Paint it blackBritish researchers have created the blackest, most non-reflective surface known. The coating is 10 to 20 times darker than conventional black paint. It is made of nickel and phosphorus, with tiny craters designed to absorb light. At the moment, the coating costs over $1,000 for a plate five centimetres across, but as demand increases, the price would surely drop. In the meantime, astronomers see this breakthrough as a potential benefit in making better telescopes, since the insides of telescope tubes need to be as black as possible.Sources: BBC News, New Scientist—Wendy GuTime to forget about memory loss?Researchers at an old-age home in Toronto have shown that sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease can compensate for memory loss by engaging areas of the brain not normally involved in memory. In a study comparing early-stage Alzheimer’s patients to healthy adults, researchers found a unique pattern of neural activity among Alzheimer’s patients who performed well on a variety of memory tests. This work is the first to show a direct link between the pattern of brain activity and successful performance on memory tests. The goal of further studies, said Dr. Cheryl Grady, the lead researcher, will be “to develop more effective treatments that extend this compensatory effect and delay the degenerative effects of Alzheimer’s for longer periods.”Sources: ScienceDaily Magazine, Baycrest Center for Geriatric Care—Matt CarterBabies get smart pajamasIn the hopes of preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), engineers have created pajamas that can track a baby’s vital signs. Also known as “crib death,” SIDS refers to sudden and unexpected deaths of apparently healthy infants. It is the leading cause of death for babies less than one year old in Canada and most cases happen during sleep. Until now, the only way for parents to monitor high-risk infants was to stick electrodes to their skin with adhesives—a messy procedure that often causes rashes. The new “Mama Goose” pajamas have built in sensors to monitor the baby’s heart-rate and breathing patterns. They plug into a small electronic box that sounds an alarm if it detects trouble.Source: Annals of Biomedical Engineering–David Shiga