Tag Archives: exceptionally

The animation in ChatGpt’s Studio Ghibli-inspired style is exceptionally well done

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Creating animated films like those by the renowned Japanese filmmaker Miyazaki Hayao is a meticulous process that cannot be rushed. The intricate hand-drawn details require time and attention, often taking years to complete.

Alternatively, ChatGPT offers the ability to transform old photos into Miyazaki-style artwork within seconds.

Many users have already utilized this feature following Openai’s update to ChatGPT, enhancing its image generation capabilities. Users can now see photos rendered in the Studio Ghibli style, evoking the essence of films like “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away.”

Some users have shared Ghibli-style images on social media, ranging from selfies and family photos to memes. While some have used the technology to create renderings of darker images, like the 9/11 attacks or the murder of George Floyd.

Sam Altman, the CEO of Openai, humorously changed his profile picture to X’s. He jokingly mentioned the sudden rise in popularity of filters overshadowing his previous work.

A dietitian named Kouka Webb, residing in Tribeca, transformed her wedding photos into Studio Gibrick Frames. Having grown up in Japan, she found joy in stylizing herself and her husband in a nostalgic manner.

Webb shared one of these stylized photos on Tiktok and received criticism for using AI instead of human artists.

Some online users have raised concerns about the use of image generation technologies. Referring to a 2016 documentary where Miyazaki criticized AI as “an insult to life itself,” the recent surge in filters and AI art has sparked a debate.

As AI platforms gain more power and popularity, creatives including writers, actors, musicians, and artists express their frustrations about their work potentially being replicated.

In 2024, prominent figures like writer Ishikawa, actor Julianne Moore, and musician Thom Yorke signed an open letter criticizing the unauthorized use of creative works in AI models like ChatGPT.

The New York Times filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Openai and Microsoft, alleging the unauthorized use of publicly available works to train AI.

Some users, like sculptor Emily Belganza, have used ChatGPT to create Ghibli-style photos from memes, expressing concerns about the impact of such technology on creative work.

Openai spokesperson Taya Christianson emphasized the platform’s efforts to balance creative freedom while taking a conservative approach to image generation updates.

Belganza mentioned her evolving thoughts on the integration of AI into society, acknowledging the need to adapt to these advancements while preserving artistic identity.

Source: www.nytimes.com

What your body appears like under an exceptionally strong magnifying tool

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Imagine being able to visualize every aspect of our bodies, from our genes to the smallest cells that make up our organs. Scientists are now working on creating a comprehensive directory known as the Human Cell Atlas.

Think of it as a GPS for cells in the body, containing information on how cells evolve over time. This groundbreaking study, spanning 40 research papers, could potentially unravel major scientific mysteries such as bone formation, arthritis, and Crohn’s disease development.

Researchers have already gathered data on over 100 million cells from more than 10,000 individuals, with hopes of incorporating this information in the final atlas, which could potentially include billions of cells.

Professor Sarah Teichmann, the founding co-chair of the Human Cell Atlas and a researcher at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, stated, “This new level of insight into specific genes, mechanisms, and cell types within tissues lays the foundation for more accurate diagnosis, innovative drug discovery, and advanced regenerative medicine approaches.”

One significant milestone in the project focuses on the digestive system. By compiling data from 1.6 million cells, researchers have created an intricate map of intestinal cells, detailing their types, locations, and interactions within the body – the most detailed map of its kind.

Utilizing sophisticated techniques such as computer analysis and artificial intelligence (AI), researchers isolated individual cells and identified them, demonstrating the potential for AI in disease diagnosis.

A new approach similar to a “reverse image search” is being employed by researchers to aid in disease diagnosis, potentially revolutionizing the field.

Two striking images from the study stand out:

Image credit: Nathan Richoz University of Cambridge

This captivating image displays a magnified view of lung tissue, shedding light on the body’s response to COVID-19.

Image credits: Grace Burgin, Noga Rogel, Moshe Biton, Klarman Cell Observatory, Broad Institute

While it may resemble an artistic beach scene, this image actually depicts the intricate structures of the small intestine, a crucial organ in the digestive process.

Read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

CERN physicists witness exceptionally rare hyperon decay

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A hyperon is a particle that contains three quarks, like a proton or a neutron, and one or more strange quarks. Physicists from the LHCb collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN say they have observed a hyperon decay Σ+→pμ+μ- in proton-proton collisions.

A view of the LHCb detector. Image courtesy of CERN.

“Rare decays of known particles are a promising tool for exploring physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics,” said the LHCb physicist.

“In the Standard Model, the Σ+ → pμ+μ- process is only possible through a loop diagram, meaning that the decay does not occur directly, but intermediate states have to be exchanged within the loop.”

“In quantum field theory, the probability of such a process occurring is the sum of the probabilities of all particles, both known and unknown, that can possibly be exchanged in this loop.”

