While exploring a digitally represented object through artificially created sense of touch, brain-computer interface users described the warm fur of a purring cat, the smooth rigid surface of a door key and cool roundness of an apple.

The intensification of existing farmland can sometimes be more harmful to local biodiversity than expanding the area covered by agricultural land, finds a new study led by University College London researchers.

Researchers at the University of Tsukuba estimated Japan's spring leaf flush dates in recent years using data from the Second-generation Global Imager (SGLI) sensor onboard the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Global Change Observation Mission-Climate (GCOM-C) satellite. Their analysis revealed that in 2023 and 2024, years characterized by exceptionally high spring temperatures, leaf flush occurred significantly earlier than usual, indicating that elevated temperatures linked to climate change are affecting Japanese ecosystems.

Researchers have been putting ChatGPT essays to the test against real students. A new study reveals that the AI generated essays don't yet live up to the efforts of real students. While the AI essays were found to be impressively coherent and grammatically sound, they fell short in one crucial area – they lacked a personal touch. It is hoped that the findings could help educators spot cheating in schools, colleges and universities worldwide by recognising machine-generated essays.