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A joint research team has unveiled a new topological insulator (TI), a unique state of matter that differs from conventional metals, insulators, and semiconductors. Unlike most known TIs, which are either three-or two-dimensional, this TI is one-dimensional. The breakthrough will lead to further developments of qubits and highly efficient solar cells.

Details of the research were published in the journal Nature (“Observation of edge states derived from topological helix chains”).

TIs boast an interior that behaves as an electrical insulator, meaning electrons cannot easily move; Whereas its surface acts as an electrical conductor, with the electrons able to move along the surface.

X-ray microscopes are essential for examining components and materials because they can be used to detect changes and details in the material. Until now, however, it has been difficult to detect small cracks or tiny inclusions in the images. By developing a new method, researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon are now able to visualize such changes in the nanometer regime. In particular materials research and quality assurance will profit from this development.

The team reported on their new development in the scientific journal Optica (“Nanoscale dark-field imaging in full-field transmission X-ray microscopy”).

The quality must be right. This also applies to materials science. When metal parts are welded together, you need to know whether the weld seam is any good — or whether small cracks or pores have formed inside, which could lead to failure. High-performance materials, e.g. for electrodes in electric car batteries or fuel cells, should not contain defects to allow the current to flow undisturbed.

Our willingness to help others is governed by a specific brain region pinpointed by researchers in a study of patients with brain damage to that region.

Learning about where in the brain “helping” decisions are made is important for understanding how people might be motivated to tackle large global challenges, such as climate change, infectious disease and international conflict. It is also essential for finding new approaches to treating disorders of social interactions.

The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, was carried out by researchers at the University of Birmingham and the University of Oxford, and shows for the first time how a region called the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) has a critical role in helping, or “prosocial” behaviors.

Hip, hip, hooray.


AFTER months of disarray, a probe floating in deep space has resumed normal transmissions back to Earth.

NASA announced Friday that its Voyager 1 spacecraft was fully operational for the first time in months.

“We’re back, baby!” the agency proclaimed on X, formerly Twitter.

Watch June’s edition of Inside SingularityNET, featuring exciting news and insightful updates on our AGI R\&D, decentralized AI platform development, progressive decentralization, and broader ecosystem developments.

00:00 — Intro | AI Twin — Dr. Ben Goertzel.
00:48 — Dr. Matt Iklé | CSO — SingularityNET
04:09 — Sergey Shalyapin | CTO — SingularityNET
08:07 — Vita Potapova | Hyperon Project Manager — SingularityNET
13:19 — Alex Blagirev | SIO — SingularityNET
19:10 — Haley Lowy | Marketing Lead — SingularityNET
24:57 — Jan Horlings | CEO — Deep Funding.
31:23 — Esther Galfalvi | Decentralization Program Lead — SingularityNET
34:11 — Peter Elfrink | Community Lead — SingularityNET
35:52 — Stacey Engle | CEO — Twin Protocol.
39:45 — Jennifer Bourke | Marketing and Community Lead — NuNet.
45:02 — Jerry Hall | Marketing Lead — HyperCycle.
47:21 — Patrik Gudev l CEO — Jam Galaxy.
52:23 — Robin Spottiswoode l CTO — Jam Galaxy.
54:40 — Rebekah Pennington | Partnerships and Community — Yaya Labs.
56:03 — Kennedy Schaal | CEO — Rejuve. BIO

#AI #DecentralizedAI #AGI

MeTTa website: https://metta-lang.dev/

In the future, getting help for depression might involve a quick brain scan to find the most effective treatment for you.

An analysis of brain activity during rest and while undertaking specific tasks among a large group of people with depression and anxiety has identified six distinct types of brain activity patterns, symptoms, and responses to treatment.

The team from the US and Australia who conducted the study also determined treatments that are more likely to work for some of these categories. This means doctors could potentially match patients with the best therapies based on how their brains function.