Science X Newsletter Wed, Feb 7

Dear manoj dole,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for February 7, 2024:

Technology news

	Adaptive robot can open all the doors A small team of roboticists at Carnegie Mellon University has developed a training regimen that allows a robot to start out with limited abilities, such as carrying out a certain task like opening doors or drawers, and to improve as it teaches itself how to modify its techniques when faced with previously unseen challenges.
	Researchers raise expectations for commercialization of high-energy-density all-solid-state batteries Researchers are actively working on non-flammable solid electrolytes as a safer alternative to liquid electrolytes commonly found in lithium-ion batteries, which are vulnerable to fires and explosions.
	Resting found to boost performance of lithium metal batteries Next-generation electric vehicles could run on lithium metal batteries that go 500 to 700 miles on a single charge, twice the range of conventional lithium-ion batteries in EVs today.
	Study unveils scalable and efficient photoelectrode modules for green hydrogen production In a development toward practical photoelectrochemical water splitting, a research team has achieved a technological breakthrough in the production of green hydrogen. Through their innovative approach, the team has overcome the challenges of efficiency, stability, and scalability in photoelectrodes, paving the way for practical implementation. The study is published in the journal Nature Energy.
	International research team develops new hardware for neuromorphic computing In the future, modern machines should not only follow algorithms quickly and precisely, but also function intelligently—in other words, in a way that resembles the human brain. Scientists from Dortmund, Loughborough, Kiev and Nottingham have now developed a concept inspired by eyesight that could make future artificial intelligence much more compact and efficient.
	EVs that go 1,000 kilometers on a single charge: New gel may make it possible Futuristic advancements in AI and health care stole the limelight at the tech extravaganza Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024. However, battery technology is the game-changer at the heart of these innovations, enabling greater power efficiency. Importantly, electric vehicles are where this technology is being applied most intensely.
	Inexpensive, carbon-neutral biofuels are finally possible When it comes to making fuel from plants, the first step has always been the hardest—breaking down the plant matter. A new study finds that introducing a simple, renewable chemical to the pretreatment step can finally make next-generation biofuel production both cost-effective and carbon-neutral.
	3D printed nanocellulose upscaled for green architectural applications For the first time, a hydrogel material made of nanocellulose and algae has been tested as an alternative, greener architectural material. The study, from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and the Wallenberg Wood Science Center, shows how the abundant sustainable material can be 3D printed into a wide array of architectural components, using much less energy than conventional construction methods.
	AI can use human perception to help tune out noisy audio Researchers have developed a new deep learning model that promises to significantly improve audio quality in real-world scenarios by taking advantage of a previously underutilized tool: Human perception.
	Getting to know the 'ghost' inside batteries: An in-depth examination of tiny short-circuits An Argonne team developing materials for solid-state batteries has taken an unexpected detour to investigate tiny short-circuits known as soft-shorts. Their insights will benefit battery researchers around the world.
	Q&A: Researcher discusses how newly developed method can help robots identify objects in cluttered spaces Imagine a coffee cup sitting on a table. Now, imagine a book partially obscuring the cup. As humans, we still know what the coffee cup is even though we can't see all of it. But a robot might be confused.
	Smart earrings can monitor a person's temperature Smart accessories are increasingly common. Rings and watches track vitals, while Ray-Bans now come with cameras and microphones. Wearable tech has even broached brooches. Yet certain accessories have yet to get the smart touch.
	Bluesky, a social network championed by Jack Dorsey, opens for anyone to sign up Bluesky, a Twitter-like social network championed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has emerged from its cocoon and is now allowing anyone to create an account and join the service.
	Powerful answers to energy questions may be blowing in the wind While wind farms have become a widely popular method of generating energy, researchers are now looking at the impact of these large farms on wind patterns and the surrounding environment.
	Snap shares plummet after disappointing results Shares in social media company Snap, which runs the youth-focused Snapchat, plummeted on Tuesday after the company posted disappointing earnings.
	Why fashion's 'recycling' is not saving the planet In H&M's flagship Paris store it is hard to find clothes that don't claim to be made from "recycled materials".
