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Light therapy now treats even the deepest cancer
Light therapy is a safe, easy way to kill cancer and treat other diseases, but it's normally limited by its nature to illnesses that are skin-deep. Washington University researchers aren't daunted, however. They've developed a phototherapy method that brings light directly to tumor cells, no matter how deep they are. The technique has you ingesting sugar combined with radioactive fluorine and light-sensitive, cancer-fighting nanoparticles. When you go through a PET scan, the sugar lights up and promptly kicks the nanoparticles into high gear. Effectively, this is a Trojan horse -- since tumors eagerly absorb sugar, they're sowing the seeds of their own demise.
Behold the first photo of light in both wave and particle forms
You've likely read in a textbook before that light behaves both as a particle and a wave at the same time. Scientists had previously seen it behave one way or another, but it's only now that someone finally found a way to photograph light as both in a single picture since Einstein proposed its dual nature in the early 1900's. In order to photograph light, a team of scientists from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) used a novel technique and an electron microscope so powerful, there are only two in the world.
Scientists make a Mobius strip of laser light
Unless you count incidents in Star Trek episodes, Möbius strips don't really occur in nature -- you have to create that freaky one-sided shape yourself. However, a worldwide team of scientists may have produced the next best thing. They've created a Möbius strip of light by manipulating the polarization of the light's inherent electromagnetic field. The trick involves firing a highly focused laser beam through a liquid crystal lens to give it a very specific polarization. When the light scatters at the focal point with the help of a nanoparticle, that polarization creates tiny, twisted loops. While these strips were made in a lab, of course, the experiment shows that they're at least possible in nature.
San Francisco's Bay Bridge keeps its computer-controlled lights
The 25,000 computer-driven LED lights on San Francisco's Bay Bridge were only meant to be part of a two-year art project, but it looks like they'll eventually become a permanent (and frankly, rather pretty) part of the landscape. The non-profit behind the lights, Illuminate the Arts, has raised the $4 million necessary to both cover the costs of new gear and reinstall the lights after they're taken down during cable maintenance. From then on, transportation authority Caltrans will pay the $250,000 a year it takes to keep the illumination running. There will be a period where the bridge will go dark, but it should resume shining in January 2016 -- conveniently, just ahead of the influx of tourists attending Super Bowl 50. Not all San Franciscans are fans of the installation (they argue that it's out of sync with the region), but these LEDs are here to stay. [Image credit: Chris Marra, Flickr]
Light-bending silicon strips are the key to super-fast computers
No, that's not a barcode you're looking at -- instead, it's the likely future of computing. Stanford University researchers have developed an optical link that uses silicon strips to bend light at right angles, which future processors will likely need to transmit data at super-fast speeds. The key, as you might have gathered, is the series of gaps. When light hits the device, the combination of those gaps and silicon sends different wavelengths left and right. You're not limited to specific light bands or directions, either; you can use an algorithm to design the link you need within a matter of minutes.
BMW's new street lights will charge your electric car
Street lights are already brimming with electricity, so it stands to reason that they'd make great charging points for electric cars, doesn't it? BMW certainly thinks so. It has developed Light and Charge LED street lights that could keep your EV topped up (Beemer or otherwise) using existing urban infrastructure instead of dedicated power outlets and charging stations. It should be cheaper for cities to implement, of course, but it could also take a lot of the anxiety out of driving a gas-free vehicle -- you could theoretically park on any street knowing that your car will have more energy when you come back.
Notti smart light does notifications and wake-up calls with style
There are already a good handful of options in the smart bulb market, but if you're after something more of a portable mood light with notification feature, then Hong Kong startup Witti may have something for you. The Notti, a project just launched on Kickstarter, is a 'polygonic' smart LED box that hooks up to your iPhone or Android phone over Bluetooth. This cool-looking device comes with a companion app that lets you set the color theme for the mood light mode, and you can do the same for specific types of notifications -- be it from e-mails, social networks, calls, messages and more. Better yet, the device also serves as a music visualizer as well as a wake-up light -- as shown in the video after the break. As for battery life, a single charge will last up to a month.
Know Your Lore, Tinfoil Hat Edition: Light of the naaru
The World of Warcraft is an expansive universe. You're playing the game, you're fighting the bosses, you know the how -- but do you know the why? Each week, Matthew Rossi and Anne Stickney make sure you Know Your Lore by covering the history of the story behind World of Warcraft. First featured in the Burning Crusade expansion, the enigmatic naaru have been a constant, benevolent life-force in World of Warcraft -- strange creatures with some sort of eternal crusade against the darkness of the Legion. It was the naaru that saved Prophet Velen and his people when they were on the cusp of being claimed by the dark promises of Sargeras, the naaru that helped them flee, the naaru that taught them the Light. And it was the naaru who seemed to be playing a much, much longer game than anyone else, when Burning Crusade reached its end and the full scope of M'uru's plan was revealed. Burning Crusade marked the second known occasion that the naaru willingly stepped into the lives of mortal races to pull them away from darkness and reach salvation -- although it's entirely possible they have done this before with other races, on other worlds we've never seen. This has always been presented as the noblest of causes. Yet despite all these altruistic actions, we really know very little about the naaru, where they came from, or ultimately why it is that they feel they must fulfill this task. Yet while Warlords of Draenor largely concerns the orcs and the Iron Horde, there are still a few clues -- just enough to expand that perception of the naaru a little more and raise a few more questions in the process. Today's Know Your Lore is a Tinfoil Hat edition. The following contains speculation based on known material. These speculations are merely theories and shouldn't be taken as fact or official lore. Please note: The following Know Your Lore contains several spoilers for Warlords of Draenor.
