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Category: innovation – Page 57

Can light be a factor in eliminating traumatic memories? Japanese scientists found that the long-term memory of flies can be affected if they are kept in the dark. This is the first discovery of the role of environmental light on such memories. The scientists hope to extend this approach to human victims of life-affecting traumas.

Events that are shocking can become a part of our long-term memory (LTM), with new proteins synthesized and the neuronal circuits in our brain becoming altered, explains the press release from researchers at the Tokyo Metropolitan University, who made the breakthrough. These memories can be hard to erase and may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Through their research, the team led by Professor Takaomi Sakai from Tokyo Metropolitan University discovered a particular molecular mechanism in Drosophilia flies that affects LTM. To find this, they set up a trauma for male flies by placing them with females who already mated. According to the courtship conditioning paradigm, in such situations mated females stress the unmated males to such an extent that they remember the experience, unwilling to ever mate with any more females – even if they were to be exposed to those that are unmated.

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A research team from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) recently successfully achieved lattice-mismatch-free construction of III-V/chalcogenide core-shell heterostructure nanowires for electronic and optoelectronic applications. This breakthrough addresses crucial technological challenges related to the lattice mismatch problem in the growth of high-quality heterostructure semiconductors, leading to enhanced carrier transport and photoelectric properties.

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These two chips might be the key to developing sophisticated brain-computer interfacing.

Scientists from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China claim to have developed the world’s most energy-efficient artificial intelligence AI microchips that are small enough to fit inside smart devices and could open doors for innovative offline functions like voice and even mind control.

Generally, AI chips that are designed for heavy tasks often require significant power because of high computational demands, which limits their use in real-world scenarios. Professor Zhou Jun and his team managed to significantly reduce power consumption through algorithm and architectural optimization.

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Without understanding how gravity affects time, the GPS location in your phone would get progressively less accurate until you end up in the wrong location.

The demonstration at 22 Bishopsgate was part of the Lord Mayor of London Alderman Professor Michael Mainelli’s mayoral theme, ‘Connect to Prosper’

The demonstration was the first in a series of showpiece exercises, which will run for the duration of the Lord Mayor’s tenure. The Experiment Series seeks to showcase innovation and invention in the City of London and promote and celebrate the many ‘knowledge miles’ within the Square Mile.

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Ok, that was an unexpected turn on my feed. Just had to share. Cool, portable robot that fits in a backpack.

Conquer the Wild | LimX Dynamics’ Biped Robot P1 ventured into Tanglang Mountain Based on Reinforcement Learning ⛰️

⛳️ With Zero-shot Learning, non-protected and fully open testing conditions, P1 successfully navigated the completely strange wilderness of the forest, demonstrating exceptional control and stability post reinforcement learning by dynamically locomoting over various complex terrains.

⛳️ P1 is LimX Dynamics’ innovative point-foot biped robot, serving as an important platform for the systematic development and modular testing of reinforcement learning. It is utilized to advance the research and iteration of basic biped locomotion abilities. The success of P1 in conquering forest terrain is a testament to LimX Dynamics’ systematic R\&D in reinforcement learning.

⛳️ Beyond locomotion, LimX Dynamics continues to make breakthroughs in manipulation and loco-manipulation on humanoid robots, with more developments to be shared in the future.

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Artificial human chromosomes that function within human cells hold the potential to revolutionize gene therapies, including treatments for certain cancers, and have numerous laboratory uses. However, significant technical challenges have impeded their progress.

Now a team led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has made a significant breakthrough in this field that effectively bypasses a common stumbling block.

In a study recently published in Science, the researchers explained how they devised an efficient technique for making HACs from single, long constructs of designer DNA. Prior methods for making HACs have been limited by the fact that the DNA constructs used to make them tend to join together—“multimerize”—in unpredictably long series and with unpredictable rearrangements. The new method allows HACs to be crafted more quickly and precisely, which, in turn, will directly speed up the rate at which DNA research can be done. In time, with an effective delivery system, this technique could lead to better-engineered cell therapies for diseases like cancer.

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