Psychedelics Create Brain States Comparable to Meditation in Spiritual Lamas

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Igor Mitreski

Meditation and Low Doses of 5-MeO-DMT: Comparable Effects on Spiritual Experiences

Janique Bros/Getty Images

A highly skilled meditator dedicated 15 years to mastering ego quieting techniques. Recent brain scans reveal that he may have achieved a similar state using low doses of psychedelic substances.

According to Christopher Timmerman from University College London, “At low doses, there appears to be significant alignment in brain activity between this psychedelic state and non-dual meditation practices,” a meditative form that transcends the self-world distinction.

The field of psychedelic research is rapidly evolving, as scientists seek to explore how substances like 5-MeO-DMT can enhance consciousness and mental well-being. Notably derived from North American toads, 5-MeO-DMT is under scrutiny due to its unique effects: Rapid disruption of mental processing without vivid hallucinations.

Timmerman and his team undertook a study comparing the psychedelic state induced by 5-MeO-DMT with advanced meditative practices. Collaborating with lamas from the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, they recorded over 54,000 hours of meditation.

In a controlled setting, the lamas practiced meditation for 30 to 60 minutes, followed by either a placebo or low/high doses of 5-MeO-DMT. Brain activity was measured throughout these conditions, and post-session reflections on thoughts and self-perception were recorded.

They discovered that low doses (5 milligrams) of 5-MeO-DMT produced notable parallels in brain activity to meditative states. Scans indicated increased alpha activity, associated with a relaxed state of wakefulness, and reduced gamma activity linked to cognitive engagement, compared to both placebo and baseline conditions.

Timmerman pointed out that while both scenarios offer a calming effect where the lama’s thoughts “came and then vanished,” meditation provided a deeper sense of interconnectedness and mental clarity.

Higher doses (12 milligrams) of 5-MeO-DMT, however, boosted gamma activity. The lama described feelings of complete detachment from his surroundings, overwhelmed by intense white light. “I’m not thinking about anything,” he recounted, experiencing full disconnection from his body and environment.

This elevated dose also correlated with increased neuronal firing and entropy, indicating more unpredictable firing patterns compared to both placebo and baseline sessions, thus overwhelming his sensory perceptions. Conversely, lower doses resulted in decreased neuronal firing and entropy.

Lama Recording Brain Activity During Meditation

Christopher Timmerman

The research findings suggest a connection between different neural pathways, relating to the “collapse of the ego” and the sensation of “contentless consciousness.” However, changes in the lama’s brain activity do not necessarily account for his subjective experiences, as noted by Matthew Sachet from Harvard Medical School.

It’s essential to note that this study involved only one highly skilled meditator, potentially limiting the broader applicability of results, particularly as brain activity assessments can offer varying reliability. Additionally, blinding participants in psychedelic studies presents challenges due to the typical side effects of these substances, which can alert participants to their experience. Fortunately, no such effects were reported by the lamas.

Nonetheless, Timmerman emphasizes that if further research confirms the safe usage of 5-MeO-DMT can deliver comparable advantages to advanced meditation, the implications could benefit a wider audience. He is currently investigating whether this substance can expedite the learning curve for novice meditators, cautioning against unsupervised use, especially since 5-MeO-DMT remains illegal in several regions.

Meanwhile, Sachet posits that for individuals seeking mental health benefits from 5-MeO-DMT, meditation might provide “a viable path to a state that overlaps, at least partially, with some psychedelic effects,” sans the associated risks of toxicity or addiction.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Saturn’s Rings Create a Massive Dusty Donut Encircling the Planet

Posted on December 16, 2025 by

A stunning view of Saturn and its rings as seen by the Cassini spacecraft

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

New findings indicate that dust particles from Saturn’s rings are extended farther above and below the planet than previously assumed, implying that the rings might be shaped like large, dusty donuts.

The central structure of Saturn’s rings is remarkably thin, stretching out for tens of thousands of kilometers while only measuring around 10 meters in height, which gives Saturn its iconic look from Earth. However, variations exist, such as the outer E-ring that is inflated and replenished by ice ejected from Saturn’s moon Enceladus, which has an ocean beneath its surface.

In a recent study, Frank Postberg and his team at the Free University of Berlin examined data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which completed 20 orbits in its final year of operation in 2017. During these orbits, the spacecraft took a steep trajectory through the rings, starting from a distance up to three times Saturn’s radius and moving downwards towards three times Saturn’s radius.

At the height of Cassini’s orbital path, its spectrometer, known as the Cosmic Dust Analyzer, detected hundreds of tiny rock particles with a chemical makeup similar to those found in the iron-deficient main rings. “This spectral type is genuinely unique within the Saturn system,” Postberg stated.

“While more material is near the surface of the rings, it is still astonishing that these particles are found so far above and below the ring surface,” he added.

Postberg and his collaborators determined that to reach heights greater than 100,000 kilometers from the main ring, the particles must be traveling at speeds exceeding 25 kilometers per second to break free from Saturn’s gravitational and magnetic forces.

Postberg noted that the exact mechanism achieving such speeds remains uncertain. The simplest explanation might be that a minor meteorite strikes the ring, scattering particles; however, this does not generate debris quickly enough.

New research suggests that when micrometeorites impact Saturn’s rings, they could generate sufficiently high temperatures to vaporize the rocks, implying that Saturn’s rings are older than once believed. Postberg and his team propose that this vaporized rock could exit the ring at much higher speeds than expected and then condense far from the planet.

It is surprising to find dust at such distances from the main ring. According to Frank Spahn from the University of Potsdam in Germany, who was not part of the study, this is significant because the particles in Saturn’s primary rings are small, collide rarely, and are sticky, leading to collisions that behave more like snowballs colliding than like billiard balls.

Micrometeorite impacts are prevalent throughout the solar system; hence, similar processes might be occurring on other ringed planets like Uranus. “If a ring of ice experiences a high-velocity impact, this phenomenon could be widespread; we would expect analogous dust rings above and below the other rings,” Postberg concluded.

Chile: The Global Center of Astronomy

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Mystery Grows as Isolated Galaxies Create Stars with Unexplained Fuel Sources

Posted on November 14, 2025 by

The galaxy NGC 6789 viewed through a 2-meter twin telescope

Ignacio Trujillo et al. 2025

Approximately 12 million light years from Earth lies an unusual galaxy. Its center has consistently formed new stars over the past 600 million years, yet the exact source of the fuel driving this star formation remains elusive.

The galaxy known as NGC 6789 was first identified in 1883, but it has only been in recent years that evidence of ongoing star formation has emerged. NGC 6789 is situated in a region dubbed the Local Void, located towards the Draco constellation, which is notably sparse in cosmic matter. It stands out as one of the few galaxies existing within this void, making it highly isolated compared to the majority of galaxies in the universe.

This isolation contributes to the enigma surrounding its star creation. Galaxies typically require gas to produce new stars, yet local voids contain very little gas. Being at least a billion years old, NGC 6789 should have depleted its initial reserves of gas; however, it has managed to generate approximately 100 million solar masses, equating to about 4% of its total mass, over the last 600 million years.

Ignacio Trujillo and researchers from the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics utilized the 2-meter twin telescope at the Teide Observatory in Tenerife to capture deeper images of galaxies than previously possible, aiming to uncover signs of events that might have introduced gas. If a merger with another galaxy or a previously undetected gas flow had occurred, it might have distorted the shape of NGC 6789.

However, the new images did not reveal any distortions. It is possible that NGC 6789’s formation left behind a substantial amount of gas or that there exists a faint gas pocket nearby that did not alter the galaxy’s shape at all. For now, the mystery remains unsolved.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Ex-Intel CEO’s Quest to Create Christian AI: ‘Accelerate the Second Coming of Christ’ | Tech Insights

Posted on October 28, 2025 by

In March, Patrick Gelsinger joined Intel’s executive team, just three months after being removed as the company’s CEO and facing litigation from shareholders. Gloo is a technology firm dedicated to what he describes as the “faith ecosystem,” providing Salesforce and chatbots for churches, along with an AI assistant designed to automate pastoral and ministry support.

Gelsinger’s transition comes at a time when the U.S. tech sector is re-engaging with political activities, as the second Trump administration revives religious conservatism in Washington, D.C. Some notable figures are funding Donald Trump’s re-election campaign and actively pursuing government contracts.

As the Executive Chairman and Head of Technology at Gloo (now free from shareholder lawsuits), Gelsinger aims to promote Christian values within the company’s initiatives. Silicon Valley, the state capital, and beyond have become focal points. He has attracted $110 million in strategic investments. His campaign encompasses a call for AI technologies that reflect Christian ethics, with high-tech products developed by Gloo designed around prevalent large-scale language models, customized to align with users’ theological beliefs.

“My life’s mission is to develop technologies that enhance the quality of life for every individual globally and accelerate the return of Christ,” he stated.

Speakers discuss trust conditioning in AI at the Gloo hackathon. Photo: Mike Mauser

Gloo claims to support “over 140,000 faith, ministry, and nonprofit leaders.” Although Gloo’s client base is smaller compared to major AI industry players, it’s worth noting that approximately 800 million users engage with ChatGPT weekly.

Gelsinger, a committed Christian, has described his “mission field” as influencing the culture of Silicon Valley. He observes a “very loud, very visible, very specifically Christian tech culture” emerging in the area. Scholars like Damian Williams from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte explore how religious beliefs shape technology, drawing parallels with figures like Peter Thiel and Andreessen Horowitz, who caution about the Antichrist’s looming presence without adherence to a particular technological framework. Katherine Boyle, closely connected with Vice President JD Vance, recognizes Gelsinger’s longstanding advocacy for Christian principles. In 2013, he founded Transforming the Bay with Christ, aimed at revitalizing the Christian spiritual movement in the region.

During a seminar co-hosted by a conservative university and the Christian Post on October 7, Gelsinger described AI’s development as “another Gutenberg moment,” a significant transformative change that parallels the Reformation. Just as Martin Luther used the printing press to ignite “the greatest age of human invention,” he perceives a similar faith-driven potential to alter history through AI today.

“The church adopted the great invention of its time to fundamentally change humanity,” Gelsinger remarked regarding the printing press. “So my inquiry today is whether we will embrace this? Can AI be molded into a technology that powerfully embodies the Church and its mission?”

Jesus Hackathon

Gloo aims to influence AI, Christianity, and faith technology beyond just Silicon Valley. The company also supports the Christian tech ecosystem through funding and events like a three-day hackathon that followed the seminar at Colorado Christian University. The event attracted over 600 participants vying for more than $250,000 in prizes, with participant numbers projected to triple by 2024.

Despite its growth, the hackathon faced challenges. Ryan Siebert, an AI product developer, discovered a vulnerability in Gloo’s latest LLM, which is not publicly available, and it provided him with a methamphetamine recipe due to prompt injection. He informed the president of Gloo AI about the issue. A spokesperson from Gloo mentioned that as the product is still in “pre-beta” development, participants were encouraged to test the new LLM and offer feedback.

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Audience at the Gloo hackathon. Photo: Mike Mauser

Meanwhile, Gelsinger indicated that his message regarding Christian AI is resonating well in Washington, D.C. In a conversation with the Guardian, he mentioned introducing Gloo’s efforts to various legal advocacy groups and Congressional members. Although he didn’t specify the organizations or politicians, he noted that some Congress members have shown interest in integrating Gloo products into church activities.

Goo’s influence also spans conservative political circles. Brandon Showalter, a journalist for the Christian Post and co-host of the seminar with Gloo, expressed hope that society would view care for transgender youth as “unthinkable as an ice pick lobotomy.” An analyst at the Heritage Foundation, which is behind Project 2025, participated in a panel moderated by Showalter, providing insights on AI regulation. On October 17th, Gelsinger delivered his “Gutenberg Moment” speech at Liberty University’s CEO Summit, alongside keynote speeches from figures like Liz Truss, Michael Flynn, and Chick-fil-A’s Chairman, Dan T. Cathy.

Gelsinger appears just as at ease in these settings as he was as an honored guest at Joe Biden’s 2022 State of the Union address. Like a pragmatic industry leader, he also engages in public records and has supported political movements across party lines.

Gloo itself maintains an ecumenical tone in its messaging. The hackathon avoided political discussions and sectarian divides. In a Discord chat, participants shared plans to create an AI bot for a “biblical response” to the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk, where organizers advised keeping conversations focused on Jesus, despite recognizing the relevance of politics. The hackathon team, comprised of Leah and Wes Brooks, produced open-source AI tools aimed at interoperability among faith-based and other applications, highlighting the diverse backgrounds of participants, including a female pastor. “I wasn’t even required to sign a faith declaration,” Leah Brooks remarked. Gloo also asserts it does not “prohibit” Islamic organizations from utilizing its technology.

Patrick Gelsinger. Photo: Mike Mauser

“We’re not aiming to take a theological stance. Our goal is to create a technology platform versatile enough for Lutherans, Episcopalians, and Catholics to effectively utilize it,” Gelsinger informed the Guardian. “We want to represent a broad spectrum of faith while also accommodating organizations that maintain a non-sectarian view,” such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Gelsinger’s ambition is to integrate faith into AI technology. He leads Gloo’s Flourishing AI initiative, which assesses large-scale language models’ effects on human well-being across seven dimensions. Essentially, it evaluates whether a language model contributes positively to the religious lives of its users. This initiative draws from a research program at Harvard University’s human flourishing program. Models such as Grok 3, DeepSeek-R1, and GPT-4.1 score well on average for supporting users with financial inquiries, achieving around 81 points out of 100, but fare poorly in enhancing users’ spiritual growth, with an average score of just 35 points out of 100 according to Gloo’s metrics.

