GOTCHA A new machine, shaped sort of like a five-fingered arcade claw, gently encloses soft-bodied sea creatures (like this cephalopod) to study before releasing them, unharmed, back into the ocean.
Z.E. Teoh et al/Science Robotics 2018
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Magazine
In the July 7 SN: The impact hypothesis that won’t die, CAR-T cell therapy upgrades, bad news for Antarctica, a quoll conundrum, honeybees know zero, how volcanoes kill, Jupiter’s polar lightning and more.
Math & Technology
Topic Image Rail
SPEED DEMON This new computer program’s clever number-crunching strategy could route ride shares, discover new drugs and analyze genetic data far faster than other algorithms.
liuzishan/iStockphoto
DON’T LOOK DOWN In a new virtual reality therapy program, an animated coach guides participants through activities (like saving a cat from a tree) that help them overcome their fear of heights.
Oxford VR
Math & Technology
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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
News in Brief
Solving problems by computer just got a lot faster
A new computer program sifts through all possible solutions to find the best answer to a given problem far faster than other algorithms.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? -
Technology
50 Years Ago
50 years ago, a Japanese scientist dreamed up a rocket-propelled train
50 years ago, a Japanese engineer tried rocket boosters on a train. Today, high-speed trains propelled by superconducting magnets are being tested.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. -
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.
