http://discovermagazine.com Science, Technology, and The Future http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/06-brain-like-chip-may-solve-computers-big-problem-energy http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/06-brain-like-chip-may-solve-computers-big-problem-energy Kwabena Boahen is working to create a computer that will fulfill his boyhood vision—a new kind of computer, based not on the regimented order of traditional silicon chips but on the organized chaos of the human brain. Designing this machine will mean rejecting everything that we have learned over the past 50 years about building computers. But it might be exactly what we need to keep the information revolution going for another 50. The human brain runs on only about 20 watts of power, equal to the dim light behind the pickle jar in your refrigerator. By contrast, the computer on your desk consumes a million times as much energy per calculation. If you wanted to build a robot with a processor as smart as the human brain, it would require 10 to 20 megawatts of electricity. “Ten megawatts is a small hydroelectric plant,” Boahen says dismissively. “We should work on miniaturizing hydroelectric plants so we can put them on the backs of robots.” You would encounter similar problems if you tried to build a medical implant to replace just 1 percent of the neurons in the brain, for use in stroke patients. That implant would consume as much electricity as 200 households and dissipate as much heat as the engine in a Porsche Boxster. “Energy efficiency isn’t just a matter of elegance. It fundamentally limits what we can do with computers,” Boahen says. Despite the amazing progress in electronics technology—today’s transistors are 1/100,000 the size that they were a half century ago, and computer chips are 10 million times faster—we still have not made meaningful progress on the energy front. And if we do not, we can forget about truly intelligent humanlike machines and all the other dreams of radically more powerful computers. Douglas Fox http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/06-brain-like-chip-may-solve-computers-big-problem-energy/key_image Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:00 -0600 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:00 -0600 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/23-visual-science-lighting-up-tissues http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/23-visual-science-lighting-up-tissues Researchers are using a new laser-like technique for looking inside of tissues. Brett Israel http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/23-visual-science-lighting-up-tissues/key_image Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:15:00 -0500 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:15:00 -0500 Web Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/22-wing-and-prayer-u.s-crumbling-air-travel-infrastructure http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/22-wing-and-prayer-u.s-crumbling-air-travel-infrastructure Nearly 60 percent of the FAA’s control towers have surpassed their expected useful lives of 30 years. They are plagued by water leaks, mold, and foggy windows that can make it difficult to see aircraft, according to a December 2008 audit conducted by the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General. Outdated heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems in some major airports—such as Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway, and even Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, the home of Air Force One—cause condensation to form on windows, hampering controllers’ ability to look out at planes on the field. Yet plumbing and electrical repairs often go undone, resulting in a deferred maintenance backlog of $240 million, a tab that is expected to climb to more than $380 million by 2020. Creaky physical conditions at U.S. airports are reminiscent of those in developing nations. Controllers in Atlanta have had to hold umbrellas over radarscopes to see the planes... When aircraft are traveling at 600 miles an hour, every second counts. “It can take 15 seconds to recognize there’s a problem, 15 seconds to radio instructions to the pilot, and an additional 15 seconds for them to respond,” says Don Brown, who was an air traffic controller in Atlanta for 25 years. “Near midair collisions are like rolling the dice. Once you get within a certain distance, it’s in the hands of God—how well you can see and how fast you can act—as to whether the planes will collide.” Linda Marsa; photography by Elyse Butler http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/22-wing-and-prayer-u.s-crumbling-air-travel-infrastructure/key_image Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:35:00 -0500 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:35:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/20-future-tech-doctor-on-call-cell-phone-cameras-can-diagnose-disease http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/20-future-tech-doctor-on-call-cell-phone-cameras-can-diagnose-disease Developing nations often have a lack of medical facilities but good cell phones. The CellScope turns the latter into the former. Rebecca Day http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/20-future-tech-doctor-on-call-cell-phone-cameras-can-diagnose-disease/key_image Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:10:00 -0500 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:10:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/09-era-of-nanoparticle-drugs-begins-with-erection-cream http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/09-era-of-nanoparticle-drugs-begins-with-erection-cream Smaller than viruses, these drug-carrying balls of sugar could deliver any medicine. Researchers are starting with an all-important use: erection cream. Christopher Mims http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/09-era-of-nanoparticle-drugs-begins-with-erection-cream/key_image Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:50:00 -0500 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:50:00 -0500 Web Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/08-introducing-most-efficient-solar-power-in-world http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/08-introducing-most-efficient-solar-power-in-world It's taken 25 years, but a new solar-thermal plant in New Mexico has finally broken the old efficiency record. Cyrus Moulton http://discovermagazine.com/2009/oct/08-introducing-most-efficient-solar-power-in-world/key_image Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:40:00 -0500 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:40:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/01-think-tech-best-gadgets-buy-this-month http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/01-think-tech-best-gadgets-buy-this-month Devices that are smart, green, portable, and super tough Rebecca Day; photography by Joshua Scott http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/01-think-tech-best-gadgets-buy-this-month/key_image Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:50:00 -0500 Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:50:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/new-science-of-health/23-modest-proposal-how-to-stop-aging-entirely http://discovermagazine.com/2009/new-science-of-health/23-modest-proposal-how-to-stop-aging-entirely Biologist Aubrey de Grey lays out a plan to stay young forever. Key step: finally winning the war on cancer. Aubrey de Grey and Michael Rae http://discovermagazine.com/2009/new-science-of-health/23-modest-proposal-how-to-stop-aging-entirely/key_image Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:50:00 -0500 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:50:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/22-in-race-between-optical-magnetic-storage-we-win http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/22-in-race-between-optical-magnetic-storage-we-win DVD-size disks that hold 10 terabytes. Memory chips that remember even when the power's off. Monica Heger http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/22-in-race-between-optical-magnetic-storage-we-win/key_image Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:35:00 -0500 Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:35:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/26-set-ct-scanner-kill-look-inside-some-fossils http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/26-set-ct-scanner-kill-look-inside-some-fossils Penetrating chunks of amber and ancient rock, powerful new imaging machines render 3-D portraits of fossil creatures concealed for millions of years. Amy Barth