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New 3D printing technique could make lab-grown organs more practical
A fast 3D printing technique could lead to healthy lab-grown organs that are ready in minutes rather than hours.
SUNY partners with Coursera for massively open online course experiment
Massive open online courses have the potential to alter how we teach and learn as a society, but unlike other methods that are steeped in centuries of trial and error, the MOOC concept remains experimental and unproven -- often criticized as better suited for edification than rigorous education. Like edX, Coursera is working to challenge that assumption, and today the online course provider announced partnerships with ten public university systems that'll integrate lessons from Coursera into the classroom. Most notably, The State University of New York is participating, which boasts 64 campuses and an enrollment of nearly half a million students. While its implementation remains up in the air, SUNY aims to introduce Coursera materials this fall and over the next few years as part of its Open SUNY initiative. Like SUNY, all partner schools may adapt lessons from Coursera as they see fit, and professors will have the opportunity to develop online courses for Coursera. Most significantly, the pilot programs will give universities an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of Coursera material, which could go a long way toward legitimizing the MOOC concept. As another happy consequence, universities may choose to offer for-credit courses from Coursera to non-matriculated students. For a greater understanding of this grand experiment, just hit up the source links. [Image credit: Dave Herholz / Flickr]
Neuroscientists in Brooklyn successfully erase memories with drugs
Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center have apparently been tinkering with selectively erasing the memories of rats with a mysterious drug they call ZIP. In the trial, mice who had learned to avoid an electrified area of their cage, once injected with ZIP, appeared to have forgotten about the electrification, and ceased to avoid the area. They have also successfully made the rats forgot about their distaste for a substance that had previously made them sick. Dr. Todd Sacktor, head of the project, believes that the drug may be used in humans one day, and that it may also help enhance memories as well. We don't really have any specific info about the drug itself, or how it works, so until then... we'll just have to keep hoping that the lyrics to Use Your Illusion II fade on their own.
Wii Sqweeze: yet another limited-use Wiimote peripheral
A Wii Wheel for racing? Fine. A club attachment for golfing. Eh, okay. InterAction Laboratories' Wii Sqweeze? Puh-lease. Recently "demonstrated" by CEO Greg Merril, this goofball peripheral possesses a pair of rubber handles which "allow for shoulder abduction and adduction." Reportedly, the unit was shown off playing some sort of bow hunting game on a PC, though the company promises native Wii compatibility before its 2009 launch. Can we get a show of hands from people who'd actually buy this thing for more than $4.99? Don't make us phone in the quick-lipped auctioneer.
Internet-enabled TrailGuard metal detectors snitch on poachers
The latest anti-poaching tool may not be as completely bizarre as the Robodeer, but the TrailGuard technology coming out of Steve Gulick's laboratory is entirely more sophisticated (and stealthy, too). The system consists of a network of metal detectors buried next to forest trails which will detect the presence of a contraband machete or rifle and swing into action. Upon recognizing a potential weapon, the sensor will "send a radio signal to a nearby internet gateway and then to the internet via satellite," which will subsequently alert a ranger to the unwanted guest practically in real-time. The developing team insinuates that this product could make the rounds that rangers make a lot more efficient, and considering that most national parks are somewhat understaffed, this could help them cover the ground that they need to. So if you just so happen to wander out in the woods and pitch a tent with metal stakes, only to be approached by an armed wildlife officer, don't be too alarmed.
