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Jan 22, 2024

New study reveals surprising behavior of iron under extreme conditions

Posted by in categories: evolution, space

Iron is one of the world’s most abundant elements and a primary component of the Earth’s core. Understanding the behavior of iron under extreme conditions, such as ultra-high pressures and temperatures, has implications for the science of geology and the Earth’s evolution.

In a study conducted by a team led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. researchers combined lasers and X-ray diffraction methods to examine how different crystal structures of iron are related to each other and what happens when it melts at ultrahigh pressures and temperatures. The paper was published in the journal Physical Review B.

Using the Dynamic Compression Sector beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, researchers applied nanosecond laser shock compression to iron at pressures up to 275 gigapascals (GPa) — more than 2 million times atmospheric pressure — and used in situ picosecond X-ray diffraction to study the structure of the iron under these extreme conditions. Authors said the ability to gather this novel data on iron provides insights into materials science and the internal dynamics of Earth and other terrestrial exoplanets.

Jan 22, 2024

Thomvest Ventures closes $250M fund to invest across fintech, cybersecurity, AI

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, finance, robotics/AI

Thomvest Ventures is popping into 2024 with a new $250 million fund and the promotion of Umesh Padval and Nima Wedlake to the role of managing directors.

The Bay Area venture capital firm was started about 25 years ago by Peter Thomson, whose family is the majority owners of Thomson Reuters.

“Peter has always had a very strong interest in technology and what technology would do in terms of shaping society and the future,” Don Butler, Thomvest Ventures’ managing director, told TechCrunch. He met Thomson in 1999 and joined the firm in 2000.

Jan 22, 2024

New MIT CSAIL study suggests that AI won’t steal as many jobs as expected

Posted by in categories: economics, employment, robotics/AI

Will AI automate human jobs, and — if so — which jobs and when?

That’s the trio of questions a new research study from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), out this morning, tries to answer.

There’s been many attempts to extrapolate out and project how the AI technologies of today, like large language models, might impact people’s’ livelihoods — and whole economies — in the future.

Jan 22, 2024

Chinese entrepreneur’s AI-powered gadget Rabbit becomes surprise hit

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

The Rabbit R1, which learns and repeats how users interact with apps, has sold out of five pre-order rounds since launching in Las Vegas this monthRabbit Inc was started by Jesse Lyu Cheng, a Xian native who sold his previous start-up to Chinese AI giant Baidu.


Rabbit Inc, started by Xian native Jesse Lyu Cheng, has sold out of five rounds of pre-orders for its R1 device since launching in Las Vegas this month.

Jan 22, 2024

People “are using AI and robots like their new slaves” Li Edelkoort says

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

The use of robots and AI is a “new form of colonialism” that will lead to a resurgence of Arts and Crafts, according to trend forecaster Li Edelkoort.

Edelkoort has been a trend forecaster since she was 21 and says the discipline has “informed every single step of my life”

During an on-stage interview with Dezeen deputy editor Cajsa Carlson at Downtown Design during Dubai Design Week, Edelkoort explained that she is currently thinking about the return of Arts and Crafts, the 19th-century movement mostly associated with British designer William Morris.

Jan 22, 2024

AI Everywhere: The Unmissable Highlights From Davos 2024

Posted by in categories: governance, robotics/AI

This year’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos was a testament to the growing prominence of artificial intelligence (AI) in our world.


Davos 2024 vividly demonstrated AI’s growing influence in shaping the future of work, creativity, and global governance.

Jan 22, 2024

Lamborghini secures eco-friendly organic lithium-ion batteries for EVs

Posted by in categories: climatology, sustainability

MIT researchers devise new lithium-ion battery material to provide a more sustainable alternative to cobalt-containing batteries for electric cars.


With electric vehicles on the rise in the time of climate change, scientists have been working towards developing more sustainable batteries to prevent excessive waste.

Recently, MIT researchers devised a new lithium-ion battery material that could provide a more sustainable alternative to cobalt-containing batteries for electric cars.

Continue reading “Lamborghini secures eco-friendly organic lithium-ion batteries for EVs” »

Jan 22, 2024

ElevenLabs raises $80M after releasing AI voice innovation

Posted by in categories: innovation, robotics/AI

ElevenLabs has been at the forefront of natural speech synthesis, enabling users to create AI voices across many languages and accents with an unprecedented range of emotions and intonations.


ElevenLabs secures $80M funding and introduces voice AI products to reshape the future of accessibility and communication.

Jan 22, 2024

These hafnia molecules could pave the way for next-gen memory devices

Posted by in categories: computing, engineering

For the past decade, researchers have been exploring hafnia’s ferroelectric properties, particularly in a crystal phase where it exhibits electric polarization.


To revolutionize high-performance computing, scientists and engineers are making strides in harnessing the potential of hafnium oxide, commonly known as hafnia. The latest study outlines processes for manipulating hafnia, aiming to pave the way for the next generation of computing memory.

For the past decade, researchers have explored hafnia’s ferroelectric properties, particularly in a crystal phase exhibiting electric polarization.

Continue reading “These hafnia molecules could pave the way for next-gen memory devices” »

Jan 22, 2024

Drone-based bot is already saving birds from crashing into power lines

Posted by in categories: drones, robotics/AI

The Mini LineFly strives to improve utility workers’ safety and safeguards wildlife from accidental contact with power lines, reducing the probability of unintended bird collisions.


With the world already witnessing the launch of a myriad of robotic devices since last year, another drone-based robotic system takes to the skies.

This new unmanned robotic system called the Mini LineFly is seemingly the world’s most advanced automated robotic system devised to install bird diverts on overhead power lines, according to a statement by the founding companies.

Continue reading “Drone-based bot is already saving birds from crashing into power lines” »