Gloo’s endeavors have yet to gain significant traction within Silicon Valley. A spokesperson stated that the IT department is “beginning to reach out” to leading AI firms.

“I want people to care,” Gelsinger remarked.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Spotify Collaborates with Global Music Firm to Create ‘Responsible’ AI Solutions | Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Posted on October 16, 2025 by

Spotify has revealed a collaboration with the globe’s largest music enterprise to create “responsible” artificial intelligence tools that honor artists’ copyrights.

The leading music streaming service is teaming up with major labels Sony, Universal, and Warner to develop innovative AI solutions, featuring renowned artists like Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift.

While Spotify has yet to disclose specifics about the new product, the company assures that artists will not be compelled to participate and that copyright protections will be upheld.

In a blog post announcing the partnership, Spotify pointedly referenced the radical views on copyright present in some segments of the tech industry. Ongoing tensions have already prompted three major labels to initiate lawsuits against AI companies that offer tools for generating music from user input.

“Some in the tech sector advocate for the elimination of copyright,” Spotify stated. “We do not. Artist rights are important. Copyrights are vital. Without leadership from the music industry, AI-driven innovations will occur elsewhere, lacking rights, consent, and fair compensation.”

Copyright, a legal protection preventing unauthorized use of one’s work, has become a contentious issue between creative sectors and technology firms. The tech industry often utilizes publicly accessible copyrighted material to build AI tools, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.

Three key music companies are suing two AI music startups, Udio and Suno, for alleged copyright violations, alongside similar legal actions in other creative domains. Both Udio and Suno maintain that their technology aims to generate original music rather than replicate the works of specific artists.

Universal Music Group’s head, Sir Lucian Grainge, indicated in a memo to staff that the label will seek approval from artists before licensing their voices or songs to AI firms.

One notorious music deepfake emerged in 2023: “Heart on My Sleeve,” featuring AI-generated vocals by Drake and The Weeknd, was removed from streaming platforms after Universal criticized it as infringing on rights related to AI-generated content.

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With 276 million paid subscribers, Spotify also announced the establishment of an advanced generative AI research laboratory to create “innovative experiences” for fans and artists. The company from Stockholm stated that these products will open new revenue avenues for artists and songwriters, ensuring they receive fair compensation for their work while also providing clarity regarding their contributions.

In conjunction with its AI initiative, Spotify is also collaborating with Merlin, a digital rights organization for independent labels, and Believe, a French digital music label. Currently, Spotify employs AI to curate playlists and create customized DJs.

Leaders from the three prominent companies welcomed the agreement, with Sony Music Group Chairman Rob Stringer noting that this would necessitate direct licensing of artists’ work prior to introducing new products. Universal’s Grainge expressed his desire for a “thriving commercial ecosystem” in which both the music and tech industries can prosper. Warner Music Group’s Robert Kinkle voiced support for Spotify’s “considerate AI regulations.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

OpenAI Empowers Verified Adults to Create Erotic Content with ChatGPT | Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Posted on October 15, 2025 by

On Tuesday, OpenAI revealed plans to relax restrictions on its ChatGPT chatbot, enabling verified adult users to access erotic content in line with the company’s principle of “treating adult users like adults.”

Upcoming changes include an updated version of ChatGPT that will permit users to personalize their AI assistant’s persona. Options will feature more human-like dialogue, increased emoji use, and behaviors akin to a friend. The most significant adjustment is set for December, when OpenAI intends to implement more extensive age restrictions allowing erotic content for verified adults. Details on age verification methods or other safeguards for adult content have not been disclosed yet.

In September, OpenAI introduced a specialized ChatGPT experience for users under 18, automatically directing them to age-appropriate content while blocking graphics and sexual material.

Additionally, the company is working on behavior-based age prediction technology to estimate if a user is over or under 18 based on their interactions with ChatGPT.

In a post to

These enhanced security measures follow the tragic suicide of California teenager Adam Lane this year. His parents filed a lawsuit in August claiming that ChatGPT offered explicit guidance on committing suicide. Altman stated that within just two months, the company has been able to “alleviate serious mental health issues.”

The US Federal Trade Commission has also initiated an investigation into various technology firms, including OpenAI, regarding potential dangers that AI chatbots may pose to children and adolescents.

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“Considering the gravity of the situation, we aimed to get this right,” Altman stated on Tuesday, emphasizing that OpenAI’s new safety measures enable the company to relax restrictions while effectively addressing serious mental health concerns.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Webb Uncovers Evasion Agent Discs That Create Exomoons Around Gas Giant Exoplanets

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Astronomers utilizing the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have identified a carbon-rich disk encircling CT Cha B, a massive exoplanet located approximately 620 light years from Earth in the Chamaeleon constellation. This discovery offers the first direct insights into the chemical and physical characteristics of the gas giant and the materials that might contribute to its potential lunar system.

Artistic rendering of dust and gas discs surrounding a young exoplanet CT Cha b. Image credits: NASA/ESA/CSA/STSCI/G. CUGNO, University of Zurich & NCCR Planets/S. Grant, Carnegie Institution for Science/J. Olmsted, Stsci/L. Hustak, Stsci.

CT CHA, also referred to as PDS 44 and TIC 454259409, is merely 2 million years old and continues to accumulate materials for its formation.

However, the disks identified by Webb are independent of the larger accretion disks surrounding the central star.

“We can observe signs of disks around companion celestial bodies and explore their chemistry for the first time,” remarks Dr. Sierra Grant, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science.

“We are not merely observing the moon’s formation; we are witnessing the planet’s formation as well.”

“We are investigating the materials involved in forming planets and moons,” added Dr. Gabriele Kuno, an astronomer from the University of Zurich and the National Center for Capacity for Research Planets.

Infrared observations of CT CHA B have been captured by Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), which employs a medium-resolution spectrometer.

An initial examination of Webb’s archived data revealed evidence of molecules in the surrounding disk, prompting deeper analysis of the data.

The planet’s faint signal is obscured by the glare of its host star, requiring astronomers to utilize high-contrast techniques to separate the star’s light from that of the planet.

“We detected molecules in the planet’s vicinity, indicating there was something significant to delve into within the data, which took us a year of dedicated effort. It truly required a lot of patience,” Dr. Grant stated.

Ultimately, researchers identified seven carbon-containing molecules within the disk, including acetylene (C₂H₂) and benzene (C₆H₆).

This carbon-rich chemistry contrasts sharply with that found in the disks around the host star, where water was detected alongside carbon.

The disparity between the two disks suggests rapid chemical evolution occurring within just 2 million years.

“We aim to better understand how our solar system formed its moons. This necessitates examining other systems that are still in the process of development. We are striving to comprehend all the underlying mechanisms,” Dr. Cugno explained.

“What do these moons resemble? What are their components? What physical processes are in action, and what are the associated timescales?”

“Webb is capturing the narrative of moon formation, enabling us to explore these questions observationally for the very first time.”

The survey results were published today in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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Gabriele Cugno & Sierra L. Grant. 2025. A carbon-rich disk surrounding the planetary mass ally. ApJL 991, L46; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae0290

Source: www.sci.news

Doctors Create AI Stethoscope Capable of Identifying Major Heart Conditions in Just 15 Seconds

Posted on August 30, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

A doctor has successfully created an AI-powered stethoscope that can identify three cardiac conditions in just 15 seconds.

The classic stethoscope, which was invented in 1816, has been crucial for listening to internal body sounds and has remained a vital tool in medical practice for over two hundred years.

The research team is now working on a sophisticated AI-enhanced version that can diagnose heart failure, heart valve issues, and irregular heartbeats.

Developed by researchers at Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, this innovative stethoscope can detect minute variations in heartbeat and blood flow that are beyond the capacity of human ears, while simultaneously performing quick ECG readings.

The details of this groundbreaking advancement that could enhance the early diagnosis of these conditions were shared with thousands of doctors during the European Heart Association Annual Meeting in Madrid, the largest cardiac conference globally.

Timely diagnosis is crucial for heart failure, heart valve disease, and irregular heart rhythms, enabling patients to access life-saving medications before their condition worsens.

A study involving around 12,000 patients from a UK GP practice tested individuals exhibiting symptoms like shortness of breath and fatigue.

Those who were evaluated using the new technology were twice as likely to receive a diagnosis of heart failure compared to similar patients who were not subjected to this method.

Patients were three times more likely to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation—an irregular heart rhythm that heightens the stroke risk—and nearly twice as likely to be identified with heart valve disease, characterized by malfunctioning heart valves.

The AI-led stethoscope identifies subtle differences in heartbeat and blood flow that are imperceptible to the human ear while recording ECG. Photo: Eko Health

Dr. Patrick Bectiger from Imperial College London remarked:

“It’s amazing to utilize a smart stethoscope for a quick 15-second assessment, allowing AI to promptly provide results indicating whether a patient has heart failure, atrial fibrillation, or heart valve disease.”

Manufactured by Eko Health in California, the device resembles a credit card in size. It is placed on a patient’s chest to record electrical signals from the heart while a microphone picks up the sound of blood circulation.

This data is transmitted to the cloud—an encrypted online storage space—where AI algorithms analyze the information to uncover subtle heart issues that may be overlooked by humans.

Results indicating whether a patient should be flagged for any of the three conditions will be sent back to a smartphone.

While breakthroughs like these can carry risks of misdiagnosis, researchers stress that AI stethoscopes should only be employed for patients presenting heart-related symptoms, not for routine screening in healthy individuals.

However, accelerating the diagnosis process can ultimately save lives and reduce healthcare costs.

Dr. Mikhilkelsiker, also from Imperial College, stated:

“This test demonstrates that AI-enabled stethoscopes can make a significant difference, providing GPs with a rapid and straightforward method to detect issues early, ensuring patients receive timely treatment.”

“Early diagnosis allows individuals to access the necessary treatment to enhance their longevity,” emphasized Dr. Sonya Babu Narayan, clinical director of the British Heart Foundation, which sponsored the research alongside the National Institute of Health and Therapy (NIHR).

Professor Mike Lewis, Director of the Innovation Science Department at NIHR, remarked, “This tool represents a transformative advance for patients, delivering innovation right into the hands of GPs. AI stethoscopes empower local practitioners to identify problems sooner, diagnose patients within their communities, and address leading health threats.”

Source: www.theguardian.com

Algae Can Create Bioclastic Habitats on Mars

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Bioplastic vessels in chambers mimicking Martian conditions

Wordsworth et al., Sci. Adv. 11, EADP4985

Future habitats on Mars could support operations utilizing algae grown locally. Initial experiments have demonstrated a functional circulation system simulating Martian conditions in the lab, aiding future explorers in establishing habitats on the Red Planet.

What materials will you take to Mars for this initiative? Robin Wordsworth from Harvard University has created flask-like bioclastic vessels using various algae, small bioreactors, 3D printers, and plant materials. According to Wordsworth, they cultivate algae within these vessels, employ bioreactors to convert the algae into further bioplastic material, and use 3D printing to produce more algae containers.

“The objective is to utilize materials to create habitats sourced from biology. We can develop self-sustaining systems,” he states. Wordsworth and his team have successfully demonstrated the initial phase of this cycle.

They cultivated green algae, Dunaliella tertiolecta, in a vessel made from 1 millimeter thick PLA bioplastic. Each container was placed in a simulated Martian environment, where conditions replicated approximately 0.6% of Earth’s atmospheric pressure, with over 98% carbon dioxide in the air. Over a span of 10 days, researchers observed algae growth and photosynthesis rates comparable to those found in more Earth-like settings.

The concept of 3D-printed bioplastic habitats originated about a decade ago, but new experiments indicate their potential to sustain life, according to Amor Menezes at the University of Florida. “This is thrilling. Our journey to Mars and the duration of stay will last several years, meaning we cannot transport everything,” he explains. “This suggests that bioplastics may feasibly support living under Martian-like conditions, and many essential items during their stay could be bioplastic-based.”

The team’s achievements were the result of several years of testing various container designs and bacterial strains, as explained by team member Rafid Quayum from Harvard University. “Physicists, engineers, and planetary scientists collaborated to bring our minds together and enhance our external environment’s habitability,” he shares.

Looking ahead, the team aims to incorporate more extraterrestrial elements into their experiments, testing materials in a vacuum to simulate atmosphere-free environments found on other planets and moons, as well as launching them into low-Earth orbit spacecraft.

“This presents a genuinely compelling and fundamental research question, essential for enabling human habitation beyond Earth in the future.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Researchers Create the First 2D Computer Without Silicon

Posted on June 19, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

While silicon has propelled advancements in semiconductor technology through miniaturization, the need for new materials is essential due to scaling challenges. Two-dimensional (2D) materials, characterized by their atomic thickness and high carrier mobility, offer an exciting alternative. A leading researcher in Pennsylvania has successfully created a basic computer utilizing 2D materials.

This conceptual diagram of a 2D molecule-based computer features an actual scanning electron microscope image of a computer developed by Ghosh et al. Image credit: Krishnendu Mukhopadhyay/Penn State.

