Menu

Blog

Latest posts

Aug 6, 2024

The human mind and AI are now closer than ever — and will soon surpass us in nearly every way

Posted by in categories: Ray Kurzweil, robotics/AI

He writes that AI is now exceeding the human brain at several cognitive tasks and that it will eventually do all things far better than even the most expert humans.

These new machines can learn, reason, plan and act with intention, and they are becoming far smarter far faster than most people, save Kurzweil, could have predicted.

Soon, he forecasts, they will be indistinguishable from human brains, before accelerating past them in nearly every way.

Aug 6, 2024

Record Quantum Computation at D-Wave: Millions of Years Down To Seconds

Posted by in category: quantum physics

283,119 views • Mar 13, 2024 • ✪ Members first on March 12, 2024 • #sciencenews #technology #science

Aug 6, 2024

The next generation of genome editing is making big changes to DNA

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

But the technology for using bridge RNA in genome editing is still in the early stages. Hsu’s team has demonstrated this system only in bacteria, though Hsu says he is optimistic that efforts to adapt the approach to work in mammalian cells will succeed. Chen says this system’s efficiency may not be as good as CRISPR’s is now but that improvements will come with time.

Aug 6, 2024

Epilepsy is first use case for eyelid wearable

Posted by in categories: energy, health, internet, wearables

The wearables market has been dominated, so far, by smartwatches and fitness trackers. The first Apple Watch was launched in April 2015, and wearable technology now includes jewelry that tracks your steps and notifies you of an incoming call, VR headsets for gamers, earbuds, smart glasses with Internet access, smart clothing integrated with electronic devices and a range of health monitors.

But the world’s first eyelid wearable device opens up a whole new world of opportunity.

Blink Energy’s device weighs just 0.4 grams (0.014 ounces) — less than half the weight of a paperclip – and is fitted to one eyelid. You barely notice it, says Bar-On. “After two minutes you forget it’s there.”

Aug 6, 2024

New substrate material for flexible electronics could help combat e-waste

Posted by in categories: health, robotics/AI, sustainability, wearables

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is a rapidly growing global problem, and it’s expected to worsen with the production of new kinds of flexible electronics for robotics, wearable devices, health monitors, and other new applications, including single-use devices.

A new kind of flexible substrate material developed at MIT, the University of Utah, and Meta has the potential to enable not only the recycling of materials and components at the end of a device’s useful life, but also the scalable manufacture of more complex multilayered circuits than existing substrates provide.

The development of this new material is described in the journal RSC Applied Polymers (“Photopatternable, Degradable, and Performant Polyimide Network Substrates for E-Waste Mitigation”), in a paper by MIT Professor Thomas J. Wallin, University of Utah Professor Chen Wang, and seven others.

Aug 6, 2024

Research team reveals how TREM2 genetic mutation affects late-onset Alzheimer’s

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, neuroscience

Researchers led by the University of California, Irvine have discovered how the TREM2 R47H genetic mutation causes certain brain areas to develop abnormal protein clumps, called beta-amyloid plaques, associated with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Leveraging single-cell Merfish spatial transcriptomics technology, the team was able to profile the effects of the mutation across multiple cortical and subcortical brain regions, offering first-of-their-kind insights at the single-cell level.

The study, published in Molecular Psychiatry, compared the brains of normal mice and special mouse models that undergo changes like those in humans with Alzheimer’s.

Findings revealed that the TREM2 mutation led to divergent patterns of beta-amyloid plaque accumulation in various parts of the brain involved in higher-level functions such as memory, reasoning and speech. It also affected certain and their gene expression near the plaques.

Aug 6, 2024

‘Metaphysical Experiments’ Test Hidden Assumptions About Reality

Posted by in categories: physics, space

Experiments that test physics and philosophy “as a single whole” may be our only route to surefire knowledge about the universe.

Aug 6, 2024

Next-generation CRISPR-based gene-editing therapies tested in clinical trials

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

With the first CRISPR–Cas9 gene therapy now approved, scientists are turning to newer editing technologies to produce safer, faster and better treatments for genetic diseases.

Aug 6, 2024

Gaia spacecraft faces challenges from solar storm and space dust

Posted by in category: space

When the European Space Agency launched the Gaia spacecraft to map stars, it encountered problems from a solar storm and space dust. Its electronics and measurements were impacted by these issues, which raised data inaccuracies. To overcome these issues, teams are collaborating remotely.

Aug 6, 2024

Meet Figure 02, the ‘Most Advanced Humanoid Robot on the Market’ Backed By Jeff Bezos, OpenAI

Posted by in category: robotics/AI

Figure 2 can pick up objects as heavy as 55 pounds and put parts in place accurately, down to the millimeter. It was created by Figure AI, a startup backed by OpenAI, Jeff Bezos, Nvidia, and Microsoft.

Page 1 of 11,55112345678Last