In March 2023, a group of researchers and tech leaders, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, published an open letter calling for a pause in the artificial intelligence (AI) race. They recommended that labs halt the training of technologies stronger than OpenAI’s GPT-4, the most sophisticated language-generating AI system, for at least six months. While
Los Alamos scientists have achieved light amplification using electrically driven devices based on solution-cast semiconductor nanocrystals. These tiny specs of semiconductor matter are made through chemical synthesis, also known as colloidal quantum dots. This breakthrough, reported in the journal Nature, opens the door to a completely new class of electrically pumped lasing devices. These laser
Photosynthesis is a crucial process for sustaining life on earth, but many aspects of it remain a mystery. Scientists have been working to unlock the secrets of photosynthesis for years, and now researchers from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have succeeded in cracking a key secret of
Out of the thousands of meteorites found on Earth, around 188 have been confirmed to have come from Mars. So how did they get here? When asteroids hit Mars with enough force, the debris is blasted into space and eventually finds its way to Earth. While astronomers once believed only the most powerful impacts could
An international team of researchers conducted a five-year study of 647 Danish babies to learn more about the viral makeup of the human gut. Astonishingly, nappy samples contained approximately 10,000 species of virus, which is ten times the number of bacterial species found in the same children. Most of the viruses had never been described
Researchers at the University of Connecticut have discovered a method for creating topological superconductors by manipulating quantum particles in thin layers of ordinary superconductors. Superconductors can conduct electric current without any resistance or energy loss, making them a potential game-changer in many fields, from energy transmission to quantum computing to MRI machines. However, creating superconductors
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth, led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Scheibel, have discovered that materials made of spider silk can be modified to specifically promote the growth and proliferation of living cells of a certain type. This breakthrough in regenerative medicine comes from the ability to generate cell-specific effects of spider silk materials by
A team of surgeons from two US hospitals have successfully repaired a major malformation in a fetal brain. The surgery, which was guided by ultrasound and involved embolization, treated a rare prenatal condition known as vein of Galen malformation. This condition allows blood to flow dangerously fast through the brain after birth. The successful procedure
Biomass energy is a type of renewable energy that is stored within biomass through photosynthesis. It is the only carbon source that is renewable. China has abundant biomass resources, and previous studies have emphasized the potential energy use of biomass resources in China. However, there has been no systematic study of energy conservation and carbon
Germany’s energy minister, Robert Habeck, has announced a series of measures to ease bureaucratic hurdles for solar power. This follows the country’s new record for photovoltaic installations during the first quarter of 2023. Europe’s largest economy added 2.7 gigawatts of solar power capacity during this period, indicating that it is on course to beat the
Researchers from Oregon State University have led a study that reveals the impact of dust on the world’s oceans. Phytoplankton, which are found in the upper part of the ocean and are the foundation of the marine food web, rely on dust from land-based sources for key nutrients. However, the extent that this dust, from
Water is known as a universal solvent that remains unchanged by its interactions. However, recent research from North Carolina State University has shown that water can change its solubility characteristics, depending on what it interacts with. This research has found that when water interacts with cellulose, it can stack in layered shells, controlling chemical reactions
Researchers have developed a prototype lidar system using quantum detection technology to obtain 3D images while submerged underwater. The system has high sensitivity, which may allow it to capture detailed information even in low-light conditions found underwater. The technology could be useful for a range of applications, including inspecting underwater installations, monitoring or surveying submerged
Alzheimer’s treatments have experienced a revival, with pharma giant Eli Lilly announcing that its experimental drug donanemab has successfully slowed cognitive and functional decline in patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s. Although neither donanemab nor a similar drug called Leqembi amount to a cure for Alzheimer’s, which affects around 6.5 million Americans, Wall Street analysts estimate that
A team of chemists from the Russian Academy of Sciences has found that metal atoms, not nanoparticles, play a crucial role in catalysts used in fine organic synthesis. The study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, utilized various types of electron microscopy to track a catalyst’s region during a reaction to understand
