Birthing our Successors?

I've been completely fascinated with the whole biological computer concept. Instead of silicon chips, these living computers, also known as DNA computers or biocomputers, uses biochemistry and proteins such as DNA to process information it receives.

And recently, two different research teams from Stanford and MIT have designed genetic receptors for living cells. These groovy devices work as transistors inserted into living cells. These tell the cells to "light up" when certain defined criteria are met.

So, is it goodbye silicon-based pc? Do we rush out to greet our new organic laptops? LOL, I hope our organic tablets don't get motion sickness.

Yuck. Anywho, well, maybe someday. I'm not too concerned with the very Bradbury style future. This is one of those advancements where the near future opportunities are just as cool as the futuristic ones.

A couple ideas mentioned in the source articles sounded intriguing. A genetic transistor injected into a cancer patient that notifies any cancerous cells to destroy themselves. Water sources that monitor their own health and notify technicians if there is a problem. Even the amazing chance that construction engineers will grow buildings and bridges instead of building them.

My fictional, over imaginative mind immediately screams, "Biological weapon!" This could be provided with sniper-like pinpoint accuracy instead of mass destruction. Transistors will tell the healthy cells of a political or government enemy to destroy themselves. Ooh, or maybe something more sudden. Brain aneurysm, clot-causing heart attack. Imagine, assassinations remotely done in complete silence.

Even if we were mature enough to stick with only humanitarian endeavors, which I highly doubt, there is cause for concern. I mean, we are instilling intelligence in basic living things. How will these simple functioning cells react to consistent, long-term transmittal of "intellectual instruction". For all we know, human intelligence evolved from some kind of spark of intellectual guidance.

As a fellow member of a species unique to all other species on Earth, I'm not sure I suddenly want to compete with some other species with special consciousness.

By giving basic biological elements the path to "conscious problem solving" are we potentially paving the future evolution of those biological elements? Right now it's reactive... but at what point could it become proactive and evolve independent thought? I can't help but think we might be birthing something that'll be bigger than a computing machine.

What did David say in Prometheus? "Big things have small beginnings."

Maybe someone needs to make sure the researchers are aware of the Three Laws and suggest for them to design something similar for their biological device as Asimov did in the positronic device as they go along their merry scientific way.


Sources:
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/350549/description/News_in_Brief_Analog_circuits_boost_power_in_living_computers
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23337-dna-transistors-pave-way-for-living-computers.html

See the insect, be the insect



GE Hadiman - Source: Adifruit Industries



Exoskeletons aren't just for insects anymore. As we humans are so good at, we've modified nature to our own benefit and adapted the concept to assist us in various areas of our lives. And this technology has come a long way from GEs bulky 1960s Hardiman robotic suit.

Exoskeleton technology can be made for the whole body or partial body. They use sensors and controllers to power hydraulic-driven components to overcome the limits of the human body.

Alrighty, so three main fields come to my mind when I think "exoskeleton tech": medical, industrial, and of course military.

Medical Application

It's always nice to start technology posts with areas that benefit humanity as a whole and not just for advancements of new toys to kill the enemy better and faster. Because of this, I'm starting with the medical field.

Ready? Okay, here's my opening statement for this section: Exoskeleton advancements will tremendously improve the quality of life for many patients.

Pretty snazzy statement huh? Awe-inspiring, prolific and all that jazz...

Cyberdyne's HAL suit, which is already rentable in Japan for the elderly, is hailed as a nursing-care suit and designed to detect appendage movement and guide the motion in a natural way. So, if you have weakness in your arms and can't fully extend it, HAL will finish the motion for you. It also helps balance you and stabilize yourself as you walk or climb stairs. (Source: Popular Science)



HAL - Source: Cyberdyne



Although there are pretty cool exoskeleton body-bracing systems out there for paraplegics, I was really drawn to the prototype out of Berkeley California, the Austin, because it's actually affordable for a larger population. (Source: PC World)

Industrial application

Okay, remember the payload exoskeleton from Aliens? (Man, Ripley was one of my favorite female heroines!) Well, think that but less bulky... and less kick ass and you've got the modern payload exoskeleton systems for use in the industrial setting.

