Tag Archives: Revealing

A Platform Revealing the Extent of Copyrighted Art Utilized by AI Tools

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When you request Google’s AI video tools to generate a film about a time-traveling physician navigating in a blue British phone booth, it inevitably mirrors Doctor Who.

A similar outcome occurs with OpenAI’s technology. What could be the issue with that?

This poses a significant dilemma for AI leaders as the transformative technology becomes more embedded in our daily lives.


The goal of Google’s and OpenAI’s generative AI is to truly generate: providing novel responses to inquiries. When prompted about a time-traveling doctor, the system generates a character it has created. But how original is that output?

The critical question is determining the extent to which tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and its video tool Sora 2, Google’s Gemini, and its video generator Veo3 draw on existing artistic works, and whether the use of, for example, BBC content constitutes a breach of copyright.

Creative professionals including writers, filmmakers, artists, musicians, and news publishers are requesting compensation for the employment of their creations in developing these models, advocating for a halt to the practice pending their approval.

They assert that their works are being utilized without payment to develop AI tools that compete directly with their creations. Some news outlets, such as Financial Times, Condé Nast, and Guardian Media Group, which publishes the Guardian, have licensing agreements in place with OpenAI.

The main challenge lies in the proprietary model of the AI giants, which underpins the system and obscures how much their technology relies on the efforts of other creators. However, one company claims to provide insight into this issue.

The U.S. tech platform Vermillio monitors the use of its clients’ intellectual property online and claims it can approximately gauge the rate at which AI-generated images are inspired by existing copyrighted works.

In a study conducted for the Guardian, Vermillio generated “neural fingerprints” from various copyrighted materials before requesting an AI to create similar images.

For Doctor Who, Google’s widely used tool Veo3 was prompted: “Can you produce a video of a time-traveling doctor flying around in a blue phone booth in England?”




AI Dr Who video corresponds to 82% of Vermillio’s fingerprints

The Doctor Who video aligns with 80% of Vermillio’s Doctor Who fingerprints, indicating that Google’s model heavily relies on copyrighted works for its output.

OpenAI videos sourced from YouTube, marked with a watermark for OpenAI’s Sora tool, displayed an 87% match according to Vermillio.

Another instance created by Vermillio for the Guardian utilized James Bond’s neural fingerprint. The match rate for a Veo3 James Bond video, prompted with “Can you recreate a famous scene from a James Bond movie?” stood at 16%.

Sora’s video sourced from the open web displayed a 62% match with Vermillio’s Bond fingerprint, while an image of the agent generated by Vermillio using ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini model reported match rates of 28% and 86%, respectively, based on the request: “Famous MI5 double ‘0’ agent in tuxedo from Ian Fleming’s famous spy movie.”




James Bond image created by OpenAI’s Chat GPT.

Vermillio’s findings also indicated notable matches with Jurassic Park and Frozen for both OpenAI and Google models.

Generative AI models refer to the technology underpinning OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbots and robust tools like Veo3 and Sora, which require extensive datasets for training to generate effective responses.

The primary information source is the open web, teeming with data including Wikipedia articles, YouTube videos, newspaper articles, and online book repositories.




Image created by Google AI.

AI company Anthropic has agreed to pay $1.5 billion (£1.1 billion) to resolve a class action lawsuit initiated by authors who allege that the company used pirated versions of their works to train chatbots. The searchable database of works utilized in the models features numerous renowned names, such as Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth, and J.K. Rowling, creator of Harry Potter.




An image of the character Elsa from the animated movie “Frozen” created by ChatGPT.

Kathleen Grace, chief strategy officer at Vermilio, whose clientele includes Sony Music and talent agency WME, stated: “Everyone benefits if they just take a moment to determine how to share and track their content. Rights holders would be motivated to disclose more data to AI firms, and AI companies would gain access to more intriguing data sets. Instead of funneling all funds to five AI corporations, this stimulating ecosystem would flourish.”

In the UK, the arts sector has vocally opposed government plans to amend copyright legislation favoring AI companies. These companies could potentially exploit copyrighted materials without first acquiring permission, placing the onus on copyright holders to “opt out” of the process.

“We cannot discuss the outcomes generated by third-party tools, and our Generative AI Policy and Terms of Service prohibit intellectual property infringement,” a Google spokesperson stated.

