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Jan 16, 2024

Defying Current Theories of Superconductivity — “Sudden Death” of Quantum Fluctuations Stuns Scientists

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

Princeton physicists have uncovered a groundbreaking quantum phase transition in superconductivity, challenging established theories and highlighting the need for new approaches to understanding quantum mechanics in solids.

Princeton physicists have discovered an abrupt change in quantum behavior while experimenting with a three-atom.

An atom is the smallest component of an element. It is made up of protons and neutrons within the nucleus, and electrons circling the nucleus.

Jan 16, 2024

Top 10 Neuroscience News Articles of 2023

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Summary: The year 2023 witnessed groundbreaking discoveries in neuroscience, offering unprecedented insights into the human brain.

From animal-free brain organoids to the effects of optimism on cognitive skills, these top 10 articles have unveiled the mysteries of the mind.

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Jan 16, 2024

CRISPR/Vertex gene editing drug cleared for beta-thalassemia

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical

Vertex Pharma (VRTX) announces FDA nod gene editing therapy, Casgevy, developed with CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) for beta-thalassemia (TDT).

Jan 16, 2024

North Korea Claims Successful Hydrogen Bomb Test

Posted by in categories: existential risks, military, nuclear weapons

Year 2017


North Korea claims it has again tested a hydrogen bomb underground and that it “successfully” loaded it onto the tip of an intercontinental ballistic missile, a claim that if true, crosses a “red line” drawn by South Korea’s president last month.

In a state media announcement, North Korea confirmed the afternoon tremors in its northeast were indeed caused by the test of a nuclear device, and that leader Kim Jong Un personally signed off on the test.

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Jan 16, 2024

Physicists Announce a Breakthrough in Quantum Coherence at Room Temperature

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics, space

Heat is the enemy of quantum uncertainty. By arranging light-absorbing molecules in an ordered fashion, physicists in Japan have maintained the critical, yet-to-be-determined state of electron spins for 100 nanoseconds near room temperature.

The innovation could have a profound impact on progress in developing quantum technology that doesn’t rely on the bulky and expensive cooling equipment currently needed to keep particles in a so-called ‘coherent’ form.

Unlike the way we describe objects in our day-to-day living, which have qualities like color, position, speed, and rotation, quantum descriptions of objects involve something less settled. Until their characteristics are locked in place with a quick look, we have to treat objects as if they are smeared over a wide space, spinning in different directions, yet to adopt a simple measurement.

Jan 16, 2024

Scientists Train AI to Be Evil, Find They Can’t Reverse It

Posted by in categories: robotics/AI, transportation

How hard would it be to train an AI model to be secretly evil? As it turns out, according to AI researchers, not very — and attempting to reroute a bad apple AI’s more sinister proclivities might backfire in the long run.

In a yet-to-be-peer-reviewed new paper, researchers at the Google-backed AI firm Anthropic claim they were able to train advanced large language models (LLMs) with “exploitable code,” meaning it can be triggered to prompt bad AI behavior via seemingly benign words or phrases. As the Anthropic researchers write in the paper, humans often engage in “strategically deceptive behavior,” meaning “behaving helpfully in most situations, but then behaving very differently to pursue alternative objectives when given the opportunity.” If an AI system were trained to do the same, the scientists wondered, could they “detect it and remove it using current state-of-the-art safety training techniques?”

Unfortunately, as it stands, the answer to that latter question appears to be a resounding “no.” The Anthropic scientists found that once a model is trained with exploitable code, it’s exceedingly difficult — if not impossible — to train a machine out of its duplicitous tendencies. And what’s worse, according to the paper, attempts to reign in and reconfigure a deceptive model may well reinforce its bad behavior, as a model might just learn how to better hide its transgressions.

Jan 16, 2024

The Expanding Universe of Generative Models

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

What is happening at the frontier of research and application, and how are novel techniques and approaches changing the risks and opportunities linked to frontier, generative AI models?

Jan 16, 2024

Boffins build a giant brain for a robot

Posted by in categories: internet, robotics/AI

One brain to rule them

Two researchers have revealed how they are creating a single super-brain that can pilot any robot, no matter how different they are.

Sergey Levine and Karol Hausman wrote in IEEE Spectrum that generative AI, which can create text and images, is not enough for robotics because the Internet does not have enough data on how robots interact with the world.

Jan 16, 2024

What 250 Years of Innovation History Reveals About Our Green Future

Posted by in categories: futurism, innovation

If history is any indication, an unstoppable wave of competitive innovations is heading our way again.

Jan 16, 2024

Various Eye Diseases Raise Risk for Falls

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, life extension, sex

according to a retrospective cohort study.


Poor vision is associated with risks for falls and fractures, but details about risks associated with specific eye diseases are less clear. In this retrospective U.K. cohort study, researchers identified nearly 600,000 patients (mean age, 74) with cataracts, glaucoma, or age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and compared them with age-and sex-matched control patients who did not have eye diseases. Falls and fractures were tracked for a median of about 4 years. Analyses were adjusted for a wide range of chronic diseases and medications that increase risk for falls.

Compared with controls, patients with eye diseases had significantly higher hazard ratios for falls and fractures: HRs ranged from 1.18 to 1.38 for the three eye-disease groups. The incidence rates for falls per 100,000 person-years were about 1,800 to 2,500 for the three eye-disease groups, compared with 620 to 850 for control groups. For fractures, the corresponding incidence rates for the three eye-disease groups were 970 to 1,290, compared with 380 to 500 for control groups.

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