145 articles from WEDNESDAY 3.5.2023

Pressure required to launch a rock from Mars into space much lower than thought, discovers study

In August 1865, a 10-pound rock fell from space to Earth, landing with a bang in the remote village of Sherghati, India. After being recovered by witnesses to the event, the stone passed into the possession of a local British magistrate who endeavored to identify the source of the strange object. After more than a century of studying the meteorite fragments—so-called shergottites—researchers...

Video: Geoffrey Hinton talks about the “existential threat” of AI

Deep learning pioneer Geoffrey Hinton announced on Monday that he was stepping down from his role as a Google AI researcher after a decade with the company. He says he wants to speak freely as he grows increasingly worried about the potential harms of artificial intelligence. Prior to the announcement, Will Douglas Heaven, MIT Technology Review’s senior editor for AI, interviewed Hinton about...

Breakthrough for sweat: Health monitoring device

Sweat is more than just a sign of a good workout. It holds vital information about our health, providing clues to dehydration, fatigue, blood sugar levels and even serious conditions such as cystic fibrosis, diabetes and heart failure. Researchers have taken a giant leap forward in sweat analysis with an innovative 3D-printed wearable sweat sensor called the 'sweatainer.'

Do your homework to prep for the 2023 and 2024 eclipses

This year and next, Americans will have the extraordinary opportunity to witness two solar eclipses as both will be visible throughout the continental U.S. Both occurrences promise to be remarkable events and teachable moments but preparation is essential. Astronomers provide a practical playbook to help teachers, students, and the general public prepare for the eclipse events.

New high-speed, two-photon microscope for precise biological imaging

Two-photon microscopy (TPM) has revolutionized the field of biology by enabling researchers to observe complex biological processes in living tissues at high resolution. In contrast to traditional fluorescence microscopy techniques, TPM makes use of low-energy photons to excite fluorescent molecules for observation. This, in turn, makes it possible to penetrate the tissue much more deeply, and...

Researchers detect and classify multiple objects without images

Researchers have developed a new high-speed way to detect the location, size and category of multiple objects without acquiring images or requiring complex scene reconstruction. Because the new approach greatly decreases the computing power necessary for object detection, it could be useful for identifying hazards while driving.

Enhancing thermoelectricity with guided impurity position control

Thermoelectric materials, substances that convert temperature difference into electricity, find a multitude of applications involving the conversion of waste heat into useful electrical energy. However, they often need to rely on heavy rare earth elements for efficient thermoelectric conversion.

Study shows more woodlands will not impact tourism

Hiking, cycling, climbing and boating. When we take time off from work or school, we like to go out into nature. The landscape in other words play an important role for our vacations. To promote biodiversity and carbon sequestration there is a focus on planting more trees, especially in upland areas such as Howgill Fells.

A micropaleontology manuscript written 'on the barricades'

In the course of the younger Tertiary, a sea spread over the territory of Europe up to the Black and Caspian seas, whose outcrop, the Eastern Paratethys, connected with the Indian Ocean approximately in the area of Iran. Together with the Mediterranean Sea, it formed an important link between the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic and, thanks to the flow of warm water masses in subtropical to...

Do your homework to prep for the 2023 and 2024 eclipses

This year and next, Americans will have the extraordinary opportunity to witness two solar eclipses as both will be visible throughout the continental U.S. On Oct. 14, 2023, the moon will obscure all but a small annulus of the sun, producing a "ring of fire" eclipse. On April 8, 2024, the eclipse will be total in a band stretching from Texas to Maine.

Study finds shoppers' masking compliance influenced their in-store behaviors

As the coronavirus began to spread globally, face masks were recommended in public settings to protect against transmission, and compliance varied significantly. In a new study of people shopping in a large Chinese store in early 2020, researchers examined the motives behind customers' compliance with mask recommendations and how their shopping behaviors changed with the onset of the pandemic. The...