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A Traffic Control System For Molecules

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the turn-right-at-the-corpuscle dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "Our cells contain small protein factories which have to deliver materials inside the cell via a network of microtubules. And the transportation is carried out by biomolecular motors. Now, researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have built a traffic control system able to force individual molecules to choose between 'roads' by applying strong electrical fields locally at Y-junctions. This traffic control system can potentially lead to new nano-fabrication techniques. Read more for additional references and pictures showing how this traffic system works."

12 of 64 comments (clear)

  1. This won't work because.. by eebra82 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    The modern world is moving away from cost per minute. Flatrate is what most consumers are looking for. First we had modem connections, then some ISP:s revolutionized the market with flatrate. Then, same thing happened with broadband, although some ISP:s took the flatrate route from the start.

    And while we're at it, mobile phone operators are doing pretty much the same thing now.

    Going back to the old structure won't work. The ISP:s better stop lowering the prices of the connections now that it seems increasingly unfeasible.

    --
    Full Tilt
  2. yay for potential science fiction nightmares by bobamu · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    no doubt once perfected this technology can be used to make the undesirables (of the week) of society productive citizens by manipulating their cellular function to emit consumer goods, of course it won't do them any good but, look on the bright side, "CHEAP STUFF!!" and fewer undesirables polluting freedom, it's a win win.

  3. LOL! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    In Soviet Russia, molecules control YOUR traffic!

  4. Re:OK.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    You could always say something about the Roland Piquepaille jerk who was so good at spamming /. zdnet started paying him for it.

  5. Star Trek linked to pedophilia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    This has very little to do with the article, but the L.A. Times recently published an article regarding the Toronto Sex Crimes Unit that focused on their fight against child pornography ("Sifting Clues to an Unsmiling Girl"). They are the law enforcement organization that photoshopped the victims out of child porn photos in order to get the public's assistance in identifying the backgrounds (it worked). In any case, the article had this amazing claim:
    On one wall is a "Star Trek" poster with investigators' faces substituted for the Starship Enterprise crew. But even that alludes to a dark fact of their work: All but one of the offenders they have arrested in the last four years was a hard-core Trekkie.
    Wow. All but one in four years. Seemed rather unlikely to me.

    So, I called the Child Exploitation Section of the Toronto Sex Crimes Unit and spoke to Det. Ian Lamond, who was familiar with the Times article. He claims they were misquoted, or if that figure was given it was done so jokingly. Of course, even if the figure was given jokingly, shouldn't the Times reporter have clarified something that seems rather odd? Shouldn't her editors have questioned her sources?

    Nevertheless, Det. Lamond does confirm that a majority of those arrested show "at least a passing interest in Star Trek, if not a strong interest." They've arrested well over one hundred people over the past four years and they can gauge this interest in Star Trek by the arrestees' "paraphenalia, books, videotapes and DVDs."
    Det. Constable Warren Bulmer slips on a Klingon sash and shield they confiscated in a recent raid. "It has something to do with a fantasy world where mutants and monsters have power and where the usual rules don't apply," Bulmer reflects. "But beyond that, I can't really explain it."
    I asked Det. Lamond if this wasn't simply a general interest in science fiction and fantasy, such as Star Wars or Harry Potter or similar. Paraphrasing his answer, he said, while there was sometimes other science fiction and fantasy paraphenalia, Star Trek was the most consistent and when he referred to a majority of the arrestees being Star Trek fans, it was Star Trek-specific.
    1. Re:Star Trek linked to pedophilia? by suv4x4 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Nevertheless, Det. Lamond does confirm that a majority of those arrested show "at least a passing interest in Star Trek, if not a strong interest."

      So what, should I expect the police to knock on my door since I may watch Star Trek?
      I bet also all of the arrested pedophiles breath air, but does that make everyone who breath air a pedophile?

      I suspect the relation has more to do that Star Trek is a huge franchise, spanning multiple seasons of multiple generations of the same theme and has a massive appeal and is well recognized in pop-culture.

      It's the most popular sci-fi series on TV yet. Star Wars is certainly not lower, but it's a movie (or 3 movies.. or 6 movies if you count recent years). It can only keep your interest for so long, while hundreds of Star Trek episodes certainly make it easy to not forget Star Trek if you enjoy it.

      Most people who avoid social contact have distorted perception of "outer world" including sexual contacts which may lead to *few* of them becoming pedophiles. When you lack social contact you also watch a lot of TV and like dream universes where everything is "better" or more "exciting".

      This is the connection I can find, but that thing with the mutants and rules and so on... I call bullshit on that.

      BTW, I'm not *really* a Star Trek fan, but "passing interest" is a muddy term. You can call anyone who saw an episode to have a passing interest.

      BTW I'm a Battlestar Gallactica fan. So, what am I? A fetishist, masochist, voyeur :)?

    2. Re:Star Trek linked to pedophilia? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      All but one of the offenders they have arrested in the last four years was a hard-core Trekkie.

      Shit, I'm a Pokemon series fan... I don't even wanna know what my dysfunction is, but I've this irresistable desire to stuff my gf in a little metal ball...

      Shit I need help...

  6. Re:Right! This won't go wrong by DrSkwid · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Traffic on roads is not controlled, if it was, none of us could ever be charged with speeding etc.

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
  7. Glitch in the matrix by suv4x4 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    That's weird, I noticed that my comment (parent) went to +5, then without reasons (like overrated) it dropped to +3 (and now it's raising again).

    I suspect this is CmdrTaco and his team modding me down, however why are their points not tagged with a "reason"? It kinda allows for some puzzling configurations, like 33% informative, 33% insightfull , 33% funny, yet +1 ... (and apparently the post was modded at least 3 times with positive scores and never with negative).

    Something to consider in future releases.

  8. Incorrect conclusion by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    I bet also all of the arrested pedophiles breath air, but does that make everyone who breath air a pedophile?
    Yes, all pedophiles may breathe air, but then, so does everyone else. The vast majority of people are not "hardcore Trekkies," but the vast majority of pedophiles are--and that is significant.

    Supposing only 5% of the general population are hardcore Trekkies, then if Star Trek is truly uncorrelated with pedophilia--our null hypothesis--we should expect only 5% of pedophiles to be Trekkies, as well. That the relevant statistic is actually closer to 100% is very telling.
    1. Re:Incorrect conclusion by suv4x4 · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      The vast majority of people are not "hardcore Trekkies," but the vast majority of pedophiles are--and that is significant.

      It's not significant. You fall for the same flaw as you just described to me. Pedophiles are people, but not all people are pedophiles. Pedophiles are mostly trekkies, but trekkies are a huge community, and not all of them are pedophiles.

      The fact that trekkies are a smaller community than all people doesn't mean you can freely switch the relationship and claim that trekkies are predisposed to be pedophiles.

      So basically this says nothing except that, I guess, pedophiles are closed in themselves, immature and have tendency to live in their own fantasy world (hey, what's new!), like the rest of the trekkies do.

      Look at it another way. We have women and men in the world. 99.99% of all pedophiles are actually men. If you are a man, do you feel more pedophile from this statistic? I leave the conclusion to you.

  9. Traffic Increaser by AaronHorrocks · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I don't know about the rest of the world...

    But here in California, when the DOT or a city installs "Traffic Controllers" is makes things MUCH WORSE. From installing Stop & Go lights on freeway onramps (Yes, on the on ramp!) to replacing stopsigns in low traffic areas in residential areas... All it seems to do is cause a back up of stacked cars for miles.

    And best yet, they do it with tax dollars. $500,000 or so per installed intersection. for what? to increase delays? waste more fuel? piss people off? Insanity, I say!