Panasonic's Powerloader Light, for example, helps the user carry an extra 88 lbs and shifts weight as needed to counteract the walking motion. (Source: Hightech)

Military Application
Last but most certainly not least, DARPA has been funding the development of this technology for military use since at least 2001. And for those of you who don't know what DARPA is... well, you're just not paranoid enough and beyond my help.

As of 2010, it was down to Raytheon's OXS 2 and Lockheed's HULC super-soldier suits. With these suits, soldiers can walk or run for hours, carry loads up to 200 lbs effortlessly, and lift up to 500 lbs or more without breaking a sweat. (Sources: Popular Science, Hightech-Edge)

As a mom of a son getting ready to join the Marines in mere months, I have to say this interests me greatly. Now if only they could beef up their superman tech to dodge bullets I'd be a happy camper.

Little side trip: this dodging bullets bit might be happening with the breakthrough of nanotechnology. A nanotechnologist at the University of Texas has developed a way to chemically grow nanotubes like tiny muscles. The micro particles contract with voltage and are energized by hydrogen and oxygen. These things are 100 times stronger than human muscle tissue, and when woven into fabric become a second, stronger "skin" for soldiers that can stop bullets. (Source: Spiegel)

How cool is that?

For some reason, this reminds me a tad of Robert Heinlein short story, The Beast, where the animal he's tracking on a remote planet turns out to be an escaped engineered human fighting machine who'd lost his humanity.

So, there is my little geek trip. I haven't had a to use this in one of my stories because I mostly write far future stories where unmanned military technology reigns.

What doesn't kill you cures you?

I came across an article some time ago... Okay, by the date of my last post we all know it was a very long time ago.

Any-who.

I came across an article about scorpion venom highlighting brain tumors and aiding surgeons in the operating room. Needless to mention, the whole brain and tumor thing holds close to my heart. (Or, close to my head, that it.)

HERE is the full article for your geeky reading pleasure, but the sum of it is that a protein in scorpion venom "sticks" to the tumorous areas of the brain and the compound glows, illuminating the tumor site.

But why can't the docs just see the tumorous areas, you ask?

Well, come on, it's not like the tumor is dressed in a tutu calling out, "Here I am! Here I am!" while doing the Macarena.Those cancerous areas are hard to see and the inside of your brain is a confusing mass of ugliness. It all looks the wrong side of rotten.

During the actual procedure, the docs have nothing but the contrasting MRI images taken beforehand. Well, that and a hope and sheer cockiness that comes with becoming a physician that they can get it all.

So, how does this happen? Try putting scorpion venom under infrared and you'll most likely get... nothing.

...never mind. Don't try collection scorpion venom. I don't want any of you thinking I'm responsible if you are stupid enough to try getting your hands on some.

The synthetic version mates to a molecule. This compound is injected into your body and after the venom binds to the cancerous cells, the molecule starts to glow like a Raver's glow tube adorned body. Your healthy cells are like wallflowers at a middle school dance to these scorpion proteins.

*Heehee...the healthy cells are currently trying to decide if they're insulted or relieved...*

Okay, back to real land.

This is a fantastic find and they think they might be able to expand the technique to other cancer types like prostate or breast, or, well, you name it.

As with my own diagnosis and surgery, the neuro oncologist was very clear in stating that most likely the actual stem cell generating my tumor was not removed. Because of this, there's an 80-90% chance my little brain buddy will return.

No biggie for me, as my tumor type is a low-grade, slow-growing cancer and easily removed again. (I work in a hospital with tons of clinical experts to inquire to, and you know, knowledge is power and all that.)

But wouldn't it be awesome if I got to use one of the tech finds I've posted on this blog someday?

This might actually be possible, since human trials are beginning later this year. Who knows, in a decade or so I could be heading back to UCSF for surgery again and injected with scorpion venom. (Is it just me or does this almost sounds like the start of a Marvel comic.)

