Tuesday, 21 May, 2013

The explosion of data — in meteorology, genetics, spying and physics — requires new storage technology. DNA has been storing data for billions of years. Could life’s “hard disk” help tame today’s data explosion?

Does technology have desires? Is it alive? Can technological change be predicted or controlled? Baffling questions, and who better to tackle them than Kevin Kelly, founding editor of Wired magazine. But until I read that Kelly doesn’t own a smart phone, I figured this for a lightweight celebration of the technological universe, or “technium.” Kelly makes big, controversial claims, but he backs them up with solid, historical arguments.

Changes in the junctions between nerve cells determine how well a bird will learn to sing. Regular change in these junctions helps the bird remember the song of its species, which it needs to learn to reproduce that song. Study could explain why older people have such trouble learning a new language.

The Why Files looks at kinesiology, sports medicine, psychology and some ancient Olympic history, brought to life.

Austrian researchers show quantum entanglement across the Danube River, providing new promise in cryptography and computing. At the smallest scale, you can throw out the usual rules of engagement. What’s up with spooky action at a distance?

DNA computing may offer a faster way to calculate that 2 + 2 = 4. Honest!