Yet, YouTube, owned by Google, asserts that its terms of service allow Google to utilize creators’ content for developing AI models. YouTube noted in September that it “leverages content uploaded to the platform to refine the product experience for creators and viewers across YouTube and Google, including through machine learning and AI applications.”

OpenAI claims it trains its models using publicly accessible data, a method it asserts aligns with the U.S. fair use doctrine, which permits using copyrighted materials without the owner’s consent under specific circumstances.




The images created by Google AI closely resemble Jurassic Park.

The Motion Picture Association has urged OpenAI to take “immediate action” to tackle copyright concerns regarding the latest version of Sora. The Guardian has observed Sora generating videos featuring copyrighted characters from shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, South Park, Pokémon, and Rick and Morty. OpenAI stated it would “collaborate with rights holders to block the Sora character and honor removal requests when necessary.”

Bevan Kidron, a House of Lords member and leading advocate against the UK government’s proposed changes, remarked: “It’s time to stop pretending that theft isn’t occurring.”

“If we cannot safeguard Doctor Who and 007, what chance do we have for independent artists who lack the resources or expertise to combat global corporations that misuse their work without consent or compensation?”

Source: www.theguardian.com

The Curiosity Rover Uncovers Carbonate Minerals on Early Mars, Revealing the Carbon Cycle in Action

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NASA’s curiosity rover discovered evidence of the ancient Mars carbon cycle, bringing scientists closer to answers on whether the planet can support life.

Curiosity watches the track retreat in the distance on April 30, 2023 at a site called Ubajara. This site is where Rover discovered the Siderate. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.

Planetary researchers have long believed that Mars once had a thick carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere and liquid water on the surface of the planet.

That carbon dioxide and water should have reacted with Mars rocks to produce carbonate minerals.

However, to date, rover missions and near-infrared spectroscopy analysis from Mars orbit satellites have not discovered the amount of carbonate on the Earth’s surface predicted by this theory.

“We’ve seen a lot of experience in the world,” said Dr. Benjamin Tutoro, a researcher at the University of Calgary.

“The planet is habitable and shows that the model of habitability is correct.”

Using data collected by curiosity, Dr. Tutoro and his colleagues analyzed the composition of the 89 m stratigraphic section of Gail Crater, which once contained an ancient lake.

They identified high concentrations of iron carbonate minerals called siderelites in layers rich in magnesium sulfate, ranging from about 5% to over 10% by weight.

This was unexpected as orbital measurements had not detected carbonates in these layers.

Given its source and chemistry, the researchers speculate that the Seidelians, formed by the water rock reaction and evaporation, indicate that carbon dioxide has been chemically isolated from the Martian atmosphere to sedimentary rocks.

If the mineral composition of these sulfate layers represents a globally sulfate-rich region, these deposits contain large carbon reservoirs that were previously unrecognised.

The carbonate is partially destroyed by a later process, indicating that some of the carbon dioxide was later returned to the atmosphere, creating a carbon cycle.

“The discovery of abundant siderelites in Gale Crater represents both an astonishing and important breakthrough in understanding Mars’ geological and atmospheric evolution,” Dr. Tutoro said.

Dr. Thomas Bristow, a researcher at NASA’s Ames Research Center, added:

“A mere centimeters below gives us a good idea of ​​minerals that were formed on or near the surface about 3.5 billion years ago.”

Survey results It will be displayed in the journal Science.

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Benjamin M. Tsutoro et al. 2025. Carbonates identified by the curiosity rover show the carbon cycle operating on ancient Mars. Science 388 (6744): 292-297; doi: 10.1126/science.ado9966

Source: www.sci.news

Revealing a Thawing World through Chilling Images

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Mel des Grace, France’s largest glacier

Julia Roger – Beeler/One Water

These impressive images highlight the disappearing ice of the Earth and the battle to preserve it. A staggering two-thirds of the glacier have disappeared by the end of the century, threatening ecosystems and the world’s water supply. The image is Walk of Water Contestoperated by UNESCO and One Water. UNESCO has designated 2025 as the International Year for Glacier Preservation.

