In 1,868, Jean-Martin Charcot, a neurologist at the Hôpital de Salpétrière in France, first coined the disease “la sclérose en plaques,” which means multiple sclerosis (MS) — to distinguish it from another type of movement disorder later known as Parkinson’s disease.
Though described in 1,868, the cause of MS puzzled scientists for more than a century. This is until a 2022 breakthrough study finally enlightens us that the cause is, oddly, the seemingly innocent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common childhood virus that causes typical fever and sore throat.
Let’s see how one study single-handedly proves what we thought couldn’t be proved; how one study truly deserves to be called a breakthrough; and how thorough and near-perfect science is done.
The Knightscope K5 is our flagship fully autonomous security robot for both outdoor and indoor use. The K5 provides physical deterrence and perimeter protection in parking lots, parking structures, campus paths and large indoor spaces like malls and resorts.
The engineers believe that their method, referred to as superluminescent light projection, represents a breakthrough that could enable revolutionary technological advancements in a wide range of industrial, commercial, and scientific applications, including advances in nanotechnology.
Printing Infinitesimally Small Objects by Harnessing the Power of Light
As technologies continue to advance, scientists and engineers have developed an increasing need for objects printed at the nanoscale, meaning hundreds of times smaller than a human hair. This is especially true in extremely advanced nanotechnologies like power generation and sensing, as well as novel medical procedures that previously only existed in science fiction.
When Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is prepping to roll out an all-new process technology, it usually builds a new fab to meet demand of its alpha customers and then either adds capacity by upgrading existing fabs or building another facility. With N2 (2nm-class), the company seems to be taking a slightly different approach as it is already constructing two N2-capable fabs and is awaiting for a government approval for the third one.
We are also preparing our N2 volume production starting in 2025,” said Mark Liu, TSMC’s outgoing chairman, at the company’s earnings call with financial analysts and investors. “We plan to build multiple fabs or multiple phases of 2nm technologies in both Hsinchu and Kaohsiung science parks to support the strong structural demand from our customers. […] “In the Taichung Science Park, the government approval process is ongoing and is also on track.”
TSMC is gearing up to construct two fabrication plants capable of producing N2 chips in Taiwan. The first fab is planned to be located near Baoshan in Hsinchu County, neighboring its R1 research and development center, which was specifically build to develop N2 technology and its successor. This facility is expected to commence high-volume manufacturing (HVM) of 2nm chips in the latter half of 2025. The second N2-capable fabrication plant by is to be located in the Kaohsiung Science Park, part of the Southern Taiwan Science Park near Kaohsiung. The initiation of HVM at this plant is projected to be slightly later, likely around 2026.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has successfully bounced a laser off of India’s Vikram lander, which successfully touched down on the Moon’s surface in August.
The LRO’s laser altimeter aimed its sights at Vikram in December, shooting it with a series of laser pulses. Vikram’s 2-inch-wide retroreflector, which comes courtesy of NASA, bounced these signals right back, with scientists confirming the first-of-its-kind “ping” moments later.
The feat could revolutionize the way we locate objects and determine their exact locations on the Moon’s surface from vast distances using a surprisingly low-tech solution.
According to the report, Sam Altman recently had talks with several large potential investors for the chip fabs venture, however, the talks are still early.
BMW wants humanoid robots to build its cars, evidenced by a partnership with a robotics startup that it signed today.
BMW has partnered with Figure in its first partnership since the company was founded two years ago. The German automaker plans to launch a small, controlled launch of humanoid robots in its production facilities, potentially expanding to more units if performance targets are met.
The humanoid robots will initially be launched out of the BMW facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, which employs 11,000 people.
This week’s image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the aftermath of an epic explosion in space caused by the death of a massive star.
Some of the most dramatic events in the cosmos are supernovas, when a massive star runs out of fuel to fuse — first running out of hydrogen, then helium, then burning through heavier elements — and eventually can no longer sustain the outward pressure from heat caused by this fusion. When that happens, the star collapses suddenly into a dense core, and its outer layers are thrown off in a tremendous explosion called a Type II supernova.
Instruments smaller than a human hair are being designed to eradicate antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fight cancer.
Dr. Ana Santos becomes emotional when describing what happened several years ago: Her grandfather and an uncle died of urinary tract infections and a good friend succumbed after an accidental cut got infected.
She was shocked. In an age of antibiotics, such misfortunes weren’t supposed to happen.
