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Jun 12, 2021

Google and Harvard Unveil the Largest High-Resolution Map of the Brain Yet

Posted by in category: neuroscience

Last Tuesday, teams from Google and Harvard published an intricate map of every cell and connection in a cubic millimeter of the human brain.

The mapped region encompasses the various layers and cell types of the cerebral cortex, a region of brain tissue associated with higher-level cognition, such as thinking, planning, and language. According to Google, it’s the largest brain map at this level of detail to date, and it’s freely available to scientists (and the rest of us) online. (Really. Go here. Take a stroll.)

“The human brain is an immensely complex network of brain cells which is responsible for all human behavior, but until now, we haven’t been able to completely map these connections within even a small region of the brain,” said Dr. Alexander Shapson-Coe, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard’s Lichtman Lab and lead author of a preprint paper about the work.

Jun 12, 2021

Building a Garden that Cares for Itself

Posted by in categories: food, habitats, health, robotics/AI

Designing an autonomous, learning smart garden.


In the first episode of Build Out, Colt and Reto — tasked with designing the architecture for a “Smart Garden” — supplied two very different concepts, that nevertheless featured many overlapping elements. Take a look at the video to see what they came up with, then continue reading to see how you can learn from their explorations to build your very own Smart Garden.

Both solutions aim to optimize plant care using sensors, weather forecasts, and machine learning. Watering and fertilizing routines for the plants are updated regularly to guarantee the best growth, health, and fruit yield possible.

Continue reading “Building a Garden that Cares for Itself” »

Jun 12, 2021

Herb Seed Kits

Posted by in category: sustainability

https://youtube.com/watch?v=BuY3kLfxtaY

This is an automatic hydroponics system that also has scaleable farms that use 95 percent less water.


Grow fresh herbs, vegetables, and more in 3 easy steps all year round with AeroGarden indoor garden systems. No soil, no sun, & no green thumb required!

Jun 12, 2021

Amazing New Chinese A.I.-Powered Language Model Wu Dao 2.0 Unveiled

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

It’s ten times more powerful than the current U.S. effort.


Earlier this month, Chinese artificial intelligence (A.I.) researchers at the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI) unveiled Wu Dao 2.0, the world’s biggest natural language processing (NLP) model. And it’s a big deal.

Continue reading “Amazing New Chinese A.I.-Powered Language Model Wu Dao 2.0 Unveiled” »

Jun 12, 2021

Yes, Scientists Built the Worlds Smallest Implantable Chip. But Dont Freak Out

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, computing, health

Bill Gates isn’t going to use it to track you.


Your next doctor’s appointment could soon become much more informative thanks to new microchips the size of dust mites, only visible beneath a microscope.

Continue reading “Yes, Scientists Built the Worlds Smallest Implantable Chip. But Dont Freak Out” »

Jun 12, 2021

A New Era of Spaceflight? Exciting Advances in Rocket Propulsion

Posted by in categories: chemistry, military, space travel

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has recently commissioned three private companies, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin and General Atomics, to develop nuclear fission thermal rockets for use in lunar orbit.

Such a development, if flown, could usher in a new era of spaceflight. That said, it is only one of several exciting avenues in rocket propulsion. Here are some others.

The standard means of propulsion for spacecraft uses chemical rockets. There are two main types: solid-fueled (such as the solid rocket boosters on the Space Shuttle), and liquid-fueled (such as the Saturn V).

Jun 12, 2021

New Chemistry for Cleaner Combustion Engines – From New Clues to the Origins of the Universe

Posted by in categories: chemistry, particle physics

In a decade-long quest, scientists at Berkeley Lab, the University of Hawaii, and Florida International University uncover new clues to the origins of the universe – and land new chemistry for cleaner combustion engines.

For nearly half a century, astrophysicists and organic chemists have been on the hunt for the origins of C6H6, the benzene ring – an elegant, hexagonal molecule comprised of 6 carbon and 6 hydrogen atoms.

Astrophysicists say that the benzene ring could be the fundamental building block of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs, the most basic materials formed from the explosion of dying, carbon-rich stars. That swirling mass of matter would eventually give shape to the earliest forms of carbon – precursors to molecules some scientists say are connected to the synthesis of the earliest forms of life on Earth.

Jun 12, 2021

Zhurong Rover dropped Camera on Mars to make group photos at Utopia Planitia (Chinese Tianwen-1)

Posted by in category: space

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOABggkMyug&feature=share

On June 11, 2021 CNSA published new Hi-Res Mars images Zhurong Rover (Chinese Tianwen-1 mission) with amazing details of Utopia Planitia on Red Planet. Rover dropped/deployed special instrument camera to make group images. Camera made first shot capturing Mars Lander and Zhurong Rover together in single frame. Resolution of the images is incredible. Chinese Zhurong Mars Rover has been working on the surface of Mars for 26 Martian days, carrying out environmental perception, fire surface movement, and scientific exploration. Zhurong also made first panoramic 360 degrees image at Utopia Planitia on Mars. There is image of Parachute pack and Heat Shield on the surface of Red Planet.

Source/credit: https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/

Continue reading “Zhurong Rover dropped Camera on Mars to make group photos at Utopia Planitia (Chinese Tianwen-1)” »

Jun 12, 2021

Cyber, Emerging Tech, Risk: Recent Writings & Media

Posted by in category: cybercrime/malcode

Dear friends and colleagues, it is my pleasure to share come of my recent writings and events with you on topics of cybersecurity, emerging tech, and other issues. Thanks and stay safe, Chuck Chuck Brooks LinkedIn Profile: https://www.

Jun 12, 2021

Quantum memory crystals are a step towards a futuristic internet

Posted by in categories: computing, internet, particle physics, quantum physics

A secure quantum internet is one step closer thanks to a quantum memory made from a crystal, which could form a crucial part of a device able to transmit entangled photons over a distance of 5 kilometres. Crucially, it is entirely compatible with existing communication networks, making it suitable for real-world use.

There has long been a vision of a quantum version of the internet, which would allow quantum computers to communicate across long distances by exchanging particles of light called photons that have been linked together with quantum entanglement, allowing them to transmit quantum states.

The problem is that photons get lost when they are transmitted through long lengths of fibre-optic cable. For normal photons, this isn’t an issue, because networking equipment can simply measure and retransmit them after a certain distance, which is how normal fibre data connections work. But for entangled photons, any attempt to measure or amplify them changes their state.