Scientists just made mice ‘see-through’ using food dye — and humans are next
A common food dye can turn the skin of living mice transparent, but we don’t yet know if it’ll work in humans.
TECH DEIYO
Science and Technolgy blog
New AI model “learns” how to simulate Super Mario Bros. from video footage
At first glance, these AI-generated Super Mario Bros. videos are pretty impressive. The more you watch, though, the more glitches you’ll see. (credit: MarioVGG) Last month, Google’s GameNGen AI model showed that generalized image diffusion techniques can be used to…
Balatro arrives on phones Sept. 26, so plan your “sick” days accordingly
Enlarge / The energy captured by Balatro‘s mobile announcement trailer is terrifyingly spot-on. (credit: LocalThunk) LocalThunk, the pseudonymous lead developer of the surprise smash hit deckbuilding/roguelike/poker-math-simulation game Balatro, has long given the impression that he understands that his game, having…
After seeing Wi-Fi network named “STINKY,” Navy found hidden Starlink dish on US warship
Enlarge / The USS Manchester. Just the spot for a Starlink dish. (credit: Department of Defense) It’s no secret that government IT can be a huge bummer. The records retention! The security! So government workers occasionally take IT into their…
Roman coin trove discovered on Mediterranean island may have been hidden during ancient pirate attack
The silver coin discoveries date to the Roman Republic and are from the island of Pantelleria, between Sicily and Tunisia.
AuDHD: What you need to know about the overlap of autism and ADHD
You may have seen some new ways to describe when someone is autistic and also has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The terms “AuDHD” or sometimes “AutiADHD” are being used on social media, with people describing what they experience or have…
More water worlds than we thought might support life
Enlarge / High pressure ices near the crust are a feature of water-rich worlds.` (credit: Benoit Gougeon (University of Montreal)) The possibility that there is liquid water on an exoplanet’s surface usually flags it as “potentially habitable,” but the reality…
BMW explains why it will sell hydrogen fuel cells in 2028
Enlarge / BMW has had some hydrogen fuel cell-powered iX5s in testing for a while, and for Art Basel 2024 this one got a new look courtesy of Es Devlin. (credit: Enes Kucevic/BMW) Today, BMW announced that it will start…
Appeals judge baffled by X’s loss over Calif. moderation law, orders injunction
Enlarge (credit: Marc Piasecki / Contributor | Getty Images Entertainment) Elon Musk’s X has won its appeal on free speech grounds to block AB 587, a California law requiring social media companies to submit annual reports publicly explaining their controversial…
Astronomers discover oldest known eclipse reference in 6,000-year-old Hindu text
A flowery passage in a 6,000-year-old Hindu text may be the earliest known reference to a solar eclipse, describing the sun as being “pierced” with darkness and gloom and proposing that evil beings had caused the sun’s “magic arts to…
One of the universe’s biggest paradoxes could be even weirder than we thought, James Webb telescope study reveals
New James Webb Space Telescope results have revealed that there may not be a Hubble tension after all. But contradictions within the findings point to a deeper mystery.
How does grapefruit interact with drugs?
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice can affect the amount of medication that reaches the bloodstream. But why?
Narcissism and psychopathy are both (weakly) related to makeup habits among women
A recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior sheds new light on the link between makeup use and personality traits among women. The research found that women who use more makeup tend to score higher in traits such…
FBI busts musician’s elaborate AI-powered $10M streaming-royalty heist
Enlarge (credit: anilyanik via Getty Images) On Wednesday, federal prosecutors charged a North Carolina musician with defrauding streaming services of $10 million through an elaborate scheme involving AI, as reported by The New York Times. Michael Smith, 52, allegedly used…
A new drug shows promise for hot flashes due to menopause
Two clinical trials found that the nonhormonal drug elinzanetant eased hot flashes and improved sleep, two common menopause symptoms.
Asteroid slams into Earth triggering stunning green ‘fireball’ above the Philippines — 8 hours after it was 1st spotted
On Wednesday (Sept. 4), astronomers spotted a never-before-seen asteroid, 2024 RW1, around eight hours before it entered Earth’s atmosphere. The “harmless” space rock quickly burned up as predicted, creating a bright green streak across the night sky before spectacularly exploding.
