School closures, the loss of public spaces, and having to work remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic have caused major disruptions in people's social lives all over the world. Researchers from City University of Hong Kong, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute suggest a reduction in fatal coronavirus cases can be achieved without the need for … [Read more...] about School closures may not reduce coronavirus deaths as much as expected: Extensive simulations seek the ideal distancing scenario to reduce severe coronavirus cases with minimal social disruption
Computers
Online searches can help foreshadow future COVID-19 surges and declines, new study shows: Analysis tracks ‘isolated’ and ‘mobile’ activities — and subsequent coronavirus cases
Online searches for mobile and isolated activities can help to predict later surges and declines in COVID-19 cases, a team of researchers has found. Its findings, based on a four-month analysis of online searches, offer a potential means to anticipate the pathways of the pandemic -- before new infections are reported. "This is a first step towards building a tool that can help … [Read more...] about Online searches can help foreshadow future COVID-19 surges and declines, new study shows: Analysis tracks ‘isolated’ and ‘mobile’ activities — and subsequent coronavirus cases
‘Multiplying’ light could be key to ultra-powerful optical computers
An important class of challenging computational problems, with applications in graph theory, neural networks, artificial intelligence and error-correcting codes can be solved by multiplying light signals, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge and Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Russia. In a paper published in the journal Physical Review … [Read more...] about ‘Multiplying’ light could be key to ultra-powerful optical computers
MARLIT, artificial intelligence against marine litter: Litter that floats and pollutes the ocean
Floating sea macro-litter is a threat to the conservation of marine ecosystems worldwide. The largest density of floating litter is in the great ocean gyres -- systems of circular currents that spin and catch litter -- but the polluting waste is abundant in coastal waters and semi closed seas such as the Mediterranean. MARLIT, an open access web app based on an algorithm … [Read more...] about MARLIT, artificial intelligence against marine litter: Litter that floats and pollutes the ocean
Wearable devices can detect COVID-19 symptoms and predict diagnosis, study finds
Wearable devices can identify COVID-19 cases earlier than traditional diagnostic methods and can help track and improve management of the disease, Mount Sinai researchers report in one of the first studies on the topic. The findings were published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research on January 29. The Warrior Watch Study found that subtle changes in a participant's … [Read more...] about Wearable devices can detect COVID-19 symptoms and predict diagnosis, study finds
Robots sense human touch using camera and shadows
Soft robots may not be in touch with human feelings, but they are getting better at feeling human touch. Cornell University researchers have created a low-cost method for soft, deformable robots to detect a range of physical interactions, from pats to punches to hugs, without relying on touch at all. Instead, a USB camera located inside the robot captures the shadow movements … [Read more...] about Robots sense human touch using camera and shadows
Deepfake detectors can be defeated, computer scientists show for the first time
Systems designed to detect deepfakes -- videos that manipulate real-life footage via artificial intelligence -- can be deceived, computer scientists showed for the first time at the WACV 2021 conference which took place online Jan. 5 to 9, 2021. Researchers showed detectors can be defeated by inserting inputs called adversarial examples into every video frame. The adversarial … [Read more...] about Deepfake detectors can be defeated, computer scientists show for the first time
Severe undercounting of COVID-19 cases in U.S., other countries estimated via model
A new machine-learning framework uses reported test results and death rates to calculate estimates of the actual number of current COVID-19 infections within all 50 U.S. states and 50 countries. Jungsik Noh and Gaudenz Danuser of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on February 8, 2021. During the ongoing … [Read more...] about Severe undercounting of COVID-19 cases in U.S., other countries estimated via model
‘Magnetic graphene’ forms a new kind of magnetism
Researchers have identified a new form of magnetism in so-called magnetic graphene, which could point the way toward understanding superconductivity in this unusual type of material. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, were able to control the conductivity and magnetism of iron thiophosphate (FePS3), a two-dimensional material which undergoes a transition from … [Read more...] about ‘Magnetic graphene’ forms a new kind of magnetism
AI researchers ask: What’s going on inside the black box?
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Assistant Professor Peter Koo and collaborator Matt Ploenzke reported a way to train machines to predict the function of DNA sequences. They used "neural nets," a type of artificial intelligence (AI) typically used to classify images. Teaching the neural net to predict the function of short stretches of DNA allowed it to work up to … [Read more...] about AI researchers ask: What’s going on inside the black box?