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Latest story• Dec 5, 2024

Researchers launch "moonshot" to cure blindness through eye transplants

Researchers at CU Anschutz Medical Campus will receive up to $46 million in federal funding to pursue vision-restoring eye transplantation, as part of a national effort to cure blindness. Led by Dr. Kia Washington, the team will use stem cell and bioelectronic technologies. The project could lead to breakthroughs in repairing brain and spine damage, and addressing hearing loss. After testing on large animals, the...

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X-plane: US high-speed, runway-free rotor aircraft ready for real-world testing

Bell Textron has completed wind tunnel testing for its rotor-folding aircraft under DARPA's SPRINT program, validating stability during in-flight rotor folding and unfolding. The aircraft is now prepared for flight...

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US nuclear fuel rods endure 3452°F for 120 days, raising reactor safety standards

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems successfully tested its SiGA nuclear fuel cladding for 120 days at extreme temperatures. The silicon carbide composite cladding withstood 3452°F, offering improved safety and performance...

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Australia is grappling with too much solar power as renewable growth outpaces grid capacity

Solar power installations have reached 4 million homes and businesses in Australia, a remarkable increase from virtually none two decades ago. This boom has created an energy surplus, sometimes exceeding grid capacity, with South...

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E-tattoos could make mobile EEGs a reality

Scientists have developed conductive inks that can be printed onto a person's scalp to measure brain waves through hair. This breakthrough enables mobile EEG monitoring outside clinical settings. The technique uses printable...

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Multifunctional legs power bird-inspired robot’s seamless flight, ground movement

A bird-inspired robot named RAVEN can walk, hop, and leap into flight using multifunctional legs. With a 100 cm wingspan, it walks 1m in 4 seconds, hops over 12 cm gaps, and jumps 26 cm obstacles, reaching 0.5m high during...

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EA makes photosensitivity and speech recognition tech patents open-source

Electronic Arts (EA) has expanded its free-use accessibility patent program, adding 23 new patents for game developers. The new additions include improved speech recognition technology and a plugin for Unreal Engine 5 that...

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How Is Cell Death Essential to Life?

Cell death is a complex process that plays crucial roles in biological systems. Scientists are studying various forms of cell death, including programmed cell death like apoptosis and linker cell-type death. These processes are...

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ISRO launches Europe's Proba-3 mission to study Sun's outermost layer

ISRO successfully launched ESA's Proba-3 mission from Sriharikota, India. The €200 million, two-year mission aims to study the Sun's corona using two spacecraft flying in precise formation, potentially improving understanding of...

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Sandia research highlights superior drill bits for cost-effective geothermal drilling

Sandia National Laboratories research improves geothermal drilling efficiency by analyzing drill bit performance at the FORGE site. The study found that polycrystalline diamond compact bits are more cost-effective than...

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Robot rat rolls in to play, battle real rodents in stunning tech breakthrough

Scientists have developed an AI-powered robotic rat capable of engaging in playful and aggressive behaviors with live rodents. The robot, designed to mimic real rat characteristics, features a bionic spine, wheels, and AI...

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German firm tests powerful NASA battery that offers 30,000 cycles, 30-year life

RWE, a German energy company, is testing NASA-developed nickel-hydrogen batteries for renewable energy storage. These batteries, supplied by EnerVenue, can last up to 30 years with 30,000 charge cycles, retaining 86% capacity...

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AggiesBCI – brain-controlled wheelchair converts thoughts to real-world movement

A team of students developed a brain-controlled wheelchair system using an EMOTIV headset and Arduino technology. The project won first place at the Aggies Create Innovation Expo, and the team is now testing with potential users...

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Scientists close to solving mystery of how universe's giant galaxies formed

Massive galaxy collisions 8-12 billion years ago may have created the universe's largest elliptical galaxies, according to new research. Scientists analyzed over 100 distant star-forming galaxies using the Alma radio telescope,...

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Massive asteroid impacts did not change Earth's climate in the long term

Two massive asteroids hit Earth 35.65 million years ago, leaving giant craters in Siberia and Chesapeake Bay. UCL researchers found no evidence of lasting climate change in the 150,000 years following the impacts, despite...

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The heart has its own 'brain'

Researchers have discovered that the heart has its own complex nervous system, challenging previous beliefs about heart rhythm control. This "mini-brain" includes various neuron types, including pacemaker neurons, and could lead...

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UN forms international organization to protect undersea internet cables

The United Nations' International Telecommunication Union has formed a new agency to protect submarine communication cables, which carry over 99% of international digital data. The International Advisory Body for Submarine Cable...

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AI-Powered Robots Can Be Tricked Into Acts of Violence

Researchers demonstrated that language model-powered robots can be tricked into dangerous behaviors, including ignoring stop signs, finding bomb locations, and spying. This vulnerability highlights risks as AI models are...

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Fastest swimming soft robot inspired by manta rays reaches 6.8 body lengths/second

A new soft robot inspired by manta rays has set a speed record of 6.8 body lengths per second, improving on a previous design. The robot features air-inflated fins that mimic manta ray movement, allowing it to swim throughout the...

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Frozen in time: What an event horizon looks like to a distant observer

The Event Horizon Telescope captured the first image of a black hole at the center of the M87 galaxy in 2019, followed by a polarized image showing magnetic fields in 2021. These groundbreaking observations provide direct visual...

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Robots can achieve human-level intelligence through quantum technology: Study

Quantum robotics, combining quantum computing and AI, could enable robots to match human-level intelligence. This emerging field promises real-time processing of massive sensor data, allowing robots to react quickly in complex...

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Would you eat dried microbes? This company hopes so.

LanzaTech, known for processing industrial waste gases, is expanding into microbe-based food production as an alternative to traditional agriculture. The company is developing a protein-rich powder from bacteria, aiming to reduce...

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Heirloom Carbon raises $150M to remove CO2 from the air using rocks

The world is set to exceed 1.5°C of warming above pre-industrial levels this year, surpassing the Paris Agreement's target. Carbon-capture startup Heirloom Carbon has raised $150 million in Series B funding to scale up its...

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Drones With Legs Can Walk, Hop, and Jump Into the Air

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