The language of invention: Most innovations are rephrasings of past technologies
2015-05-01
(Press-News.org) Most new patents are combinations of existing ideas and pretty much always have been, even as the stream of fundamentally new core technologies has slowed, according to a new paper in the Journal of the Roayl Society Interface by Santa Fe Institute researchers Hyejin Youn, Luis Bettencourt, Jose Lobo, and Deborah Strumsky.
Youn and colleagues reached those conclusions sifting through the records of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Dating back to 1790, the records feature an elaborate system of technology codes -- a vocabulary of sorts, in which any new invention is a phrase.
The researchers found that throughout the USPTO's history, about 40 percent of patents have been refinements on existing patents that leave the "phrase" unchanged. The rest are either new words or new phrases -- and the balance between those has changed.
"Suppose you write a long novel. You may emphasize the introduction of new vocabularies or the introduction of new phrases," says Youn.
The vocabulary of invention grew exponentially until 1870. Afterwards the expansion slowed, but by that time there were so many basic technologies that inventors could keep up the pace of new patents only by combining old "words" in new ways.
Youn says there are a number of avenues for future research. In one project, she and colleagues are examining the grammar of technology -- the different ways that individual ideas are combined or not--and how that grammar's changed over time.
INFORMATION:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2015-05-01
NEW YORK, NY (May 1, 2015) -- Bats are masters of flight in the night sky, capable of steep nosedives and sharp turns that put our best aircrafts to shame. Although the role of echolocation in bats' impressive midair maneuvering has been extensively studied, the contribution of touch has been largely overlooked. A study published April 30 in Cell Reports shows, for the first time, that a unique array of sensory receptors in the wing provides feedback to a bat during flight. The findings also suggest that neurons in the bat brain respond to incoming airflow and touch signals, ...
2015-05-01
In proof-of-concept experiments, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine demonstrate the ability to tune medically relevant cell behaviors by manipulating a key hub in cell communication networks. The manipulation of this communication node, reported in this week's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, makes it possible to reprogram large parts of a cell's signaling network instead of targeting only a single receptor or cell signaling pathway.
The potential clinical value of the basic science discovery is the ability ...
2015-05-01
Dispersal and adaptation are two fundamental evolutionary strategies available to species given an environment. Generalists, like dandelions, send their offspring far and wide. Specialists, like alpine flowers, adapt to the conditions of a particular place.
Ecologists have typically modeled these two strategies, and the selective pressures that trigger them, by holding one strategy fixed and watching how the other evolves. New research published in the journal Evolution illustrates the dramatic interplay during the co-evolution of dispersal and adaptation strategies.
"This ...
2015-05-01
WASHINGTON --An intervention in the emergency department designed to encourage tobacco cessation in smokers appears to be effective. Two and a half times more patients in the intervention group were tobacco-free three months after receiving interventions than those who did not receive the interventions, according to a study published online Friday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ( END ...
2015-05-01
(BOSTON) -- If you opt to wear soft contact lenses, chances are you are using hydrogels on a daily basis. Made up of polymer chains that are able to absorb water, hydrogels used in contacts are flexible and allow oxygen to pass through the lenses, keeping eyes healthy.
Hydrogels can be up to 99 percent water and as a result are similar in composition to human tissues. They can take on a variety of forms and functions beyond that of contact lenses. By tuning their shape, physical properties and chemical composition and infusing them with cells, biomedical engineers have ...
2015-05-01
Consumers can reduce the risk of Campylobacter food poisoning by up to 99.2% by using disinfectant wipes in the kitchen after preparing poultry. This is according to research published today (Friday 01 May) in the Society for Applied Microbiology's Journal of Applied Microbiology.
Dr Gerardo Lopez and his colleagues at the University of Arizona in the USA used antibacterial wipes on typical counter top materials - granite, laminate, and ceramic tile - to see if they reduce the risk of the cook and their family or guests ingesting harmful bacteria.
The results from Dr ...
2015-05-01
Contrary to popular belief, more healthy kids' meals were ordered after a regional restaurant chain added more healthy options to its kids' menu and removed soda and fries, researchers from ChildObesity180 at Tufts University Friedman School reported today in the journal Obesity. Including more healthy options on the menu didn't hurt overall restaurant revenue, and may have even supported growth.
Researchers examined outcomes before and after the Silver Diner, a full-service family restaurant chain, made changes to its children's menu in order to make healthier items ...
2015-05-01
New research has brought us closer to being able to understand the health benefits of coffee.
Monash researchers, in collaboration with Italian coffee roasting company Illycaffè, have conducted the most comprehensive study to date on how free radicals and antioxidants behave during every stage of the coffee brewing process, from intact bean to coffee brew.
The team observed the behaviour of free radicals - unstable molecules that seek electrons for stability and are known to cause cellular and DNA damage in the human body - in the coffee brewing process. For the ...
2015-05-01
Researchers are a step closer to understanding the risk factors associated with endometriosis thanks to a new University of Adelaide study.
Dr Jonathan McGuane, from the University's Robinson Research Institute, says they discovered, for the first time, an association between contact with seminal fluid and the development of endometriosis.
"In laboratory studies, our research found that seminal fluid (a major component of semen) enhances the survival and growth of endometriosis lesions," says Dr McGuane, co-lead author on the paper.
Associate Professor Louise Hull, ...
2015-05-01
Genome editing using CRISPR/Cas system has enabled direct modification of the mouse genome in fertilized mouse eggs, leading to rapid, convenient, and efficient one-step production of knockout mice without embryonic stem cells. In contrast to the ease of targeted gene deletion, the complementary application, called targeted gene cassette insertion or knock-in, in fertilized mouse eggs by CRISPR/Cas mediated genome editing still remains a tough challenge.
Professor Kohichi Tanaka and Dr. Tomomi Aida at Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Medical Research Institute, TMDU ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] The language of invention: Most innovations are rephrasings of past technologies