Not Just Up, But Also Down

In Isaac Asimov's Robot City 3, Refuge by author Rob Chilson, spacers Derec and Ariel end up hiding out on Earth. Ariel is very sick with a virus the spacer civilization knows nothing about, and is in fact, a death sentence for them.

Little did they know that Earth was her salvation, as the overpopulated civilization they assumed was backwards and prejudice against anything progressive was very advanced in healthcare technology and treatments. Looking back it made sense, for both the reader and the main characters.

Not only were they advanced in healthcare, they were also advanced in population management. With 8 billion people to house, feed, and keep clean it's a big task. One they accomplished by making a big planetary-level cultural transition.

They moved underground.

When it came out in the late 80s this very concept was shocking and most people believed it to be too radical. "Never happen," my own stepdad said when I exclaimed this as the answer (at my ripe, wise age of 13). "People need open space. No one will want to be restricted inside like that." He was very insistent.

Oh how a lot of things have changed, in just a quarter of a century. Yeah, we're not quite to the point of extreme as Asimov's future Earth world, where people are frightened of the "above ground"...but we're well on our way to being comfortable inside for the majority if not our whole day.

A report just came out from the Federal Highway Administration revealing young drivers 19 and younger dropped over 18% to less than half the age segment and people under 30 make up only 22% of drivers since 1998. Adding to this shift, Gartner research firm found 46% of drivers aged 18 to 24 would choose Internet access over a car. Article HERE.

So, if they are not getting drivers license, how are they getting around? Well, studies indicate that almost half are socializing via internet routes (FaceBook, Instant Messenging, Twitter, etc). If they are getting together, it's using the increasing transportation network (subways, transits, and whatnot). The levels of these two factors depends on the size of the city they are located in.

This trend fits perfectly in the end state of Asimov's world. As people shifted inside, they next shifted down. In overpopulated countries all over the world, there are already underground living/working/consumer communities going down several levels. To be exact, 26 countries have started to turn to underground city concepts in answer to overpopulation.

The shift to underground living answers another need of a heavily populated world. Food production. With people living underground, it leaves the surface available for the production to feed billions of people. Fertile ground, which is now used for subdivisions and city blocks, could be enough land to feed areas where agriculture development is unattainable.

This would be an answer to hunger.

I know it'll be centuries before humans are comfortable living underground to the extent of Asimov's future Earth, if they ever get there. And there are mounds of issues to overcome like high earthquake zones and water and waste infrastructure barriers. And some will never feel comfortable in the "mole" environment.

But then again, that's how Asimov's world ended up with Spacers and Earthers, wasn't it?

So, what do you think about the underground concept? Do you think we'll ever to the extent of Asimov's Earth world? Why or why not?

Home Away from Home (Maybe)

(My blogger friend, Kaye Manro, beat me to the punch and has a great post about this up at her blog HERE.)

We've found an Earth-like planet...okay, "we" haven't found anything. Technically, NASA's Kepler mission team found it. (Does being a NASA cheerleader/supporter/groupie count as part of the overall NASA team? Yes/No?)

In what I call the Obvious Statement of the Year, Geoff Marcy of UC Berkeley stated, "This discovery shows that we Homo sapiens are straining our reach into the universe to find planets that remind us of home. We are almost there."

I guess I shouldn't take the statement for granted, though. Truthfully, I'm not sure how much the general population is wondering or straining to find other homes like Earth. It's the geekdom population that is cheering on the scientists. But I'd like to think that 4 geek-groupies equates to 1 normal person, so maybe it equals out somehow. (LOL. That right there, folks, is AR math...Live it. Learn it.)

Say hello to Kepler-22B. (Top right image.) Can I just say, these NASA folks need to get creative with their planet naming... it's like an apartment building. Geez.

"That's correct. I live in Kepler-22B, right next door to 22A. Yeah, the one right across from 7-11 and the Chinese restaurant. Hang a left at Alpha Centauri... no, no. A LEFT."

