ScienceDaily: Technology - February 05, 2024
Top technology research news
One person can supervise 'swarm' of 100 unmanned autonomous vehicles
Research involving has shown that a 'swarm' of more than 100 autonomous ground and aerial robots can be supervised by one person without subjecting the individual to an undue workload.
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Scientist shows focused ultrasound can reach deep into the brain to relieve pain
Scientists have found soundwaves from low-intensity focused ultrasound aimed at a place deep in the brain called the insula can reduce both the perception of pain and other effects of pain, such as heart rate changes.
A sleeker facial recognition technology tested on Michelangelo's David
Many people are familiar with facial recognition systems that unlock smartphones and game systems or allow access to our bank accounts online. But the current technology can require boxy projectors and lenses. Now, researchers report on a sleeker 3D surface imaging system with flatter, simplified optics. In proof-of-concept demonstrations, the new system recognized the face of Michelangelo's David just as well as an existing smartphone system.
Unveiling Oxidation-induced Super-elasticity in Metallic Glass Nanotubes
Oxidation can degrade the properties and functionality of metals. However, a research team recently found that severely oxidized metallic glass nanotubes can attain an ultrahigh recoverable elastic strain, outperforming most conventional super-elastic metals. They also discovered the physical mechanisms underpinning this super-elasticity. Their discovery implies that oxidation in low-dimension metallic glass can result in unique properties for applications in sensors, medical devices and other nanodevices.
A physical qubit with built-in error correction
Researchers have succeeded in generating a logical qubit from a single light pulse that has the inherent capacity to correct errors.
Neptune-like exoplanets can be cloudy or clear
Astronomers have shown new atmospheric detail in a set of 15 exoplanets similar to Neptune. While none could support humanity, a better understanding of their behavior might help us to understand why we don't have a small Neptune, while most solar systems seem to feature a planet of this class.
Edge-to-edge assembly technique for 2D nanosheets
A research team develops edge-to-edge assembly technique for 2D nanosheets.
Scientists developed a new method to map exactly how a fungus works with leafcutter ants in a complex microbial community to degrade plant material at the molecular level. The team's insights are important for biofuels development.
Researchers 3D-print functional human brain tissue
It's an achievement with important implications for scientists studying the brain and working on treatments for a broad range of neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
AI learns through the eyes and ears of a child
Researchers have been skeptical that recent AI advances can tell us much about human learning and development. To address this, a team training an AI model, not on massive data, but on the input that a single child receives. Their findings showed that the model could learn a substantial number of words and concepts using limited slices of what the child experienced.
Photonics-based wireless link breaks speed records for data transmission
Researchers demonstrated a 300 GHz-band wireless link that was able to transmit data over a single channel at a rate of 240 gigabits per second. The wireless communication system employs signal generators based on lasers that have ultra-low phase noise in the sub-terahertz band. This rate is the highest so far reported at these frequencies and is a substantial step forward in 300 GHz-band communications for 6G networks.
Hexagonal copper disk lattice unleashes spin wave control
A collaborative group of researchers has potentially developed a means of controlling spin waves by creating a hexagonal pattern of copper disks on a magnetic insulator. The breakthrough is expected to lead to greater efficiency and miniaturization of communication devices in fields such as artificial intelligence and automation technology.
Theoretical predictions have been confirmed with the discovery of an outflow of molecular gas from a quasar when the Universe was less than a billion years old.
Physicists develop highly robust time crystal
Researchers recently succeeded in producing a highly durable time crystal that lived millions of times longer than could be shown in previous experiments. By doing so, they have corroborated an extremely interesting phenomenon that Nobel Prize laureate Frank Wilczek postulated around ten years ago and which had already found its way into science fiction movies.
Single proton illuminates perovskite nanocrystals-based transmissive thin scintillators
Researchers have developed a transmissive thin scintillator using perovskite nanocrystals, designed for real-time tracking and counting of single protons. The exceptional sensitivity is attributed to biexcitonic radiative emission generated through proton-induced upconversion and impact ionization.
Short X-ray pulses reveal the source of light-induced ferroelectricity in SrTiO3
Researchers have gained new insights into the development of the light-induced ferroelectric state in SrTiO3. They exposed the material to mid-infrared and terahertz frequency laser pulses and found that the fluctuations of its atomic positions are reduced under these conditions. This may explain why the dipolar structure is more ordered than in equilibrium and why the laser pulses induce a ferroelectric state in the material.
