Ancient Komodo Dragon Has Space-age Skull
An international study has revealed how the Komodo dragon can be such an efficient killing machine despite having a wimpy bite and a featherweight skull. A member of the goanna family, with ancestors dating back more than 100 million years, the dragon (Varanus komodoensis) uses a combination of 60 razor-sharp serrated teeth, powerful neck muscles and what researchers are calling a "space-frame" skull to butcher prey with awesome efficiency...
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Identifying a Top-notch Laboratory Informatics Manager
This 18-minute podcast features a discussion of the skills required to be an effective laboratory informatics system manager. It includes an examination of the backgrounds these people are likely to have and where you are most likely to find them... continue
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Computational Solutions for Today’s Navy
New field methods meet demands for real-time “through-the-sensor” data acquisition Frank W. Bentrem, Ph.D.; John T. Sample, Ph.D.; and Michael M. Harris
The Naval Research Laboratory is the corporate laboratory for the United States Navy. This article relates current computational trends in naval technologies as well as the trends we anticipate over the next few years. We also present solutions for some of the current and coming challenges we face...
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Online Scientist
Internet Radio Monitoring
A growing number of commercial broadcast radio stations simulcast over the Internet John R. Joyce, Ph.D.
In past columns, we have examined some aspects of Internet radio with services such as Pandora, Yahoo!'s LAUNCHcast, and AIM Radio, among others. These days, you also will find a growing number of commercial broadcast radio stations simulcasting over the Internet...
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Data Management
Shanks on a Plane
A Review of LabAutomation 2008 Randy C. Hice
My star-crossed trip to the Association for Laboratory Automation’s LabAutomation 2008 conference in Palm Springs began with a string of text messages to my phone indicating flight delays out of Denver. By the time I screeched into the airport, the delays had predictably eroded into a cancelled flight...
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Adroit Analyst
Genomics: Whither Goest Thou?
A look at why we still have no cures, few treatments and little profound knowledge John A. Wass, Ph.D.
There are presently hundreds of papers published weekly in the area of genomics, in silico modeling and drug discovery. This month’s rant will briefly explore the current state of affairs, probe for weakness, especially non-informative “discovery,” and offer a bit of guidance...
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High Performance Computing
Storage in Transition
The one-two technology punch of solid-state memory and RAM can greatly increase usability Rob Farber
Remember when you were a child and got your first bicycle suddenly the entire neighborhood became accessible. A similar thing happened when you got your first car, the entire town then became accessible. Well, for scientists and computer users, the same thing is happening because we are getting solid-state storage!...
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Data Acquisition and Analysis
World on a String
Toward experimental support for string theory Bill Weaver, Ph.D.
Emerging on the scene in the late 1960s, a new idea coalesced into what is now known as “string theory.” Like the many theories before it, string theory claimed to describe tiny objects well beyond our measurement ability to detect them. The initial symmetry and elegance of the theory led some to contemplate its importance as a grand unifying “theory of everything” and this exuberance brought out its many initial detractors. ...
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1U Dual Cell-Based System 2
The 1U Dual Cell-Based System 2 (DCBS-2) employs two Cell Broadband Engine (BE) processors to boost applications that demand a low acoustic signature in combination with the added density of the 1U form factor...
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The LIMS Market Watch Report is a valuable decision tool, allowing readers to take full advantage of the market's collective wisdom and experiences. This updated report portrays the "state of the technology" for LIMS from the end-user perspective. Information is provided throughout about which LIMS companies are favored by users in specific industries, as well as the scope of systems that are being employed by companies of various sizes, both in terms of users and sites served. Users' experiences with vendors, from needs evaluation to purchase and installation, to post-sales service and support are presented. Learn more