Science X Newsletter Wed, Mar 13

Dear manoj dole,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for March 13, 2024:

Technology news

	Intel introduces approach to boost power efficiency, reliability of packaged chiplet ecosystems The integration of electronic chips in commercial devices has significantly evolved over the past decades, with engineers devising various integration strategies and solutions. Initially, computers contained a central processor or central processing unit (CPU), connected to memory units and other components via traditional communication pathways, known as front-side-bus (FSB) interfaces.
	Study finds rerouting of airplanes to reduce contrails not as expensive as thought A small team of environmental scientists has found via simulations that rerouting commercial airplanes to reduce contrails would be less expensive than previously thought. In their study, published in the journal Environmental Research: Infrastructure and Sustainability, the group used data from prior studies to create simulations of airplanes routed to prevent the development of contrails.
	From recurrent networks to GPT-4: Measuring algorithmic progress in language models In 2012, the best language models were small recurrent networks that struggled to form coherent sentences. Fast forward to today, and large language models like GPT-4 outperform most students on the SAT. How has this rapid progress been possible?
	Wearable stretchable electronics: A new design and fabrication process for skin-like integrated circuits Small wearable or implantable electronics could help monitor our health, diagnose diseases, and provide opportunities for improved, autonomous treatments. But to do this without aggravating or damaging the cells around them, these electronics will need to not only bend and stretch with our tissues as they move, but also be soft enough that they will not scratch and damage tissues.
	Opening new doors in the VR world—literally Room-scale virtual reality (VR) is one where users explore a VR environment by physically walking through it. The technology provides many benefits, given its highly immersive experience. Yet the drawback is that it requires large physical spaces. It can also lack haptic feedback when touching objects.
	Staying in the loop: How superconductors are helping computers 'remember' Computers work in digits—0s and 1s, to be exact. Their calculations are digital; their processes are digital; even their memories are digital. All of which require extraordinary power resources. As we look to the next evolution of computing and developing neuromorphic or "brain-like" computing, those power requirements are unfeasible.
	Engineering team discovers new high-performance solar cell material A Dartmouth Engineering-led study published in Joule has reported the discovery of an entirely new high-performance material for solar absorbers—the central part of a solar cell that turns light into electricity—that is stable and Earth-abundant. The researchers used a unique high-throughput computational screening method to accelerate the discovery process and were able to quickly evaluate approximately 40,000 known candidate materials.
	A quadrupedal robot can do parkour and walk across rubble The robot known as ANYmal has, for some time, had no problem coping with the stony terrain of Swiss hiking trails. Now researchers at ETH Zurich have taught this quadrupedal robot some new skills: It is proving rather adept at parkour, a sport based on using athletic maneuvers to smoothly negotiate obstacles in an urban environment, which has become very popular. ANYmal is also proficient at dealing with the tricky terrain commonly found on building sites or in disaster areas.
	Scientists use novel technique to create new energy-efficient microelectronic device A breakthrough could help lead to the development of new low-power semiconductors or quantum devices.
	New 'papertronics' offer biodegradable alternative to traditional circuits As the Internet of Things connects more devices into a collective network—even single-use sensors like food packaging, agriculture or "smart bandages"—the need for biodegradable electronics grows increasingly urgent.
	Novel technologies for transforming wind turbine and power grid stability control Researchers from the University of Birmingham, U.K., are working on novel ways of preventing threats to grid stability that can result in the loss of power to millions of people, equipment damage, and limited power transfer capability.
	The New York Times is fighting off Wordle look-alikes with copyright takedown notices The New York Times is fighting off Wordle "clones"—arguing that numerous games inspired by the mega-popular word-guessing game infringe on its copyright protections.
	Volkswagen's 2023 profits rise, outlook for this year cautious German auto giant Volkswagen on Wednesday reported a forecast-beating rise in profits for 2023, boosted by higher vehicle deliveries, but gave a cautious outlook for this year.
