Tag: science

Pentagon Aims to Create a Human-Machine Soldier as Part of Dangerous New Artificial Intelligence Race

“In 1962, J.C.R. Licklider created the US Information Processing Techniques Office at the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). His vision, published two years earlier in his seminal work Man–Computer Symbiosis (Licklider 1960), heralded an ambitious, and ultimately successful, push to develop artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The Agency, now called DARPA with the D emphasizing its focus on defense applications, has supported AI research, as popularity has ebbed and flowed, over the past 60 years.”[1]

The Pentagon has been at the forefront of researching and developing artificial intelligence technologies for use in warfare and spying since the early 1960s, primarily through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).[2] According to the Brookings Institution, 87% of the value of federal contracts over the five years 2017-2022 that had the term “artificial intelligence” in the contract description were with the Department of Defense.[3] This article reviews the Pentagon’s current application of AI technologies.[4]

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SCIENTISTS HAVE SOLVED THIS ANTI-GRAVITY MYSTERY WHILE CONFIRMING NEW FORM OF MAGNETIC LEVITATION

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have unraveled an anti-gravity mystery that seemingly defied the norms of classical physics, potentially paving the way for revolutionary advancements in magnetic levitation technology. 

The breakthrough centers on a unique form of magnetic levitation, first demonstrated in 2021 by Turkish scientist Hamdi Ucar, an electronics engineer from Göksal Aeronautics in Turkey. 

Typically, the setup becomes unstable when you try to balance two repelling magnets to counter gravity. However, in a study featured in the journal Symmetry, Ucar revealed that when positioned close to another swiftly rotating magnet, a magnet can both spin and levitate in the air.

In his experiment, Ucar used a Levitron toy with a magnet attached to a motor spinning around 10,000 rpm. When positioned just a few centimeters beneath the swiftly spinning rotor, a second magnet also started to rotate and achieved a stable state of levitation.

Magnetic levitation isn’t a novel concept, with the most familiar example being Maglev trains. However, existing technologies use slow-spinning mechanics or external stabilizers to control the powerful magnetic forces used for lifting and propelling. In contrast, Ucar’s setup relied on high-speed rotation and a unique interaction between the rotating magnets. 

The baffling behavior of the levitating magnets in Ucar’s experiments left researchers perplexed, as it appeared to go against the core principles of physics and the established norms of how magnets interact.

Intrigued by the scientific puzzle, Dr. Rasmus Bjørk and a team of researchers from the Technical University of Denmark embarked on a quest to demystify the unusual phenomenon. 

“Magnets should not hover when they are close together. Usually, they will either attract or repel each other,” Dr. Bjørk explained. “But if you spin one of the magnets, it turns out, you can achieve this hovering. And that is the strange part. The force affecting the magnets should not change just because you rotate one of them, so it seems there is a coupling between the movement and the magnetic force.” 

The researcher’s approach was twofold. The first involved replicating Ucar’s results using off-the-shelf items like neodymium magnets and power tools. In a second, more sophisticated experiment, the scientists used motion-tracking technology to take precise measurements of the 

The findings were revelatory. Experiments showed that as the floater magnet began rotating, it locked in frequency with the rotor magnet, assuming a near-vertical orientation. 

The polar axes of the two magnets, nearly perpendicular to each other, formed a configuration that would typically be unstable. However, in this setup, the spinning magnetic field of the rotor exerted a torque on the floater, locking it in a stable, levitated position.

Through computer modeling that considered the magnetostatic interactions between the two magnets, the research team says they solved the physics-defying anti-gravity mystery and confirmed the discovery of a new form of levitation. 

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Artificial ‘womb’ for premature babies could be available this year after 300 tests with lamb prove successful – bringing hope to 15 million preterm infants born each year

Scientists have announced human trials for an artificial uterus could be approved this year, bringing hope to the 15 million infants born prematurely each year in the US. 

A team at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia successfully tested the womb with preterm lambs, finding the animals ‘opened their eyes, became more active, had apparently normal breathing and swallowing movements’ while in the sac.

The main reason half of preterm babies don’t survive is their lungs aren’t fully developed due to premature birth, and they have a hard time transitioning from breathing in the amniotic fluid to breathing air. 

The team conducted 300 successful tests, finding the animals had normal brain development and stable nutrition as if they were feeding off their mother.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has met with experts to discuss the following steps to bring the artificial uterus, called EXTEND, into human trials – and is set to announce a decision later this year.

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The end of gambling addiction? Scientists develop brain chip that lower risk-taking in monkeys

Monkeys are natural risk-takers, but when scientists implanted chips into their brains, they became much more careful, according to a new study.

A team of researchers at Kyoto University in Japan used flashes of light from implanted chips to activate two different sections of the macaque monkeys’ brains. 

Switching one on encouraged them to take bigger risks with the hope of a bigger payoff, while switching the other section on led the animals to settle for a smaller but more certain reward.

