U.S. government has a massive memory

The US government has just purchased the world’s largest RAM disk from Texas Memory Systems for $4.7 million. This memory disk is 2.5 terabytes in size, or 2.5 million million bytes, equivalent to about 10,000 times the memory in your PC. The massive memory is being used in Washington, D.C., for “cross-checking across several vast databases.” The exact nature of its application and the specific governmental department have not been released, but few departments would be able to justify the expense and computing power in the current economic and political climate. Texas Memory Systems reports that “the customer has been happy so far,” and may be buying more such RAM systems in the near future.

-Qing Hua Wang
Source: Techworld.com

Ovarian transplant successful

Researchers at the Centre for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at Cornell University have managed to grow a human embryo from frozen ovarian tissue grafted onto a woman’s stomach. The woman, a breast cancer patient, had one of her ovaries removed six years ago and frozen at -196 OC. The ovary was removed before she began chemotherapy to treat her cancer, which would have damaged her ovaries and made her infertile. The grafted ovarian tissue, stimulated by the woman’s hormones, began producing eggs within three months of being implanted. Several mature eggs were then collected and used for in vitro fertilization. Once the technique is refined and is proven safe, it could offer hope to women whose ovaries are damaged by disease or drugs.

-QHW
Source: Nature

Siberian tigers barely holding on

Only 350 Siberian tigers remain in the wild, and some biologists think we have no hope of saving the species, describing the last few tigers as “living dead.” But some scientists believe hope remains still, and say that conservation measures need to be stepped up. An adult needs about 450 square kilometers in which to roam, and current wildlife refuges can provide enough space to only 20 per cent of the current population.

-Zoe Cormier
Source: Nature