ScienceDaily: Technology - November 06, 2023
Top technology research news
Photo battery achieves competitive voltage
Researchers have developed a monolithically integrated photo battery using organic materials. The photo battery achieves an unprecedented high discharge potential of 3.6 volts. The system is capable of powering miniature devices.
Iaremenko Sergii/shutterstock.com
Vacuum in optical cavity can change material's magnetic state without laser excitation
Researchers in Germany and the USA have produced the first theoretical demonstration that the magnetic state of an atomically thin material, ?-RuCl3, can be controlled solely by placing it into an optical cavity. Crucially, the cavity vacuum fluctuations alone are sufficient to change the material's magnetic order from a zigzag antiferromagnet into a ferromagnet.
Charged 'molecular beasts' the basis for new compounds
Mass spectrometers are high-tech machines that play an important role in our society. They are highly sensitive analytical instruments that are indispensable in areas such as medical diagnostics, food quality control and the detection of hazardous chemical substances. A research group is working to modify mass spectrometers so that they can be used for a completely different purpose: the chemical synthesis of new molecules.
Predicting saltwater intrusion into groundwater using Plymouth, Mass. as test case
As the world warms and ice sheets melt, the ocean continually rises. The greater Boston area can expect to see between one and six feet of sea level rise by 2100, according to recent estimates. To find out what this rise might mean for freshwater supplies, a team of hydrogeologists developed an innovative new model that can not only predict saltwater intrusion over the next 75 years, but also pinpoint the main sources of salt contamination today -- road salt and human development.
Researchers develop solid-state thermal transistor for better heat management
A team of researchers has unveiled a first-of-its-kind stable and fully solid-state thermal transistor that uses an electric field to control a semiconductor device's heat movement. The group's study details how the device works and its potential applications. With top speed and performance, the transistor could open new frontiers in heat management of computer chips through an atomic-level design and molecular engineering. The advance could also further the understanding of how heat is regulated in the human body.
New designs for solid-state electrolytes may soon revolutionize the battery industry
Researchers have announced a major breakthrough in the field of next-generation solid-state batteries. It is believed that their new findings will enable the creation of batteries based on a novel chloride-based solid electrolyte that exhibits exceptional ionic conductivity.
New observations down to light-year scale of the gas flows around a supermassive black hole have successfully detected dense gas inflows and shown that only a small portion (about 3 percent) of the gas flowing towards the black hole is eaten by the black hole. The remainder is ejected and recycled back into the host galaxy.
Stronger, stretchier, self-healing plastic
An innovative plastic, stronger and stretchier than the current standard type and which can be healed with heat, remembers its shape and partially biodegradable, has been developed. They created it by adding the molecule polyrotaxane to an epoxy resin vitrimer, a type of plastic. Named VPR, the material can hold its form and has strong internal chemical bonds at low temperatures.
AI should be better understood and managed -- new research warns
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and algorithms can and are being used to radicalize, polarize, and spread racism and political instability, says an academic. An expert argues that AI and algorithms are not just tools deployed by national security agencies to prevent malicious activity online, but can be contributors to polarization, radicalism and political violence -- posing a threat to national security.
Contrary to common belief, artificial intelligence will not put you out of work
New research is providing insights for business leaders on how work experience affects employees interacting with AI.
Two million European households could abandon the electrical grid by 2050
Researchers report that 53% of European freestanding homes could have supplied all their own energy needs in 2020 using only local rooftop solar radiation, and this technical feasibility could increase to 75% in 2050. The study shows that there is no economic advantage for individual households to be fully self-sufficient under current or future conditions, though in some cases the costs are on par with remaining on-grid. The researchers estimate that self-sufficiency will be economically feasible for 5% (two million) of Europe's 41 million freestanding single-family homes in 2050, if households are willing to pay up to 50% more than the cost of remaining fully grid dependent.
When massive stars or other stellar objects explode in the Earth's cosmic neighborhood, ejected debris can also reach our solar system. Traces of such events are found on Earth or the Moon and can be detected using accelerator mass spectrometry, or AMS for short.
