Thursday - August 31 2023, 13:41 UTC - 1 year ago

Utility lines are often suspected in fires due to the variety of ways electricity can spark blazes. Utilities are obligated to provide safe, reliable power, and have a responsibility for fire safety. They can manage fire risk by warming citizens, trimming trees, moving lines underground, replacing old equipment, and using AI-driven techniques to forecast fires.

Thursday - August 31 2023, 08:52 UTC - 1 year ago

AICreativity is growing in social and economic impact, with AI tools such as DALL-E and Midjourney being increasingly part of creative production. AI-generated content has been tested by the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) and has achieved a level of creativity comparable to humans, with the potential to provide us with solutions to previously intractable problems, but whose impacts need to be weighed against potential ethical implications.

Thursday - August 31 2023, 04:14 UTC - 1 year ago

Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco have developed a device called a bioreactor that can successfully mimic several important kidney functions. The device is part of The Kidney Project, a collaborative effort between UCSF and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, with the aim of creating an artificial kidney device that outmatches dialysis in terms of effectiveness and comfort for those dealing with kidney failure.

Wednesday - August 30 2023, 23:34 UTC - 1 year ago

A 64-year-old woman from Wales, Australia, was admitted to a local hospital in 2021 due to abdominal pain, diarrhea, dry cough and night sweats. Her situation deteriorated over time and doctors were surprised to find an 8-centimeter-long parasitic roundworm from the woman’s brain. It was identified as a third-stage larva of Ophidascaris robertsi, which is usually found in snakes, pythons specifically. The woman must have consumed the roundworm eggs by either eating contaminated raw vegetables near a lake or becoming exposed to contaminated hands or kitchen equipment. Her case emphasizes the ongoing risk for zoonotic diseases.

Wednesday - August 30 2023, 18:57 UTC - 1 year ago

GM Cruise's robotaxi service has expanded to 300 robotaxis operating in San Francisco and by 2030, the company plans to have a global fleet of 10,000 robotaxis. GM Cruise faces annual net losses of $2 to 3 billion this year and will likely surpass the ten billion per year losses that Uber had in 2021 before it crossed over into profitability. Cruise's robotaxis will eventually have an operational efficiency of around 16 trips per day and made about $100k per year in revenue. To achieve this growth, major companies in the self driving vehicle industry need to support the combined 50,000 to 100,000 robotaxi by 2025-2026.

Wednesday - August 30 2023, 14:01 UTC - 1 year ago

Combining different treatment approaches for mental health conditions might create a benefit greater than the sum of its parts. Anxiety and depression are the most prevalent mental health conditions around the world, and there are many effective treatment options including medications, psychotherapy, lifestyle changes and neurostimulation. Recent advances in scientific understanding suggest that changes and impairments in neuroplasticity are critical contributors to depression, anxiety and related conditions. Many effective treatments alter or affect neuroplasticity, but only psychotherapy can introduce new skills and habits that may be long-lasting.

Wednesday - August 30 2023, 09:36 UTC - 1 year ago

Researchers from the University of Birmingham and the University of Cambridge in the UK have developed a new method that uses quantum systems to help detect mid-infrared (MIR) light at room temperature. The mid-infrared light can be used to excite the bonds between the constituent atoms to study various structures and is also useful for various applications. The method avoids thermal noise by assembling molecular emitters into small plasmonic cavities. This breakthrough can help us deepen our understanding of highly complex systems, while also helping ease both applications and production costs of devices that use this technology.

Wednesday - August 30 2023, 05:01 UTC - 1 year ago

Forecasters are watching several factors, with the biggest being the very high sea surface temperature in the Gulf of Mexico. Wind shear is another important factor, which could possibly weaken the hurricane, as well as cold water. Longterm research shows Atlantic hurricane intensity is increasing amidst a warming climate, though rainfall intensity is the biggest indicator. Climate change can influence hurricane activity, but it is only one factor.

Wednesday - August 30 2023, 00:37 UTC - 1 year ago

A new study conducted by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has uncovered new insight into the role of the tumour microenvironment in the progression of gastric cancer. The team used single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate the diverse immune and stromal cell populations present and identified six unique 'ecotypes'. Cells belonging to two of the 'ecotypes' (EC3 and EC6) were found to have distinct clinical characteristics, with patients with EC6 exhibiting more advanced stages of cancer and worse outcomes.

