Computers

Within the next decade, the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 could become little more than a nuisance, causing no more than common cold-like coughs and sniffles. That possible future is predicted by mathematical models that incorporate lessons learned from the current pandemic on how our body's immunity changes over time. Scientists at the University of Utah carried … [Read more...] about Will COVID-19 eventually become just a seasonal nuisance? Scientists model possible COVID-19 futures

A new software tool developed by Earlham Institute researchers will help bioinformaticians improve the quality and accuracy of their biological data, and avoid mis-assemblies. The fast, lightweight, user-friendly tool visualises genome assemblies and gene alignments from the latest next generation sequencing technologies. Called Alvis, the new visualisation tool examines … [Read more...] about When one become two: Separating DNA for more accurate nanopore analysis

Using a robotic 'Third Thumb' can impact how the hand is represented in the brain, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The team trained people to use a robotic extra thumb and found they could effectively carry out dextrous tasks, like building a tower of blocks, with one hand (now with two thumbs). The researchers report in the journal Science Robotics that participants … [Read more...] about Robotic ‘Third Thumb’ use can alter brain representation of the hand

Most able-bodied people take their ability to perform simple daily tasks for granted -- when they reach for a warm mug of coffee, they can feel its weight and temperature and adjust their grip accordingly so that no liquid is spilled. People with full sensory and motor control of their arms and hands can feel that they've made contact with an object the instant they touch or … [Read more...] about Brain stimulation evoking sense of touch improves control of robotic arm

The University of Kent's School of Physical Sciences, in collaboration with the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and the Universities of Cardiff, Durham and Leeds, have developed an algorithm to train computers to analyse signals from subatomic particles embedded in advanced electronic materials. The particles, called muons, are produced in large particle … [Read more...] about Algorithm to see inside materials with subatomic particles

A branch of artificial intelligence (AI), called machine learning, can accurately predict the risk of an out of hospital cardiac arrest -- when the heart suddenly stops beating -- using a combination of timing and weather data, finds research published online in the journal Heart. Machine learning is the study of computer algorithms, and based on the idea that systems can learn … [Read more...] about Machine learning (AI) accurately predicts cardiac arrest risk: Model combines timing and weather data

Classic computers use binary values (0/1) to perform. By contrast, our brain cells can use more values to operate, making them more energy-efficient than computers. This is why scientists are interested in neuromorphic (brain-like) computing. Physicists from the University of Groningen (the Netherlands) have used a complex oxide to create elements comparable to the neurons and … [Read more...] about New material could create ‘neurons’ and ‘synapses’ for new computers

With the rise of the digital age, the amount of WiFi sources to transmit information wirelessly between devices has grown exponentially. This results in the widespread use of the 2.4GHz radio frequency that WiFi uses, with excess signals available to be tapped for alternative uses. To harness this under-utilised source of energy, a research team from the National University of … [Read more...] about Engineers harvest WiFi signals to power small electronics

Spintronics is an emerging technology for manufacturing electronic devices that take advantage of electron spin and its associated magnetic properties, instead of using the electrical charge of an electron, to carry information. Antiferromagnetic materials are attracting attention in spintronics, with the expectation of spin operations with higher stability. Unlike … [Read more...] about Spintronics: Improving electronics with finer spin control

A team of researchers at the Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, in collaboration with Bielefeld University and Technical University Braunschweig in Germany, came closer to unraveling the complicated optical response of wide-bandgap semiconductor multiple quantum wells and how atomic-scale lattice vibration can generate free space terahertz emission. Their work … [Read more...] about THz emission spectroscopy reveals optical response of GaInN/GaN multiple quantum wells: Towards nano-seismology of wide bandgap quantum devices