MIND CONTROL Robots that are sensitive to brain and muscle signals from a human supervisor (like the drill-wielding bot shown here) could make for better assistants in factories or homes.
CSAIL/MIT
-
Magazine
In the June 23 SN: Emmy Noether gets her due, the 411 on ancestry testing, bonobo birthing buddies, a mysterious neutrino surplus, the oldest known lizard fossil, genetic genealogy in police work, Pluto’s dunes and more.
Math & Technology
Topic Image Rail
MOTION OF THE OCEAN FLOOR The network of submarine fiber-optic cables that deliver work e-mails and cat videos to computers around the world could double as undersea earthquake detectors. Existing cables are shown in purple; planned cables are in blue.
G. Marra et al/Science 2018
LISTENING IN A new AI filters out background conversations and other noise in videos to isolate what a single person on screen is saying.
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock
Math & Technology
-
Numbers
Soapbox
Real numbers don’t cut it in the real world, this physicist argues
Physicist Nicolas Gisin argues that real numbers don’t properly represent the natural world, which is a good thing for free will.Reviews & Previews
‘Weird Math’ aims to connect numbers and equations to the real world
The book Weird Math attempts to make chaos theory, higher dimensions and other concepts more relatable. -
Computing
Science & the PublicAre computers better than people at predicting who will commit another crime?
If crime-predicting computer programs aren’t any more accurate than human guesswork, do they still have a place in the criminal justice system?Feature
Your phone is like a spy in your pocket
Smartphones’ powers of perception make them more user-friendly and efficient. But they also open new opportunities for privacy invasions. -
Technology
50 Years Ago
50 years ago, NASA astronauts prepared to return to space
Apollo 7 crewmembers underwent their first major tests 50 years ago. Today, U.S. astronauts struggle to get into space.News in Brief
A new 3-D printer builds temporary electronics on your skin
A new 3-D printer that tracks and compensates for your slightest twitch can precisely print simple electronic devices onto your skin. -
Robotics
News
With this new system, robots can ‘read’ your mind
Giving robots instructions via brain waves and hand gestures could help the machines operate more safely and efficiently.News in Brief
A new soft bot mimics octopuses and inchworms to climb walls
A new soft robot that scales walls could help with surveillance or building inspections. -
Artificial Intelligence
News in Brief
A new AI can focus on one voice in a crowd
The artificial intelligence can ignore background noise in videos and focus on what a particular person is saying.News
This AI uses the same kind of brain wiring as mammals to navigate
This AI creates mental maps of its environment much like mammals do.
