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Feb 4, 2024

Super-Earth discovered in the “optimal” habitable zone of its star, TOI-715 b

Posted by in category: space

Scientists have discovered a super-Earth, named TOI-715 b, located within the “conservative” habitable zone of a nearby red dwarf star.

This revelation has ignited the astronomical community with the potential of uncovering conditions that are suitable for life a mere 137 light-years from Earth.

The research, led by Georgina Dransfield at the University of Birmingham, represents a significant step forward in our quest to understand the conditions under which life might arise.

Feb 4, 2024

“Perfect” memory that could one day replace three types of storage gets very early prototype — SOT-MRAM is cache, system memory and storage rolled into one

Posted by in category: futurism

Newly developed memory cell combines high-speed performance with low power consumption.

Feb 4, 2024

Pilotless drones being tested in Antarctica for use in scientific research

Posted by in categories: drones, robotics/AI

The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said successful tests would allow the drones to undertake research such as surveying marine ecosystems and studying glaciers, while reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 90%.

The Windracers Ultra UAV (uncrewed aerial vehicle) is a twin-engine, 10-metre aircraft that can carry up to 100kg of cargo or sensors for distances of 1,000km and does not require a human pilot to take off, fly or land as it is equipped with a sophisticated autopilot system.

Unlike piloted Twin Otter aircraft, which are costly to operate and face logistical challenges in the extreme environment, the BAS said the “groundbreaking” unmanned drones are safer and “could enable dramatic increases in flight time”

Feb 4, 2024

Lightest Black Hole or Heaviest Neutron Star? MeerKAT Uncovers a Mysterious Object in Milky Way

Posted by in category: cosmology

An international team of astronomers have found a new and unknown object in the Milky Way that is heavier than the heaviest neutron stars known and yet simultaneously lighter than the lightest black holes known.

Using the MeerKAT Radio Telescope, astronomers from a number of institutions including The University of Manchester and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany found an object in orbit around a rapidly spinning millisecond pulsar located around 40,000 light years away in a dense group of stars known as a globular cluster.

Using the clock-like ticks from the millisecond pulsar they showed that the massive object lies in the so-called black hole mass gap.

Feb 4, 2024

Researchers finally solve decades-old ‘Feynman’s Sprinkler Problem’

Posted by in category: futurism

But one question intrigued scientists: “What happens if fluid is sucked in through the arms: Does the device rotate, in what direction, and why?”

High-tech experiment to understand the fluid dynamics

In this new study, researchers from New York University conducted tests to better understand the dynamics of flowing fluids and their impact on sprinkler structures.

Feb 4, 2024

Highly targeted CRISPR delivery system advances gene editing in living animals

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical

Most approved gene therapies today, including those involving CRISPR-Cas9, work their magic on cells removed from the body, after which the edited cells are returned to the patient.

This technique is ideal for targeting blood cells and is currently the method employed in newly approved CRISPR gene therapies for blood diseases like , in which edited blood cells are reinfused in patients after their bone marrow has been destroyed by chemotherapy.

A new, precision-targeted for CRISPR-Cas9, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, enables gene editing on very specific subsets of cells while still in the body—a step toward a programmable delivery method that would eliminate the need to obliterate patients’ bone marrow and immune system before giving them edited blood cells.

Feb 4, 2024

Hexagonal copper disk lattice unleashes spin wave control

Posted by in categories: materials, robotics/AI

A collaborative group of researchers has potentially developed a means of controlling spin waves by creating a hexagonal pattern of copper disks on a magnetic insulator. The breakthrough is expected to lead to greater efficiency and miniaturization of communication devices in fields such as artificial intelligence and automation technology.

Details of the study were published in the journal Physical Review Applied on January 30, 2024.

In a magnetic material, the spins of electrons are aligned. When these spins undergo coordinated movement, they generate a kind of ripple in the magnetic order, dubbed . Spin waves generate little heat and offer an abundance of advantages for next-generation devices.

Feb 4, 2024

The Philosophy Of Co-Becoming

Posted by in category: futurism

Ancient concepts of the relational interdependence of humans and nature are being revived.

Feb 4, 2024

Researchers use supercomputer to determine whether ‘molecules of life’ can be formed naturally in right conditions

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, education, robotics/AI, supercomputing

Basic biology textbooks will tell you that all life on Earth is built from four types of molecules: proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids. And each group is vital for every living organism.

But what if humans could actually show that these “molecules of life,” such as amino acids and DNA bases, can be formed naturally in the right environment? Researchers at the University of Florida are using the HiPerGator—the in U.S. higher education—to test this experiment.

HiPerGator—with its AI models and vast capacity for graphics processing units, or GPUs (specialized processors designed to accelerate graphics renderings)—is transforming the molecular research game.

Feb 4, 2024

Hafnia Breakthrough Paves Way for Ultra-Fast, Efficient, Cheap Computer Memory

Posted by in categories: computing, materials

Scientists outline new processes for leveraging hafnia’s ferroelectric features with the aim of enhancing high-performance computing.

Scientists and engineers have been pushing for the past decade to leverage an elusive ferroelectric material called hafnium oxide, or hafnia, to usher in the next generation of computing memory. A team of researchers including the University of Rochester’s Sobhit Singh published a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study outlining progress toward making bulk ferroelectric and antiferroelectric hafnia available for use in a variety of applications.

In a specific crystal phase, hafnia exhibits ferroelectric properties—that is, electric polarization that can be changed in one direction or another by applying an external electric field. This feature can be harnessed in data storage technology. When used in computing, ferroelectric memory has the benefit of non-volatility, meaning it retains its values even when powered off, one of several advantages over most types of memory used today.