Tag: researchers

MIT-designed windows can rapidly switch from clear to opaque

Imagine not having to use curtains or blinds anymore. Instead of covering your windows when the sun’s too strong, you simply have to flip a switch to turn them completely opaque. A team of MIT researchers have developed a method that could make that scenario a reality. Their technique uses electrochromic materials that can instantly change the color of glass from transparent to nearly black by applying a bit of electricity. It’s certainly not the first method developed to change a window’s color, but according to the researchers, their creation has a much faster response time and requires lesser energy. Other techniques take a few minutes to change the shade of the material, and some can’t achieve the opacity that it can. Further, there are methods that need a constant flow of voltage for the window to remain opaque. This one only needs electricity when switching colors — the window can remain in its nearly black state without being connected to a source of energy. To make sure it has near instantaneous response time, the researchers used sponge-like materials called metal-organic frameworks that can quickly conduct electrons and ions. Electricity is applied to give the window a negative charge, and positive ions attack in an effort to neutralize it. That is what causes the color-changing effect. They also mixed two different chemicals that dye the window red and green to get to a color that’s very nearly black. MIT professor of chemistry Mircea Dincă said the technique could lead to “pretty significant energy savings” by reducing the need for air conditioning. “You could just flip a switch when the sun shines through the window, and turn it dark, ” he added. He also believes that it could lead to low-power smart displays, similar to e-ink found on Kindles. While the researchers already proved that their method works in the lab, they still need to create an actual working sample to entice investors and get their creation into our homes. Source: MIT

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MIT-designed windows can rapidly switch from clear to opaque

Scientists map human brain in more detail than ever before

Scientists are still using a 100 year-old map to identify 83 known regions of the brain, but that’s about to change. A team from Washington University in St. Louis, working with the Human Connectome Project , has plotted 97 new areas of our gray matter, bringing the total to 180. The updated map will help researchers better explore the brain and may lead to breakthroughs in autism, schizophrenia and other neurological disorders. “If you want to find out what the brain can do, you have to understand how it is organized and wired, ” says study leader Dr. David Van Essen. Scientists scanned 1, 200 test subjects with customized MRI machines packing three teslas of magnetic field strength. The patients were given simple tasks like listening to stories and doing math to see which regions lit up. They found that certain brain areas are clearly involved with, say, listening to a story, while others map a person’s field of view or control movement. The team not only developed a precise, well-defined map, but also released an “alignment algorithm” so that other researchers can repeat the tests. The researchers defined 180 regions per hemisphere, but each of those can likely be subdivided further by future researchers. And while different regions of the brain perform specific functions, they also provide assistance and pass signals to other parts of the brain. In fact, the Human Connectome Project previously determined that strong connectivity between regions of the brain was a good marker for intelligence. Using the algorithm, researchers and doctors can map a new subject’s brain in an hour or so with nearly 97 percent accuracy, even if the regions are irregular. The study should help doctors find areas affected by diseases like dementia to better see how treatments are working. Down the road, it will serve as a blueprint for further development and help us discover more about how our brain’s tick, and therefore, what makes us human. Via: The New York Times Source: Nature , WUSTL

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Scientists map human brain in more detail than ever before

Scientists ‘freeze’ light for an entire minute

In what could prove to be a major breakthrough in quantum memory storage and information processing, German researchers have frozen the fastest thing in the universe: light. And they did so for a record-breaking one minute. Read more…        

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Scientists ‘freeze’ light for an entire minute

Hawkmoths use their genitals to scare off bats

Bats hunt moths and other insects by using echolocation, where they emit ultrasonic calls and analyze the rebounding sound. So to avoid getting eaten by hungry bats, hawkmoths blast the flying mammals with their own ultrasound…which comes from their genitals. Seriously. Read more…        

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Hawkmoths use their genitals to scare off bats