ScienceDaily: Technology - August 05, 2024
Top technology research news
A blueprint for building the future: Eco-friendly 3D concrete printing
Scientists are improving 3D concrete printing construction technology with rigorous research to make printable materials stronger, more sustainable and better performing.
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Scientists pin down the origins of the moon's tenuous atmosphere
Cold antimatter for quantum state-resolved precision measurements
Why does the universe contain matter and (virtually) no antimatter? Scientists have achieved an experimental breakthrough in this context. It can contribute to measuring the mass and magnetic moment of antiprotons more precisely than ever before -- and thus identify possible matter-antimatter asymmetries. They have developed a trap, which can cool individual antiprotons much more rapidly than in the past.
Custom implants on demand? Bandages for the heart? 3D printing method makes it possible
A team has developed a new way to 3D print material that is at once elastic enough to withstand a heart's persistent beating, tough enough to endure the crushing load placed on joints, and easily shapable to fit a patient's unique defects.
Solving the doping problem: Enhancing performance in organic semiconductors
Physicists have discovered two new ways to improve organic semiconductors. They found a way to remove more electrons from the material than previously possible and used unexpected properties in an environment known as the non-equilibrium state, boosting its performance for use in electronic devices.
Eye-tracking study provides valuable insights into learning mathematics
Eye-tracking allows studying aspects that cannot be seen, for example, the thinking processes of a student solving a mathematical problem. Researchers have integrated eye-tracking into education and are using the technology to radically improve the teaching of mathematics.
Healthy AI: Sustainable artificial intelligence for healthcare
Researchers investigated the environmental costs of AI, including energy consumption of AI systems in the medical field, carbon emissions of data centers, and electronic waste issues. Specific solutions to mitigate these environmental impacts were discussed, including the development of energy-efficient AI models, the implementation of green computing, and the use of renewable energy.
Dopamine physiology in the brain unveiled through cutting-edge brain engineering
Researchers have discovered a new correlation between neural signaling in the brain and dopamine signaling in the striatum. The human brain requires fast neural signal processing in a short period of less than a second. Dopamine is known to have the strongest effect on brain neural signals, but the research team's newly developed 'optical neural chip-based multiple brain signal monitoring technology' shows that changes in dopamine signals within the physiological range do not affect brain neural signal processing.
Precise package delivery in cells?
Researchers have developed new real-time microscopy technology and successfully observed the behavior of 'motor proteins', which may hold the key to unraveling the efficient material transport strategy of cells.
Method prevents an AI model from being overconfident about wrong answers
Thermometer, a new calibration technique tailored for large language models, can prevent LLMs from being overconfident or underconfident about their predictions. The technique aims to help users know when a model should be trusted.
'Smarter' semiconductor technology for training 'smarter' artificial intelligence
A research team has recently demonstrated that analog hardware using ECRAM devices can maximize the computational performance of artificial intelligence, showcasing its potential for commercialization.
Scientists have hypothesized that moir excitons -- electron-hole pairs confined in moir interference fringes which overlap with slightly offset patterns -- may function as qubits in next-generation nano-semiconductors. However, due to diffraction limits, it has not been possible to focus light enough in measurements, causing optical interference from many moir excitons. To solve this, researchers have developed a new method of reducing these moir excitons to measure the quantum coherence time and realize quantum functionality.
Sustainable catalysts: Crystal phase-controlled cobalt nanoparticles for hydrogenation
Controlling the crystal phase of cobalt nanoparticles leads to exceptional catalytic performance in hydrogenation processes, scientists report. Produced via an innovative hydrosilane-assisted synthesis method, these phase-controlled reusable nanoparticles enable the selective hydrogenation of various compounds under mild conditions without the use of harmful gases like ammonia. These efforts could lead to more sustainable and efficient catalytic processes across many industrial fields.
A new study places the origin of the Imazighen in the Epipaleolithic, more than twenty thousand years ago. The research concludes that the genetic origin of the current Arab population of north Africa is far more recent than previously believed, placing it in the seventh century AD. The team has designed an innovative demographic model that uses artificial intelligence to analyze the complete genomes of the two populations.