Okay, okay. Focus. Let's learn a little about this new planet find, Kepler-22B... or as I'd like to call it, Planet Awesome.

Kepler-22B aka "Planet Awesome":

• Is located in the Kepler-22 Star System


• It's 600 light years away (or 3,540 trillion miles)


• It circles the star (Sun like star may I add) at about the same distance as Earth to the Sun


• Its year is 290 days


• Probably has water and rock, but probably mostly ocean


• It's 2 and a half times bigger than Earth


• Average temperature about 72 degrees (most likely, if it doesn't turn out to be a gas planet)

Keppler-22B makes a tally count of 2,326 planet candidates. Hee hee, you like that term the NASA team has designated for potentials? It's like a political race or something... better yet, a planetary race. Which will be the first one we decide to visit? You think there'll be a poll or official vote by the general public? (Wouldn't that be groovy?)

Any-who, of these, 207 are approximately Earth-size, 680 are super Earth-size, 1,181 are Neptune-size, 203 are Jupiter-size and 55 are larger than Jupiter.

Source material:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/news/kepscicon-briefing.html

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/2011/12/05/kepler-22-b-another-step-closer-to-finding-earth-like-worlds/

http://news.yahoo.com/planet-sweet-spot-goldilocks-zone-life-223007926.html

Science Update

I've got some pretty cool stuff up today. Well, I think they're cool.


First up, bandages that change color to let you know your wound is becoming infected. How cool is this futuristic medical treatment? Expand this and you'll have patches, gauze, and medical tape that indicates...whatever. Maybe even blood pressure, heart rate, healing progress...It goes on. I've used some things similar in my current trilogy manuscripts. I've got the Med Patch that monitors a patients standard health points. I have a spray that sterilizes and preps torn skin for nano repair. And closest to this article, I've got liquid gauze used in the field that sprays on clear then whitens and tightens hold over a wound and changes color if the wound starts to go South during transport.


Next, the sad news that chocolate is going the way of the dinosaurs. Don't fret, it's not anytime soon but still, it gives pause for thought. When you're writing, what of today's commodities will not be around, in proximity, or evolved into something else? To tell the truth, I haven't really explored this concept in many of my works but it has intrigued by the ideas and will definitely infuse some of this in my next works. Thinking beyond just the fact that a yummy treat will be going away, we need to think of the full implications. Cocoa beans are a commodity that hold up several small countries, makes a living for thousands of business owners and workers. Anything going away can cause an infrastructure meltdown at many levels. This concept could be the basic setting for a story, backgrounds for characters, and drivers for conflict between antagonist and protagonist. OH! It could also be the barrier between love interests and/or friends. The ideas are limitless!

Okay, I'm starting to get too excited so I better hurry and get to the most exciting find. What we Sci-Fi geeks have been waiting for...Light bending camouflage. 'Nuff said. Check it out. I'm struck speechless and typeless yet again at this news. There's been work on military flight camouflage but this new metamaterial research is going to open up doors for all kinds of smaller scale ideas and more field battle uses. I imagine a futurist Patton play. Not just creating a false military site, but hiding our military posts, our men in the field, our ground vehicles, and our small reconnaissance flyers. My debut novel is set primarily is space and in military outpost planets, so my military concepts did not include the need to hide. It's just so easy in the vastness of space without camouflage technology. However, my current trilogy might benefit from this. I will have to explore it and see if it would fit without being one of those SF tech overkills. I like to make sure my SF tech blends into the background like one puzzle piece in the whole picture.

So that's my quick science update. I hope you enjoyed them. What have you all seen in the new lately that would impact the future and the way we SFRers write?


Good writing all!

Science Update

I'm back with another science update. (Well, technically I'm NOT back as I'm on vacation. I've sent this through telepathy...okay, okay, through the post options.) Any-who, I've been collecting them for a couple week and have some exciting new "stuff".

