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Creating realistic 3D models for applications like virtual reality, filmmaking, and engineering design can be a cumbersome process requiring lots of manual trial and error.

While generative artificial intelligence models for images can streamline artistic processes by enabling creators to produce lifelike 2D images from text prompts, these models are not designed to generate 3D shapes. To bridge the gap, a recently developed technique called Score Distillation leverages 2D image generation models to create 3D shapes, but its output often ends up blurry or cartoonish.

MIT researchers explored the relationships and differences between the algorithms used to generate 2D images and 3D shapes, identifying the root cause of lower-quality 3D models. From there, they crafted a simple fix to Score Distillation, which enables the generation of sharp, high-quality 3D shapes that are closer in quality to the best model-generated 2D images.


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The Medusa Starship Drive offers us the chance to sail between the stars, propelled by nuclear bombs.

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Credits:
The Medusa Spaceship Drive.
Episode 476; December 5, 2024
Produced, Narrated \& Written: Isaac Arthur.
Graphics: Bryan Vertseeg, Ken York YD Visual, Rapid Thrash.
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images.
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator.
Brandon Liew, \

Krish, who lives in Hounslow, West London, is not only academically gifted but also excels in music, having won awards as a pianist. The 10-year-old genius has also been inducted into the prestigious Trinity College of Music’s “Hall of Fame” for completing four grades in just six months. He currently holds a grade 7 piano certification, demonstrating his exceptional musical prowess.

Krish’s impressive resume includes winning several musical competitions in West London, where he outshone contestants up to four years his senior. What’s even more impressive is his ability to recite complex instrumentals from memory, without needing sheet music. His parents attest that he can recall entire songs on the piano using only his exceptional memory.

He said, “I don’t get nervous to perform my music at these competitions because I know that I’m not going to mess up.”

Cyanobacteria, an ancient lineage of bacteria that perform photosynthesis, have been found to regulate their genes using the same physics principle used in AM radio transmission.

New research published in Current Biology has found that cyanobacteria use variations in the amplitude (strength) of a pulse to convey information in single cells. The finding sheds light on how biological rhythms work together to regulate cellular processes.

In AM (amplitude modulation) radio, a wave with constant strength and frequency—called a carrier wave—is generated from the oscillation of an electric current. The audio signal, which contains the information (such as music or speech) to transmit, is superimposed onto the carrier wave. This is done by varying the amplitude of the carrier wave in accordance with the frequency of the .

The biggest battleground in the robotaxi race may be winning public trust.


Autonomous vehicles are already clocking up millions of miles on public roads, but they face an uphill battle to convince people to climb in to enjoy the ride.

A few weeks ago, I took a tour of San Francisco in one of Waymo’s self-driving cars. As we drove around the city, one thing that struck me was how comfortable people had become with not seeing a driver. Not only were there multiple driverless vehicles on any given street at any given time, but tourists no longer had their mouths agape as one drove by. The technology has become a familiar sight.