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Nov 9, 2024
Astronomers Discover “Interstellar Tunnel” In Our Solar Neighborhood
Posted by Arthur Brown in categories: physics, space
As detailed in a new study published in the journal Astronomy & and Astrophysics, the tunnel exists as part of an enormous structure of hot gas with a radius of hundreds of light years that surrounds our solar system known as the Local Hot Bubble. What’s more, the findings suggest that it could connect with a nearby and even larger bubble.
Using extensive data collected by the eROSITA telescope, the first x-ray observatory fully outside of the Earth’s atmosphere, the researchers generated a 3D model of the entire LHB, confirming some features that astronomers had predicted, but also uncovering entirely new ones.
“What we didn’t know was the existence of an interstellar tunnel towards Centaurus, which carves a gap in the cooler interstellar medium,” said study coauthor Michael Freyberg, an astronomer at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, in a statement. “This region stands out in stark relief thanks to the much-improved sensitivity of eROSITA and a vastly different surveying strategy compared to ROSAT,” the space telescope’s predecessor.
Nov 9, 2024
Argonne receives funding for artificial intelligence in scientific research
Posted by Omuterema Akhahenda in categories: innovation, robotics/AI
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory funding as part of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Scientific Research program.
Supported by DOE funding, two projects will drive innovations by improving how data is processed and protected, leading to faster and more secure discoveries.
Nov 9, 2024
Implementing topologically ordered time crystals on quantum processors
Posted by Cecile G. Tamura in category: quantum physics
In this research, scientists have made an exciting discovery involving “time crystals,” a special kind of phase of matter that behaves in unexpected ways when driven by periodic forces.
In a new study published in Nature Communications, scientists have implemented the topologically ordered time crystal on a quantum processor for the first time.
Nov 9, 2024
Are AI Models Greener Than Lab Experiments for Chips?
Posted by Cecile G. Tamura in category: robotics/AI
Nov 9, 2024
Here’s how far we are from AGI, according to the people developing it
Posted by Rx Sobolewski in category: robotics/AI
Artificial general intelligence is a theoretical form of AI that can reason as well as humans. AI researchers debate how close it is to reality.
Nov 9, 2024
Artificial magnetic muscles can support tensile stresses up to 1,000 times their own weight
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: biotech/medical, cyborgs, robotics/AI, wearables
A research team, led by Professor Hoon Eui Jeong from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UNIST has introduced an innovative magnetic composite artificial muscle, showcasing an impressive ability to withstand loads comparable to those of automobiles. This material achieves a stiffness enhancement of more than 2,700 times compared to conventional systems. The study is published in Nature Communications.
Soft artificial muscles, which emulate the fluidity of human muscular motion, have emerged as vital technologies in various fields, including robotics, wearable devices, and biomedical applications. Their inherent flexibility allows for smoother operations; however, traditional materials typically exhibit limitations in rigidity, hindering their ability to lift substantial weights and maintain precise control due to unwanted vibrations.
To overcome these challenges, researchers have employed variable rigid materials that can transition between hard and soft states. Yet, the available range for stiffness modulation has remained constrained, along with inadequate mechanical performance.
Nov 9, 2024
Deadly Ashfall: Over 10,000 Impacted by Mount Lewotobi’s Explosive Eruption
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: futurism
Mount Lewotobi’s explosive eruption in November 2024 impacted over 10,000 people on Flores, Indonesia, with ash fallout reaching several villages.
The event followed months of eruptive activity, which had previously disrupted air travel.
Mount Lewotobi’s Eruptions
Nov 9, 2024
Can Life Be Engineered? Biochemists Take Key Steps Toward Synthetic Lifeforms
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: bioengineering, biological
Scientists are designing simplified biological systems, aiming to construct synthetic cells and better understand life’s mechanisms.
One of the most fundamental questions in science is how lifeless molecules can come together to form a living cell. Bert Poolman, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Groningen, has been working to solve this problem for two decades. He aims to understand life by trying to reconstruct it; he is building simplified artificial versions of biological systems that can be used as components for a synthetic cell.
His work was detailed in two new papers published in Nature Nanotechnology and Nature Communications. In the first paper, he describes a system for energy conversion and cross-feeding of products of this reaction between synthetic cells, while he describes a system for concentrating and converting nutrients in cells in the second paper.
Nov 9, 2024
SpaceX reveals date for next flight of Starship megarocket
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: Elon Musk, space travel
The Elon Musk-led spaceflight company will attempt to catch the Super Heavy booster for a second time as it returns to Earth.