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Oct 3, 2021

Muon g-2 experiment results: Physicists may have discovered a new force of nature

Posted by in category: physics

Scientists found new evidence this year that muons may behave in a way that defies existing physics. Their magnetism may be caused by a new, fifth force.

Oct 3, 2021

The Music of Proteins Is Made Audible Through a Computer Program That Learns From Chopin

Posted by in categories: chemistry, computing, information science, media & arts

Proteins are structured like folded chains. These chains are composed of small units of 20 possible amino acids, each labeled by a letter of the alphabet. A protein chain can be represented as a string of these alphabetic letters, very much like a string of music notes in alphabetical notation.

Protein chains can also fold into wavy and curved patterns with ups, downs, turns, and loops. Likewise, music consists of sound waves of higher and lower pitches, with changing tempos and repeating motifs.

Continue reading “The Music of Proteins Is Made Audible Through a Computer Program That Learns From Chopin” »

Oct 3, 2021

There’s a Giant Hole in the Middle of This 226-Foot Superyacht Concept —and That’s the Point

Posted by in category: space

Lazzarini.

The standout feature is, of course, the arc, or “hole deck” as Lazzarini calls it, which can be customized to each seafarer’s needs. Accessible via a door at the vessel’s bow, the sprawling space is ideal for lounging and is fitted with steps down to the ocean for requisite dips.

Shape is crowned by a glass-bottom infinity pool situated on the upper deck. It allows the swimmers above to look down on those below (or vice versa). Here, you’ll also find a helipad to facilitate the comings and goings of those onboard. At the stern, meanwhile, there is a waterside beach club with a diving platform, plus a garage for toys.

Oct 3, 2021

Test-tube lion cubs spark hope endangered species could be saved

Posted by in category: existential risks

Circa 2018


The birth of the world’s first “test-tube” lion cubs have sparked hope that the some of the world’s most endangered big cat species could be saved from extinction.

The male and female lion cubs were born in South Africa last week and mark the first time a successful pregnancy has been achieved through artificial insemination.

Continue reading “Test-tube lion cubs spark hope endangered species could be saved” »

Oct 3, 2021

Kuppies, Cat-Dogs, And Other Pet Hybrids That Are Too Good to Be True

Posted by in category: futurism

How much is that pet imposter in the window?

Oct 3, 2021

Phantom energy and dark gravity: Explaining the dark side of the universe

Posted by in categories: cosmology, particle physics

“While there have been published doubts raised about the accuracy of some of this CMB data, taken at face value it appears we may not have the right understanding, and it changes how big the Hubble constant should be today,” Riess said at the time.

“This surprising finding may be an important clue to understanding those mysterious parts of the universe that make up 95% of everything and don’t emit light, such as dark energy, dark matter and dark radiation.” Given its breadth and scope, astronomers around the world have taken the findings of Riess and his colleagues very seriously. After all, in 2011 Riess had shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for the initial discovery that the universe wasn’t just expanding, but that the rate at which it was doing so was also increasing.

Erik Verlinde of the University of Amsterdam has spent much of his time since 2010 attempting to develop a totally new theory of gravity, one that explains such observations without the need to invoke the likes of dark matter and dark energy. This resulted in his theory of emergent gravity, so-called because gravity is not a fundamental force after all, but an emergent phenomenon, similar to temperature emerging from the movement of particles.

Oct 3, 2021

Mercury mission flies

Posted by in categories: particle physics, space

BepiColombo will fly by the planet’s night side, so images during the closest approach wouldn’t be able to show much detail.

The mission team anticipates the images will show large impact craters that are scattered across Mercury’s surface, much like our moon. The researchers can use the images to map Mercury’s surface and learn more about the planet’s composition.

Some of the instruments on both orbiters will be turned on during the flyby so they can get a first whiff of Mercury’s magnetic field, plasma and particles.

Oct 3, 2021

Amazon’s Astro home robot puts Alexa on wheels — but is it worth $1,000?

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Looks kind of like a computer printer on big wheels.


We got to see Amazon’s latest gadget early — it’s the long-rumored robot.

We spent about 50 minutes with Astro. Like robots of the past (some have fizzled out; others have gone extinct like Anki’s Vector and Cozmo robots), it focuses on peace of mind in the likes of home monitoring and checking in on household members, along with providing entertainment. At the heart of Astro is Amazon’s smart assistant and artificial intelligence chops — so, yes, Alexa is on board just with an “Astro” wake word so that you can ask for the weather, a question or to go to a specific room.

Continue reading “Amazon’s Astro home robot puts Alexa on wheels — but is it worth $1,000?” »

Oct 3, 2021

The World’s First Artificial Kidney Could Finally Free People From Dialysis

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

What’s so special about this artificial kidney? The device was engineered to sustainably support a culture of human kidney cells without provoking an immune response.

This means that kidney failure patients can forgo the often painful and uncomfortable dialysis procedures and the lifetime on immunosuppressant drugs that are taken when a kidney transplant is performed and which can have severe side effects. project just earned a $650,000 prize from KidneyX for its first-ever demonstration of a functional prototype.

According to kidney.org, kidney disease causes more deaths than breast cancer or prostate cancer, affecting an estimated 37 million people in the U.S. or 15% of the adult population; more than 1 in 7 adults.

Oct 3, 2021

What Is 6G?

Posted by in category: mobile phones

As 5G is deployed in the next several years, engineers and policymakers must start thinking about a 6G in the decade ahead. For example, the Center for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue is launching a task force on “Roadmap to 6G” in October, with participation from Cisco, Dell, Ericsson, Intel, Nokia, Qualcomm, and other partners. We don’t know exactly how 6G will turn out, but we get to shape it today.

With the current speed of 5G phones not quite as advertised — and it will take some time to get even close — some may wonder why we need to already think about the next generation.