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Nov 20, 2023
AI system self-organizes to develop features of brains of complex organisms
Posted by Jose Ruben Rodriguez Fuentes in categories: biotech/medical, robotics/AI
Cambridge scientists have shown that placing physical constraints on an artificially-intelligent system—in much the same way that the human brain has to develop and operate within physical and biological constraints—allows it to develop features of the brains of complex organisms in order to solve tasks.
As neural systems such as the brain organize themselves and make connections, they have to balance competing demands. For example, energy and resources are needed to grow and sustain the network in physical space, while at the same time optimizing the network for information processing. This trade-off shapes all brains within and across species, which may help explain why many brains converge on similar organizational solutions.
Jascha Achterberg, a Gates Scholar from the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (MRC CBSU) at the University of Cambridge said, “Not only is the brain great at solving complex problems, it does so while using very little energy. In our new work we show that considering the brain’s problem-solving abilities alongside its goal of spending as few resources as possible can help us understand why brains look like they do.”
Nov 20, 2023
Archaeologists uncover Europe’s hidden Bronze Age megastructures
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: futurism
Archaeologists from University College Dublin, working with colleagues from Serbia and Slovenia, have uncovered a previously unknown network of massive sites in the heart of Europe that could explain the emergence of the continent’s Bronze Age megaforts—the largest prehistoric constructions seen prior to the Iron Age.
Using satellite images and aerial photography to stitch together the prehistoric landscape of the south Carpathian Basin in Central Europe, the team discovered more than 100 sites belonging to a complex society.
Their commonplace use of defensible enclosures was a precursor and likely influence behind the famous hillforts of Europe, built to protect communities later in the Bronze Age.
Nov 20, 2023
OpenAI investors’ race to reinstate Sam Altman makes tech expert Gary Marcus feel ‘sick to his stomach’
Posted by Kelvin Dafiaghor in category: robotics/AI
Marcus says he feels “sick to his stomach” as the OpenAI board—ostensibly in control with an eye on the nonprofit mission—appears to get overpowered.
Nov 20, 2023
Spatially embedded recurrent neural networks reveal widespread links between structural and functional neuroscience findings
Posted by Dan Breeden in categories: biological, neuroscience, robotics/AI
A fundamental question in neuroscience is what are the constraints that shape the structural and functional organization of the brain. By bringing biological cost constraints into the optimization process of artificial neural networks, Achterberg, Akarca and colleagues uncover the joint principle underlying a large set of neuroscientific findings.
Nov 20, 2023
String Theory, Quantum Gravity and Black Holes (Or, Are We Holograms?)
Posted by Dan Breeden in categories: cosmology, holograms, quantum physics
Join Brian Greene and Juan Maldacena as they explore a wealth of developments connecting black holes, string theory, quantum gravity, quantum entanglement, wormholes, and the holographic principle.
This program is part of the Big Ideas Series, made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.
Continue reading “String Theory, Quantum Gravity and Black Holes (Or, Are We Holograms?)” »
Nov 20, 2023
Researchers Refute a Widespread Belief About Online Algorithms
Posted by Dan Breeden in categories: computing, information science
“It’s really simple to define this problem,” said Marcin Bieńkowski, an algorithms researcher at the University of Wrocław in Poland. But it “turns out to be bizarrely difficult.” Since researchers began attacking the k-server problem in the late 1980s, they have wondered exactly how well online algorithms can handle the task.
Over the decades, researchers began to believe there’s a certain level of algorithmic performance you can always achieve for the k-server problem. So no matter what version of the problem you’re dealing with, there’ll be an algorithm that reaches this goal. But in a paper first published online last November, three computer scientists showed that this isn’t always achievable. In some cases, every algorithm falls short.
Nov 20, 2023
Research reveals rare metal could offer revolutionary switch for future quantum devices
Posted by Dan Breeden in categories: particle physics, quantum physics
Quantum scientists have discovered a rare phenomenon that could hold the key to creating a ‘perfect switch’ in quantum devices which flips between being an insulator and a superconductor.
The research, led by the University of Bristol and published in Science, found these two opposing electronic states exist within purple bronze, a unique one-dimensional metal composed of individual conducting chains of atoms.
Tiny changes in the material, for instance, prompted by a small stimulus like heat or light, may trigger an instant transition from an insulating state with zero conductivity to a superconductor with unlimited conductivity, and vice versa. This polarized versatility, known as “emergent symmetry,” has the potential to offer an ideal On/Off switch in future quantum technology developments.
Nov 20, 2023
Supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way is approaching the cosmic speed limit, dragging space-time along with it
Posted by Dan Breeden in categories: cosmology, physics
The supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy isn’t just spinning — it’s doing so at almost maximum speed, dragging anything near it along for the ride.
Physicists calculated the rotational speed of the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole, called Sagittarius A* (Sgr A•, by using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to view the X-rays and radio waves emanating from outflows of material.
Nov 20, 2023
James Webb telescope discovers ‘Cosmic Vine’ of 20 connected galaxies sprawling through the early universe
Posted by Dan Breeden in category: space
The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a massive chain of 20 galaxies in the early universe, raising questions about the formation of the largest structures in the cosmos.