The Pew

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New Research in Nanoscale Materials has far-reaching Implications

Jul 2, 2015

Atomic gold-enabled three-dimensional lithography for silicon mesostructures. To the average person, these words probably don't mean much - most people don't know what lithography is, nor could they tell you that a mesostructure is not another term for a structure in Mesopotamia - but pay attention, these words are important; they're the title of a scientific paper, published in the journal Science.

The authors of the paper have experimentally established a method of producing diffused gold covered silicon nanowire, basically a very thin wire made of silicon, coated with an even thinner layer of gold. This coating improves the chemical stability of silicon, helping it resist deformations caused by chemicals (but not by mechanical stress). The paper also found that the diffused gold covered silicon nanowire elicited strong interactions with collagen - a feature which may lead to the development of biocompatible implants, similar to pacemakers, or, farther in the future, perhaps these wires could potentially be used to repair damaged nerves, or connect artificial organs, while nearer to us is the potential to create tissue-interfacing adhesives and bioelectronics. In addition, while the authors of the paper chose not to speculate on the subject, since it was not the subject of their paper, other papers in the past have commented on the potential use of gold in nanoscale circuitry, (despite gold's strange properties at that scale) which would lead to more advanced computer technology. The research by Bozhi Tian, et al. may pave the way for more chemically stable circuits, especially since it would allow the silicon nanowire to resist corrosion.

And hey, if the two angles of research are combined, plus a ton of extra neuroscience, maybe someday, linux users will be able to control USB devices with their minds.

syndicated from http://www.nopulpits.com/news/

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Humans are responsible for Holocene Extinction, study finds

According to a study published in Science Advances, a peer-reviewed academic journal, the recent decline in biodiversity is basically all humanity's fault. This study differs from previous studies in that it uses - as the authors put it - "extremely conservative assumptions". The study estimated the "background extinction rate", that is, the rate at which species would go extinct without human intervention, to be double what other studies have estimated, and have also used a more stringent definition of 'extinction' than other scientists.

Their estimates - which are very conservative compared to every other - still put the current rate of extinction, and thus loss of biodiversity, at 114 times more than the background rate. According to the paper - and plain common sense - this explains the decline of biodiversity. But why should humans care? Because humans need to eat, and soon, nearly everything will be extinct, if things keep going the way they have been.

But there's light at the end of the grim tunnel, according the authors' statement: "Averting a dramatic decay of biodiversity and the subsequent loss of ecosystem services is still possible through intensified conservation efforts, but that window of opportunity is rapidly closing."

syndicated from www.nopulpits.com

[religionultimatestd-deactivated]

” Mock them, ridicule them”(1) The words of an ideology that has sparked a movement among a burgeoning group of people that call themselves new atheists. A call that I myself heard for a brief moment in my early arrival at non-theist conclusions. But hearing the rhetoric and the constant...

[nopulpits-blog]

Good post, sounds a lot like what you said in your interview over at The Pew, but with more detail than you could add to what time we had left.

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