Lifeboat Foundation

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Infinite sums are among the most underrated yet powerful concepts in mathematics, capable of linking concepts across math’s vast web.

These sustainable sneakers are molded from liquid cellulose—and the process can work for other items of clothing as well.

As our devices get smaller and smaller, the use of molecules as the main components in electronic circuitry is becoming ever more critical. Over the past 10 years, researchers have been trying to use single molecules as conducting wires because of their small scale, distinct electronic characteristics, and high tunability. But in most molecular wires, as the length of the wire increases, the efficiency by which electrons are transmitted across the wire decreases exponentially. This limitation has made it especially challenging to build a long molecular wire—one that is much longer than a nanometer—that actually conducts electricity well.

Columbia researchers announced that they have built a nanowire that is 2.6 nanometers long, shows an unusual increase in conductance as the wire length increases, and has quasi-metallic properties. Its excellent conductivity holds great promise for the field of molecular electronics, enabling electronic devices to become even tinier.

The study is published in Nature Chemistry (“Highly conducting single-molecule topological insulators based on mono-and di-radical cations”).

It could help scientists learn more about memory formation and storage and diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Not a human in sight in this warehouse. Is this the future of labour?

Employees and employers are changing because of the pandemic, inflation and war. Continuous learning is integral to labour’s future.

Meta’s AI translation work could provide a killer app for AR.

Social media conglomerate Meta has created a single AI model capable of translating across 200 different languages, including many not supported by current commercial tools. The company is open-sourcing the project in the hopes that others will build on its work.

The AI model is part of an ambitious R&D project by Meta to create a so-called “universal speech translator,” which the company sees as important for growth across its many platforms — from Facebook and Instagram, to developing domains like VR and AR. Machine translation not only allows Meta to better understand its users (and so improve the advertising systems that generate 97 percent of its revenue) but could also be the foundation of a killer app for future projects like its augmented reality glasses.

Continue reading “Meta open sources early-stage AI translation tool that works across 200 languages” »

The artificial intelligence program at Google has apparently hired a lawyer, which brings up a host of scary questions.

Osaka University researchers discovered that worms may be coated with hydrogel sheaths that contain useful cargo such as anti-cancer medications

James Bond’s famed quartermaster Q provided the secret agent with an unlimited supply of equipment and gadgets to aid him on his missions. Now, scientists from Japan have shown that they are equally adept in providing microscopic worms with a surprising variety of useful and protective components.

Researchers from Osaka University have discovered that microscopic, free-living worms known as nematodes may be coated with hydrogel-based “sheaths” that can be further customized to transport functional cargo.

Could a brain ever exist on its own, divorced from or independent of a body? For a long time, philosophers have pondered such “brain-in-a-vat” scenarios, asking whether isolated brains could maintain consciousness when separated from their bodies and senses. Typically, a person’s experiences are characterized by a web of interactions between the human brain, body and environment. But recent developments in neuroscience mean this conversation has moved from the realm of hypothetical speculation and science fiction, to isolated examples where consciousness could be sealed off from the rest of the world.

It may sound like science fiction, but can actual science keep a brain alive in a vat?