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Elon Musk: Robotaxis Will Replace Personal Cars, Not Just Uber

Questions to inspire discussion.

🧠 Q: How does Tesla’s upcoming AI chip compare to the current one? A: Tesla’s AI5 chip will be 40 times better than the current AI4 chip, which is already capable of achieving self-driving safety at least 2–3 times that of a human.

💰 Q: What is the expected pricing for Tesla’s robotaxi service? A: Tesla’s robotaxi service is projected to cost $2 per mile at launch, which is cheaper than Uber rides in high-cost areas like Seattle.

Impact on Transportation.

🚘 Q: How will robotaxis affect car ownership? A: Robotaxis are expected to become a viable alternative to car ownership, especially when prices reach $1 per mile, making them cheaper than options like airport parking.

đŸ’Œ Q: How does Tesla’s robotaxi cost compare to competitors? A: Tesla’s robotaxi can be built and deployed for half the cost of competitors like Whim, potentially offering more competitive pricing.

Continue reading “Elon Musk: Robotaxis Will Replace Personal Cars, Not Just Uber” | >

Stored for 130 years: Bottles reveal evidence of Danish butter production and hygiene practices of the past

Two forgotten bottles in a basement in Frederiksberg containing bacterial cultures from the 1890s have provided researchers at the University of Copenhagen with unique insight into Denmark’s butter production history. Using advanced DNA analysis, they have examined the contents of the bottles, which offered several bacterial surprises and a reminder of the challenges of hygiene at the time.

Lactic acid bacteria have long been used to flavor food and extend its by acidifying it and displacing . Denmark was among the first to use the magic of lactic acid bacteria industrially, which, together with the introduction of pasteurization, helped to ensure the high quality of dairy products and, not least, keep them free of disease.

This is evidenced by the discovery of two bottles of white powder, which researchers from the University of Copenhagen found by chance in a dusty moving box last year. The bottles had labels indicating that they contained cultures consisting of lactic acid bacteria, but had not seen the light of day since the late 1800s and were well hidden away in a basement under the greenhouses on Rolighedsvej near the old Agricultural College in Frederiksberg.

‘More than just an image’: New algorithm can extract hyperspectral info from conventional photos

Professionals in agriculture, defense and security, environmental monitoring, food quality analysis, industrial quality control, and medical diagnostics could benefit from a patent-pending innovation that opens new possibilities of conventional photography for optical spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging.

Young Kim, Purdue University professor, University Faculty Scholar and Showalter Faculty Scholar, and postdoctoral research associate Semin Kwon of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering created an algorithm that recovers detailed spectral information from photographs taken by conventional cameras. The research combines computer vision, color science and optical spectroscopy.

“A photograph is more than just an image; it contains abundant hyperspectral information,” Kim said. “We are one of the pioneering research groups to integrate computational spectrometry and spectroscopic analyses for biomedical and other applications.”

Satiation variability prediction using AI for obesity treatment

Meal size and termination is regulated by a process called satiation, which varies widely among adults with obesity.

The researchers assessed calories to satiation (CTS) and integrated a machine learning genetic risk score (CTSGRS) to predict obesity treatment outcomes.

High CTS or CTSGRS identified individuals who responded better to phentermine-topiramate, whereas low CTS or CTSGRS predicted greater weight loss with liraglutide, highlighting personalized obesity therapy.

Researchers uncover critical genetic drivers of the gut’s ‘nervous system’ development

Vanderbilt researchers, including those from the Vanderbilt Brain Institute, have made significant strides in understanding how the enteric nervous system—sometimes called the “brain” of the gut—forms and functions.

In a study published in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the lab of principal investigator, Michelle Southard-Smith, sheds light on how the SOX10 protein contributes to the development of gut cells that play a role in gastrointestinal motility, or how food moves through the digestive system.

The paper is titled “Single Cell Profiling in the Sox10Dom Hirschsprung Mouse Implicates Hox genes in Enteric Neuron Trajectory Allocation.”

New retina-inspired photodiodes could advance machine vision

Over the past decades, computer scientists have developed increasingly sophisticated sensors and machine learning algorithms that allow computer systems to process and interpret images and videos. This tech-powered capability, also referred to as machine vision, is proving to be highly advantageous for the manufacturing and production of food products, drinks, electronics, and various other goods.

Machine vision could enable the automation of various tedious steps in industry and manufacturing, such as the detection of defects, the inspection of electronics, automotive parts or other items, the verification of labels or expiration dates and the sorting of products into different categories.

While the sensors underpinning the functioning of many previously introduced machine vision systems are highly sophisticated, they typically do not process with as much detail as the human retina (i.e., a light-sensitive tissue in the eye that processes visual signals).

Strangers whose brains respond alike to movie clips often become friends later, study finds

People often bond with strangers over the books they read or the movies they watch and build friendships that last. Scientists may now have some insight into why this happens. A study published in Nature Human Behaviour found that participants who responded similarly to the same movie clips even before meeting were more likely to become friends later.

As part of the experiment, MRI brain scans were taken of 41 graduate students who had never met each other before, while they were shown clips of movies based on science, food, sports, environment, and .

A total of 214 were analyzed—200 cortical regions associated with functions, such as movement, perception, and sensory processing, and 14 subcortical regions that control movement, autonomic functions, and emotions.

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