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Some Big Ideas
Scientists and researchers are always looking for new ways to fight
disease, to make complex tasks easier, to make life better. A sampling of
inventions in progress.
NEWSWEEK ON AIR
Next Frontiers: The New Inventiveness
10/2/05: Steven Levy, NEWSWEEK Technology columnist; and Danny Hillis,
Co-Chairman and Chief Technology Officer, Applied Minds, Inc.

• Audio clip | Complete show | Podcast

Live Talk
• NEWSWEEK’s Steven Levy examines what makes a great inventor possible.
He joined us for a Live Talk on the subject on Thursday, Oct. 6. Read the
transcript.

Inventions
• The Mind of an Inventor
• Amazing Inventions That Make Life Better
• Live Talk Transcript: Steven Levy on Inventions

The Future of TV
• Television Reloaded
• The Future of Television
• New Ways to Drive Home the Message

Hi-Tech's New Day
• Hi-Tech's New Day
• Living by Google Rules
• Tech: Leaders of the Pack

Companies of the Future
• Sony Gets Personal
• Inventing the Future
• Movies: Polar Expedition
• The Creator: Now He's Playing Sony's Game
• Making the PSP Come to Life
• Inside the Mind of an Inventor
• Talk Transcript: Making ‘The Polar Express’

The Wireless Future
• Talk Transcript: Going Wireless
• Weird Wireless Tales
• Your Wireless Future
• Wireless Made Simple
• Take Our Wireless Survey

Resources for Inventors
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Inventors Assistance Center
Comprehensive patent, trademark, and copyright information and
resources for
independent inventors.
• Federal Trade Commission
Tips on avoiding and reporting fraudulent invention marketing firms.
• U.S. Department of Energy's Inventions and Innovation Program
Financial and technical support for inventors and businesses working on
energy-saving concepts and technologies.
• Association of Patent Law Firms
Database of firms specializing in patent law and information on patent
law updates.
• Lemelson-MIT Program Inventor's Handbook
Addresses frequently asked questions about the patent and
commercialization
process.
• Thomas Register of American Manufacturers
A free database for inventors who want to license their inventions
directly
to manufacturers.

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Newsweek
'Rewiring' The Brain
Sawing open someone's skull for research purposes is a no-no, but brain
scientists have found the next best thing. By projecting an electrical
charge through the skull, they can now flick neurons on and off without
ever breaking the skin.

The technique, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, uses
a $30,000 contraption to fire a powerful magnetic pulse into the cranium,
creating an electric charge that activates brain cells. That's enough
for some eye-catching parlor tricks: a zap above the temples makes muscles
twitch involuntarily; one over the back of the head makes you see
sparks. But the real magic begins when TMS pulses are fired in rapid
succession. Depending on the frequency, repetitive TMS has long-term sensitizing or
inhibitory effects, in principle allowing doctors to "rewire" the
brain.

Lauren Fleishman for Newsweek
Remote control: Researches use powerful magnetic pulses to turn parts
of the brain on and off

That has researchers reaching for their magnets. Doctors already use
the technique to treat depression, stimulating areas of the brain that
process moods; a large-scale clinical trial reports to the FDA next spring. And
it doesn't stop there: TMS can be used to speed up thought processes,
boost creativity and even turn off the voices in schizophrenics' heads. The
military is interested in using the technique to turn off fatigue in
soldiers. But forget about building your own orgasmatron: the brain's
pleasure centers are too deeply buried to be targeted by TMS.

—Ben Whitford

Rip Van Winkle
Scientists studying animal hibernation have discovered that much of the
damage caused by oxygen deprivation is a result of residual oxygen in
the body, which produces harmful compounds called free radicals. The
findings have inspired a counterintuitive strategy to minimize the effect:
reduce the amount of oxygen to induce a state resembling suspended animation. A
team at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle placed mice,
which do not hibernate, in a sealed chamber. By gradually increasing the levels
of hydrogen sulfide in the chamber, they "pushed aside" much of the oxygen
within the animals' cells. The mice entered a comalike state, in which
their body temperature, respiration and heartbeat decreased. Revived after
six hours, the rodents showed no ill effects. Someday, similar techniques
could reduce brain damage in accident victims en route to the hospital and
extend the shelf life of organs for tranplantation.

—John Horgan

Mind Over Matter
Sever your spinal cord and you lose control of your arms and legs. But
what if the brain could bypass the spine altogether? Researchers are already
working on a "mind chip" that might transmit brain signals directly to
the limbs.

Courtesy of Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems Inc.
New Motion: A microchip picks up the brain’s signals
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In neuroscientist John Donahue's lab at Brown University, Matthew
Nagle, paralyzed from the neck down in a stabbing four years ago, had a tiny
silicon sensor implanted in his brain's motor region. The chip sent
signals from Nagle's neurons to a computer; Nagle was able to direct the
on-screen cursor to send e-mail, draw a circle and even play Pong. More
significantly, he could open and close a robotic hand.

Donahue envisions similar chips' controlling not just prosthetics but
actual paralyzed arms and legs. There's a long way to go. For starters, he
must make the technology port-able (currently it fills his lab) and find a
way to implant the chip without extensive surgery. But for people suffering
from spinal-cord injuries, the tiny chip could change lives.

—Eric Pape