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Get hand-picked daily summaries of the best, most informative science and engineering articles from around the web. Browse recent summaries, then jump to the original source when you want the full article.

Latest story• Jan 15, 2025

This quasar may have helped turn the lights on for the universe

Astronomers have discovered a highly luminous, variable quasar from the early universe using the NuSTAR X-ray space telescope. J1429+5447, likely a supermassive black hole with an Earth-directed jet, shows extreme X-ray variability. Its emissions doubled in two weeks (quasar time), suggesting a relativistic jet. This finding may explain rapid growth of early universe objects and offer insights into the reionization...

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Atomic feline: Engineers use ‘cat with 7 lives’ to prevent quantum computing errors

UNSW engineers improved quantum computing error correction using antimony atoms as qubits with 8 spin states, creating a system that can handle up to 7 consecutive errors before logical failures, potentially enhancing scalability...

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‘We’re very fortunate’: stargazers to see almost all planets in the night sky at the same time

A rare "planet parade" is visible in the night sky this month, with most planets aligned above the horizon. Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus are most conspicuous around January 21, while Neptune and Uranus may be spotted with...

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Soft biosensor that adapts as your brain grows tested on butterfly wings

Researchers have developed a flexible, biocompatible sensor implant that can monitor neurological functions as patients grow. The soft transistors use a single organic polymer material that interacts with ions, making them more...

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Scientists plan to turn nuclear waste into rare earth gold and strategic assets

Scientists in Europe are launching a €2.3 million project to extract valuable lanthanides from nuclear waste, aiming to reduce dependence on external suppliers and improve resource efficiency through new materials and separation...

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Scientists invent sand-powered seismic device to reduce earthquake damage by 75%

University of Sharjah professors have patented a groundbreaking earthquake protection device using sand-filled containers. This innovative system can reduce seismic damage to buildings by 37-75%, outperforming many expensive...

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A soldier can pilot 100 spy drones at once with Sweden’s new sci-fi swarm tech

Sweden has introduced Saab-developed drone swarm technology enabling one soldier to control up to 100 drones for intelligence and surveillance. The system uses various ordinary drones in autonomous swarms that can self-allocate...

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Cooling pump made of thin films drops temperatures by 16 degrees, can transform wearables

UCLA scientists have developed a novel cooling device using nanotube-coated polymer films that continuously pump away heat. The quarter-inch thick prototype can lower temperatures by up to 16°F continuously and 25°F at the heat...

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100% success against deadly cobra venom achieved by Nobel winner’s AI antitoxins

Nobel Laureate David Baker's team used AI to design proteins that neutralize deadly cobra venom toxins, achieving 80-100% survival rates in mice. This breakthrough could lead to more effective, safer, and cheaper snakebite...

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Are these hyper-realistic robots too much?

Realbotix's CES 2025 showcase features robots with realistic faces, eye tracking, and AI-powered conversation, potentially transforming industries that rely on human interaction, such as customer service.

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Rapidly rendering fractals on stupidly unsuitable machines

The article details enhancements to a BBC Micro Mandelbrot set generator. Precision was increased from 13-bit to 14-bit integers, enabling deeper zooms and improved image quality. This was accomplished by utilizing the BBC...

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World-first quantum entanglement of molecules at 92% fidelity, UK achieves ‘magic’

Scientists at Durham University achieved the first-ever quantum entanglement of molecules using precisely controlled optical traps. They reached over 92% entanglement fidelity, demonstrating remarkable control over individual...

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Tire simulation is so good it’s replacing real-world testing

Goodyear has significantly streamlined tire development with advanced simulators in Ohio and Luxembourg. The company reduced physical iterations from 6-10 to just one, saving approximately 13,000 tires and 60,000 test track miles...

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Mathematicians Discover New Way for Spheres to ‘Kiss’

A new approach to the mathematical "kissing problem" has improved estimates for sphere packing in dimensions 17-21, the first progress in these dimensions since the 1960s. MIT undergraduate Anqi Li and professor Henry Cohn...

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New mechanism for maintaining genome stability discovered

RapA enzyme in E. coli prevents harmful R-loop formation by opening the RNA polymerase clamp post-transcription, revealing insights into genomic stability maintenance and potential new approaches for treating...

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Training robots in the AI-powered industrial metaverse

A new era of robot training is emerging, using AI, digital twins, and the industrial metaverse. Robots now learn complex skills in virtual environments, reducing training time and costs. Companies like EPF, Siemens, and ANYbotics...

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Flights delayed by SpaceX’s falling rocket debris

SpaceX rocket debris falling in the southern Indian Ocean is causing flight delays for Qantas and South African Airways on the Sydney-Johannesburg route, with airlines receiving minimal advance notice about the debris reentry...

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OLED adoption soars: Gaming monitors beat TVs with 22% share

OLED gaming monitors now make up 22% of the market, surpassing OLED TVs at 18%. This rapid growth is due to falling prices, higher refresh rates, and reduced concerns about burn-in, with multiple companies announcing new OLED...

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Flying cars could soon become a reality

Flying cars, long a staple of science fiction, may soon become reality. Some companies have already flown prototypes, which are likely to be a cross between airplanes and helicopters. While personal flying cars face cost...

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Hubble reveals surprising spiral shape of galaxy hosting young jet

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has revealed a rare spiral-shaped quasar, J0742+2704, with newly formed jets and a massive black hole. This discovery challenges existing theories about quasar jet formation and galaxy evolution,...

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X-ray flashes from a nearby supermassive black hole accelerate mysteriously

Astronomers observed unusual behavior from supermassive black hole 1ES 1927+654, 100 million light-years away. Its X-ray flashes increased from every 18 minutes to every 7 minutes over two years, an unprecedented phenomenon....

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78/xiaozhi-esp32 – Build your own AI friend

This open-source project aims to help beginners create AI chatbots using ESP32 microcontrollers and large language models. Key features include Wi-Fi/4G connectivity, voice activation, multilingual speech recognition, and...

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Are Quantum Miners the Future of Bitcoin?

Quantum computing's potential impact on Bitcoin mining is analyzed, focusing on a single quantum miner competing against classical miners. The study aims to determine conditions where quantum computers could outperform classical...

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China deploys drone army to battle water scarcity with artificial snow enhancement

China deploys drones for cloud seeding in the Kunlun Mountains to combat water scarcity and boost precipitation. The operation, conducted at 3,500 meters altitude, uses advanced technology to distribute catalysts and enhance...

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