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Microsoft Pumps $1 Billion Into Generalized Artificial Intelligence

Posted in Business, Software on 23rd Jul, 2019
by Alex Muller

Could these artificial smarts become generalized enough to outperform humans at all kinds of tasks, rather than very specific and pre-defined ones?

Lunar Bricks Could Keep Moon Colonists Warm And Generate Electricity

Posted in Science on 22nd Jul, 2019
by Alex Muller

When astronauts return to the Moon, the plan is to establish an ongoing human presence rather than making occasional visits, as happened during the Apollo program.

50 Years After Moon Landing, Support For Space Program High

Posted in Featured, Science on 20th Jul, 2019
by Alex Muller

50 years after moon landing, record-high 64% say space costs are justifiable. About three in four say NASA funding should be maintained or increased. NASA receives its highest ratings in 20 years.

IOS And IPadOS 13 Beta 4 Signals Death Of 3D Touch, Rise Of Context Menu

Posted in Business, Hardware, Software on 20th Jul, 2019
by Alex Muller

The concept was simple: slight, medium, and heavy pressure on an iPhone’s screen could be recognized differently, such that a light press would open an app while a firm press in the same spot would instead conjure up a contextual menu.

Halo Orbit Selected For Gateway Space Station

Posted in Science on 19th Jul, 2019
by Alex Muller

Ideally, the orbit should be a stable one, but it also has to be one that allows for both easy access to the lunar surface and regular ferrying of crews to and from Earth.

Study Links Major Alzheimer’s Risk Gene To Lower Childhood IQ

Posted in Medicine, Science on 19th Jul, 2019
by Alex Muller

The research reveals those carrying the gene score slightly lower on IQ tests in childhood, implying cognitive decline is apparent at a younger age than ever previously realized.

NASA’s Large SLS Rocket Unlikely To Fly Before At Least Late 2021

Posted in Science on 18th Jul, 2019
by Alex Muller

NASA has not been good at setting realistic budget and schedules.

Martian Microbes May Be Snacking On Space Dust

Posted in Science on 16th Jul, 2019
by Alex Muller

Modern Mars is a desolate husk of a planet, as far as life is concerned. But it's not completely uninhabitable, since microbes could be hiding in the cracks of rocks and dirt.

Implant Uses Electricity To Heal The Heart

Posted in Medicine on 16th Jul, 2019
by Alex Muller

The preliminary findings brings us real hope for cardiomyopathy patients.

Google’s New ‘data Echoing’ Technique Speeds Up AI Training

Posted in Software on 15th Jul, 2019
by Alex Muller

Google Brain, Google’s AI research division, propose in a paper a technique called “data echoing,” which they say reduces the computation used by earlier pipeline stages by reusing intermediate outputs from these stages.

U.S. Proposes Barring Facebook And Other Big Tech Firms From Offering Financial Services

Posted in Business, Online on 15th Jul, 2019
by Alex Muller

In a sign of widening scrutiny after Facebook’s proposed Libra digital coin aroused widespread objection, the bill proposes a fine of $1 million per day for violation of such rules.

MIT Supercharges Cancer Immunotherapy With A Booster Vaccine

Posted in Medicine, Science on 14th Jul, 2019
by Alex Muller

The vaccine contains a fatty molecule called a lipid tail that lets the drug travel straight to the lymph nodes, and once there, the active ingredient is an antigen that sends the T cells after the cancer.