Category: Science

Science

AlphaGeometry and the threat of AI’s takeover of mathematics | Explained

March 13, 2024 admin

A few weeks ago, an animated discussion unfolded in a WhatsApp group whose members are mathematicians interested in the Indian Mathematical Olympiad. The spark was a Nature paper that announced a Google DeepMind artificial intelligence (AI) named AlphaGeometry had achieved a milestone: it could solve geometry problems at the level of the International Mathematical Olympiad,…

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Why spacesuits need a major upgrade for the next phase of exploration

March 13, 2024 admin

Axiom Space chief engineer Jim Stein demonstrates a prototype spacesuit, Wednesday, March 15, 2023, in Houston. NASA selected Axiom Space to design the spacesuits that its moonwalking astronauts will wear when they step onto the lunar surface later this decade. | Photo Credit: AP Humans have long dreamed of setting foot on the Moon and…

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CDSCO issues caution against manufacture and sale of unapproved drugs

March 12, 2024 admin

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has cautioned against the manufacture and sale of unapproved drugs specifically warning against drugs falling under the category of “New Drugs”. The organisation citing the example of drugs – Meropenem (antibacterial agent) and Disodium EDTA (to treat calcium overload) – noted that they have got information that some…

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Drug regulator warns about Meropenem, Disodium

March 12, 2024 admin

Science

Could tardigrades have colonised the Moon?

March 12, 2024 admin

Just over five years ago, on 22 February 2019, an unmanned space probe was placed in orbit around the Moon. Named Beresheet and built by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries, it was intended to be the first private spacecraft to perform a soft landing. Among the probe’s payload were tardigrades, renowed for their ability to survive…

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What is a GPU? An expert explains the chips powering the AI boom, and why they’re worth trillions

March 12, 2024 admin

As the world rushes to make use of the latest wave of AI technologies, one piece of high-tech hardware has become a surprisingly hot commodity: the graphics processing unit, or GPU. A top-of-the-line GPU can sell for tens of thousands of dollars, and leading manufacturer NVIDIA has seen its market valuation soar past US$2 trillion as demand for…

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What is nuclear waste and what are the challenges of handling it? | Explained

March 12, 2024 admin

Only two countries in the world have persisted with a breeder reactor programme: Russia and India. Recently, India loaded the core of its long-delayed prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) vessel, bringing it to the cusp of stage II of its three-stage nuclear programme. At the end of this programme, India hopes to be able to…

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How a wandering white shark’s epic journey could provide clues for protecting them

March 12, 2024 admin

In this photo provided by Chip Michalove, LeeBeth, a white shark, is tagged on Dec. 8, 2023, off Hilton Head Island, S.C. Scientists say the animal has been tracked further into the Gulf of Mexico than any white shark they’ve ever tagged before. | Photo Credit: AP As sharks go, LeeBeth is something like a…

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Study of polyglots offers insight on brain’s language processing

March 12, 2024 admin

In a new study involving a group of polyglots, the brain activity of the participants was monitored using a method called functional magnetic resonance imaging as they listened to passages read in various languages. Image for Representation. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto While most people speak only one language or perhaps two, some are proficient…

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A (very) basic guide to artificial intelligence

March 12, 2024 admin

Intelligence is the capacity of living beings to apply what they know to solve problems. ‘Artificial intelligence’ (AI) is intelligence in a machine. There is currently no one definition of AI. A simple place to begin is with AI’s materiality, as a machine-software combination. What does the machine do? A simple example-problem in AI is…

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