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Dec 6, 2023

NASA says SpaceX’s next Starship flight could test refueling tech

Posted by in category: space travel

Individual technologies necessary for in-orbit cryogenic refueling are at a stage of development where they are “ready now to go into flight systems,” Dankanich said, either with a demonstration in space or on an operational spacecraft.

First, small steps

By the fourth anniversary of those awards, only SpaceX appears to have a chance to complete the tasks outlined in its “Tipping Point” award, valued at $53 million.

Dec 6, 2023

Tesla’s $25,000 car to be built at Giga Texas, then Giga Mexico: Elon Musk

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, finance, sustainability, transportation

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has shared some new details about the automaker’s plans for its next-generation, $25,000 electric vehicle (EV), including that it will be built first in Austin, Texas.

On Tuesday, longtime auto industry veteran Sandy Munro shared a new interview with Musk, held following the Cybertruck delivery event. During the interview, the two talked mostly about the Cybertruck, though they also discussed Tesla’s next-generation vehicle for a few minutes.

While Musk said he couldn’t share any details about unit volume and dates for the next-gen EV, due to them being suggestive of Tesla’s financials, he did go on to share a few things. For one, Musk said that Tesla was “quite far advanced” in working to develop the low-cost, high-volume EV, adding that he reviews the production line plans for that on a weekly basis.

Dec 6, 2023

DeepMind’s New AI can Learn Tasks Directly from HumansDeepMind’s New AI can Learn Tasks Directly from Humans

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Google DeepMind has developed an AI agent system that can learn tasks from a human instructor. After enough time, the AI agent can not only imitate the actions of the human instructor but also recall the observed behavior.

In a paper published in Nature, researchers outline a process called cultural transmission to train the AI model without using any pre-collected human data.

This is a new form of imitative learning that the DeepMind researchers contend allows for more efficient transmission of skills to an AI. Think of it like watching a video tutorial – you watch, learn and apply the teachings as well as remember the video’s lessons later on.

Dec 6, 2023

Google DeepMind’s new Gemini model looks amazing—but could signal peak AI hype

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

It outmatches GPT-4 in almost all ways—but only by a little. Was the buzz worth it?

Dec 6, 2023

Elon Musk: low-cost Tesla is advanced, manufacturing is going to be revolutionary

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, sustainability, transportation

Elon Musk commented on the upcoming low-cost Tesla electric car, saying that it is “advanced” in its development. The CEO also commented on the “revolutionary” manufacturing advancements that Tesla is making to make the vehicle a reality.

While the cost of Tesla vehicles has come down recently, they are still not financially accessible to most people – like most new cars.

The launch of the Cybertruck, which is about 50% more expensive than when originally announced in 2019, is not helping Tesla’s vehicle price range in becoming more affordable.

Dec 6, 2023

Solar Activity likely to Peak Next Year

Posted by in category: space

Researchers at the Center of Excellence in Space Sciences India at IISER Kolkata have discovered a new relationship between the Sun’s magnetic field and its sunspot cycle, that can help predict when the peak in solar activity will occur. Their work indicates that the maximum intensity of solar cycle 25, the ongoing sunspot cycle, is imminent and likely to occur within a year. The new research appears in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters.

Our star, the Sun, is made up of hot ionized gas known as plasma.

Huge plasma flows and convection conspire together to form magnetic fields inside the Sun which manifest on the surface as dark spots.

Dec 6, 2023

AI Revolutionizes Neuron Tracking in Moving Animals

Posted by in categories: neuroscience, robotics/AI

Summary: Researchers developed an AI-based method to track neurons in moving and deforming animals, a significant advancement in neuroscience research. This convolutional neural network (CNN) method overcomes the challenge of tracking brain activity in organisms like worms, whose bodies constantly change shape.

By employing ‘targeted augmentation’, the AI significantly reduces the need for manual image annotation, streamlining the neuron identification process. Tested on the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, this technology has not only increased analysis efficiency but also deepened insights into complex neuronal behaviors.

Dec 6, 2023

Google is finally launching Gemini, its biggest shot at OpenAI

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

After months of teasing us, Google is starting to roll out its generative artificial intelligence model, Gemini.

The new model, which will be launched in phases, is Google’s chance to thwart the narrative that it’s fallen behind rivals such as OpenAI.

But while users will have access to Gemini this month, the most advanced version of the model won’t arrive until early next year.

Dec 6, 2023

These astonishing biobots can help neurons regrow — but researchers have no idea how

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, robotics/AI

Scientists have created tiny, self-assembling robots made from human cells that could one day repair damaged skin and tissue.

These tiny biological machines, called Anthrobots, are made from human tracheal cells without any genetic modification. Lab dish experiments revealed they can encourage neurons, or nerve cells, to grow in damaged tissue.

Dec 6, 2023

Reimagining the Cosmos: New Theory Unites Einstein’s Gravity With Quantum Mechanics

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

A radical theory that consistently unifies gravity and quantum mechanics while preserving Einstein’s classical concept of spacetime is announced today in two papers published simultaneously by UCL (University College London) physicists.

Modern physics is founded upon two pillars: quantum theory on the one hand, which governs the smallest particles in the universe, and Einstein’s theory of general relativity on the other, which explains gravity through the bending of spacetime. But these two theories are in contradiction with each other and a reconciliation has remained elusive for over a century.

Challenging the status quo: a new theoretical approach.