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Sep 26, 2023

An inside look at Congress’s first AI regulation forum

Posted by in categories: government, robotics/AI

Researcher Inioluwa Deborah Raji says tech CEOs focused on big claims of what AI could do, but she was there to offer a reality check.

Recently, I wrote a quick guide about what we might expect at Congress’s first AI Insight Forum. Well, now that meeting has happened, and we have some important information about what was discussed behind closed doors in the tech-celeb-studded confab.

First, some context. The AI Insight Forums were announced a few months ago by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as part of his “SAFE Innovation” initiative, which is really a set of principles for AI legislation in the United States. The invite list was heavily skewed toward Big Tech execs, including CEOs of AI… More.

Sep 26, 2023

Telegram starts to look like a super app, echoing WeChat

Posted by in categories: blockchains, space

Telegram, the popular messenger with 800 million monthly active users worldwide, is inching closer to adopting an ecosystem strategy that is reminiscent of WeChat’s super app approach. Certain aspects of the ecosystem will be decentralized with help from two heavyweights: Telegram’s crypto partner TON Foundation and WeChat’s owner Tencent.

Telegram has been working on a platform where third-party developers, from games to restaurants, can build mini apps to interact with users. In Telegram’s own words: “Developers can use JavaScript to create infinitely flexible interfaces that can be launched right inside Telegram — and can completely replace any website.”

To build out this super app platform, Telegram relies on a network of infrastructure partners both from the established tech world and the crypto space. Among them is The Open Network (TON) Foundation, which lays the blockchain groundwork for Telegram but operates as an independent organization.

Sep 26, 2023

Tungsten oxide hydrate: the future of smart windows

Posted by in categories: energy, materials

Researchers unveil a revolutionary material, tungsten oxide hydrate, enabling dynamic windows that adapt to light and temperature, boosting energy efficiency.

Dynamic windows have long been the dream of architects and engineers, promising buildings that adapt to varying light and temperature conditions.

Now, researchers from NC State University have taken a giant leap forward in this field by unveiling a revolutionary material known as tungsten oxide hydrate. This innovation could pave the way for the next generation of dynamic windows, offering building occupants the ability to switch their windows between three distinct modes: transparency, infrared light blocking, and glare control, according to a university release.

Sep 26, 2023

AtlasNEST plans to deploy drones to enhance airport security

Posted by in categories: drones, security, surveillance

The operations are based on an outdoor docking system that incorporates the firm’s AtlasPRO tricopter drones meant for surveillance.

Providing fool-proof security at airports proves to be challenging due to various logistical limitations, primarily due to its size, even though the airport security system is typically organized clearly and logically.

Continue reading “AtlasNEST plans to deploy drones to enhance airport security” »

Sep 26, 2023

China plans giant particle accelerator-powered chip factory

Posted by in categories: computing, particle physics

Chinese researchers are working on ways to develop their own semiconductor lithography process to compete with ASML.

Researchers at Tsinghua University are working to bring microchip production to China to bypass US sanctions, reports the South China Morning Post.

Continue reading “China plans giant particle accelerator-powered chip factory” »

Sep 26, 2023

Amazon invests $4 billion in Anthropic

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Google has also said it’s invested $400 million into the AI company.

Amazon said it will invest $4 billion in Anthropic, an artificial intelligence company founded by former employees of OpenAI, a rival leading AI company. As part of the investment, Amazon will take a minority stake in Anthropic, as per a press release.

The immediate investment is $1.25 billion, with either party having the authority to trigger another $2.75 billion in funding by Amazon, reported Reuters.

Sep 26, 2023

End of NFTs: Less than one percent are worth more than $6,000

Posted by in categories: blockchains, cryptocurrencies

For every NFT sold, there are four more that weren’t giving buyers ample choice on what they wanted to pick and at what price.

As many as 95 percent of the non-fungible tokens or NFTs created during the bull run of cryptocurrencies just a couple of years ago are now worthless, according to a new report from a website dappGambl that reviews crypto products.

NFTs were all over the news in 2021–22 when celebrities splurged millions of dollars to buy images features Bored Apes and a digital copy of events such as the completion of the code of the World Wide Web or the first tweet from Jack Dorsey on the platform that has now become X.

Sep 26, 2023

Mosquitoes’ taste for blood is finally explained

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Mosquitoes can taste your blood using unique sensory abilities. Can we use that to keep them off us?

Sep 26, 2023

Using AI to find disease-causing genes

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

A new artificial intelligence program is helping scientists speedily sift through thousands of data sets and millions of papers to home in on genes that underly disease, drastically condensing a search process that once took months.

Using computer software, scientists can scan entire genomes, or an organism’s full set of DNA, of mice that model human diseases. The goal: to identify genetic mutations that cause those diseases and open new doors for scientists to better harness genetics to develop disease treatments, said Gary Peltz, MD, PhD, professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine at Stanford Medicine.

But to do that, scientists must search through massive sets of genomic data, which yields more false positives than researchers care to admit. It’s also time intensive. Peltz wanted to make the genetic discovery process easier, faster and more accurate.

Sep 26, 2023

Researchers crack genetic code of rare kidney cancer

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

The genetic code of a rare form of kidney cancer, called reninoma, has been studied for the first time. In a paper, published in Nature Communications, researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Great Ormond Street Hospital and The Royal Free Hospital also revealed a new drug target that could serve as an alternative treatment if surgery is not recommended.

There are around 100 cases of reninoma reported to date worldwide, and it is among the rarest of tumors in humans. Although it can usually be cured with surgery, it can cause severe hypertension or it can spread and develop into metastases. There are no existing medical treatments for reninoma and management involves surgery alone. Until now, it had been unknown what genetic error causes reninoma.

In the new study, a collaboration between the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Great Ormond Street Hospital and The Royal Free Hospital, researchers found that there is a specific error in the genetic code of a known cancer gene, NOTCH1, that is behind the development of this rare cancer.