“Silicon has been at the forefront of significant electronic advancements for decades by enabling the ongoing miniaturization of field effect transistors (FETs),” states Professor Saptalcidas of Pennsylvania.

“FETs utilize an electric field to manage current flow, activated by applied voltage.”

“Nevertheless, as silicon devices shrink, their performance tends to decline.”

“In contrast, two-dimensional materials retain outstanding electronic characteristics at atomic thickness, making them a promising avenue forward.”

In the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) architecture, Professor Das and his team have engineered transistors from two different 2D materials to manage current flow effectively.

“In CMOS technology, coordination between N-type and P-type semiconductors is critical for achieving high performance with low energy consumption. This challenge has posed significant obstacles in surpassing silicon,” remarked Professor Das.

“Previous investigations have showcased small circuits using 2D materials, yet scaling these findings into complex, functional computers has proven challenging.”

“This marks a significant achievement in our research. We are the first to create a CMOS computer entirely constructed from 2D materials.”

Researchers have synthesized extensive sheets of disulfide and tungsten diselenide through metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). This manufacturing technique involves evaporating materials, initiating chemical reactions, and depositing them onto a substrate to fabricate each type of transistor.

Meticulous adjustments in device fabrication and post-processing steps enabled us to fine-tune the threshold voltages for both the N and P transistors, which facilitated the creation of fully operational CMOS logic circuits.

“Our 2D CMOS computers function at low supply voltages with minimal power usage and can execute basic logic operations at frequencies reaching 25 kilohertz.”

“Although the operating frequency is lower than that of traditional silicon CMOS circuits, a computer known as a single instruction set computer can perform fundamental logic operations.”

“We have also devised computational models calibrated with experimental data, accounting for inter-device variations and predicting the performance of 2D CMOS computers in comparison to top-notch silicon technology.”

“While there remains room for further optimization, this work represents a crucial milestone in harnessing 2D materials to propel advancements in electronics.”

The team’s research was published this month in the journal Nature.

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S. Ghosh et al. 2025. One instruction set computer based on complementary two-dimensional material. Nature 642, 327-335; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08963-7

Source: www.sci.news

As the World Cup Nears, Scientists Aim to Create the Ideal Grass

Posted on June 11, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Knoxville, Tennessee – From exhilarating goals to devastating defeats, the FIFA World Cup captivates its audience.

Next year, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will commence, co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, marking a historic event.

This tournament may feature superstars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and is the first occasion where three nations co-host in 16 cities, making it the most complex World Cup ever, as per FIFA.

“No matter if they’re in Seattle or playing in Guadalajara, I need these pitches to perform consistently. I want the same bounce and the same player-to-grass interaction,” said an expert.

“Safety is paramount and must be my top priority,” Ferguson stated during an interview at the University of Tennessee facility in Knoxville, where researchers collaborate with Michigan State to help FIFA evaluate each venue’s pitch preparations for the tournament.

“Players need to feel confident as they make quick directional changes; the ground must be stable,” he added.

Managing over 12 venues for NFL games and concerts full of monster trucks is no small feat.

The U.S. venues could face increased scrutiny after last summer’s Copa America Tournament raised concerns, notably from players like Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who referred to conditions at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium as a “disaster.”

“There’s no doubt that last year’s tournament raised the stakes,” Ferguson remarked, referencing the tournament that featured the best 16 teams from North, Central, and South America, as well as the Caribbean.

“Research was in progress, but Copa highlighted more traditional hesitations regarding international football pitches. Venue schedules are packed with events transitioning from one to another continuously.”

U.S. stadiums have long been central to the debate on natural versus artificial turf in terms of safety. Next summer, all venues will adopt artificial stitch blends of natural grass, focusing on both the underlying structure and the grass itself.

In April, NBC News had exclusive access to the Knoxville facility, where researchers led by Professor John Solochan are tackling these challenges.

The team is investigating artificial stitches and layering techniques beneath the grass to improve root growth and ensure light use, contributing to consistent pitch quality indoors and outdoors.

Solochan, who specializes in turfgrass science and management, mentioned that the mix for warm-season venues includes Bermudagrass, while cool-season venues use a blend of perennial rye and Kentucky bluegrass. Indoor venues also benefit from recommended drainage layers, contributing to a firmer pitch.

“Many of these trials here were unsuccessful,” Solochan explained as he showcased a grid filled with grass plots labeled with different variables. Some experiments involved sewing fibers together to fortify the play surface, while others examined the upper layers typical in World Cup venues featuring flooring for concerts and artificial turf.

The facility includes setups that simulate indoor stadium growth conditions, along with a flex machine that tests the impact on players’ ankles by pressing soccer shoes into the grass. The initial data shows promising insights.

“You can track the speed of the ball as it moves. By analyzing the footage, we can determine its recovery speed, angle, and exit coefficients,” Solochan noted while standing next to a machine resembling one used for NFL punt returns.

Ferguson concluded, “It’s the science that underpins the game. That’s what elevates the sport.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Is it possible to create a gravity-powered space-time computer?

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Illustration of a giant object distorting spacetime

koto_feja/getty images

SEI 254380947 — Illustration of a giant object distorting spacetime

koto_feja/getty images

Exploring the mathematical nature of space-time and physical reality could pave the way for innovative computer-like systems that utilize gravity for data processing.

Is space-time an immutable expanse, or is it subject to distortion that influences the signals traversing it? While Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity suggests stability, his general theory signifies otherwise. In this context, massive objects can create indentations and curves in space-time, altering signal trajectories, akin to a ball impacting a taut surface.

Eleftherios-Ermis Tselentis from the Brussels Institute of Technology and Ämin Baumeler of the University of Lugano in Switzerland have devised a mathematical framework to ascertain the constancy of space-time in specific regions.

They investigated a situation in which three individuals send messages amongst themselves. They posed the question: Could Alice, Bob, and Charlie discern if space-time distortions affected their information exchange? Could Alice receive a message from Bob if the spatial-temporal region through which the signal travels is altered? This might allow her to invert the causal dynamics between Charlie and Bob, thus causing Bob to influence the space-time around her prior to obtaining a reply from Charlie.

Tselentis and Baumeler formulated equations to assist Alice, Bob, and Charlie in recognizing the feasibility of these scenarios. After multiple rounds of communication, they compiled data on received messages, which was subsequently integrated into their equations.

The outcomes indicate whether their exchange occurred in an environment where space-time manipulation was viable. This mathematical construct is general enough that the participants do not need awareness of their locations or non-standard messaging tools.

Baumeler noted that while the general theory of relativity has long been a cornerstone of our understanding of physical existence, a rigorous mathematical connection between space-time fluctuations and information flow had been absent. Grasping the dynamics of information flow is foundational for computer science.

In this regard, he believes their research could initiate a nascent exploration of using gravitational effects to manipulate and navigate space-time for computational purposes.

“If one can harness the enigmas of physics for computation, why not explore the general theory of relativity?” stated Pablo Arrighi from Paris Clay University. He pointed out that while other researchers posit extreme concepts such as placing computers in black holes, space-time distortions at black hole edges slow down time, allowing for potentially extensive calculations to yield results.

Nonetheless, the new theory uniquely sidesteps a focus on specialized devices or specific aspects of space-time, allowing for a broader range of applications, according to Arrighi. However, creating “gravity-based information” systems does not appear feasible at present.

Tselentis and Baumeler also acknowledged that substantial additional research is necessary before devising a functional device. Their current calculations depend on fantastical scenarios, such as moving an entire planet to interject between Charlie and Bob. Practical applications will necessitate a deeper comprehension of gravity’s effects at much smaller scales.

Gravity is notoriously weak when it comes to smaller objects, thus one doesn’t typically perceive the impact of space-time distortions with everyday items like a pencil on a desk. Yet, certain instruments, such as clocks using ultracold atoms, can detect these phenomena. Future advancements in such devices, alongside theoretical progress linking gravity and information, could enable more applicable outcomes from Tselentis and Baumeler’s mathematical research.

Their work posits that diverse frameworks, like information theory and special relativity, can shed light on how causal relationships are perceived. V. Virasini from the University of Grenoble Alpes in France notes that the new research touches on concepts such as event order reversal, prompting inquiries into fundamental notions like events (e.g., Alice pressing a button to dispatch a message).

She suggests that the next step involves fully integrating this approach, facilitating further exploration into the essence of space-time.

“Do astrophysical events, like black hole mergers that generate gravitational waves impacting Earth, carry a meaningful signature of the correlations examined in this study?” she inquires.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Worms Unite to Create Tentacles and Explore New Areas

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jlpeimmgyw

What should a tiny millimeter worm do when food is scarce? The solution lies in teaming up with countless companions to form tentacle-like structures that can bridge gaps to nearby objects or capture larger prey to aid in their journey.

Researchers examining nematode worms in laboratory settings have long observed their ability to construct “towers,” yet these phenomena lacked thorough exploration, states Serenadine from the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior in Germany. Therefore, she and her team aimed to investigate this further.

The research focused on the Caenorhabditis elegans worm species. In their experiments, when food was inadequate, and given a structure to assemble, a significant number of worms tended to create towers. For these studies, they utilized toothbrush bristles as a base.

While worms occasionally formed towers without any physical support, these structures were typically under 5 mm tall and only lasted about a minute. In contrast, when built upon the bristles, the towers reached heights of 11 mm and could endure for up to half a day.

In other nematode species, reports indicate towers can grow as tall as 50 mm. “They can expand significantly,” notes Din.

Although the base of the tower remains steady, the upper portion can extend well beyond the support and exhibit movement similar to tentacles. This allows the towers to reach out to nearby surfaces, forming bridges that enable the worms to traverse much wider gaps than individual organisms could manage.

“Tower” of nematode worms on rotten apples

Perez et al. Current Biology (2025)

The towers are capable of gripping objects that come into contact with them, such as fruit fly legs, effectively hitching a ride for the worms. This allows them to travel further without exerting their own energy.

While it’s known that individual nematodes can latch onto insects for transportation, the idea that an entire tower could do the same was previously unverified. “That’s a feature we expect to observe,” says Ding.

Utilizing a digital microscope, the researchers documented the tower’s formation on a decaying apple in an orchard adjacent to their laboratory.

Worm towers are exclusively formed by a single species, despite the presence of various species around them. They can consist of worms at any stage of their life cycle, even if the team discovers them during the process. Previously, it was believed that only “Dawer” worms, which are in their hard larval stage during stressful conditions, could create these towers.

There are other similarly crude forms of aggregation. For instance, slime molds, which are single-celled organisms like amoebas, can group together to form larger masses that move in search of nourishment.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Paleontologists Create a Digital Reconstruction of a 120-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Trackway

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The extensive dinosaur trackways offer crucial insights into the behaviors of their creators, yet researchers frequently encounter logistical hurdles in documentation and analysis. In a recent study, paleontologists from the University of Queensland and the University of Earth Sciences in China tackled these issues by employing digital methods to reexamine China’s 70-meter long dinosaur trackway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx6_zrqfkzg

The 120-million-year-old trackway examined by the team is situated southwest of Hanukushi village in Sichuan Province, China.

Affectionately referred to as the “Siphenwo” or “Stone Phoenix Nest”, the trackway holds significant cultural importance. It was once believed by locals to have been created by the mythical Phoenix, as described in poetry from the late Qing Dynasty (1840-1911 CE).

This trackway, which represents the longest theropod trackway in East Asia, consists of 81 consecutive footprints, stretching over approximately 70 meters.

“The dinosaur’s movements were reconstructed in stages, revealing its walking patterns, pace changes, and responses to the environment,” stated Anthony Romilio, a paleontologist at the University of Queensland.

“The sequence of 80 consecutive footprints extends over 70 meters in Sichuan, China, capturing a fleeting moment in stone.”

“Through digital animation, we can observe these moments as they unfold, offering unparalleled insights into animal behavior and biomechanics.”

Reconstructing the life of a dinosaur based on Yutyrannus, scaled against a 175 cm human model. Image credit: Anthony Romilio & Lida Xing, doi: 10.3390/geosciences15050165.

Using measurements from the trackway, Dr. Romilio and colleague Dr. Lida Singh determined that the dinosaur was bipedal, standing approximately 1.13 meters tall at the waist and weighing up to 292 kg.

“The footprint indicates that the dinosaur moved at a steady 5.3 km/h, similar to a brisk human walk, occasionally accelerating to a light trot before resuming its normal pace,” Dr. Romilio explained.

“This was not merely a dinosaur meandering aimlessly; it was moving in a largely linear fashion with clear intent.”

The team concluded that the dinosaur’s size closely resembles that of the feathered dinosaur Yutyrannus, which lived in northeastern China during the early Cretaceous period.

“Trackways can reveal behavioral details and narratives that fossilized bones alone cannot,” remarked Dr. Romilio.

“However, the study of such extensive tracks has historically been challenging due to the complexities of on-site measurements.”

“Our entirely digital approach enables us to capture, interpret, and archive all measurements and calculations from fossil track sites on computers, providing insight into the dynamic lives of these ancient beings.”

The team’s findings will be published in the journal Earth Science.

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Anthony Romilio & Lida Xing. 2025. Digital analysis of the “Phoenix Trackway” at a Chinese Cretaceous dinosaur track site. Earth Science 15(5):165; doi:10.3390/geosciences15050165

Source: www.sci.news

These Stunning Birds Create Enduring Bonds

Posted on May 8, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

True friends, as most would agree, support one another. This can mean offering emotional encouragement or lending a hand during a move. For a vibrant Sterling—a lively songbird from the African savanna—this includes feeding insects to your friends’ offspring, with the expectation that they will do the same for you in return.

