. If GMR is to work, structures consisting of layers that are only a few atoms thick have to be produced. For this reason GMR can also be considered one of the first real applications of the promising field of nanotechnology.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2007 to
Gerhard Ertl

Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany
"for his studies of chemical processes on solid surfaces".The Prize amount: SEK 10 million.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007: Gerhard Ertl

Gerhard Ertl, German citizen. Born 1936 in Bad Cannstadt, Germany. Ph.D. in physical chemistry 1965, from Technische Universität München, Germany. Professor Emeritus at Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany.http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/pc/PCarchive2.html

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2007

Modern surface chemistry – fuel cells, artificial fertilizers and clean exhaust

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2007 is awarded for groundbreaking studies in surface chemistry. This science is important for the chemical industry and can help us to understand such varied processes as why iron rusts, how fuel cells function and how the catalysts in our cars work. Chemical reactions on catalytic surfaces play a vital role in many industrial operations, such as the production of artificial fertilizers. Surface chemistry can even explain the destruction of the ozone layer, as vital steps in the reaction actually take place on the surfaces of small crystals of ice in the stratosphere. The semiconductor industry is yet another area that depends on knowledge of surface chemistry.It was thanks to processes developed in the semiconductor industry that the modern science of surface chemistry began to emerge in the 1960s. Gerhard Ertl was one of the first to see the potential of these new techniques. Step by step he has created a methodology for surface chemistry by demonstrating how different experimental procedures can be used to provide a complete picture of a surface reaction. This science requires advanced high-vacuum experimental equipment as the aim is to observe how individual layers of atoms and molecules behave on the extremely pure surface of a metal, for instance. It must therefore be possible to determine exactly which element is admitted to the system. Contamination could jeopardize all the measurements. Acquiring a complete picture of the reaction requires great precision and a combination of many different experimental techniques. Gerhard Ertl has founded an experimental school of thought by showing how reliable results can be attained in this difficult area of research. His insights have provided the scientific basis of modern surface chemistry: his methodology is used in both academic research and the industrial development of chemical processes. The approach developed by Ertl is based not least on his studies of the Haber-Bosch process, in which nitrogen is extracted from the air for inclusion in artificial fertilizers. This reaction, which functions using an iron surface as its catalyst, has enormous economic significance because the availability of nitrogen for growing plants is often restricted. Ertl has also studied the oxidation of carbon monoxide on platinum, a reaction that takes place in the catalyst of cars to clean exhaust emissions.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2007

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has on 8 December 2007 decided to award The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2007 jointly to
Mario R. Capecchi, Martin J. Evans and Oliver Smithies for their discoveries of "principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells".

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2007: Oliver Smithies

Oliver Smithies, born 1925 in Great Britain, US citizen, PhD in Biochemistry 1951, Oxford University, UK. Excellence Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2007: Sir Martin J. Evans

Sir Martin J. Evans, born 1941 in Great Britain, British citizen, PhD in Anatomy and Embryology 1969, University College, London, UK. Director of the School of Biosciences and Professor of Mammalian Genetics, Cardiff University, UK.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2007: Mario R. Capecchi

Mario R. Capecchi, born 1937 in Italy, US citizen, PhD in Biophysics 1967, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics and Biology at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2007

