Shannon Cuthrell

4 days ago | spectrum.ieee.org | Shannon Cuthrell

In a development straight out of science fiction, Australian startup Cortical Labs has released what it calls the world’s first code-deployable biological computer. The CL1, which debuted in March, fuses human brain cells on a silicon chip to process information via sub-millisecond electrical feedback loops. Designed as a tool for neuroscience and biotech research, the CL1 offers a new way to study how brain cells process and react to stimuli.

4 days ago | flipboard.com | Shannon Cuthrell

1 day agoA brain-computer interface (BCI), a fusion of man and machine, has sparked human imagination since the Industrial Revolution. This week, the small field of BCI developers — which includes Elon Musk’s Neuralink — was joined by Texan company Paradromics, who successfully installed its Connexus BCI in …

2 weeks ago | eepower.com | Shannon Cuthrell

A surge in energy tech emerged from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) last year, culminating in 46 patents. The organization submitted a record 294 inventions and software tools in 2024, supporting a dozen new startups. Among these innovations were significant advancements in solar manufacturing, grid security, and wave energy conversion. NREL researchers developed a microwave spectrometer that characterizes solar materials in real time.

3 weeks ago | eepower.com | Shannon Cuthrell

Traditional power grids have long relied on the mechanical inertia of large thermal power plants to maintain stable frequencies, typically 50 or 60 Hz. These plants use heavy rotating turbines that resist sudden changes in frequency, providing a built-in buffer against imbalances between supply and demand. But as renewable energy sources like solar and wind displace fossil fuels—and as distributed energy resources become more common—the modern grid is losing that built-in stabilizing force.

4 weeks ago | ministrywatch.com | Shannon Cuthrell

Dr. Charles Petitt, the longtime president of Carolina University whose leadership reshaped the school into a modern, globally connected institution, died Wednesday night (May 7) following a heart attack. The news was shared by family and friends in social media posts. He is survived by his wife, Dawn, and their two daughters, Tiffany and Alicia.