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Feb 9, 2024

Microbial research unravels a global nitrogen mystery

Posted by in category: energy

Ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOM) use ammonia for energy and account for the annual oxidation of approximately 2.3 trillion kilograms of nitrogen in soil, freshwater, the subsurface and man-made ecosystems.

But one major question that has remained unanswered for decades is how different AOM species coexist in the same environment: do they compete for ammonia or instead use other alternative compounds for their energy needs?

New research by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the University of Oklahoma and other collaborators found an answer that significantly changes the understanding of ammonia oxidation, a critical component of the global nitrogen cycle. The research appears in Nature Microbiology.

Feb 9, 2024

Tesla Cybertruck to be featured at 2024 Chicago Auto Show

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

The Tesla Cybertruck, together with its stablemates, will be displayed at the 2024 Chicago Auto Show, one of the United States’ most prolific automotive events. Updates from the organizers of the 2024 Chicago Auto Show indicate that the Cybertruck has arrived at the event’s venue, and it is ready for some visitors.

The Chicago Auto Show is held every February at the McCormick Place convention center, and it is generally regarded as the largest auto show in North America. The 2024 Chicago Auto Show will be held from February 10 through February 19, though a press preview is scheduled to start February 8. A “First Look for Charity” Gala is also scheduled on February 9, 2024.

Considering the prolific nature of electric vehicles in the United States today, it is no surprise that the 2024 Chicago Auto Show would be featuring a number of EVs. These include electric cars from veteran automakers such as the 2025 BMW i5, the 2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ, and the Ford F-150 Lightning Switchgear, to EVs from newcomers like the Lucid Air.

Feb 9, 2024

Beyond cells: Unveiling the potential of genetic circuits on single DNA molecules

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, genetics, nanotechnology

In a new Nature Communications study, researchers have explored the construction of genetic circuits on single DNA molecules, demonstrating localized protein synthesis as a guiding principle for dissipative nanodevices, offering insights into artificial cell design and nanobiotechnology applications.

The term “genetic circuit” is a metaphorical description of the complex network of genetic elements (such as genes, promoters, and ) within a cell that interact to control and cellular functions.

In the realm of artificial cell design, scientists aim to replicate and engineer these genetic circuits to create functional, self-contained units. These circuits act as the molecular machinery responsible for orchestrating cellular processes by precisely regulating the production of proteins and other molecules.

Feb 9, 2024

Google Prepares for a Future Where Search Isn’t King

Posted by in categories: futurism, robotics/AI

CEO Sundar Pichai tells WIRED that Google’s new, more powerful Gemini chatbot is an experiment in offering users a way to get things done without a search engine. It’s also a direct shot at ChatGPT.

Feb 8, 2024

FCC bans AI-generated voices in robocalls that can deceive voters

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

The announcement comes as New Hampshire authorities are advancing their investigation into AI-generated robocalls that mimicked President Joe Biden’s voice to discourage people from voting in the state’s first-in-the-nation primary last month.

READ MORE: Authorities target two firms in probe of AI robocalls impersonating Biden before New Hampshire’s primary

Effective immediately, the regulation empowers the FCC to fine companies that use AI voices in their calls or block the service providers that carry them. It also opens the door for call recipients to file lawsuits and gives state attorneys general a new mechanism to crack down on violators, according to the FCC.

Feb 8, 2024

Sam Altman Seeks Trillions of Dollars to Reshape Business of Chips and AI

Posted by in categories: business, government, robotics/AI

Sam Altman was already trying to lead the development of human-level artificial intelligence. Now he has another great ambition: raising trillions of dollars to reshape the global semiconductor industry.

The OpenAI chief executive officer is in talks with investors including the United Arab Emirates government to raise funds for a wildly ambitious tech initiative that would boost the world’s chip-building capacity, expand its ability to power AI, among other things, and cost several trillion dollars, according to people familiar with the matter. The project could require raising as much as $5 trillion to $7 trillion, one of the people said.

The fundraising plans, which face significant obstacles, are aimed at solving constraints to OpenAI’s growth, including the scarcity of the pricey AI chips required to train large language models behind AI systems such as ChatGPT. Altman has often complained that there aren’t enough of these kinds of chips—known as graphics processing units, or GPUs—to power OpenAI’s quest for artificial general intelligence, which it defines as systems that are broadly smarter than humans.

Feb 8, 2024

Cosmic combat: delving into the battle between dark matter and modified gravity

Posted by in category: cosmology

Keith Cooper digs into the struggles and successes of modifying gravity, 40 years since its conception.

Feb 8, 2024

CodeIt: Self-Improving Language Models with Prioritized Hindsight Replay

Posted by in category: futurism

Join the discussion on this paper page.

Feb 8, 2024

New mRNA ‘cancer vaccine’ trial launches in UK

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension

— Anti-aging vaccine shows promise in mice — will it work in humans?

“This research is still in the early stages and may be a number of years from being available to patients,” Dr. David Pinato, a clinician scientist at Imperial College London’s Department of Surgery & Cancer and a consultant medical oncologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said in the statement. “But this trial is laying crucial groundwork that is moving us closer towards new therapies that are potentially less toxic and more precise.”

The first person treated in the U.K. arm of the trial wishes to remain anonymous, but said “I was pleased to be offered a chance to take part in a new trial.”

Feb 8, 2024

Cannabis and Anxiety: Latest Findings from Ontario Study

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health, neuroscience

Could cannabis use lead to anxiety disorders? This is what a recent study published in EClinicalMedicine hopes to address as a team of researchers led by the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute examine the connection between cannabis use and anxiety disorders by patients who have had emergency department visits. While this study was limited to Canada, it holds the potential to help researchers, legislators, and the public better understand the long-term risks of cannabis on mental health disorders throughout the world.

For the study, the researchers analyzed health records from 2008 to 2019 for 12,099,144 individuals between 10 and 105 years of age across Ontario, Canada who had no prior history of being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder from any hospital visit and compared this to the general population. In the end, the researchers found that 27.5 percent of individuals who visited a hospital for cannabis use were diagnosed with an anxiety disorder within three years of their hospital visit, whereas only 5.6 percent of the general population experienced the same. Additionally, they found that individuals who visited a hospital for cannabis use also visited a hospital for an anxiety disorder within three years of the initial hospital visit, whereas only 1.2 percent of the general population experienced the same.

“Our results suggest that individuals requiring emergency department treatment for cannabis use were both at substantially increased risk of developing a new anxiety disorder and experiencing worsening symptoms for already existing anxiety disorders,” said Dr. Daniel Myran, who is a Faculty of Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa and lead author of the study.