Sustainable and reversible 3D printing method uses minimal ingredients and steps
A new 3D printing method developed by engineers is so simple that it uses a polymer ink and salt water solution to create solid structures. The work has the potential to make materials manufacturing more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
New AI tool simplifies heart monitoring: Fewer leads, same accuracy
To diagnose heart conditions including heart attacks and heart rhythm disturbances, clinicians typically rely on 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) -- complex arrangements of electrodes and wires placed around the chest and limbs to detect the heart's electrical activity. But these ECGs require specialized equipment and expertise, and not all clinics have the capability to perform them. Scientists showed that, with help from an AI tool, cardiologists can diagnose heart attacks using a simpler, easier and more accessible electrocardiogram technology.
Engineering researchers crack the code to boost solar cell efficiency and durability
Photovoltaic (PV) technologies, which convert light into electricity, are increasingly applied worldwide to generate renewable energy. Researchers have now developed a molecular treatment that significantly enhances the efficiency and durability of perovskite solar cells. Their breakthrough will potentially accelerate the large-scale production of this clean energy.
Breakthrough in plant disease: New enzyme could lead to anti-bacterial pesticides
Scientists uncover a pivotal enzyme, XccOpgD, and its critical role in synthesizing C G16, a key compound used by Xanthomonas pathogens to enhance their virulence against plants. This breakthrough opens new avenues for developing targeted pesticides that combat plant diseases without harming beneficial organisms. Insights into XccOpgD's enzymatic mechanism and optimal conditions offer promising prospects for sustainable agriculture, bolstering crop resilience and global food security while minimizing environmental impact.
Recently, researchers developed a non-invasive method combining electrical impedance tomography and extracellular voltage activation to evaluate drug effects on ion channels. The resulting printed circuit board sensor allows real-time monitoring of how newly developed drugs can affect ion flow in channels, providing a cost-effective and accurate alternative to traditional methods like patch-clamp techniques and paving the way toward more efficient and shorter preclinical testing in the drug discovery process.
Proteins as the key to precision medicine: Finding unknown effects of existing drugs
Fewer side effects, improved chances of healing: the goal of precision medicine is to provide patients with the most individualized treatment possible. This requires a precise understanding of what is happening at the cellular level. Researchers have now succeeded in mapping the interactions of 144 active substances with around 8,000 proteins. The results could help to identify previously unknown potential benefits of existing drugs.
Researchers have developed a new model to explain the formation of giant planets such as Jupiter, which furnishes deeper insights into the processes of planet formation and could expand our understanding of planetary systems.
Modern behavior explains prehistoric economies
What if the 'Market Economy' always existed? Archaeologists tried to answer this question by researching how much Bronze Age people used to spend to sustain their daily lives. Their results show that, starting at least 3,500 years ago, the spending habits of prehistoric Europeans were not substantially different from what they are today.
Towards smart cities: Predicting soil liquefaction risk using artificial intelligence
Soil liquefaction that results in infrastructure damage has long been a point of contention for urban planners and engineers. Accurately predicting the soil liquefaction risk of a region could help overcome this challenge. Accordingly, researchers applied artificial intelligence to generate soil liquefaction risk maps, superseding already published risk maps.
Pursuing the middle path to scientific discovery
Scientists have made significant strides in understanding the properties of a ferroelectric material under an electric field. This breakthrough holds potential for advances in computer memory, lasers and sensors for ultraprecise measurements.
'Smarter' semiconductor technology for training 'smarter' artificial intelligence
Scientists develop next-generation semiconductor technology for high-efficiency, low-power artificial intelligence.
Precision oncology via artificial intelligence on cancer biopsies
An artificial intelligence method to detect biomarkers in tumor biopsies promises to cut weeks and thousands of dollars from cancer detection, extending the benefits of precision oncology to underserved and under-resourced patients.
The next generation of RNA chips
An international research team has succeeded in developing a new version of RNA building blocks with higher chemical reactivity and photosensitivity. This can significantly reduce the production time of RNA chips used in biotechnological and medical research. The chemical synthesis of these chips is now twice as fast and seven times more efficient.
