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Summary: Study reveals altered brain dynamics in those with unresponsive arousal syndrome, previously known as “vegetative state”, and in those with minimally conscious state.

Source: University of Liege.

A study by the Human Brain Project (HBP), led by scientists from the University of Liège (Belgium), has explored new techniques that may help distinguish between two different neurological conditions in patients with severe brain damage and or in a coma. The results of this study have just been published in open access in the journal eLife.

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Computers that can make use of the “spooky” properties of quantum mechanics to solve problems faster than current technology may sound alluring, but first they must overcome a massive disadvantage. Scientists from Japan may have found the answer through their demonstration of how a superconducting material, niobium nitride, can be added to a nitride-semiconductor substrate as a flat, crystalline layer. This process may lead to the easy manufacturing of quantum qubits connected with conventional computer devices.

The processes used to manufacture conventional silicon microprocessors have matured over decades and are constantly being refined and improved. In contrast, most quantum computing architectures must be designed mostly from scratch. However, finding a way to add quantum capabilities to existing fabrication lines, or even integrate quantum and conventional logic units in a , might be able to vastly accelerate the adoption of these new systems.

Now, a team of researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science at The University of Tokyo have shown how thin films of niobium nitride (NbNx) can be grown directly on top of an aluminum nitride (AlN) layer. Niobium nitride can become superconducting at temperatures colder than about 16 degrees above absolute zero. As a result, it can be used to make a superconducting qubit when arranged in a structure called a Josephson junction.

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The technology is part of a challenge launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Samsung has engineered a safe and efficient toilet that turns your excrement into ashes, according to a press release published last month by the firm.

The prototype is part of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, an initiative launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2011.

Continue reading “Bill Gates’ and Samsung’s prototype toilet can turn your poop into ashes” | >

Volkswagen’s charging unit Elli and re.alto, a startup owned by Brussels-based Elia, signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday to collaborate on ways to integrate EVs into the electricity system in order to fight global warming.

A route to abating climate change

“The wide-spread adoption of EVs will be one of society’s fastest and most effective routes to abating climate change in the coming decade. Additionally, EV batteries will be able to contribute to keeping the grid in balance as the share of renewables in the energy mix increases. This can only occur if consumers are encouraged to valorize their flexibility, aligning their charging behavior with the availability of affordable green energy,” said the statement.

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The new material is far superior to today’s non-stick options.

Researchers at Tufts University have developed a method for developing silk-based materials that refuse to stick to water and exhibit non-stick properties that surpass those of current non-stick surfaces, according to a press release by the institution published on Friday.

“The success we had with modifying silk to repel water extends our successes with chemically modifying silk for other functionalities—such as the ability to change color, conduct electrical charge, or persist or degrade in a biological environment,” said David Kaplan, Stern Family Professor of Engineering at Tufts.

“As a protein, silk lends itself well to modular chemistry – the ability to ‘plug in’ different functional components on a natural scaffold.”

Continue reading “Scientists break down silk to invent extremely efficient non-stick material” | >

Tracking the severity and progression of Parkinson’s disease is a complicated but absolutely necessary task that leaves clinicians baffled. Now, according to an MIT report published on Wednesday, there may be a new device that can help physicians do just that.

Monitoring movement and gait speed

The invention is an in-home device that can monitor a patient’s movement and gait speed, “which can be used to evaluate Parkinson’s severity, the progression of the disease, and the patient’s response to medication.”

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Unfortunately, researchers think it could be challenging to regulate a super intelligent AI. The explanation is simple: if AI can comprehend information better than humans, our processing power will be limited. We may never be able to govern the super-intelligent AI if we are unable to understand its intellect.

But surely all AI is designed to be human-friendly? Okay, sure. But according to the authors of recent research, if we don’t fully comprehend the scenarios that AI can generate, we cannot design empathy towards humans in artificial intelligence. The authors of the new article contend that we cannot establish rules like “do no harm to humans” until we are aware of the kinds of situations that an AI is likely to encounter. We are unable to impose restrictions once a computer system operates at a level beyond the capacity of our programmers. Researchers quash any hope to stop AI.

This is due to a superintelligence’s multifaceted nature, which makes it potentially capable of mobilizing a variety of resources to accomplish goals that may be beyond human comprehension, let alone being under human control.

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Summary: Researchers aim to map and track cellular changes in the human brain over a lifetime.

Source: UCSD

With a five-year, $126 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a multi-institution team of researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Salk Institute for Biological Studies and elsewhere has launched a new Center for Multiomic Human Brain Cell Atlas.

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