Research has shown that social animals tend to form bonds primarily with their relatives. However, according to a study published in the Journal Nature Wednesday, researchers analyzed two decades of field data, revealing new interactions among unrelated members of great starling communities.

“These findings are the core of our study,” stated Dustin Reubenstein, an ecology professor at Columbia University and the paper’s author.

Alexis Earle, a biologist from Cornell University and co-author, noted that great starlings exhibit unique cooperative breeding behavior, blending family units with newcomers. New parents often depend on as many as 16 helpers.

Dr. Reubenstein’s lab has maintained a 20-year field survey of the species, encompassing 40 breeding seasons. They recorded thousands of interactions among hundreds of vocal birds and collected DNA samples to explore genetic linkages. When Dr. Earle, then a graduate student, began analyzing the data, she and her colleagues were not surprised to find that the birds predominantly assisted their relatives.

However, they were taken aback to discover that starlings also assisted non-relatives, even opting to help others when they could have aided their family members. Newcomers in the flock offered assistance to birds born within it, and vice versa. As great starlings frequently shift between parenting and supportive roles, the research team found that individuals who aided non-relatives tended to reciprocate those good deeds over time.

“Starlings consistently invest in the same valued social partners over their lives,” Dr. Earle remarked. “To me, that resembles friendship.”

Gerald Carter, an animal behavior expert at Princeton University and co-author, noted the controversy surrounding the idea of animals forming friendships with non-related individuals. Yet, increasing research supports the presence of long-term interactions among primates, elephants, crows, and whales. There are even vampire bats that share their blood meals with unrelated members of their colonies, alongside unrelated male lance-tailed manakins who act as each other’s “wingmen” to attract female attention.

Detecting long-term relationships, however, can be challenging, as Dr. Reubenstein points out. The research team required 27 seasons of data to reveal signs of reciprocity among starlings, and he believes they may still be underestimating it.

Dr. Reubenstein suggested that mutual support relationships may be more crucial than lab data indicates. “Having substantial long-term data is essential to uncovering these dynamics.”

The study presents a strong case, according to Jorg Massen, a behavioral ecologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands who was not involved in the research. A key next step is to determine how these long-term relationships are sustained on a daily basis.

“Is it merely based on reproductive support, or does it involve other behavioral factors?” he posed.

Moreover, the behavior of great starlings suggests that everyone benefits from maintaining relationships with unrelated peers. “Birds residing in larger groups tend to have longer lifespans and produce more offspring over their lifetimes,” stated Dr. Reubenstein. In the harsh and unpredictable environments of the African savanna, maximizing resources is vital, and incorporating migrant birds enhances group stability.

According to Dr. Reubenstein, this mirrors the evolutionary trajectory of humans.

Amid growing concerns over the epidemic of human loneliness, experts may find valuable lessons in the lives of starlings. In essence, strong relationships often emerge from a foundation of support.

But you don’t need to feed your friends’ kids bugs! Luckily, there are always babysitting services available.

Source: www.nytimes.com

South Texans Create a Star-Themed Course for Mask Decorating

Posted on May 3, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Voters are also casting their ballots to elect the inaugural mayor of Star Base, along with two additional mayors. All candidates for these positions are employees of SpaceX and are running unopposed.

As of Tuesday, early voting records from the county indicate that 181 individuals, including candidates for mayor and city commissioner, have already participated. Data on the masks eligible for voting in this special Cameron County election has yet to be included in early voting statistics.

It remains unclear why SpaceX and the Masks wish to establish their own city in this area. The company has not provided any feedback to inquiries for clarification.

SpaceX’s Mega Rocket Starship is undergoing preparations for a test flight from Starbase in Bocachica, Texas on January 12th.
Eric Gay/AP File

According to Cameron County election manager Remi Garza, the county’s authority over city matters is quite limited.

“They lack the ability to regulate expansion or establish standards in the same manner that local governments can, which can adopt city codes, building regulations, and more,” he noted, emphasizing that cities significantly influence planning and development.

Elon Musk first mentioned the concept of a city called Starbase back in 2021. Coastal Spot is where SpaceX manufactures boosters and engines, as well as launching a massive Starship rocket for test flights.

Visitors are seen near a large bust of Elon Musk outside Starbase in SpaceX, Bocachica, Texas on March 5th.
Eric Gay/AP File

As city governance expands, certain bureaucratic hurdles related to these activities could be mitigated. However, earlier this week, Texas lawmakers voted against a bill that would have granted SpaceX significant control over public beach access adjacent to the launch site.

Generally, SpaceX must secure approval from Cameron County officials to restrict public access to Bocachica Beach and Bocachica State Parks during rocket launches for safety reasons.

Frequent closures have led to legal challenges against SpaceX, inciting protests from local residents and activist groups, including the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe in Texas, the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, and Border Workers United. As reported by CNBC.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Studies suggest that stars break down into neutrons and combine to create heavy elements

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

High-energy photons produced deep within gamma-ray burst jets emerge from decayed stars can dissolve the outer stellar layer into free neutrons, causing a series of physical processes that lead to the formation of heavy elements. paper It is published on Astrophysical Journal.

The high-energy photonic jet (white and blue) passes through a collapse with a black hole at its center. The red space around the jet represents a coco where free neutrons can be captured and caused the R process. Image credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The formation of the heaviest elements relies on astrophysical environments with large amounts of neutrons.

Neutrons are found in the medium under extreme pressure, either bound to the nucleus.

Free neutrons are rare because they have a half-life of less than 15 minutes.

“The creation of heavy elements such as uranium and plutonium requires extreme conditions,” says Dr. Matthew Mumpoir, a physicist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

“There are several viable yet rare scenarios in the universe where these elements can form, and all such locations require a large number of neutrons. We propose a new phenomenon where these neutrons are not present and dynamically generated by stars.”

The key to generating the heaviest elements in the periodic table is known as the rapid neutron capture process or R process, and is believed to be responsible for the production of all thorium, uranium and plutonium that occur naturally in the universe.

The team’s framework takes on the challenging physics of the R process and solves them by proposing reactions and processes around the collapse of the stars.

In addition to understanding the formation of heavy elements, the proposed framework will help address key issues regarding neutron transport, multi-objective simulations, and observation of rare events. All of these are interesting for national security applications, which can gather insights from research.

In the scenario proposed by researchers, when nuclear fuel is exhausted, a large star begins to die.

It is no longer able to push its own gravity up, and a black hole forms in the center of the star.

If the black hole is spinning fast enough, the framedrazing effect from the very powerful gravity near the black hole will wind up the magnetic field and fire a powerful jet.

Subsequent reactions create a wide range of photons, some of which are high-energy.

“The jet blows stars before it, creating a hot coco of material around the jet, like a freight train plowing through the snow,” said Dr. Mumpower.

At the interface of jets with star materials, high-energy photons (i.e. light) can interact with the nucleus and convert protons into neutrons.

Existing nuclei can also be dissolved in individual nuclei, creating more free neutrons to power the R process.

Team calculations suggest that interactions with light can create neutrons very quickly in nanosecond order.

For charging, a strong magnetic field traps the protons in the jet.

The merciless neutrons are ploughed from the jet to the coco.

After experiencing relativistic shock, neutrons are very dense compared to the surrounding star material, which can lead to the R process, forging heavy elements and isotopes, and banished into space when the stars are torn apart.

The process of protons converted into neutrons and the free neutrons that escape to the surrounding coco to form heavy elements, encompasses all four basic forces of nature, accompanied by a wide range of physics principles. It combines the real multiword problems, the fields of nuclear and nuclear physics, with fluid mechanics and general relationships.

Despite the team’s efforts, more challenges remain as the heavy isotopes created during the R process have never been done on Earth.

Researchers know little about their properties, including atomic weights, half-life, and more.

The high energy jet framework proposed by the team may help explain the origin of kilonovas (the glow of optical and infrared electromagnetic radiation) associated with long gamma-ray bursts.

“Star melting via high-energy photon jets provides an alternative origin for gravity and the production of kilonova that can be produced. This may not have previously been thought to be related to star collapse,” the scientist said.

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Matthew R. Mumpoir et al. 2025. Make sure there are neutrons! Hadronic optical production from large fluxes of high energy photons. APJ 982, 81; doi:10.3847/1538-4357/ADB1E3

Source: www.sci.news

Using fungi-based living materials to create sustainable buildings

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The bacteria Neurospora Crassa formed a scaffold for living construction materials

Wim Van Egmond/Science Photo Library

Fungi and bacteria could one day become part of living building materials that can grow and repair.

When we try to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions, one of the major challenges facing the world is finding more sustainable building materials. Concrete-only production accounts for more than 5% of total human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.

Some researchers want to develop engineered biological materials generated from cells, which have desirable attributes such as self-assembly, repair, and photosynthesis. Many powerful, mineralized structures exist in organisms such as bones and corals.

Chelsea Heberan Montana State University and her colleagues tested whether similar mineralized structures could be created around scaffolds of fungal mycelium. Mycelium is a network of microscopic, branching filaments that make up part of most fungi.

Heberan and her team grew mycelial scaffolds using fungi called Neurospora Crassa, After that, I applied bacteria Sporosarcina pasteurii On the scaffolding.

As fungi and bacteria metabolize urea in the growth medium, they formed a cured structure consisting of calcium carbonate, the same compound found in eggshells and shells.

She says the team drew inspiration from the bones. Bone has biological ninerals formed on scaffolds for collagen and other proteins. “The bones are very strong and tough considering how light it is,” Heberan says.

Although other biological materials created in the lab only lived for a few days, the structure developed by Heberan and her colleagues was viable for at least a month.

“We are excited by the outcome and look forward to engineering more complex and larger structures,” Heberan says. “If survival rates are high enough, we can actually convey persistent biological properties to materials that we care about, such as self-healing, sensing, and environmental repair.”

“Proposing mycelium as a scaffolding medium for living materials is a simple but powerful strategy,” he says. Aysu kuru At the University of Sydney.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Researchers create detailed map of neural connections in mouse brain

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The human brain is so complex that the scientific brain has a hard time understanding it. Nerve tissue, the size of a grain of sand, could be packed with hundreds of thousands of cells connected by miles of wiring. In 1979, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Francis Crick concluded that the anatomy and activity of only a cubic millimeter of brain material would forever surpass our understanding.

“It’s useless to seek the impossible,” says Dr. Crick. I wrote it.

46 years later, a team of over 100 scientists achieved that impossible by recording cell activity and mapping the structure of cubic millimeters of the mouse brain. In achieving this feat, they accumulated 1.6 petabytes of data. This is equivalent to 22 years of non-stop high-resolution video.

“This is a milestone,” said Davi Bock, a neuroscientist at the University of Vermont. the studywas published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. Dr. Bock said that it enabled advances that allowed it to cover the cubic bones of the cubic brain to map the entire brain wiring of a mouse.

“It’s completely doable and I think it’s worth doing,” he said.

Over 130 years It has passed since Spanish neuroscientist Santiago Ramon y Kajal first spies on individual neurons under a microscope, creating a unique branching shape. Scientists from subsequent generations have resolved many of the details about how neurons send voltage spikes into long arms called axons. Each axon makes contact with small branches or dendrites of adjacent neurons. Some neurons excite their neighbors and fire their own voltage spikes. Some quiet other neurons.

Human thinking emerges in some way from this combination of excitation and inhibition. But how this happens remains a ridiculous mystery as scientists could only study a small number of neurons at a time.

Over the past few decades, technological advances have allowed scientists to begin mapping the whole brain. 1986, British researcher Published A small worm circuit made up of 302 neurons. The researchers then charted larger brains, including 140,000 neurons in the fly’s brain.

After all, is Dr. Crick’s impossible dream possible? The US government began in 2016 100 million dollar effort Scan cubic millimeters of mouse brain. The project was called Cortical Network (or Mechanical Intelligence from Microns) and was led by scientists from the Allen Institute of Brain Science, Princeton University, and Baylor School of Medicine.

Researchers have zeroed into part of the mouse’s brain, which receives signals from the eyes and reconstructs what the animal is seeing. In the first phase of the study, the team recorded the neuronal activity in that area as they showed mouse videos of different landscapes.

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Source: www.nytimes.com

Scientists create conditions resembling a “superpositioned” Schrodinger’s cat

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The principle of quantum superposition allows the system to be prepared with two arbitrary state superpositions. A paradigmous example is the superposition of two coherent states. Superposition of such states is usually referred to as the Schrödinger cat state, but in Irwin Schrodinger’s original thought experiment, a cat-temperature-equal system system is prepared with superposition of two mixed states dominated by classical variation. Physicists at the University of Innsbruck have now managed to create the state of Hot Schrodinger cats with a superconducting microwave resonator.

Yang et al. We generated highly mixed quantum states with different quantum properties. Image credit: Innsbruck University.

SchrödingerCat states are an attractive phenomenon in quantum physics, where quantum objects exist simultaneously in two different states.

In Erwin Schrödinger’s thought experiment, it is a cat living and dead at the same time.

In real experiments, such simultaneity is seen in the positions of atoms and molecules, as well as the vibrations of electromagnetic resonators.

Previously, these analogues to Schrodinger’s thought experiments were first created by cooling quantum objects to their ground state.

