Thursday 18 June 2015

A Computer Just Solved a 120-Year-Old Mystery - Without the Help of Humans


Levin
A 120 years old mystery surrounding the regeneration of flatworm cells seems to have been solved by a computer. This computer was programmed to help in the development of scientific theories and that too without any assistance from humans. This machine has been built by the biologists at Tufts University. It has been able explain the process which show how the sliced-up flatworms genes are able to regenerate the sliced-up called into a new organism. This process is being called as Planaria.

Planaria: 

The computer has scanned the information that’s has been gathered from various studies performed in the same field and then it stimulated numerous networks that has been formed by the genes of the work till it was able to find an exact match for this study. Every time the system was able to successfully match the data will the study, it saves results and manipulated the entire system and restarted the search to find a new match again. This process was continued for 3 days before the team came up with the needed answers.

Virtual Assistance: 

According to Michael Levin, the senior author of the paper highlighting the details of this discovery, this can be considered as the most comprehensive and detailed model of planarian regeneration every found, until now. He also added that little assistance was taken from the artificial intelligence for carrying out the computations, the outcomes of this research is completely a theory based on the activities of the worm. Levin also stated that it was quite remarkable that the outcomes were a comparatively simple model that will be easy for humans to understand and not get tangled in the overall mess.

This clearly indicates that artificial intelligence can be very much used in every aspect of science and not being limited to data mining. It can be extended to understand the meaning behind the data. Levin stated that they this problem for finding out solution because mainly it was very interesting and these worms and primarily immortal. Even if they are cut in pieces they have the ability to continuously transform into new organisms.

Is it the rise of new computer scientist? 

Despite the fact that it just took 3 days for the computer to find a solution, it took the team years to design and develop the computer program. Levin states that if the computer-driven trial-and-error approach can be used for developing scientific theories, it can be very much used in all disciplines of science, especially the ones that involve too much of complicated data.

This program shows that it is important for the approach and the problem to be universal. They are hoping that this program is used for getting valuable insights into some basic science. Levin hopes that this approach will be used for finding solutions to different questions in biology be it cancer metastasis. All it requires is the change in the formal language, building of the database with the necessary facts and adding stimulator.

Google to Offer Mac-Friendly Version of Chrome


Chrome
Much after people reduced the use of old-school Microsoft Internet Explorer and chose the most beloved browser Google Chrome, Google finally announced Mac friendly version of the web browser, which will consume less battery and will offer better performance. It was high time for US tech giant Google to spread their wing into iMacs and Mac OS, as the company now expects the Chrome to work with its full potential in Mac computers. According to tech pundits, Google have placed a well-planned and firm bet by releasing Mac-friendly Chrome, only to triumph Apple’s own web browser, Safari. Though Safari works just perfectly as a web browser on Apple systems and offers lot additives, Google officials and developers are confident enough to beat the likes of Safari and to claim the favourite spot for Mac-freaks.

The news got proper shape when Senior chrome engineer Peter Kasting recently announced an update to Google chrome with some intelligent tweaks are coming very soon. Though Google have not announced any launch date, but the update details are coming from trusted official sources. According to official sources, Google developers’ team is currently testing the latest tweaks, which are expected to reduce the load by chrome on the processor and also promises for longer battery life and enhanced performance.

What is coming with Mac-friendly Chrome! 

Last week Casting posted on Google+ about the Chrome update for Mac users and stated that the new Chrome version will change how it processes the idle tabs, which are not in use at that point of time. In technical words, the new chrome will render the tabs differently and the unused tabs will be less prioritised further. The tests conducted have showed better browsing performance, better idle wake up time and also showed less battery consumption, which have been always a great concern on Mac systems. Google have also integrated some intelligent moves with new Chrome, like waking up from low-power mode to check necessary tasks and it will reduce idle wake time.

For Mac systems, some of the biggest problems reported for Chrome are huge battery consumption, high memory acquisition. Google tech team have been preparing Chrome for this launch for a long time now and stated that the team has been restless during this time as they could not allow their users are having issues with their product. Also the newer version of Chrome is coming with stable enabled flash service.