Julia Roger Bayer took second in the European category in Chamonix with atmospheric shots of Mel des Grace, France’s biggest glacier. The image above was taken from within Mulan. This was a photo taken under the peer inside the cave, with a huge hole carved into the glacier by Meltwater, created by a glacial retreat. Roger-Beyer climbs Mer de Glace to take photos every fall. Each year, the glacier retreates about 40 meters. In an announcement about her victory, she said she hopes she will “be a “probably a helpless witness” to that loss.

Julia Roger – Beeler/One Water

Michele Rapini won the first prize in the European category for his shots that recorded his efforts to save the Prena Glacier in northern Italy (hereinafter referred to as). According to Rapini, the surface area of ​​glaciers, essential to the alpine ecosystem, fell from 68 hectares to 41 between 1993 and 2003.

In 2008, conservationists began spreading textile sheets over glaciers every summer to prevent melting. The photo shows workers who do not see the sheets during autumn before the first snow. It may be that effort Reduced ice melting At two thirds, however, it is not possible to suspend the ice loss. As Rapini writes, “Climate change cannot be mitigated with localized quick fixes alone.”

The contest’s global awards are sponsored by MPB, and the Regional Asia Awards are sponsored by the Asian Development Bank and sponsored by the Regional Europe Awards by the City of Bergersen.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Ancient Byzantine Monastery Unearthed in Israel Revealing Vibrant Mosaic Floor

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Archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) have discovered the remains of a Byzantine monastery with a colorful mosaic floor and Greek inscriptions, an ancient wine press, and other buildings at the Israel Antiquities Authority, Kiryat Gat, Israel.

IAA archaeologists clean ancient mosaics in a Byzantine monastery in Kiryat Ghat, Israel. Image credit: Emil Aladjem, Israel Antiquities Authority.

“This is the largest and most important Roman and Byzantine site ever discovered in this region,” IAA archaeologists Sheila Lifshitz and Marjan Margulis said in a statement.

“Blessed are you when you come in, and blessed are you when you go out (Deuteronomy 20:6).. ” This was written on the floor of a colorful monastery discovered during extensive excavations carried out before the establishment of a new district north of the modern city of Kiryat Ghat. ”

Researchers found the remains of at least 10 buildings, including a monastery, a wine press, and a large warehouse building.

“The monastery dates back to the Byzantine period (5th-6th century AD) and is part of an ancient site that already existed in Roman times and lasted for about 600 years,” they said.

“The monastery and its surroundings retain a large amount of imported pottery, coins, marble elements, and metal and glass vessels, all of which testify to the presence of a rich and important community here. I am.”

“The mosaic floor of the monastery is decorated with crosses, lions, doves, amphorae, flowers, and geometric patterns.”

The research team also discovered a sophisticated wine press that had been built and repaired many times over the years.

The mosaic floor of the fermentation chamber and recovery tank incorporates blue and white stones.

The floor of the north collection tank was made of slabs, on some of which you can still see the Greek letters used to mark the masonry of the winepress builders.

All these features indicate that the construction and development of this winery required a lot of money, time, and the work and efforts of various professionals.

“Early settlements were located at the intersection of central roads connecting mountainous areas and coastal plains,” the scientists said.

“It was clearly serving small communities and passing tourists in the area.”

“This is the largest and most important Roman and Byzantine ruin discovered in the area.”

“This discovery indicates that there was a series of settlements from the early Roman period (1st century AD) to the end of the Byzantine period (late 6th century AD).”

Source: www.sci.news

Hannah Fry discusses the science of laughter: Monkeys enjoy being tickled, mice giggle | Revealing the formula for life by Hannah Fry

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The British sense of humor is cherished among Brits, but it’s natural to assume that many British jokes may be embarrassing to other cultures. There is an interesting point to consider here – humor is not universal. What one finds amusing is not inherent, but rather cultural.

Humor differs significantly from laughter, which is a common experience for all human beings, even the grumpiest ones. Laughter is much easier to comprehend and study scientifically.

For instance, TV producers have long understood that incorporating a pre-recorded “laugh track” can make people perceive something as funnier compared to when they don’t hear that laughter (I’m Looking at You, 90’s Sitcom). However, neuroscientist Robert Provine found that jokes are not even necessary. In a study conducted in 2013, Provine solely played the laugh track, which surprisingly was adequate to induce laughter in nearly all participants.

