Machine learning helps to find the most efficient approach to trap plastic fragments.

Penn Engineers have developed the first programmable chip that can train nonlinear neural networks using light — a breakthrough that could dramatically speed up AI training, reduce energy use and even pave the way for fully light-powered computers.

The University of Jyväskylä (Finland), in collaboration with the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), has developed a new type of handheld multi-purpose radiation detector that comprehensively detects all types of ionizing radiation. The device can be used by industrial and medical radiation users, regulatory authorities, the nuclear energy industry, first responders and military users. The technology has been patented and is currently being explored for commercialization. 

An Osaka Metropolitan University team has developed an explainable AI model for automatic collision avoidance between ships.

Babies and young children may breathe and absorb plasticizers called phthalates, flame retardants, and other harmful chemicals from their mattresses while they sleep, according to a pair of peer-reviewed studies led by the University of Toronto and published in Environmental Science & Technology and Environmental Science & Technology Letters. These chemicals are linked to neurological and reproductive problems, asthma, hormone disruption, and cancer.    

The use of AI-generated testimonials with increasingly realistic human features is becoming widespread on social media platforms like TikTok, even when it comes to communicating scientific content. It’s now quite common to come across videos where icons like Albert Einstein or Marie Curie — realistically recreated — explain relativity or radioactivity. But how do viewers react to these avatars? Does realism generate discomfort and thus mistrust, or can it actually improve understanding and the transmission of scientific information? A study published in the Journal of Science Communication (JCOM) explored how the realism of AI-generated avatars influences perceived trustworthiness in science communicators, also examining the role of avatars’ gender.

Texas Engineers have discovered a new phenomenon in modern batteries, one that could be used to improve their life cycles.