Saturday - December 30 2023, 03:55 UTC - 10 months ago

Nanoengineers have created a quasicrystal from nanoparticles using DNA, exhibiting many interesting properties. A team from Northwestern University, the University of Michigan, and the Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials in San Sebastian, Spain, reports the results in Nature Materials. DNA is used to program the particles to assemble into a quasicrystal, completely demystifying the formation of quasicrystals and opening a new frontier in nanomaterial design.

Friday - December 29 2023, 22:51 UTC - 10 months ago

At the annual United Nations climate conference of 2023, agriculture was brought to the forefront due to its major contribution to one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions. The Innovation Commission for Climate Change, Food Security and Agriculture identified seven areas for innovation to ensure sufficient food production, minimize emissions and reach hundreds of millions of people. Three innovations in particular - accurate, accessible weather forecasts, precision fertilization and better crop breeding – can pay off economically and be scaled up quickly.

Friday - December 29 2023, 17:58 UTC - 10 months ago

In late December 2021 and February 2024, NASA's Juno spacecraft will make its closest flyby of Jupiter's Moon Io, coming within roughly 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) of the surface. By coming in so close, Juno will be able to investigate the source of Io's immense volcanic activity, assess whether a magma ocean exists underneath its crust, and analyze the importance of tidal forces from Jupiter. Three cameras onboard the spacecraft will be activated during the flyby.

Friday - December 29 2023, 13:58 UTC - 10 months ago

A team led by media informatics expert Fiona Draxler at LMU's Institute for Informatics has investigated questions concerning authorship and ownership of texts generated with large language models (LLMs). Using an experiment involving postcards, the results showed how perceived ownership changes when the text is written with or without the help of an LLM. In addition, the authors call for ways to encourage transparency of AI-generated text declarations to maintain its credibility and the readers' trust.

Friday - December 29 2023, 09:13 UTC - 10 months ago

A team of American scientists are embarking on an expedition to Antarctica in order to investigate the oldest ice ever found. Retrieval of samples from the ice core will reveal past levels of greenhouse gasses and their impact on climate change. These samples will be studied in various US laboratories in order to provide insights into past and present climatic conditions.

Friday - December 29 2023, 04:20 UTC - 10 months ago

The global fertility rate is approaching 1.3, a concerningly low number that will have wide-ranging implications for population growth and the global economy. Poor countries such as India and Bangladesh have already succumb to below-replacement fertility rates, meaning the next generation has half as many fertile women. Without humans there is no bright future for humanity, and it is an appropriate moment to reflect on, and respond to, the impending effects of low fertility.

Thursday - December 28 2023, 23:45 UTC - 10 months ago

In 2024, AI is predicted to have a significant impact in the world of work, consumer experience, healthcare, and creativity. Predictions for the upcoming year suggest that businesses must ready themselves for the challenges and opportunities of AI as its usage increases.

Thursday - December 28 2023, 19:11 UTC - 10 months ago

Astrophysicists have long been puzzled by the explanation of hydrogen-poor supernovae that seem to have materialized out of thin air. In order to better explain them, ISTA Assistant Professor Ylva Götberg and Maria Drout, an Associated Faculty Member of the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, University of Toronto, Canada, proposed an explanation which uncovers a first-of-its-kind star population which bridges the knowledge gap and may be the precursor star to the phenomenon. This population consists of stars interlocked in binary star systems, where the mass stripping of the more massive star by its companion eventually leaves a hot and compact helium core.

Thursday - December 28 2023, 14:19 UTC - 10 months ago

Scientists from Lithuania have found an ingenious way of repurposing cigarette waste to create biodiesel, mitigating the environmental impact. The research team has successfully extracted valuable components like oil, char and gas from the waste using pyrolysis treatment. The oil is especially abundant in triacetin, which can be used as an additive in biodiesel production, potentially reducing production costs. The extracted gas can be used as an energy source for sustainable power generation.