Key dynamics of 2D nanomaterials: View to larger-scale production
A team of researchers mapped out how flecks of 2D materials move in liquid -- knowledge that could help scientists assemble macroscopic-scale materials with the same useful properties as their 2D counterparts.
How to run a password update campaign efficiently and with minimal IT costs
Computer scientists found that email notifications to update passwords potentially yielded diminishing returns after three messages. They also found that a prompt to update passwords while users were trying to log in was effective for those who had ignored email reminders. Researchers also found that users whose jobs didn't require much computer use struggled the most with the update.
Promising heart drugs ID'd by cutting-edge combo of machine learning, human learning
Scientists have developed a new approach to machine learning -- a form of artificial intelligence -- to identify drugs that help minimize harmful scarring after a heart attack or other injuries.
Intensifying the production of high-value compounds from industrial waste
New research demonstrates how glycerol carbonate, a biosourced industrial additive, can be produced in record time using CO2 and a by-product of the cooking oil recycling industry. The process relies on a hybrid approach combining fundamental physical organic chemistry and applied flow process technology. Two industrial wastes are thus converted into glycerol carbonate, a biosourced rising star with high added-value.
Millions of tons of plastic waste enter the oceans each year. The sun's ultraviolet light and ocean turbulence break down these plastics into invisible nanoparticles that threaten marine ecosystems. In a new study, engineers have presented clear images of nanoplastics in ocean water off the coasts of China, South Korea and the United States, and in the Gulf of Mexico. These tiny plastic particles, which originated from such consumer products as water bottles, food packaging and clothing, were found to have surprising diversity in shape and chemical composition.
Swarming cicadas, stock traders, and the wisdom of the crowd
The springtime emergence of vast swarms of cicadas can be explained by a mathematical model of collective decision-making with similarities to models describing stock market crashes.
Engineers develop hack to make automotive radar 'hallucinate'
Engineers have demonstrated a system they've dubbed 'MadRadar' for fooling automotive radar sensors into believing almost anything is possible. The technology can hide the approach of an existing car, create a phantom car where none exists or even trick the radar into thinking a real car has quickly deviated from its actual course. And it can achieve this feat in the blink of an eye without having any prior knowledge about the specific settings of the victim's radar, making it the most troublesome threat to radar security to date.
Scientists make breakthrough in quantum materials research
Researchers describe the discovery of a new method that transforms everyday materials like glass into materials scientists can use to make quantum computers.
Bright galaxies put dark matter to the test
The earliest galaxies are thought to have formed as the gravitational pull of dark matter, which has been impossible to study directly, slowly drew in enough hydrogen and helium to ignite stars. But astrophysicists now show that after the Big Bang, hydrogen and helium gas bounced at supersonic speeds off dense, slowly moving clumps of cold dark matter. When the gas fell back in millennia later, stars formed all at once, creating small, exceptionally bright galaxies. If models of cold dark matter are correct, the James Webb Space Telescope should be able to find patches of bright galaxies in the early universe, potentially offering the first effective test for theories about dark matter. If it doesn't, scientists have to go back to the drawing board with dark matter.
The hottest catalog of the year: Comprehensive list of slow-building solar flares
Although solar flares have been classified based on the amount of energy they emit at their peak, there has not been significant study into differentiating flares since slow-building flares were first discovered in the 1980s. Scientists have now shown that there is a significant amount of slower-type flares worthy of further investigation.
Paper calls for patient-first regulation of AI in healthcare
A new paper describes how, despite widespread enthusiasm about artificial intelligence's potential to revolutionize healthcare and the use of AI-powered tools on millions of patients already, no federal regulations require that AI-powered tools be evaluated for potential harm or benefit to patients.
Bringing together real-world sensors and VR to improve building maintenance
A new system that brings together real-world sensing and virtual reality would make it easier for building maintenance personnel to identify and fix issues in commercial buildings that are in operation.
Researchers have successfully developed a new time-resolved atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique, integrating AFM with a unique laser technology. This method enables the measurement of ultrafast photoexcitation phenomena in both conductors and insulators, observed through changes in the forces between the sample and the AFM probe tip after an extremely short time irradiation of laser light. This advancement promises substantial contributions to the creation of new scientific and technological principles and fields.
Will electric fields lead the way to developing semiconductors with high power efficiency?