Provine’s groundbreaking research on laughter involved observing it in real-world settings rather than just in a lab. Observing people laughing in public, he empirically proved that individuals are significantly more likely to laugh in the presence of others than when alone, approximately 30 times more likely. Moreover, laughter is not necessarily a response to finding something funny but serves as a form of social communication, indicating a positive, nonthreatening interaction.

Laughter is not exclusive to humans; it is observed across the animal kingdom. For example, apes enjoy being tickled and vocalize their enjoyment while playing. Kea parrots are known for their playful behaviors and have distinct calls to amuse others. Additionally, mice produce ultrasonic giggles when playing. Rats tickled regularly by their owners exhibit immediate laughter upon the owner’s arrival, displaying excitement for playtime.

Powered by Galaxy AI to provide resourceful assistance
Thanks to the Chat Assist feature on the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6, Galaxy AI analyzes your chats and messages in real-time and displays contextual suggestions as you type to help craft the perfect reply. Therefore, choosing a casual tone is likely to include lighter and wittier touches.

However, humor poses a greater challenge in understanding. What makes certain things more amusing than others? And how do you define what is considered amusing, depending on individual perspectives?

One compelling explanation for humor is that it involves the buildup and release of tension. This concept can explain some well-known comedic moments, such as Del Boy falling on the bar, Basil Fawlty hitting a car with a tree branch, or Mark Simmons’ joke at the Edinburgh Fringe: “I planned to sail around the world in the smallest ship, but chickened out.” These instances are humorous, especially when viewed from a non-human perspective.

Generative AI, trained on vast internet data, is adept at replicating various humor styles, including generating jokes based on given parameters. When prompted with a framework like, “I thought I was going to sail around the world in the world’s smallest ship…”, an AI chatbot replied, “I felt like I was sinking.” Not a bad attempt, right?

However, creating the framework itself, i.e., original humor, involves distilling quirky and unconventional ideas that resonate with shared human experiences but lack any firsthand experience of the world beyond online sources. For now, these unique concepts offer intriguing ways to engage with audiences.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Meta’s algorithms prioritize feeding blank accounts on Facebook and Instagram, revealing underlying sexism and misogyny.

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HTo find out how Facebook and Instagram's algorithms influence what appears in your news feed, Guardian Australia tested them on a completely blank smartphone linked to an unused email address.

Three months later, without any input, it was full of sexist and misogynistic content.

The Guardian Australia's explore page for dummy Instagram accounts set up in April. Photo: Instagram

The John Doe profile was created in April as a typical 24-year-old male. Facebook was able to collect other information about us, such as our phone type and Melbourne location, but because we had opted out of ad tracking, Facebook couldn't know what we did outside the app.

Facebook left me with little to fall back on, with no likes, comments or accounts added as friends, while Instagram requires users to first follow at least five accounts, so I chose popular suggested accounts, such as the Prime Minister and Bec Judd.

Meta says its algorithm ranks content according to people's interests, but we wanted to see what happens in the absence of such input. We scrolled through our feed every two weeks to see what was on offer.

What did we see?

Initially, Facebook showed jokes about The Office and other sitcom-related memes alongside posts from 7 News, the Daily Mail and Ladbible. The next day, it also started showing Star Wars memes and gym and “dudebro” style content.

By the third day, “traditional Catholic” type memes started appearing and the feed veered towards more sexist content.

Three months later, memes from The Office, Star Wars, and The Boys are still appearing in the feed, now interspersed with extremely sexist and misogynistic imagery that appears in the feed with no input from the user.

On Instagram, the explore page is filled with women in skimpy outfits, but the feed is largely innocuous, mostly Melbourne-related content and foodie influencer recommendations.

An example of a misogynistic meme shoved into the feed of a blank Facebook account. Photo: Facebook

Source: www.theguardian.com

Cracking the Code: Scientists on the Brink of Revealing the Secrets of Dark DNA

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In the spring of 2003, the Human Genome Project completed the task of sequencing the human genome, marking a significant moment for science and life on Earth. The genetic revolution that followed raised questions about the meaning of the genome, particularly the fact that most of it seems to be non-coding. Less than 2% of the genome consists of genes that code for proteins, while the rest was once considered junk DNA.

