Gizmorama
December 1, 2010
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Good Morning,
As our scientists and programmers find new ways to expand
the limitations of our technologies, it is sometimes easy
to forget that there are some repercussions. The last
article in this issue outlines some of the dangers of in-
car technology.
Until Next Time,
Erin
Questions? Comments? Email me at: mailto:gizmo@gophercentral.com
Email your comments
P.S. You can discuss this issue or any other topic in the new
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Study: Social animals have bigger brains
LONDON - Dogs have evolved bigger brains than cats because
social species of mammals need more brain resources than
solitary animals, U.K. researchers say. Scientists at Oxford
University charting the evolutionary history of the brain
across different groups of mammals discovered there are huge
variations in how the brains of different species have
evolved over time, ScienceDaily.com reported. Analyzing
data on brain size and body size of more than 500 species,
found that groups of mammals that evolved relatively bigger
brains, such as monkeys, horses, dolphins and dogs, tend to
live in stable social groups. The brains of more solitary
mammals, such as cats, deer and rhino, grew much more slowly
during the same evolutionary period, they found. "This study
overturns the long-held belief that brain size has increased
across all mammals," Susanne Shultz of Oxford's Institute of
Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology says. "Instead,
groups of highly social species have undergone much more
rapid increases than more solitary species. This suggests
that the cooperation and coordination needed for group living
can be challenging and over time some mammals have evolved
larger brains to be able to cope with the demands of social-
izing."
On-line game to help with genetic code
MONTREAL - Computer game players can have fun and contribute
to genetic research with an on-line computer game that ana-
lyzes genetic sequences, Canadian researchers say. Scientists
at McGill University in Montreal say the game, called Phylo,
was launched Monday after testing within the scientific
community to ensure its accuracy, a university release said.
"There are some calculations that the human brain does more
efficiently than any computer can, such as recognizing a
face," Jerome Waldispuhl of the School of Computer Science
says. "Recognizing and sorting the patterns in the human
genetic code falls in that category. Our new online game
enables players to have fun while contributing to genetic
research -- players can even choose which genetic disease
they want to help decode." The game uses players' moves
and actions while playing to analyze genetic sequences.
"We're hoping that people will enjoy playing the game and
that many participants will sign up," Waldispuhl said. "This
is an opportunity for people to use their free time to
contribute in an extremely important way to medical re-
search." Waldispuhl says he has high hopes for the future of
the game. "We would like to integrate this game directly
into Facebook as an application. Farmville, move over!"
Tidal energy tech mimics humpback whales
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - U.S. researchers say they've taken a page
from the humpback whale's book to design more efficient
underwater turbines for generating electricity. The turbines
are an integral part of the technology that attempts to con-
vert ocean tidal flow energy into electricity. Researchers
at the United States Naval Academy in Maryland have been
tackling one of the serious challenges of the technology,
the low velocity associated with many tidal flows and the
difficulty of extracting useful energy from low speed flows
using current designs, a release from the American Institute
of Physics says. "We designed a novel blade modification for
potential turbine performance improvement, which was inspired
by humpback whale flippers, with the addition of tubercles,
or bumps, to the leading edge of each blade," Mark Murray, a
Naval Academy engineering professor, says. The modified
blades proved to be more effective in extracting energy at
low speeds without degrading performance at high flow speeds
or increasing the mechanical complexity of the turbine.
The protuberances are an example of biomimetics, technology
that mimics nature, the researchers say.
In-car technology called dangerous
NEW YORK - New technologies in cars, from navigation screens
to built-in Internet hot spots and voice-activated systems,
are ultimately dangerous, U.S. safety experts say. Critics
say even when designed to help drivers keep both hands on the
wheel, such technologies can cause "cognitive distractions"
and are dangerous, LiveScience.com reports. An example,
critics say, is Ford's latest enhancement of its popular
voice-activated SYNC in-car communications system, with a
completely voice-controlled interface for entertainment --
AM/FM and satellite radio, HD, CD, MP3 -- as well as climate
control, phone and navigation. The system can even link to a
smartphone to access and control other applications. Drivers
can listen to streaming songs from online music services,
listen to the news and check out the latest Twitter messages
without ever taking their hands off the wheel. "Ford may say
it's hands-free, but it's certainly not risk-free," Robert
Sinclair Jr., manager of media relations for the auto club
AAA New York, says. "The distractions that do exist are very
mentally distracting, especially when it comes to checking
social networking sites. We find all of this very disturbing.
"Going on Facebook or sending a Tweet is engaging in a com-
plex conversation that should absolutely not be done while
driving." David Strayer, a cognitive scientist at the Uni-
versity of Utah who studies distracted driving, agrees this
kind of technology in cars is dangerous. "Some activities
such as listening to the radio are passive, but others such
as texting and checking Facebook are not," he says. "The
mind can only do one thing at once when driving -- it's been
long published in scientific journals. People who say that
in-car technology is not distracting to drivers just don't
know the science of the brain."
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