	Alibaba approves additional $25 billion share buyback as revenue disappoints Chinese e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding on Wednesday approved an additional $25 billion authorization to its share buyback program, amid lower-than-expected sales revenue for the last quarter of 2023.
	MEMS accelerometer based on stiffness tuning for improved motion detection technology MEMS accelerometers, essential for various high-tech applications, face challenges with temperature-induced accuracy drifts. Despite their widespread use in electronics, navigation, and monitoring systems, their performance is compromised by temperature effects on mechanical and electronic components, leading to inaccuracies.
	Using AI to monitor the internet for terror content is inescapable—but also fraught with pitfalls Every minute, millions of social media posts, photos and videos flood the internet. On average, Facebook users share 694,000 stories, X (formerly Twitter) users post 360,000 posts, Snapchat users send 2.7 million snaps and YouTube users upload more than 500 hours of video.
	Researchers develop and test the first unmanned forestry machine A study published in the Journal of Field Robotics assessed the world's first unmanned machine designed for autonomous forestry operations.
	From waste to resource: New sustainable process transforms sewage sludge into activated carbon Sewage sludge is the solid waste resulting from wastewater treatment. According to data from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, 1.2 million tons of this waste were produced in Spain in 2021 alone, and its management is a growing problem.
	In a first for Uber since becoming a public company, an annual profit Uber posted its first full-year profit since going public in 2019 and its stock hit an all-time high Wednesday as strong bookings in the final quarter of the year pushed profit and revenue beyond Wall Street expectations.
	An expert discusses the state of cryptocurrencies Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin were created to circumvent the monopoly on money held by nation states and central banks. The digital currencies were to function more democratically and be widely disseminated. But the opposite has happened, blockchain researcher Claudio Tessone notes.
	Japan's electric vehicle transition by 2035 may be insufficient to combat the climate crisis, but there are solutions Researchers at Kyushu University have found that Japan's current policy of stopping the sale of gas vehicles by 2035 and transitioning only to hybrids and electric vehicles may be insufficient to reduce the country's CO2 emissions and prevent it from reaching its decarbonization target goals. In fact, emissions may temporarily increase.
	Your personal data is political: Computer scientists find gaps in the privacy practices of campaign websites Would you trust a random political canvasser to do whatever they wanted with your resume, your friends' email addresses—and perhaps your profile pictures?
	Decoding thermophotovoltaic efficiency The field of solar cells has witnessed exponential development over the past decades. Evaluating the performance of solar cells has been simple because all devices can be compared given a single metric, the efficiency, which is measured under standardized conditions.
	Can solar geoengineering save the world? The concept of solar geoengineering—blocking the sun's radiation to slow Earth's warming—is no longer just the realm of science fiction. In 2023, the U.S. government and the UN released reports on the topic. Whether or not solar geoengineering can save the world is up for debate, and Tony Harding, an assistant professor in the School of Public Policy, is contributing to the conversation.
	Ford posts $523 million 4Q net loss on accounting charge for pensions but beats analyst estimates Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday reported that it swung to a net loss in the fourth quarter due to a large accounting charge on pension plans and the effects of a six-week strike at multiple factories by the United Auto Workers union.
	Ex-staff accuse SpaceX of sexual harassment, discrimination Former employees at Elon Musk's SpaceX have expanded their legal case against the rocket-making company that they accuse of discrimination and sexual harassment.
	Networks unite to create new sports streaming platform ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros Discovery have reached agreement on a new streaming platform for live sports content, the companies said on Tuesday.
	EU court backs Ryanair in Dutch aid case for KLM A top EU court on Wednesday again annulled the approval of a pandemic state aid program for Dutch airline KLM, handing a fresh victory to its Irish rival Ryanair.
	Vanguard quietly embraces AI in $13 billion of quant stock funds Vanguard Group, famous for its old-school investment ethos and reluctance to chase newfangled technologies like crypto, has been quietly using machine learning across several active stock funds with a combined $13 billion under management.
	Labor's fuel-efficiency standards may settle the ute dispute—but there are still hazards on the road Australia looks set to adopt fuel-efficiency standards after the Albanese government on Sunday revealed options for the long-awaited policy. The government says the reform would lead to more cars that are cheaper to run, eventually saving Australians about A$1,000 per vehicle each year.

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