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Jan 25, 2023

Mini2P Microscope Goes Global

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Summary: The Mini2P microscope can be used to record brain activity in live, freely moving mice.

Source: NTNU

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, established by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, has awarded a grant of between NOK 5–6 million (approx $500 000-$60000 USD) to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology’s Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience.

Jan 25, 2023

How Nature’s Donuts Get Their Wrinkles

Posted by in category: futurism

A new model explains the wrinkling patterns seen in nature’s donut-shaped objects, such as those found in jellyfish.

Jan 25, 2023

Twinkling of a Shrinking Droplet Reveals Hidden Complexity

Posted by in category: futurism

Captivating patterns found in the light scattered by an evaporating water droplet could be used to infer the properties of the droplet as it shrinks.

Jan 25, 2023

Malware exploited critical Realtek SDK bug in millions of attacks

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, electronics

Hackers have leveraged a critical remote code execution vulnerability in Realtek Jungle SDK 134 million attacks trying to infect smart devices in the second half of 2022.

Exploited by multiple threat actors, the vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2021–35394 and comes with a severity score of 9.8 out of 10.

Between August and October last year, sensors from Palo Alto Networks observed significant exploitation activity for this security issue, accounting for more than 40% of the total number of incidents.

Jan 25, 2023

Using Artificial Intelligence To Tame Quantum Systems

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics, robotics/AI

Controlling the trajectory of a basketball is relatively straightforward, as it only requires the application of mechanical force and human skill. However, controlling the movement of quantum systems like atoms and electrons poses a much greater challenge. These tiny particles are prone to perturbations that can cause them to deviate from their intended path in unexpected ways. Additionally, movement within the system degrades, known as damping, and noise from environmental factors like temperature further disrupts its trajectory.

To counteract the effects of damping and noise, researchers from Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan have found a way to use artificial intelligence to discover and apply stabilizing pulses of light or voltage with fluctuating intensity to quantum systems. This method was able to successfully cool a micro-mechanical object to its quantum state and control its motion in an optimized way. The research was recently published in the journal Physical Review Research.

Jan 25, 2023

Groundbreaking 3D Map of Cosmic Superbubble’s Magnetic Field Unveiled

Posted by in category: space

About the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

The Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian is a collaboration between Harvard and the Smithsonian designed to ask—and ultimately answer—humanity’s greatest unresolved questions about the nature of the universe. The Center for Astrophysics is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, with research facilities across the U.S. and around the world.

Jan 25, 2023

Surprising Discovery: MIT Neuroscientists Find That Adult Brain Is Filled With Millions of “Silent Synapses”

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, education, neuroscience

MIT neuroscientists have found that the adult brain is filled with millions of “silent synapses” — immature connections between neurons that are not active until they are needed to help create new memories.

It was previously believed that silent synapses only existed during early development, playing a role in helping the brain learn new information encountered in early life. However, the new MIT

MIT is an acronym for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is a prestigious private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts that was founded in 1861. It is organized into five Schools: architecture and planning; engineering; humanities, arts, and social sciences; management; and science. MIT’s impact includes many scientific breakthroughs and technological advances. Their stated goal is to make a better world through education, research, and innovation.

Jan 25, 2023

Study demonstrates a new method to search for meV dark photons

Posted by in categories: cosmology, particle physics

Approximately 85% of the mass of our galaxy is comprised by dark matter, matter that does not emit, absorb or reflect light and thus cannot be directly observed. While several studies have hinted at or theorized about its composition, it remains one of the greatest unresolved physics problems.

Physicists all over the world have been conducting dark matter searches or trying to come up with new methods to directly observe different dark matter candidates. One hypothetical form of dark matter that has so far eluded detection is dark-photon dark matter.

An intriguing possibility is that dark matter is comprised of dark photons, which resemble photons (i.e., the particles that make up visible light), but interact with charges with feeble strength. These dark photons could theoretically have masses in the milli-electrovolt range, approximately a million times lighter than those of electrons and thus notoriously difficult to detect.

Jan 25, 2023

New shield blocks electromagnetic interference while allowing wireless optical signals

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, military

Researchers have experimentally demonstrated, for the first time, a mechanically flexible silver mesh that is visibly transparent, allows high-quality infrared wireless optical communication and efficiently shields electromagnetic interference in the X band portion of the microwave radio region. Optical communication channels are important to the operation of many devices and are often used for remote sensing and detection.

Electronic devices are now found throughout our homes, on factory floors and in medical facilities. Electromagnetic interference shielding is often used to prevent from these devices from interfering with each other and affecting device performance.

Electromagnetic shielding, which is also used in the military to keep equipment and vehicles hidden from the enemy, can also block the optical communication channels needed for remote sensing, detection or operation of the devices. A shield that can block interference but allow for optical communication channels could help to optimize device performance in a variety of civilian and military settings.

Jan 25, 2023

Self-cooling tent runs using just water and sunshine

Posted by in categories: climatology, engineering, sustainability

For many avid outdoorspeople, summertime and camping go hand in hand. But as climate change continues to drive summer temperatures higher, outdoor recreation could become less relaxing—and cooling technologies like fans and portable air conditioners require electricity that is seldom available at the average campsite.

Seeing an unmet need, UConn researcher Al Kasani, working with Technology Commercialization Services (TCS) and the university’s Center for Clean Energy Engineering (C2E2), has developed a new off-grid technology that allows a ’s internal to cool up to 20°F below the ambient temperature.

The tent requires just one external element to function, one that is typically found in abundance around campsites: water. A single gallon of water can power the tent’s technology for up to 24 hours.