Vs Safari

According to the technology experts, Google Chrome is going for a direct assault with Safari by matching their performance graph on Mac systems. Certain quality check tests have been conducted and showed significant boost in performance level. For example, a test showed the consumption of processing power by new version of Chrome reduced to 0.1 percent from 0.3 percent.

According to the official source, Google will be releasing the new version of Chrome through its beta channel in a while and the final version will be launched in next month or so.

5 Future Car Technologies


A spanking new vehicle is a dream buy and high on anyone’s aspirational list. The auto industry is all about constant change. The new generation consumer also wants new technologies to make their drive more comfortable. The automotive engineers at the R & D department of all the manufacturers are bringing us new technologies from time to time. There are innumerable new technologies in the department of safety, infotainment, and innovation. Here are 5 future car technologies that we may see in our cars in the near future. Also check Upcoming car in India.
Car

1) A car that will make its own decisions is not going to be that far in future. Driver Override System is a new technology that may be ready in the next five years. Even now there are certain cars which kill the engine when there is a fault in the engine or when it over speeds. The driver override system will apply the brakes even if the driver has the gas pedal floored. The increase in using of sensors in the cars will force the cars to take decisions. This is a shift in priority.

2) Over are those days when you had to search for your car keys. The Biometric Vehicle Access is the new future of starting your car. Recently we had seen the switch to keyless entry and start. In the future get ready for a key-fob-less entry and start. One will be able to unlock and start your car with your fingertip or retina iris. This technology follows the same procedure used at high security areas where the user or, here, the owner/driver, is recognised by the pattern on the finger tip or the pattern on the iris.

3) Another technology one may find in the future cars is the Reconfigurable Body Panels. How would it seem to have a car which looks like an SUV, but has the powerful motor of a truck? Imagine an SUV with lightweight body panels and advanced motors that retract the roof and side glass into the lower body panels. Reconfigurable Body Panels may be the future of body of the cars.

4) We know of single, double and three-cylinder cars. How about a four-cylinder supercar? We already have a Ford GT supercar which has a twin-turbo V6. By 2020 we are expecting to see the first full-fledged, 200 mph supercar with a four-cylinder engine.

5) Now, the idea of a self-driving car is not a new idea. We have already seen James Bond and other super heroes owning self driven cars which can even park by themselves. But a truly self-driving car means exactly that, one that can drive itself, and they are probably closer to being a reality in the very near future.

For more information on new cars & bikes log on to Autoportal.com & BikePortal.in

Texting Lanes Solve Walking Bumps


Texting Lanes
Text Walking Lane – Smartphone Specialist MLab

Recently, a game changing text walking lane by a local smartphone specialist MLab has been introduced in Antwerp department store, Shopping Stadsfeestzaal together with other locations. Consumers could use the special lanes for walking and texting without colliding into one another, thus making it easy to communicate with their colleagues while indulging in shopping.

However, the Antwerp city council is said to be less impressed with this project since it seems that the MLab had not discussed the marking stunt strategy with the officials. The authorities have stated that on discovering the texting lanes, the drawings utilised in creating the lanes would be removed as no permits were obtained as well as advertising has been prohibited in Antwerp. Besides this, it has also not been confirmed on how much the removal of the lanes would cost. Committed walkways have been marked with white paint with signs of `text walking lane’, now tend to line busy pavements in the city centre in order that people who are busy with their devices don’t bump into the other pedestrians.

Smartphone Users – Their Own Designated Lanes

Antwerp has given users of smartphone, their own designated lanes which are considered to be a publicity stunt of Dutch smartphone specialist MLab with his focus in eliminating `text walking’ disasters, who states that several smartphones are broken during collisions between the pedestrians. If the lanes are tried to reduce the number of accidents causing broken screens, buttons or cases, officials are of the opinion that they could be made permanent.

These were intended to be temporary only, however people have been taking to them and the developers are hoping that there is a chance of it catching up in the near future. The markings on the ground are visible white paint though some of the lanes wind through narrow cobbled streets. However, negotiating corners would probably remain to be challenging for people who tend to have their eyes fixed to the phone screens.