'Jurassic worlds' might be easier to spot than modern Earth
An analysis finds telescopes could better detect potential chemical signatures of life in an Earth-like exoplanet that more closely resembles the age the dinosaurs inhabited than the one we know today.
In a surprising finding, light can make water evaporate without heat
At the interface of water and air, light can, in certain conditions, bring about evaporation without the need for heat, according to a new study.
Chemists make breakthrough in drug discovery chemistry
Chemists offer two new methods to develop a way to easily replace a carbon atom with a nitrogen atom in a molecule. Â The findings could make it easier to develop new drugs.
The remains of an ancient planet lie deep within Earth
The remnants of an ancient planet that collided with Earth to form the Moon lie deep within the earth, according to a new model.
Injectable tissue prosthesis to aid in damaged muscle/nerve regeneration
Researchers have made significant strides in biomaterial technology and rehabilitation medicine. They've developed a novel approach to healing muscle injury by employing 'injectable tissue prosthesis' in the form of conductive hydrogels and combining it with a robot-assisted rehabilitation system.
Breakthrough discovery sheds light on heart and muscle health
The human heart, often described as the body's engine, is a remarkable organ that tirelessly beats to keep us alive. At the core of this vital organ, intricate processes occur when it contracts, where thick and thin protein-filaments interact within the sarcomere, the fundamental building block of both skeletal and heart muscle cells. Any alterations in thick filament proteins can have severe consequences for our health, leading to conditions such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and various other heart and muscle diseases.
Mobile phone use may affect semen quality, study shows
Does electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones affect semen quality? While various environmental and lifestyle factors have been proposed to explain the decline in semen quality observed over the last fifty years, the role of mobile phones has yet to be demonstrated. A team has now published a major cross-sectional study on the subject. It shows that frequent use of mobile phones is associated with a lower sperm concentration and total sperm count.
Nanowire 'brain' network learns and remembers 'on the fly'
Like a collection of 'Pick Up Sticks', this neural network has passed a critical step for developing machine intelligence. For the first time, a physical neural network has successfully been shown to learn and remember 'on the fly', in a way inspired by and similar to how the brain's neurons work. The result opens a pathway for developing efficient and low-energy machine intelligence for more complex, real-world learning and memory tasks.
Toward sustainable construction: Preparing liquefied stabilized soil from construction sludge
Liquefied stabilized soil (LSS) is made with construction waste and used for filling and backfilling long, confined spaces where traditional compaction is difficult. Using LSS helps speed up construction processes while reducing costs, wastage, and environmental impact. Now, researchers have developed a superior, high-flowability LSS from construction sludge with better mechanical properties and fluidity than conventional LSS, which could make the construction industry more sustainable.
New Nijmegen method reveals hidden genetic variations
Many hidden genetic variations can be detected with Chameleolyser, a new method. The information is already yielding new patient diagnoses and may also lead to the discovery of as yet unknown disease genes.
A mathematical model for studying methane hydrate distribution in the Nankai Trough
Naturally occurring methane hydrate deposits are potential sources of energy. However, their observation in natural environments remains challenging. Researchers have now developed a one-dimensional mathematical flow model to indirectly observe the formation and accumulation of methane hydrates under different lithological and fluid conditions in the Nankai Trough of Japan. Numerical simulations using this model revealed important insights that could help in the extraction of methane hydrates and the prevention of geohazards in the future.
Reverse engineering Jackson Pollock
Researchers combined physics and machine learning to develop a new 3D-printing technique that can quickly create complex physical patterns -- including replicating a segment of a Pollock painting -- by leveraging the same natural fluid instability that Pollock used in his work.
New techniques efficiently accelerate sparse tensors for massive AI models
New computational techniques, 'HighLight' and 'Tailors and Swiftiles,' could dramatically boost the speed and performance of high-performance computing applications like graph analytics or generative AI. The work, from MIT and NIVIDIA, aims to accelerate sparse tensors for AI models by introducing more efficient and flexible ways to take advantage of sparsity.
New database shines spotlight on decades of solar mirror research
A new database contains the results of exposure experiments on solar reflectors conducted over more than four decades. The publicly available Solar Mirror Materials Database (SMMD) will contain information from thousands of solar mirror samples from more than a hundred suppliers that have been subjected to outdoor tests and laboratory environments.