In a new study, Dr. Gerhard Kirchumere and his colleagues at Innsbruck University demonstrated that it is indeed possible to create quantum superpositions from thermally excited states.

“Schrodinger also envisioned a living, namely “hot” cat in his thought experiments,” says Dr. Kirchumere, author of the study.

“We wanted to know if these quantum effects could also be produced if they didn’t start from the ‘cold’ ground state. ”

To generate the Schrödinger CAT state, researchers used a transmon Qubit with a microwave resonator.

They have succeeded in creating quantum layers at temperatures up to 1.8 k. This is 60 times the ambient temperature of the cavity.

“Our results show that it is possible to generate highly mixed quantum states with distinct quantum properties,” says Dr. Ian Yang, the first author of the study.

Scientists used two special protocols to create the state of Hot Schrodinger cats.

These protocols have been used previously to produce CAT states starting from the ground state of the system.

“It turns out that the tuned protocol also works at high temperatures and produces clear quantum interference,” said Professor Oriol Romero Isart, co-author of the study.

“This opens up new opportunities for the creation and use of quantum superpositions, for example, in nanomechanical oscillators.

“When I first mentioned our results, many of our colleagues were surprised because we usually think of temperature as a disruption to quantum effects,” says Thomas Agnius, co-author of the study.

“Our measurements confirm that quantum interference can last even at high temperatures.”

The findings could benefit quantum technology development.

“Our work reveals that quantum phenomena can be observed and used in warm, less ideal environments,” Dr. Kirchem said.

“If the system can create the interactions it needs, temperature is ultimately irrelevant.”

a paper The findings were published in the journal Advances in science.

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Ian Yang et al. 2025. Hot Schrodinger cat condition. Advances in science 11 (14); doi:10.1126/sciadv.adr4492

Source: www.sci.news

Melting moon dust to create solar panels on the moon

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Boot print on the dusty surface of the moon

Public domain sources from CBW/Alamy/Access rights

The base of future moons could be powered by solar cells made on-site from the melted moon dust.

Building items on the moon using materials already there is more practical than shipping them from the Earth. when Felix Lang He heard about this idea at the University of Potsdam in Germany and knew what to do right away. “We have to make solar cells like this, we have to make them right away,” he says.

Two years later, Lang’s team built and tested several solar cells that featured lunar dust as an ingredient. Another important component is a crystal called halide perovskite, which contains elements such as lead, bromine, and iodine, as well as long molecules of carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen.

The team melted a synthetic version of the lunar regolith, a layer of loose rock and dust that covers the moon, into “Moonglass.” Because they did not refine the regolith, the mungrass was less transparent than traditional solar cells. However, Lang says the team’s best prototype still reached around 12% efficiency. More traditional perovskite solar cells typically reach an efficiency close to 26%. Lang said the computer simulation suggests that his team could reach that number in the future.

In general, researchers agree that perovskite solar cells are superior to more traditional silicon-based devices in both space and Earth. From a lunar perspective, the use of perovskite materials is also attractive. This is because it can be kept very thin and reduces the weight of the material transported on the moon. Team estimates that a solar cell with an area of 400 square meters requires only about a kilogram of perovskite. This is an impressive claim, I say Ian Crawford at Birkbeck, University of London.

It is equally important that the regolith does not need to be purified. This means that no special reactor is needed. In fact, Lang says that the large curved mirror and sunlight can create a beam of light that is warm enough to make the mungrass. One of his colleagues has already tested the technology on their university roofs and saw signs of legolith melting, he says.

Nicholas Bennett At the University of Technology, Sydney says that while past research has tried to process the lunar regolith into clear glass, this is the first time that solar cells have been shown to work with fine moonglass instead. The challenge now, he says, is to make a lot of mungrass outside the lab. If successful, such melting techniques could help create other items that the moon base needs, such as tiles, Crawford says.

Michael Duke The Lunar and Planetary Institute states that manufacturing moongrass-based solar cells will require many technological advances, from excavating the legend to connecting individual cells. Still, if a solar plant is established on the moon, there could be a positive knock-on effect. In this future, space-based systems like satellites will need less energy to fire payloads from the moon, allowing solar cells covered in the moon rather than what was created on Earth.

Lang and his colleagues are currently working on increasing the efficiency of solar cells. For example, we know whether choosing iron before using magnets to melt Regolith can improve the quality of mungrass.

Ultimately, they want to expand the process to other dusty residents. “We’re already thinking, ‘Can we make this work on Mars Regolith?”,” says Lang.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Amber Fossils: Create in 24 Hours, Not Millions of Years

Posted on March 24, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Amber is a slow specimen that holds ancient water, bubbles, plants, insects, and even more unusual specimens, coveted around the world as both a container of gems and prehistoric debris bird.

Usually, amber forms for millions of years as wood resins become fossilized, but paleontologists are energizing it, creating amber fossils from pine resin in 24 hours. This technique can help clarify as Amber’s biochemistry is formed. This is a process that remains hidden in prehistoric mist.

It was released on Monday JournalScientific Reportsthe results of the rapid experiment are similar to meals made in a pressure cooker. “It’s similar to Instapot,” said Evan Saitta, a researcher at the Field Museum in Chicago and co-author of the paper.

The synthetic amber recipe began with Chicago Botanical Garden Pine Resin. Dr. Saitta and his co-author, independent paleontologist Thomas Kaye, placed a half-inch sediment disc with Mr. Kaye embedded in which the resin was constructed using a medical tablet compressor, an air canister and other cleaned parts.

By heating the sample and applying pressure, researchers were trying to simulate the product. This was trying to limit the slow, wet physical and chemical transformations needed to the rock before sediments could be integrated into the rock.

“Making it is the ultimate hurdle you need to pass to become a fossil,” said Dr. Saita. “It’s kind of the last boss.”

Although some samples produced by the researchers were incomplete, the physical properties of some ambers include darker colours, fractures, dehydration, and increased gloss.

The two also realized that they started with the wrong family of pine trees. Amber, the most frequently studied in paleontology, is a scientist, and its group of trees is Only living relatives are Japanese umbrella pine.

Maria McNamara, a paleontologist at University College Cork in Ireland, said future experiments should test additional plant types as they were not involved in the study.

“What we really want to handle is that the resin polymerizes faster,” she said. She also pointed out that accelerated chemical analysis of Amber is necessary to know how close it is to the real thing. “Wood resin survives, but requires proper and complete chemical properties,” she said.

Regarding the limitations of all research, Dr. McNamara said fossil simulation is an increasingly important area of research. Recreated by some paleontologists Bone or tissue collapse To explore the effects of microbial organisms. In her lab, the researcher said,Thermal mature specimen Investigate the conservation of biological molecules under heat.

Without such simulations, “we just trust the fossil records,” she said. “Experiments can help tell facts from fiction and determine the extent to which the fossil records are lying.”

Dr. Saita tried other simulations. In 2018 he buried him. Finch In wet deposits, see how it compresses. It was awkward and failed. However, after working with Kaye on a pressure cooker device, they managed to study the previous stages of fossilization. Leaf, feather, lizard feet. For example, in these specimens, keratin from the feathers leached out in feathers, leaving behind a dark, melanin-like engraving similar to fossilized feathers. (At the conference, Dr. Saitta said he likes to test other paleontologists and find the visual difference between analogues and real fossils.)

In future amber experiments, Dr. Saita aims to embed insects, wings, or plants in the resin. One reason why this can be proven useful is that the actual specimen is valuable, meaning it is a trade of thousands of dollars, making disruptive analysis unfeasible. “Preserved insects in synthetic amber would not be valuable because it is made in the laboratory,” Dr. Saita said.

Researchers also plan to apply pressure on decayed organic matter and adapt the technology to simulate geological weathering. This will capture more fossilization stages more realistically.

Looking further, experimental fossilization techniques allow scientists to even explore the fossils of the future, Dr. Saitta said. How does life in the Anthropocene become fossilized? What happens to tissue or bones that have been injected with microplastics or industrial heavy metals?

We are not here in millions of years from now. However, using devices like pressure aids can get you closer.

Source: www.nytimes.com

Old fighter jets can be recycled and used to create new ones

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

New Fighter Jet Components Can be Printed 3D

Rolls Royce

The fighter planes first flew in the 1970s were converted to fine powder and can be used for 3D printed components of the next generation aircraft of the British Royal Air Force (RAF). Experts say this is a more efficient way to make aircraft. It is less environmentally harmful and also solves the problem of procuring materials from countries under sanctions, such as Russia.

Robert Hyam Additive Manufacturing Solutions has developed technology to recycle important materials such as TI64. This is titanium with 6% aluminum and 4% vanadium. The UK Department of Defense has a large number of expensive, hard-to-sauce materials like TI64, but they are bound by outdated or broken aircraft and stored components.

The company was able to take turbine blades from Panavia Tornado, an aircraft used by the RAF from 1980 to 2019, and recycle them into nose cones of prototype engines that power the next generation of RAF fighters. Ta.

“The world is more expensive than before. Making products is more complicated and more expensive,” says Highham. “You can make them as effectively as possible.”

Highham says creating spherical particles from old parts is the key to printing high-quality new parts, as the jug-on particles may be stuck in a 3D printer. It’s not just grinding the metal, so the recycled components melt and then spray them onto a high-pressure jet of argon, where they are split into raindrop-shaped droplets. These droplets rotate the gas, turn into a spherical shape, drop out and solidify. “It’s a very similar process to how rain sparkles,” says Hyam.

The resulting powder can be supplied to a 3D printer. These machines essentially weld the powder into half the thickness of human hair, each layer down one by one, creating a new piece. “It’s a very simple microscope welding process. It’s not even more complicated,” says Higham.

In this first case, powder was used to 3D print nose cones for the Orpheus jet engine. Future Combat Air Systems (FCAS). The FCA includes a variety of aircraft with modular components, including the BAE Systems Tempest, a sixth generation fighter jet for the RAF.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

Astronomers: Massive Black Holes Can Create Their Own Meals

Posted on January 29, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

New data from a very large telescope between NASA's CHANDRA X-Ray Observatory and ESO provides evidence that explosions from ultra-large black holes can help you cool the gas and feed yourself.

These images indicate two galaxy clusters of research, Perseus cluster and Centaul scraster. The chandradata represented by blue reveals X -rays from hot gas filaments, and VLT data indicates a red cooler filament. Image Credit: NASA / CXC / SAO / OLIVARES et al. / dss / cfht / sitelle / ESA / STSCI / ESO / VLT / MUSE / N. wolk.

In a new study, Dr. Valeria Olibales and her colleagues of Santiago De Chile University analyzed the deep observations of seven galaxy clusters, which indicate a remarkable poly-phase filament structure: Perseus, M87, Centaur, Abel 2597, Abel 1795, Hydra-A, Hydra, and Hydra PKS 0745-191.

“At the center of the galaxy cluster is the huge galaxy in the universe. This galaxy has a huge black hole with millions to billion times a mass of the sun.” I said.

“The jet from these black holes is driven by the black hole that exhales gas.”

Their results support a model in which the explosion from the black hole causes hot gases and cools down a narrow gas filament.

Gas turbulence also plays an important role in this trigger process.

According to the model, some of these warm gases in these filaments should flow into the center of the galaxy and supply them to black holes, causing explosions.

The explosion cools more gas, supplies black holes, and leads to further explosions.

The model predicts that it is related to the bright gas and warm gas filament at the center of the galaxy cluster.

More specifically, in areas where hot gas is bright, warm gases need to be brightened.

“Our results provide a new understanding of filament filled with these gases. This is important not only for feeding black holes, but also for forming new stars.” The person said.

“This progress has been made possible by innovative technology that separates hot filaments of Chandra X -ray data from other structures, including a large cavity of hot gas created by a black hole jet.”

“The newly discovered relationship of these filaments indicates the remarkable similarity of what is found in the tail of the jellyfish. These are peeled off when moving the surrounding gases and the long tail. It was formed.

“This similarity means that the universe connection between the two objects is revealed and that these objects have a similar process.”

Team paper Published in the journal Natural astronomy.

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V. Olivary et al. Hα-X-ray surface gaze correlation of the cooling flow cluster filament. Nut asron Released online on January 27, 2025. Doi: 10.1038/S41550-02473-8

Source: www.sci.news

“Exploring the Untold Tale: A Developer’s Battle to Create a Game on the 1948 Nakba Despite Taboos”

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

IIn the West Bank city of Nablus, Rashid Abueide operates a nut roaster to support his family. Additionally, he is an award-winning game developer. A decade ago, amidst the escalating 2014 Gaza war, he created a compelling video game titled “Lilya and the Shadow of War” which depicts a man’s quest for safety for his daughter and himself. However, amidst the falling missiles, it becomes evident that safety is unattainable. Initially rejected by Apple upon release in 2016 due to inappropriate content, the decision was eventually reversed after a week of protests.

Despite the acclaim and attention “Lilya” received, Abueide struggled to secure funding for his next game through conventional means. His envisioned game, “dream on the pillow,” narrates the story of the 1948 Nakba and reflects on the Arab-Israeli conflict through a mother’s folklore. Rejected nearly 300 times for being contentious and risky, Abueide’s games challenge the narratives surrounding the Palestinian experience, which has long been taboo.

