Lifeboat Foundation

A team of researchers at ARM Inc., has developed a 32-bit microprocessor on a flexible base which the company claims could pave the way to fully flexible smart integrated systems. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes how they used metal−oxide thin-film transistors along with a type of plastic to create their chip and outline ways they believe it could be used.

Microprocessors power a wide range of products, but what they all have in common is their stiffness. Almost all of them are made using silicon wafers, which means that they have to be hard and flat. This inability to bend, the researchers with this new effort contend, is what is preventing the development of products such as smart clothes, smart labels on foods, packaging and even paper products. To meet that need, the team has created what they describe as the PlasticARM—a RISC-based 32-bit microprocessor set on a flexible base. In addition to its flexibility, the new technique allows for printing a microprocessor onto many types of materials, all at low cost.

To create their bendy microprocessor, the researchers teamed with a group at PragmatIC Semiconductor to create a bendable version of the Cortex M0+ microprocessor, which was chosen for its simplicity and small size. To make their chip, (which includes ROM, RAM and interconnections) the team used amorphous silicon fabricated (in the form of metal-oxide thin-film transistors) onto flexible polymers.

Electron-positron pair generation from nonlinear quantum electrodynamics is predicted at high intensities that are, so far, beyond experimental capabilities. Here, simulations predict a high yield of positrons can be obtained from gamma-gamma photon collisions in the linear regime, using counter-propagating pulses and a microstructured target.

Insulin prices have risen exponentially over the last decade. Learn about the team of volunteer scientists working to make it affordable again.

A trio of researchers at Cornell University has found that it is possible to hide malware code inside of AI neural networks. Zhi Wang, Chaoge Liu and Xiang Cui have posted a paper describing their experiments with injecting code into neural networks on the arXiv preprint server.

As computer technology grows ever more complex, so do attempts by criminals to break into machines running new technology for their own purposes, such as destroying data or encrypting it and demanding payment from users for its return. In this new study, the team has found a new way to infect certain kinds of computer systems running artificial intelligence applications.

AI systems do their work by processing data in ways similar to the human brain. But such networks, the research trio found, are vulnerable to infiltration by foreign code.

Scientists have discovered that a two graphene layers can conduct electrons showing superconductivity if the two hexagonal nets are twisted against each other at a 1.1 degree angle.

Exercise: Good for your mind, body, and telomeres!

Introduction: Telomeres are DNA portions that are located on the two ends of the chromosome. Telomeres play an important role in cellular life. Exercise is one of the factors that contributes to their control. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on telomere length and telomerase activity in non-athletic young men. Materials and methods: 30 inactive students were selected as sample and randomly divided into two groups of exercise (15 people) and control (15 people) in this semi-experimental study. The exercise group performed 8 weeks of HIIT exercise in 3 sessions per week with an intensity of 150 to 175% of their maximum power (Pmax). Control group subjects did not do regular sport activities. To measure telomere length and telomerase activity, 10 ml of blood was taken from the brachial vein of the subjects 24 hours before the first and after the last exercise session. The dependent t was used to analyze intra-group and independent t for within-group differences. Results: The findings of this study showed that 8 weeks of HIIT training in non-athlete young men resulted in a significant increase in telomere length (P = 0.001) and telomerase activity (P = 0.001). Conclusion: It seems that HIIT can alter telomerase activity and telomere length. Therefore, these training may have a positive effect on cell biology.

A technique developed at Western University to visually iron out the wrinkles and folds in one region of the brain may provide researchers a more accurate picture to understand brain disorders.

Continue reading “Unfolding the hippocampus” »

Intel is matching foundry rival, TSMC, node-for-node with its new process naming convention, but has also fired the first shot in the race for sub-nanometer terminology. Below 1nm, we’re moving into what it’s now calling the ‘angstrom era of semiconductors’.

At the Intel Accelerated event CEO, Pat Gelsinger, has unveiled a detailed process roadmap for its future nodes, all tied into a new way to reference them. “We are accelerating our innovation roadmap to ensure we are on a clear path to process performance leadership by 2025,” he says.

The U.S. dollar remains the world’s de facto monetary reserve, but with China going full speed ahead with its digital yuan, that could be in jeopardy. Researchers are digging into regulated online money called Central Bank Digital Currencies, or CBDCs, and what that could look like in the U.S.

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Continue reading “Could China Dethrone The U.S. Dollar With A Digital Yuan?” »