The “law of increasing functional information” says that complex systems in nature evolve to become more complex.
A new method of producing an ultra-bright light which breaks traditional laws of particle physics could potentially spark a technological revolution.
The ultra-bright light, a form of ‘coherent light’, is created by particles moving in synchrony rather than independently. This synchrony creates incredibly fast, intense pulses that operate on a scale of atto-seconds – or one thousandth of a millionth of a billionth of a second.
While machines that can currently create ultra-bright light are miles long, scientists have now produced plans for a light source that can fit into a single room. The discovery could create a “mini-societal, technological and scientific revolution”, the researchers behind the development told BBC Science Focus.
Particle accelerators are crucial tools in a wide variety of areas in industry, research, and the medical sector. The space these machines require ranges from a few square meters to large research centers. Using lasers to accelerate electrons within a photonic nanostructure constitutes a microscopic alternative with the potential of generating significantly lower costs and making devices considerably less bulky.
Until now, no substantial energy gains have been demonstrated. In other words, it has not been shown that electrons really have increased in speed significantly. A team of laser physicists at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) has now succeeded in demonstrating the first nanophotonic electron accelerator – at the same time as colleagues from Stanford University.
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While humans have long thought of gods living in the sky, the idea of space travel or humans living in space dates to at least 1,610 after the invention of the telescope when German astronomer Johannes Kepler wrote to Italian astronomer Galileo: “Let us create vessels and sails adjusted to the heavenly ether, and there will be plenty of people unafraid of the empty wastes. In the meantime, we shall prepare, for the brave sky-travellers, maps of the celestial bodies.” [1]
In popular culture, space travel dates back to at least the mid-1600s when Cyrano de Bergerac first wrote of traveling to space in a rocket. Space fantasies flourished after Jules Verne’s “From Earth to the Moon” was published in 1,865, and again when RKO Pictures released a film adaptation, A Trip to the Moon, in 1902. Dreams of space settlement hit a zenith in the 1950s with Walt Disney productions such as “Man and the Moon,” and science fiction novels including Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles (1950). [2] [3] [4].
Now Edelbroek is CEO of SpaceBorn United, a biotech startup seeking to pioneer the study of human reproduction away from Earth. Next year, he plans to send a mini lab on a rocket into low Earth orbit, where in vitro fertilization, or IVF, will take place. If it succeeds, Edelbroek hopes his work could pave the way for future space settlements.
“Humanity needs a backup plan,” he says. “If you want to be a sustainable species, you want to be a multiplanetary species.”
Beyond future space colonies, there is also a more pressing need to understand the effects of space on the human reproductive system. No one has ever become pregnant in space—yet. But with the rise of space tourism, it’s likely that it will eventually happen one day. Edelbroek thinks we should be prepared.
A new proposal spells out the very specific ways companies should evaluate AI security and enforce censorship in AI models.
Ever since the Chinese government passed a law on generative AI back in July, I’ve been wondering how exactly China’s censorship machine would adapt for the AI era.
Last week we got some clarity about what all this may look like in practice.
Hollywood actors are on strike over concerns about the use of AI, but for as little as $300, Meta and a company called Realeyes hired them to make avatars appear more human.
One evening in early September, T, a 28-year-old actor who asked to be identified by his first initial, took his seat in a rented Hollywood studio space in front of three cameras, a director, and a producer for a somewhat unusual gig.
The two-hour shoot produced footage that was not meant to be viewed by the public—at least, not a human public.
While Meta hasn’t reinvented the category, it’s nailed the execution. But culturally, is the timing right for smart glasses?
I’m a smart glasses skeptic. Not because the technology is impossible but because I’ve tested several pairs and even dove deep into the category for a two-part mini-documentary a while back. So when I say I was impressed by the $299 Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, it’s not just that mine came with rose-colored lenses.
To be clear, nothing about the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses is revolutionary. The Google Glass Explorer Edition first introduced us to modern-day smart glasses in 2013. Several other companies, big and small, have since jumped on the bandwagon, including Snap, … More.
Continue reading “The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses actually make the future look cool” »
Dubbed NorthPole, it excels in terms of performance, energy, and area efficiency.
Artificial intelligence is an energy vampire that runs on substantial computational power. Running AI applications like behavior monitoring, facial recognition software, or live object tracking in real-time, a computing system with faster and more accurate inferences is required. For this to happen, a large AI model must work closely with the source of data.
This problem of moving large amounts of data between compute and memory started with one of the earliest electronic computers, the Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EDVAC). The compute and memory of the system were based on differing technologies and had to be operated separately by necessity.
