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Mar 19, 2024

Artificial nanofluidic synapses can store computational memory

Posted by in categories: computing, neuroscience

Memory, or the ability to store information in a readily accessible way, is an essential operation in computers and human brains. A key difference is that while brain information processing involves performing computations directly on stored data, computers shuttle data back and forth between a memory unit and a central processing unit (CPU). This inefficient separation (the von Neumann bottleneck) contributes to the rising energy cost of computers.

Mar 19, 2024

New Phospholipid Discovery Rewrites the Story of the Origin of Life

Posted by in categories: chemistry, evolution

Approximately 4 billion years ago, Earth was in the process of creating conditions suitable for life. Origin-of-life scientists often wonder if the type of chemistry found on the early Earth was similar to what life requires today. They know that spherical collections of fats, called protocells, were the precursor to cells during this emergence of life. But how did simple protocells first arise and diversify to eventually lead to life on Earth?

Now, Scripps Research scientists have discovered one plausible pathway for how protocells may have first formed and chemically progressed to allow for a diversity of functions.

Continue reading “New Phospholipid Discovery Rewrites the Story of the Origin of Life” »

Mar 19, 2024

DART Impact: Reshaping Dimorphos and Redefining Asteroid Dynamics

Posted by in categories: asteroid/comet impacts, existential risks

Dr. Shantanu Naidu: “When DART made impact, things got very interesting…the entire shape of the asteroid has changed, from a relatively symmetrical object to a ‘triaxial ellipsoid’ – something more like an oblong watermelon.”


On November 24, 2021, NASA launched the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission with the goal of demonstrating that deflecting an incoming asteroid could prevent it from striking Earth by striking the asteroid itself. Just over nine months later, on September 26, 2022, this demonstration was successfully carried out as DART acted as a kinetic impactor and intentionally struck the Dimporphos asteroid, which measures 560 feet (170 meters) in diameter.

But while the impact successfully altered Dimorphos’ orbit around the binary near-Earth asteroid, Didymos, could it have altered other aspects of Dimorphos, as well? This is what a recent study published in The Planetary Science Journal hopes to address as a team of international researchers led by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) discovered the impact also altered the shape of Dimporphos.

Continue reading “DART Impact: Reshaping Dimorphos and Redefining Asteroid Dynamics” »

Mar 19, 2024

DiPaCo: Distributed Path Composition

Posted by in category: engineering

Google presents DiPaCo v/@Ar_Douillard.

Distributed Path Composition.

An experimental mixture of experts that can be trained across the world, with no limit engineering-wise on its size, while being able to be light-weight and fast at test-time.

Continue reading “DiPaCo: Distributed Path Composition” »

Mar 19, 2024

Tesla’s FSD v12.3 Update: Driving Behavior, Safety, and Comfort Improvements

Posted by in category: futurism

Questions to inspire discussion.

What improvements does Tesla’s FSD v12.3 update show?
—Tesla’s FSD v12.3 update shows significant improvements in driving behavior, safety, and comfort, but still has some remaining issues to be addressed.

Mar 19, 2024

Tesla FSD v12.3 Review: Improved Smoothness, Confidence, and Safety

Posted by in category: futurism

Tesla FSD v12.3 in Austin, Texas demonstrates significant improvements in smoothness, confidence, and assertive driving, with better safety, natural stops, improved navigation, and a sense of understanding, showing promising long-term implications for Tesla.

Questions to inspire discussion.

Continue reading “Tesla FSD v12.3 Review: Improved Smoothness, Confidence, and Safety” »

Mar 19, 2024

NVIDIA Announces Project GR00T Foundation Model for Humanoid Robots and Major Isaac Robotics Platform Update

Posted by in categories: innovation, robotics/AI

GTC— NVIDIA today announced Project GR00T, a general-purpose foundation model for humanoid robots, designed to further its work driving breakthroughs in robotics and embodied AI.

As part of the initiative, the company also unveiled a new computer, Jetson Thor, for humanoid robots based on the NVIDIA Thor system-on-a-chip (SoC), as well as significant upgrades to the NVIDIA Isaac™ robotics platform, including generative AI foundation models and tools for simulation and AI workflow infrastructure.

“Building foundation models for general humanoid robots is one of the most exciting problems to solve in AI today,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “The enabling technologies are coming together for leading roboticists around the world to take giant leaps towards artificial general robotics.”

Mar 19, 2024

How Ozempic, other weight-loss drugs are “changing medicine”

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

These new medicines actually have a huge impact on the regulation systems of the body for weight loss which is activated by these new weight loss medicines which induce the production of glp1.


GLP-1 class medications reduce cardiovascular risk and treat diabetes. But they also allow people to lose an average of 10–20 percent of their body weight in the first year. What does that mean for the overweight or obese?

Mar 19, 2024

How Blood Sugar Changes Affect Thinking in Folks With Type 1 Diabetes

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, neuroscience

MONDAY, March 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) — In people with type 1 diabetes, fluctuations in blood sugar levels can affect thinking skills in various ways, new research shows.

Researchers looked specifically at what’s known as cognitive processing speed (how fast people process incoming information) and attention.

“Our results demonstrate that people can differ a lot from one another in how their brains are impacted by glucose,” said study co-senior author Laura Germine.

Mar 19, 2024

Lung cancer: New screening test with an inhaler may help diagnose

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Researchers say they are developing a lung cancer screening tool that involves an inhaler and a urine test to help detect the disease earlier.