Ministers at the European Space Agency (ESA) recently approved funding for a special project to build nuclear waste-powered batteries for use in space exploration. If successful, the new tech would make it possible to conduct operations in areas where access to solar energy is degraded or absent, such as on the dark side of the moon. Researchers working with the ESA believe they can use americium, a radioactive element derived from plutonium decay, to generate sufficient heat to both warm equipment and generate electricity to power functionality. This would represent the first time americium has been used in this manner, but the innovation comes at a necessary time for the European space program.
Content provided by IBM and TNW Companies that don’t have a digitization and automation strategy will probably not survive in the next decade. Why? Because a host of technological developments are making it possible to free employees from a range of routine operations, so they can focus on the most impactful areas of business. Enterprises that embrace automation can have happier customers, more satisfied employees, and streamlined operations. From back-office tasks to the inspection of industrial complexes and manufacturing sites, there are tools and platforms to collect and analyze various types of data, and take actions that automate repetitive tasks that previously required human effort.
The evolution of data centers has been continuous since their advent, with the requirements of each technological era defining each phase of transformation. As the world abruptly shifted to digital during the COVID pandemic, we’re now producing more data than ever before. Naturally, the demand to manage, store, and process that data has also increased exponentially. Along with this heightened demand, comes a new set of challenges and things to consider when building the data centers of the future. How can we satisfy our growing data needs, without compromising the environment? How can we tackle the growing cybersecurity threat and keep our data safe? These are just a few factors data center operators will need to consider moving forward.
We’ve long suspected the human brain is a quantum computer but we’ve never had any actual evidence to back this theory up. That is, until now. A pair of researchers from Trinity College in Dublin and the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw recently published what may turn out to be landmark research in the quest to understand the human brain, consciousness, and the physical nature of the universe itself. The team’s paper, titled “Experimental indications of non-classical brain functions,” details an experimental MRI paradigm in which it appeared test subjects’ brains were entangled with their hearts.
When learning a different language, the easiest way to get started is with fill in the blank exercises. “It’s raining cats and …” By making mistakes and correcting them, your brain (which linguists agree is hardwired for language learning) starts discovering patterns in grammar, vocabulary, and word sequence — which can not only be applied to filling in blanks, but also to convey meaning to other humans (or computers, dogs, etc.). That last bit is important when talking about so-called ‘foundation models,’ one of the hottest (but underreported) topics in artificial intelligence right now.
When British director Scott Mann’s latest film, Fall, was on the precipice of receiving an “R” rating from the MPAA over the number of “F” bombs dropped over its one hour and 47-minute run time, he did what any reasonable person would: he used artificial intelligence to digitally alter the actor’s performances in order to change the swear words into more palatable terms. A stroke of fricking genius, if you ask us. For those who are curious: about 35 “F” words stood between a PG-13 rating and an R rating. Mann’s dilemma, then, became trying to figure out how to preserve the integrity of his movie without reshooting or dubbing.
When I got Meta’s new scientific AI system to generate well-written research papers on the benefits of committing suicide, practicing antisemitism, and eating crushed glass, I thought to myself: “this seems dangerous.” In fact, it seems like the kind of thing that the European Union’s AI Act was designed to prevent (we’ll get to that later). After playing around with the system and being completely shocked by its outputs, I went on social media and engaged with a few other like-minded futurists and AI experts. I literally got Galactica to spit out: – instructions on how to (incorrectly) make napalm in a bathtub
A team of researchers from the Italian Institute of Technology recently published a ground-breaking study wherein they identified the brain neurons associated with prosocial and selfish behavior in mice. And then they figured out how to turn those neurons on and off. Inspired by the lonely isolation they felt during the COVID-19 quarantine, lead author Diego Scheggia says they originally set out to “understand the social factors and neurobiological determinants of altruism and self-interest.” According to a report from Ingrid Fadelli on Medical Xpress, however, Scheggia felt as though society had shifted away from altruism and toward “self-centered concern and a disregard of others” for a few years prior to the pandemic.
Content provided by IBM and TNW. Business leaders are looking to ensure that their organizations are doing their part to address the impact of climate change. After another year of extreme weather events — from Hurricane Ian in the United States to heat waves in the UK and floods in Pakistan, the need to transition into a more sustainable world has become clearer than ever before, and companies are now expected to reach new levels of action. Last year, the COP26 — the United Nations Climate Change Conference — highlighted the need for collective urgent action, with more specificity and near-term targets on cutting emissions this decade, phasing out coal, and setting methane targets.
