Science X Newsletter Fri, Jan 26

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for January 26, 2024:

Technology news

	Pet technology, meant to provide help and security for pets and owners, has vulnerabilities of its own Pet owners are increasingly turning to technology for various pet care purposes such as feeding, health monitoring and activity and movement tracking. Much of this technology operates via devices and apps connected to the Internet of Things (IoT), thereby presenting privacy and security risks to those who use them.
	Scientists design a two-legged robot powered by muscle tissue Compared to robots, human bodies are flexible, capable of fine movements, and can convert energy efficiently into movement. Drawing inspiration from human gait, researchers from Japan crafted a two-legged biohybrid robot by combining muscle tissues and artificial materials. Published on January 26 in the journal Matter, this method allows the robot to walk and pivot.
	3D printed electronic skin provides promise for human-machine interaction With more than 1,000 nerve endings, human skin is the brain's largest sensory connection to the outside world, providing a wealth of feedback through touch, temperature and pressure. While these complex features make skin a vital organ, they also make it a challenge to replicate.
	Electrolyte additive increases charging rate of lithium metal batteries On a mission to build better electric vehicle batteries, chemists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have used an electrolyte additive to improve the functionality of energy-dense lithium metal batteries. By adding a compound called cesium nitrate to the electrolyte that separates the battery's anode and cathode, the research team has significantly improved the charging rate of lithium metal batteries while maintaining a long cycle life.
	Google announces the development of Lumiere, an AI-based next-generation text-to-video generator A team of AI researchers at Google Research has developed a next-generation AI-based text-to-video generator called Lumiere. The group has published a paper describing their efforts on the arXiv preprint server.
	How silicon can improve the performance of solid-state batteries High-performance batteries are required for a wide range of applications, and demand for them is growing rapidly. This is why the research and development of electrochemical energy storage systems, including those for electromobility, is one of the most important areas of work in materials science worldwide. The focus is not only on the charging capacities and charging speeds of the batteries, but also on the life span, safety, availability of raw materials and the CO2 balance.
	Study shows coal-based product could replace sand in concrete The world's reliance on concrete, the second most consumed material after water, is leading to an environmental and resource crisis, with sand mining rates outstripping natural replenishment.
	What you should know if you're about to fly on a Boeing Max 9 Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners will carry passengers in the United States again, starting this weekend, for the first time since they were grounded after a panel blew out of the side of one of the planes.
	EU law prompts Apple to make major changes to App Store in Europe Apple has announced major changes to its services in Europe that will allow iPhone users to download alternative app stores for the first time, as the US tech giant yields to new EU antitrust regulations.
	England's Cambridge targets Silicon Valley status Cambridge, the English city renowned for its university, scientific breakthroughs and status as a technology hub, has its sights on becoming the next Silicon Valley.
	OpenAI CEO Altman visits S.Korea for Samsung, SK Hynix meetings: Reports ChatGPT creator OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, has arrived in South Korea to meet with the leaders of chip giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, reports said Friday.
	Predictive model detects potential extremist propaganda on social media The militant Islamic State group, or ISIS, lost its physical territory in 2019, but it remains an active force on social media, according to researchers from the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, who set out to better understand the group's online strategies.
	Researchers develop a multiscale feature modulation network for advanced underwater image enhancement Researchers led by Prof. Wang Rujing from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a simple and effective multi-scale feature modulation network for underwater image enhancement.
	New research combats burgeoning threat of deepfake audio With every passing day, it seems like it is getting harder to trust what you see—and hear—on the internet. Deepfakes and doctored audio have become easier to create with the press of a button. New research by three School of Information students and alums will make it easy to determine the authenticity of an audio clip.
	Spreadsheet errors can have disastrous consequences, yet we keep making the same mistakes Spreadsheet blunders aren't just frustrating personal inconveniences. They can have serious consequences. And in the last few years alone, there have been a myriad of spreadsheet horror stories.
	Swimming pools could slash bills by harvesting heat from servers. Here's how to make it work My teenage son regularly complains about his room being too warm, even during winter. While the rest of the house is at a comfortable temperature, the video game PC he plays emits a significant amount of heat.
