Science & Technology
GPT-3 informs and disinforms us better
Compared to humans, artificial intelligence (AI) language models produce accurate tweets that are easier to understand and tweets containing disinformation that are harder to detect, according to a recent study. While these results can be leveraged to …
Climate change will increase impacts of volcanic eruptions
Volcanic disasters have been studied since Pompeii was buried in 79 A.D., leading the public to believe that scientists already know why, where, when and how long volcanoes will erupt. But a volcanologist said these fundamental questions remain a mystery.
Geologists are using artificial intelligence to predict landslides
Many factors influence where a landslide will occur, including the shape of the terrain, its slope and drainage areas, the material properties of soil and bedrock, and environmental conditions like climate, rainfall, hydrology and ground motion resulti…
Songbird study shows one hit wonder has to change his tune to attract a mate
Over two years, researchers recorded and analyzed 7,000 songs of wild blue tits breeding in closely monitored nest boxes. They devised an experiment which involved playing song recordings to receptive females and discovered that male vocal consistency …
Fiber optic smart pants offer a low-cost way to monitor movements
New research describes a fiber optic smart pant that can monitor movement and health. The pants can be used to detect activities such as sitting, squatting, walking or kicking without inhibiting natural movements.
ALMA digs deeper into the mystery of planet formation
An international research team has observed disks around 19 protostars with a very high resolution to search for the earliest signs of planet formation. This survey was motivated by the recent findings that planet formation may be well-underway in the …
‘Electronic skin’ from bio-friendly materials can track human vital signs with ultrahigh precision
Researchers have used materials inspired by molecular gastronomy to create smart wearables that surpassed similar devices in terms of strain sensitivity. They integrated graphene into seaweed to create nanocomposite microcapsules for highly tunable and…
Squid-inspired soft material is a switchable shield for light, heat, microwaves
With a flick of a switch, current technologies allow you to quickly change materials from being dark to light, or cold to hot, just by blocking or transmitting specific wavelengths. But now, inspired by squid skin, researchers report a soft film that c…
What are the characteristics of foreshocks for large earthquakes?
Seismologists agree that foreshocks are the most widely identified signal of an upcoming mainshock earthquake. But do these foreshock sequences have distinctive characteristics that separate them from aftershock sequences, and could these characteristi…
Mountains vulnerable to extreme rain from climate change
A new study finds that as rising global temperatures shift snow to rain, mountains across the Northern Hemisphere will be hotspots for extreme rainfall events that could trigger floods and landslides — potentially impacting a quarter of the world’s po…
How urea may have been the gateway to life
Urea reacts extremely quickly under the conditions that existed when our planet was newly formed. This new insight furthers our understanding of how life on Earth might have begun.
Octopus sleep is surprisingly similar to humans and contains a wake-like stage
Researchers have closely examined the brain activity and skin patterning in octopuses (Octopus laqueus) during active sleep and discovered that it closely resembles neural activity and skin patterning behavior seen when awake.
Cuttlefish camouflage: More than meets the eye
Researchers have shown that the way cuttlefish generate their camouflage pattern is much more complex than previously believed.
Largest-ever atlas of normal breast cells brings unprecedented insights into mammary biology
A new study has created the world’s largest and most comprehensive map of normal breast tissue, providing an unprecedented understanding of mammary biology that may help identify therapeutic targets for diseases such as breast cancer. The Human Breast …
Research breakthrough could be significant for quantum computing future
Scientists using one of the world’s most powerful quantum microscopes have made a discovery that could have significant consequences for the future of computing. Researchers have discovered a spatially modulating superconducting state in a new and unus…
Life after death: Astronomers find a planet that shouldn’t exist
The star would have inflated up to 1.5 times the planet’s orbital distance — engulfing the planet in the process — before shrinking to its current size at only one-tenth of that distance.
Genetic variant linked with faster progression of multiple sclerosis
A study of more than 22,000 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) has for the first time identified a genetic variant associated with faster progression of the disease, an accumulation of disability that can rob patients of their mobility and independenc…
Electrochemical device captures carbon dioxide at the flick of a switch
New carbon capture technology can generate a continuous, high-purity carbon dioxide stream from diluted, or low-concentration, gas streams using only electricity and a water-and-oxygen-based reaction.