Researchers are turning the Sony PlayStation 3 console and other gaming hardware into low-cost supercomputers. They're using the hardware to model drug molecules and black holes, the weekly New Scientist says.
The PS3 console uses a Cell chip made by IBM, Sony and Toshiba. It can run on the Linux operating system.
The chip is prized by chemists and physicists because they can use it for their work. The calculations needed to make graphics for games are similar to those used to simulate reactions between particles.
PHOTO: AP
University of Massachusetts astrophysicist Gaurav Khanna has strung together 16 PS consoles. He uses them to simulate gravity waves that occur when two black holes collide, the British magazine says.
By using the C programming language to run the chip, University of Illinois chemist Todd Martinez found he could run calculations 130 times faster than on an ordinary PC.
His is now calculating the energy of the electrons in 1,000 atoms, which add up to the size of a small protein.
"We can now do the things we were killing ourselves to do," Martinez told New Scientist.
Another scientific tool taken from the world of gaming is the Wii hand-held remote control. It contains a gadget that can sense which direction it is being moved.
Surgeons have been using Wii to improve their operating techniques. Neurologists have turned to it to measure movement problems in patients who have had a stroke or have Parkinson's disease.(AFP)
《新科學週刊》指出，研究員正在著手將新力的PlayStation 3 和其他電玩主機改造成成本較低廉的超級電腦，他們利用這些機體來模擬藥物分子和黑洞的反應。
PS3主機的處理器採用了IBM、新力和東芝合力研發的Cell晶片，它能執行Linux作業系統。
該處理器被化學家和物理學家視為瑰寶，因為它能夠支援他們的運算系統；處理遊戲畫面所需的運算效能和模擬粒子間反應的計算相當類似。
該英國雜誌指出，麻州大學的天體物理學家高瑞．卡納串聯了十六台PS主機，模擬兩個黑洞撞擊時會產生的重力波。
伊利諾伊州立大學的化學教授陶德．馬丁尼茲發現，在此處理器上以C程式語言執行運算，比他用一台普通電腦要快了一百三十倍。
他現在能計算出一個小型蛋白質大小的一千個原子中的電子能量。
馬丁尼茲對《新科學週刊》說：「我們現在能做到我們以前必須拼了命才能完成的事。」
Wii的遙控手把是另一項被運用在科學界的電玩器具，這支手把能感應操縱者遙控的方向。
外科醫生已將Wii的技術應用在改良手術技巧上；神經科醫師也求助於這項技術來測量中風或帕金森式症患者的行動問題。(法新社�翻譯：袁星塵）
Photographer Franziska Stuenkel likes to take spontaneous urban shots, so she needs a nimble camera that is ready to go when inspiration strikes: her German-made Leica M11. “I have to be very quick and discreet,” said the Berlin-based artist who captures reflections of people walking past windows, their contours merging with the shapes behind the glass. Stuenkel’s compact Leica is the perfect camera for the job, the 51-year-old told AFP. Famous for its pocket-sized and retro-style devices, the Leica brand is celebrating a milestone as it marks 100 years since its first commercial camera was presented to the public. The
Picture a 45-foot-long animal with a 5-foot-long skull and 3-foot-long arms. It may not seem strange until you realize that a human with those proportions would be 6 feet tall with 5-inch arms. Although the Tyrannosaurus rex went extinct 65 million years ago, the mystery of its unusual body __1__ has fascinated scientists for over a century. Barnum Brown, the paleontologist who first discovered T. rex fossils, initially found it hard to believe that the tiny arms belonged to such a __2__ creature. One of his colleagues speculated that the short forelimbs might have been used to hold the
Dogs’ noses are incredibly keen. They can even detect changes in cortisol levels in human sweat and breath. Known as the “stress hormone,” cortisol increases when humans are under pressure. Recent research indicates that the smell of human stress can influence a dog’s behavior and emotions. In the study, human volunteers were exposed to the stressful tasks of preparing and delivering a speech on the spot and then solving math problems. __1__ Researchers collected sweat and breath samples from the volunteers on pieces of cloth during both their stressful and restful states. Meanwhile, other researchers worked with 18
1. 錢已經用一半了。 ˇ Half of the money is gone. χ Half of the money are gone. 註：Half of ... 作主詞時，動詞與介詞 of 後面的名詞或代名詞相一致，即名詞或代名詞是單數時，動詞該是單數；若為複數，則動詞也該是複數，例如： Half of the story is interesting. Half of the stories are interesting. Half of it is interesting. Half of them are interesting. 2. 許多人走過這條路。 ˇ Many a man has travelled this road. χ Many a man have travelled this road. 註：many a 意義上雖然作 many 解，但後面應跟單數名詞，動詞也用單數形式。 3. 敵人被迫投降。 ˇ The enemy were forced to surrender. χ The enemy was forced to surrender. 註：enemy 作為總稱，前面須有定冠詞，用作句子主詞時，動詞通常用複數形。類似的情形如 talent： Taiwan is known for its semiconductor technology and is actively working to attract and retain global talent. 4. 他倆誰都不該責怪。 ˇ Neither of them is to blame. χ
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