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Oct 27, 2023

Devastation followed by desperation in Acapulco after Hurricane Otis rips through

Posted by in categories: asteroid/comet impacts, climatology, existential risks, habitats

ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — First came the devastation, then people’s desperation.

Hurricane Otis blasted the Mexican tourist port of Acapulco like no other storm before in the Eastern Pacific. As a monstrous Category 5 meteor, with its 165 mph (266 kph) winds, it destroyed what it found in its path: large residential buildings, houses, hotels, roads and stores.

Fallen trees and power line poles covered practically all the streets in this city of more than 1 million people. The walls and the roofs of buildings and houses were left partially or totally ripped off, while some cars were buried under debris.

Oct 27, 2023

Using AI to Search for Extraterrestrial Life

Posted by in categories: alien life, robotics/AI

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Search for Extraterrestrial Life on Mars and other Planets and Moons.

Posted on Big Think, link at:

Oct 27, 2023

Breakthrough in treatment of cervical cancer

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, government

A breakthrough in treating cervical cancer is reported, with participants in a recent trial achieving a five-year survival rate of 80% – up from the previous average of 70%. The study used a combination of existing, cheap drugs ahead of usual radiotherapy treatment.

Cervical cancer cell illustration. Credit: PRB ARTS

Phase III of the INTERLACE trial, funded by Cancer Research UK and University College London (UCL) Cancer Trials Centre, assessed whether a short course of induction chemotherapy (IC) prior to chemoradiation (CRT) could reduce the rate of relapse and death among patients with cervical cancer. Researchers involved in the study presented the preliminary results at the recent European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress.

Oct 27, 2023

AI-ready architecture doubles power with FeFETs

Posted by in categories: drones, information science, robotics/AI

Hussam Amrouch has developed an AI-ready architecture that is twice as powerful as comparable in-memory computing approaches. As reported in the journal Nature Communications (“First demonstration of in-memory computing crossbar using multi-level Cell FeFET”), the professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) applies a new computational paradigm using special circuits known as ferroelectric field effect transistors (FeFETs). Within a few years, this could prove useful for generative AI, deep learning algorithms and robotic applications.

  • The new architecture enables both data storage and calculations to be carried out on the same transistors, boosting efficiency and reducing heat.
  • The chip performs at 885 TOPS/W, significantly outperforming current CMOS chips which operate in the range of 10–20 TOPS/W, making it ideal for applications like real-time drone calculations, generative AI, and deep learning algorithms.
  • Oct 27, 2023

    DNA Origami nanoturbine sets new horizon for nanomotors

    Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, nanotechnology

    A collaborative team of researchers led by prof. Cees Dekker at TU Delft, in partnership with international colleagues, introduces a pioneering breakthrough in the world of nanomotors – the DNA origami nanoturbine. This nanoscale device could represent a paradigm shift, harnessing power from ion gradients or electrical potential across a solid-state nanopore to drive the turbine into mechanical rotations.

  • A 25-nanometer DNA nanoturbine, driven by water flow, spins up to 20 revolutions per second.
  • Ion-sensitive rotation offers unique applications like targeted drug delivery.
  • Oct 27, 2023

    How director Nathaniel Kahn brought the James Webb Space Telescope to IMAX with ‘Deep Sky’

    Posted by in categories: energy, media & arts, space

    “There is this kind of power the images have. It really isn’t from us. We’re creating the context in which you can appreciate them, but we’re not forcing it,” Kahn said.

    In the background, award-winning actress Michelle Williams narrates what we see, which, Kahn admits, was a bit of a deviation from his usual filmmaking blueprint.

    “Many of my films are done just through putting together interviews with people or encounters with people,” he said. Or in other words, there is no doctored narrative.

    Oct 27, 2023

    New quantum computing architecture achieves electron charge qubit with 0.1 millisecond coherence time

    Posted by in categories: computing, quantum physics

    Coherence stands as a pillar of effective communication, whether it is in writing, speaking or information processing. This principle extends to quantum bits, or qubits, the building blocks of quantum computing. A quantum computer could one day tackle previously insurmountable challenges in climate prediction, material design, drug discovery and more.

    A team led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has achieved a major milestone toward future quantum computing. They have extended the time for their novel type of qubit to an impressive 0.1 milliseconds—nearly a thousand times better than the previous record.

    The research was published in Nature Physics.

    Oct 27, 2023

    ‘We could see it happening before our eyes’: research shows how cancer cells resist chemotherapy

    Posted by in category: biotech/medical

    A study in human cell lines reveals cancer cells can activate a force-generating mechanism to survive a cancer therapy.

    Oct 27, 2023

    Pigeons problem-solve similarly to artificial intelligence, research shows

    Posted by in category: robotics/AI

    I think crows are probably smarter. But we probably arent up to being able to reverse engineer brains of crows. Maybe just playing around at it.

    Present list i believe is: 1. lab mice; 2. lab rats; 3. crows; 4. octopi; 5. pigs; 6. chimps; ending on the human brain.


    The intelligent birds, thought to be a nuisance by some, learn from consequences and can recognize resemblance between objects.

    Oct 27, 2023

    New software tool provides a way for safer design of genome editing

    Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, food, genetics

    A team of researchers has developed a software tool called DANGER (Deleterious and ANticipatable Guides Evaluated by RNA-sequencing) analysis that provides a way for the safer design of genome editing in all organisms with a transcriptome. For about a decade, researchers have used the CRISPR technology for genome editing. However, there are some challenges in the use of CRISPR. The DANGER analysis overcomes these challenges and allows researchers to perform safer on-and off-target assessments without a reference genome. It holds the potential for applications in medicine, agriculture, and biological research.

    Their work is published in the journal Bioinformatics Advances on August 23, 2023.

    Genome editing, or gene editing, refers to technologies that allow researchers to change the genomic DNA of an organism. With these technologies, researchers can add, remove or alter genetic material in the genome.