This research offers insight into the neural roots of gambling addiction, said the researchers behind the study. 

But before digging into the brain, scientists began by figuring out whether their six monkeys liked to gamble.

They trained the macaques to look at different colored spots on a screen to receive a water reward.

Some spots would give the monkey a small reward 90 percent of the time – low risk, low reward. 

Others gave a reward that was 10 times larger, but it only paid out 10 percent of the time – high risk, high reward. 

Overwhelmingly, the monkeys went for the high-risk, high-reward spots. Like a gambler at a slot machine, even though they may lose more often than they win, they gambled with their eye on a big payout.

Next the team tried to figure out which brain areas were in control of this risk-reward calculation. 

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PERCEPTION OF TIME CAN DRAMATICALLY ALTER THIS CRUCIAL BIOLOGICAL PROCESS, NEW STUDY REVEALS

New research from Harvard University shows that a person’s perception of time can directly affect how fast wounds heal.

Previous studies have hinted at a link between the mind and body, particularly in relation to stress and lifestyle. However, this study is the first to show a direct connection between the perception of time and the seemingly autonomous process of healing, opening up the possibility of incorporating time perception into the treatment of injury.

HEALING AND HUMAN PERCEPTION OF TIME

Published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, the study conducted by Harvard psychologists Peter Aungle and Ellen Langer aimed to determine if the rate of healing was independent of the psychology of the patient or if their perceptions could accelerate or decelerate the healing process.

“Based on the theory of mind–body unity—which posits simultaneous and bidirectional influences of mind on body and body on mind—we hypothesized that wounds would heal faster or slower when perceived time was manipulated to be experienced as longer or shorter respectively,” the researches behind the finding write.

As noted, previous work had found connections between recovery from injury and stress levels, with higher levels of stress potentially interrupting a healthy recovery from injury, but those connections were thought to be primarily physiological in nature.

The researchers also note that previous work studying psychological influences on chronic pain, emotion, and physiological health, and even placebo effects, particularly those involving administration of inert medications, “have led to meaningful improvements in treatments for a broad range of illnesses and injuries.”

Still, this latest study is the first to look at the mindset of the individual, specifically their perception of the passage of time, in relation to recovery rates.

“We hypothesized that experimentally induced wounds would heal faster when more perceived time had passed and heal slower when less perceived time had passed,” the researchers explain, “despite no differences in actual elapsed time.”

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Ancient bricks baked when Nebuchadnezzar II was king absorbed a power surge in Earth’s magnetic field

Thousands of years ago, Earth’s magnetic field underwent a significant power surge over a part of the planet that included the ancient kingdom of Mesopotamia. People at the time probably never even noticed the fluctuation, but signs of the anomaly, including previously unknown details, were preserved in the mud bricks that they baked, new research has found.

When scientists recently examined bricks dating from the third to the first millennia BC in Mesopotamia — which encompassed present-day Iraq and parts of what is now Syria, Iran and Turkey — they detected magnetic signatures in those from the first millennium, indicating that the bricks were fired at a time when Earth’s magnetic field was unusually strong. Stamps on the bricks naming Mesopotamian kings enabled researchers to confirm the time range for the magnetic spike.

Their findings corresponded with a known magnetic surge called the “Levantine Iron Age geomagnetic Anomaly,” which took place between 1050 and 550 BC. It had previously been documented in artifacts from the Azores, Bulgaria and China using archaeomagnetic analysis — examining grains in pottery and ceramic archaeological objects for clues about Earth’s magnetic activity, scientists reported December 18 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“It is really exciting that ancient artifacts from Mesopotamia help to explain and record key events in Earth history such as fluctuations in the magnetic field,” said study coauthor Mark Altaweel, a professor of Near East archaeology and archaeological data science at the University College London’s Institute of Archaeology.

“It shows why preserving Mesopotamia’s ancient heritage is important for science and humanity more broadly,” Altaweel told CNN in an email.

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Moses’ parting of the Red Sea may NOT have been a miracle and could have been because of a ‘meteorological phenomena’, study suggests

Moses parting the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to escape the Egyptians may not have been a miracle after all, a new study suggests.

The parting of the Red Sea appears in the Book of Exodus in The Old Testament of The Bible.

It is the moment when Moses performs the miracle to allow the Israelites to escape from the Pharoh’s men who were in pursuit.

But according to the University of Leicester’s School of Biological Sciences, there were four natural occurrences which could explain the drying of the area.

Students Rebekah Garratt and Rikesh Kunverji claim that negative surges, eastern winds, tidal surges and Rossby Waves may have caused a resurgence of water large enough to allow people to cross the sea by foot.

Writing in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Topics, they said: ‘Investigating into the methods in which the waters may have receded, allowing Moses to cross safely, may be dependent on having ‘perfect’ conditions, but are still physically feasible events.