New AI standards group wants to make data scraping opt-in
Enlarge / They know… (credit: Aurich / Getty) The first wave of major generative AI tools largely were trained on “publicly available” data—basically, anything and everything that could be scraped from the Internet. Now, sources of training data are increasingly…
1,500-year-old gold coins from Byzantine Empire discovered in medieval dwelling in Bulgaria
Archaeologists in Bulgaria have discovered a medieval house that contained even older gold coins, which date to the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian the Great.
Depressive women are less consistent in use of contraceptives
Recent research conducted in Germany explored the links between depression, pregnancy ambivalence, and contraceptive use among individuals who do not wish to become pregnant or conceive a child. Among women, more severe depressive symptoms were associated with less consistent contraceptive…
A next-gen pain drug shows promise, but chronic suffers need more options
A new painkiller nearing approval called suzetrigine may prove to be an opioid alternative. But for many with chronic pain, treatment must go beyond pills.
Radical quantum computing theory could lead to more powerful machines than previously imagined
Scientists have just theorized how to connect quantum processors over vast distances to form a giant quantum computing network that acts as a single machine.
New study shows gut microbiome could play role in preventing cognitive decline
A new study published in Nature Communications suggests that a daily fiber supplement could improve brain function in older adults. Researchers found that in just 12 weeks, participants who took the supplement showed better performance in memory tests that are…
Want to avoid getting sick? Adopt these immune-boosting behaviors
After a summer with plenty of outdoor play, the school year brings a major shift. Students suddenly spend more of their days indoors surrounded by other students. It’s usually only a matter of weeks before someone gets the sniffles. And…
Twitter polls exhibit large pro-Trump bias — but these researchers have a fix
A recent study published in the Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media examined polls conducted on X (more commonly known as Twitter) during the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential campaigns. The findings reveal that polls on this platform—particularly those gauging…
Australian government trial finds AI is much worse than humans at summarizing
Enlarge / ASIC evaluators found AI summaries were often “wordy and pointless—just repeating what was in the submission.” (credit: Getty Images) As large language models have continued to rise in prominence, many users and companies have focused on their useful…
Ukrainian drones now spray 2,500° C thermite streams right into Russian trenches
Enlarge Wars of necessity spawn weapons innovation as each side tries to counter the other’s tactics and punch through defenses. For instance—as the Russian invasion of Ukraine has made drone warfare real, both sides have developed ways to bring down…
Zyxel warns of vulnerabilities in a wide range of its products
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) Networking hardware-maker Zyxel is warning of nearly a dozen vulnerabilities in a wide array of its products. If left unpatched, some of them could enable the complete takeover of the devices, which can be targeted as…
Record measles outbreak in Oregon blamed on vaccine exemptions
Enlarge / A US child infected with measles during a 2024 outbreak. The child’s cheek shows the characteristic rash associated with this viral infection. (credit: CDC) With one of the highest vaccine exemption rates in the country, Oregon is experiencing…
Jack Black stars as expert crafter Steve in A Minecraft Movie teaser
Jason Momoa and Jack Black star in A Minecraft Movie. Minecraft is among the most successful and influential games of the early 21st century, winning many awards and selling over 300 million copies (so far) since its 2011 release. So…
Internet Archive’s e-book lending is not fair use, appeals court rules
Enlarge (credit: tunart | iStock / Getty Images Plus) The Internet Archive has lost its appeal after book publishers successfully sued to block the Open Libraries Project from lending digital scans of books for free online. Judges for the Second…
Generative AI backlash hits annual writing event, prompting resignations
Enlarge (credit: Jorg Greuel via Getty Images) Over the weekend, the nonprofit National Novel Writing Month organization (NaNoWriMo) published an FAQ outlining its position on AI, calling categorical rejection of AI writing technology “classist” and “ableist.” The statement caused a…
After Starliner, NASA has another big human spaceflight decision to make
Enlarge / The Artemis II Orion spacecraft being prepared for tests at NASA’S Kennedy Space Center in Florida in June 2024. (credit: NASA / Rad Sinyak) Now that NASA has resolved the question of the Starliner spacecraft and its two…
The Vega rocket never found its commercial niche. After tonight, it’s gone.