This year's Nobel Laureates have made a series of ground-breaking discoveries concerning embryonic stem cells and DNA recombination in mammals. Their discoveries led to the creation of an immensely powerful technology referred to as gene targeting in mice. It is now being applied to virtually all areas of biomedicine – from basic research to the development of new therapies.
Gene targeting is often used to inactivate single genes. Such gene "knockout" experiments have elucidated the roles of numerous genes in embryonic development, adult physiology, aging and disease. To date, more than ten thousand mouse genes (approximately half of the genes in the mammalian genome) have been knocked out. Ongoing international efforts will make "knockout mice" for all genes available within the near future.
With gene targeting it is now possible to produce almost any type of DNA modification in the mouse genome, allowing scientists to establish the roles of individual genes in health and disease. Gene targeting has already produced more than five hundred different mouse models of human disorders, including cardiovascular and neuro-degenerative diseases, diabetes and cancer.
Modification of genes by homologous recombination
Information about the development and function of our bodies throughout life is carried within the DNA. Our DNA is packaged in chromosomes, which occur in pairs – one inherited from the father and one from the mother. Exchange of DNA sequences within such chromosome pairs increases genetic variation in the population and occurs by a process called homologous recombination. This process is conserved throughout evolution and was demonstrated in bacteria more than 50 years ago by the 1958 Nobel Laureate Joshua Lederberg.
Mario Capecchi and Oliver Smithies both had the vision that homologous recombination could be used to specifically modify genes in mammalian cells and they worked consistently towards this goal.
Capecchi demonstrated that homologous recombination could take place between introduced DNA and the chromosomes in mammalian cells. He showed that defective genes could be repaired by homologous recombination with the incoming DNA. Smithies initially tried to repair mutated genes in human cells. He thought that certain inherited blood diseases could be treated by correcting the disease-causing mutations in bone marrow stem cells. In these attempts Smithies discovered that endogenous genes could be targeted irrespective of their activity. This suggested that all genes may be accessible to modification by homologous recombination.
Embryonic stem cells – vehicles to the mouse germ line
The cell types initially studied by Capecchi and Smithies could not be used to create gene-targeted animals. This required another type of cell, one which could give rise to germ cells. Only then could the DNA modifications be inherited.
Martin Evans had worked with mouse embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells, which although they came from tumors could give rise to almost any cell type. He had the vision to use EC cells as vehicles to introduce genetic material into the mouse germ line. His attempts were initially unsuccessful because EC cells carried abnormal chromosomes and could not therefore contribute to germ cell formation. Looking for alternatives Evans discovered that chromosomally normal cell cultures could be established directly from early mouse embryos. These cells are now referred to as embryonic stem (ES) cells.
The next step was to show that ES cells could contribute to the germ line (see Figure). Embryos from one mouse strain were injected with ES cells from another mouse strain. These mosaic embryos (i.e. composed of cells from both strains) were then carried to term by surrogate mothers. The mosaic offspring was subsequently mated, and the presence of ES cell-derived genes detected in the pups. These genes would now be inherited according to Mendel’s laws.
Evans now began to modify the ES cells genetically and for this purpose chose retroviruses, which integrate their genes into the chromosomes. He demonstrated transfer of such retroviral DNA from ES cells, through mosaic mice, into the mouse germ line. Evans had used the ES cells to generate mice that carried new genetic material.
Two ideas come together – homologous recombination in ES cells
By 1986 all the pieces were at hand to begin generating the first gene targeted ES cells. Capecchi and Smithies had demonstrated that genes could be targeted by homologous recombination in cultured cells, and Evans had contributed the necessary vehicle to the mouse germ line – the ES-cells. The next step was to combine the two.
For their initial experiments both Smithies and Capecchi chose a gene (hprt) that was easily identified. This gene is involved in a rare inherited human disease (Lesch-Nyhan syndrome). Capecchi refined the strategies for targeting genes and developed a new method (positive-negative selection, see Figure) that could be generally applied.
Birth of the knockout mouse – the beginning of a new era in genetics
The first reports in which homologous recombination in ES cells was used to generate gene-targeted mice were published in 1989. Since then, the number of reported knockout mouse strains has risen exponentially. Gene targeting has developed into a highly versatile technology. It is now possible to introduce mutations that can be activated at specific time points, or in specific cells or organs, both during development and in the adult animal.
Gene targeting is used to study health and disease
Almost every aspect of mammalian physiology can be studied by gene targeting. We have consequently witnessed an explosion of research activities applying the technology. Gene targeting has now been used by so many research groups and in so many contexts that it is impossible to make a brief summary of the results. Some of the later contributions of this year's Nobel Laureates are presented below.
Gene targeting has helped us understand the roles of many hundreds of genes in mammalian fetal development. Capecchis research has uncovered the roles of genes involved in mammalian organ development and in the establishment of the body plan. His work has shed light on the causes of several human inborn malformations.
Evans applied gene targeting to develop mouse models for human diseases. He developed several models for the inherited human disease cystic fibrosis and has used these models to study disease mechanisms and to test the effects of gene therapy.
Smithies also used gene targeting to develop mouse models for inherited diseases such as cystic fibrosis and the blood disease thalassemia. He has also developed numerous mouse models for common human diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis.
In summary, gene targeting in mice has pervaded all fields of biomedicine. Its impact on the understanding of gene function and its benefits to mankind will continue to increase over many years to come.

Now Driving In India Is Easy with GPS Navigator

Driving in India is a tough task if you are not aware of routes. But this task has been made easier by the new MapmyIndia navigator, which is an in-car global positioning system (GPS) navigation device designed by CE Info Systems based in New Delhi.The device comes loaded with maps of Indian roads, both state- and national- highways, linking together 55,000 towns and villages, complete with landmarks. It can be placed on the dashboard or windshield of a car, and functions via a satellite system.MapmyIndia navigator has real-time voice support for each and every road turn that instructs the driver about current location as well as locations to be arrived at.The device offers entire details of streets, localities, landmarks, ATMs, hospitals, and cafeterias, based in 18 major cities, including Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Mohali, Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Thane, and Pune.Presently, CE Info Systems is outsourcing the MapmyIndia navigator device from Delphi and Amax. It's available in two variants; Delphi NAV 200, and Amax 06GP5A with built-in GPS (SirfStar III) having 3.5-inches color touch-screen backed by Samsung 400 MHz processor. The touch-screen even allows playing music, games, and viewing movies and photos.Rohan Verma, director of CE Info Systems, said that the market for in-car GPS navigation systems is rising across the world. Last year, 20 million personal navigation devices were sold in the US, and another 30 million in Europe. In India, the product has been introduced only two years ago, and is slowly catching on.MapmyIndia navigator is priced at Rs 21,000 in Delhi, and Rs 22,000 outside Delhi, and can be purchased through the MapmyIndia.com Web site.