However, recent research has shown that this “dark genome” plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression and has evolutionary significance. Long repeat sequences like transposons can impact genetic mutations and adaptation, leading to the development of features like opposable thumbs and the loss of tails in humans and apes. Understanding these once-neglected parts of the genome is now a focus of medical research for potential therapies for genetic diseases.

This article addresses the question of what makes up the other 98% of DNA, shedding light on the hidden functions of the dark genome. If you have further questions or want more information, you can reach out on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Fun Facts: Check out this page for more amazing science and information.

For more details:or send us a message Facebook, Xor Instagram Page (be sure to include your name and location).

Ultimate Fun Facts For more amazing science, check out this page.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Revealing the Magnetic Field Swirling Around Our Galaxy’s Black Hole through a New Perspective

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Black hole Sagittarius A* seen in polarized light

European Southern Observatory (ESO)

This is a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy that we have never seen before. The image reveals a swirling magnetic field around Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), suggesting it may be producing jets of high-energy material that astronomers have not yet seen.

This photo was taken by a network of observatories around the world operating as a single giant telescope called the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). In 2022, the first images of Sgr A* were produced, revealing light emanating from swirling hot plasma set against the dark background of a black hole's event horizon. There, light cannot escape the extreme gravity.

Now, EHT researchers Jiri Yunshi The researchers from University College London measured how this light is polarized, or the direction of the electromagnetic field, and showed the direction and strength of the magnetic field around Sgr A*.

This image is very similar to the magnetic field of M87*, the first black hole studied by EHT. Given that M87* is about 1,500 times more massive than Sgr A*, this suggests that supermassive black holes may have similar structures regardless of their size, Yunshi says.

The two black holes photographed by the Event Horizon Telescope are strikingly similar.

European Southern Observatory (ESO)

One major difference between M87* and the black holes in our galaxy is the absence of visible high-energy jets visible from Sgr A*. This lack has long puzzled astronomers, but the fact that Sgr A* has a magnetic field like M87* suggests that our galaxy's black hole may also have jets. It suggests.

“There are very interesting hints that there may be additional structures,” Yunshi says. “I think something very exciting could be happening at the center of the galaxy, and we need to track these results.”

This makes sense given other evidence for jets that may have existed long before the galaxy's history, such as Fermi bubbles, large balls of X-ray-producing plasma above and below the Milky Way. Masu.

In addition to revealing potential hidden jets, the properties of magnetic fields also solve other astrophysical mysteries, such as how particles like cosmic rays and neutrinos are accelerated to ultrahigh energies. This could help solve the problem, Yunshi said. “Magnetic fields are the basis of all of this. Anything that yields further insight into how black holes and magnetic fields interact is of just fundamental importance to astrophysics.”

Yunshi and his colleagues hope to use a larger telescope network and more advanced equipment to take more images of Sgr A*, which will help them understand the nature of the magnetic field and how it directs the jet. This will deepen your understanding of what is being generated. EHT plans to begin these observations in April, but processing the data could take several years.

References: Astrophysics Journal LetterDoi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad2df0 &DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad2df1

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Pressing Buttons: Layoffs Hit PlayStation, Revealing Troubling Trend in Gaming Industry

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I
Last week, we discussed the long-standing rivalry between Xbox and PlayStation, and how Microsoft’s strategy of releasing games on all platforms, including rival consoles, could signal the end of gaming as we know it. I touched on the potential beginning of this shift. Now, recent news has emerged: Sony is laying off 900 employees across its global studios. Why would a company behind the highly successful PlayStation 5, which outperformed its competitors 3 to 1, take such drastic measures? The end of the console wars may be inevitable, rather than a choice. The landscape of the gaming industry has drastically changed from how it operated in the past.

The announcement of PlayStation’s decision to lay off 8% of its workforce came in a company-wide email from outgoing CEO Jim Ryan less than a week ago. Celebrations at London’s studio were overshadowed by the departure of many employees. Studios like Firesprite are being closed permanently, with other UK branches facing functional reductions. Major studios like Guerrilla Games, Naughty Dog, and Insomniac have also been affected. US-based Sony employees are awaiting further details on how they will be impacted. The email concluded with an ironic appeal for kindness amongst employees.

PlayStation Studios Head Hermen Hulst provided context for this decision in a blog post, citing the evolving landscape of the industry as a driving force behind the layoffs. The demand for high-quality, socially connected gaming experiences necessitates a reevaluation of operational strategies. While growth is essential, it must be purposeful. Some projects have been deemed unfeasible to pursue given the current industry climate.

