Friday - December 22 2023, 16:38 UTC - 11 months ago

The long-awaited United Nations Climate Negotiation Fund met with critique from climate justice advocates and is still left with many unresolved details, such as which countries will be eligible to receive funding and how it will be funded. Initial pledges from countries have been relatively low, with the USpledging only $17.5 million, and the fund remains voluntary and not solely reliant on wealthy countries providing finance.

Friday - December 22 2023, 12:07 UTC - 11 months ago

The Expedition 70 crew packed the U.S. cargo craft, Dragon, on Wednesday before its 5:05 p.m. EST departure on Thursday, December 21. The four astronauts coordinated final cargo transfers and the seven orbital residents collaborated on research studies and lab maintenance. Blood and saliva samples were collected and stowed away into Dragon for retrieval and analysis on Earth, as well as medical data collected from monitoring vests. The crew also conducted 3D printing to demonstrate microgravity manufacturing.

Friday - December 22 2023, 07:09 UTC - 11 months ago

The United States Space Development Agency (SDA) has finally approved a $700 million contract for L3Harris to produce 16 hypersonic missile tracking satellites that will be ready for launch in 2025. This contract approval is a result of a critical design review (CDR) and a production readiness review (PRR). These will form part of the SDA's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture which will be composed of a Transport Layer and a Tracking Layer. The Tracking Layer relies on infrared sensors and advanced algorithms to detect, track, and fuse threat data. This will be done through a network with optical and radio communications that can be controlled from the ground. The production of these components will take place at a facility in Sydney, Australia.

Friday - December 22 2023, 02:38 UTC - 11 months ago

The present work aims to explore the superconducting properties of CSLA from the perspective of the absorption of microwaves, which can potentially provide useful and meaningful information. Our results indicate that CSLA has potential to be a promising material for superconducting applications due to its low working temperature, high critical field and low losses.

Thursday - December 21 2023, 21:42 UTC - 11 months ago

Researchers have developed a new synaptic transistor capable of higher-level thinking that operates at room temperatures and consumes very little energy. The device is 100 times more power-efficient than conventional transistors and can store up to 100 times more information. It is ideal for real-world applications and could be used in a wide range of industries, such as AI, machine learning, IoT, robotics and wearables.

Thursday - December 21 2023, 16:53 UTC - 11 months ago

This year has been a wild year in the AI world, with Big Tech going all in with generative AI, a race to find the next killer app, and continued debates about the potential for AI to pose an existential risk to humans. Optimistically, generative AI could be embedded in tools to help boost our productivity and useful applications to better humankind. It is important to remember to weigh the potential risks of AI advancement before moving forward.

Thursday - December 21 2023, 12:09 UTC - 11 months ago

Apple Vision Pro is a mixed reality headset released at the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 5, 2023. It incorporates sophisticated blend of AR and VR technologies, including personalized micro-OLED screens delivering 23 million pixels across two displays. This headset utilizes advanced facial recognition, cameras and sensors, and laser light to measure distances, generating detailed 3D maps, and offers precise environmental awareness, hand recognition, audio spatialization and real-time 3D mapping capabilities. Its impact on the field of ophthalmology is being explored by NASA-funded projects and a Nature study.

Thursday - December 21 2023, 07:40 UTC - 11 months ago

The current judicial transparency in China is moving in the wrong direction, as courts all over the country are preparing to upload their judgments to a secret database in January 2024. This move comes despite years of celebrating transparency over itself, and puts millions of verdicts at the risk of never seeing the light of day. It also reveals the systemic issue plaguing China's legal system, particularly how women, especially those with mental disabilities, are being abducted and sold for less than $160.

Thursday - December 21 2023, 02:48 UTC - 11 months ago

USC Dornsife’s CReATiNG technique is a groundbreaking new method that revolutionizes synthetic biology by making the cost-effective construction of synthetic chromosomes possible. It could significantly advance genetic engineering and enable a wide range of advances in medicine, biotechnology, biofuel production, and even space exploration.

