Science News
Childhood Vision Loss Affects Sound Distance Judgement
Neuroscience News - 19 Jul 2024 22:58
New research reveals that individuals who experience vision loss before age 10 struggle more with judging sound distance compared to those who lose sight later in life. This difficulty in perceiving the location of sound...
Consciousness in AI: Distinguishing Reality from Simulation
Neuroscience News - 19 Jul 2024 22:44
A new study examines the possibility of consciousness in artificial systems, focusing on ruling out scenarios where AI appears conscious without actually being so. Using the free energy principle, the study highlights th...
OpenAI's Project Strawberry Said to Be Building AI That Reasons and Does 'Deep Research'
Singularity Hub - 19 Jul 2024 21:44
Despite their uncanny language skills, today's leading AI chatbots still struggle with reasoning. A secretive new project from OpenAI could reportedly be on the verge of changing that. While today's large language models...
NASA's Curiosity rover accidentally reveals ultra-rare sulfur crystals after crushing a rock on Mars
Live Science - 19 Jul 2024 19:31
NASA's Curiosity rover revealed an 'oasis' of rare elemental sulfur on Mars after accidentally crushing a rock with its tires. The yellow crystals have never been spotted on the Red Planet before.
Zombie galaxy came back to life after 20 million years
New Scientist - 19 Jul 2024 19:08
Galaxies that stop making stars don't usually start up again, but now we've seen one wake from the dead for the first time - and it may explain what we've got wrong about galaxies in the early universe
Chinese nuclear reactor is completely meltdown-proof
New Scientist - 19 Jul 2024 18:56
The first ever full-scale demonstration of a nuclear reactor designed to passively cool itself in an emergency was a success, showing that it should be possible to build nuclear plants without the risk of dangerous meltd...
'We can't answer these questions': Neuroscientist Kenneth Kosik on whether lab-grown brains will achieve consciousness
Live Science - 19 Jul 2024 17:40
So much is still unknown about consciousness, nevermind whether brain organoids will achieve it, explains a leading neuroscientist.
A new way to control the magnetic properties of rare earth elements
Phys.org - 19 Jul 2024 16:52
The special properties of rare earth magnetic materials are due to the electrons in the 4f shell. Until now, the magnetic properties of 4f electrons were considered almost impossible to control.
A microscopic factory for small runners: New method uses magnetic loops for growth control
Phys.org - 19 Jul 2024 16:31
Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have developed a new method for controlling the growth of physical micro-runners. They used an external magnetic field to assemble paramagnetic colloidal spheres--i.e. only magne...
Nearly half a million 'invasive' owls, including their hybrid offspring, to be killed by US
Live Science - 19 Jul 2024 15:46
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a final proposal to kill around 450,000 invasive barred owls in the Northwest, in an attempt to save two native species.
2 young orcas ram sailboat off northern France -- 800 miles from 'attack' hotspot
Live Science - 19 Jul 2024 15:41
Coastguards had to tow a 40-foot-long sailboat back to port after two young orcas severely damaged the boat's rudder near Guilvinec in the French region of Brittany.
Could blocking this one protein extend human life span?
Live Science - 19 Jul 2024 15:40
Blocking a pro-inflammatory protein extended the life span of mice by around 25%. Could it do the same in humans?
Green belts around cities help keep them cool
New Scientist - 19 Jul 2024 15:08
Areas of rural countryside around cities are intended to prevent urban sprawl, but can also influence the climate within cities - and now researchers have quantified this cooling effect
Astrocytes: The Unsung Heroes of Learning and Memory
Neuroscience News - 19 Jul 2024 14:59
Astrocytes, star-shaped glial cells in the brain, play a crucial role in learning and memory by regulating synaptic plasticity. Researchers developed a biophysical model showing how astrocytes interact with nerve cells t...
Healthy Prenatal Diet Linked to Lower Autism Risk
Neuroscience News - 19 Jul 2024 14:35
A new study suggests that a healthy prenatal diet may lower the risk of autism and social communication difficulties in children, according to researchers who analyzed data from two large cohort studies in Norway and the...
Last Chance Lake: The unusual 'soda lake' with conditions that may have given rise to life on Earth
Live Science - 19 Jul 2024 14:00
Scientists consider Last Chance Lake to be an analog for lakes that may have existed on Earth 4 billion years ago and contained the ingredients for early life on our planet.
Ultra-rare whale never seen alive washes up on on New Zealand beach -- and scientists could now dissect it for the 1st time
Live Science - 19 Jul 2024 12:22
A beaked whale that recently washed up dead on a New Zealand beach likely belongs to the world's rarest cetacean species. If confirmed, researchers could dissect the species for the very first time.
Dead stars sometimes shine again -- and gravity itself may be responsible
Live Science - 19 Jul 2024 12:00
Do dead stars glow? A strange gravitational phenomenon could be generating enormous amounts of light around neutron stars, new research suggests.
Windows computers around the world are failing in a major outage
New Scientist - 19 Jul 2024 11:23
An update to a piece of software called CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor appears to be negatively affecting Windows computers worldwide, with banks, airports, broadcasters and more finding that devices display a "blue screen of...
See stunning photos of the Atacama Desert -- the driest on Earth -- blooming in winter for 1st time in a decade
Live Science - 19 Jul 2024 09:43
"This very arid soil houses a treasure," ecologist María Fernanda Pérez told Live Science after the Atacama Desert produced a rare winter bloom.
New species of Portuguese man o' war discovered in the Tasman Sea
New Scientist - 19 Jul 2024 08:00
Genetic analysis shows that there are four varieties of Portuguese man o' war, or bluebottle, including an Antipodean species that has yet to be named
1,800-year-old ring depicting Roman goddess discovered by ancient quarry in Israel
Live Science - 19 Jul 2024 00:00
A 13-year-old boy hiking in Haifa discovered a Roman-era ring with a depiction of Minerva, the goddess of war and wisdom.