More than one in four people currently integrate speech recognition into their daily lives. A new algorithm developed by a University of Copenhagen researcher and his international colleagues makes it possible to interact with digital assistants like “Siri” without any internet connection. The innovation allows for speech recognition to be used anywhere, even in situations where security is paramount.

The results of the newest investigations carried out by scientists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN shed new light on the processes of accumulation of plutonium isotopes on glaciers of the Southern Hemisphere. Analyses of samples of cryoconite, a sediment that accumulates on glaciers, reveal not only differences in concentrations between the hemispheres but also indicate unprecedented isotope anomalies that may be related to accidents such as the fall of the Mars-96 spacecraft.

This paper introduces WisdomBot, a novel Large Language Model (LLMs) designed specifically for education. By incorporating educational theories and specialized knowledge, WisdomBot aims to overcome the limitations of general LLMs in educational domain. The model utilizes self-instructed knowledge concepts and instructions guided by Bloom’s Taxonomy for training. Additionally, during inference, it employs local knowledge base retrieval augmentation and search engine retrieval augmentation to enhance accuracy and professionalism of its responses. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of WisdomBot in generating reliable and professional educational content.

A new study reveals that Africa’s low rates of Zika virus outbreaks may be due to a surprising factor: the genetic makeup of local mosquito populations. Research by scientists at the High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI) at Princeton University, Institut Pasteur, and University of California, San Diego shed light on why Zika—responsible for birth defects and devastating outbreaks across the Americas from 2015–2016—remains relatively scarce in Africa, the continent where it was originally discovered. The study is scheduled to be published in The Lancet Planetary Health on December 11.

A team of researchers, led by Dr. Jamie Caldwell, an Associate Research Scholar at HMEI, found that Africa’s native mosquito populations may hold the answer. “The mosquito species that spreads Zika has two forms, each with different feeding preferences and capacity to transmit the disease,” Caldwell explains. “This genetic difference could explain why Zika has largely spared Africa despite the continent’s large mosquito populations and climate conditions favorable to mosquito activity.”

A study tracking the movements of dogs in protected lowland heaths in South-East England has found that those walked off-lead cause 20% more disturbance by area than those walked on the lead, potentially threatening rare ground nesting birds. The findings will be presented at the British Ecological Society’s Annual meeting.