Author: ID
How we could snoop on extraterrestrial communications networks
A 3-pulsar navigation system for an ET civilization. Credit: Ross Davis (2022) The conditions for life throughout the universe are so plentiful that it seems reasonable to presume there must…
Ancient trees’ gnarled, twisted shapes provide irreplaceable habitats
Earth’s oldest, knotted and scarred pine trees are a boon for forest life. These old mountain pines (Pinus uncinata) offer food and shelter for lichens and insects not just because…
Early COVID-19 research is riddled with poor methods and low-quality results − a problem for science the pandemic worsened but didn’t create
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers flooded journals with studies about the then-novel coronavirus. Many publications streamlined the peer-review process for COVID-19 papers while keeping acceptance rates relatively high. The…
Cheap mini-EVs sparkle in China’s smaller, poorer cities
Affordable EVs with cheerful designs are bringing a touch of color to China’s overlooked cities. Tiny electric cars weave through traffic in southern China, their cheap and cheerful designs bringing…
Neuroscientist uses AI to map learning, decision-making, to discover how brains work
Meta-learning of RL. Credit: Nature Neuroscience (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01485-3 With trial and error, repetition and praise, when a puppy hears “Sit,” they learn what they’re expected to do. That’s reinforcement…
Improving social symptoms of depression with a common anesthetic
Credit: CC0 Public Domain In a recent study published in Molecular Psychiatry, researchers from Osaka University have used a mouse model of depression to reveal that one form of ketamine…
A new generative AI tool for power grid visualization
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Every minute of every day, grid operators monitor the ebb and flow of electricity from generators to substations to homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and more. They…
