3D-TV: Closer to Reality?
Software that merges images from several projectors onto a single screen could bring 3-D
TV closer to reality. Developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute in Berlin, the
Home Display 2007 system superimposes images from digital television, high-dimensional
television, slide projector shows, video games, 3-D architectural scenes, and more to give
a clear, sharp, multidimensional image. Unlike earlier versions of two-projection 3-D TV,
the new system automatically calibrates the multiple projections, fitting the images
together precisely. With the addition of a surround-sound system, the effect will be like
"being there," say the researchers.
Source: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Hansastrasse 27C, 80686 Munich,
Germany. Web site www.fraunhofer.de.
Nanotech Aids Antiaging Research
Scientists are now using nanolasers to learn what goes wrong with mitochondria. The
malfunctioning of these energy-producing organelles inside cells has been linked to
Alzheimer's disease, among other age and brain-related maladies. Researchers at Sandia
National Laboratories are now using a biolaser that operates at the nanometer range in
order to study the reactions of the ultra-tiny mitochondria (averaging a few hundred
nanometers) while they are functioning. The goal is to discover what drugs might be used
to protect the mitochondria from malfunctioning and wreaking havoc in cells.
"'Waterproofing' the mitochondria with specific protectant drugs would increase the
survival chances of the brain," says neurosurgeon Marcus Keep of the University of
New Mexico School of Medicine.
Source: Sandia National Laboratories, News Center, P.O. Box 5800,
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-0165. Web site www.sandia.gov.
A Calmer Sun May Reduce Global Warming
Good news for our warming planet: A decline in solar activity could mean that the sun's
contribution to climate change will fall slightly over the next century. Studying 11,000
years of solar activity, British astrophysicist Mark Clilverd and colleagues conclude that
solar flares, sun spots, geomagnetic storms, and other solar activity will soon peak,
along with heat output. The sun's irradiation may account for about 4% to 20% of the
increase in global warming over the past century. Clilverd speculates that solar activity
ebbs and flows in cycles ranging from 10 to 10,000 years; he warns that, although solar
activity may fall in the next century, it will return to current levels by 2200.
Source: British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge
CB3 0ET, United Kingdom. Web site www.antarctica.ac.uk. www.antarctica.ac.uk.
Water-Powered Batteries
Mobile phones, calculators, and other battery-powered devices might one day be
charged up with water, according to researchers at the University of Alberta. Here's how:
Tap water pumped through tiny microchannels would create an electrical charge. Electrodes
placed at the ends of the channels would convert the electric charge into clean electric
power, says the team of physicists. With several million small microchannels working
together, the power output could be increased, perhaps even enough to contribute to a
national power grid, the researchers speculate. "It's possible that it could be a new
alternative energy source to rival wind and solar power, but this would need huge bodies
of water to work on a commercial scale," says team member Larry Kostiuk, a mechanical
engineering professor.
Source: Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London W1B 1NT, United
Kingdom. Web site www.iop.org.
www.iop.org.
Predicting Terrorist Attacks
Terrorist attacks do not usually come out of nowhere. Plans, preparations, and
even preliminary crimes not considered "terrorism" often precede attacks, and if
investigators could better track these activities they might be able to prevent the
attacks. A new study center at the University of Arkansas aims to do just that. The
Terrorism Research Center will collect data from the court records of more than 500 known
terrorists in order to glean the patterns of activity preceding attacks. "Terrorists
commit hundreds of preparatory and ancillary crimes . . . that might give us some
indication of the routinized patterns of preparatory conduct," says sociology
professor Brent Smith, director of the center. "Our goal is to map those preparatory
crimes by time and location to determine if patterns of conduct exist."
Source: University of Arkansas, University Relations, 800 Hotz Hall,
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701. Web site www.uark.edu.
