Computers

Much like the Jedis in Star Wars use 'the force' to control objects from a distance, scientists can use light or 'optical force' to move very small particles. The inventors of this ground-breaking laser technology, known as 'optical tweezers', were awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in physics. Optical tweezers are used in biology, medicine and materials science to assemble and … [Read more...] about Advance in ‘optical tweezers’ to boost biomedical research

A new path toward sending and receiving information with single photons of light has been discovered by an international team of researchers led by the University of Michigan. Their experiment demonstrated the possibility of using an effect known as nonlinearity to modify and detect extremely weak light signals, taking advantage of distinct changes to a quantum system to … [Read more...] about ‘Egg carton’ quantum dot array could lead to ultralow power devices

In 2015, hackers infiltrated the corporate network of Ukraine's power grid and injected malicious software, which caused a massive power outage. Such cyberattacks, along with the dangers to society that they represent, could become more common as the number of cyber-physical systems (CPS) increases. A CPS is any system controlled by a network involving physical elements that … [Read more...] about Cutting off stealthy interlopers: a framework for secure cyber-physical systems: New approach to detect and recover from sophisticated cyberattacks in real time

In a potential boost for quantum computing and communication, a European research collaboration reported a new method of controlling and manipulating single photons without generating heat. The solution makes it possible to integrate optical switches and single-photon detectors in a single chip. Publishing in Nature Communications, the team reported to have developed an optical … [Read more...] about Heat-free optical switch would enable optical quantum computing chips

A recent analysis of the latest generation of climate models -- known as a CMIP6 -- provides a cautionary tale on interpreting climate simulations as scientists develop more sensitive and sophisticated projections of how the Earth will respond to increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Researchers at Princeton University and the University of Miami reported that … [Read more...] about High end of climate sensitivity in new climate models seen as less plausible

Machine-learning (ML) systems are becoming pervasive not only in technologies affecting our day-to-day lives, but also in those observing them, including face expression recognition systems. Companies that make and use such widely deployed services rely on so-called privacy preservation tools that often use generative adversarial networks (GANs), typically produced by a third … [Read more...] about Researchers discover that privacy-preserving tools leave private data anything but

It is millions of trillions of times brighter than the sunlight and a whopping 1,000 trillionth of a second, appropriately called the instantaneous light. It is the X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) light that opens a new scientific paradigm. Combining it with AI, an international research team has succeeded in filming and restoring the 3D structure of nanoparticles that share … [Read more...] about Filming a 3D video of a virus with instantaneous light and AI

A new software tool allows researchers to quickly query datasets generated from single-cell sequencing. Users can identify which cell types any combination of genes are active in. Published in Nature Methods on 1st March, the open-access 'scfind' software enables swift analysis of multiple datasets containing millions of cells by a wide range of users, on a standard … [Read more...] about New search engine for single cell atlases

Imagine a robot. Perhaps you've just conjured a machine with a rigid, metallic exterior. While robots armored with hard exoskeletons are common, they're not always ideal. Soft-bodied robots, inspired by fish or other squishy creatures, might better adapt to changing environments and work more safely with people. Roboticists generally have to decide whether to design a hard- or … [Read more...] about Helping soft robots turn rigid on demand: New type of control system may broaden robots’ range of tasks and allow safer interactions with people

If you've ever swatted a mosquito away from your face, only to have it return again (and again and again), you know that insects can be remarkably acrobatic and resilient in flight. Those traits help them navigate the aerial world, with all of its wind gusts, obstacles, and general uncertainty. Such traits are also hard to build into flying robots, but MIT Assistant Professor … [Read more...] about New generation of tiny, agile drones introduced: The technology could boost aerial robots’ repertoire, allowing them to operate in cramped spaces and withstand collisions