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Science

Unbreakable crypto: Store a 30-character password in your subconscious

posted onJuly 20, 2012
by l33tdawg

A cross-disciplinary team of US neuroscientists and cryptographers have developed a password/passkey system that removes the weakest link in any security system: the human user. It’s ingenious: The system still requires that you enter a password, but at no point do you actually remember the password, meaning it can’t be written down and it can’t be obtained via coercion or torture.

Epic fraud: How to succeed in science (without doing any)

posted onJuly 19, 2012
by l33tdawg

Running scientific experiments is, frankly, a pain in the ass. Sure, it's incredibly satisfying when days or weeks of hard work produce a clean-looking result that's easy to interpret. But often as not, experiments simply fail for no obvious reason. Even when they work, the results often leave you scratching your head, wondering "what in the world is that supposed to tell me?"

Hearing-aid hackers fine-tuning their own devices

posted onJuly 5, 2012
by l33tdawg

If you are short-sighted, usually all it takes is a visit to an optician to get a pair of spectacles to help restore the world to sharp detail.

But if you suffer hearing problems, visiting an audiologist just the once will probably not restore sounds to crisp clarity. The consequent frustration is driving some people with the appropriate expertise to hack into their own hearing aids to carry out DIY improvements.

Higgs boson: scientists 99.999% sure 'God Particle' has been found

posted onJuly 4, 2012
by l33tdawg

The historic announcement came in a progress report from the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator.

Professor John Womersley. chief executive of the Science and technology Facilities Council, told reporters at a briefing in London: "They have discovered a particle consistent with the Higgs boson. "Discovery is the important word. That is confirmed. It's a momentous day for science."

Stephen Hawking on time travel, M-theory, and extra terrestrial life

posted onJuly 2, 2012
by l33tdawg

Stephen Hawking is near-universally recognized as a brilliant scientist, and one small facet of his complex genius is the rockstar ability to democratize scientific knowledge. It's becoming increasingly important as purveyors of pop culture continue to eschew acknowledgment and respect for the most basic scientific principles. Hollywood in particular has continued its marginalization of scientific knowledge with blatant disregard in recent films.

Can hackers target a pacemaker?

posted onJune 4, 2012
by l33tdawg

It seems, there are no devices, which are hacker-safe any longer — from ATMs, cars, smartphones to medical devices. Though, it may sound like a plot of a crime thriller, serious investigations and experiments have revealed that medical implants like — pacemakers and insulin pumps are vulnerable to cyber attacks that could endanger their users’ lives. 

Researchers harness engineered viruses to produce electrical energy

posted onMay 16, 2012
by l33tdawg

Researchers from the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have found a way to generate power using harmless viruses that convert mechanical energy into electricity. 

The scientists tested their approach by creating a generator that produces enough current to operate a small liquid crystal display. It works by tapping a finger on a postage stamp sized electrode coated with specially engineered viruses. The viruses convert the force of the tap into an electric charge.