A Boston Dynamics Spot robot—speakers at the TED conference believe in the future intelligent machines will help humans look after the elderly Intelligent machines of the future will help restore memory, mind your children, fetch your coffee and even care for aging parents. It will all be part of a brave new world of the not-so-distant future, in which innovative smart machines, rather than being the undoing […]
A new family tree of dogs that represents 161 breeds helps shed more light on the evolutionary history of man’s best friend. Analysis also traces what could be the living descendants of an ancient canine that was domesticated in the New World before Christopher Columbus’s arrival. In a new study, scientists looked at the DNA of 1,346 dogs to produce one of the most diverse maps that […]
Whey protein nanofibrils loaded with iron nanoparticles. Now researchers are developing a new and highly effective way of fortifying iron into food and drinks. (via WSJ)
An estimated 2 million Android users have now fallen victim to malware mistakenly downloaded from Google Play, which was initially reported to have affected approximately 600,000 users. The malware, dubbed FalseGuide, was hidden in more than 40 guide apps for games, the oldest of which was uploaded to Google Play as early as November last year, security researchers from Check Point said. “Since April 24, when the […]
Authored by Gaius Publius via Down With Tyranny blog, “We don’t want a unified Korean peninsula … We [also] don’t want the North Koreans to cause more trouble than the system can absorb.” —Hillary Clinton, 2013, speech to Goldman Sachs Our policy toward North Korea is not what most people think it is. We don’t want the North Koreans to go away. In fact, we like them […]
Researchers are training artificial intelligence models to identify tuberculosis (TB) on chest X-rays, which may help screening and evaluation efforts in TB-prevalent areas with limited access to radiologists, according to a new study. (via WSJ)
Government incentive programs — such as the investment tax credit (ITC) and California Solar Initiative (CSI — increased the number of commercial solar PV adoptions. Credit: Wang, Yu and Johnson One key goal for renewable energy in the United States is to promote the continued adoption of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a clean energy workforce. Federal and state governments are […]
As many as 1,000 Qatar World Cup construction workers are receiving health checks as part of a pilot programme agreed between the 2022 tournament organisers and Weill Cornell Medicine. In a statement Tuesday World Cup organisers said workers, selected at random, are being tested for such things as diet, blood pressure, and kidney function. Researchers say the results are primarily aimed at improving workers’ nutritional requirements and […]
One of the major culprits in capacity fade of high-energy lithium-ion batteries has now been identified by a team of researchers. (via WSJ)
Ontario capital Toronto. The province is hosting the first major universal basic income test in North America in 30 years.Image: carlo allegri/getty images By Patrick Kulp2017-04-26 01:15:48 UTC Thousands of randomly chosen Canadians may soon receive free checks in the mail. The province of Ontario just announced that a major trial run of a universal basic income program could begin as early as this summer. Universal basic […]
Pollution levels are increasing each day with new air and water pollutants being emitted into the environment via automobiles and large scale factories. However, it was thought that at least underground water or groundwater was unaffected. A new study reveals that this may not be the case. Scientists have found a baffling trace of present-day rain water in one particular groundwater reserve. Groundwater Pollution Groundwater contains rainwater and […]
Archaeological finds made on an island near the capital in 1959 proved pivotal in defining and promoting the UAE’s relics and antiquities. Sheikh Zayed, the nation’s Founding Father, was one of the first to spot their importance. In the spring of 1959, the Ruler of Abu Dhabi at the time, Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan, made one of several visits to an island 20 kilometres from his ancestral […]
25 April 2017 Dubai, UAE – Global Islamic Finance Report (GIFR) 2017, the oldest yearbook in Islamic banking and finance, was launched yesterday in Fairmont The Palm, Dubai by Mr Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO of Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre. According to GIFR 2017, the estimated figure for the global Islamic financial industry in 2016 is US$2.293 trillion after recording a growth of 7%. This, however, […]
Scientists have developed a workflow management system that addresses irreproducibility when analyzing large genomics datasets with computers. Nextflow contributes to establishing good scientific practices and provides an important framework for those research projects where the analysis of large datasets are used to take decisions, for example, in precision medicine. (via WSJ)
Around 300 million tons of plastic is manufactured each year globally. Plastic is not naturally biodegradable and pollutes the environment. Environmental researchers have been persevering to find a way to dispose of the huge amounts of plastic and plastic products in an effective manner, without harming the Earth. A new study has found that a caterpillar commonly bred for fish bait can chew through polyethylene (plastic) products […]
India will not be able to meet its Paris climate agreement commitments in the coming years if it carries through with plans to construct nearly 370 coal-fired power plants, according to researchers. (via WSJ)
LONDON British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservatives have a large lead over the opposition Labour Party, according to an opinion poll published on Tuesday by the Kantar research group. The survey showed the Conservatives had the support of 46 percent of likely voters in the June 8 election, ahead of Labour on 24 percent, the Liberal Democrats on 11 percent and the UK Independence Party on 8 […]
Scientists have clarified through theory and simulation research that turbulence in a plasma confined in the magnetic field is suppressed and the heat and particle losses are reduced in cases with larger ion mass. This research provides a novel understanding for clarifying the ‘ion mass effect’ which has been a riddle since the beginning of fusion and plasma research. (via WSJ)
A novel microscopy method allows unprecedented insights into the spatial organization and direct interactions of immune cells within blood and liquid multi-lineage tissues. The assay, called ‘Pharmacoscopy,’ is able to determine the immunomodulatory properties of drugs within large libraries on immune cells in high resolution and high throughput, enabling new possibilities for drug discovery, particularly in cancer immunotherapy, personalized medicine, and research on signaling pathways of the […]
Inspired by 3-D printing, researchers explored development of one mechanical property called effective static compressibility. As they now report, by using a single cartridge it’s possible to print a metamaterial which expands in size under hydrostatic pressure, even though it’s made up of material which behaves normally under hydrostatic pressure — that is, it shrinks. In principle, there is no limit to the negative value this material’s […]
New insight into how forests globally will respond to long-term climate change has been gained by recent research. The new work suggests that climate-change driven increases in rainfall in warm, wet forests are likely to cause increased plant growth. Plant-growth declines are still expected in cooler forests with increased precipitation. (via WSJ)
The finalized prototype of Google self-driving car. First, it was just a dream. Then it became a quirky research project undertaken by a handful of the nerdiest engineers in the robotics industry. Now self-driving cars are on the brink of transforming transportation. The industry creating the technology for autonomous vehicles has morphed from a collaborative space of free-flowing ideas into a high-speed road race where the winners […]
Technion researchers have a developed safe and efficient way to produce hydrogen on board a plane in flight. Using aluminum particles and (fresh or waste), the technology could one day help meet in-flight energy needs on commercial aircraft. (via WSJ)
By Sam Nussey and Ritsuko Shimizu | TOKYO TOKYO Japan’s growing labor shortage threatens the nation’s ubiquitous convenience stores, whose business model relies on an army of part-timers packing bento lunch boxes, manning cash registers and delivering goods 24/7. The big three “combini” operators 7-Eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson, which have expanded through Japan’s long slump, are scrambling to ease the pressure on franchisees by offering a mix […]
