November-December 2008 Tomorrow in Brief

Biological Brains for Robots

Robots may learn how to find their way around their environments and avoid obstacles, thanks to biological brains developed by researchers at the University of Reading in Britain. Cultured neurons are placed onto a multi-electrode array, which picks up signals generated by the cells. The signals drive the movement of the robot; as the robot approaches an object, signals stimulate the brain, and the brain’s output moves the robot, with no input from humans. The researchers hope that the work will lead not only to robots that learn, but also to improved understanding of neurological diseases and disorders of humans.

Source: University of Reading, Research Publicity, Whiteknights, P.O. Box 217, Reading RG6 6AH, United Kingdom. Web site www.rdg.ac.uk.

Alcohol Consumption Declines

Beer guzzling is on the way out in the United States. Alcohol consumption over the past 50 years has declined, particularly beer consumption, and more people say that they are nondrinkers, reports a team of researchers led by Yuqing Zhang of the Boston University School of Medicine. The researchers attribute the long-term decline to medical studies noting the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, which has been linked to improved cardiovascular health and other positive effects, as well as studies noting the ill effects of heavy consumption.

Source: “Secular Trends in Alcohol Consumption over 50 Years: The Framingham Study” by Yuqing Zhang et al., The American Journal of Medicine (August 2008), published by Elsevier, Radarweg 29, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Web site www.elsevier.com .

Ivory Poaching Imperils Elephants

The elephant death rate in Africa has reached 8% a year, a level that surpasses the 7.4% annual death rate that led to urgent measures to save the species by banning the trade of ivory. The African elephant population is now less than 470,000, down from more than 1 million when the ban was first enacted in the late 1980s, reports University of Washington biology professor Samuel Wasser. “If the trend continues, there won’t be any elephants except in fenced areas with a lot of enforcement to protect them,” he says. His research indicates that most remaining large groups of African elephants will be extinct by 2020 unless a renewed international effort is launched to halt poaching.

Source: University of Washington, Office of News and Information, Box 351207, Seattle, Washington 98195. Web site http://uwnews.org.

Compressed Air May Cut Energy Costs

The concept of storing compressed air underground for use in generating electricity may be an idea whose time has come. Sandia National Laboratories researcher Georgianne Peek believe it could offer a solution to high energy costs. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) facilities would function like batteries; air is driven into an underground geological formation during low-demand times; when it’s needed, the electricity is generated from the compressed air used in modified combustion engines. CAES storage facilities are being considered by several U.S. utilities to store the abundant wind generated in Iowa and other places.

Source: Sandia National Laboratories, News Room, P.O. Box 5800, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-0165.

Bartering with Fuel

With runaway inflation making it nearly impossible to pay for food, rent, and other necessities with local money, Zimbabweans have turned to bartering and using innovative alternative forms of currency, such as gasoline coupons. The coupons are obtained from fuel stations in exchange for foreign currency, offering a more stable money system in a country where inflation is officially estimated at 2.2 million percent a year and more than 15 million percent according to independent economists, according to the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks. The fuel coupons and their use as a “clever type of barter trade” have become the norm in Zimbabwe, according to economic analyst John Robertson.

Source: Integrated Regional Information Networks, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Web site www.irinnews.org .

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