Tuesday - July 11 2023, 18:12 UTC - 1 year ago

Seizure disorders worldwide affect over 65 million people and can cause lasting brain damage, leading to poorer quality of life. Specialized brain immune cells called microglia help reduce the damage done by seizures, however their exact role still remains unclear. My colleagues and I at the Eyo Lab at the University of Virginia investigated how the presence or absence of microglia affected seizures in mice and found that the cells play a critical role in both preventing and recovering from seizures. We also found that further research into understanding the specific molecules and signals secreted by microglia will be necessary to unlock how these cells help protect people with seizure disorders.

Tuesday - July 11 2023, 13:28 UTC - 1 year ago

New quantum computing research has proven that machine learning with quantum computers requires simpler data than previously believed, taking another step in making quantum machine learning easier, more accessible and near-term. This opens the doors to exploiting the capabilities of noisy intermediate quantum computers for practical tasks much faster than with conventional processing.

Tuesday - July 11 2023, 08:45 UTC - 1 year ago

In this article, the different spices used in savory dishes like lasagna and curries are discussed. Phytochemicals within these spices have different flavours and also medicinal uses. Different plant parts (e.g. leaves, seeds, bark and oils) create spices from plants such as basil, oregano, turmeric, saffron, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Tuesday - July 11 2023, 03:36 UTC - 1 year ago

Ocean temperatures have been exceptionally high in the past year and a half since mid-March 2023. Global warming, El Niño, the decrease of human-produced aerosol emissions, and Arctic sea ice melting are all suspected as factors behind the unusual heating of the ocean. Scientists are investigating further to uncover the full extent of the impact on our planet.

Monday - July 10 2023, 23:24 UTC - 1 year ago

A recent University of Cambridge study found that adults who partake in mindfulness courses exhibit less symptoms of anxiety and depression for at least six months after completing the program, compared to those who do not participate. The study concluded that MBPs generated a small to moderate reduction in adults’ psychological distress, with 13% more participants seeing a benefit than those who did not attend an MBP.

Monday - July 10 2023, 18:28 UTC - 1 year ago

This article outlines the five major transitions that have shaped the evolution of animal intelligence, from the simple neurological networks of jellyfish to the complex learning abilities of primates.

Monday - July 10 2023, 14:01 UTC - 1 year ago

The discovery of the imploded submersible "Titan" has prompted questions regarding OceanGate Expeditions’ liability. While jurisdictional issues and waivers signed by passengers may hinder a lawsuit, misrepresentation of safety could offer a potential legal route. Yet, the company’s possible financial demise following the disaster could render lawsuits moot.

Monday - July 10 2023, 09:13 UTC - 1 year ago

Computer scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently found that data-visualization experts have no agreed-upon understanding of who makes up one of their largest audiences—novice users and is an important first step in ensuring more inclusive data visualizations. 79 papers were identified by researchers as concerning with the identification of data visualization audiences, with these definitions of novices ranging widely from knowledge of "ontological models" to "effective utilization of GPU clusters." The paper was honored with an ACM CHI Best Paper Award as it was part of the top 1% of submitted research papers. The goal is to change the way visualization researchers think about novice users and expand their reach.

Monday - July 10 2023, 04:10 UTC - 1 year ago

The city of Syracuse, New York, is about to become an economic test of a $100 billion investment, as it is set to become the home of up to 4 chip fabs over the next 20 years. The investment from Micron is said to bring 50,000 jobs to the region, as well as flood billions into the economy. With legacy manufacturers such as GE and Carrier having shut down, this could lead to a revitalization of the area.

Sunday - July 9 2023, 23:50 UTC - 1 year ago

South Korea has experienced a drastic and rapid fertility decline in the last 60 years, going from 6.0 (in 1960) to 0.8 (in 2022). This decline was spurred on by policies encouraging contraception, an economic development plan, and the realization that having fewer children usually leads to better living conditions. This shift has seen South Korea move from a poor nation to an affluent one.

Sunday - July 9 2023, 19:42 UTC - 1 year ago

Elon Musk spoke today in a video at the World AI Conference 2023, saying that FSD will be released at the end of the year and they will be licensing the technology to other car companies. He also praised China’s AI capabilities and expressed high hopes for the near future of self-driving cars.

Sunday - July 9 2023, 14:53 UTC - 1 year ago

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed some surprising findings about the early universe in its first year of cosmological observations. JWST has enabled unprecedentedly clear observations of stars, planets and galaxies both in and out of our own galaxy. Observations have included discovering galaxies more massive than predicted by models, as well as observing the light of quasars and their host galaxies for the first time.

Sunday - July 9 2023, 10:22 UTC - 1 year ago

A new study in Nature has demonstrated that despite a decrease in its genetic information, synthetic bacterial cells evolved and regained their evolutionary fitness when pitted against the force of natural selection. These results highlight the power of evolution and natural selection, while also revealing that life is incredibly robust.

Sunday - July 9 2023, 06:20 UTC - 1 year ago

NASA is sending its humanoid robot, Valkyrie, to Australia for extensive testing as part of a non-reimbursable Space Act Agreement with Woodside Energy in Perth, Western Australia. Tests conducted in Woodside's facilities will help NASA design robots for work in hazardous conditions such as those on the Moon and help astronauts conduct maintenance and exploration in space.

Sunday - July 9 2023, 01:48 UTC - 1 year ago

Authors Mona Awad and Paul Tremblay have filed a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that their novels were used to train ChatGPT without their consent. The lawsuit faces many challenges, and does not have much legal precedent when viewed in the context of Australian law. OpenAI is the first case of its kind, and may set a new trend for copyright laws and digital technologies in the future.

Saturday - July 8 2023, 21:27 UTC - 1 year ago

AI is threatening to replace humans and could potentially lead to our extinction. Industry trailblazers and experts agree that the technology is advancing too quickly and call for new technological breakthroughs to control and steer AI systems and advocate for the need for robust regulations and legal frameworks. OpenAI has launched Superalignment, a project involving machine learning engineers and researchers to oversee the alignment of superintelligence with humanity.

Saturday - July 8 2023, 16:22 UTC - 1 year ago

A movement to weaken American child labor protections is underway in multiple states and is driven by think tanks with ties to statehouses and industry leaders. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 provides guarantees for child labor protections, however some groups wish to repeal these laws with arguments that echo decades ago. Opponents of child labor argue that it endangers health, disrupt childhood development and interfere with studies.

Saturday - July 8 2023, 12:08 UTC - 1 year ago

Within weeks of ChatGPT's launch, there were fears that students would use it to spin up essays in seconds. To combat this, detection tools were created to spot text written by a machine. The study found all the tested tools had difficulty seeing AI-generated text that was slightly tweaked and edited by humans, suggesting students can easily adapt the AI-generated texts for detection. This also highlighted how outdated universities' current methods are, with the potential to detrimentally affect students and teachers if set up incorrectly.

Saturday - July 8 2023, 07:32 UTC - 1 year ago

AI image generators have astounded us with their ability to produce remarkable images in a matter of seconds, yet they struggle with seemingly simple tasks such as accurately identifying text symbols or counting objects. The main reason for this is insufficient training data; AI image generators require much more training data to accurately represent text and quantities than they do for other tasks.