110 articles from FRIDAY 5.8.2022

Reinforcement learning–based simulations show human desire to always want more may speed up learning

A trio of researchers, two with Princeton University, the other the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, has developed a reinforcement learning–based simulation that shows the human desire always to want more may have evolved as a way to speed up learning. In their paper posted in the open-access PLOS Computational Biology, Rachit Dubey, Thomas Griffiths and Peter Dayan describe the...

Researchers report solar energetic particle event observed by China's Tianwen-1 mission

Researchers from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and their collaborators have reported a solar energetic particle (SEP) event observed by the Mars Energetic Particle Analyzer (MEPA) carried on China's Tianwen-1 (TW-1) spacecraft. As the first scientific report based on MEPA, the paper was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

NASA Goddard’s 'Web Around Asteroid Bennu' Shows in SIGGRAPH Film Fest

Portal origin URL: NASA Goddard’s 'Web Around Asteroid Bennu' Shows in SIGGRAPH Film FestPortal origin nid: 481834Published: Friday, August 5, 2022 - 10:00Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: “A Web Around Asteroid Bennu” highlights the tricky navigation it took for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to collect a sample from asteroid Bennu in 2020....

Simulating infinitely many chaotic particles using a quantum computer

A team of researchers at Google's Quantinuum, working with a colleague at the University of Texas, Austin, has developed a way to simulate infinitely many chaotic particles using a quantum computer running with a limited number of qubits. In their paper published in the journal Nature Physics, the group describes their technique.

A brain mechanism underlying the evolution of anxiety

New research using genome editing technology has allowed scientists to create a model and assess a gene mutation associated with neuropsychiatric disorders in humans. The study has revealed how the mutation functions in the brain and affects anxiety and sociality.

New study calculates retreat of glacier edges in Alaska's Kenai Fjords National Park

As glaciers worldwide retreat due to climate change, managers of national parks need to know what's on the horizon to prepare for the future. A new study has measured 38 years of change for glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park south of Anchorage and discovered that 13 of the 19 glaciers show substantial retreat, four are relatively stable, and two have advanced. It also finds trends in which...

Treating cancer by sticking cells in place

Future treatments for advanced cancer could work by sticking cancer cells in place and preventing their spread around the body. A new study by researchers at UC Davis and the University of Washington shows how an antibody strengthens bonds between cells.