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Scientists Published More Than 32,000 Marijuana Studies Over The Past 10 Years, Including Thousands In 2023, NORML Analysis Shows

Researchers have published more than 32,000 scientific papers on marijuana over the past 10 years—including over 4,000 in 2023 alone—according to an analysis from NORML that again calls into question critics’ claims that cannabis is insufficiently studied to be legalized.

The advocacy organization’s analysis is based on keyword searches on the federal National Library of Medicine website PubMed.gov. This year marked the third in the row that cannabis-related papers totaled over 4,000 as researchers continue to explore risks and benefits amid the legalization movement.

“Despite claims by some that marijuana has yet to be subject to adequate scientific scrutiny, scientists’ interest in studying cannabis has increased exponentially in recent years, as has our understanding of the plant, its active constituents, their mechanisms of action, and their effects on both the user and upon society,” NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said in a blog post.

“It is time for politicians and others to stop assessing cannabis through the lens of ‘what we don’t know’ and instead start engaging in evidence-based discussions about marijuana and marijuana reform policies that are indicative of all that we do know,” he said.

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THIS STARTUP IS DEVELOPING A FUSION PROPULSION DRIVE FOR DEEP SPACE TRAVEL THAT COULD REACH MARS IN JUST TWO MONTHS

Helicity Space, a startup founded in 2018, is developing a fusion drive poised to transform space travel. With a fresh round of investment, the company is developing a proof-of-concept for a fusion-powered propulsion system that can get from Earth to Mars in two months.

In a recent press release, the space-based startup recently secured $5 million in seed funding from Airbus Ventures, TRE Ventures, Voyager Space Holdings, E2MC Space, Urania Ventures, and Gaingels. 

Unlike traditional rockets that rely on chemical reactions, Helicity’s fusion drive operates on a magneto-inertial fusion method. This involves fusing two hydrogen isotopes into helium, releasing immense energy – ten million times more per unit mass than chemical fuels​​.

According to Helicity, the core technology behind their fusion drive efficiently converts electricity into plasma heating, using a unique approach to scale fusion conditions and directly produce thrust​​. Their method, distinct from conventional magnetic or inertial (laser) fusion, employs self-organized Taylor relaxation and magnetic reconnection physics, combined with a peristaltic magnetic compression scheme.

In very simple terms, the engine uses hot ionized plasma gas heated by magnetic fields that are constantly forced together to the point where they must then break apart. It is this seesaw of magnetic forces that generates vast amounts of energy, heating the plasma to the point where fusion occurs, forcing the nuclei so close that they overcome their electrostatic repulsion and fuse together. To simplify this even more, the energy created by that fusion is aimed out of the tailpipe of the Helicity Drive, and you generate a helluva lot of thrust.

So much so that it cuts the current seven or eight-month trip to Mars down to two, or the six-year trip to Jupiter down to just one.

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MACHINE LEARNING BREAKTHROUGH CREATES FIRST EVER AUTOMATED AI SCIENTIST

Carnegie Mellon University researchers have pioneered an artificially intelligent system, Coscientist, that can autonomously develop scientific research and experimentation. Published in the journal Nature, this non-organic intelligent system, developed by Assistant Professor Gabe Gomes and doctoral students Daniil Boiko and Robert MacKnight, is the first to design, plan, and execute a chemistry experiment autonomously. 

Utilizing large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Anthropic’s Claude, Coscientist demonstrates an innovative approach to conducting research through a human-machine partnership​​​​.

Coscientist’s design enables it to perform various tasks, from planning chemical syntheses using public data to controlling liquid handling instruments and solving optimization problems by analyzing previously collected data. Its architecture consists of multiple modules, including web and documentation search, code execution, and experiment automation, coordinated by a central module called ‘Planner,’ a GPT-4 chat completion instance. This structure allows Coscientist to operate semi-autonomously, integrating multiple data sources and hardware modules for complex scientific tasks​​.

“We anticipate that intelligent agent systems for autonomous scientific experimentation will bring tremendous discoveries, unforeseen therapies, and new materials,” the research team wrote in the paper. “While we cannot predict what those discoveries will be, we hope to see a new way of conducting research given by the synergetic partnership between humans and machines.”

The system’s capabilities were tested across different tasks, demonstrating its ability to precisely plan and execute experiments. For instance, Coscientist outperformed other models like GPT-3.5 and Falcon 40B in synthesizing compounds, particularly complex ones like ibuprofen and nitroaniline. This highlighted the importance of using advanced LLMs for accurate and efficient experiment planning​​.

A key aspect of Coscientist is its ability to understand and utilize technical documentation, which has always been a challenge in integrating LLMs with laboratory automation. By interpreting technical documentation, Coscientist enhances its performance in automating experiments. This capability was extended to a more diverse robotic ecosystem, such as the Emerald Cloud Lab (ECL), demonstrating Coscientist’s adaptability and potential for broad scientific application​​.

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