A joint research team has successfully induced polarization and polarity in metallic substances.
Machine learning guides carbon nanotechnology
Carbon nanostructures could become easier to design and synthesize thanks to a machine learning method that predicts how they grow on metal surfaces. The new approach will make it easier to exploit the unique chemical versatility of carbon nanotechnology.
Tracking unconventional superconductivity
At low enough temperatures, certain metals lose their electrical resistance and they conduct electricity without loss. This effect of superconductivity is known for more than hundred years and is well understood for so-called conventional superconductors. More recent, however, are unconventional superconductors, for which it is unclear yet how they work.
Groundbreaking genome editing tools unlock new possibilities for precision medicine
A team of researchers has achieved a major breakthrough in genome editing technology. They've developed a cutting-edge method that combines the power of designer-recombinases with programmable DNA-binding domains to create precise and adaptable genome editing tools.
Engineers unveil new patch that can help people control robotic exoskeletons
A new patch uses tiny needles to measure electrical signals in the human body with incredible accuracy, even when these devices are stretched or twisted.
Researchers discover new ways to excite spin waves with extreme infrared light
Researchers have developed a pioneering method to precisely manipulate ultrafast spin waves in antiferromagnetic materials using tailored light pulses.
Ambitious roadmap for circular carbon plastics economy
Researchers have outlined ambitious targets to help deliver a sustainable and net zero plastic economy. The authors argue for a rethinking of the technical, economic, and policy paradigms that have entrenched the status-quo, one of rising carbon emissions and uncontrolled pollution.
Decarbonizing the world's industries
Harmful emissions from the industrial sector could be reduced by up to 85% across the world, according to new research. The sector, which includes iron and steel, chemicals, cement, and food and drink, emits around a quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions -- planet-warming gases that result in climate change and extreme weather.
AI-powered app can detect poison ivy
To find poison ivy before it finds you, scientists have published a new study in which they show how they used artificial intelligence to confirm that an app can identify poison ivy. The app is not yet commercially available, nor is there a timetable for it to be available.
Researchers craft new way to make high-temperature superconductors -- with a twist
An international team has developed a new method to make and manipulate a widely studied class of high-temperature superconductors. This technique should pave the way for the creation of unusual forms of superconductivity in previously unattainable materials.
Superfluids could share characteristic with common fluids
Every fluid -- from Earth's atmosphere to blood pumping through the human body -- has viscosity, a quantifiable characteristic describing how the fluid will deform when it encounters some other matter. If the viscosity is higher, the fluid flows calmly, a state known as laminar. If the viscosity decreases, the fluid undergoes the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. The degree of laminar or turbulent flow is referred to as the Reynolds number, which is inversely proportional to the viscosity. However, this Reynolds similitude does not apply to quantum superfluids. A researcher has theorized a way to examine the Reynolds similitude in superfluids, which could demonstrate the existence of quantum viscosity in superfluids.
Geoengineering may slow Greenland ice sheet loss
Modeling shows that stratospheric aerosol injection has the potential to reduce ice sheet loss due to climate change.
Artificial muscles -- lighter, safer, more robust
Researchers have developed artificial muscles that are lighter, safer and more robust than their predecessors. The newly developed actuators have a novel type of shell structure and use a high-permittivity ferroelectric material that can store relatively large amounts of electrical energy. They therefore work with relatively low electrical voltage, are waterproof, more robust and safer to touch.
Sweat-resistant wearable robot sensor
A joint research team has developed a stretchable and adhesive microneedle sensor that can be attached to the skin and stably measure high-quality electrophysiological signals for a long period of time.
New breakthroughs for unlocking the potential of plasmonics
Plasmonics are unique light-matter interactions in the nanoscale regime. Now, a team of researchers has highlighted advances in shadow growth techniques for plasmonic materials, which have the potential to give rise to nanoparticles with diverse shapes and properties. They also introduce a method for large-scale production of nano-rotamers of magnesium with programmable polarization behavior, opening avenues for novel research applications.
BESSY II: Local variations in the atomic structure of High-Entropy Alloys
High-entropy alloys can withstand extreme heat and stress, making them suitable for a variety of specific applications. A new study at the X-ray synchrotron radiation source BESSY II has now provided deeper insights into the ordering processes and diffusion phenomena in these materials.
