Superconductivity is a fascinating phenomenon, which allows a material to sustain an electrical current without any loss. This collective quantum behavior of matter only appears in certain conductors at temperatures far below ambient.
“This shows that you need the water there in order to form these materials,” said Dr. Anthony Feldman. “But it needs to be cold, near-freezing mean annual temperature conditions in order to preserve the amorphous material in the soils.”
What was ancient Mars like? Was it warmer and wetter than it is today or cold and icy like present day Mars? This is what a recent study published in Communications Earth & Environment hopes to address as a team of researchers comprised of NASA scientists and academics investigated whether past climates on Mars mirrored today’s climate or were much warmer and had liquid water. This study holds the potential to help researchers better understand the climate history of Mars and whether it had the necessary conditions to support life as we know it.
For the study, the researchers analyzed X-ray data of soil material, which the researchers refer to as “X-ray amorphous material”, obtained from NASA’s Curiosity rover in Gale Crater on Mars and compared it to similar material at sites on Earth located in Newfoundland, California, and Nevada using the same X-ray methods employed by the Curiosity rover.
Continue reading “Similarities Between Mars Soils and Newfoundland’s Subarctic Climate” »
Militaries have for years tinkered with armed drones, robo-dogs, mechanical mules and more.
A study investigating the effect of sleep on brain performance has found a link between an individual’s preference for morning or evening activity and their brain function, suggesting that self-declared “night owls” generally tend to have higher cognitive scores.
Researchers at Imperial College London looked at data from more than 26,000 people to find out how different aspects of sleep—including duration, patterns, and quality—affected mental sharpness and overall cognitive ability.
Using data from the extensive UK Biobank database, they analyzed information on U.K. adults who had completed a number of cognitive tests—including whether people described themselves as a “morning person” or an “evening person,” referring to which time of the day they felt more alert and productive.
We often contemplate cyborgs, people enhanced by machines, but what would a civilization built upon cybernetics be like?
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Human history can be seen as a catalogue of our technological pushback against nature. Our earliest technologies—including fire and clothing—enabled us to endure relentlessly harsh climates, and subsequent eras saw our creativity give birth to anesthetics, electricity, antibiotics, and vaccines.
Singularity is the point where AI could surpass human intelligence. How might it affect society—if it ever comes to be?
How does cannabis alleviate the symptoms associated with chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain in patients? This is what a recent study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research hopes to address as a team of researchers from Canada investigated patient perception regarding cannabis use and treating their MSK symptoms. This study comes as an increasing number of MSK patients have turned to cannabis to alleviate their pain symptoms without hard data to support that use.
For the study, the researchers conducted a self-reported survey with 629 MSK patients in Canada with an average age of 56 years old and comprised of 44 percent men and 56 percent women. For the surveys, the patients were asked to privately disclose their past or present cannabis use in managing their MSK pain. In the end, 144 (23 percent) of participants reported past or present cannabis use with 63.7 percent disclosing that cannabis was effective at treating their MSK pain and 26.6 percent disclosing it as “slightly effective”, per the study.
The researchers concluded, “One in five patients presenting to an orthopaedic surgeon with chronic MSK pain are using or have used cannabis with the specific intent to manage their pain, and most report it to be effective. Among non-users, two-thirds reported an interest in using cannabis to manage their MSK pain, but common barriers to use existed. Future double-blind placebo-controlled trials are required to understand if this reported efficacy is accurate, and what role, if any, cannabis may play in the management of chronic MSK pain.”
Advances in artificial intelligence are coming to your freezer, in the form of robot-assembled prepared meals.
Chef Robotics, a San Francisco–based startup, has launched a system of AI-powered robotic arms that can be quickly programmed with a recipe to dole out accurate portions of everything from tikka masala to pesto tortellini. After experiments with leading brands, including Amy’s Kitchen, the company says its robots have proved their worth and are being rolled out at scale to more production facilities. They are also being offered to new customers in the US and Canada.
