I just flew back Seoul where I attended the World Science Forum: Brain Power, an event sponsored by the S. Korean government. The new president , Lee Myung-bak ,spoke at the opening ceremony and reminded us his country now has the tenth strongest economy in the world. Not only do ninety percent of all Korean kids go on to college but S. Koreans are the highest population of foreign nationals accepted into U.S. higher learning institutes. In 60 years, per capita income has soared from $100 per year, to over $ 27,000. Lee Myung-bak and is a businessman and entrepreneur and he's smart. His game plan isn't secret -- he's determined that his country will be a leader in neuroscience and related technologies.  Read More...

A new game, named Foldit, turns protein folding into a competitive sport. Introductory levels teach the rules, which are the same laws of physics by which protein strands curl and twist into three-dimensional shapes – key for biological mysteries ranging from Alzheimer's to vaccines.

After about 20 minutes of training, people feel like they're playing a video game but are actually mouse-clicking in the name of medical science. The free program is at http://fold.it/ . [Editor's Note: By the way, there is a Betterhumans' team]

The game was developed by doctoral student Seth Cooper and postdoctoral researcher Adrien Treuille, both in computer science and engineering, working with Zoran Popovic, a UW associate professor of computer science and engineering; David Baker, a UW professor of biochemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator; and David Salesin, a UW professor of computer science and engineering. Professional game designers provided advice during the game's creation.  Read More...

How many times has this happened to you? You leave work, decide that you need to get groceries on the way home, take a cellphone call and forget all about your plan. Next thing you know, you've driven home and forgotten all about the groceries.

Or this. You decide, perhaps circa Jan. 1, that it's time to lose weight; you need to eat less, eat better and exercise more. But by the first of May, your New Year's resolutions are a distant memory.

Human beings are, to put it gently, in a unique position in the animal world. We're the only species smart enough to plan systematically for the future -- yet we remain dumb enough to ditch even our most carefully made plans in favor of short-term gratification. ("Did I say I was on a diet? Mmm, but three-layer chocolate mousse is my favorite. Maybe I'll start my diet tomorrow.")    Read More...

A man who lived to age 114 died recently on a small Mediterranean island. Until age 102 he rode a bicycle every day to tend to his family's orchards. His 101-year-old brother, his two daughters aged 81 and 77, and a nephew aged 85 all still live in a small town on the Spanish island of Minorca.

All of which got some scientists wondering: Did this old-timer have super genes, the perfect lifestyle or plain good luck? In an attempt to find out, the researchers tested the whole family for two genetic mutations associated with longevity and healthy bones, and found that the family lacked these bonus points, suggesting that the keys to long life are not so simple.

"We found that the explanation is far more complex than simply a variation in a single gene," said Adolfo Díez Pérez of Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, who worked on the study. "What we know in terms of genetic predisposition is only partially understood."  Read More...

The scientists of the Russian Southern Federal University won 750,000 dollars award for the development of the systems of the mental computer control. For the next 18 months Rostov scientists together with their Taganrog and Saint Petersburg colleagues are going to develop programs and make a research that will help them to create such a system.

The system is to work in this way: special equipment will catch brain signals that go through the metal helmet with electrodes. Then with the help of the signal enhancer the signal will go to the computer. This will make the life of disabled people much easier. Those who can’t move will be able to write email letters and even IM people around the world.  Read More...