British army will use the new gel that stops bullets

Technology

Last Updated on 01 May 2009 Written by InfoWeb 02 March 2009

A new "bullet-busting" shock-absorbent gel is set to save the lives of British soldiers by substantially reinforcing their helmets.

The Ministry of Defence has awarded £100,000 to a small company that has developed a special substance that hardens immediately on impact.

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Microsoft prepares to launch experimental search site

Technology

Last Updated on 01 May 2009 Written by InfoWeb 26 February 2009

The new search site is known as Viveri

In the next several months Microsoft Corp. expects to launch an experimental search site called Viveri, designed to allow the company's researchers to easily roll out new search ideas.

Currently, it's difficult for researchers to try out their ideas in the real world, said Robert Rounthwaite, software architect at Microsoft Research. He showed off Viveri on Tuesday in Redmond, Wash., at the company's annual TechFest event, where researchers demonstrate and discuss their latest developments.

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Functional Neurons generated From Stem Cells

Science

Last Updated on 01 May 2009 Written by InfoWeb 26 February 2009

In a new study, researchers were able to generate functionally mature motor neurons from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are engineered from adult somatic cells and can differentiate into most other cell types. A potential new source of motor neurons that does not require human eggs or embryos could be an enormous boon to research into conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal cord injury and could open the door to eventual treatments.

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Robot mimics human action and plays rock-paper-scissors

Technology

Last Updated on 01 May 2009 Written by InfoWeb 21 February 2009

One of the most sophisticated robots created in the UK made its public debut in London with a game of rock-paper-scissors.

Berti is less than two years old but will help scientists develop artificial intelligence outstripping anything previously seen before.
The robot, created by Bristol Robotics Laboratory and Elumotion, a robotics firm based in Bath, is greeting the public at London's Science Museum.

It was created to mimic human gestures as part of a study into how humans react to lifelike robots.

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Chemical in Cannabis Helps Cells Grow

Science

Last Updated on 01 May 2009 Written by InfoWeb 20 February 2009

The fact that cannabis is forbidden in most countries is only a recent event. In the past, starting centuries ago, people always smoked pot for various reasons, including leisure, resting purposes, going into trance, or for medicinal use. In Western societies, it has been mostly forbidden, even though not all of its effects have been fully understood up to this point. This is evidenced by the fact that only recently have researchers managed to identify a substance in cannabis that actually promotes cell growth and helps our bodies function properly. 

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