Born from a desire to predict the future, epidemiology has largely been limited to studying the past. Now,
computational epidemiology researchers are harnessing computing power to crack the complicated mystery of
how diseases spread. Full story (PDF)
A trend is taking shape in the computing industry that could significantly change the way academic research is done. A few years from now, researchers who work with massive data sets might stop processing their data locally and find themselves outsourcing the job to massive commercial data clusters. Full story
A project at Harvard University is proving that two very different disciplines have very much in common. The Astronomical Medicine Project is working to convert medical imaging software into tools that fuel discoveries in astronomy. But if the scientists behind the project have their way, any discipline that relies on large, complex data sets will reap the benefits. Full story (PDF)
As scientists work to develop intelligent machines, some are taking their cues from biology. Such is the case at MIT, where a computer model is emulating the human brain’s vision center. The model replicates what happens during the first few fractions of a second after we see an object—the part of vision performed by the unconscious mind. Full story (PDF)
The world’s biggest physics experiment starts in May 2008. To support it, the world’s biggest computing experiment has already begun. The payoffs could reach far beyond physics. Full story (PDF)
A common notion about Internet search engines is that they bias traffic — that is, they direct people toward popular Web sites, and away from less popular, yet relevant sites. Scientists at Indiana University set out to understand how this bias works. To their surprise, they found very little evidence of its existence. Their work hints at the challenges that scientists face as they develop new and better ways to help us find information. Full story (PDF)
There’s no question that multicore processors have gone mainstream. What advantages do they offer to researchers? Experts say that making the most of multicore systems will require new tools, new algorithms, and a new way of looking at programming. Full story (PDF)
The idea of linking supercomputers into a computational grid to confront big problems isn’t a new one, but an earthquake researcher and his colleagues are doing something different. They’re linking grids together—effectively, using grids of grids—thanks to a software movement that takes its name from the musical phenomenon known as the mashup. Full story (PDF)
Computer scientists have discovered some creative strategies to help neural networks fulfill their potential in pattern recognition and artificial intelligence. Machine vision is his near-term goal, but the real prize could be insight into the human brain. Full story (PDF)
A personal library that fits in your pocket—it will soon exist, if Michael Hart gets his way. Hart heads Project Gutenberg (PG), the Internet’s oldest digital library. On 4 July 2006, PG turned 35. Digital libraries in academia and commercial publishing are coming of age right along with it, driven by the latest technology. But to Hart and others involved in digital libraries, the technology is the least interesting part of the story. Full story (PDF)
At the molecular level, life already moves fast. In search of a better anticocaine medication, scientists at the University of Kentucky used computer simulations to create a souped-up version of the human enzyme that breaks down the drug even faster. Full story (PDF)
Engineers at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library are engaged in a race against time, to convert the world’s largest animal recording collection from analog to digital — before the original tape recordings degrade and are lost forever. But they aren’t alone in their need to preserve massive amounts of information. To preserve its collections, the Macaulay Library is blazing a trail that others will have to follow. Full story (PDF)
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