Tuesday - March 5 2024, 15:44 UTC - 8 months ago

Researchers have developed a system that allows a seated person to experience the benefits of walking through a virtual environment. The system uses a combination of a 3DCG space, 360-degree live-action video, and physical information such as a walking avatar, shadows, and vibrations. It is compact, cost-effective, and aims to provide an immersive and embodied virtual walking experience for users.

Tuesday - March 5 2024, 10:54 UTC - 8 months ago

Elon Musk's Neuralink has successfully tested their brain implant on a human, allowing them to control a cursor with their mind. This technology promises higher precision, ease of use, and potential uses in virtual reality and medical treatments. The company's first clinical trial will focus on individuals with spinal cord injuries.

Tuesday - March 5 2024, 05:55 UTC - 8 months ago

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have developed nanoparticles made from plant viruses that can transport pesticides deep into the soil, targeting root-level nematode infestations in a precise and sustainable manner. This technology could reduce the amount of pesticide needed, leading to cost savings for farmers and less contamination in the environment. The use of plant virus nanoparticles for pesticide delivery has the potential to revolutionize pest control in agriculture.

Tuesday - March 5 2024, 01:10 UTC - 8 months ago

A groundbreaking discovery has been made in the field of organoids, with researchers successfully growing organoids from fetal cells found in amniotic fluid. This could revolutionize prenatal diagnoses by providing information about how fetal organs are developing. Lung organoids grown from fetal cells showed promising results, but more research is needed. Organoids grown from fetal cells could potentially improve prenatal diagnoses for conditions that affect organ function in the womb.

Monday - March 4 2024, 20:35 UTC - 8 months ago

Researchers at OpenAI discovered that some models can seem to fail at a task and then suddenly get it, a phenomenon known as grokking. This behavior has puzzled many and highlights the fact that deep learning is still not completely understood. Despite this, businesses are utilizing AI for their needs, but understanding the why behind deep learning could potentially improve models and address any shortcomings.

Monday - March 4 2024, 16:06 UTC - 8 months ago

Naerly 30 years after its launch, ESA's ERS-2 satellite successfully reentered Earth's atmosphere. Its final moments were tracked by Germany's Fraunhofer Institute, which discovered the unexpected detachment of its solar array. This may have affected the satellite's reentry trajectory and could help improve predictions for future natural reentries.

Monday - March 4 2024, 12:04 UTC - 8 months ago

Garbal is a call center in Niger's capital that offers location-specific data to herders in the Sahel region. Founded by a data scientist named Alex Orenstein, Garbal aims to combine traditional herding knowledge with modern technology to support sustainable decision-making and safeguard the ancient culture of herding. The call center has been providing critical support to herders facing interrelated challenges like war and climate change. In contrast to other Western tech solutions, Garbal focuses on using simple technologies to empower herders in the long term.

Monday - March 4 2024, 07:34 UTC - 8 months ago

The lack of an internal model of the physical world in large language models such as OpenAI ChatGPT and Google Gemini has caused glitches and inaccuracies in generated images and videos. This poses a major concern for using these systems in tasks such as self-driving cars and humanoid robots, as the generated data may not adhere to real world physics. This flaw stems from the system's inability to accurately reconstruct reality and cannot be solved by adding more data. Constraints such as truthfulness and adherence to the laws of physics cannot be encoded in generative AI systems, highlighting the dangers of relying on them for important tasks.

Monday - March 4 2024, 03:23 UTC - 8 months ago

Chinese and Korean teams successfully reproduce Meissner effect in LK99-like superconductors, providing evidence of near room temperature superconductivity. The presence of one-dimensional voids in the material makes it more feasible for practical applications such as diamond wires. This marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of practical superconducting materials.

Sunday - March 3 2024, 22:15 UTC - 8 months ago

Scientists have been using gravitational waves to study the universe, but detecting them is difficult. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) has detected 90 events so far, but physicists want to detect more. A new technique called quantum squeezing allows researchers to manipulate quantum systems and improve precision in measurement. This technique is being used in fields like precision sensing and quantum computing. Most recently, researchers have used quantum squeezing to improve LIGO's sensitivity and detect more black hole mergers and neutron star collisions.

Sunday - March 3 2024, 17:56 UTC - 8 months ago

Amazon is investing in generative AI and robotics, recognizing their potential to revolutionize various industries. Recent experiments have shown promising results, and with the availability of large amounts of data, the possibilities are endless. Amazon's billion-dollar investment will accelerate growth and innovation in this field, attracting interest from researchers and investors.

Sunday - March 3 2024, 13:14 UTC - 8 months ago

Neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins have discovered that a type of light-sensing cell in the retina uses both a microvillous and ciliary signaling pathway at the same time to transmit visual signals to the brain. This finding sheds light on a decades-long mystery and suggests that these cells may have an ancient origin. ipRGCs, which have multiple functions beyond vision, use a different signaling molecule compared to most photoreceptors, similar to jellyfish.

Sunday - March 3 2024, 08:20 UTC - 8 months ago

NASA has successfully deployed a solar sail, an eco-friendly propulsion system that harnesses sunlight for deep space missions. Developed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the sail measures 17,780 square feet, only 2.5 microns thick, and offers high efficiency and minimal mass. Potential uses include studying space weather, exploring the Sun's poles, and getting closer to Mercury and Venus.

Sunday - March 3 2024, 03:47 UTC - 8 months ago

AI technology has made advancements in decision-making and generative capabilities, but it is still far from true intelligence. The definition of AI is constantly shifting, making it difficult to determine its true capabilities. While there are exciting developments, it is important to remain critical and consider the potential risks and benefits of AI's rapid development.

Saturday - March 2 2024, 23:29 UTC - 8 months ago

The popular diabetes medication metformin is also being studied for its potential to reduce inflammation, curb cancer, and slow the aging process. However, its widespread use has led to an unintended consequence – it's ending up in our wastewater and potentially affecting aquatic organisms. Researchers have identified the bacteria responsible for metabolizing metformin and are exploring ways to better remove micropollutants from wastewater using bacteria-based technologies.

Saturday - March 2 2024, 18:37 UTC - 8 months ago

A team of computer scientists has developed a new approach to language understanding by periodically erasing and resetting information in a neural network. This has shown to be an effective and more efficient way of adapting to new languages and tasks, opening up new possibilities for the future of AI.

Saturday - March 2 2024, 14:06 UTC - 8 months ago

Blackout Diffusion is a generative model that creates realistic images by adding noise and then learning how to revert it back to its original state. It differs from existing models by working in a discrete space, allowing for new types of images to be created by AI. This could lead to more efficient diffusion models and advancements in AI-generated images for scientific use.

Saturday - March 2 2024, 09:49 UTC - 8 months ago

Private companies are making huge strides in the space industry, with NASA funding and supporting their missions to help create a bustling solar system economy. The recent successful landing of Intuitive Machines' spacecraft, Odysseus, on the moon's surface is evidence of this progress. These private missions are also significantly more cost-efficient and can launch more quickly, providing redundancy for upcoming NASA missions.

Saturday - March 2 2024, 04:53 UTC - 8 months ago

Researchers have developed an all-light communication network that enables seamless connectivity across space, air, and underwater environments. This network uses four types of light - blue, white, deep ultraviolet, and near-infrared - to establish wireless communication links. It can support both wired and wireless device access, making it suitable for various applications. The network has been tested in both simulated and real environments and has demonstrated its capabilities for practical use.