What are the opportunities—and challenges—to be found when AI squares off with functional MRI data? For one, researchers have discovered, reconstructing speech from brain activity seems newly possible—potentially without surgical interventions or other hardware interfaces. The group’s finding, published 1 May in Nature Neuroscience, details the process by which the team could decode the gist […]
In the realm of artificial intelligence, bigger is supposed to be better. Neural networks with billions of parameters power everyday AI-based tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E, and each new large language model (LLM) edges out its predecessors in size and complexity. Meanwhile, at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), a group of researchers […]
Interactive robotics is a relatively new field of study, but in a short time it has moved on from just performing preprogrammed repetitive tasks to more complex activities, including interactions with living creatures. Biocompatible and biomimetic robots, for example, are being increasingly used to study animals and plants. Animal-in-the-loop robotic systems are especially effective for […]
Even though they were discovered only about a dozen years ago, MXenes (max-eens) have delighted materials engineers with their versatility. These conductive 2D layered nanomaterials are exceptionally durable, impermeable to electromagnetic radiation, and can store energy faster that materials currently used in batteries and supercapacitors. MXenes are a large family of nitrides and carbides of […]
The first outdoor test of perovskite-and-silicon solar cells lasting more than a year shows that the cells retained over 80 percent of their initial 21.6 percent solar-conversion efficiency. The encouraging results come from tests conducted in the sunny, hot, and humid climate of the Red Sea Coast of Saudi Arabia, in what is “the longest […]
Artificial intelligence has already shaved years off research into protein engineering. Now, for the first time, scientists have synthesized proteins predicted by an AI model in the lab, and found them to work just as well as their natural counterparts. The research used a deep learning language model for protein engineering called ProGen, which was […]
As nanotechology burrows into an increasing number of medical technologies, new developments in nanoparticles point to the ways that targeted treatments can today be nanotechnologically targeted. In one case as, would-be end effectors on microrobots aimed at clearing up cases of bacterial pneumonia. In another as a smart-targeting system for otherwise dangerous cases of thrombosis. […]
Planning for the return journey is an integral part of the preparations for a crewed Mars mission. Astronauts will require a total mass of about 50 tonnes of rocket propellent for the ascent vehicle that will lift them off the planet’s surface, including 31 tonnes of oxygen approximately. The less popular option is for crewed […]
The race to deliver cellular calls from space passes two milestones this month and saw one major announcement last month. First, Apple will offer emergency satellite messaging on two of its latest iPhone models, the company announced on Wednesday. Second, AST SpaceMobile plans a launch on Saturday, 10 September, of an experimental satellite to test […]
Forgetfulness is natural, but as we get older, we tend to struggle more to remember things. Researchers from Boston University report that daily electrical brain stimulation for 20 minutes on four consecutive days shows memory improvements in seniors for at least one month. This noninvasive procedure was found to have benefits for both working memory […]