Google now requires crypto app licenses in 15 regions to boost compliance, as FBI flags $9.9M scam losses.
Category: futurism – Page 69
Finding the shadows in a fusion system faster with AI
A public‑private partnership between Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory has led to a new artificial intelligence (AI) approach that is faster at finding what’s known as “magnetic shadows” in a fusion vessel: safe havens protected from the intense heat of the plasma.
Known as HEAT‑ML, the new AI could lay the foundation for software that significantly speeds up the design of future fusion systems. Such software could also enable good decision‑making during fusion operations by adjusting the plasma so that potential problems are thwarted before they start.
“This research shows that you can take an existing code and create an AI surrogate that will speed up your ability to get useful answers, and it opens up interesting avenues in terms of control and scenario planning,” said Michael Churchill, co‑author of a paper in Fusion Engineering and Design about HEAT‑ML and head of digital engineering at PPPL.
Scientists Design Huge Spacecraft That Could Carry 2,400 Colonists to Alpha Centauri
A team of engineers has come up with designs of a 36-mile spacecraft, dubbed Chrysalis, designed to carry up to 2,400 passengers to Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our own.
As first spotted by Live Science, the ambitious vision recently won the team the top prize at the Project Hyperion Design Competition, which was launched last year by an international consortium of scientists, engineers, and urban planners.
Gene linked to skin’s resistance to pressure sheds light on how animals adapted to life on land
One of the most significant moments in the evolutionary journey of life on this planet was the transition from water to land. This huge step required animals to adapt to new challenges, including supporting their body weight and developing new modes of locomotion. These changes put increased pressure on weight-bearing skin, such as paws and soles.
Despite its importance, the molecular mechanisms by which skin maintains its stability (homeostasis) under this constant pressure have been poorly understood. However, in a paper published in the journal Cell, scientists from China have revealed new insights into how skin adapts to these physical forces.
To better understand what happens, the researchers focused on the Slurp1 gene, which provides instructions for making a protein (SLURP1) found in skin cells and other cells that line the surfaces and cavities of the body. It is present in amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals but not in invertebrates and fish. This suggests that it could’ve emerged alongside terrestrial adaptation.