CDM 'for market not reform', Says Indian Organisation

A leading Indian nongovernmental organisation has called for a complete overhaul of the clean development mechanism (CDM), saying it focuses more on the market than tackling climate change.
CDM is a mechanism that allows developed countries to invest in projects that reduce carbon emissions in developing countries and claim them against emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol.
"CDM is a market mechanism, not climate action," Sunita Narain, director of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, told reporters on 5 December 2007.
Narain said that the biggest flaw in CDM is that it is aimed at the cheapest reduction methods for industrialised countries. There has been no transfer of high-end technologies from the rich to poor countries, or investment in clean coal technologies for poor countries, she said.
By the end of 2005, rich countries could not cut their emissions any further, and instead chose the CDM route to meet their Kyoto commitments. Narain said that in the process, large companies, traders and consultants have taken over the market in developing countries, offering the cheapest technologies to quickly earn credit for reducing emissions.
The focus is on earning credits rather than making genuine efforts toward cleaner technology or energy, she said. For instance, there are few projects on solar energy, wind energy, high-end clean coal or forest planting in the activities available under the CDM.
She said certain clauses in the current CDM framework are providing disincentives for governments in developing countries to create policies for clean energy production.
For example, technology projects need to be 'additional' to projects already running in a developing country to qualify under the CDM. India, for instance, already has a programme on renewable energy, so any further renewable projects are not counted as part of the CDM.
Narain said one of the foremost tasks at the UN climate change conference in Bali, which began on 3 December 2007 week, should be to "reform and reinvent" CDM to make it more effective.
She suggested a system of equal, per capita emission entitlements so that the rich reduce their emissions and the poor do not go beyond their climate quota.

Bird Flu Looming Large, Many Countries Still Not Prepared

Many countries continue to be plagued by poor bird flu surveillance and diagnosis capacity, and weak national preparedness plans, experts have warned.
The third global progress report of the United Nations System Influenza Coordination (UNSIC) and the World Bank is released on December 2007. It warns that the risk of global influenza pandemic is as great in late 2007 as it was in mid-2005, when the first cases began to emerge.
Based on data from 146 countries, the report was circulated at an international ministerial conference on bird flu, in New Delhi, India in the week started on 4 December 2007.
Margaret Chan, the WHO director-general and Jacques Diouf, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization director-general, stressed the continuing threat of bird flu at the meeting.
"The next pandemic will occur through adaptive mutations [in the virus]. We have no idea when and how the pandemic will occur, or whether this high case fatality rate of 61 per cent in humans will be maintained," said Chan.
Diouf warned that the international community would have to prepare for bird flu and other major health crises of animal origin, worsened by climate change and the increased risk of pathogens travelling over large distances in a very short period, due to modern air travel.
Investments are needed to focus on prevention at the source — animals — and in developing countries, he added.
Although many countries report they have developed national preparedness plans, their preparedness for a pandemic is "patchy", and there is insufficient attention to sectors other than health and their operational aspects, said David Nabarro, senior UN system coordinator for avian and human influenza.

Plans To Curb Deforestation Need More Consideration

Incentives to tackle deforestation and forest degradation can play a key role in combating climate change and requires a strong policy framework that is fair to poor communities, says a new report.
The report from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), was launched on 7 December 2007 at the UN climate meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
It states that "an appropriate policy framework to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) would help prioritise areas with high deforestation risk and high carbon content, while ensuring the sustained well-being of forest-dependent communities".
Under the REDD scheme, developing nations could earn billions of dollars through carbon trading by simply leaving forests, such as those in Indonesia and the Amazon and Congo basins, untouched.
The authors of the report say REDD can help reduce carbon emissions if financial incentives are sufficient to overturn the political and economic causes of deforestation.
Frances Seymour, director general of CIFOR and one of the authors, hopes the report will help ensure that any initiatives to stop deforestation emerging in future climate change agreements are firmly grounded in reality.
She highlighted the need to properly consider the effects on poor forest communities. "For the system to be effective, we will need new mechanisms for allocating payments that are efficient as well as fair," Seymour told SciDev.Net.
Seymour said the most feasible techniques to monitor emissions from deforestation were remote sensing of changes in forest cover, combined with robust verification of forest types on the ground and the associated carbon stocks.

Emil Salim, head of Indonesia's delegation of climate change negotiators, said his country wants REDD to become an alternative option to Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, which could help it financially manage its forestry sector better.
CIFOR have also launched a Climate Change and Forest Initiative, focusing on the governance of forest in the global adaptation to and mitigation of climate change.

C.N.R. Rao Receives Nano Award

C.N.R. Rao, Chairman, Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and honorary president of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), was on 6 December 2007 conferred the first Bangalore Nano National Award for his outstanding achievements and sustained work in the field of nanotechnology.
Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur presented the award to Prof. Rao at the Bangalore Nano 2007 — India’s first conference on nanotechnology — organised by the JNCASR, the Department of IT, BT and Science and Technology, Government of Karnataka, and MM Activ.
In his address, Prof. Rao said that though he was involved with organising the festival, the award came as a pleasant surprise.
“We need young minds to take nano technology forward apart from intense study and research in this field.”
Prof. Rao said that with the Government having allocated Rs.1,000 crore towards the study of nanotechnology, this exciting branch of science will receive the impetus it deserves.