Everyone Textwalks – Don’t Pay Attention to Surroundings

A MLab spokesman informed Yahoo news - `Everyone textwalks, you probably walk through the streets while texting or sending Whatsapp messages to your friends and don’t really pay attention to your surroundings, only to whatever is happening on your screen. This causes collisions with poles or other pedestrians. You could unknowingly, even be endangering your own life while you textwalk when you cross the street without looking up’.

A similar initiative was launched though on a smaller scale in Washington DC last July by the National Geographic TV channel, but Antwerp’s is said to be the first in Europe. Several walkers, in Washington, had ignored the markings, though some took out their mobiles to photograph the lane markings and the `no cell phones’ since that were painted elsewhere on the pavement.

Chinese authorities had a lane on a 100 ft. stretch of pavement, marked out for mobile users in a theme park called `Foreigner Street’ in the city of Chongqing in September. According to officials it was said that the markings were intended in reminding people that it is best not to play with your phone while walking. There is a belief that there are more mobile phones in the world than people. As per figures provided by telecommunications companies, while the global population is estimated to be around 7.2 billion, there are about 7.5 billion mobiles around.

LG G Flex2 With 5.5-Inch Curved Display Launched


LG_G_Flex2
LG G Flex2- First Revealed Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 Smartphone

At CES 2015, LG has launched the G Flex2 smartphone which would be made available by the end of January in Korea and will be released in the global market, thereafter. The flexible phone could probably cost more than the LG G3. The LG G Flex2 is the first revealed Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 smartphone and is coupled with the Adreno 430 GPU together with 2GB of LPDDR4 RAM. This single SIM smartphone features a 5.5 inch full HD curved P-OLED display with a 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution and a 403ppi pixel density and runs Android 5.0Lollipop.

It has a display of 700mm radius curvature and the back is a bit sharper with a 650mm radius curvature for the purpose of gripping. According to LG, the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 has been toughened to around 20% from the earlier generation with the firm’s own special chemical treatment technology and LG calls this Dura-Guard glass. The complete phone is apparently 30% more durable than the original one. Besides this, the company has also enhanced the `Self-Healing’ back from the earlier LG G Flex which will now get healed at room temperature within 10 seconds, that is considerably lower than the last generations’ of three minutes to recover.

Curved Embedded 3000mAh Non Removable Battery

The new LG smartphone also features advance 13.0 megapixel main camera with laser based auto focus technology which is seen in the company flagship G3. It has a 2.1 megapixel snapper with gesture shot feature in the front, where the user could use hand gesture in order to take a selfie from a distance of 1.5 meters away from the phone.

LG G Flex2 would be competing against top tier brands such as Samsung Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge, HTC one M9+ as well as Apple iPhone 6 & 6 Plus. With regards to connectivity, the LG G Flex2 comprises of 4G LTE-A together with tri-band carrier combination, HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth Smart Ready (Apt-X) 4.1, NFC, GPS/A-GPS, SlimPort, GLONASS and USB 2.0. It measures 149.1 x 75.3 x 7.1 – 9.4mm, weighing 152 gms. It packs a curved embedded 3000mAh non removable battery

Gesture Shot/Glance View/Fast Charging

Other features include simple hand `Gesture Shot’ recognisable from around 1.5 meters distance, and `Gesture View’ helps to check the last clicked shot. For `Glance View’, one could swipe down for notifications even when the screen is off while `Fast Charging’ can charge the better up to 50% within 40 minutes. Presently the smartphone is available in Titan Silver/16GB variant. The LG G Flex2, at first glance seems every bit of a premium device from LG.

 It is equipped with a fast processor, a decent camera and sharp display and is comparatively a good improvement from the first gen LG Flex. We need to wait and see how fast it would be over its contemporaries as this is the first Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC sporting phone to be launched in India. The company has confirmed that the product would be made available all over India in stores as well as on e-commerce sites like Flipkart and will be priced at Rs.54,990.