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AI poses no existential threat to humanity, new study finds– www.sciencedaily.com

AI poses no existential threat to humanity, new study finds– www.sciencedaily.com

pgnewser August 14, 2024

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Excerpt from www.sciencedaily.com

ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) cannot learn independently or acquire new skills, meaning they pose no existential threat to humanity, according to new research from the University of Bath and the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany.

The study, published today as part of the proceedings of the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL 2024) — the premier international conference in natural language processing — reveals that LLMs have a superficial ability to follow instructions and excel at proficiency in language, however, they have no potential to master new skills without explicit instruction. This means they remain inherently controllable, predictable and safe.

This means they remain inherently controllable, predictable and safe.

The research team concluded that LLMs — which are being trained on ever larger datasets — can continue to be deployed without safety concerns, though the technology can still be misused.

Pair plasmas found in deep space can now be generated in the lab– www.sciencedaily.com

Pair plasmas found in deep space can now be generated in the lab– www.sciencedaily.com

pgnewser June 21, 2024

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Excerpt from www.sciencedaily.com

Black holes and neutron stars are among the densest known objects in the universe. Within and around these extreme astrophysical environments exist plasmas, the fourth fundamental state of matter alongside solids, liquids, and gases. Specifically, the plasmas at these extreme conditions are known as relativistic electron-positron pair plasmas because they comprise a collection of electrons and positrons — all flying around at nearly the speed of light.

While such plasmas are ubiquitous in deep space conditions, producing them in a laboratory setting has proved challenging.

Now, for the first time, an international team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Rochester’s Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), has experimentally generated high-density relativistic electron-positron pair-plasma beams by producing two to three orders of magnitude more pairs than previously reported. The team’s findings appear in Nature Communications.

Scientists preserve DNA in an amber-like polymer– www.sciencedaily.com

Scientists preserve DNA in an amber-like polymer– www.sciencedaily.com

pgnewser June 21, 2024

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Excerpt from www.sciencedaily.com

In the movie “Jurassic Park,” scientists extracted DNA that had been preserved in amber for millions of years, and used it to create a population of long-extinct dinosaurs.

Inspired partly by that film, MIT researchers have developed a glassy, amber-like polymer that can be used for long-term storage of DNA, whether entire human genomes or digital files such as photos.

Most current methods for storing DNA require freezing temperatures, so they consume a great deal of energy and are not feasible in many parts of the world. In contrast, the new amber-like polymer can store DNA at room temperature while protecting the molecules from damage caused by heat or water.

The researchers showed that they could use this polymer to store DNA sequences encoding the theme music from Jurassic Park, as well as an entire human genome. They also demonstrated that the DNA can be easily removed from the polymer without damaging it.

Military Buff Buys 4 Books Of Chinese Secrets For Under $1– www.huffpost.com

Military Buff Buys 4 Books Of Chinese Secrets For Under $1– www.huffpost.com

pgnewser June 21, 2024

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Excerpt from www.huffpost.com

BEIJING (AP) — A military history buff in China appears to have made an alarming discovery after picking up four discarded books for less than $1 at a neighborhood recycling station: They were confidential military documents.

The country’s Ministry of State Security told the story in a social media post on Thursday, praising the retired man for calling a hotline to report the incident. It identified him only by his family name, Zhang, and did not say what the documents were about.

“Mr. Zhang thought to himself that he had ‘bought’ the country’s military secrets and brought them home,” the post reads, “but if someone with ulterior motives were to buy them, the consequences would be unimaginable!”

Sweaty cattle may boost food security in a warming world– www.sciencedaily.com

Sweaty cattle may boost food security in a warming world– www.sciencedaily.com

pgnewser June 21, 2024

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Excerpt from www.sciencedaily.com

Sweaty cows may not sound like the most exciting company, but in a warming world, researchers can’t get enough of them.

When cattle are too hot, they tend to stop eating, said Raluca Mateescu, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor in the department of animal science. This affects the cattle’s health and growth and threatens the longevity of the food supply coming from that herd.

Climate change is making it more difficult to raise cattle — growth and reproduction are affected by heat — so it’s critical to breed cattle better adapted to a hotter and longer summer. Cows eliminate about 85% of their body heat via sweat, she said.

3D-printed mini-actuators can move small soft robots, lock them into new shapes– www.sciencedaily.com

3D-printed mini-actuators can move small soft robots, lock them into new shapes– www.sciencedaily.com

pgnewser June 12, 2024

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Excerpt from www.sciencedaily.com

Researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can be used to control the deformation and motion of soft robots that are less than a millimeter thick. The researchers have also demonstrated that this technique works with shape memory materials, allowing users to repeatedly lock the soft robots into a desired shape and return to the original shape as needed.

“Soft robotics holds promise for many applications, but it is challenging to design the actuators that drive the motion of soft robots on a small scale,” says Jie Yin, corresponding author of a paper on the work and an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State. “Our approach makes use of commercially available multi-material 3D printing technologies and shape memory polymers to create soft actuators on a microscale that allow us to control very small soft robots, which allows for exceptional control and delicacy.”

Study finds widespread ‘cell cannibalism,’ related phenomena across tree of life– www.sciencedaily.com

Study finds widespread ‘cell cannibalism,’ related phenomena across tree of life– www.sciencedaily.com

pgnewser May 23, 2024

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Excerpt from www.sciencedaily.com

In a new review paper, Carlo Maley and Arizona State University colleagues describe cell-in-cell phenomena in which one cell engulfs and sometimes consumes another. The study shows that cases of this behavior, including cell cannibalism, are widespread across the tree of life.

The findings challenge the common perception that cell-in-cell events are largely restricted to cancer cells. Rather, these events appear to be common across diverse organisms, from single-celled amoebas to complex multicellular animals.

The widespread occurrence of such interactions in non-cancer cells suggests that these events are not inherently “selfish” or “cancerous” behaviors. Rather, the researchers propose that cell-in-cell phenomena may play crucial roles in normal development, homeostasis and stress response across a wide range of organisms.

‘Fossilizing’ cracks in infrastructure creates sealing that can even survive earthquakes– www.sciencedaily.com

‘Fossilizing’ cracks in infrastructure creates sealing that can even survive earthquakes– www.sciencedaily.com

pgnewser May 23, 2024

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Excerpt from www.sciencedaily.com

Various forms of underground activity, such as deep wells or the disposal of hazardous materials, require the long-term sealing of rocks. A team of researchers has developed an innovative method based on fossilization processes to seal cracks and fractures in rock using a “concretion-forming resin.” The results were published in Communications Engineering.

The underground disposal of pollutants, such as radioactive waste and carbon dioxide, poses unique challenges. To avoid their release, it is necessary to seal the shafts and boreholes used for investigations and ensure that there are no leaks from the rock for long periods of time. Unfortunately, current cement-based sealing materials do not offer long-term functionality and durability. Especially in earthquake-prone countries, such as Japan, this may cause future complications, such as leaks.

Snakes force COVID vaccination centre in Wales to close | UK News– news.sky.com

Snakes force COVID vaccination centre in Wales to close | UK News– news.sky.com

pgnewser May 23, 2024

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Excerpt from news.sky.com

 

A COVID vaccination centre in Ceredigion has been forced to temporarily shut its doors after two snakes were found on site.

The snakes have been named Cwm and Cou after the Welsh village where the centre is located.

Cou is the larger of the snakes and is believed to be an adder, while Cwm is believed to be a grass snake.