Archive for RIKEN
December 11, 2008 at 8:09 pm · Filed under Smart Tech, Imaging, Sentient Tech, RIKEN, Brain, ATR
Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can reconstruct the images inside a person’s mind and display them on a computer monitor, it was announced on December 11. According to the researchers, further development of the technology may soon make it possible to view other people’s dreams while they sleep.
The scientists were able to reconstruct various images viewed by a person by analyzing changes in their cerebral blood flow. Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, the researchers first mapped the blood flow changes that occurred in the cerebral visual cortex as subjects viewed various images held in front of their eyes. Subjects were shown 400 random 10 x 10 pixel black-and-white images for a period of 12 seconds each. While the fMRI machine monitored the changes in brain activity, a computer crunched the data and learned to associate the various […]
Original post by Edo
November 4, 2008 at 10:34 am · Filed under Animal, Biota, RIKEN, Biotech
Is the second coming of the woolly mammoth near? Possibly, say researchers at Japan’s Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), who have successfully cloned mice from carcasses that spent years in a deep freezer.
A RIKEN research team led by genetic scientist Teruhiko Wakayama successfully demonstrated a promising new cloning technique by replicating frozen laboratory mice whose cells were severely damaged after 16 years in permafrost-like conditions (-20 degrees Celsius). The technique might one day be used to resurrect mammoths and other extinct species, according to the researchers.
Scientists have long discussed the possibility of resurrecting extinct animal species by cloning carcasses preserved in ice, but existing techniques do not work with dead, freeze-damaged cell tissue. However, with RIKEN’s new method, researchers were able to extract nuclei from damaged cells after breaking down the tissue in a culture solution. Then, with nuclei extracted from the brain cells of the […]
Original post by Edo
March 26, 2008 at 2:18 pm · Filed under Animal, Video, Biota, RIKEN
Rodents can learn how to wield tools with the proper training, according to new research from Japan’s Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN). In a series of experiments conducted over a 60-day period, researchers taught six degus (small rat-like rodents) to use a miniature rake to obtain food. Each degu was placed on one side of a fence with gaps large enough for its front legs to fit through, and sunflower seeds were placed out of reach on the opposite side. The rake was placed nearby, and after 60 days of practice, all six degus learned to use it to pull the sunflower seeds to within reach. This is the first known case in which rodents have been taught to use tools.
Watch a short video news report.
[Source: FNN/Yahoo!]
Original post by Edo
January 7, 2008 at 6:12 pm · Filed under Miniaturization, RIKEN, Nanotech
In a development that brings superdense memory devices and molecule-sized machines a step closer to reality, scientists at Japan’s Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) have succeeded in creating 1-nanometer-thick electric wires with a layer of insulation. According to a January 2 RIKEN press release, the researchers grew the insulated nanowire crystals through a process involving a mixture of conductive and non-conductive organic molecules that organized themselves into the desired configuration.
For perspective, 10 hydrogen atoms laid side by side measure about 1 nanometer across, and a human hair is around 70,000 to 80,000 nanometers thick.
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Original post by Edo
December 17, 2007 at 2:41 pm · Filed under Smart Tech, Safety, Robot, Sentient Tech, Transportation, RIKEN, Toyota
In an effort to accelerate the development of next-generation automobiles and robots, Toyota is turning to some of Japan’s top neuroscientists. According to a December 14 announcement, the automaker has teamed up with the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) in a 20-year project aimed at researching the human brain and developing neurotechnology-based auto safety systems, sophisticated robots, and machinery that users can operate with their minds.
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Original post by Edo
June 5, 2007 at 5:28 am · Filed under food, Giant, Jellyfish, Animal, Health, Simulacra, Biota, RIKEN, Discovery
In the latest development in Japan’s war against giant jellyfish invaders, scientists studying the biochemistry of echizen kurage (Nomura’s jellyfish) have discovered a previously unknown type of mucin in the sea creatures.
Mucins, the main structural components of mucus, are complex proteins found in human saliva, gastric juice and the lining of the stomach, all of which play a key role in the digestive process. The recently discovered jellyfish mucin, according to the researchers from the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) and science equipment manufacturer Shinwa Chemical Industries, can be put to use in a variety of pharmaceutical, medical, food and cosmetic products.
While the researchers have yet to release the details about the molecular structure of the jellyfish mucin, they claim it has a simple structure similar to a type of glycoprotein (organic molecule composed of protein and sugar chains) found in human digestive fluid, suggesting it […]
Original post by Edo
April 11, 2007 at 9:45 am · Filed under Imaging/Display, Material, RIKEN, Display, Nanotech
A team of researchers led by professor Hideo Hono of the Tokyo Institute of Technology has developed a new type of alumina cement that conducts electricity like metal by altering the crystal structure at the nano level.
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Original post by Edo
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