Science X Newsletter Wed, Nov 22

Dear manoj dole,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for November 22, 2023:

Technology news

	Autonomous excavator constructs a 6-meter-high dry-stone wall ETH Zurich researchers deployed an autonomous excavator, called HEAP, to build a 6-meter-high and 65-meter-long dry-stone wall. The wall is embedded in a digitally planned and autonomously excavated landscape and park.
	Everything machines always wanted to learn about metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors Machine learning (ML) is generally defined as data-driven technology mimicking intelligent human abilities, which bit by bit upgrades its accuracy from experience. It starts with gathering massive amounts of data, such as numbers, texts, images and so on. After training with the data, ML algorithms build a logical model to identify patterns through the least possible human intervention. With the help of sample training data, programmers test the model's validity before introducing a new dataset. The more training data, the better the prediction.
	New design for a rechargeable hydrogen-chlorine battery in a wide temperature range A research team led by Prof. Chen Wei from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) designed a rechargeable hydrogen-chlorine (H2-Cl2) battery that can operate in temperatures ranging from -70°C to 40°C. The study was published in Journal of the American Chemical Society as the cover article.
	A new optimization framework for robot motion planning It isn't easy for a robot to find its way out of a maze. Picture these machines trying to traverse a kid's playroom to reach the kitchen, with miscellaneous toys scattered across the floor and furniture blocking some potential paths. This messy labyrinth requires the robot to calculate the most optimal journey to its destination, without crashing into any obstacles. What is the bot to do?
	Researchers manufacture the first back-contact micrometric photovoltaic cells The University of Ottawa, together with national and international partners, has achieved a world first by manufacturing the first back-contact micrometric photovoltaic cells. The cells, with a size twice the thickness of a strand of hair, have significant advantages over conventional solar technologies, reducing electrode-induced shadowing by 95% and potentially lowering energy production costs by up to three times.
	OpenAI brings back Sam Altman as CEO just days after his firing unleashed chaos The ousted leader of ChatGPT maker OpenAI will return to the company that fired him just days ago, concluding a short but chaotic power struggle that shocked the tech industry and underscored the conflicts around how to safely build artificial intelligence.
	Polarized world threatens open internet: ICANN After 25 years of keeping the internet strong and stable, the nonprofit ICANN—responsible for its technical infrastructure—is warning that increasingly polarized geopolitics could start cracking the foundations of the online world.
	Binance to pay billions in US in money laundering case, CEO resigns Binance chief executive Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty Tuesday to US money laundering violations, in a deal that will see the cryptocurrency exchange he founded pay over $4 billion in penalties.
	Nvidia revenue rockets on demand for powerful chips Nvidia on Tuesday reported that its revenue more than tripled in the recently ended quarter as companies snapped up chips to power artificial intelligence (AI).
	Syngas photocatalysis made easy A study published in the journal PNAS Nexus reports a photocatalyst to enable solar-driven syngas production from methane steam reforming—a possible bridge fuel to a post-carbon energy world.
	Forget dystopian scenarios—AI is pervasive today, and the risks are often hidden The turmoil at ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, sparked by the board of directors firing high-profile CEO Sam Altman on Nov. 17, 2023, has put a spotlight on artificial intelligence safety and concerns about the rapid development of artificial general intelligence, or AGI. AGI is loosely defined as human-level intelligence across a range of tasks.
	Opinion: AI makes Silicon Valley's philosophy of 'move fast and break things' untenable The unofficial motto of Silicon Valley has long been "move fast and break things". It relies on the assumption that in order to create cutting edge technology and to be ahead of the competition, companies need to accept that things will get damaged in the process.
	Five ways retrofitting cities can help decarbonize our future Australian cities are not equipped to deal with the shocks and stresses of the near future.
	Forgiveness or punishment? Australia's proposed 'safe harbor' laws send mixed messages on cyber security Should companies experiencing cyber attacks be forgiven if they cooperate with the government to stop such attacks? That's the idea the federal government is considering with its possible "safe harbor" laws.
	Sails and satellite navigation could cut shipping industry's emissions by up to a third In the vast expanse of the world's oceans, a transformation is underway.