Super-speedy light detector gives x-ray machines a run for their money
It's very tough to find light beyond certain frequencies. If you want to see elusive terahertz waves, for example, you have to get a system that's either really slow or needs to be kept at a temperature near absolute zero -- not exactly practical. The University of Maryland's scientists have a better way, however. They've developed a graphene-based detector that not only works at room temperature, but should be over a million times faster than previous tech. The very nature of graphene is what makes it work so well; since the material doesn't absorb the heat from incoming light, you can use it as a sensor without having to keep it chilly or otherwise jump through hoops to get an accurate reading.
Lightfreq is like the lovechild of Jambox and Hue
Since the death of the incandescent bulb we've seen light-emitting oddities of all kinds pop up, but for the most part, they've been rather, well, silent. LightFreq is aiming to change that, however, with a smart lightbulb that has a built-in speaker and customizable color output. The speaker connects to an app on your phone via Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi, as does the light itself, allowing you to beam your music from room to room and even have your tunes and lights follow you, automatically turning them off after you pass by and illuminating the next before entering. The LightFreq also acts as an intercom system, wherein you can broadcast voice messages from your device to an individual unit in another room or all bulbs at once. The features don't stop there, as you can even set individual colors for specific push notifications and alerts on your phone; a flashing red-to-blue pulse when your police-officer dad calls, for instance.
Joystiq Weekly: Doom reboot, Microsoft's layoffs, Sunless Sea and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. We're happy to hear that Doom is still brewing in the depths of iD Software, but if we're getting spoiled with updates to classics, we wonder if we could get anything else revived if we stir up enough demand. Remember how awesome Bubsy was? What about taking another crack at Altered Beast? What's that, you say? "No and your picks are garbage"? Well then. Lucky for you, this edition of the Joystiq Weekly carries no news of reboots for either series. It does offer a recap of the week's biggest non-fictional stories though, from Microsoft's plans to dismiss 18,000 workers to the latest fighters to take up arms in Super Smash Bros. There are also reviews for the stealth-focused Light and a spooky, exploration-driven journey on a boat called Sunless Sea, plus a WildStar postcard that digs into the MMO's PvP modes. It's all arranged neat and orderly-like for you after the break!
Light review: Standing in shadow
Light, from developer Just A Pixel and published by Worms studio Team17, is a top-down, minimalist stealth game that calls to mind the likes of Monaco, Mark of the Ninja and Hotline Miami. Unfortunately, it never hits its notes as expertly as those games do. Neither great nor particularly bad, it is the definition of "middle-tier." Light succeeds where it needs to, but never exceeds expectations. For some, that will be enough. For most, Light is the flickering bulb of a dying flashlight.
Light sneaks to Steam, on sale this week
Just a Pixel's simple, stealthy game, Light, is now available on Steam. It is among the first to be published by Worms series developer Team17 in nearly two decades, a feat that Team17 first announced in November. In Light, Players guide a square icon through a blueprint-like overhead view of a building, hacking doors and terminals while avoiding the line of sight of cameras and guards. The hero of the minimalistic game is a man with no memory who stumbles on the plans of a shadowy organization. Light received the nod for Steam distribution from the Greenlight community in December. The PC, Mac and Linux game is 30 percent off ($9.09) for its introductory week until July 21, at which point it will cost $12.99 (£9.99 / €11.99). [Image: Team17]
Scientists simulate time travel using light particles
We may never see practical time travel in our lifetimes, if it's possible at all. However, a team at the University of Queensland has given the Doc Browns of the world a faint glimmer of hope by simulating time travel on a very, very small scale. Their study used individual photons to replicate a quantum particle traveling through a space-time loop (like the one you see above) to arrive where and when it began. Since these particles are inherently uncertain, there wasn't room for the paradoxes that normally thwart this sort of research. The particle couldn't destroy itself before it went on its journey, for example.
