Science

The Chūō Shinkansen will not be able to run in 2027. In some places, construction work has not even begun. Shizuoka Prefecture, which is resisting the construction of the high-speed line, is particularly affected.

Getting rid of CO2 once it has been released is very complex. Even plants have a hard time with it. So why not simply produce useful substances from it?

Thermonuclear explosions hurl sometimes exotic elements into space at high speed. This teaches us a lot about the physics behind them and the universe, except that observing them is difficult.

A third of all CO2 emissions worldwide end up in the oceans. The only problem is that the absorption capacity is decreasing and the water in the oceans is also acidifying. Part of the solution could be CCS from water.

Bioengineer researchers at UCLA have created a self-powered patch that translates laryngeal muscle movements during silent speech into spoken speech using machine learning. This wearable technology can enable people with speaking difficulties due to illness, injury, or vocal fold disorders to speak even when mute using the speech sensing system.

The length of a day can also be changed by global warming. This has consequences for our now very precise measurement of time, perhaps even in a positive sense.

University of Virginia and NIH researchers have used machine learning models to detect a person’s mood from their word choices on Facebook. Their models work well with White English speakers, but not with Black English speakers. The research can be used as an easy way for humanoid robots or mental health providers to detect moods.

How exactly an AI, the neural network and the large language model behind it work has long been the subject of research. A surprisingly simple discovery helps to better understand the processes.

Almost 2,000 miles in one go is certainly impressive as a test run. This means a world record for the Swiss train, although it was spared a few hurdles.

The nuclear disaster lasted five days with three meltdowns, radioactive fallout and large-scale evacuations. The sequence of events still provides insights for the future.

A team at MIT has shortened the multi-stage processes of well-known AI image generators. This not only reduces the time it takes to produce the finished image. The required computing power and power consumption are also reduced at the same rate.

Training on an Nvidia Tesla V100, a data set with 60 gigabytes of weather information and daily updates can save 23,000 lives - every year. The AI used reaches an impressively high level.

YouTube contains billions of recordings of human voices. The health AI HeAR shows that Google can use this to generate more than just advertising revenue and filter bubbles.

They are almost everywhere. Wind turbines, electric cars - also combustors - computers and smartphones all rely on permanent magnets. Extensive cooperation is intended to minimize dependence on rare earths, protect the environment at best, and make renewable energies even cheaper and more available.

By no means paradoxical: the behavior of qubits is simulated in the supercomputer, except that its performance quickly reaches its limits. These have now been expanded at Caltech.

After six months on the high seas, an initial assessment can be made. State-of-the-art, automated sails can save a lot of marine diesel. The test run was very promising and the potential is enormous.

President Biden has established through executive order the White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. The goal is to address the imbalance in health research and treatment of female health issues such as menopause. Government agencies will coordinate research, data, studies and funding while bringing together engineers and scientists to develop novel solutions.

A shoebox-sized satellite is to investigate what it takes to deflect an asteroid on a collision course. It is ready for take-off to the test area.

The universe could be 27 billion years old if there is no dark matter. Then light would also behave differently than expected, and a few old theories would once again be valid.

A recent study indicates that a ban on combustion engine vehicles in city centres may be part of the best solution to climate change, but a European survey found that policies banning combustion-engine cars were unlikely to be accepted.

The seabed is difficult to access, but could provide important information on the state of the oceans and even the atmosphere. Underwater earthquakes could also be detected earlier. High time for sensors in submarine cables.

It is a widespread perception that people earn more in other sectors - with one clear exception. The consequences for actual salaries and entire sectors of the economy are huge.

With a view to compactness and expandability, a new method for controlling ions should enable larger and more efficient quantum computers. In addition, it has been possible to achieve full mobility and control of the spin of a beryllium ion in a limited area.

Ethanol, formic acid and other organic compounds have been detected in a distant nebula. The discovery sharpens our view of the origin of life.

A recent study exposes a gap in the way many US teens think about their smartphones. Around three quarters feel that they are more peaceful without them, while almost half still complain of separation anxiety.

