Science X Newsletter Fri, Dec 8

Dear manoj dole,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for December 8, 2023:

Technology news

	Reptilian robots used in BBC documentary considered for use in disaster response efforts A trio of roboticists from KM-RoBoTa Sàrl, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and Verity AG, all in Switzerland, has found that a pair of reptilian robots they built for use in a BBC documentary back in 2016 may now offer a novel means for studying marine life and could also be used in disaster efforts.
	Veins of bacteria could form a self-healing system for concrete infrastructure In hopes of producing concrete structures that can repair their cracks, researchers from Drexel University's College of Engineering are putting a new twist on an old trick for improving the durability of concrete.
	Learn to forget? How to rein in a rogue chatbot When Australian politician Brian Hood noticed ChatGPT was telling people he was a convicted criminal, he took the old-fashioned route and threatened legal action against the AI chatbot's maker, OpenAI.
	Nintendo cancels its Live 2024 Tokyo event after persistent threats to workers and customers Nintendo canceled its upcoming video game showcase and postponed several other events because of persistent threats to the company, its workers and players.
	Israel's AI can produce 100 bombing targets a day in Gaza. Is this the future of war? Last week, reports emerged that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are using an artificial intelligence (AI) system called Habsora (Hebrew for "The Gospel") to select targets in the war on Hamas in Gaza. The system has reportedly been used to find more targets for bombing, to link locations to Hamas operatives, and to estimate likely numbers of civilian deaths in advance.
	Q&A: Electric, autonomous vehicles offer promise, but broad-based benefits elusive without public role Autonomous and electric vehicles can be a positive force for people and the planet, but widespread gains require government incentives and investment to ensure access for users across the economic spectrum.
	The sky's the limit: A brief history of in-flight entertainment As the winter holidays draw near, many of us are already booking flights to see friends and family or vacation in warmer climates. Nowadays, air travel is synonymous with some form of in-flight entertainment, encompassing everything from the reception offered by the aircrew to the food choices and digital content.
	Study shows challenges to protecting privacy of library users Librarians have historically taken a strong stand on protecting the privacy of their patrons. But how well they accomplish this varies widely with the size of a library, and technology has made it more difficult, according to the first study of privacy practices and challenges in public libraries.
	Integrated wastewater treatment plants and public transport are a win-win, says simulation study What could clean energy buses and sewage treatment plants have in common? Answer: the co-location of hydrogen production by electrolysis at a wastewater facility to produce hydrogen for fuel cells to run buses, and oxygen to feed beneficial bacteria in the treatment tanks.
	China is ahead of Europe and US in recycling lithium, cobalt and nickel for batteries, finds study A team headed by business chemist Prof. Stephan von Delft from the University of Münster has concluded that China will be the first country worldwide to become independent of the need to mine the raw materials that are essential for batteries. They have also established that this development could be accelerated in all the regions they looked at—including Europe and the U.S.
	Biases in large image-text AI model favor wealthier, Western perspectives: Study In a study evaluating the bias in OpenAI's CLIP, a model that pairs text and images and operates behind the scenes in the popular DALL-E image generator, University of Michigan researchers found that CLIP performs poorly on images that portray low-income and non-Western lifestyles.
	Nvidia CEO suggests Malaysia could be AI 'manufacturing' hub as Southeast Asia expands data centers The CEO of technology giant Nvidia said Friday that he views Malaysia as a potential hub for artificial intelligence "manufacturing," though he did not confirm the chipmaker is in talks with a local conglomerate to set up AI data centers in the Southeast Asian country.
	Spotify CFO becomes one of thousands departing the streaming service, after selling $9M in shares Spotify's chief financial officer will step down next year, according to the music streaming service, just days after it announced its third round of layoffs for 2023.
	'Lithium Valley': Inside California's 'white gold' rush The Imperial Valley in southeastern California is emerging as a global hotspot for lithium: A new U.S. Department of Energy report confirms that the Salton Sea holds enough of the rare mineral to power over 375 million electric vehicle batteries—more than the total number of vehicles on U.S. roads.
	From useless plastic waste to valuable oil Researchers and business people have developed a new technology that can make oil from plastic waste that cannot be recycled. This oil can be used to make new plastic and other oil-based products. The technology was recently used in a new commercial facility in West Zealand, Denmark.
	UK probes Microsoft-OpenAI partnership Britain's competition watchdog announced on Friday that it was looking into whether a partnership between US tech giant Microsoft and artificial intelligence developer OpenAI resembles a merger.

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