Future of Computing

Future of Computing: Web focus : Nature: "In the last two decades advances in computing technology, from processing speed to network capacity and the internet, have revolutionized the way scientists work. From sequencing genomes to monitoring the Earth's climate, many recent scientific advances would not have been possible without a parallel increase in computing power - and with revolutionary technologies such as the quantum computer edging towards reality, what will the relationship between computing and science bring us over the next 15 years?"

Nanotech helps blind hamsters see

Nanotechnology has restored the sight of blind rodents, a new study shows.

Scientists mimicked the effect of a traumatic brain injury by severing the optical nerve tract in hamsters, causing the animals to lose vision.

After injecting the hamsters with a solution containing nanoparticles, the nerves re-grew and sight returned.

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team hopes this technique could be used in future reconstructive brain surgery.

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Researchers say they’ve built the first computer model of an entire life-form

Researchers announced on Tuesday that they created a computer simulation of a virus, claiming to have built the first complete model of any entire life-form.

Although the notion of a “computer virus” usually conjures up concerns about data security, the scientists say their development will contribute to improvements in public health as well as the development of technologies such as artificial nanomachines.

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he scientists hope their computer-generated virus will increase understanding of the molecular mechanisms of how viruses function. While it’s too early to judge the financial implications, the technology eventually could help scientists better understand the nature of a particular virus, and how to neutralize it.

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