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Sep 11, 2020

How to Give A.I. a Pinch of Consciousness

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

In 1998, an engineer in Sony’s computer science lab in Japan filmed a lost-looking robot moving trepidatiously around an enclosure. The robot was tasked with two objectives: avoid obstacles and find objects in the pen. It was able to do so…

Sep 11, 2020

APOD: 2020 September 11 — The Reappearance of Mars

Posted by in category: space

A different astronomy and space science related image is featured each day, along with a brief explanation.

Sep 11, 2020

First skydive from a solar electric plane accomplished in Switzerland

Posted by in categories: alien life, solar power, sustainability, transportation

Scientists claim to have found the first known extraterrestrial protein in a meteorite.


Team’s goal is to take the aircraft up into the icy stratosphere to 25km above the Earth.

Sep 11, 2020

Meteor booms over California in stunning video — ‘That was a close call’

Posted by in categories: asteroid/comet impacts, existential risks

A HUGE meteor streaked in the skies above California, leaving onlookers stunned with one claiming it was “a close call”.

Sep 11, 2020

Biotechs in California developing COVID-blocking nasal spray with cloned antibodies

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Two biotechs in San Diego, California, are teaming up to develop a nasal spray using designer antibodies cloned from COVID-19 survivors.

Sep 11, 2020

Microsoft wants to take on Amazon in connecting satellites to the cloud

Posted by in categories: computing, satellites

The FCC authorized Microsoft to perform proof-of-concept demonstrations of a service that would connect its cloud computing service Azure with a ground station the company proposed to build.

“If the demonstrations result in significant market interest, Microsoft will file an application for regular earth station authority with the International Bureau (IB) to support future commercial operations,” the company wrote in the filings.

The company’s strategy will put it in competition with Amazon, which in November 2018 launched its similar AWS Ground Station service.

Continue reading “Microsoft wants to take on Amazon in connecting satellites to the cloud” »

Sep 11, 2020

Magnonic nano-fibers opens the way towards new type of computers

Posted by in categories: computing, nanotechnology, neuroscience, particle physics

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Magnetism offers new ways to create more powerful and energy-efficient computers, but the realization of magnetic computing on the nanoscale is a challenging task. A critical advancement in the field of ultralow power computation using magnetic waves is reported by a joint team from Kaiserslautern, Jena and Vienna in the journal Nano Letters.

A local disturbance in the magnetic order of a magnet can propagate across a material in the form of a wave. These waves are known as spin waves and their associated quasi-particles are called magnons. Scientists from the Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Innovent e. V. Jena and the University of Vienna are known for their expertise in the called ‘magnonics,’ which utilizes magnons for the development of novel types of computers, potentially complementing the conventional electron-based processors used nowadays.

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Sep 11, 2020

‘Floppy’ atomic dynamics help turn heat into electricity

Posted by in categories: computing, transportation

Materials scientists at Duke University have uncovered an atomic mechanism that makes certain thermoelectric materials incredibly efficient near high-temperature phase transitions. The information will help fill critical knowledge gaps in the computational modeling of such materials, potentially allowing researchers to discover new and better options for technologies that rely on transforming heat into electricity.

The results appear online on September 4 in the journal Nature Communications.

Thermoelectric materials convert heat into electricity when electrons migrate from the hot side of the material to the cold side. Because providing a temperature difference between its two sides is required, researchers are interested in trying to use these materials to generate electricity from the heat of a car’s tailpipe or recovering energy lost as heat in power plants.

Sep 11, 2020

Cryogenic 3D Printing Improves Bioprinting for Bone Regeneration

Posted by in categories: 3D printing, bioengineering, bioprinting, nanotechnology

Researchers from China continue in the quest to improve methods for bone regeneration, publishing their findings in “Cryogenic 3D printing of dual-delivery scaffolds for improved bone regeneration with enhanced vascularization.”

A wide range of projects have emerged regarding new techniques for bone regeneration—especially in the last five years as 3D printing has become more entrenched in the mainstream and bioprinting has continued to evolve. Bone regeneration is consistently challenging, and while bioprinting is still relatively new as a field, much impressive progress has been made due to experimentation with new materials, nanotubes, and innovative structures.

Cell viability is usually the biggest problem. Tissue engineering, while becoming much more successful these days, is still an extremely delicate process as cells must not only be grown but sustained in the lab too. For this reason, scientists are always working to improve structures like scaffolds, as they are responsible in most cases for supporting the cells being printed. In this study, the authors emphasize the need for both “excellent osteogenesis and vascularization” in bone regeneration.

Sep 11, 2020

Vanderbilt leads $5 million project to revolutionize neurodiverse employment through AI

Posted by in categories: employment, robotics/AI

The National Science Foundation has awarded a highly competitive $5 million grant to Vanderbilt University that greatly expands a School of Engineering-led project for creating novel AI technology and tools and platforms that train and support individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the workplace.

The significant federal investment follows a successful $1 million, nine-month pilot grant to the same team that forged partnerships with employers and other stakeholders and produced viable prototypes through immersive, human-centric design. The multi-university team includes Yale University, Cornell University, Georgia Institute of Technology and Vanderbilt University Medical Center as academic partners.

Continue reading “Vanderbilt leads $5 million project to revolutionize neurodiverse employment through AI” »