Sunday - March 31 2024, 07:27 UTC - 1 year ago

Researchers at Georgia Tech have developed a new approach to controlling exoskeletons using neural networks to continuously adjust assistance based on the user's specific posture and gait. This could greatly expand the functionality and accessibility of exoskeletons, making them more versatile and user-friendly.

Sunday - March 31 2024, 02:19 UTC - 1 year ago

Scientists continue to search for ways to improve solar energy production by concentrating more solar light onto cells. However, their findings have led them to explore alternative approaches, such as making solar panels more versatile and durable, and patterning solar capture devices. These innovative solutions could greatly increase the usage of solar energy in the future.

Saturday - March 30 2024, 21:44 UTC - 1 year ago

Scientists have found that changing the deposition temperature affects the crystal structure of Nb on sapphire films, with higher temperatures resulting in lower losses in Nb qubits. An intermediate temperature of 550 K offers the best balance between crystal ordering and surface roughness. Understanding material structures is crucial in optimizing superconducting circuits for applications in quantum computing and other fields.

Saturday - March 30 2024, 16:54 UTC - 1 year ago

A recent study led by Professor Zheng from HKU has found that propionate, a short-chain fatty acid produced in the gut, can suppress neurodegeneration in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD). Through its role in interorgan signaling between the intestine and brain, propionate promotes energy production and neuronal health, providing a potential new strategy for treating PD and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Saturday - March 30 2024, 12:37 UTC - 1 year ago

Thanks to the development of accessible data representation tools, people with vision impairments now have equal access to information and the ability to participate in discussions and decisions based on visual data. Traditional data visualization techniques, though essential, have long been inaccessible for people with vision impairments. With the increasing demand for inclusive design, more tools, such as audio descriptions and tactile graphics, are being developed to bridge the accessibility gap. These tools not only promote equal access but also challenge societal stereotypes and promote a more inclusive society.

Saturday - March 30 2024, 07:27 UTC - 1 year ago

The renewable energy transition is straining the supply chains for critical metals needed in green technologies. The US government is exploring the use of plants to mine for these metals through their root systems in a process called phytomining. The project, named PHYTOMINES, is initially focusing on nickel and aims to optimize the amount of metal these plants can absorb while also considering economic and environmental factors. This could secure a more diverse and sustainable source of materials for the renewable energy transition.

Saturday - March 30 2024, 03:09 UTC - 1 year ago

Microsoft and Chinese researchers have developed BitNet b1.58 - a revolutionary AI model that is 7 times more memory efficient and 4 times faster on latency. This has implications for industries such as healthcare, self-driving cars, and finance. They also call for the development of new hardware and systems specifically optimized for 1-bit LLMs to further advance AI technology.

Friday - March 29 2024, 22:29 UTC - 1 year ago

Researchers have found that watermarks used to detect AI-generated text are easily defeated and can be used by hackers to create fake watermarked text or strip the watermark entirely. Out of five types of watermarks tested, four were successfully spoofed and three were successfully stripped. This highlights the importance of implementing multiple methods, such as content analysis and human fact-checking, to combat the spread of AI-generated misinformation and plagiarism.

Friday - March 29 2024, 17:40 UTC - 1 year ago

OpenAI's latest generative model, Sora, has caught the attention of filmmakers with its impressive capabilities. Three filmmakers were given the opportunity to test Sora and create short films using the tool. Despite some challenges, Sora has shown immense potential in creating consistent characters, detailed anatomical features, and even entire scenes. The films also demonstrate the importance of human touches and post-processing in enhancing the final product. With Sora, the future of filmmaking looks exciting as boundaries continue to be pushed and new aesthetics explored.