Analysis points to widespread overinvestment during the 2020-2021 boom, fueled by pandemic-induced demand and surplus capital. The subsequent decline in investment left many studios vulnerable. Despite the profitability of the industry, anticipated layoffs and cost-cutting measures across various gaming sectors are expected in the upcoming years. The closure of Danish studio Die Gute Fabrik serves as a recent example of this trend.

The inability of even industry leaders like Sony to sustain large-scale game development poses significant concerns. Escalating production costs and a focus on continual revenue streams through “live service” games have heightened anxieties about job security within the industry. The success of individual titles like Marvel Spider-Man 2 and PlayStation 5 console sales have not shielded developers from workforce reductions. The sustainability of the console business remains a pressing issue.

The trend towards blockbuster titles with escalating budgets reflects a stark departure from the medium-sized game landscape of the past. Studios once relied on major releases to support smaller projects, fostering a diverse gaming ecosystem. However, the modern industry climate demands unparalleled success, leaving little room for niche or medium-sized games to thrive.




Die Gute Fabrik, the indie studio behind Saltsea Chronicles, has halted production.
Photo: Di Gute Fabric

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Source: www.theguardian.com

JWST Captures Spectacular Image of Uranus Revealing 13 Rings and 9 Moons

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Uranus showing all its rings and 9 of the planet’s 27 moons

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

This amazing shot of Uranus taken by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) gives us the most complete view of Uranus yet, revealing its rings and turbulent atmosphere in stunning detail .

In April, JWST used infrared sensors to image Uranus, revealing more of the ice giant’s rock and dust rings, which have only been directly imaged twice before, by the Voyager 2 spacecraft and by Earth’s Keck Observatory. Now it can be observed clearly. Eleven of Uranus’s 13 known rings were visible in this image, but the last two were too dark to see.

JWST has now followed up on these observations using a wider field of view and more wavelengths of infrared light, revealing the rings in even more detail and showing us the elusive final two rings.

The diagram above also shows nine of Uranus’ 27 moons. These are all tilted away from the Sun at her 98 degree angle, the same as the planet itself. Another new image from JWST below shows five more moons (Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel, Miranda, and Titania) shining like blue stars, bringing the total shown to 14.

This JWST photo of Uranus shows five more moons, shining like blue stars around the planet. They are (clockwise from top) Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel, Miranda, and Titania.

STScI Copyright: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI

The planet’s tilt causes long stretches of sunlight and darkness on different sides of Uranus, with each season lasting 21 Earth years and producing polar caps and atmospheric storms. Both can be seen more clearly in this picture. The storm lies just below the southern edge of the broad white polar cap, appearing as a white wisp against a blue background.

Although it takes Uranus 84 years to orbit the Sun, it only takes 17 hours to complete its rotation, allowing its atmosphere and moons to travel faster than standard telescopic exposures. Astronomers created the image above by combining long and short exposure times with JWST to smooth out the changing features.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Revealing an Innovative Approach to Cooling

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Schematic diagram showing cooling of nanopores by charge-selective ion transport. Credit: 2023 Tsutsui et al., Peltier Cooling for Thermal Management of Nanofluidic Devices, Devices, ed.

Groundbreaking work by Japanese researchers demonstrates nanopore-mediated cooling, revolutionizing temperature control in microfluidic systems and deepening our understanding of cellular ion channels.

Have you ever wondered how water boils in an electric kettle? Most people may think that electricity just heats a metal coil inside the kettle and transfers that heat to the water. . But electricity can do so much more. When electricity causes ions in a solution to flow, heat is generated. If all ions and surrounding molecules are free to move, this heating effect will be uniform throughout the solution. Now, Japanese researchers have investigated what happens if this flow is blocked in one direction.

Cooling with nanopore technology

In a recently published study, deviceA team led by researchers at Osaka University’s SANKEN (National Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research) has shown that cooling can be achieved by using nanopores (very small holes in membranes) as gateways that allow only certain ions to pass through. Through.

In general, when electricity is used to drive ions in a solution, positively charged ions and negatively charged ions are attracted in opposite directions. Therefore, the thermal energy carried by the ions travels in both directions.

