science Archives - Breakpoint Book

Hey, kids: Now there’s a new kit that lets you control a cockroach’s brain

Trying to teach kids about neuroscience and neurotechnology? What better way to engage a class then by taking over a cockroach’s brain! The RoboRoach allows a class to perform brain surgery on a cockroach and after the brief surgery, they can control its every move through bluetooth on a smartphone. Definitely a thrilling, new way to excite students about science.

For $100 — and a little bit of surgery — the RoboRoach can control a cockroach’s brain patterns to make it move via smartphone app. It’s aimed at helping kids understand neuroscience and neurotechnology in a more hands-on way.

‘Tawny crazy ants’ invade Fla. by millions

We all know how irritating ants can be, but nothing tops the infuriation of technology killing, livestock attacking ants. Now spread in over 20 counties in Florida and extending into Texas, millions of “Twany Crazy Ants” are slowly, but surely spreading around the States.

Insects called “Tawny Crazy Ants” have invaded 20 Florida counties by the millions.
Researchers said these ants can reach densities 100 times greater than all other ants in the area combined.

Wow, A Lot Of Stuff Just Happened In SEO

SEO news skyrocketed in the past week. Between Apple, Google, Yelp, and Facebook all incorporating new products and features, companies are demonstrating how fast search engines are growing. Take a further look to see exactly what happened in the past week with SEO…

It’s been a pretty big week for search and SEO news. There have been a lot of announcements, not only from Google, but from Google competitors. Let’s recap, and discuss in the comments. Which of the latest announcements do you

Wearable technology: This time it’s a $2,000 helmet

Wouldn’t it be handy for a motorcyclist with no sense of direction to safely navigate while riding? Well LiveMap, a Russian startup, created a helmet that will do just that. Using augmented-reality LiveMap devised a way for cyclists to navigate with ease through their very own helmet.

Russian startup LiveMap is working on a state-of-art motorbike helmet with a built-in navigation system that can take voice commands.

Google Fiber Helped a Sick Boy Throw a Baseball Pitch with Robots

Nick LeGrande is a 14 year old who loves baseball. But unlike most 14 year olds he suffers from a life-threatening blood disease called Aplastic Anemia, which makes it impossible for him to go to his favorite sports games. After Nick was diagnosed, Google Fiber went to Kansas City looking for ways high speed internet could impact peoples lives. They connected with Nick and found a way for him to participate in a baseball game 1,800 miles away. Check out how Google Fiber helped Nick LeGrande throw out the first ever telerobotic pitch at the Oakland A’s v New York Yankee’s game all the way from Kansas City.

When you combine Google Fiber, a robot and a boy 1,800 miles away from a baseball game, you already know it’s going to be a good story. Like most boys, Nick LeGrande wanted to play ball when he …

Mozilla launches Science Lab to help researchers transform scientific practice through the open Web

Mozilla draws attention to the fact that scientists created the web. They also draw attention to the fact that science researchers have yet to fully use the web in order benefit the science community and furthermore, society. Mozilla’s Science Lab hopes to bring scientists together by starting a dialogue about ongoing projects that may better society. Check out what Mozilla’s hopes are for this project and their plan to make this website a successful one.

Mozilla today announced the Mozilla Science Lab, a new initiative to help researchers around the world use the open Web to shape science’s future, taking it out of the analog… Keep reading

Restaurant Industry Embraces Apps and Mobile Technology to Enhance Customer Service and Operational Efficiency

With the Age of Apps upon us, it’s not surprising that companies have begun creating apps to simplify the functionality of restaurants. Restaurants now have the option to download apps that help with seating, management, serving, and more. This innovation will most definitely serve as a victory for both the restaurant and the customer.

Restaurants Using Apps, Like the New Suite from HME Wireless, to Enhance Customer Service (PRWeb June 14, 2013)

Nuclear bomb tests reveal brain regeneration in humans

Nuclear bomb tests throughout the cold war prove beneficial to science. Scientists found that throughout adulthood a specific set of genes called dentate gyrus recreate themselves, staying forever youthful. Check out more about the idea of brain regeneration in News Scientist….

Carbon dating brain cells provides conclusive evidence that part of the adult human brain constantly renews itself – and that this neurogenesis persists in old age.

Google Glass Gets A Teardown, Revealing It Can Be Hacked To Prescription Glasses

The Google Glass has been broken down to see exactly how it pieces together, and may have some people wanting it more. See some of the key features of Google Glass and what it takes to make up this brand new product…

Google Glass isn’t in the hands of consumers yet, but a pair of intrepid Glass explorers didn’t let that stop them from taking the thing apart to see what makes it tick. This teardown is also …

Most Insurance Agencies Say Technology Helped Fiscal Growth: Survey

Insurance agencies are linking their use of technology to their bump in revenues. An astounding 92% of the medium sized firms grew in 2012. However are insurance companies also linking their successes to mobile technology or are they finding it to be a hinderance?

The majority of insurance agencies (77 percent) directly attribute their fiscal growth during 2012-2013 to the use of technology, according to a new industry survey. The survey, conducted by …

In his new book Breakpoint, brain scientist and entrepreneur Jeff Stibel talks about how the world as we see it today is poised for a networking revolution. This will change the way we access the world’s information and the way we connect with one another. Studying biological systems is perhaps the best way to understand such networks, and nature has a lesson for us if we care to listen: bigger is rarely better in the long run. The deadliest creature is the mosquito, not the lion.

It is the quality of a network that is important for survival, not the size. The bad news is that all networks—the human brain, Facebook, Google, even the internet itself—eventually reach a breakpoint with the potential for a catastrophic collapse. However, the good news is that reaching a breakpoint can be a step forward, allowing a network to substitute quality for quantity.

Ants, for instance aren’t smart, but once a colony matures beyond its breakpoint, ants show increasing signs of collective intelligence. When mature ants act as a group, a single unit, they defy logic. It turns out that the intelligence of ants does not lie with the individual – it lies with the group.

Check out this cool video about how when a flood hits a fire ant colony in the Amazon jungle, the ants create a lifeboat to protect their queen. Its amazing to see how the species has adapted to water to protect the queen.

Breakpoint is the common ground between how ants, the human brain, reindeer, facebook, traffic, technology and networks function. Watch this space to find out more… and make sure to register (below!)to get notified when you can pre-order the book!

Breakpoint, book review: Is the internet really a brain? – Excerpt from ZDNet

Control a Cockroach’s Brain