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Feb 13, 2024

A Tale of Tails: Model Collapse as a Change of Scaling Laws

Posted by in category: futurism

Join the discussion on this paper page.

Feb 13, 2024

Alert: CISA Warns of Active ‘Roundcube’ Email Attacks — Patch Now

Posted by in category: security

CISA has identified a medium-severity security flaw affecting Roundcube email software, categorized as CVE-2023–43770.

Feb 13, 2024

Why AI can’t replace air traffic controllers

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

An air traffic controller’s routine can be disrupted by an aircraft that requires special handling. This could range from an emergency to priority handling of medical flights or Air Force One. Controllers are given the responsibility and the flexibility to adapt how they manage their airspace.

The requirements for the front line of air traffic control are a poor match for AI’s capabilities. People expect air traffic to continue to be the safest complex, high-technology system ever. It achieves this standard by adhering to procedures when practical, which is something AI can do, and by adapting and exercising good judgment whenever something unplanned occurs or a new operation is implemented – a notable weakness of today’s AI.

Indeed, it is when conditions are the worst – when controllers figure out how to handle aircraft with severe problems, airport crises or widespread airspace closures due to security concerns or infrastructure failures – that controllers’ contributions to safety are the greatest.

Feb 13, 2024

A four-legged ‘Robodog’ is patrolling the Large Hadron Collider

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

The robot’s quadruped locomotion helps it look for hazards in cramped and cluttered experiment spaces inaccessible to other robots.

Feb 13, 2024

Ford says it has a ‘Skunk Works’ team trying to make lower-cost EVs

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Ford says it has a top-secret, high-powered team working to design its future electric vehicles. It’s part of a quest to compete profitably against Tesla and lower cost EV makers from China.

People in the market for an electric luxury vehicle can find plenty of options to choose from. That’s because EV technology, particularly batteries, is expensive so it’s easier for automakers to earn a profit on an Audi, Mercedes or Cadillac because people are used to paying more for those luxury car brands.

Even among mainstream auto brands, like Ford, EVs tend to cost more. Take the Mustang Mach-E, for instance, with prices starting around $45,000.

Feb 13, 2024

A new satellite system sucks in air to provide unlimited propulsion

Posted by in categories: solar power, space, sustainability

A new satellite system from Kreios Space only needs air and solar energy for propulsion while improving satellite image resolution 16 fold.

Feb 13, 2024

Tesla plans new world’s largest Supercharger, a glimpse at the future of charging

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Tesla is planning to build a new world’s largest Supercharger station, and it might give us a glimpse at the future of electric car charging.

There’s no doubt that Tesla has the best charging network, the Supercharger network, but it still has room to improve.

It’s not even just about improving but evolving with the different needs of the growing fleet of electric vehicles in North America.

Feb 13, 2024

Tesla has cut the price of the Model Y for a limited time

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Tesla has temporarily cut the price of two Model Y configurations — so long as buyers take delivery in the coming weeks.

Feb 13, 2024

Astrobiologists Suggest the Earth Itself May Be an Intelligent Entity

Posted by in categories: alien life, climatology, sustainability

A group of researchers have posed a fascinating — and downright mind bending — thought experiment: If a planet like Earth can be “alive,” can it also have a mind of its own?

The team published a paper exploring this question in the International Journal of Astrobiology. In it, they present the idea of “planetary intelligence,” which describes the collective knowledge and cognition of an entire planet.

Though it seems like something ripped off the screen of a Marvel movie, they believe that the concept might actually help us deal with global issues such as climate change, or even help us discover extraterrestrial life.

Feb 13, 2024

Researchers uncover a key link in legume plant-bacteria symbiosis

Posted by in category: futurism

Legume plants have the unique ability to interact with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil, known as rhizobia. Legumes and rhizobia engage in symbiotic relations upon nitrogen starvation, allowing the plant to thrive without the need for externally supplied nitrogen.

Symbiotic nodules are formed on the root of the plant, which are readily colonized by . The cell-surface receptor SYMRK (symbiosis receptor-like kinase) is responsible for mediating the symbiotic signal from rhizobia perception to formation of the nodule. The activation mechanism of the receptor was until recently unknown.

In this study, appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers have now identified four essential sites that act as the catalyst for the between legume plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The initial steps of the symbiotic pathway at the cell surface are well characterized; however, understanding of how the signal is relayed downstream has eluded the research field for years.