Historical Background…The game’s timeline switches between the protagonist Om’s past and her horrifying present. Photo: Rasheed Abueide

Currently, as conflict rages in his homeland, Abueide is resolute in telling the Palestinian narrative. With the collaboration of a dedicated team, he initiated a crowdfunding campaign to bring “Dreams on a Pillow” to life.

Despite challenges, the team successfully reached its fundraising goal through Launch Good, a platform that acknowledges Muslim causes. This achievement covers a significant portion of the game’s development costs, paving the way for further funding opportunities as the project evolves. Abueide expresses gratitude for overwhelming support and emphasizes the importance of portraying the Palestinian plight in gaming.

“I want to send a message.” Rashid Abueide, who operates a nut roaster in Nablus. Photo: Rasheed Abueide

“The Dream on the Pillow” draws inspiration from a mother fleeing with her infant, inadvertently carrying a pillow and recalling her childhood in Palestine. The game interweaves her journey post-Tantura massacre with nostalgic dreams, using the pillow as a key element for progression but also triggering nightmares. Abueide anticipates a two-year development timeline, underscoring the project’s significance with contingency plans in place for potential interruptions.

Abueide’s ultimate goal is for players to empathize with the Palestinian experience, understanding the lasting impact of past conflicts on present realities. By shedding light on the ongoing struggles of the Palestinian people, he aims to prompt an informed and empathetic response from players.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Scientists create advanced nanosensor for measuring forces

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The newly developed all-optical nanosensor is a luminescent nanocrystal that changes intensity and color when pushed or pulled. Probed only with light, allowing fully remote reading. No wires or connections required. They have force sensitivity that is 100 times better than existing nanoparticles that utilize rare earth ions for their optical response, with a force operating range of more than four orders of magnitude and a much wider range than other nanoparticles (10–100 times). Conventional optical nanosensor.

Illustration of atomic arrangement within a single lanthanide-doped nanocrystal. Each lanthanide ion can emit light. Image credit: Andrew Mueller / Columbia Engineering.

“Our discovery revolutionizes the sensitivity and dynamic range achievable with optical force sensors, and has implications for applications from robotics to cellular biophysics, medicine to space travel,” said Dr. Jim Shack, a researcher at Columbia University. We expect that this technology will immediately disrupt technology in this field.”

The new nanosensor enables high-resolution, multiscale capabilities for the first time in the same nanosensor.

This means that this nanosensor alone, rather than a series of different classes of sensors, can be used for the continuous study of forces from the subcellular level to the whole system level in engineered and biological systems such as embryonic development. It is important because it means , moving cells, batteries, or integrated NEMS, highly sensitive nanoelectromechanical systems in which the physical movement of nanometer-scale structures is controlled by electronic circuits and vice versa.

“Aside from their unparalleled multiscale sensing capabilities, what makes these force sensors unique is that they operate with benign, biocompatible, and deeply penetrating infrared light,” said Natalie, a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University. said Dr. Fardian Melamed.

“This will allow us to peer deeply into various technical and physiological systems and monitor health conditions from a distance.”

“These sensors will enable early detection of system malfunctions and failures, and will have a major impact on sectors ranging from human health to energy and sustainability.”

Researchers were able to construct these nanosensors by exploiting the photon avalanche effect within nanocrystals.

In photon avalanche nanoparticles, the absorption of a single photon within the material causes a chain reaction that ultimately leads to the emission of many photons. Therefore, one photon is absorbed and many photons are emitted.

The optically active components within the nanocrystals studied are atomic ions from the lanthanide series of elements of the periodic table, also known as rare earth elements, doped into the nanocrystals. In this study, the scientists used thulium.

They found that the photon avalanche process is very sensitive to several things, such as the spacing between lanthanide ions.

With this in mind, they tapped a piece of a photon avalanche nanoparticle (ANP) with an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip and found that the avalanche's behavior was influenced by these gentler forces than previously expected. I found that I was greatly affected.

“We discovered this almost by accident,” Shook said.

“We suspected that these nanoparticles were force-sensitive, so we measured the release while hitting the nanoparticles.”

“And they turned out to be much more sensitive than expected!”

“In fact, we couldn't believe it at first either. We thought the chip might be having a different effect.”

The authors knew how sensitive ANPs were, so they designed new nanoparticles that responded to force in different ways.

In one new design, nanoparticles change the color of their emitted light depending on the applied force.

In another design, they created nanoparticles that do not exhibit photon avalanches under ambient conditions, but start avalanching when a force is applied. These turned out to be very sensitive to forces.

They are now applying these force sensors to critical systems with the goal of making a big impact.

“The importance of developing new force sensors was recently highlighted by 2021 Nobel Prize Laureate Erdem Patapoutian. “It highlighted the difficulty of investigating biological processes,” said Dr. Shook.

“We are thrilled to be part of these discoveries that will transform the sensing paradigm and allow us to sensitively and dynamically map significant changes in forces and pressures in real-world environments that are unreachable with today's technology.” I think so.

team's work Published in today's diary nature.

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Natalie Fardian Melamed others. 2025. Infrared nanosensor from piconewton to micronewton forces. naturein press. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08221-2

This article is a version of a press release provided by Columbia University.

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists create the tiniest walking robot to date

Posted on December 6, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A team of researchers at Cornell University has created a new class of magnetically controlled microscopic robots (microbots) that operate at the diffraction limit of visible light. These microbots, called diffractive robots, can interact with visible light waves and yet move independently, allowing them to move to specific locations, take images, and measure forces at the scale of the body’s smallest structures. You can.

Diffraction robot. Image credit: Smart others., doi: 10.1126/science.adr2177.

Diffractive robotics connects untethered robots with imaging techniques that rely on visible light diffraction (the bending of light waves as they pass through an aperture or around something).

Imaging techniques require an aperture with a size comparable to the wavelength of light.

For the optics to work, the robot must be at that scale, and for the robot to reach the target it is imaging, it must be able to move on its own.

The robot is controlled by a magnet that performs a pinching motion, allowing it to move inchworm-like across solid surfaces. The same motion can also be used to “swim” through a fluid.

The combination of maneuverability, flexibility, and sub-diffractive optical technology represents a major advance in the field of robotics.

“A walking robot that is small enough to interact with light and effectively shape it would place a microscope lens directly into the microworld,” said Paul McEwen, a professor at Cornell University.

“We can perform close-up imaging in a way that would never be possible with a regular microscope.”

“These robots are 2 to 5 microns in size. They're tiny. And by controlling the magnetic fields that drive their movement, we can make them do whatever we want them to do.”

“I'm really excited about the fusion of microrobotics and micro-optics,” said Dr. Francesco Monticone of Cornell University.

“The miniaturization of robotics has finally reached a stage where these actuated mechanical systems can interact with and actively shape light on the scale of just a few wavelengths (one millionth of a meter). I did.”

To magnetically drive a robot at this scale, the research team used hundreds of nanometer-scale magnets with two different shapes, long and thin or short and stubby, with the same volume of material to drive the robot. I made it into a pattern.

Professor Itai Cohen of Cornell University says, “Long, thin objects require a larger magnetic field to switch from pointing in one direction to pointing in another direction, whereas short, stubby objects require a larger magnetic field to switch from pointing in one direction to pointing in another direction.'' “Things require smaller magnetic fields.”

“So if you apply a large magnetic field, you can align them all, but if you apply a smaller field, only the short and thick ones will flip.”

To create the robot, the authors combined this principle with a very thin film.

“One of the main challenges for optical engineering was to find the best approach for the three tasks (light conditioning, focusing, and super-resolution imaging) for this particular platform, because “different approaches “There are different performance trade-offs depending on how the microrobots behave,” said Dr. Monticone. “They can move and change shape.”

“There are advantages to being able to mechanically move the diffractive elements to enhance imaging,” Professor Cohen says.

The robot itself can be used as a diffractive grader or a diffractive lens can be added. In this way, the robot can act as a local extension of the microscope lens looking down from above.

The robot measures force using the same magnet-driven pinching motions used to push structures while walking.

“These robots are very compliant springs, so if something pushes on them, it can squeeze them,” Professor Cohen said.

“That changes the diffraction pattern and allows us to measure it very well.”

Force measurements and optical capabilities can be applied to basic research such as exploring the structure of DNA. Or it may be introduced into clinical practice.

“Looking to the future, we can imagine swarms of diffractive microbots walking along the surface of samples to perform super-resolution microscopy and other sensing tasks,” Professor Monticone said.

“I think we have just scratched the surface of what is possible with this new paradigm of combining robotics and optics at the microscale.”

of study Published in a magazine science.

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Conrad L. Smart others. 2024. Magnetically programmed diffractive robotics. science 386 (6725): 1031-1037;doi: 10.1126/science.adr2177

Source: www.sci.news

Laser Beams Can Create Shadows with the Proper Conditions

Posted on November 15, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

in new paper Published in today's magazine opticaphysicists explain how a laser beam casts a shadow that behaves like any other ordinary shadow.

Photographic image of the shadow of a laser beam. A high-powered green laser beam (object) passes through a ruby cube and is illuminated from the side with blue light: (A) Photograph of the shadow cast by the object laser beam on a white piece of paper, imaged through a simple lens It will be magnified approximately 4 times using The length of the ruby cube is approximately 1.2cm, and the enlarged image is approximately 4.8cm. Therefore, whether magnified or not, it depicts what can be seen directly. (B) Photographic image showing the surroundings for scale reference. Place a white plastic marker (i.e., a wide-tipped pen) in the path of the shadow between the object beam and the paper, and fix the camera focus on the (C) paper or (D) marker. The appearance of a shadow along the contours of the surface it falls on. All images were taken with a regular home digital camera in a dark room. Image credit: Abrahao others., doi: 10.1364/optica.534596.

“Laser light that casts shadows was previously thought to be impossible because light typically passes through other light without interacting,” said Dr. Rafael Abrahao, a researcher at Brookhaven National Laboratory. spoke.

“Demonstration of a highly counterintuitive optical effect prompts us to reconsider our concept of shadow.”

Dr. Abrahao and his colleagues used a ruby crystal and a specific laser wavelength to show that laser beams can block light and create visible shadows through nonlinear optical processes.

This effect occurs when light interacts with a material in an intensity-dependent manner and can affect another light field.

“Our understanding of shadows has developed in close connection with our understanding of light and optics,” Dr. Abrahao said.

“This new discovery could prove useful in a variety of applications, including optical switching, devices in which one light controls the presence of another, or technologies that require precise control of light transmission, such as high-power lasers. There is a possibility that

In their experiment, the researchers shined a high-power green laser onto a cube made of a standard ruby crystal, then shot a blue laser at it from the side.

When a green laser is incident on a ruby, it locally changes the material's response to blue wavelengths.

The green laser acts like a normal object, and the blue laser acts like a light.

The interaction between the two light sources creates a shadow on the screen, where the green laser appears as a dark area blocking the blue light.

It met all the criteria for a shadow, as it was visible to the naked eye, followed the contours of the surface it fell on, and followed the position and shape of the laser beam acting as the object.

The laser shadow effect is the result of ruby's optical nonlinear absorption.

This effect occurs because the green laser increases the light absorption of the blue illumination laser beam, creating a matching region within the illumination light with lower light intensity.

“This discovery expands our understanding of the interaction between light and matter and opens up new possibilities for harnessing light in previously unimagined ways,” Dr. Abrahao said.

The researchers experimentally measured that the shadow contrast depends on the power of the laser beam and found that the maximum contrast was about 22%, similar to the contrast of a tree's shadow on a sunny day.

They also developed a theoretical model and showed that it could accurately predict shadow contrast.

“From a technical point of view, the effect we demonstrated shows that the intensity of the transmitted laser beam can be controlled by firing another laser,” the scientists said.

“Next, we plan to investigate other materials and other laser wavelengths that can produce similar effects.”

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Raphael A. Abrahao others. 2024. Shadow of laser beam. optica 11 (11): 1549-1555;doi: 10.1364/optica.534596

Source: www.sci.news

Proba-3: Twin spacecraft launched to create a simulated solar eclipse

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Two Proba-3 spacecraft work together to create an artificial solar eclipse

ESA

The European Space Agency (ESA) aims to create an artificial solar eclipse in space with its upcoming Proba-3 mission, which will help study the Sun and demonstrate extremely precise formation flight down to just a millimeter. It turns out.

Scheduled to launch on December 4 on an Indian PSLV-XL rocket, the mission will consist of two spacecraft. After launch, they will be placed into a highly elliptical orbit around the Earth, bringing them about 600 kilometers (600 kilometers) close to Earth, but at a distance of about 60,000 kilometers (60,000 kilometers) from the Earth.

One of the spacecraft, called Occulter, features a 1.4-meter-wide disc made of carbon fiber and plastic. The other spacecraft will fly about 150 meters behind the first spacecraft and point its camera there. From this vantage point, the occulter's disk blocks the surface of the Sun, much like the Moon appears to cover the Sun during a total solar eclipse. This will allow imaging probes to observe the solar corona, or the sun's atmosphere, in more detail than ever before.

“This will be the closest we've ever seen the corona to the Sun in visible light,” said Damien Galano, ESA's Proba-3 mission manager. “This could provide concrete information about the temperature of the corona, the formation of the solar wind, and how the corona expands into space.”

Proba-3 accomplishes this feat by flying with incredible precision. Both spacecraft are equipped with sensors to track their position in space, and the Occulter uses 12 nitrogen thrusters to autonomously maintain its position with its partner with millimeter accuracy. The thrusters can deliver just 10 millinewtons of thrust, which is 1/50th the force of human breathing.