Solstice tip: Automatically run f.lux every day at 6 pm
It's the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, so it's a perfect time to note that sitting in front of a glowing blue light for hours on end isn't particularly natural for us humans. f.lux is a Mac app which automatically adjusts the brightness and color of your computer display. The general non-technical idea behind the app is that the usual blue-white light from the screen tricks your brain into thinking that it is daylight, which suppresses the natural sleepiness response to the cycle of day/night. Are those claims scientifically valid? I have no idea, but a) there seems to be good science behind it, and b) I can tell you that when I run f.lux, I tend not to stay up as late, and if I turn f.lux off at night I am amazed how blindingly bright my Mac's screen is. The app is free, so if you use your Mac after sundown (and I bet you do!), why not give it at try? The other day on Twitter, Greg Pfeil wrote: "Realizing I've been up late on the computer lately because I disabled @JustGetFlux a couple days ago and forgot to turn it back on." I had been using a Keyboard Maestro macro to launch f.lux every day, but decided that it would probably be better as a launchd trigger because I'm not sure what happens to Keyboard Maestro time-trigger macros if your Mac is asleep when they are supposed to run, whereas I'm 99% sure that launchd will "catch up" and still run the command when the computer wakes up. Plus launchd is something anyone can use, even if they don't have Keyboard Maestro (which you should, but that's beside the point). To do this, first download f.lux and install it. Launch it and be sure to give it access to your location. Configure it if you like to tweak things, or just use the default settings (FWIW, that's what I use). Next, download this gist: and save as ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.tjluoma.flux.plist and then either: 1) logout/login or 2) enter this in Terminal: launchctl load "$HOME/Library/LaunchAgents/com.tjluoma.flux.plist" Voilà! Now you never have to worry about remembering to launch f.lux again! And if the app is already running, that command won't cause any problems. If you want to change the time when f.lux launches (for example, in the winter you might want it to launch at 4:00 p.m. instead of 6:00 p.m.) change the plist file <key>Hour</key> to something other than 18. As always, when editing launchd plists I recommend LaunchControl.
Toyota's LED-lit concept car lets your kids customize the hood
If you complained about your family's drab-looking car when you were a kid, you're going to love the latest incarnation of Toyota's Camatte concept. The vehicle lets children (and creative adults) customize the look by translating their drawings to nearly 7,000 LED lights on the hood; you could change styles at a moment's notice without having to swap panels (as with the 2012 Camatte) or break out some paint. There's no word on the possibility of this technology reaching production models, although we wouldn't count on it in the near future -- even if higher energy consumption isn't a factor, a light-up hood could get quite expensive. Still, Camatte raises hope that cars will one day be as unique as their drivers.
Watch this: Robot arm composes intricate 3D light paintings
What happens when you outfit a robot arm used for manufacturing with RGB LEDs? Well, lots of things we'd surmise, but super detailed 3D light paintings are but some of the possibilities. A pair of human/computer interaction students at Carnegie Mellon have done just that, producing much more detailed results than previous efforts. Using a Kinect to capture the subject(s), a collection of 5,000 points are plotted over the course of about half and hour with various software applications handling the plotting, color, 3D modeling and more. To log the work in its entirety, DSLRs snap long exposure stills as the arm does its work. Perhaps that ABB IRB 6640 can moonlight as a portrait artist between construction projects.
Scientists find a way to create matter from light
Scientists have long theorized that you can create matter from light by colliding photons, but proving that theory has been a different story -- you need the right high-energy particles to even think of trying. However, it looks like that once-impossible dream is close to becoming reality. Researchers at Imperial College London have discovered a technique that should produce electrons and positrons by colliding two sets of super-energetic photons. To create the first batch of photons, you have to first blast electrons with a laser, and then shoot them at a piece of gold; you produce the other batch by firing a laser at the inside of a small gold can to produce a thermal radiation field. If you collide the two photon sources inside the can, you should see electrons and positrons spilling out.
This $40 plastic ring is the first point-and-shoot accessory you actually need to own
There's a lot of junk you can buy to stick on your camera. Point-and-shoot enthusiasts are likely acquainted with those pricey screw-on lenses that let you capture at a slightly wider angle or zoomed a bit further in, while action cam owners probably have bags of expendable mounts. You can also add on a case or customize your wrist strap, or purchase a mélange of other rubbish that won't make even the slightest difference when it comes to your photography. But Olympus has managed to create an aftermarket gadget that's actually a must-have: a plastic ring diffuser that provides killer light for your macro shots.
Interactive chandelier turns data streams into a light show
Most hotels have fancy chandeliers hanging in their lobbies, but a new one in Palo Alto has something a lot more apt for its location: a "participatory" light fixture. This high-tech chandelier, which has a hundred bulbs that can dim and move independently, was designed by engineers from the IDEO Digital Shop. It's been basing its light shows for the past month on math equations and noise functions, but since it's not your run-of-the-mill lighting, it works in many different ways -- like visualizing data streams from online sources such as social media. For instance, it can come to life when someone mentions the hotel on Twitter or Facebook, or move in a way that mirrors the weather in the area according to info from the internet. It can also light up in step with someone moving up or down the stairs and match the level of activity at the hotel bar. You can see this chandelier in person in The Epiphany, but if going to Palo Alto is not quite possible, you can watch it flicker and undulate into life after the break. (PS: We'd really like to see this chandelier in the same room as this interactive floor.)