AI creates 'more understandable' cardiology reports for patients
An artificial intelligence program created explanations of heart test results that were in most cases accurate, relevant, and easy to understand by patients.
Scientists devise method to secure Earth's biodiversity on the moon
New research led proposes a plan to safeguard Earth's imperiled biodiversity by cryogenically preserving biological material on the moon. The moon's permanently shadowed craters are cold enough for cryogenic preservation without the need for electricity or liquid nitrogen.
Significant strides in addressing the issue of AI 'hallucinations' and improving the reliability of anomaly detection algorithms.
The rotation of a nearby star stuns astronomers
Astronomers have found that the rotational profile of a nearby star, V889 Herculis, differs considerably from that of the Sun. The observation provides insights into the fundamental stellar astrophysics and helps us understand the activity of the Sun, its spot structures and eruptions.
AI opens door to safe, effective new antibiotics to combat resistant bacteria
In a hopeful sign for demand for more safe, effective antibiotics for humans, researchers have leveraged artificial intelligence to develop a new drug that already is showing promise in animal trials.
Researchers explore the potential of clean energy markets as a hedging tool
Clean energy investments offer potential stability and growth, especially during volatile market conditions. A recent study explored the relationship between clean energy markets and global stock markets. Significant spillovers were observed from major indices like the SP500 to markets such as Japan's Nikkei225 and Global Clean Energy Index. These interactions suggest opportunities for optimizing investment portfolios and leveraging clean energy assets as hedging tools in volatile market environments.
Improving Alzheimer's disease imaging -- with fluorescent sensors
Neurotransmitter levels in the brain can indicate brain health and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. However, the protective blood-brain barrier (BBB) makes delivering fluorescent sensors that can detect these small molecules to the brain difficult. Now, researchers demonstrate a way of packaging these sensors for easy passage across the BBB in mice, allowing for improved brain imaging. With further development, the technology could help advance Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and treatment.
A coating of solar cells with special organic molecules could pave the way for a new generation of solar panels. This coating can increase the efficiency of monolithic tandem cells made of silicon and perovskite while lowering their cost -- because they are produced from industrial, microstructured, standard silicon wafers.
Physicists use light to probe deeper into the 'invisible' energy states of molecules
Physicists have experimentally demonstrates a novel physical effect that was predicted 45 years ago. The effect will result in a new chemical analysis technique, to simultaneously identify molecular bonds and their 3D arrangement in space. This new technique will find applications in pharmaceutical science, security, forensics, environmental science, art conservation, and medicine.
Green hydrogen: 'Artificial leaf' becomes better under pressure
Hydrogen can be produced via the electrolytic splitting of water. One option here is the use of photoelectrodes that convert sunlight into voltage for electrolysis in so called photoelectrochemical cells (PEC cells). A research team has now shown that the efficiency of PEC cells can be significantly increased under pressure.
Unraveling a key junction underlying muscle contraction
Using powerful new visualization technologies, researchers have captured the first 3-D images of the structure of a key muscle receptor, providing new insights on how muscles develop across the animal kingdom and setting the stage for possible future treatments for muscular disorders.
Bright prospects for engineering quantum light
Computers benefit greatly from being connected to the internet, so we might ask: What good is a quantum computer without a quantum internet?
Super-black wood can improve telescopes, optical devices and consumer goods
Thanks to an accidental discovery, researchers have created a new super-black material that absorbs almost all light, opening potential applications in fine jewelry, solar cells and precision optical devices.
Mucus-based bio-ink could be used to print and grow lung tissue
Lung diseases kill millions of people around the world each year. Treatment options are limited, and animal models for studying these illnesses and experimental medications are inadequate. Now, researchers describe their success in creating a mucus-based bioink for 3D printing lung tissue. This advance could one day help study and treat chronic lung conditions.
Researchers develop general framework for designing quantum sensors
Researchers have designed a protocol for harnessing the power of quantum sensors. The protocol could give sensor designers the ability to fine-tune quantum systems to sense signals of interest, creating sensors that are vastly more sensitive than traditional sensors.
