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Jul 2, 2023

What Are Large Language Models and Why Are They Important?

Posted by in categories: information science, robotics/AI

AI applications are summarizing articles, writing stories and engaging in long conversations — and large language models are doing the heavy lifting.

A large language model, or LLM, is a deep learning algorithm that can recognize, summarize, translate, predict and generate text and other forms of content based on knowledge gained from massive datasets.

Large language models are among the most successful applications of transformer models. They aren’t just for teaching AIs human languages, but for understanding proteins, writing software code, and much, much more.

Jul 2, 2023

Where do butterflies come from? Scientists discover origin of species

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, evolution

GAINESVILLE, Florida (KXAN) — Did you ever wonder where butterflies came from? A recently published research paper has revealed a surprising origin: North and Central America.

The paper, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, examined DNA from nearly 2,300 species of butterfly. The team used the data to develop a family tree and track down where the species came from.

Turns out, butterflies evolved from nocturnal moths around 101.4 million years ago.

Jul 2, 2023

Natalie Portman was published in two scientific journals

Posted by in category: education

Natalie Portman may be an Oscar winner, but don’t count out her other academic achievements. Portman put her acting career on hold to study at Harvard. During her time at the Ivy League school she worked as a research assistant in a psychology lab and managed to have two papers published in professional science journals. All of this on top of the four languages she studied while at school.

Jul 2, 2023

Lightyear 0 Is a Solar-Powered Car You Can Drive for Months Without a Charge

Posted by in categories: sustainability, transportation

Year 2022 😗😁


Learn more about the Lightyear 0—the world’s first production-ready solar car.

Jul 2, 2023

Few patients receive recommended genetic testing after cancer diagnosis

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, health

Knowing that you’ve inherited genetic mutations that increase the risk of cancer can help you catch the disease earlier, and if diagnosed, choose the most effective treatments. But despite guidelines that recommend genetic testing for the majority of cancer patients, far too few are tested, according to new research by Stanford Medicine scientists and collaborators.

Among more than a million patients with cancer, only 6.8% underwent germline genetic testing — an analysis of inherited genes — within two years of diagnosis, according to the study published June 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The rates were particularly low among Asian, Black and Hispanic patients.

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Jul 2, 2023

The fascinating world of gut fungi and its relevance for health

Posted by in category: health

Discover the fascinating world of gut fungi and their role in human health through our new infographic! Learn about their contribution to nutrient production, metabolism, defense against harmful microorganisms and establish healthy gut bacteria.

Jul 2, 2023

A Gut Microbe That Affects Cholesterol Production

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

The microbe Akkermansia muciniphila is found in many animals and is a common part of the human gut microbiome; three to five percent of all the microbes found in human stool are A. muciniphila. This bacterium has been found to degrade mucin, a major component of mucus. This can pose a problem for people who are receiving chemotherapy. Higher levels of A. muciniphila have also been linked to an increase in symptoms of nausea during pregnancy. But this microbe may have many important and beneficial impacts too; it has also been connected to a lower risk of metabolic disease, and abnormal levels of the microbe have been associated with immune dysfunction, neurological disease, and other disorders.

There is still a lot to learn about A muciniphila, such as what its genes do. About one-third of its genome encodes for proteins with unknown functions. Scientists have now used molecular techniques to reveal the genes in A. muciniphila that might be related to its growth in the gut, how it uses mucin, and how is related to the production of cholesterol. The findings have been reported in Nature Microbiology.

Jul 2, 2023

Generative AI gives marketers the means to “personalize at scale”, says Michelle Taite, Intuit Mailchimp’s global CMO

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Michelle Taite global CMO at Mailchimp, was interviewed about AI and marketing at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Jul 2, 2023

Vitamin D supplements may reduce risk of serious cardiovascular events in older people

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Vitamin D supplements may reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks among people aged over 60, finds a clinical trial published by The BMJ.

The researchers stress that the absolute risk difference was small, but say this is the largest trial of its kind to date, and further evaluation is warranted, particularly in people taking statins or other drugs.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a general term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels and is one of the main causes of death globally. CVD events such as heart attacks and strokes are set to increase as populations continue to age and chronic diseases become more common.

Jul 2, 2023

Progressive vs Degenerative Research Programmes wrapper

Posted by in categories: futurism, space

Hot off the Press! Interview on Progressive vs Degenerative Research Programmes with Leslie Allan!


Progressive research programs, like daring astronauts, catapult us into the vast unknown, making bold, untested predictions that stretch the fabric of our comprehension. Degenerative programs, in contrast, linger in well-trodden territories, shoring up existing knowledge with complex embellishments rather than breaking new ground. Yet, like celestial bodies in the cosmic ballet, each performs an essential role in the dance of discovery, together tracing the contours of the ever-expanding sphere of human understanding.

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