Human input boosts citizens' acceptance of AI and perceptions of fairness, study shows
Increasing human input when AI is used for public services boosts acceptance of the technology, a new study shows.
Wearing your heart (monitor) on your sleeve
By detecting cardiovascular ailments and helping assess overall cardiac health, wearable electrocardiograms save lives, not to mention exorbitant hospital care costs. Researchers now present a novel wearable electrocardiogram patch for enhanced point-of-care diagnostics. The study focused on the advantages of using active dry electrodes for ECG signaling, and they created a compact, lightweight, gel-free hexagonal-shaped ECG patch. The configuration was then integrated with wireless Bluetooth communication for remote sensing capabilities.
Giant planets cast a deadly pall
Giant gas planets can be agents of chaos, ensuring nothing lives on their Earth-like neighbors around other stars. New studies show, in some planetary systems, the giants tend to kick smaller planets out of orbit and wreak havoc on their climates.
Formic acid, which can be produced electrochemically from carbon dioxide, is a promising energy carrier. A research team has now developed a fast-charging hybrid battery system that combines the electrochemical generation of formic acid as an energy carrier with a microbial fuel cell. This novel, fast-charging biohybrid battery system can be used to monitor the toxicity of drinking water, just one of many potential future applications.
Humans are disrupting natural 'salt cycle' on a global scale, new study shows
Hey, Siri: Moderate AI voice speed encourages digital assistant use
Voice speed and interaction style may determine whether a user sees a digital assistant like Alexa or Siri as a helpful partner or something to control, according to researchers. The findings reveal insights into the parasocial, or one-sided, relationships that people can form with digital assistants, according to the researchers.
Scientists train AI to illuminate drugs' impact
Predicting who could benefit from a given drug has been difficult. An international team is training AI to assist.
Photography: One-stop solution for shaping and outlining objects
A joint research team has developed a dual metalens that can switch between shooting modes based on light conditions.
Microplastics' shape determines how far they travel in the atmosphere
Micron-size microplastic debris can be carried by the jet stream across oceans and continents, and their shape plays a crucial role in how far they travel.
Late not great -- imperfect timekeeping places significant limit on quantum computers
Quantum physicists show that imperfect timekeeping places a fundamental limit to quantum computers and their applications. The team claims that even tiny timing errors add up to place a significant impact on any large-scale algorithm, posing another problem that must eventually be solved if quantum computers are to fulfill the lofty aspirations that society has for them.
New frequency comb can identify molecules in 20-nanosecond snapshots
Researchers have developed a device that can detect the presence of specific molecules in a sample every 20 nanoseconds, or billionths of a second. With this new capability, researchers can potentially use frequency combs to better understand the split-second intermediate steps in fast-moving processes ranging from the workings of hypersonic jet engines to the chemical reactions between enzymes that regulate cell growth.
Accelerating AI tasks while preserving data security
SecureLoop is a new search engine that can identify an optimal design for a deep neural network accelerator that preserves data security while improving energy efficiency and boosting performance. This could enable device manufacturers to increase the speed of demanding AI applications, while ensuring sensitive data remain safe from attackers.
The Crab Nebula seen in new light by NASA's Webb
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has gazed at the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. Since the recording of this energetic event in 1054 CE by 11th-century astronomers, the Crab Nebula has continued to draw attention and additional study as scientists seek to understand the conditions, behavior, and after-effects of supernovae through thorough study of the Crab, a relatively nearby example.
The brain may learn about the world the same way some computational models do
New studies support the idea that the brain uses a process similar to a machine-learning approach known as 'self-supervised learning.' This type of machine learning allows computational models to learn about visual scenes based solely on the similarities and differences between them, with no labels or other information.
Gaming strategy helps plan for and prevent attacks on infrastructure
As technology continues to advance, the likelihood of malevolent attacks and subsequent failures on society's critical infrastructures increases. Blackouts, water shortages, transport collapses -- these potential threats to cities not only come with a hefty price tag but are likely to cause chaos and affect the health and safety of communities. UBC Okanagan Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Amin Ahmadi Digehsara, along with Assistant Professor Dr. Amir Ardestani-Jaafari, both with the Faculty of Management, recently published a study that will enhance the resilience of vital infrastructures against malevolent attacks.
