Scientists made a major breakthrough in understanding the incredible mechanics of insect flight — A complex but efficient wing hinge system.

SpaceX is making rapid progress in the development of their Starship, with improvements in heat shield tiles, construction of a second launch tower, and multiple successful launches, showcasing their commitment to innovation and progress in space exploration.

Questions to inspire discussion.

What progress has SpaceX made with their Starship development?
—SpaceX has made rapid progress with improvements in heat shield tiles, construction of a second launch tower, and multiple successful launches.

A new video of researchers communicating with a humpback whale in Alaska over 20 minutes. The researchers hope the breakthrough could lead to communication with aliens.

Google DeepMind has recently introduced Penzai, a new JAX library that has the potential to transform the way researchers construct, visualize, and alter neural networks. This innovative tool is designed to smoothly integrate with Google Colab and the JAX ecosystem, which is a major step forward in the accessibility and manipulability of AI models.

Penzai is a new approach to neural network development that emphasizes transparency and functionality. It allows users to view and edit models as legible pytree data structures, making it easier than ever to delve into the inner workings of a model. This feature is especially useful after a model has been trained, as it provides insights into how the model operates and allows for modifications that can help achieve desired outcomes.

Penzai aims to make AI research more accessible to researchers by simplifying the process of modifying pre-trained neural networks. This would enable a wider range of researchers to experiment and innovate on existing AI technologies, which is crucial for advancing the field and discovering new AI applications. Penzai’s user-friendly interface breaks down the barriers to AI research and makes it easier for everyone to benefit from the technology.

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The Automotive in the Software-Driven Era community, part of the DRIVE-A initiative, has identified six key actions crucial for unlocking the full potential of smart road transport infrastructure and, with that, for reaping the potential benefits of the software-defined-vehicle ecosystem. These six actions are based on three principles, collaboration, innovation and efficiency:

Advancing smart infrastructure requires a collaborative effort among involved players. Figure 2, below, provides a collaboration framework and key collaborative areas. Public-private partnerships help build a robust, cohesive and inclusive smart infrastructure network.

Paul Farrell, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer of BorgWarner highlights some of the challenges and importance of such collaborations: “Collaboration around the infrastructure is very complex and multidisciplinary. It involves questions about who owns the data, who supplies the hardware, who installs it and who integrates it into holistic solutions. Yet, it is key to, for example, advance the EV charging infrastructure that the transition to electrification requires.”

Researchers at Stanford University and Biogen faced skeptics head on, challenging the notion that monoclonal antibodies would never serve as therapeutic agents.

Read more about the journey of resilience and innovation:

The road to developing monoclonal antibodies for effectively targeting cancer was paved with tenacity, passion, and strokes of luck.

The device, based on simple tetromino shapes, could determine the direction and distance of a radiation source, with fewer detector pixels.

The spread of radioactive isotopes from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan in 2011 and the ongoing threat of a possible release of radiation from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear complex in the Ukrainian war zone have underscored the need for effective and reliable ways of detecting and monitoring radioactive isotopes. Less dramatically, everyday operations of nuclear reactors, mining and processing of uranium into fuel rods, and the disposal of spent nuclear fuel also require monitoring of radioisotope release.

Innovative Sensor Design Inspired by “Tetris”

A research group from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), led by Professor Jonwoo Jeong of the Department of Physics, has recently discovered a groundbreaking principle of motion at the microscopic scale. Their findings reveal that objects can achieve directed movement simply by periodically changing their sizes within a liquid crystal medium. This innovative discovery holds significant potential for numerous fields of research and could lead to the development of miniature robots in the future.

In their research, the team observed that air bubbles within the liquid crystal could move in one direction by altering their sizes periodically, contrary to the symmetrical growth or contraction typically seen in air bubbles in other mediums. By introducing air bubbles, comparable in size to a human hair, into the liquid crystal and manipulating the pressure, the researchers were able to demonstrate this extraordinary phenomenon.

Empowering universities to remain at the forefront of AI research will be key to realizing the field’s long-term potential.