Enlarge / The final Vega rocket climbs away from its launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana. (credit: ESA-CNES-ARIANESPACE/Optique vidéo du CSG–S. Martin) The final flight of Europe’s Vega rocket lifted off Wednesday night from French Guiana, carrying an important environmental…
FTC urged to make smart devices say how long they will be supported
Enlarge / Spotify released the Car Thing to the general public in February 2022. It’s bricking them in December. (credit: Spotify) For some of us, few things are more infuriating than when a gadget stops working due to a software…
NASA’s newly unfurled solar sail has started ‘tumbling’ end-over-end in orbit, surprising observations show
A NASA spacecraft erected a large, foil solar sail in orbit around Earth last week, after a failed attempt days earlier. However, subsequent observations of the spacecraft show it is “tumbling or wobbling” through space, which may have also impacted…
Why are some people’s mosquito bites itchier than others’? New study hints at answer
A previously unrecognized type of immune cell may be responsible for the itchy feeling brought on by bug bites and other allergic reactions.
Vikings in Norway were much more likely to die violent deaths than those in Denmark
Viking Age skeletons in Norway were much more likely to bear signs of lethal violence than those in Denmark, possibly because society in Norway was less stratified and centralized.
Scientists uncover brain circuit that balances eating for necessity and eating for pleasure
Researchers have uncovered new insights into how the brain controls eating behavior, which could have significant implications for tackling obesity. Their study, published in Nature Metabolism, shows that certain neurons in the brains of mice can either promote eating due…
Microplastics discovered in human brains for the first time: What it means for our health
Plastic is in our clothes, cars, mobile phones, water bottles and food containers. But recent research adds to growing concerns about the impact of tiny plastic fragments on our health. A study from the United States has, for the first…
Humans are the exception: New research reveals surprising brain size trends across mammals
A recent study has upended a long-held assumption in biology: the idea that brain size increases proportionally with body size across all animals. While this relationship has been widely accepted for over a century, new research published in Nature Ecology…
Most, but not all, dogs play fetch, while cats do so more often than thought
Although more common in dogs, 4 in 10 pet cats also choose to play fetch with their owners. Credit: Mikel M. Delgado/CC-BY 4.0 Although more common in dogs, 4 in 10 pet cats also choose to play fetch with their…
I home-automated my garage door, finally, with a ratgdo
Enlarge / A ratgdo, version 2.53i. (credit: Ratcloud LLC) I live in suburbia, which means I’ve got a garage (or a carhole, if you’re not so fancy). It’s a detached garage, so part of my nightly routine when I check…
DOJ subpoenas Nvidia in deepening AI antitrust probe, report says
Enlarge (credit: BING-JHEN HONG | iStock Editorial / Getty Images Plus) The Department of Justice is reportedly deepening its probe into Nvidia. Officials have moved on from merely questioning competitors to subpoenaing Nvidia and other tech companies for evidence that…
Massive helium reservoir in Minnesota could solve US shortage
A helium reservoir with the highest concentrations ever seen could hold enough of the gas to address critical shortages in the U.S. affecting tech, medicine and space exploration.
Over 40% of pet cats play fetch — but scientists aren’t quite sure why
About 40% of cats play fetch with their owners, but it’s not clear why.
Parents’ concerns about future reproduction shape their reactions to a child’s sexual orientation disclosure
New research published in Archives of Sexual Behavior found that parental negativity toward their child disclosing a minoritized sexual orientation may be influenced by reproductive concerns. Previous research has shown that many parents respond negatively when their child comes out…
Massive underwater eruption may preview deep-sea mining destruction
Enlarge / Following the 2022 Hunga volcano eruption, a nearby hydrothermal vent was seen coated with a white mat of bacteria and surrounded by a thick layer of ash. The vent usually supports animal life that survives using chemical energy…
Sutskever strikes AI gold with billion-dollar backing for superintelligent AI
Enlarge / Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI Chief Scientist, speaks at Tel Aviv University on June 5, 2023. (credit: JACK GUEZ via Getty Images) On Wednesday, Reuters reported that Safe Superintelligence (SSI), a new AI startup cofounded by OpenAI’s former chief scientist…
In an epic cosmology clash, rival scientists begin to find common ground
Different measurements of the cosmic expansion rate disagree. The James Webb telescope could determine whether that disagreement is real.
Starlink relents to Brazil, agrees to block Elon Musk’s X platform
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | NurPhoto) Starlink said it is complying with Brazil’s order to block Elon Musk’s X platform, backtracking from its earlier position that it would not block X until Brazilian officials released Starlink’s frozen assets. In an…