Thursday - December 28 2023, 09:28 UTC - 10 months ago

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program enables those who work in public service to have their outstanding student loan balance forgiven after making 10 years of monthly on-time payments. 750,000 Americans have gotten around $53.5 billion in student debt erased so far, and the Biden administration has approved $132 billion in debt relief for 3.6 million borrowers in total. Current and future college students can apply to the program if they embark on public service careers. There are some forms of student loan aid available to college-bound students, such as subsidized loans.

Thursday - December 28 2023, 05:03 UTC - 10 months ago

A new report found more than 3,200 images of suspected child sexual abuse in a popular AI database, which has caused companies to take action and development of AI technologies to be more closely reviewed. It is believed that AI tools are being used by pedophiles to generate realistic and explicit imagery of fake children as well as transform social media photos of fully clothed real teens into nudes.

Thursday - December 28 2023, 00:24 UTC - 11 months ago

Euthanasia is the act of intentionally ending a living being's life to relieve their suffering in a controverical and highly debated manner. The Euthanasia Coaster is a roller coaster designed specifically with euthanasia in mind, transmitting high G-forces to cause cerebral hypoxia, loss of consciousness, and eventually death. Active voluntary euthanasia has been legalised in 8 countries since 2000s, and is also legal in most states of Australia and 11 US states. Alternative methods such as the 3D-printed suicide capsule, the Sarco, and the conceptual structure of the Euthanasia Coaster are also proposed.

Wednesday - December 27 2023, 19:33 UTC - 11 months ago

A new AI model trained on the personal data of every person in Denmark can predict life events such as mortality as well as personality traits accurately, outperforming the current state-of-the-art technologies by 11%. Tech companies are already leveraging similar technologies to track and influence people's behavior. Society needs to be mindful of the implications and consequences that such predictive technologies may bring about.

Wednesday - December 27 2023, 14:55 UTC - 11 months ago

Fei-Fei Li is the woman behind today's artificial intelligence boom and also the founding director of Stanford University's Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. Li's new memoir recounts her pioneering work in curating the ImageNet dataset that accelerated the computer vision branch of AI. Li has spoken with the Associated Press about all the misconceptions of AI and how tech should be built around universal human values of dignity and a better life.

Wednesday - December 27 2023, 10:17 UTC - 11 months ago

China celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in October 2023. Through the expansion of the BRI, China is extending its global influence, particularly in developing regions. Despite Indonesia’s comparative advantages, Malaysia has attracted a far larger volume of BRI spending in recent years. This has been supported by the Digital Sino Silk Road, whereby Malaysia has committed over $5.7 billion to digital infrastructure by 2023.

Wednesday - December 27 2023, 05:18 UTC - 11 months ago

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced its first attempt at landing on the Moon, the 'Moon Sniper' SLIM spacecraft. Launched August 28 from Tanegashima Space Center, if successful, SLIM will join five other nations in achieving a successful landing on the Moon. Taking approximately 20 minutes, the landing is expected to take place on January 20, 2024 shortly after midnight in Japan.

Wednesday - December 27 2023, 00:37 UTC - 11 months ago

This study illuminates the intricate parallels between human and avian cognition by demonstrating how the former employs attractor dynamics to retain memory while the latter does the same and mirrors changes in human memory under heavy demands. These findings challenge our perceptions of intelligence, urging a greater appreciation of avian cognitive competencies.

Tuesday - December 26 2023, 19:43 UTC - 11 months ago

Assistive Technology can provide a way for people who are blind or have low vision to be successful in the workplace, but the technology often hits roadblocks due to information not being accessible or usable with screen readers. An abundance of assistive technology exists but the sighted population is often unaware of how it’s used, leading to greater accessibility challenges. Employers must be held accountable for their software and document inaccessibility.

Tuesday - December 26 2023, 15:13 UTC - 11 months ago

Data analytics is a broad field involving data, tools and processes that help to extract meaningful insights from processed data to make data-informed decisions. Problem-centric thinking is the key to successful outcomes; it involves a deliberate shift in perspective, with the primary emphasis on identifying and solving real-world challenges.