The last time (June 18, 2018 post) I mentioned xenotransplantation (transplanting organs from one species into another species; see more here), it was in the context of an art/sci (or sciart) event coming to Vancouver (Canada)., Patricia Piccinini’s Curious Imaginings Courtesy: Vancouver Biennale [downloaded from http://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-biennale-unsual-public-art-2018/] … The latest edition of the Vancouver Biennale was featured in a June 6, 2018 news item on the Daily Hive (Vancouver), … Melbourne artist Patricia Piccinini’s Curious Imaginings is expected…

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An April 18, 2018 news item on phys.org highlights an exciting graphene development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), MIT engineers have developed a continuous manufacturing process that produces long strips of high-quality graphene. The team’s results are the first demonstration of an industrial, scalable method for manufacturing high-quality graphene that is tailored for use in membranes that filter a variety of molecules, including salts, larger ions, proteins, or nanoparticles. Such membranes should be…

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This latest watch from the Richard Mille company by way of the University of Manchester isn’t the lightest watch the company has ever made but it is their lightest, most complex watch yet at less than 1.5 oz. It also has a breathtaking price tag. More about that later. An August 29, 2018 news item on Nanowerk announces the publication of research related to the graphene-enhanced watch, In January 2017 the world’s lightest mechanical chronograph…

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Pancakes & booze From an August 12, 2018 Art/Sci Salon announcement (received via email), Toronto — Batter sizzles, beer foams, and bare flesh is slathered in paint as gawkers look on. Indie musicians and DJs thunder sound waves off the canvas-lined, graffiti-strewn walls. Revelers stuff their faces with endless pancakes. What is this, some type of hipster themed IHOP? A Lady Gaga video? Bansky’s mom’s basement? Nah, it’s the Pancakes & Booze Art Show –…

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Implants of all kinds (hip replacements, knee replacements, etc.) seem to be on the rise and along with that an increasing number of infections. A Swedish research team announces a technology that could make implants safer in an April 16, 2018 news item on Nanowerk, A tiny layer of graphene flakes becomes a deadly weapon and kills bacteria, stopping infections during procedures such as implant surgery. This is the findings of new research from Chalmers…

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There have been some remarkable advances in the treatment of many diseases, diabetes being one of them. Of course, we can always make things better.and monitoring a diabetic patient’s glucose without have to draw blood is an improvement that may occur sooner rather than later as an April 9,2018 news item on Nanowerk suggests, Scientists have created a non-invasive, adhesive patch, which promises the measurement of glucose levels through the skin without a finger-prick blood…

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Caption: SEM images of MWCNT-PA (Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube-Polyamide) nanocomposite membranes, for plain PA, and PA with 5, 9.5, 12.5, 15.5, 17 and 20 wt.% of MWCNT, where the typical lobe-like structures appear at the surface. Note the tendency towards a flatter membrane surface as the content of MWCNT increases. Scale bar corresponds to 1.0?μm for all the micrographs. Credit: Copyright 2018, Springer Nature, Licensed under CC BY 4.0 It seems unlikely that the image’s resemblance…

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Quebec’s Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) announced an environmentally friendly way of cleaning up oil spills in an April 9, 2018 news item on ScienceDaily, From pipelines to tankers, oil spills and their impact on the environment are a source of concern. These disasters occur on a regular basis, leading to messy decontamination challenges that require massive investments of time and resources. But however widespread and serious the damage may be, the solution…

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I’m not sure how much the mystery of Ettore Majorana’s disappearance in 1938 has to do with the latest research from Brazil on Majorana particles but it’s definitely fascinating,. From an April 6, 2018 news item on ScienceDaily, In March 1938, the young Italian physicist Ettore Majorana disappeared mysteriously, leaving his country’s scientific community shaken. The episode remains unexplained, despite Leonardo Scascia’s attempt to unravel the enigma in his book The Disappearance of Majorana (1975).…

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Following on my August 29, 2018 post (Sexbots, sexbot ethics, families, and marriage), I’m following up with a more general piece. Robots, AI (artificial intelligence), and androids (humanoid robots), the terms can be confusing since there’s a tendency to use them interchangeably. Confession: I do it too, but, not this time. That said, I have multiple news bits. Killer ‘bots and ethics The U.S. military is already testing a Modular Advanced Armed Robotic System. Credit:…

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