In a remarkable encounter off the coast of Alaska, human scientists had what they describe as a “conversation” with a humpback whale named Twain. Dr. Brenda McCowan from the University of California Davis was at the heart of this unexpected exchange.
Dr. McCowan and her team, known as Whale-SETI, have been studying how humpback whales communicate. They’re aiming to understand whale communication systems to help in the search for life beyond Earth.
Using an underwater speaker, the team played a recorded humpback “contact” call into the ocean. To their astonishment, Twain approached their boat and began responding.
Researchers at Monash University have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that significantly improves the accuracy of four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D STEM) images.
Called unsupervised deep denoising, this model could be a game-changer for studying materials that are easily damaged during imaging, like those used in batteries and solar cells.
The research from Monash University’s School of Physics and Astronomy, and the Monash Center of Electron Microscopy, presents a novel machine learning method for denoising large electron microscopy datasets. The study was published in npj Computational Materials.
Science laboratories across disciplines—chemistry, biochemistry and materials science—are on the verge of a sweeping transformation as robotic automation and AI lead to faster and more precise experiments that unlock breakthroughs in fields like health, energy and electronics.
This is according to UNC-Chapel Hill researchers in a paper titled “Transforming Science Labs into Automated Factories of Discovery,” published in Science Robotics.
“Today, the development of new molecules, materials and chemical systems requires intensive human effort,” said Dr. Ron Alterovitz, senior author of the paper and Lawrence Grossberg Distinguished Professor in the Department of Computer Science. “Scientists must design experiments, synthesize materials, analyze results and repeat the process until desired properties are achieved.”
Co-written by Chuck Brooks and Dr. Thomas A. Cellucci, MBA
Verticals that will be most impacted by innovative developments in technology and science are the disciplines of medicine, biotechnology, and health. Those industry verticals will see a profound growth of technological innovation in the near future.
Twenty years ago, Craig Venter and Daniel Cohen remarked, “If the 20th century was the century of physics, the 21st century will be the century of biology.” Since then, there have been some amazing advances in the fields of biotechnology and bioscience, with the promise of even more astounding breakthroughs to come. Over the past decade, we have seen significant strides in artificial intelligence, with radical long-term implications for every human endeavor. And now the convergence of the fields of physics, biology, and AI promises a far greater impact on humanity than any one of these fields alone. Even though a path to successfully integrating these fields exists, it is neither easy nor clear cut—but if done correctly, will revolutionize medicine and human health.
Researchers have identified genes influencing muscle aging, including USP54, using AI analysis of gene expression data. These findings may lead to drug discovery and exercise-based interventions targeting muscle mass preservation.
I believe that the next generation of AI turing machines will be conscious turing machines that no longer read just tape but have their own consciousness that allows them to fix code or even be aware of its own code and fix it if it gets a virus.
Now AI Agents can do low-level work on your laptop. Paper pushers are on notice: the bots are coming for your job.
Anthropic just showed off a new trick — its AI assistant Claude can now take over your computer’s mouse and keyboard, clicking and typing its way through tasks while you sit and watch. All you have to do is tell it what you want done.
In a video, Developer Relations lead Alex Albert walks through a process where Claude performs multiple website development steps autonomously. The AI navigates Chrome, interacts with web interfaces, and even engages in a unique AI-to-AI interaction.
When Alex asks Claude to create a 90s-themed homepage, the AI springs into action: it opens Chrome, searches for Claude.ai, and types in a prompt asking its AI counterpart to generate the retro website. It’s like a ghost is sitting in front of the computer. Within moments, “Claude.ai returns some code, and that gets nicely rendered in an artifact on the right-hand side.”
The great George Church takes us through the revolutionary journey of DNA sequencing from his early groundbreaking work to the latest advancements. He discusses the evolution of sequencing methods, including molecular multiplexing, and their implications for understanding and combating aging.
We talk about the rise of biotech startups, potential future directions in genome sequencing, the role of precise gene therapies, the ongoing integration of nanotechnology and biology, the potential of biological engineering in accelerating evolution, transhumanism, the Human Genome Project, and the importance of intellectual property in biotechnology.
The episode concludes with reflections on future technologies, the importance of academia in fostering innovation, and the need for scalable developments in biotech.
00:00 Introduction to Longevity and DNA Sequencing. 01:43 George Church’s Early Work in Genomic Sequencing. 02:38 Innovations in DNA Sequencing. 03:15 The Evolution of Sequencing Methods. 07:41 Longevity and Aging Reversal. 12:12 Biotech Startups and Commercial Endeavors. 17:38 Future Directions in Genome Sequencing. 28:10 Humanity’s Role and Transhumanism. 37:23 Exploring the Connectome and Neural Networks. 38:29 The Mystery of Life: From Atoms to Living Systems. 39:35 Accelerating Evolution and Biological Engineering. 41:37 Merging Nanotechnology and Biology. 45:00 The Future of Biotech and Young Innovators. 47:16 The Human Genome Project: Successes and Shortcomings. 01:01:10 Intellectual Property in Biotechnology. 01:06:30 Future Technologies and Final Thoughts.