“This is what makes such processes sensitive to new phenomena.”

“If a discrepancy is observed between experimental measurements and theoretical calculations, it may be caused by the contribution of some unknown particle.”

“These particles can either be exchanged within the loop or directly mediate this decay, interacting with the quarks and decaying into pairs of muons.”

“In the latter case, the new particle would leave a signature on the properties of the two muons.”

The study of the Σ+ → pμ+μ- decay has been particularly exciting thanks to hints of structure observed in the properties of muon pairs by the HyperCP collaboration in 2005.

With only three occurrences the structure was far from conclusive, and it was hoped that new research would shed light on the situation.

Finally, the LHCb data did not show any significant peak structure in the two-muon mass region highlighted by HyperCP, thus refuting the hint.

However, the new study observes the decay with a high degree of significance, followed by precise measurements of the decay probability and other parameters, which will allow further investigation of the discrepancy with the Standard Model predictions.

“In data collected in Run 2 of pp collisions at the LHCb experiment, the Σ+ → pμ+μ− decay is observed with very high significance, with a yield of NΣ+→pμ+μ− = 279 ± 19,” the authors write in their paper. paper.

“We do not see any structure in the two-muon invariant mass distribution that is consistent with the Standard Model predictions.”

“The collected signal yield allows for measurements of integral and differential branching rates, as well as other measurements such as charge-parity symmetry breaking and front-to-back asymmetry.”

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LHCb Collaboration. 2024. Observation of rare Σ+→pμ+μ− decays at LHCb. CERN-LHCb-CONF-2024-002

Source: www.sci.news

Exceptionally well-preserved fossil unveils intricate 3D anatomy of Cambrian trilobite

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Paleontologists have unearthed a well-preserved collection of Cambrian trilobite fossils in Morocco's High Atlas Mountains. The 510-million-year-old specimens are among the best-preserved three-dimensional trilobite fossils ever found.

Artistic reconstruction of two species of trilobites shortly before they were buried under volcanic ash flows 510 million years ago. Image by Abderrazak El Albani, University of Poitiers.

Trilobites are extinct arthropods that dominated the marine fauna of the Paleozoic Era.

During their lifetime on Earth, which lasted much longer than the dinosaurs, they survived two major extinctions and dominated undersea ecosystems.

Trilobites are among the best-studied marine animal fossils because their hard, calcified exoskeletons are well preserved in the fossil record.

Over the past two centuries, paleontologists have described more than 20,000 species of organisms.

However, until now, comprehensive scientific understanding of this incredibly diverse group has been limited by the relative lack of soft tissue preservation.

“I've been studying trilobites for nearly 40 years but I've never felt as though I was looking at a living animal as I did in this case,” said Dr Greg Edgecombe, a palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum in London.

“I've seen a lot of representations of the soft-body anatomy of trilobites, but the 3D preservation here is truly astounding.”

“An unexpected outcome of our research is the discovery that shallow marine volcanic ash could be a huge repository for the preservation of exceptional fossils.”

The Moroccan trilobite was encased in hot ash in seawater, so its body fossilized very quickly as the ash turned to rock.

The ash molds preserved parts of their bodies, their legs, and even the hair-like structures running along their appendages.

The trilobite's digestive tract was also preserved after being buried in the ash.

Tiny “lamp shells” attached to the trilobite's exoskeleton also remained attached by fleshy stalks, just as they were when the animal was alive.

Microtomographic reconstruction of trilobite species. Zygothera mauretanica Ventral view. Image courtesy of Arnaud Mazurier, IC2MP, University of Poitiers.

Using CT scans and computer modelling of virtual X-ray slices, the researchers found that an appendage found at the edge of the mouth had a curved, spoon-like base, but was so small that it went undetected in the less well-preserved fossils.

In fact, while trilobites were previously thought to have three pairs of head appendages behind their long antennae, this study shows that both Moroccan species have four pairs.

The fleshy leaf-like part covering the mouth, called the labia, was recorded for the first time in a trilobite.

“The results reveal in incredible detail the clustering of specialised pairs of legs around the mouth, giving us a clearer picture of how trilobites fed,” said Dr Harry Burks, a palaeontologist at the University of Bristol.

“We found that the head and body appendages had rows of densely packed spines that pointed inwards, like those of today's horseshoe crabs.”

“As a scientist who has studied fossils from different times and places, finding such amazingly well-preserved fossils in a volcanic area was a very exciting experience for me,” said geologist Professor Abderrazak El Albani of the University of Poitiers.

“I believe that pyroclastic deposits should become new research subjects because of their excellent potential for capturing and preserving biological remains, including delicate soft tissues.”

“These discoveries are expected to lead to important discoveries about the evolution of life on Earth.”

The results of this study today are journal Science.

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Abderrazak El Albani others2024. Rapid volcanic ash deposition reveals 3D structure of Cambrian trilobite. Sciencein press.

Source: www.sci.news