Small yet mighty: Showcasing precision nanocluster formation with molecular traps
Nanoclusters (NCs) of transition metals like cobalt or nickel have widespread applications in drug delivery and water purification, with smaller NCs exhibiting improved functionalities. Downsizing NCs is, however, usually challenging. Now, scientists have demonstrated functional NC formation with atomic-scale precision. They successfully grew cobalt NCs on flat copper surfaces using molecular arrays as traps. This breakthrough paves the way for advancements like single-atom catalysis and spintronics miniaturization.
Resin destroys coronavirus from plastic surfaces
Researchers are currently developing anti-viral surfaces to decrease the spread of infectious diseases. A recent study found that a resin ingredient is effective against coronaviruses and strongly decreases their infectivity on plastic surfaces.
A faster, more efficient imaging system for nanoparticles
Scientists have developed a new system for imaging nanoparticles. It consists of a high-precision, short-wave infrared imaging technique capable of capturing the photoluminescence lifetimes of rare-earth doped nanoparticles in the micro- to millisecond range.
Some plastic straws degrade quicker than others
Not all plastics are created the same, and some last longer in the ocean than others. Scientists have been working for years to quantify the environmental lifetimes of a wide range of plastic goods to see which have the shortest and longest lifespans in the ocean. To determine what plastics persist in the ocean, the team tests different products in large tanks that recreate the natural ocean environment.
Researchers propose AI-guided system for robotic inspection of buildings, roads and bridges
Our built environment is aging and failing faster than we can maintain it. Recent building collapses and structural failures of roads and bridges are indicators of a problem that's likely to get worse, according to experts, because it's just not possible to inspect every crack, creak and crumble to parse dangerous signs of failure from normal wear and tear. In hopes of playing catch-up, researchers are trying to give robotic assistants the tools to help inspectors with the job.
Structural color ink: Printable, non-iridescent and lightweight
A new way of creating color uses the scattering of light of specific wavelengths around tiny, almost perfectly round silicon crystals. This development enables non-fading structural colors that do not depend on the viewing angle and can be printed. The material has a low environmental and biological impact and can be applied extremely thinly, promising significant weight improvements over conventional paints.
Staggering structure in 19 nearby spiral galaxies
The James Webb Space Telescope observed 19 nearby face-on spiral galaxies in near- and mid-infrared light as part of its contributions to the Physics at High Angular resolution in Nearby GalaxieS (PHANGS) program.
Researchers leverage AI to develop early diagnostic test for ovarian cancer
Scientists have combined machine learning with information on blood metabolites to develop a new early diagnostic test that detects ovarian cancer with 93 percent accuracy.
Benchtop test quickly identifies extremely impact-resistant materials
Engineers developed a way to quickly test metamaterial architectures and their resilience to supersonic impacts. They plan to use it to identify new metamaterial designs that could form the basis for stronger and lighter protective gear, garments, coatings, and paneling.
Scientists pull off quantum coup
Scientists have discovered a first-of-its-kind material, a 3D crystalline metal in which quantum correlations and the geometry of the crystal structure combine to frustrate the movement of electrons and lock them in place.
Researchers spying for signs of life among exoplanet atmospheres
The next generation of advanced telescopes could sharpen the hunt for potential extraterrestrial life by closely scrutinizing the atmospheres of nearby exoplanets, new research suggests.
Astronomers spot 18 black holes gobbling up nearby stars
Scientists have identified 18 new tidal disruption events (TDEs) -- extreme instances when a nearby star is tidally drawn into a black hole and ripped to shreds. The detections more than double the number of known TDEs in the nearby universe.
Sound-powered sensors stand to save millions of batteries
Researchers are developing a new type of sensor that reacts to certain sound waves, causing it to vibrate. The sensor is a metamaterial that acquires its special properties through the structuring of the material. Passive sound-sensitive sensors could be used to monitor buildings, earthquakes or certain medical devices and save millions of batteries.
Global warming continues to pose a threat to human society and the ecological systems, and carbon dioxide accounts for the largest proportion of the greenhouse gases that dominate climate warming. To combat climate change and move towards the goal of carbon neutrality, researchers have developed a durable, highly selective and energy-efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) electroreduction system that can convert CO2 into ethylene for industrial purposes to provide an effective solution for reducing CO2 emissions.
Researchers control biofilm formation using optical traps
Researchers showed that biofilm formation can be controlled with laser light in the form of optical traps. The findings could allow scientists to harness biofilms for various bioengineering applications.