Engineers develop an efficient process to make fuel from carbon dioxide
Researchers developed an efficient process that can convert carbon dioxide into formate, a nonflammable liquid or solid material that can be used like hydrogen or methanol to power a fuel cell and generate electricity.
A sustainable alternative to air conditioning
As the planet gets hotter, the need for cool living environments is becoming more urgent. But air conditioning is a major contributor to global warming since units use potent greenhouse gases and lots of energy. Now, researchers have found in a new study an inexpensive, sustainable alternative to mechanical cooling with refrigerants in hot and arid climates, and a way to mitigate dangerous heat waves during electricity blackouts.
Complex data becomes easier to interpret when transformed into music
Researchers in the field of human-technology interaction have demonstrated how a custom-built 'data-to-music' algorithms can help to better understand complex data. The transformation of digital data into sounds could be a game-changer in the growing world of data interpretation.
To advance space colonization, new research explores 3D printing in microgravity
Research into how 3D printing works in a weightless environment aims to support long-term exploration and habitation on spaceships, the moon or Mars.
How robots can help find the solar energy of the future
To quickly and accurately characterize prospective materials for use in solar energy, researchers built an automated system to perform laboratory experiments and used machine learning to help analyze the data they recorded. Their goal is to identify semiconductor materials for use in photovoltaic solar energy, which are highly efficient and have low toxicity.
Powder engineering adds AI to the mix
A research team has developed a new simulation method that accurately predicts powder mixing using AI, and has succeeded in increasing calculation speed by approximately 350 times while maintaining the same level of accuracy as conventional methods. This method is expected to not only pave the way for more efficient and precise powder mixing processes but also open up new possibilities for industries seeking to enhance product quality and streamline production.
How to protect biocatalysts from oxygen
There are high hopes for hydrogen as the key to the energy transition. A specific enzyme group found in algae and in bacteria can produce molecular hydrogen simply by catalyzing protons and electrons. However, the enzyme group is so sensitive to oxygen that commercial use of the hydrogen produced by this process as a green energy source is not yet possible. Researchers have now increased the oxygen stability of a hydrogen-producing enzyme by genetically generated channel blockages.
Monitoring nuclear weapons stockpiles with radio waves
Monitoring whether states are complying with disarmament treaties is not an easy task. An international team has been exploring remote monitoring with the help of two antennas and a couple of mirrors.
Virtual meetings tire people because we're doing them wrong
New research suggests sleepiness during virtual meetings is caused by mental underload and boredom. Earlier studies suggested that fatigue from virtual meetings stems from mental overload, but new research shows that sleepiness during virtual meetings might actually be a result of mental underload and boredom.
Large geomagnetic storms disrupt radio signals and GPS. Now, researchers have identified the previous underestimated role of the ionosphere, a region of Earth's upper atmosphere that contains a high concentration of ions and free electrons, in determining how such storms develop. Understanding the interactions that cause large geomagnetic storms is important because they can disrupt radio signals and GPS. Their findings may help predict storms with the greatest potential consequences.
Using lasers to 'heat and beat' 3D-printed steel could help reduce costs
Researchers have developed a new method for 3D printing metal that could help reduce costs and make more efficient use of resources.Â
Cat-ching criminals with DNA from pet hairs
Cat hair could be the purr-fect way to catch criminals, according to researchers.
Controlling organoids with light
Organoids help researchers understand biological processes in health and in disease. It is, however, difficult to influence the way in which they organize themselves into complex tissues. Now a group has found a new way to do so.
Wireless device makes magnetism appear in non-magnetic materials
Researchers have succeeded in bringing wireless technology to the fundamental level of magnetic devices. The emergence and control of magnetic properties in cobalt nitride layers (initially non-magnetic) by voltage, without connecting the sample to electrical wiring, represents a paradigm shift that can facilitate the creation of magnetic nanorobots for biomedicine and computing systems where basic information management processes do not require wiring.