universal

Nowadays breathalyzers are being used to detect far more than just how much alcohol one has imbibed. Researchers in Sweden are working on one that can spot marijuana and cocaine. Scientists in Germany are exploring one that can sniff out heart failure. And researchers in the U.S. are hard at work on one that can detect diseases such as diabetes.

And now, a group of chemists at the University of Pittsburgh is unveiling new sensor technology that could lead to a breathalyzer for not just the detection of diabetes, but the ongoing monitoring of it as well.… Read more

For the first time in the U.S., surgeons have successfully transplanted a bioengineered blood vessel into the arm of a patient -- a possible stepping stone toward more complex human-engineered organs such as livers or eyes, and potentially a more immediate boon for kidney dialysis patients and perhaps even people with heart disease.

The surgery represents a major milestone for tissue engineering: The bioengineered blood vessel can be stored relatively easily and donated universally (unlike veins harvested from a patient's own body and therefore specific to that body). Also, it's human-cell-based, with no biological properties that can cause organ rejection.

"We hope this sets the groundwork for how these things can be grown, how they can incorporate into the host, and how they can avoid being rejected immunologically," Jeffrey H. Lawson, a vascular surgeon and biologist at Duke Medicine who helped develop the technology and performed the implantation, said in a statement. "A blood vessel is really an organ -- it's complex tissue. We start with this, and one day we may be able to engineer a liver or a kidney or an eye."… Read more

Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., has expanded its The Simpsons ride to include a real-life version of Springfield, where you can visit with your favorite eateries.

Pop by Moe's Tavern for a quick pre-lunch Duff, perambulate on over to Krusty Burger for a big ol' ribwich -- or, if you're feeling fancy, hit Luigi's for a slice of pizza, then swing by the Kwik-E-Mart for a few supplies. Visitors are now able to take their repast in truly cromulent style.

The theme park has recently added a sort of miniaturized Springfield to its "Simpsons"-themed motion simulator ride, … Read more

How close are we getting to actual brain control? It's starting to seem like it's not far off. On the sillier end of the spectrum, we've seen robotic ears and tails that respond to brainwaves, and more recently we've seen a brain interface for designing printable objects, a mind-controlled exoskeleton, and even mind-to-mind communication.

A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota has just added another exciting new technology to the list: a quadcopter that can perform feats of aerial agility, controlled entirely by the pilot's thoughts. … Read more

We've always thought smartphones needed to be more cuddly. When we all got our very first models, we were majorly disappointed that we couldn't give them a big ol' hug and have them whisper sweet-nothings in our ears.

It's OK, though. A team of graduate students led by Yuta Sugiura at the Keio University Graduate School of Media Design in Japan have our backs. The students have created a series of stuffed toys that you can put your phone inside. Give it a squeeze, and your phone will respond by talking or flashing lights. … Read more

Most commonly used as a test subject for 3D computer graphics, the Stanford Bunny has probably never turned up in a more intriguing place. This model of the bunny is tiny -- just a few micrometers across, the size of an average bacterium.

It was created by a team of physicists and chemists from Yokohama National University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and the company C-MET to demonstrate a new type of resin that can be used to create electrodes. Currently, there are materials that can be used to create complex 3D sculptures, but there's a limitation that prevents these materials from being used in creating electronics. … Read more

Scientists have been investigating the structure of the HIV capsid for years; the protein shell protects the virus' genetic material, helps debilitate the infected person's immune system, and is the target for the development of new antiretroviral drugs. Research teams have turned to a wide range of futuristic-sounding techniques to crack the code, from cryo-electron microscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to cryo-EM tomography and X-ray crystallography.

Now, thanks to a little help from the supercomputer Blue Waters, the mystery finally has been unraveled, according to a research team reporting this week in the journal Nature.… Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Simpsons theme park "Springfield" will serve duff beer, Krusty Burgers.

- 12 obsolete technologies Americans are still using.

- The Weird Stuff Warehouse where old tech goes to retire.

- Amazon greenlights 5 new shows.

- Why Amish teens love using Facebook.… Read more

When it comes to cloning extinct critters, it seems most people are holding out more hope for re-creating woolly mammoths than building "Jurassic Park." The researchers involved in a mammoth-rebuilding project are probably pretty excited about a recent find by Russian scientists who uncovered a fairly fresh new mammoth.

A paleontological expedition from the Research Institute of Applied Ecology of the North, North-Eastern Federal University, and the Russian Geographical Society discovered a female mammoth in a remarkably good state of preservation in the Novosibirsk archipelago in Siberia. North-Eastern Federal University has partnered with controversial South Korean cloning scientist Hwang Woo-Suk (who was found to have faked data involving a procedure to clone human embryonic stem cells) for a mammoth-cloning effort.… Read more