Wind turbine blades must remain stable and resistant for decades. This makes them stubborn waste when it comes to disposal. However, practical solutions are on the horizon.

Elon Musk's latest move in his legendary spat with OpenAI sees xAI's Grok go open-source. The move comes after Musk's repeated criticism of OpenAI for moving away from the company's original mission and prioritising profit.

AI chatbots like ChatGPT-4 can still produce racially prejudiced responses even after safety training, researchers have found. The study highlights the need for greater care and vetting for “covert prejudice” before LLMs are made publicly available.

Consuming electricity when it is generated can be worthwhile. Ideally, the e-car would also charge itself at the same time. If you go one step further, the potential of smart grids becomes apparent.

Three months of testing were successful. A buoy from CorPower was able to generate a surprising amount of electricity with time-delayed movement - and survived monster waves in between.

Rechargeable batteries made from lithium and sulphur could far outperform current batteries, but do not achieve a significant service life. This is set to change radically with a new crystal structure and optimized properties.

New material, new design, powerful results: A magnet that is finally strong enough for a large nuclear fusion reactor was put into operation at MIT - and ran under real conditions.

Methane has 80 times more impact on the greenhouse effect than CO2. Researchers, engineers and Google are searching for it with MethaneSAT - at just the right time.

Geoengineering is a hot potato: too many interactions, too much focus on the consequences, not the causes of global warming. This is illustrated by a current and promising idea relating to water vapor.

Computer chips work faster and last longer if they stay cool. Cooling is also absolutely crucial for the rapid charging and discharging of batteries in electric cars. And diamond brings two huge advantages into play here.

Future solar modules should be able to supply twice as much electricity as at present. However, the most promising technology with perovskite still fails in terms of longevity. This is set to change soon thanks to new studies.

Fertilization is usually essential, but it causes damage, can contaminate groundwater and drive climate change. Researchers have used AI to reduce harmful emissions and save significantly on nitrogen fertilizer while maintaining the same yield.

Researchers have found once again that when young children watch too many videos, their speech development is negatively affected. Both total vocabulary and length of utterances were reduced as hours of video viewing increased. Children in the study were between 17 and 30 months.

All we need to do is plant enough trees - this is the theory for a simple remedy against climate change. A study with global simulations comes to a different conclusion.

150 million degrees, plasma offers ideal conditions for nuclear fusion. Incorrect containment can also cause major damage. A new AI-supported approach should pave the way for continuous operation.

Below the tree cover of the Santa Cruz Mountains, SpaceX managed to send its first tweet that went through Starlink satellites in space.

Since neutrinos appeared worldwide in 1987 and a supernova in the neighborhood was registered shortly afterwards, observations, measurements and speculations have been ongoing. The latest ones not only show different elements, but also provide a glimpse of what is left behind.

You can now also learn movement sequences from the best. That sounds like a quick shortcut to the laborious process of learning an instrument. But with the intelligent glove presented by researchers at MIT, even more is possible.

With more than 2,000 satellites scheduled to launch annually in the next few years, the aluminum particles they'll float upon re-entry could prove damaging for the ozone layer. That is why NASA and Japanese scientists bet on magnolia wood.

It's certainly no secret that ChatGPT and other AI systems are power guzzlers. And when Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, admits that this could become a problem, it's certainly worth doing the math and looking to the future.

Silicon-photonics appears to be a viable solution for the 1 nm transistor threshold and engineers from the University of Pennsylvania have successfully integrated this technology in an AI processor that performs even more computations at near-lightspeed with increased power efficiency and data security.

Tiny generators sway in the wind, others are minimally shaken by raindrops. And then electricity flows. Other applications are easily imaginable.

Dust storms and droughts in the USA led to a government reforestation project of gigantic proportions. Its effects, including a cooling of 7 °F, were traced in a comprehensive study.

A whole arsenal of equipment has made its way to the surface of the moon. It is part of the new lunar missions that could turn our satellite into a valuable research station.