Tuesday - August 29 2023, 19:42 UTC - 1 year ago

Glenn Deir was faced with inoperable cancer in his left tonsil and resorted to getting a robot named Da Vinci operating on him as no doctor was willing to do it. Despite the complications the robot proved successful and Deir is now recovering. He extended a special thank you to the robot.

Tuesday - August 29 2023, 15:22 UTC - 1 year ago

The Quantum Energy Research Centre (Q-Centre) patent from the LK99 korean researchers provides more detailed measurements, evidence and process description about the micron(s) thick thin film, which is nearly half superconductive material. It exhibits superconductive properties with very low resistance in Ohmcm and has three critical temperatures of Tc, I~50C, II~80C, III~125C but only evidence for the first two in thin film. It involves Silicon in the mixture, requires doping and defects to make it into a superconductor, and has diamagnetism and ferromagnetism, and Meissner effect below Tc I, II.

Tuesday - August 29 2023, 10:22 UTC - 1 year ago

Researchers warn of data gaps and biases in the collection of climate data for AI-driven climate modeling tools, leading to unreliable climate predictions and unequal global climate action. Particular attention should be paid to data justice to guide equitable mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Tuesday - August 29 2023, 05:51 UTC - 1 year ago

The Crew-7, which consists of one astronaut from NASA, ESA, JAXA, and Roscosmos, successfully arrived at the International Space Station as the SpaceX Dragon, named Endurance, and docked to the complex. This increases the number of crew aboard the space station to 11 people for a short time until Crew-6 returns to Earth in a few days.

Tuesday - August 29 2023, 01:42 UTC - 1 year ago

The idea of downloading a third-party keyboard to your phone may seem unnecessary to most people, but in China it is the norm due to the need to break down characters into different strokes and assign them to keys on a QWERTY keyboard. Wang Yongmin and Zhu Shoutao developed popular ways to input characters into computers. Pinyin is the Latin spelling of each Chinese character and Zhineng ABC is the most popular way to type Chinese. 800 million people in China use smart keyboard software and there is a risk of interception if apps don't have strong encryption protocols.

Monday - August 28 2023, 20:50 UTC - 1 year ago

University of Cologne researchers in Germany have figured out how to slow down aging by potentially controlling gene transcription, which can result in reversing aging. This process, they argue, becomes faster and more error-prone as we age and slowing it down and fixing it may be key to thwarting time. Increasingly, it seems that genetically toying with DNA might be the solution to prolong youth and slow down aging.

Monday - August 28 2023, 15:55 UTC - 1 year ago

Tesla has converted the last piece of their FSD driving AI to neural networks, with 3000 lines of code replacing 300,000+ C++ lines, and their AI training is nearing exascale levels. Year 2024 will bring a public beta of the AI safety suite, with lane keeping, obstacle avoidance and other car aspects being tackled.

Monday - August 28 2023, 11:25 UTC - 1 year ago

A joint study between Charles Darwin University (CDU) and University Technology Sydney (UTS) conducted a project which revealed high gas content in over 3,000 coal mines. Real-time data revealed three correlations between gas, temperature, and wind and a framework to create a warning system to predict and avoid gas incidents. The study results could be beneficial to other industries such as chemical, oil and gas, water treatment plants and semiconductor manufacturing industries.

Monday - August 28 2023, 06:50 UTC - 1 year ago

Mars' most impressive volcano, Olympus Mons, has been observed through ESA's Mars Express spacecraft. It is the largest volcano in the Solar System in terms of height, and the aureole surrounding it tells the story of colossal rockfalls and landslides which travelled up to 1000 kilometers away from the volcano's base. While on a different scale, Martian geological processes are similar to that of our own planet.

Monday - August 28 2023, 02:39 UTC - 1 year ago

Sexual exploitation of female workers on U.S. farms is far too common and affects an estimated 337,000 female migrant workers. U.S. federal labor laws hold a special status and are exempt from child labor laws, making migrant children especially vulnerable to abuse. Farmers and legislators need to prioritize worker safety, education, and rights to reduce the risk of sexual harassment.