Daily Bits

Science

Need Electrical Juice? Walk More!

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Woman Walking with Cellphone
Woman Walking with Cellphone

How often do you have to charge your smartphone? I think I mentioned some time ago that ever since I switched to the iPhone 4, I have had to charge my mobile phone every day. Comparing this to the every other day (sometimes every three days) charging I had to do with my Nokia E63, it does seem excessive. However, if you think about what one normally does with the iPhone (not to mention 3G or Wi-Fi always on), the once a day charging system does make sense.

Having access to electrical juice is something that the modern person has to deal with on a daily basis. As such, researchers are also on the ball as to figuring out how to make batteries last longer and how to provide consumers with more power. [Read more…] about Need Electrical Juice? Walk More!

New Discovery: Birds Tweet Using Grammar

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Finches
Finches follow grammar rules when tweeting
That’s more than you can say for many of their human counterparts who tweet in the technological way, yes? 😉

All kidding aside, scientists have found signs that those cute little creatures with feathers have something that resembles grammar as we know. Based on a report published by New Scientist ((Source)), Bengal finches have their own syntax when they chirp, sing, tweet, or whatever you want to call it. While the birds do not have the same concepts that we humans (such as the parts of speech – nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc.), they have syntactic structures.

By the way, syntax is defined as the ” is the study of the principles and rules for constructing sentences in natural languages.” ((Wikipedia)) Basically, the birds having a syntax of their own means that they have rules that govern their “speech”. Grammar falls under syntax.

I suppose that this is not a totally new concept and that, in fact, many people have suspected this for the longest time. The breakthrough is that researchers from Kyoto University in Japan have actually found some proof that this suspicion might be true. What the scientists did was to play various songs until the finches got used to them – or understood them. They then jumbled up the syllables in the songs and observed how the finches reacted. What they found out was that only one of the four jumbled up songs made the finches react in an adverse manner. The scientists say that based on the finches’ reactions, it seemed that the particular song broke the birds’ grammar rules – whatever those rules may be. And if you are thinking if it was just coincidence, give the researchers a little more credit, will you? They did the experiment on many birds and they had the same reaction – at least those birds who were exposed to other birds.

That last bit seems to support the idea that the grammar rules are not innate in the finches. They have to learn the rules – just like we humans do.

I don’t know about you, but I find the study – and its results – fascinating. Maybe these birds can teach humans to follow grammar rules a little more on Twitter. You know what I’m saying?

HBOC201: “Unreal” Blood That Can Save Lives

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dr-mark-fitzgerald
HBOC201. It may remind you of the ubiquitous TV channel, but it has nothing at all to do with that. This is the name of a synthetic blood substitute that has saved an Australian woman’s life. Tamara Coakley had a really bad car accident and was barely alive when she got to the hospital. She had only one liter of blood left in her body, and immediately needed a blood transfusion. Not to mention all the other complications, she is also a Jehovah’s Witness, meaning she couldn’t undergo blood transfusion. Technically though, using the synthetic blood is not blood transfusion as it is considered a blood substitute. ((I honestly am hard pressed to see the difference, but okay.))

In any case, HBOC201 is something that probably belongs to science fiction. This blood substitute contains a molecule that is derived from cow plasma. It was developed by the US Navy and can be used for a wide variety of conditions wherein a blood transfusion is required.

It may not seem an appealing choice, given that HBOC201 is essentially made of cow plasma. Then again, we already drink cow’s milk. This isn’t much different, is it? This blood substitute presents a lot of potential. For one, HBOC201 is not limited by blood type restrictions. Whatever your blood type may be, you will be able to receive HBOC201. Another thing is that HBOC201 is stored more easily. It can be kept without refrigeration for up to three years. This can mean a lot for those in areas where electricity is not taken for granted! And with the low supply of donor blood, HBOC201 just might be what is needed to save other people’s lives.

Science fiction? Amazing!

Predicting the Future with AI Technology

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It’s simply outstanding where we stand now with technology. We have created some of the best creations and discovered scientific breakthroughs man has never seen before. All thanks to technology, mankind has been able to leap from simplicity to modern age intricacy. Whether it’s in simple inventions like the automated floor cleaner robot, or complex ones like hybrid cars. Leave it to humans to create something remarkable with the right tools and technology on their side. [Read more…] about Predicting the Future with AI Technology

Learning the Technology Behind Renewable and Sustainable Energy

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People are scared about a lot of things right now. One of the things that most often comes up is climate change and its effect on humanity. And directly related to climate change are the concepts of renewable and sustainable energy. Since climate change is affected so profoundly by the burning of nonrenewable resources, it’s no surprise that there is a lot of emphasis on creating technology to promote renewable and sustainable energy.

And that technology will come from several different places. Solar power is renewable and sustainable. Hydroelectric power is sustainable and renewable. Companies are developing wind power farms that cut down on non-renewable energy use. And, there’s an underlying theme that people should be using more energy efficient appliances as well as using these renewable resources.

Solar Power

One of the most common forms of renewable energy is solar power. And if you look into solar power technology, it has been improving over the years. Not only that, but the components that make up solar panels are getting cheaper, and the technology that allows them to be more efficient is getting better. So all those things together mean that there will be more solar power in the future, which can begin to help put people’s minds at ease.

Hydroelectric Power

Hydroelectric power is another source that people can use to get their energy from. Whenever there is a river that is flowing, or wherever there are waves with a lot of force behind them, that can be converted into power. Some fantastic wave power technological innovations are being designed right now, and as they become instituted more and the technology develops, coastal cities, in particular, are going to benefit from the additional renewable power source.

Wind Power

The wind is always moving. And there are ways to harness it. Currently, wind power technology is improving so that large swaths of the middle country have huge wind farms, and the power from these farms does a lot to reduce the cost of energy throughout these areas. Some people dislike the look of wind farms so new technology that comes through may have to do something to improve the aesthetics. New designs are being worked on all the time, and only time will tell which one of them eventually becomes the most consistent form of efficient energy.

The Purpose of Energy Efficient Appliances

With all of this emphasis on getting new technology behind renewable and sustainable energy, there’s also a lot of focus on people using energy-efficient appliances. If you approach energy use from both of those angles, that can mean an immediate and significant improvement. If humanity is trying to get to a sustainable state with their energy use, all sides of the equation are important. [Read more…] about Learning the Technology Behind Renewable and Sustainable Energy