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Everything from cells to stars to particles exists on the edge of chaos

Complex systems, be they living beings or fundamental particles, need to have enough structure to hang together along with unpredictability that can allow for change. Columnist Thomas Lewton explores whether this idea is simply a pattern seen across the cosmos or could be a “theory of everything”

AI agent helps prepare synchrotron X-ray experimental measurements, paving the way for autonomous operation

Artificial intelligence (AI) models are now used daily by many people worldwide, both for professional and personal purposes. Over the past decades, scientists specialized in various disciplines have also started using these models to conduct research or simplify their experimental practices.

Researchers at Stanford University and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory recently explored the possibility of using an AI-powered agent to prepare a synchrotron-based X-ray experiment. Synchrotrons are large research facilities at which electrons are accelerated to produce very bright X-rays, which can then be used to study the atomic structure of materials, molecules and biological samples.

In a paper published in Nature Machine Intelligence, the team at Stanford and SLAC proposed using an AI-based agent to prepare a real synchrotron X-ray experiment. They showed that this agent could autonomously plan actions, interpret observations and generate instrument-control commands to complete sample alignment.

Microsoft Looking To Save As Much As $600 Million By Swapping GPT And Claude For China’s Kimi K3 In Copilot, Risking A Rap On The Knuckles From The Trump Administration

Microsoft is adding Kimi K3 to its Azure cloud services, while its engineers continue to evaluate the model for a deployment within Copilot.

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