Lifeboat Foundation

Large language models, a type of AI that analyzes text, can predict the results of proposed neuroscience studies more accurately than human experts, finds a study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.

The findings, published in Nature Human Behaviour, demonstrate that large language models (LLMs) trained on vast datasets of text can distill patterns from scientific literature, enabling them to forecast scientific outcomes with superhuman accuracy.

The researchers say this highlights their potential as powerful tools for accelerating research, going far beyond just knowledge retrieval.

Recent studies using advanced supercomputing have focused on the dynamics within copper-based superconductors, aiming to develop materials that are efficient at higher temperatures and could improve electronic devices significantly.

Over the past 35 years, scientists have been studying a remarkable class of materials known as superconductors. When cooled to specific temperatures, these materials allow electricity to flow without any resistance.

A research team utilizing the Summit supercomputer has been delving into the behavior of these superconductors, particularly focusing on how negatively charged particles interact with the smallest units of light within the material. This interaction triggers sudden and dramatic changes in the material’s properties and holds the key to understanding how certain copper-based superconductors function.

A new composite material developed by KIMS researchers absorbs over 99% of electromagnetic waves from different frequencies, improving the performance of devices like smartphones and wearables.

A team of scientists from the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) has developed the world’s first ultra-thin film composite material capable of absorbing over 99% of electromagnetic waves from various frequency bands, including 5G/6G, WiFi, and autonomous driving radar, using a single material.

This novel electromagnetic wave absorption and shielding material is less than 0.5mm thick and is characterized by its low reflectance of less than 1% and high absorbance of over 99% across three different frequency bands.

Researchers reveal a way to use antiferromagnets to create data-storage devices without moving parts.

Scientists have transformed memory device technology by utilizing antiferromagnetic materials and magnetic octupoles, achieving high speeds and low power consumption, paving the way for smaller, more efficient devices.

Advanced Magnetic Memory

Researchers studied tiny asteroid fragments from Ryugu, revealing that it originated in the outer solar system and evolved over billions of years.

Using Mössbauer spectroscopy, they discovered changes in the asteroid’s composition due to temperature shifts, offering new insights into the formation and migration of celestial bodies within our galaxy.

Exploring asteroid origins with advanced technology.

Engineers took to a competition pool to test robotic prototypes for an ambitious mission concept—a swarm of underwater explorers seeking signs of life on alien ocean worlds.

NASAs upcoming missions to Europa will deploy advanced robots to probe its icy oceans for life. The robots, part of the SWIM project, have been rigorously tested on Earth and through simulations to handle extraterrestrial conditions.

Continue reading “Could NASA’s Tiny Robots Discover Life on Europa?” »

A study reveals that while levels of common contaminants are low, other elements are found in high concentrations in waters associated with an abandoned lithium mine.

A new study suggests that lithium ore and mining waste from a historic lithium mine west of Charlotte, North Carolina, are unlikely to pollute nearby waters with common contaminants like arsenic and lead.

However, high levels of other metals — namely, lithium, rubidium, and cesium — do occur in waters associated with the mine.

Trying to understand the makeup and evolution of the solar system’s Kuiper belt has kept researchers busy since it was hypothesized soon after the discovery of Pluto in 1930. In particular, binary pairs of objects there are useful as indicators since their existence today paints a picture of how energetic or violent the evolution of the solar system was in its early days four billion years ago.

Looking closely at the evolution of an ultrawide (in separation) binary object, researchers included more physics that reveals much about their architecture and unfolding. They found that these ultrawide binaries may not have been formed in the primordial solar system as has been thought. Their work has been published in Nature Astronomy.

“In the outer reaches of the solar system, there exists a population of binary systems so widely separated that it seemed worth looking into whether or not they could even survive 4 billion years without being [completely] separated somehow,” said Hunter M. Campbell of the University of Oklahoma in the US.

It’s hard to tell when you’re catching some rays at the beach, but light packs a punch. Not only does a beam of light carry energy, it can also carry momentum. This includes linear momentum, which is what makes a speeding train hard to stop, and orbital angular momentum, which is what the Earth carries as it revolves around the sun.

In a new paper, scientists seeking better methods for controlling the quantum interactions between light and matter have demonstrated a novel way to use light to give electrons a spinning kick. They reported the results of their experiment, which shows that a light beam can reliably transfer orbital angular momentum to itinerant electrons in graphene, on Nov. 26, 2024, in the journal Nature Photonics.

Having tight control over the way that light and matter interact is an essential requirement for applications like quantum computing or quantum sensing. In particular, scientists have been interested in coaxing electrons to respond to some of the more exotic shapes that light beams can assume.