	What if Alexa or Siri sounded more like you? Study says you'll like it better One voice does not fit all when it comes to virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, according to a team led by Penn State researchers that examined how customization and perceived similarity between user and voice assistant (VA) personalities affect user experience. They found a strong preference for extroverted VAs—those that speak louder, faster and in a lower pitch.
	Sam Altman's return ushers in new era at OpenAI Sam Altman's shock return as chief executive of OpenAI late Tuesday—days after being sacked—caps a chaotic period that highlighted deep tensions at the heart of the Artificial Intelligence community.
	Solar panels vs planting forests: Which reduces climate change faster? Photovoltaic fields outperform afforestation as a global climate-change mitigation strategy, according to a study published in the journal PNAS Nexus.
	Why office-to-housing conversions are more complicated than they sound Converting office space to housing units sounds like a win–win in the post-pandemic world of remote work and scarce housing.
	Engineers develop framework to predict types of sounds likely to be heard at certain locations Imagine yourself on a beautiful beach. You're likely visualizing sand and sea but also hearing a symphony of wind gusting, waves crashing and gulls cawing. In this scene—as well as in urban settings with neighbors talking, dogs barking and traffic whooshing—sounds are critical components of the overall feel of a place.
	Using AI as a guide for the better manufacturing of perovskite solar cells Tandem solar cells based on perovskite semiconductors convert sunlight to electricity more efficiently than conventional silicon solar cells. In order to make this technology ready for the market, further improvements with regard to stability and manufacturing processes are required.
	Securing carbon fiber from waste coal At the University of Kentucky's Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), scientists' innovative research to turn Kentucky waste coal into high-value carbon products has been published in the journal Carbon.
	Researchers obtain promising results against capacity loss in vanadium batteries An article by researchers at the Center for Development of Functional Materials (CDMF) in Brazil describes a successful strategy to mitigate charge capacity loss in vanadium redox flow batteries, which are used by electric power utilities among other industries and can accumulate large amounts of energy. The article is published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.
	Understanding the strength development mechanism of chemically treated sandy soil Chemical injection is a process that enhances sand strength and its water-sealing capacity, making sandy soil suitable for various applications in construction. However, a unified understanding of how this process results in increased strength remains elusive. Some studies in the past have suggested that chemical injection separates soil particles, which causes volume expansion.
	The fallen kings of crypto Binance boss Changpeng Zhao has become the most powerful cryptocurrency figure to fall in a two-year period chaotic even by the standards of the notoriously volatile industry.
	Broadcom planning to complete deal for $69 billion acquisition of VMWare after regulators give OK Computer chip and software maker Broadcom has announced it has cleared all regulatory hurdles and plans to complete its $69 billion acquisition of cloud technology company VMware on Wednesday.
	Amazon accused of systematic gender discrimination in pay Three current Amazon employees say the company has created sexist pay practices and retaliated against them for complaining of gender-based discrimination, according to a proposed class-action lawsuit filed Monday in Seattle.
	Foreign cyberattack stole residents' sensitive information from Kansas court system A sophisticated foreign cyberattack targeted Kansas courts last month, jeopardizing sensitive information, the Kansas Supreme Court said Tuesday in its first explanation of what it previously called a security incident that disrupted courts across the state.
	Highly efficient method for removal of phosphate from aquaculture wastewater Enhanced phosphorus treatment and recovery has been continuously pursued due to the stringent wastewater discharge regulations and a phosphate supply shortage. A team of researchers from Hohai University has now developed a new adsorption-membrane separation strategy for rational reutilization of phosphate from sea cucumber aquaculture wastewater using a Zr-modified-bentonite filled polyvinyl chloride membrane.
	Causal reasoning meets visual representation learning: A prospective study With the emergence of huge amounts of heterogeneous multi-modal data—including images, videos, texts/languages, audios, and multi-sensor data—deep learning-based methods have shown promising performance for various computer vision and machine learning tasks, such as visual comprehension, video understanding, visual-linguistic analysis, and multi-modal fusion.
	Fishing industry rides tech wave to go green Sensors, "smart" buoys and high-tech traps can make fisheries in Europe more sustainable and profitable.

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