	Boeing says employees must take 'immediate' action on safety measures US aeronautics giant Boeing, facing increased scrutiny after a series of safety incidents and manufacturing issues, is directing employees to take "immediate actions" to improve operations, according to a message the company sent to its workforce Tuesday.
	AI-narrated books are here: Are humans out of a job? If you've listened to an audiobook or a narrated news article in the past year or so, there's a chance it was created not by a human, but by AI software that mimics the sound of a human voice.
	EU parliament adopts 'pioneering' rules on AI The European Parliament gave final approval on Wednesday to the world's most far-reaching rules to govern artificial intelligence, including powerful systems like OpenAI's ChatGPT.
	Europeans want decentralized power generation and low prices Although a majority of Europeans support the energy transition in principle, local opposition to necessary infrastructure projects is on the rise. What could be done to smooth the future growth of renewables in Europe? In a new study published in iScience, researchers have identified the preferences of citizens in Denmark, Germany, Poland and Portugal.
	How AI is shaping the music listening habits of Gen Z For four years, we've been teaching a class on music and the mind. We've asked the students at the start of each semester to complete a short, informal survey on their music education and favorite songs and artists.
	Petrol, pricing and parking: Why so many outer suburban residents are opting for electric vehicles Until now, you might have thought of electric vehicles as inner suburban toys. Teslas and Polestars are expensive, leaving them as playthings for wealthier Australians and out of reach for the mortgage belt.
	AI is creating fake legal cases and making its way into real courtrooms, with disastrous results We've seen deepfake, explicit images of celebrities, created by artificial intelligence (AI). AI has also played a hand in creating music, driverless race cars and spreading misinformation, among other things.
	What we know so far about the rumored Apple smart ring Samsung officially announced the launch of a new smart ring-shaped wearable device, Galaxy Ring, as part of its Galaxy Unpacked event earlier this year. The ring, expected to be on sale in late summer 2024, will be able to monitor the user's health parameters and provide insights based on the health metrics observed, which is very similar to what a smartwatch can do.
	Even robots make mistakes: How humans walk with imperfect exoskeletons When lower limb exoskeletons—mechanical structures worn on the leg—do not operate properly, some people adjust quickly while others compensate with their ankle or hip, expending more energy than necessary, according to a new study by University of Michigan researchers.
	Building trust between humans and robots when managing conflicting objectives A new University of Michigan study on how humans and robots work together on tasks with conflicting objectives is the first to demonstrate that trust and team performance improve when the robot actively adapts to the human's strategy.
	Suspended solar panels see the light In the 80 years since the shocking collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington, engineers have designed suspended structures to minimize their universal weakness: resonance. If not designed to deal with oscillations caused by forces like wind, the frequency of these forces would cause tensions to build and inevitably break the structure.
	Cyberattack leaves health care providers reeling weeks later Following a cyberattack on the largest health insurer in the United States last month, health care providers continue to scramble as insurance payments and prescription orders continue to be disrupted and physicians lose an estimated $100 million a day.
	How the US Army will build a floating pier to deliver humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza It sounds like a tall order: build a floating pier off war-torn Gaza that will allow the delivery of 2 million daily meals to residents. And do it in two months.
	Improving miner problems with safety research In the search for safer working conditions in the mining sector, a recent review published in the International Journal of Mining and Mineral Engineering has highlighted what might become a rich seam for future safety endeavors. The study, which looked at 54 research articles, not only categorizes existing safety measures but also identifies gaps in the existing literature, which could lead to more targeted investigations.
	Satellites for quantum communications: Encryption by means of physical laws Through steady advances in the development of quantum computers and their ever-improving performance, it will be possible in the future to crack our current encryption processes. To address this challenge, researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are participating in an international research consortium to develop encryption methods that will apply physical laws to prevent the interception of messages. To safeguard communications over long distances, the QUICK³ space mission will deploy satellites.