To limit the destabilizing effects of Earth's gravity, the artificial eclipse will last six hours when the spacecraft is furthest from Earth. More than 1,000 solar eclipses are planned during the two-year mission. Galano said this is the first time since experiments with artificial solar eclipses in space. 1975 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.

The experience gained from the Proba-3 mission could also be applied to things like refueling spacecraft and developing large telescopes in space. “Until now, we've only been able to achieve accuracy of a centimeter or better,” said Steve Buckley, Proba-3 lead engineer at Onsemi, a US company that developed some of the sensors for the mission. “This is 10 times better.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Shocking discovery: Light can create its own shadow, reveals bizarre experiment

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The shadow of the laser beam appears as a horizontal line against a blue background.

Abrahao et al. (2024)

Usually light casts shadows on other objects, but with the help of rubies, laser beams themselves can cast shadows.

When two laser beams interact, they don’t collide like the lightsabers in the movies. star warssay Rafael Abrahao At Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. In real life, they simply pass through each other. But Abrahao and his colleagues discovered a way for one laser beam to block another, causing its shadow to appear.

The key ingredient was ruby cubes. The researchers illuminated the cube with a green laser beam while shining a blue laser from the side. When green light passed through the ruby’s atoms, its properties changed in a unique way, which affected its response to blue light.

Atoms affected by the green light blocked the blue laser light instead of letting it pass, creating a shadow that was exactly the same shape as the green laser beam. Remarkably, the researchers were able to project blue light onto a screen and see this “laser shadow” with the naked eye.

Abrahao says he and his colleagues had a long discussion about whether what they had created was actually worthy of a shadow. Because moving the green laser beam also moved the green laser beam, we were able to see it without special equipment, and we were able to project it onto commonplace objects like markers, so we finally found a positive answer. I made a judgment.

Historically, understanding shadows has been critical to understanding what light can do and how it can be used, and this experiment has added to scientists’ light manipulation toolbox. Add unexpected technology, he says.

thomas kloba Researchers at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany say their experiment used a known process to create an impressive visual demonstration of how materials can help control light. . For example, the interaction between lasers and rubies is similar to the interaction of materials used in laser eye surgery, and if the laser light becomes dangerously strong, it must be able to react by blocking the laser light. yeah.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Astronomers create a map of star formation in the heart of NGC 1386

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

NGC1386 is a spiral galaxy located 53 million light years away in the constellation Eridanus.

This image of NGC 1386 combines data from VST and ALMA. Image credits: ESO / ALMA / National Astronomical Observatory of Japan / NRAO / Prieto others. / Deep investigation of Fornax.

Dr. Almudena Prieto of the Canarias Institute for Astronomy and colleagues observed the central region of NGC 1386 as part of an experiment. PARSEC projecta parsec-scale multiwavelength survey of the nearest galactic center.

“Stars often form in star clusters, which are collections of thousands of stars that originate from giant clouds of molecular gas,” the astronomers said.

“The blue ring at the center of this galaxy is ripe with star clusters filled with young stars.”

To examine this ring in more detail, Dr. Prieto and his co-authors used data from ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

The data shows that these clusters all formed around the same time 4 million years ago.

“This is the first time that synchronous star formation has been observed in a galaxy containing mainly old stars,” the researchers said.

They used the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) to uncover further secrets of NGC 1386.

“The new images show numerous gas clouds as golden rings, ready to form a second wave of young stars,” the scientists said.

“But we still have to wait five million years for these to emerge.”

“Even though it is old, NGC 1386 continues to rejuvenate,” the researchers added.

of findings Published in September 2024. Royal Astronomical Society Monthly Notices.

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Almudena Prieto others. 2024. PARSEC's view of star formation at the galactic center: from primordial clusters to star clusters in early-type spirals. MNRAS 533 (1): 433-454;doi: 10.1093/mnras/stae1822

Source: www.sci.news

Scientists create new isotope of plutonium

Posted on October 12, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

The newly discovered isotope plutonium-227 has a half-life of 0.78 seconds, according to a team of Chinese physicists.

Areas 87≤Z≤97 and 112≤N≤136 in the nuclear map show the new isotope plutonium-227 (red star) and 12 nuclides (blue stars) discovered at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Science. Image credit: Huabin Yang.

“The magic numbers of protons and neutrons, such as 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, and 126, are correlated with shell closure,” said Dr. Zaiguo Gan of the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. . And my colleagues.

“Previous studies have shown that the closure of the 126 neutron shell weakens persistently up to uranium, so it will be interesting to explore whether shell closure weakens in the transuranium region.”

“Through a series of experiments, we discovered that shell closure exists in neptunium isotopes.”

“However, due to the lack of experimental data, the robustness of this closure in plutonium isotopes remains unknown.”

To investigate the unknown plutonium isotope, the authors conducted experiments in the gas-filled reaction separator SHANS (Spectrometer for Heavy Atom and Nuclear Structures).

Using nuclear fusion vaporization reactions, we were able to synthesize plutonium-227, a plutonium isotope that is severely deficient in neutrons.

“Plutonium-227 is the 39th new isotope discovered by the Modern Institute of Physics,” they said.

From the nine decay chains observed, physicists determined the alpha particle energy and half-life of plutonium-227 to be approximately 8,191 keV and 0.78 seconds, respectively.

“These data are in very good agreement with the known plutonium isotope system,” they said.

The researchers now plan to examine more plutonium isotopes to gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of the shell in plutonium.

“The newly discovered plutonium-227 is still seven neutrons away from the magic number 126,” said Dr. Huabin Yang, also of the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“To study the robustness of plutonium’s shell closure, we need to continue research on lighter plutonium isotopes, including plutonium-221 to plutonium-226.”

of the team work appear in the diary Physical Review C.

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HB Yang others. 2024. Alpha decay of the new isotope 227Pu. Physics. Rev.C 110 (4): 044302;doi: 10.1103/PhysRevC.110.044302

Source: www.sci.news

Two injured comb jellyfish might merge to create a single entity.

Posted on October 7, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A shimmering sea creature known as a comb jelly exhibits incredible abilities. Despite being injured, two comb jellies can fuse into one body without experiencing tissue rejection, unlike other animals. Moreover, their nervous systems merge, and their digestive tracts combine to share food.

This discovery could assist researchers in understanding how the immune system evolved to differentiate an organism’s own tissues from those of another organism, as well as shed light on the evolution of the nervous system.

Although commonly referred to as comb jellies or ctenophores, they are distinct from jellyfish due to their unique body structures. These creatures are the most ancient beings to have branched off from the common ancestor of all animals, making them a captivating subject for scientists studying early animal evolution. Their nervous system, composed of interconnected neurons forming a continuous network, sets them apart from other animals.

While studying the vibrant combs of ctenophores, specifically Mnemiopsis leidii, at the University of Exeter in the UK, researcher Kei Shirokura noticed a unique specimen with two posterior ends and apical organs. This prompted further investigation.

Through experimentation involving cutting out pieces from unrelated individuals and pairing them together, Shirokura discovered that in most cases, the two bodies seamlessly merged into one within hours. The absence of tissue rejection suggested a lack of xenorecognition, indicating an inability to distinguish between self and non-self.

When prodded, the fused body responded collectively, demonstrating complete integration of the nervous systems. Additionally, the digestive tracts fused, allowing shared food consumption through a single entry point.

This groundbreaking discovery raises questions about when animals developed heterogeneous cognition and the mechanisms behind neural network formation and information processing. Similarly, ctenophores possess the ability to revert from adulthood to a larval-like stage under certain conditions, hinting at a common ancestral characteristic shared among animals.

The potential applications of ctenophores in understanding biological processes like tissue rejection, regeneration, and aging, which are relevant to human health, make them a valuable model for future research.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Google’s AI asserts it can create superior chips compared to human designers, but experts are skeptical

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Can AI design chips that are more efficient than those made by humans?

Yuichiro Kayano/Getty Images

Google DeepMind says its artificial intelligence is already helping design chips used in data centers and even smartphones. But some chip design experts are skeptical of the company’s claims that these AIs can plan new chip layouts better than humans.

He said the new method, dubbed AlphaChip, can design “superhuman chip layouts” in hours, rather than relying on weeks or months of human effort. anna goldie and Azaria Mirhoseiniaccording to researchers at Google DeepMind. blog post. This AI approach uses reinforcement learning to figure out relationships between chip components and receives rewards based on the quality of the final layout. However, independent researchers say the company has yet to prove that such AI can outperform expert human chip designers or commercial software tools, and they say they are unable to demonstrate that such AI can outperform expert human chip designers or commercial software tools, and that they believe that current state-of-the-art The company hopes to test AlphaChip’s performance on public benchmarks that include cutting-edge circuit designs.

“If Google provides experimental results for these designs, we’ll be able to make a fair comparison, and we hope everyone will accept the results,” he says. patrick madden At Binghamton University in New York. “Experiments take a day or two to run at most, and Google has nearly infinite resources. The fact that these results aren’t being provided speaks volumes to me.” He declined to comment.

Google DeepMind’s blog post says: update Google for 2021 nature A journal paper about the company’s AI process. Since then, Google DeepMind says AlphaChip has helped design three generations of Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). TPUs are specialized chips used to train and run generative AI models for services such as Google’s Gemini chatbot.

The company also claims that its AI-assisted chip designs outperform those designed by human experts and are steadily improving. AI accomplishes this by reducing the overall length of wire needed to connect chip components. This could reduce the chip’s power consumption and increase processing speed. Google DeepMind also said AlphaChip created the layout for a general-purpose chip used in Google’s data centers, while also helping MediaTek develop a chip used in Samsung’s phones.

However, the code published by Google lacks support for common industry chip data formats, which suggests the AI method is currently more suited to Google’s own chips, it said. . Igor Markovchip design researcher. “We have no idea what AlphaChip is today, what it does or doesn’t do,” he says. “We know that reinforcement learning requires two to three orders of magnitude more computational resources than techniques used in commercial tools, and typically lags behind. [in terms of] result. “

Markov and Madden criticized the original paper controversial Claim that AlphaChip outperforms anonymous human experts. “Comparisons to unnamed human designers are subjective, non-reproducible, and very easily fooled. Although it is possible that the human designer is not trying hard enough or is underqualified. , there are no scientific results here,” says Markov. “Imagine if AlphaGo were reported to have won against an unknown Go player.”

In 2023, independent experts who reviewed Google’s paper revoked his nature An explanatory article that initially praised Google’s efforts. The expert is andrew kern At the University of California, San Diego, Public benchmarking efforts When we tried to replicate Google’s AI methods, we found that they could not consistently outperform human experts or traditional computer algorithms. The best approach was commercial software for chip design from companies like Cadence and NVIDIA.

“Reinforcement learning appears to lag significantly behind the state-of-the-art in every benchmark that would be considered a fair comparison,” Madden says. “I don’t think that’s a promising research direction when it comes to circuit placement.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Physicists may have discovered a method to create element 120, the most massive element to date.

Posted on July 24, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Jacqueline Gates of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory isolating livermorium atoms.

Marilyn Sargent/Berkeley Lab 2024 Regents of the University of California

The third heaviest element in the universe has been created in a way that points the way to synthesizing the elusive element 120, the heaviest element in the periodic table.

“We were very shocked, very surprised and very relieved that we had not made the wrong choice in installing the equipment,” he said. Jacqueline Gates At the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), California.

She and her colleagues created the element, livermorium, by bombarding pieces of plutonium with beams of charged titanium atoms. Titanium has never been used in such experiments before because it’s hard to turn into a well-controlled beam and it takes millions or trillions of collisions to create just a few new atoms. But physicists think that the titanium beam is essential to making a hypothetical element 120, also known as unbinylium, which has 120 protons in its nucleus.

The researchers first evaporated a rare isotope of titanium in a special oven at 1,650°C (about 3,000°F). They then used microwaves to turn the hot titanium vapor into a charged beam, which they sent into a particle accelerator. When the beam reached about 10% of the speed of light and smashed into a plutonium target, a fragment of it hit a detector, where it detected a trace of two livermorium atoms.

As expected, each atom rapidly decayed into other elements. The stability of an atomic nucleus decreases as an atom’s mass increases. But the measurements were so precise that there’s only about a one in a trillion chance that the discovery was a statistical fluke, Gates says. The researchers announced their findings on July 23. Nuclear Structure 2024 Meeting at Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois.

Michael Thornessen The Michigan State University researcher says the experiment supports the feasibility of creating element 120. “We have to do the basic research and we have to go in the dark, so this is a really important and necessary experiment in that sense,” he says.

Toennesen says the creation of unbinylium will have profound implications for our understanding of the strong force, which determines whether heavy elements are stable. Studying unbinylium may also help us understand how exotic elements formed in the early universe.

The heaviest artificial element to date, element 118 (also known as oganesson), has two more protons than livermorium and was first synthesized in 2002. Since then, researchers have struggled to make atoms even heavier, because that requires colliding already-heavy elements with each other, which themselves tend to be unstable. “It’s really, really difficult work,” Thornesen says.

But the new experiment has LBNL researchers feeling optimistic: They plan to launch experiments aimed at creating element 120 in 2025 after replacing the plutonium target with the heavier element californium.