Friday - March 29 2024, 13:24 UTC - 1 year ago

New oceanic research by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute has provided groundbreaking evidence of a clear human “fingerprint” on climate change. The study shows that anthropogenic activities have significantly altered the seasonal cycle amplitude of sea surface temperatures (SST), with strong and distinctive patterns emerging from four different observational data sets and 51 model realizations. The evidence supports the conclusion that increases in atmospheric CO2 levels are the primary driver of these changes, which have significant impacts on marine ecosystems, species migration, and fisheries.

Friday - March 29 2024, 08:45 UTC - 1 year ago

Traditional methods of indoor positioning, such as fingerprinting and sensor-based techniques, face limitations such as the need for extensive training data and additional hardware. Deep learning has shown promise in improving location tracking accuracy, but challenges such as scalability and computational costs remain. Despite this, deep learning-powered indoor positioning has the potential to greatly enhance customer experiences and operational efficiency in industries such as retail, healthcare, and logistics.

Friday - March 29 2024, 04:16 UTC - 1 year ago

The recent development of REBCO, a high-temperature superconducting material, allows for more efficient and stable fusion reactions. A collaboration between the University of Texas at Austin and MIT led to the creation of a 20,000-pound magnet with a steady magnetic field of over 20 tesla, a record for fusion research. These advancements could make commercial nuclear fusion an economically viable source of clean energy.

Thursday - March 28 2024, 23:49 UTC - 1 year ago

Antibiotic resistance is a major global health threat with around 5 million deaths annually. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics, as well as bacteria's ability to acquire resistance, have led to a critical need for new treatment options. Promising approaches include using phages, viruses that only target harmful bacteria, and combination therapies. Increased efforts and resources are needed to combat antibiotic resistance.

Thursday - March 28 2024, 18:51 UTC - 1 year ago

Computer scientists are envisioning a future for artificial intelligence that resembles the capabilities of Star Trek's collective consciousness species "The Borg". While this raises concerns about potential dangers, advancements in AI technology are rapidly progressing, with some predicting AI surpassing human intelligence in the next few decades. To avoid negative consequences, ethical considerations and regulations must be a priority in its development.

Thursday - March 28 2024, 14:26 UTC - 1 year ago

In a recent update of their Global AI Talent Tracker, think tank MacroPolo revealed that Chinese researchers now make up 26% of elite AI scholars, almost dethroning the US's 28%. With the majority of Chinese graduate AI researchers staying in China, investing in graduate-level institutions and attracting overseas students may expand research capacity in the competitive world of AI development.

Thursday - March 28 2024, 09:33 UTC - 1 year ago

The use of automatic approaches for designing metaheuristic optimization algorithms has numerous benefits, including saving time and resources, producing more effective and robust solutions, and outperforming manual methods. This highlights the importance of leveraging mathematical models and algorithms rather than relying on trial and error or intuition.

Thursday - March 28 2024, 04:56 UTC - 1 year ago

Aigo, a company that has been improving its AI for 20 years, has a system with human-like cognition that can scale to millions of facts and sub-second responses. A smaller scale test showed Aigo answering 89% of questions correctly compared to Claude 2's 35% and GPT-4's 1%. Aigo is able to remember, understand, reason, learn, and personalize conversations, making it stand out in the conversational AI industry.

Thursday - March 28 2024, 00:18 UTC - 1 year ago

Russell Impagliazzo is a leading researcher in computational complexity, with a lifelong interest in math and a love for tabletop role-playing games and improv comedy. He has made significant contributions to the P versus NP problem and the understanding of randomness in computation. His 1995 paper on different possible worlds has inspired much research in meta-complexity. In this interview, he discusses his work and the playful spirit that guides it.

Wednesday - March 27 2024, 19:34 UTC - 1 year ago

New data from the International Council on Clean Transportation suggests that plug-in hybrids may not be as environmentally friendly as they claim to be. Real-world emissions are significantly higher than official estimates, leading to a gap between expectations and reality for both drivers and policies. In order to reap the full benefits of plug-in hybrids, drivers should aim to rely more on their electric mode and governments should set realistic carbon targets.