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Post-coronavirus fate differs among Shenzhen tech startups
GUANGZHOU/TOKYO — Tech startups in Shenzhen, known as China’s Silicon Valley, are set to experience a range of outcomes as the novel coronavirus pandemic appears to near its end, with some seeing their businesses thrive while others face headwinds following significantly reduced investment.
AI and robot companies feel positive impact, while some face harsh climate.
Evolution of coronavirus outlines path from animals to humans
Summary: Study reports SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was well suited to making the jump from animals to humans by shapeshifting as it gained the ability to infect human cells. The virus’s ability to infect humans occurred via exchanging gene fragments from a coronavirus that infected pangolins. The species-to-species transmission was a result of the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to bind to host cells through alterations to its genetic material.
Source: Duke University
A team of scientists studying the origin of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic, found that it was especially well-suited to jump from animals to humans by shapeshifting as it gained the ability to infect human cells.
‘It’s fundamental’: Graphcore CEO believes new kinds of AI will prove the worth of a new kind of computer
Graphcore, the four-year-old startup based in Bristol, England, has a chip that takes the kinds of math that a neural network processes and splits them across 1,216 tiny computers, each of which does its work in parallel with its brethren. The company believes its chip makes new kinds of AI possible.
SpaceX’s historic encore: Astronauts arrive at space station
SpaceX delivered two astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA on Sunday, following up a historic liftoff with an equally smooth docking in yet another first for Elon Musk’s company.
With test pilots Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken poised to take over manual control if necessary, the SpaceX Dragon capsule pulled up to the station and docked automatically, no assistance needed. The hatches swung open a few hours later, and the two Dragon riders floated into the orbiting lab and embraced the three station residents.
Unlike the SpaceX and NASA flight control rooms, where everyone was spaced well apart, there was no social distancing or masks needed in orbit since the new arrivals had been in quarantine for many weeks.
