Matt Shipman

Nov 22, 2011

How Does Faster-Than-Light Quantum Communication Work?

Every so often, I ask readers to submit their sci/tech questions, so that I can go pester people until I have some answers that I can share with the rest of the class. One  recent question was: “How does faster-than-light quantum communication work?” Short answer: it doesn’t. But of course there’s more to it than… 

Nov 21, 2011

How To Spend Thanksgiving Not Barfing

Editor’s Note: This is a guest piece written by Dr. Ben Chapman, an assistant professor and food safety expert at NC State. My parents are coming to visit Raleigh this week – their first trek to the U.S. for Thanksgiving. I’m Canadian and, while Canada has its own festivities in October, there’s something different about the… 

Nov 21, 2011

Events Preceding the Helvetican Renaissance (Part I)

Editor’s Note: Readers of The Abstract are generally interested in research, science and technology. People who fall into that camp are often also devotees of science fiction. So, in a throwback to the serialized storytelling of the golden age of sci-fi, we decided to serialize some science fiction by one of our favorite authors –… 

Nov 18, 2011

Why Thanksgiving Might Make You Sleepy

Well folks, it’s almost Turkey Day again. Last year I tackled some questions about tryptophan, and why Thanksgiving dinner can make you pass out on the floor in front of the football game. Super-short version: tryptophan isn’t the culprit, gluttony is. When you gorge yourself, your body diverts blood away from your brain to help… 

Nov 17, 2011

Study Details Links Between Climate, Groundwater Availability – Will Help Water Managers Prepare For Drought

Everyone knows that climate affects our water supply, but new research from North Carolina State University gives scientists and water-resource managers an unprecedented level of detail on how climate and precipitation influence groundwater and surface water levels in the Southeast. 

Nov 15, 2011

A New Solution To An Age-Old Problem: Human Waste

Conventional sewage treatment is not available in many parts of the world, and disposing of human waste can be both difficult  and hazardous in developing nations. So a team of researchers from NC State, with support from Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are pursuing a new approach to an… 

Nov 15, 2011

NC State Team To Develop Energy Efficient 3-D CPU

Researchers from North Carolina State University are developing a three-dimensional (3D) central processing unit (CPU) – the brains of the computer – with the goal of boosting energy efficiency by 15 to 25 percent. The work is being done under a $1.5 million grant from the Intel Corporation. 

Nov 10, 2011

Self-Assembling Patterns, Powered By Light

Researchers from NC State have developed a simple way to convert two-dimensional patterns into three-dimensional objects using only light. This demonstration video is pretty cool. An overview of the work is available here. The related paper, published in Soft Matter, is available here. 

Nov 10, 2011

Using Light, Researchers Convert 2-D Patterns Into 3-D Objects

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a simple way to convert two-dimensional patterns into three-dimensional (3-D) objects using only light. 

Nov 9, 2011

Food-Safety Expert Can Offer Tips For Thanksgiving

At Thanksgiving, small mistakes in the kitchen can lead to food-borne illness. Dr. Ben Chapman, food-safety specialist and assistant professor of family and consumer sciences at North Carolina State University, can offer suggestions to ensure your Thanksgiving meal is a safe one. 

Nov 9, 2011

NC State, NSF Project To Boost Computer Science Knowledge Through Gaming

North Carolina State University researchers are launching a project to develop a video game that will help improve computer science knowledge in middle school students – and contribute to a better educated workforce in the future. The game, which is being developed under a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation, could be used… 

Nov 4, 2011

Want To Study New Kinds Of Wireless Systems? Build Your Own

The idea of wireless mesh networks, which expand the reach of traditional Wi-Fi, is not new. But a lot of fundamental questions still need to be addressed (think design and security). To address those questions, one team of computer science researchers has decided to build their own mesh network – and to share that system… 

Nov 1, 2011

How Will Players Respond To Game Changes? Do The Math

Can user responses to changes in one game predict the response to changes in a different game? Apparently there’s math involved. When it comes to video games, imitation can be dangerous. If one game makes changes that players love, there’s no guarantee that players of a different game would welcome the same changes. So, do… 

Nov 1, 2011

Digging Up Clues: Research On Buried Blow Flies Will Help Crime Scene Investigators

When investigating a murder, every clue helps. New research from North Carolina State University sheds light on how – and whether – blow flies survive when buried underground during their development. It’s an advance that will help forensic investigators understand how long a body may have been left above ground before being buried – or… 

Oct 31, 2011

Water Flow: A Picture’s Worth More Than A Thousand Words

 Sometimes a picture can save time and money — and that’s worth more than a thousand words.   From mitigating flood damage to managing water resources during a drought, tracking water flow is important. But tough budget times make maintaining data collection systems more difficult than ever. Researchers may have found a way to ease…