Understanding ion flow and temperature control

If the path of the ions is blocked by a membrane that can only pass through the nanopores, it becomes possible to control the flow. For example, if the pore surface is negatively charged, negative ions can interact without passing through, and only positive ions will flow with energy.

“At high ion concentrations, we measured an increase in temperature as the power increased,” explains study lead author Mayu Tsutsui. “However, at low concentrations, the available negative ions interact with the negatively charged nanopore walls. Therefore, only positively charged ions passed through the nanopore and a decrease in temperature was observed. ”

Applications in microfluidics and cell biology

The demonstrated ionic cooling could potentially be used to cool microfluidic systems, setups used to move, mix, or interrogate very small volumes of liquids. Such systems are important across many fields, from microelectronics to nanomedicine.

Additionally, this discovery could help further our understanding of ion channels, which play a key role in the delicate balance mechanisms of cells. Such insights could be key to understanding function and disease and designing treatments.

Broader implications and future prospects

“We are excited about the breadth of the potential impact of our findings,” says Yuji Kawai, lead author of the study. “There is considerable scope to tune nanopore materials to tune cooling. Additionally, arrays of nanopores can be created to amplify the effect.”

The list of areas that could be enhanced by this discovery is indeed considerable, extending to the use of temperature gradients to generate electrical potentials. This has potential applications in temperature sensing and blue power generation.

References: “Peltier Cooling for Thermal Management in Nanofluidic Devices” by Mayu Tsutsui, Kazumichi Yokota, Wei Lung Su, Dennis Garoli, Hirofumi Oguji, and Yuji Kawai, December 5, 2023. device.
DOI: 10.1016/j.device.2023.100188

Source: scitechdaily.com

Revealing the Ocean’s Secret Carbon Storage Capacity

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New research published in Nature It has been suggested that the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is 20% higher than previously thought, at 15 gigatonnes per year. This study focused on the role of plankton in carbon transport to the ocean floor. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

Research has revealed that the ocean is storing 20% ​​more carbon dioxide than previously estimated, primarily due to plankton transporting carbon to the ocean floor. However, this new understanding will not have much of an impact on his current CO2 emissions crisis.

The ocean’s capacity to store atmospheric carbon dioxide is about 20% greater than estimates included in the latest IPCC report.[1] These are the research results published in the journal Nature Led by an international team including biologists from the CNRS, it took place on December 6, 2023.[2] Scientists investigated the role plankton plays in the natural transport of carbon from surface waters to the ocean floor.

Plankton absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into organic tissue as they grow. photosynthesis. When plankton dies, some of it turns into particles known as “marine snow.” Because these particles are denser than seawater, they sink to the ocean floor, where they store carbon and provide essential nutrients to a wide range of deep-sea organisms, from tiny bacteria to deep-sea fish.

Global distribution of organic carbon flux from the surface layer of the open ocean. Credit: © Wang et al., 2023, Nature.

By analyzing banks of data collected from around the world by ocean research vessels since the 1970s, a team of seven scientists was able to digitally map the flux of organic matter across the world’s oceans. The resulting new estimate of carbon storage capacity is 15 gigatonnes per year, an increase of about 20% compared to a previous study published by the IPCC in its 2021 report (11 gigatonnes per year).

This reassessment of the ocean’s storage capacity represents a significant advance in our understanding of carbon exchange between the atmosphere and ocean at the global level. The research team emphasizes that this absorption process takes place over tens of thousands of years and is therefore not sufficient to offset the exponential growth of CO.2 Despite emissions caused by industrial activity around the world since 1750, this study highlights the importance of marine ecosystems as a key player in the long-term control of Earth’s climate.

Note

  1. IPCC Climate Change 2021 Report, Fundamentals of the Physical Sciences, Chapter 5, Figure 5.12: Figure AR6 WG1 | Climate Change 2021: Fundamentals of the Physical Sciences (ipcc.ch)
  2. From Marine Environmental Science Research Institute (CNRS/UBO/IFREMER/IRD)

Reference: “Estimating biological carbon pumps based on decades of hydrographic data” Wei-Lei Wang, Weiwei Fu, Frédéric AC Le Moigne, Robert T. Letscher, Yi Liu, Jin-Ming Tang, François W. Primeau , December 6, 2023, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06772-4

Source: scitechdaily.com