Wednesday - December 20 2023, 22:46 UTC - 11 months ago

Tesla has committed to advancing autonomous driving technology with its latest move – wireless inductive home charging for electric vehicles (EVs). It recently initiated a $76 million takeover of German wireless EV charging technology company Wiferion and teased a wireless home charging station earlier this year. Tesla now officially acknowledges its focus on a wireless inductive home charger to provide customers convenience. This technology could be a game-changer for regular users and the potential for it in robotaxi industry could be great, however, the cost and installation could be a concern.

Wednesday - December 20 2023, 18:07 UTC - 11 months ago

In a new breakthrough, researchers have used a novel technique to confirm a previously undetected physics phenomenon that could be used to improve data storage in the next generation of computer devices - the Orbital Hall effect. Led by Igor Lyaling, a graduate student in physics from The Ohio State University, the team was able to detect a clear magneto-optical signal by reflecting light off of thin films of the light metal chromium. This breakthrough could result in lower power consumption, higher speeds, and higher reliability in applications, as well as help to extend the technology's lifespan.

Wednesday - December 20 2023, 13:49 UTC - 11 months ago

China has unveiled its first independently developed drilling vessel, named "Mengxiang" (Dream), which can drill the world's deepest depths. It has the capacity to extract a large amount of methane gas, known as 'flammable ice', and is meant to increase China's independence in energy procurement and its drilling capabilities under the ocean. Although this drilling vessel promises to yield major economic benefits, concerns arise over potential environmental harms that come with the pursuit of gas hydrate mining.

Wednesday - December 20 2023, 09:17 UTC - 11 months ago

Generative AI is a key technology that is going to play a major role in the 2020 election process, and its potential benefits to keep up with the fast-changing landscape of the election process are immense. Social media giants, such as Facebook and Twitter, are using generative AI to detect and flag malicious content while Google is using it to improve content curation and better identify relevant and factually correct news stories. It is important, however, to use this technology responsibly and make sure that the data generated is accurate and unbiased.

Wednesday - December 20 2023, 04:54 UTC - 11 months ago

The implementation of Fortran and C++ programming in the MPAS-Ocean model has enabled researchers to reduce computational time and improve accuracy, offering new possibilities for climate research.

Wednesday - December 20 2023, 00:26 UTC - 11 months ago

Plastistones have now been found on five different continents in 11 countries worldwide. They are a novel type of sedimentary rock composed of a fusion of plastic materials, such as polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polypropylene (PP), along with pre-existing rock fragments. This formation process occurs when human-induced waste, such as plastic waste and packaging, experiences burning, wave action, evaporation, or chemical bonding. As a result, these plastistones can alter the microbial communities of the environment, leading to the generation of microplastics and nanoplastics. The authors of the study noted that this new type of sedimentary rock provides compelling evidence of the power of human activities in reshaping the geological record of our planet.

Tuesday - December 19 2023, 19:30 UTC - 11 months ago

2023 was a huge year for AI and Large Language Models. This article discusses predictions of AI in 2024, including customization for enterprises, open source AI, RAG, quantum computing, and telecom AI.

Tuesday - December 19 2023, 14:36 UTC - 11 months ago

The Boston Tea Party of December 1773 was one of the most famous events leading up to the Revolutionary War. There are several business lessons that can be learned from this event, such as the importance of publicity, the impacts of market changes, the effect of small dollar amounts, and the importance of timing.

Tuesday - December 19 2023, 09:46 UTC - 11 months ago

Whisky prices have skyrocketed in the last decade, due in part to investors entering the market and an increasing focus on the perceived authenticity of craft products. Single-malt bottles and barrels from Scottish, Irish, and Japanese distilleries have all seen a surge in popularity. The whisky market will continue to be an interesting field to watch in the future.

Tuesday - December 19 2023, 05:00 UTC - 11 months ago

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has been approved to sell the world's first CRISPR gene-editing treatment for sickle-cell, but due to its immense costs, complexity, and unequal acceess, Vertex is actively seeking alternatives to this treatment. Vertex is aiming to come up with a pill to alleviate sickle-cell and perceptibly reduce the moral dilemma of unequal access. Three strategies suggested by David Altshuler, Head of Research at the company, are finding a substitute to chemotherapy, a drug that lets the edited cells latch on to the bone marrow, and a separate drug that alleviates the symptoms of sickle-cell without any gene editing.