http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/26-set-ct-scanner-kill-look-inside-some-fossils/key_image Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:45:00 -0500 Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:45:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/24-what-is-this-spirograph-2.0 http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/24-what-is-this-spirograph-2.0 Hint: It represents a best-selling piece of literature. Andrew Grant http://discovermagazine.com/2009/sep/24-what-is-this-spirograph-2.0/key_image Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:45:00 -0500 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:45:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/10-in-the-future-doing-science-is-like-blogging http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/10-in-the-future-doing-science-is-like-blogging Fiction from Bruce Sterling: "You bet you can, and that’s why we’re so glad you’re at our Web site! If you can read a popular-science publication (and enjoy it), then you most likely have enough brainpower to help us make massive scientific breakthroughs..." Bruce Sterling; illustration by Dave McKean http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/10-in-the-future-doing-science-is-like-blogging/key_image Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:45:00 -0500 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:45:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/09-ways-carbon-nanotubes-just-might-rock-world http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/09-ways-carbon-nanotubes-just-might-rock-world Nanotubes have been billed as the key to curing cancer, building space elevators, and creating real-world Spidermen. Whether they're totally tubular or just an overhyped pipe dream remains to be seen. Eliza Strickland http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/09-ways-carbon-nanotubes-just-might-rock-world/key_image Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:20:00 -0500 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 12:20:00 -0500 Web Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/08-shadow-life http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/08-shadow-life In the post-economic future, big-ticket science is dead and amateurs hunt aliens using gear scored cheap on eBay. Paul McAuley; illustration by Dave McKean http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/08-shadow-life/key_image Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:40:00 -0500 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:40:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/21-future-tech-carbon-nanotube-grows-up-nanoyarn-kilometer-long http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/21-future-tech-carbon-nanotube-grows-up-nanoyarn-kilometer-long One company's special manufacturing process turns out yarns and sheets millions of time the size of normal nanotubes. Stephen Cass http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/21-future-tech-carbon-nanotube-grows-up-nanoyarn-kilometer-long/key_image Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:00:00 -0500 Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:00:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/13-professor-roboto-putting-science-on-autopilot http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/13-professor-roboto-putting-science-on-autopilot Artificial intelligence is becoming ever better at doing science, from archaeology to physics to genetics. Amber Angelle http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/13-professor-roboto-putting-science-on-autopilot/key_image Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:25:00 -0500 Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:25:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/08-think-tech-pictures-another-time-place http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/08-think-tech-pictures-another-time-place A new Olympus camera lets you take pictures like a photojournalist or a 19th-century photo pioneer. http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/08-think-tech-pictures-another-time-place/key_image Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:00:00 -0500 Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:00:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/24-volcanoes-meteoroids-make-materials-harder-than-diamond http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/24-volcanoes-meteoroids-make-materials-harder-than-diamond Adam Hadhazy http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/24-volcanoes-meteoroids-make-materials-harder-than-diamond/key_image Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:10:00 -0500 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:10:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/18-what-is-this-close-look-at-pocket-lint http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/18-what-is-this-close-look-at-pocket-lint Hint: It dates back to 6th-century China but never really caught on until the mid-1800s, when it was introduced in its packaged, modern form. Andrew Grant http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/18-what-is-this-close-look-at-pocket-lint/key_image Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0500 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/18-forget-lightning-how-do-we-catch-sunshine-in-a-bottle http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/18-forget-lightning-how-do-we-catch-sunshine-in-a-bottle Renewable power is inspiring clever new ways to store electricity—and to uncork it exactly when and where it is needed. Maggie Koerth-Baker http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/18-forget-lightning-how-do-we-catch-sunshine-in-a-bottle/key_image Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:40:00 -0500 Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:40:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/10-building-interstate-highway-system-for-energy http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/10-building-interstate-highway-system-for-energy Tomorrow’s smart grid will keep the lights on and factories humming with clean (but fickle) renewable energy. Peter Fairley http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/10-building-interstate-highway-system-for-energy/key_image Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:20:00 -0500 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:20:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/08-new-tech-could-make-nuclear-best-weapon-against-climate-change http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/08-new-tech-could-make-nuclear-best-weapon-against-climate-change Two new designs aim to make nuclear reactors safer and vastly more efficient. Elizabeth Svoboda http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/08-new-tech-could-make-nuclear-best-weapon-against-climate-change/key_image Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:10:00 -0500 Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:10:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/05-how-to-see-inside-brain-in-motion http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/05-how-to-see-inside-brain-in-motion A new mobile EEG system now lets researchers probe the brain function while people move around naturally. Eliza Strickland http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/05-how-to-see-inside-brain-in-motion/key_image Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0500 Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:30:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/04-when-life-gives-you-manure-make-clean-fuel http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/04-when-life-gives-you-manure-make-clean-fuel The simple step of drying out animal waste can help turn it into a safer, more practical energy source. Stephen Cass http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/04-when-life-gives-you-manure-make-clean-fuel/key_image Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:25:00 -0500 Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:25:00 -0500 Print Article http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-movies http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-movies 4) Some things never change: Edison’s early film loops included one showing “cooch” dancers; another reenacted the decapitation of Mary, Queen of Scots—the first porn and horror flicks. Rebecca Coffey http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jun/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-movies/key_image Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:40:00 -0500 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 01:40:00 -0500 Print Article