(Penn State) Engineered, autonomous machines combined with artificial intelligence have long been a staple of science fiction, and often in the role of villain like the Cylons in the “Battlestar Galactica” reboot, creatures composed of biological and engineered materials. But what if these autonomous soft machines were … helpful?
Original source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/ps-he042021.php
As artificial intelligence has attracted interest, researchers are focused on understanding how the brain accomplishes cognition so they can construct systems with general intelligence comparable to humans’ intelligence. Researchers propose an approach to AI that focuses on integrating photonic components with superconducting electronics; using light for communication and complex electronic circuits for computation could enable artificial cognitive systems of scale and functionality beyond what can be achieved with either light or electronics alone.
Original source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210420131057.htm
(University of Colorado at Boulder) Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have created a platform that can develop effective and highly specific peptide nucleic acid therapies for use against any bacteria within just one week. The work is detailed in Nature Communications Biology and could change the way we respond to pandemics and how we approach increasing cases of antibiotic resistance globally.
Original source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/uoca-ddp042021.php
(College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University) Professor Bin He’s team at Carnegie Mellon University, in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, has discovered that fast oscillations in scalp-recorded electroencephalography can pinpoint brain tissues responsible for epileptic seizures.
Original source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/coec-fbo042021.php
(American Institute of Physics) Fiber optic technology is the holy grail of high-speed, long-distance telecommunications. Still, with the continuing exponential growth of internet traffic, researchers are warning of a capacity crunch. In AVS Quantum Science, researchers show how quantum-enhanced receivers could play a critical role in addressing this challenge. The scientists developed a method to enhance receivers based on quantum physics properties to dramatically increase network performance while significantly reducing the error bit rate and energy consumption.
Original source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/aiop-bfo042021.php
(Georgia Institute of Technology) Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) have uncovered a new approach o structural topology optimization is outlined that unifies both design and manufacturing to create novel microstructures. Potential applications range from improved facial implants for cranial reconstruction to better ways to get materials into space for planetary exploration.
Original source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/giot-mai042021.php
(Leibniz-Institut für Lebensmittel-Systembiologie an der TU München) Musty, moldy, smoky or horse dung-like smelling cocoa is not suitable for chocolate production. As part of a larger research project, a team of scientists led by Martin Steinhaus from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich has identified the odorants responsible for such off-flavors. The food industry can now use these results to objectively assess the sensory quality of fermented cocoa based on odorant concentrations.
Original source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/lfla-rdc042021.php
(City University London) The strategic university partnership is aimed at embedding global and social responsibility into education and student experience.
Original source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/cul-cuo042021.php
(Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences) Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a form of progressive dementia interfering with daily living. It is caused by the decline in the number of brain cells resulting in the deterioration of our mental abilities. One of the main reasons for the worsening brain cells condition and even the brain shrinkage are molecules having a specific structure called β-amyloids. They are peptides that tend to agglomerate around the nerve cells, becoming toxic and damage them.
Original source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/iopc-tfo041921.php
(Ohio State University) Someday, scientists believe, tiny DNA-based robots and other nanodevices will deliver medicine inside our bodies, detect the presence of deadly pathogens, and help manufacture increasingly smaller electronics.Researchers took a big step toward that future by developing a new tool that can design much more complex DNA robots and nanodevices than were ever possible before in a fraction of the time.
Original source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/osu-drd041821.php