First up, the first images of Saturn lightning. This is a total geek thing on my part, but has some writing inspiration in it. Think about it. When you're building your world what's the weather going to look like? Be like? Feel like?

Could you image the experience of a Saturn storm? Just the thought gets my blood pumping. Because this article I'm revising my sci-fi epic so that my MCs will fall for each other during an alien planet storm.

All right, on to the next groovy-geeky-awesome thing...Silk Microchips that test and monitor the blood instantly. Yeah, you read right and probably assumed correctly. Lab techs...or even physicians implant this chip right below your skin and it will keep track of your blood.

This has great sci-fi potential for both short and long term scenarios. Short term, your MCs or secondary characters have a chronic illness that requires constant monitoring of the blood system. Long term, well every human born has this implanted to track health through their lifetime. Now that would have some great plots associated with it!

Just saying folks.

And on to the next. The next phase of "Vaccinomics" is here. Scientists are kicking back into gear on the development of individual vaccinations using genomic science. These shots will be tailored to fit your specific requirements.

How cool would this be in sci-fi stories? The medic could run a gene scan for injured, poisoned, or ill characters and the computer will come up with the perfect antidote!

Before I get too geeked out here and start tripping over my own words, I'll put one more update in this post. This one is one a purely domestic level. The interactive kitchen counter. This amazing counter has a brain and talks with your. It'll tell you if something spilled. It knows what kind of food you're putting on the counter and will help you find a recipe...What the Wisconsin?! This is crazy!

The possibilities of this being used in sci-fi is...well...like bread and butter. It just fits. This is a totally quirky everyday thing you could use with your characters to give that extra little bit to the story.

Phew! Okay, I'm losing my mind on geekdom right now. I'm going to have to break for a moment.

Good writing all!

Science Update

Hello! I have some pretty cool topics to cover today. I took a few weeks to connect my blog to my "geeks sites" a little better, which you'll find in my revamped Sci-Fi Haunts section.

All right...rev your geeky engines 'cause, "WE'RE OFF!!"

Japan rolls out first solar sail in space! Holy moly! This is what I'm talking about. Ideally there'll be more than one mode of transportation...but wouldn't this one be the most magnificent?

I could see waking up in my space port apartment and opening my dark blinds (no more sun rise people) to a flotilla of beautiful metal yachts working their way across the spaceways to the connecting business sphere, or full of tourists from the nearby Mars mining colony.

*sighs* Okay, on to the next cool space thing.

The Search for other "Earths" is going pretty well...we think - Okay, okay. I know I didn't end up being a scientist, but still. Can't they just let us peek at the good stuff? Just a little peek?

Pout over.

It is pretty cool that they've found 400 interesting possibilities. False-positives or not...they're really mapping out some cool future settings for character exploration in my novels. Now...I just have to wait 8 months before I get the details to put IN to my stories.

Ho-hum.

All right people. That's it for now.

Good writing all!

Science Updates

Algae Fuel...this is an interesting concept and even though it's scope is for green Earth use, I can see this being mass produced during long space voyages as a sustaining fuel source (not an initial boosting fuel). With a developed algae growth enhancement process, this could have some tangible use.

The Not-So-Secret Secret military space craft is now at final testing phase. Of course, the military is not saying WHAT's going to be it's primary payload. Conspiracy freaks think weapons. Me...I think it's a huge cargo of Twinkies, but don't quote me on it. Seriously, though, this is a nice trigger for the start of expansion on who and what is going into space. This is the next phase of our journey out. And THAT you CAN quote me on.

Reusable Superglue. This is totally awesome. I love this as an alternative to Velcro and other strap devices. This material was inspired by gecko glue research and development. Let's give a hand to them gecko creatures!

Okay, so those are my science updates for this week.

Good writing all!

Science Updates

Sorry my science updates are late. I've been planning my son's birthday party and working overtime this week...and all the other life things we writers have to juggle against our creativity.



