Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog – Page 2,242

Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.

Log in for authorized contributors

Researchers elucidate ultrafast laser-induced solid-to-overdense-plasma transitions

The interaction of solids with high-intensity ultra-short laser pulses has enabled major technological breakthroughs over the past half-century. On the one hand, laser ablation of solids offers micromachining and miniaturization of elements in medical or telecommunication devices. On the other hand, accelerated ion beams from solids using intense lasers may pave the way for new opportunities for cancer treatment with laser-based proton therapy, fusion energy research, and analysis of cultural heritage.

Research team develops electromagnetic wave absorbers with strong absorption and broad effective bandwidth

A research team from the Department of Functional Composites in Composites Research Division at Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has successfully developed electromagnetic wave absorbers based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) that enhance dielectric and magnetic losses in the gigahertz (GHz) frequency band. The research was published in the journal Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials on February 5, 2024.

Advancing transistor technology with triply-degenerate semimetal PtBi₂

Despite its promising characteristics in condensed matter physics, the triply-degenerate semimetal PtBi2 has been largely unexplored in practical applications, particularly in semiconductor technology. The main difficulties include a lack of empirical data on the integration of PtBi2 with existing semiconductor components and the need for innovative approaches to leverage its unique properties, such as high stability and mobility, within the constraints of current electronic manufacturing processes.

1st gene-edited snakes use mysterious ‘Turing patterns’ to achieve near-perfect hexagonal scales

Remember all those low rate scifi horror movies with big snakes, let’s see if the bookie will take bet on when we have a first big one (on the run from the facility)

Scientists used CRISPR editing to make the world’s first genetically modified snakes, giving new insight into how the reptiles develop their patterned scales.

Backstabbing, bluffing and playing dead: has AI learned to deceive? — podcast

As AI systems have grown in sophistication, so has their capacity for deception, according to a new analysis from researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr Peter Park, an AI existential safety researcher at MIT and author of the research, tells Ian Sample about the different examples of deception he uncovered, and why they will be so difficult to tackle as long as AI remains a black box.

How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know

Listen to the Guardian’s Black Box series all about humans and artificial intelligence.

The State of CRISPR and Gene Editing 2024

Following the landmark approval of the first CRISPR-based cell therapy in December 2023, the CRISPR community is looking ahead to the next wave of commercial successes, fueled by continued innovation in the development of new gene editing and delivery tools and technologies. Equally exciting advances are occurring in livestock editing, xenotransplantation, and many other specialties.

In The State of CRISPR and Gene Editing virtual summit, GEN proudly gathers a tantalizing line-up of luminaries from academia and industry to discuss the latest research developments, innovations, and advanced technologies that are expanding the CRISPR toolbox, delivering new therapies to patients and safeguarding our food supply.

The Dark Universe: Why we’re about to solve the biggest mystery in science

Tiny, fuzzy blobs. I’ve spent a lot of time in the last few years looking at images of tiny, fuzzy blobs. They’re only ever a few pixels wide, like smudges on a photo, but they could be the key that unlocks the mystery of dark matter.

The blobs are galaxies: swirling pools of stars and planets suspended in space, millions of light-years away from Earth. The images were collected by an advanced camera with a 1m (3.3ft) lens mounted on the giant Victor M Blanco Telescope, 2,200m (7,200ft) up in the mountains of the Coquimbo Region of Chile.