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Until
now, computers have fallen far short of being
able to read our minds. Researchers have intercepted
a monkey's brain signals to let the monkey
directly control a computer cursor. The feat
provides hope that paralyzed people will eventually
be able to use computers.
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DNA
solves big problem
DNA computers have been built before, but they have
been simple proofs-of-concept. A new DNA computer
has solved a problem that has twenty variables and
more than a million possible answers, which is large
enough to take a human using pencil and paper several
years to calculate. DNA computing could eventually
solve certain types of problems faster than electronic
computers.
Carving
beams shrink circuits
Chip electronics made from nanotubes, nanowires
or molecules would make for blazingly fast computers.
But connecting these vanishingly small components
to the larger world of electronics is a challenge.
An etching technique is helping to narrow the gap.
Lasers
snatch free-floating DNA
Under the influence of a laser beam, clusters of
microscopic plastic beads can get a grip on DNA,
giving researchers a handy method for dragging,
pinning and stretching individual DNA molecules.
Etching
could boost disk capacity
Cramming more data onto disk drives usually requires
crafting magnetic materials that have smaller bits,
which is an increasingly challenging proposition.
Borrowing chipmaking techniques could make for a
simpler approach.
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