A Scientific Research Vault
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov is a collection of short stories written between 1940 and 1950 and were composed together in 1950. To create an ethical system for the co-existence of humans and machines, Asimov, laid the foundation of the three laws of robotics, which were:
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Dr. Yin received his Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Columbia University. Prior to join NC State, he worked as a Postdoctoral Associate at MIT and an Assistant and Associate Professor at Temple University. He is the recipient of the NSF CAREER Award and Extreme Mechanics Letters (EML) Young Investigator Award.
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An international team of neuroscientists has demonstrated that human brain organoids when implanted in the cerebral cortex region of a mice can respond to external sensory stimuli. Brain organoid, here, refers to a three-dimensional tissue that is made from skin cells.
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The Matter of Everything is penned by an accelerator physicist Dr. Suzie Sheehy. The book introduces us to the time when physicists were about to unravel the mysteries of matter via exploration of subatomic particles. And it all started with a serendipitous discovery by the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen, who in 1895, was working with a cathode ray tube in his laboratory. He noticed that the phosphor-coated screen was giving off a green coloured light when exposed to a cathode ray tube.
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Energy transfer between parallel universes, the idea is enough for any science fiction fan to pick up and read this awesome piece of work. The Gods Themselves is one of the earliest and fantastic read on multiple universes, nuclear forces, and Big Bang. The fundamental idea of why Big Bang occurs and the repercussions of disturbing the laws of physics that govern universe(s), are explained in the most simplified and narrative style by Isaac Asimov.
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Haptic systems are mainly designed to control virtual objects. Their efficacy is good, but when it comes to controllers, joysticks, and steering wheels, things look slightly bulky. And tangled wires is another task to deal with. Researchers at City University of Hong Kong have come up with a portable solution to enhance the tactile VR experience.
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Wa’d AbuZurayk is the first qualified neurotherapist and paediatric occupational therapist in Jordan. She has attained her licensed device from Germany. The device is both FDA and internationally approved. She is also the founder of Ujeed, Child Development Consultations in Amman, Jordan. These days most of her time is occupied with families to create their own unique narrative through neurotherapy, occupational therapy and a pinch of magic. With the help of neurotherapy, Wa’d aims to retrain the brain to develop new skills and increase brain fitness. While at the same time…
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Evolutionary biological processes take time but what if we introduce microbial catalysis to the system? The phenomenon of how cyanobacteria obtain nutrients for its survival from rocks in Atacama Desert inspired an international team of collaborators from University of California and Johns Hopkins University to consider the microbes as tools that may help humans to develop colonies on the moon and Mars.
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Cumulative evidence, so far has suggested that Mars once had oceans but then lost its atmosphere and eventually died out. Unlike Earth, where shifting tectonic plates make way for dynamic interior, Mars never surfaced such processes. Hence, the astronomers concluded that nothing much happened on the red planet, at least, in the last 3 to 4 billion years. Recent observations by the scientists at the University of Arizona, however has challenged the current views of Martian geodynamic evolution. As per them, the red planet, that seems to be dead, has an…
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In an effort to create faster and more energy-efficient soft robots, researchers at North Carolina State University have created a prototype of swimming soft robots based on manta rays. The team got inspired from the biomechanics of the marine animal. Rate of swimming for most of the (swimming) soft robot is one body length per second, manta rays, however, glide at much faster rate. Their swimming efficiency triggered the scientists to look into the potentiality of creating a similar robot, biomechanically.
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After researchers have figured out that spiders use their silk to hear, scientists have discovered that arachnids have patterns of sleep cycles. In one such observation, they not only twitched their legs toward the sternum but and flickered parts of their eyes. The phenomenon is similar to REM sleep-like state.
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Astronomers work ceaselessly to find out clues that might point out to the existence of extra-terrestrial life some where in outer space. The mere idea that we might not be alone is enough motivation to work constantly in this hunt. Lately, there has been an increase in the number of research probing into exoplanets. In one such research, astronomers have discovered a super-Earth like planet near the habitable zone of a red dwarf star. It is about 37 light-years from the Earth. This also happens to be the first such…
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As the name suggests, Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive written by Kurzgesagt founder, Philipp Dettmer talks about the inner workings of the human immune system. A world which totally relies on pathways and chemical signals. And where each and every tiny molecule has a very well-defined role. Dettmer has explained scientific concepts related to human immune system in the most interesting and comprehensible manner. His description of various cellular components metaphors and similes makes it straight-forward to understand and easy to visualize, for instance,…
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To improve the imaging component in robotics, researchers have been trying to create various types of highly performing cameras, sensors and artificial vision systems. Most of the vision systems are bio-inspired that is, they have been emulated from the systems and elements of nature including humans, animals, insects and fish. These systems, however, have their own restrictions because they operate in limited environment respectively. For instance, majority of (bio-inspired) existing sensors and cameras works either one of the following scenarios: on the ground like biomimetic eye with a hemispherical…
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The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles by Dr. Bruce Lipton came around the time when epigenetics was peeking over the horizon. The book talks about an individual’s belief system. As per which, thoughts, either positive or negative, have power to change our mental state, and hence our bodies and physical well-being. Understanding in physics graduated steadily. From Newtonian classical physics to Einstein’s theories of relativity followed by quantum mechanics, the physics of sub-atomic particles. According to Dr. Bruce, similar transition was missing in Biology.…
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