First Brain Recordings from Flying Fruit Flies -Here's that term Bioengineering again, this time associated with flies. I don't know how many of you know this, but fruit flies have assisted in some of our greatest scientific achievements. They are pretty cool in a creepy kinda way (early sci-fi music playing in the background).

Okay, now to the serious stuff...this could lead to some serious sci-fi concepts both in neuro-engineering development, artificial intelligence, hybrid human/species development. Think about it...a human with the flight ability of a fly...or the complex site of a fly.

Updates on the Dark Matter...matter - Some more scientists are trying to track and "find" dark matter. There's a reason why it's called dark, dude. It's a mysterious power that's like the universe's vampire. Maybe we really don't want to open up that box. Maybe it resides on another level for a reason. There are some great places you can take a story using the context of dark matter. I'm surprised more people haven't exploited the concept...hmmm *jots down notes*.

One step closer to galactic communications - 'Nuff said...one of the coolest finds for sci-fi writing...and for the future of space colonization. I do admit, the associated picture was a bit of a letdown. I was looking more for...the bridge of Star Trek.

Okay. Well, those are the science updates I saw this week that were pretty cool.

Good writing all!

Science Updates

Space Taxi's for NASA Astronauts. I know a lot of people are worried that privatizing shuttle launching and exploration will start capital exploitation of the galaxy but I don't. Some of the greatest advances in history came from the private sector. They had gumption and geeky passion to excel where government programs were bogged down with red tape. Mark my words, this will be the rebirth of space exploration interest that we've been needing.

Restoring Human Vision. Can you imagine? Being able to correct blindness in our lifetime. If this new advance in cell regeneration continues at this rate...it'll happen. I'm so excited that we won't need La Forge's head gear to accomplish it.

Parenting License? Now, there are some parents I see throughout the day that I think, "Oh man, there should be a license to become a parent." But when I think about it, it's based on the maturity and responsibility of that person...not their genetic make-up. This test is a little scary because it resonates hints of Hitler's drive to "purify" the human race. The technology behind this rides a very thin slippery slope. But hey! It's great as a story concept.

End of the Aging Process. Vampires beware. Humans are also nearing the ability to live forever, and we won't need damning our souls or sucking blood to do it either. Or would we be damning our souls? It depends on your beliefs on the purpose of life. For me, this could really end the meaning of life and human development. In short, it would stunt human growth and evolution. If you get a chance read The Boat of a Million Years by Poul Anderson. Very good approach to this very topic (maybe I'll do a review of it).

Well, that's what I found interesting and possible points for future stories. Hope they weren't too boring.

Good writing all!

Science Updates

As a new post theme, I'm going to start doing periodic science and technology updates that interest me. The focus of these updates will be things I see arriving or down the pipe that will lead to some great science fiction concept basis. (Who am I kidding? They're just things I think are REALLY cool.)

Okay, here we go:

NASA unveils a new Space Suit...yay! This has been one of my dreams since the 1980s. It's taken longer than my sci-fi mind thought it would. But, no matter, it's here now. Taking a good look at the suit, it's very exciting. It modifies for different functions and environments and looks like some of the sci-fi prototypes in early 70s and late 80s science fiction stories.

Econeering...the way of the future. Watch out for this bioengineering science, and the key phrase, Econeering. If they are able to keep succeeding in this technology we're going to see the full potential of Terra forming at an accelerated rate. This technology is a little scary, depending on the ethical sustainment of the research and development.

Done wrong, this could turn into a more sinister sci-fi concept. Not only that, but with the parallel successes of genomic and nano technology I think we could see some blending of human, ecological, and IT on the future evolutionary timeline.

PZT: Flexible Energy Sheets...This is what I'm talking about! The new technology in this is amazing and something all sci-fi geeks should be uber excited about. PZT sheets can be placed anywhere that would stress and flex it and Wha-Bhammo! energy. This would be great in context to futuristic healthcare, space-living, long voyage transportation...the list goes on and on and on. (Phew...take a breath AR. The excitement's getting to ya.)

Well, those are three things that caught my imagination and stirred some great ideas.


Good writing all!