A major part of NASA’s nearly complete Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope just passed a lengthy thermal test to ensure it will function properly in the space environment.

For social animals, communication is a key that unlocks the benefits of group living. It’s well known that animals with more complex social lives tend to have more intricate ways of communicating, from the clicks and whistles of dolphins to the calls of primates. While this pattern is found broadly in many species, a new study on wild parrots drills deep into the social and vocal lives of individual birds. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB) analyzing the social networks of monk parakeets in Spain have uncovered how an individual’s social ties shapes the calls these birds make.

To create a more resilient electric grid that meets the nation’s increasing power demands, utilities are incorporating a wider array of energy sources. But this shift requires the ability to predict how the grid will react to fluctuations in the flow of electricity from new sources of power. Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a dynamic modeling method that uses machine learning to provide accurate simulations of grid behavior while maintaining what is called a “black box” approach. This technique does not require details about the proprietary technology inside the equipment — in this case, a type of power electronics called an inverter. 

Researchers at U of T Scarborough have used brain activity and AI to reveal why we have a tough time recognizing facial details of people from other races.