	Why are so many robots white? Problems of racial and gender bias in artificial intelligence algorithms and the data used to train large language models like ChatGPT have drawn the attention of researchers and generated headlines. But these problems also arise in social robots, which have physical bodies modeled on nonthreatening versions of humans or animals and are designed to interact with people.
	In the market for a car? Soon you'll be able to buy a Hyundai on Amazon, and only a Hyundai This is the year you can finally buy a car on Amazon. Well, one kind. Eventually.
	Study examines AI chatbots in public organizations From providing fast, 24-hour service, multilingual support and reducing staff workloads, the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots are numerous. The technology also holds the potential to improve services across industries, including health care, sales and government. Still, many questions about chatbots remain, particularly when it comes to adoption and implementation within the public sector.
	Study shows sustainable tech can make existing UK homes carbon zero Inefficient UK homes, which were built decades ago, can now do away with their gas boilers and get all their energy needs off-grid by retrofitting a combination of existing renewable energy technologies, new research shows.
	NASA autonomous flight software successfully used in air taxi stand-ins In late October, two research helicopters from the manufacturer Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, made a dozen test flights over Long Island Sound, Connecticut taking care to avoid other aircraft in the area around them. Except the ordinary-looking helicopters were flying autonomously—guided by NASA-designed software—and those other aircraft were virtual, part of a simulation to test pilotless flight systems. This was the first time two autonomous aircraft were flying at one another using NASA designed collision avoidance software.
	Magnetic-biased chiral molecules enable highly oriented perovskite films In the realm of clean energy, metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have emerged as a focus, capturing significant attention for their extraordinary advancements. In just over a decade, their certified power conversion efficiency (PCE) has skyrocketed to 26.1%, approaching the upper limits seen in traditional crystalline silicon cells. What sets PSCs apart is their potential to surpass the 30% PCE threshold.
	Search and rescue system using a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle Conventional search and rescue operations after major disasters face many problems. A team from Malaysia writing in the International Journal of Vehicle Autonomous Systems, now suggests a practical solution that involves a real-time human detection system using a fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).
	Architecture professor adapts vibration reduction device for residential use A family purchased an upscale home in the suburbs of New York City with an open-floor plan, but they weren't happy with the floor vibration in certain rooms. Homes built with longer spans and fewer partitions are structurally sound, but the design trend often means noticeable vibration when you walk across the floor.
	Powering the future: Unlocking the role of hydrogen in lithium-ion batteries Lithium-ion batteries stand out as one of the most prevalent rechargeable battery technologies in the present era. Within these batteries, lithium-cobalt oxides (LiCoO2) are widely used as the materials for positive electrodes or cathodes (the conductors through which electric current either enters or exits a substance). The cathode plays a pivotal role in lithium-ion batteries and influences their capacity, performance over many charge-discharge cycles, and ability to manage heat.
	EU hails 'change' as Apple opens App Store to competition The European Union's digital enforcer celebrated on Friday the "change" underway in the tech world after Apple yielded to a new EU law by announcing it would allow alternative app stores on the iPhone for the first time.
	What if American nuclear power plants could be less expensive American nuclear power plants generate more than 20% of the electricity, and half of the carbon-free electricity, in the United States. The nation's pressing demand for even more electricity—specifically carbon-free electricity that does not contribute to climate change—is spurring interest in advanced nuclear technologies. It is also leading many to ask if the nuclear power industry, sometimes labeled more expensive to maintain and operate than other clean energy industries, can modernize itself and present a more compelling bottom line.
	Microsoft Teams outage blocks access, limits features for some users Microsoft Teams is experiencing an outage that has blocked access and limited features for some users.
	Quality control at heart of latest Boeing crisis Boeing is facing intensifying scrutiny over its quality control practices in the aftermath of a near-catastrophic Alaska Airlines flight three weeks ago when a panel blew out.
	Biden administration awards nearly half a billion dollars for Northern California offshore wind project In the latest significant step for California's efforts to build offshore wind farms in the Pacific Ocean, the Biden administration has awarded nearly half a billion dollars for a project to construct and deploy hundreds of huge turbines to float 20 miles off the state's coast.
	Outrage over deepfake porn images of Taylor Swift Fans of Taylor Swift and politicians, including the White House, expressed outrage on Friday at AI-generated fake porn images of the megastar that went viral on X and were still available on other platforms.

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