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Javad Shabani is an Associate Professor of Physics and the Director of the Center of Quantum Information Physics. Shabani seeks to investigate quantum technology, the future of quantum computing, and quantum sensing applications.

Visit the Shabani Lab: http://shabanilab.com/

Meet more of NYU’s Arts \& Science faculty: https://as.nyu.edu/features/meet-facu

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Where do we stand with artificial intelligence? Might machines take over our jobs? Can machines become conscious? Might we be harmed by robots? What is the future of humanity? Professor Giorgio Buttazzo of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna is an expert in artificial intelligence and neural networks. In a recent publication, he provides considered insights into some of the most pressing questions surrounding artificial intelligence and humanity.

A Brief History of Neural Networks and Deep Learning

In artificial intelligence (AI), computers can be taught to process data using neuron-like computing systems inspired by the mechanisms used by the human brain. These so-called neural networks represent a type of machine learning (‘deep learning’) in which interconnected nodes or neurons are able to adapt and learn from data to recognise patterns and solve complex problems.

The ability to study human neurological systems depends on having viable, accurate models of brain function. St. Jude researchers have now created a model for such research by combining thalamic cells and cortical cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

The thalamocortical system mediates multiple sensory and , such as perception, learning and memory. The researchers developed a model of a primitive human thalamocortical system by maintaining thalamic and cortical cell masses known as organoids in close proximity in a culture dish.

In this model, the neurons in both organoids develop and grow long-ranging processes (axons) that extend to the opposite organoid and form functional connections (synapses). The researchers determined that when these synapses are stimulated, they undergo long-term strengthening and weakening of their electrical signals, which is the hallmark of , a process that underlies certain forms of learning and memory.

ATCHISON, Kan. (WDAF) — It’s one of the greatest unsolved mysteries ever, but we might now be on the verge of discovering what happened to Amelia Earhart’s plane.

Earhart was born and raised in Atchison, Kansas, and her love for planes and flying drove her to break barriers for female pilots.

On June 1, 1937, she and navigator Fred Noonan made an attempt to fly around the world in a Lockheed Electra 10-E plane, but somewhere over the Pacific, they lost radio contact and were never heard from again.

This remarkable miniature rotorcraft is so lightweight and efficient that it can lift its own mass given nothing but sunlight. The entire thing weighs about as much as four paperclips, and it can fly all day if the sun’s shining.

Researchers at China’s Beihang University and the Center of Advanced Aero-Engine, have unveiled CouloumbFly, a palm-sized miniature rotorcraft that weighs just 4.21 g (0.15 oz) – yet still boasts a rotor diameter of 20 cm (7.9 in), making it around 600 times lighter than any other comparable small solar-powered drone.

In tethered testing under natural sunlight conditions, CouloumbFly got itself airborne within a second and managed an hour of flight without power diminishing, before a mechanical failure brought it back down. Not much of a big deal if it was a glide-capable winged drone – but this is a miniature helicopter that’s entirely responsible for generating its own lift, and managing that on solar energy alone is an extraordinary feat.