“I think we’re pretty close to knowing what to do,” Gates says, “and we have an opportunity to add new elements to the periodic table.” [is exciting]”…Very few people get that opportunity.”

topic:

Chemical /
Nuclear Physics

Source: www.newscientist.com

Scientists create brain-controlled robot, with no involvement from Futurama

Posted on July 5, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Among the many strange robot designs in the past, a new contender has emerged as the world’s first robot powered by a real human brain, making it more human-like than ever.

Researchers from Tianjin University and Southern University of Science and Technology have managed to control the robot’s movements, such as tracking, grasping, and obstacle avoidance, using what they call “mini-brains.”

These miniature brains are not taken from human bodies but rather grown in labs for research purposes and then integrated into robots.

The researchers have utilized living organisms to create “brains on a chip,” which provide some intelligence to the robot’s brain but require assistance for full functionality.

Through the integration of these chips, scientists can debug the brain, send signals externally, and control specific functions like grasping in robots.

Professor Min Dong, Vice President of Tianjin University, explains that this brain-computer interface on a chip combines ex vivo cultured brains with electrode chips to interact with the outside world through encoding, decoding, and stimulation feedback.

With the brain chip, robots can perform tasks like tracking targets, avoiding obstacles, and learning to move their arms using electrical signals fed by the chips.

While robots do not have a human appearance, their brains process information through electrical signals from the chips. Training in simulated environments is possible, but understanding the real world remains a complex challenge.

The brain chip, known as MetaBOC, was developed as an open-source project and has been used in various experiments, including one where Neanderthal DNA was used to create mini-brains for robot control.

The latest research on robot-brain interaction focuses on utilizing ball-shaped organoids to create a more complex neural network for the brain-on-a-chip to function effectively.

Additionally, artificial intelligence algorithms have been integrated to enhance the robot’s capabilities through its mini-brain.

Although the advancements are groundbreaking, there is still progress to be made, with the current brain inside the robot being a model while the actual brain tissue is kept separate for testing purposes.

Read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Elephants appear to create names for one another

Posted on June 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Two young elephants greet each other in Kenya's Samburu National Reserve

George Wittemyer

Elephants may be the only animals other than humans that give each other random names, according to a machine learning analysis of recordings.

The analysis revealed that the African savanna elephant (African brown) appears to contain a name-like element that is unique to certain individuals. Moreover, those individuals know their own names and respond more strongly than others when a call addressed to them is played over a speaker.

“For years we've observed that when elephants make contact calls, one elephant in the group will raise his head, listen and respond,” says Joyce Poole. Elephant Voice“And the other elephants seemed to be ignoring him, so we wondered if the call was directed at one particular individual,” said Bryan G. Gregg, a small organization that aims to study and protect elephants.

More than 600 recordings made by Poole and others are currently being analyzed. Michael Pardo Researchers at Colorado State University applied the recordings to analyze elephant calls, including contact calls made when an elephant moves out of sight and greeting calls made when an elephant approaches another. The researchers knew which individual called out to each elephant and responded to each call.

The team's software was able to predict which individual was being spoken to in a quarter of cases, doing much better than chance.

The researchers then played some of the rumbling sounds to elephant pairs, including one that was “named,” and found that the named elephant responded more strongly, approaching the speaker faster, making quicker responses, and emitting more calls than its unnamed counterpart.

Dolphins and some bird species have been known to mimic the calls of calling animals to attract specific individuals. Elephants can learn to imitate soundsHowever, the team found no evidence that the elephants were imitating each other.

In other words, they appear to use arbitrary sounds as names, just like humans do, Poole said.

The analysis revealed whether different elephants share the same names for certain individuals, and each elephant may have its own unique name for the others.

“We have official names, but different people may call the same person by different nicknames,” Poole said. “That could be it. I guess we just don't know yet.”

“This is a very interesting study because there is evidence suggesting that not only do African elephants produce individual-specific vocalizations – which is commonly reported in many species – but, more importantly, that they respond specifically when they hear individual-specific vocalizations made by other elephants,” he says. Daniel Blumstein At the University of California, Los Angeles.

“The idea that elephants can use individually distinct vocalizations to attract specific individuals is novel and provocative, opening the door to a more nuanced understanding of the rich social lives of these animals,” he says.

“I think this result is very reasonable.” Torsten Balsby At Aarhus University in Denmark.

Balsby studies parrots that live in much larger groups, and he notes that learning names would be much harder in a large group of hundreds or thousands of birds. “Mimicking talking to other individuals is a simpler solution that doesn't require prior interaction,” he says.

A 2005 study reported that captive green parrots “vocally label” — or give names to — their peers, Balsby says. But they did so with different versions of contact calls, “so it may not be as arbitrary as elephants',” Balsby says.

Poole believes her work is just the beginning in understanding elephant communication: “Elephant communication has many complex layers that will take time to unravel, so I expect there will be many more exciting discoveries to come in the coming years,” she says.

For example, she thinks elephants might use place names: “When elephants make 'let's go' rumbles to indicate to other elephants in the herd which way they want to go, they may actually be telling them exactly where they want to go,” Poole says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

AI Used to Create Tom Cruise Deepfake Video Targeting Paris Olympics for Russia

Posted on June 4, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

According to a new report from Microsoft, Russia is engaging in a disinformation campaign targeting the Paris Olympics. This includes the use of a deepfake video featuring Tom Cruise as the narrator of a critical documentary about the organization behind the games. You can read the full report on Microsoft’s website.

Microsoft revealed that a network of pro-Russian groups is conducting a “malign influence campaign” against France, President Emmanuel Macron, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the upcoming games in Paris. Despite Russia’s ban from the 2024 Olympics, a few Russian athletes may still participate as neutrals.

One of the tactics used by the disinformation campaign was a fake video of Tom Cruise on Telegram titled “Olympics Has Fallen.” The video, a parody of the movie “Olympus Has Fallen,” falsely claimed to be a Netflix production, featured a fake Cruise voice, and criticized the IOC. Microsoft deemed this video to be a more sophisticated creation compared to typical influence campaigns. You can access the full report released on Monday for more information.

The fake video was attributed to a Kremlin-linked group called Storm1679, known for its history of deceiving US actors. Storm1679 has been spreading fear through various videos about potential violence during the Olympics, alongside fake news broadcasts impersonating Euronews and France 24 to instill false narratives about the event.

Social media accounts associated with Storm 1679 have also posted images of graffiti in Paris threatening violence against Israelis attending the Olympics. Microsoft reported that these images were likely digitally generated rather than physically present.

Russia has a history of trying to disrupt Olympic events, with strategies dating back to the Soviet Union’s boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Another Russian group, Storm-1099 or “Doppelganger,” has launched a fake French news site spreading allegations of corruption at the IOC and potential violence in Paris.

Microsoft warned that Russia’s disinformation efforts might expand to other languages and involve the use of automated accounts and generative AI systems to create convincing fake content. This mirrors similar Chinese attempts to spread disinformation using AI-generated materials, as detailed in a previous report by Microsoft.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Arbitrum Orbit and Gelato RaaS Join Forces to Create AI-Powered Layer 3 Gaming Solution on Blockchain

Posted on April 17, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Zug, Switzerland, April 17, 2024, Chainwire

abnormalityannounced the launch of the first AI-powered zero-gas layer 3 gaming platform leveraging play-to-airdrop mechanics to reach Telegram's 900 million daily active users.mounted arbitram orbit and use gelato Rollup as a service, Anomaly’s new Layer-3 fully abstracts the complexity of blockchain while leveraging an AI-enabled game engine to enable developers to create immersive, decentralized gaming experiences at unprecedented speed. We plan to redefine the gaming industry by allowing you to create.

Anomaly streamlines the UX of blockchain games with account abstraction, enables user onboarding through social platforms, and leverages SocialFi for game monetization. At the core of the new game layer 3 are: Abnormal SDKThis enables advanced AI features such as AI-driven matchmaking, decision-making, player model training, automatic quest creation, and asset generation in Web3 games. This aims to save developer time, address the cost challenges of AI integration, and significantly improve user engagement and experience within the Anomaly gaming ecosystem.

“At Anomaly, we are not just launching another gaming platform. We are pioneering a new paradigm for Web3 gaming, which will fundamentally change the blockchain gaming industry,” said Long Do, founder of Anomaly. says. “Anomaly Layer-3 acts as a decentralized gaming layer with a native AI technology stack to facilitate interoperability and platform experience.”

Utilization of Arbitrum anytrust DAC technology, the Anomaly Layer-3 Orbit chain inherits a fast, secure, and scalable execution environment, boasting 250ms block times with near-instantaneous transaction finality, processing thousands of transactions per second, It stands out as one of the fastest EVM Layer-3. Commercial roll-up. The chain features the native gas token $nom, which ensures smooth navigation between game areas.

“Anomaly’s implementation of the Arbitrum Orbit technology stack addresses fundamental problems encountered by blockchain games,” said Cooper Midroni, Product Manager at Offchain Labs. “The Anomaly Layer-3 ecosystem will allow on-chain games to offer the same level of fun and seamless experience as traditional games.”

The chain operates with a gasless user experience designed to provide a Web2-like user experience gameplay. Start with Gelato, Gelato's industry standard Web3 service. relay person, Web3 featuresand VRF. These services enable fully automated and immersive gaming experiences and provide a verified on-chain randomness source for fair gameplay. The chain will also soon be equipped with key infrastructure such as the Blockscout block explorer, which provides easy access to block, transaction, and address data, and a standard bridge UI serviced by Gelato.

“Anomaly came to us looking for a future-proof gaming platform that would support millions of users,” explained Hilmar Orth, founder of Gelato. “We have created a game-centric, full-service, auto-scalable, layer 3 infrastructure that allows Anomaly to attract community and liquidity, and ultimately support distribution.”

Anomaly Layer-3 will also leverage Gelato's latest Node-Sale-as-a-Service solution to sell validation node licenses and enable the community to participate in securing Anomaly's infrastructure. , harden rollup security. Anomaly's launch will feature a private sale of AI-based node NFTs to Telegram's early supporters, highlighting the platform's focus on a community-driven ecosystem. Additionally, Anomaly makes it easy for all users to operate their nodes using a cloud-based subscription that can be done by paying monthly directly within Telegram.

Anomaly is revolutionizing Web3 gaming by working with the Telegram, Discord, and Farcaster communities. This approach provides an in-platform gaming experience that accommodates users wherever they are, avoids onboarding challenges, abstracts blockchain complexity, and provides an experience comparable to Web2 gaming.

About anomalies

abnormality is an avant-garde AI game studio and layer 3 blockchain innovator poised to redefine gaming by fusing Web3 and SocialFi and leveraging AI to create immersive experiences. Anomaly is at the forefront of gaming evolution, focused on leveraging the synergies of AI and blockchain. The studio is dedicated to rapid game development and deployment, community engagement through social platforms, and innovative approaches to gaming, setting new benchmarks in interactive entertainment.

About Arbitram Foundation

of Arbitrum Founded in March 2023, the Foundation supports and grows the Arbitrum network and community by securely scaling Ethereum. Introduced in March 2023, Arbitrum Orbit is a permissionless path to launch customizable, dedicated L2 and L3 orbit chains using Arbitrum technology. Arbitrum Orbit leverages secure, scalable, and cost-effective blockchain scaling technology to enable features such as custom gas tokens, dedicated throughput, customizable permissions, and interoperability. Over 25 Orbit chains have been officially announced, and over 50 more are in active development to date.

About gelato

gelato All-in-one Ethereum rollup as a service platform Built without limits. Designed to be ultra-fast, incredibly secure, and infinitely scalable, Gelato Rollups provides full-service Layer 2 and Layer 3 chains that are natively integrated with industry-standard Web3 tools and services. Anyone can build, deploy, and launch a production-ready Web3 development environment. One click.

contact

head of marketing
Ella Jonas
Gelato Digital GmbH
press@gelato.digital

Source: the-blockchain.com

Elon Musk aims to streamline Tesla with 14,000 job cuts to create a more efficient automaker

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Tesla, the electric car manufacturer, is reducing its global workforce by more than 10%, which is approximately 14,000 jobs, in response to decreased demand and pricing pressures. CEO Elon Musk made this announcement in a memo that was initially reported by Elektrek. Tesla currently employs 140,473 individuals, as stated in its annual report.

Musk explained that Tesla’s rapid growth led to duplicated roles and responsibilities, necessitating these layoffs. He noted, “There’s nothing we hate more, but it has to be done. This allows us to be lean, innovative, and greedy for the next cycle of growth.”

This decision comes after a challenging start to the year for electric car companies, with Tesla reporting lower-than-expected car deliveries in the first quarter of 2024. The company attributed this decline to production challenges and a slowdown in global demand.

According to critics, including Ross Gerber from Gerber Kawasaki, Tesla’s sales dip in a growing economy highlights concerns about lack of advertising, competition, and leadership. The company aims to boost profit margins amidst price cuts and increased competition.

The layoffs reflect the broader trend of slowing growth in the electric vehicle market, impacting Tesla’s performance. Tesla’s stock has seen a decline in value, losing around a third of its market capitalization this year.

Additionally, Reuters reported that BP is scaling back its electric vehicle charging business, reducing its workforce by more than 10% to focus on commercial electric vehicles. The company cited a need for greater precision and effectiveness in achieving its goals.

Tesla has facilities across the US, Germany, and China. The company has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Source: www.theguardian.com