Scientists have revealed that injury dressings found in first-aid kits can reliably be used to identify shark species involved in bite incidents by deploying medical gauze to gather DNA samples from aquatic equipment, such as surfboards.
What no one has seen before -- simulation of gravitational waves from failing warp drive
Physicists have been exploring the theoretical possibility of spaceships driven by compressing the four-dimensional spacetime for decades. Although this so-called 'warp drive' originates from the realm of science fiction, it is based on concrete descriptions in general relativity. A new study takes things a step further -- simulating the gravitational waves such a drive might emit if it broke down.
Precise genetics: New CRISPR method enables efficient DNA modification
A research group has developed a new method that further improves the existing CRISPR/Cas technologies: it allows a more precise and seamless introduction of tags into proteins at the gene level. This technology could significantly improve research on proteins in living organisms and opens up new possibilities for medical research.
A tool for visualizing single-cell data
Modern cutting-edge research generates enormous amounts of data, presenting scientists with the challenge of visualizing and analyzing it. Researchers have developed a tool for visualizing large data sets. The sCIRCLE tool allows users to explore single-cell analysis data in an interactive and user-friendly way.
North Sea oil and gas extraction spikes pollution by 10,000 percent, study finds
North Sea oil and gas extraction can cause pollution to spike by more than 10,000 percent within half a kilometer around off-shore sites, a study has found. The research has uncovered the true impact on Britain's seabed life -- with the number of species plummeting nearly 30 percent near platforms.
Using the term 'artificial intelligence' in product descriptions reduces purchase intentions
Companies may unintentionally hurt their sales by including the words 'artificial intelligence' when describing their offerings that use the technology, according to a recent study. Researchers conducted experimental surveys with more than 1,000 adults in the U.S. to evaluate the relationship between AI disclosure and consumer behavior. The findings consistently showed products described as using artificial intelligence were less popular.
Breaking MAD: Generative AI could break the internet, researchers find
Researchers have found that training successive generations of generative artificial intelligence models on synthetic data gives rise to self-consuming feedback loops.
The corona is weirdly hot: Parker Solar Probe rules out one explanation
By diving into the sun's corona, NASA's Parker Solar Probe has ruled out S-shaped bends in the sun's magnetic field as a cause of the corona's searing temperatures.
Dark matter: A camera trap for the invisible
AI-powered image recognition could give researchers a new tool in hunt for dark matter.
Shape-shifting 'transformer bots' inspired by origami
Inspired by the paper-folding art of origami, engineers have discovered a way to make a single plastic cubed structure transform into more than 1,000 configurations using only three active motors.
Robotics: Self-powered 'bugs' can skim across water to detect environmental data
Researchers have developed a self-powered 'bug' that can skim across the water, and they hope it will revolutionize aquatic robotics.
Researchers trap atoms, forcing them to serve as photonic transistors
Researchers have developed a means to realize cold-atom integrated nanophotonic circuits.
Hair follicle models from the 3D printer
Hair follicle infections are often difficult to treat because bacteria settle in the gap between hair and skin, where it is difficult for active substances to reach them. In order to investigate this scenario more closely in the laboratory, researchers have now developed a model with human hair follicles embedded in a matrix produced using 3D printing. In the future, this model can be used to test the effectiveness of new drug candidates against corresponding pathogens directly on human follicles.
Faster, cleaner way to extract lithium from battery waste
Researchers uncover a rapid, efficient and environmentally friendly method for selective lithium recovery using microwave radiation and a readily biodegradable solvent.
Plant-inspired polymers for water purification
Researchers have synthesized a bio-inspired polymer for water purification. The polymer was designed to mimic phytochelatin, a plant protein that selectively captures and neutralizes harmful heavy metal ions. The hyperconfinement of the polymer enabled a flow-through system and effectively removed cadmium ions from contaminated water, making it safe to drink. The system was selective for heavy metals and provides a new way to remove specific contaminants from water.
Optical fibers fit for the age of quantum computing
A new generation of specialty optical fibers has been developed by physicists to cope with the challenges of data transfer expected to arise in the future age of quantum computing.