	Strengthening the partnership between humans and AI: The case of translators ChatGPT and its ability to hold conversations and produce written content have been the focus of a lot of attention in the last year in the field of technology and artificial intelligence. However, AI has been around for some time, helping us in all sorts of everyday tasks, from navigation systems to social network algorithms, not to mention machine translation. Ever since neural machine translation (NMT) systems began to be used on a widespread basis a few years ago, AI has seen exponential growth in its uptake in the translation industry. This has led to new challenges in the relationship between human and machine translators.
	Researchers develop new control method that optimizes autonomous ship navigation The study of ship maneuvering at sea has long been the central focus of the shipping industry. With the rapid advancements in remote control, communication technologies, and artificial intelligence, the concept of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) has emerged as a promising solution for autonomous marine navigation. This shift highlights the growing need for optimal control models for autonomous ship maneuvering.
	Next-gen satellite navigation: Unlocking ultra-precision with cutting-edge tracking tech Researchers have developed a Dual-assisted Multi-component Tracking (DMT) technique that significantly enhances the precision of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). This innovation promises to enhance satellite navigation by leveraging wideband multiplexed signals for improved accuracy.
	Many firms prefer ready-made AI software, with a few tweaks Artificial intelligence has fundamentally changed nearly every industry, from manufacturing and retail to construction and agriculture. As AI becomes even more ubiquitous, firms are often opting for off-the-shelf technology that can be modified to meet their needs.
	Pioneering precision: Transforming micro-EDM with feed-pulse collaborative control Micro-Electrical Discharge Machining (micro-EDM) stands as a cornerstone in the manufacturing of intricate components with micro-scale features. This process is indispensable in creating precise micro-holes and cavities essential for industries such as aerospace, medical devices, and electronics.
	Grappling with the grid: Expanding electricity transmission brings benefits, encounters barriers Improving the U.S. electricity grid is necessary to lower costs, boost reliability and help tackle climate change, but it will take some serious soul searching by the leaders of entities that control the grid, according to a University of Michigan researcher.
	Waymo's robotaxi service expands into Los Angeles, starting free rides in parts of the city Robotaxis will begin cruising the streets of Los Angeles on Thursday when Google spinoff Waymo starts offering free rides to some of the roughly 50,000 people who have signed up for its driverless ride-hailing service.
	US House to vote on TikTok ban The US House of Representatives will vote Wednesday on a bill that would force TikTok to cut ties with its Chinese owner or get banned in the United States.
	Cathay Pacific 'is back' with first annual profit since 2019 Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific on Wednesday reported its first annual net profit in four years, citing a surge in demand as it emerges from the impact of the financial hub's COVID isolation.
	US House overwhelmingly passes TikTok ban bill The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill on Wednesday that would force TikTok to divest from its Chinese owner or get banned from the United States.
	Streaming giant Spotify adds music videos to output Music streaming giant Spotify on Wednesday announced it would be posting music videos on its platform in "select markets", entering an arena long dominated by YouTube.
	E for equity? E-scooter and e-bike schemes can help people on low incomes and with disabilities Interest in shared e-bikes and e-scooters, or "micromobility" devices, has skyrocketed in Australia. Every capital city and over 25 local councils have trialed shared e-scooter systems through private operators including Lime, Beam and Neuron.
	New truck front to save lives Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed a new truck front concept to reduce fatal crashes in car-truck collisions significantly.
	US House easily passes TikTok ban bill as eyes turn to Senate The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill on Wednesday that would force TikTok to divest from its Chinese owner or be banned from the United States.
	A solution to a medical waste problem that has become a major national issue in Korea For the first time in the country of Korea, a medical waste treatment system capable of 99.9999 percent sterilization by using high-temperature and high-pressure steam has been developed.
	TikTok devotees say platform unfairly targeted for US ban TikTok creators voiced outrage Wednesday over proposed legislation that could scuttle the platform in the United States, saying it defies common sense and financial wisdom.
	Brazil revs up for jolt of hybrid car investments Brazil is charging up for a hybrid revolution as global car manufacturers race to pump billions of dollars into the development of green vehicles in Latin America's biggest economy.

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