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Machine learning helps robots see clearly in total darkness using infrared

From disaster zones to underground tunnels, robots are increasingly being sent where humans cannot safely go. But many of these environments lack natural or artificial light, making it difficult for robotic systems, which usually rely on cameras and vision algorithms, to operate effectively.

A team consisting of Nathan Shankar, Professor Hujun Yin and Dr. Pawel Ladosz from The University of Manchester is tackling this challenge by teaching robots to “see” in the dark. Their approach uses machine learning to reconstruct clear images from infrared cameras—sensors that can “see” even when no visible light is present.

The breakthrough, published in a paper on the arXiv preprint server, means that robots can continue using their existing vision algorithms without making changes, reducing both computational costs and the time it takes to deploy them in the field.

Ancient Priests Hacked Consciousness With Sound

Let’s travel back in time. We are in Malta, deep beneath the earth, inside a chamber, where the only light is that of torches. We hear a low hum that reverberates through the stone walls. A priestess enters, chanting a mantra, resonating within the walls, and her voice echoes with unparallel precision, while rhythmic drumbeats pulse like a heartbeat. The participants are entranced, they feel their minds slip from this mundane world into realms of heightened awareness. Suddenly, visions of spirits, out-of-body journeys, and profound insights interfere with the very nature of reality. Do you think this is fantasy? Absolutely not. This is the essence of the ancient rituals where sound and vibration served as gateways to altered states of consciousness. As we go deep into the mysteries of sacred sounds, we will uncover how mantras and drums were instruments of rebellion against the illusions of the material world, where mystics challenged the tyrannical grip of false gods through transcendent practices.

In this fascinating exploration, we will travel through time and cultures, and we will examine the scientific and spiritual foundations of these auditory phenomena. We will move from the shamanic drums of indigenous tribes to the mantras of the Vedic sages and the hymnic invocations of ancient Greece. And we will find a common thread: the “sound”. The universal key to unlocking the mind’s hidden potentials. We’ll also venture into archaeoacoustics, the study of sound in ancient sites, and connect these old practices to modern research on binaural beats, revealing how vibration continues to bridge the ancient and the contemporary in our quest for cosmic liberation. And as usual, we keep reinventing ancient knowledge of thousands of years before us.

A Distinct New Type of Diabetes Is Officially Recognized

This year, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) officially recognized a fifth form of diabetes, after decades of controversy. It’s now urging other health authorities, like the World Health Organization (WHO), to follow suit.

Type 5 diabetes is rarely discussed or researched, and yet it is thought to impact up to 25 million people worldwide, especially those in low-and middle-income nations where access to medical care is limited.

It was first described in 1955 in Jamaica, then forgotten about for many years. Even once it was acknowledged by the WHO in the 1980s, the diagnosis created controversy.

Abdominal obesity and muscle loss increase the risk of death by 83% after age 50, study finds

A study by researchers at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil, in partnership with University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom, concluded that the combination of abdominal fat and muscle loss increases the risk of death by 83%, compared to people without these conditions.

This combination is so dangerous that it identifies an even greater problem: sarcopenic obesity. This condition is characterized by loss of muscle mass while gaining fat throughout the body. It is a difficult condition to diagnose, and it is related to loss of autonomy and a worsening quality of life in older adults. It is also known as frailty syndrome and is associated with an increased risk of falls and other comorbidities.

“In addition to assessing the risk of death associated with abdominal obesity and low muscle mass, we were able to prove that simple methods can be used to detect sarcopenic obesity. This is important because the lack of consensus on diagnostic criteria for this disease makes it difficult to detect and treat,” says Tiago da Silva Alexandre, a professor in the Department of Gerontology at UFSCar and one of the authors of the study.

The Causal Accessibility Horizon: A Structural Limit on Finite-Time Reachability

Across physics, chemistry, biology, and engineered systems, the operationally significant questionis often not whether a system will eventually reach a particular state, but whether it can be broughtthere within the time available. This paper establishes a single structural necessity: when causalresponse propagates at finite speed, there exist states that are theoretically admissible but practicallyunreachable within any finite time horizon. We formalize this as the causal accessibility horizon—ageometric boundary determined solely by propagation speed and actuation geometry, beyond whichno control action can have effect by a given time T. This constraint is categorical: it arises fromthe hyperbolic structure of finite-speed dynamics and is logically independent of dissipation, whichgoverns amplitude decay within the accessible region but does not determine its boundary. Theresult reframes questions of control, safety, and stabilization as finite-time reachability problemssubject to irreducible geometric limits.

Scientists Built a Working Brain—And Now the ‘Possibilities Are Endless,’ a Scientist Says

Even consciousness could reveal its secrets someday with this realistic simulation, researchers hope. It will not only provide an inner window on brain disorders, but may become sophisticated enough to mimic the human brain’s full complexity.

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