the digest (Page 204)

Latest in the digest

Researchers have figured out a way to map the human genome in three dimensions, using enzymes to calculate a gene's distance from a cell's nucleus.

Science & Energy

15 Years Ago, We Sequenced the Human Genome. Now We Can 3D Map It.

By Kristin Houser

The World’s First Digital Teacher Just Debuted in New Zealand

Artificial Intelligence

The World’s First Digital Teacher Just Debuted in New Zealand

By Kristin Houser

During a major tournament for the strategy game DOTA 2, human gamers emerged victorious over OpenAI Five, a team of five neural networks.

Artificial Intelligence

AI Couldn’t Beat a Team of Professional Gamers at DOTA 2, but It Held Its Own

By Kristin Houser

According to CEO Elon Musk, Tesla's Semi prototype is now able to autonomously travel across the country using the Supercharger network.

Elon Musk Claims a Tesla Semi Prototype Drove “Across the Country Alone”

By Kristin Houser

Japan Wants to Be the First Place Where Flying Cars Are Standard Because of Course

Advanced Transport

Japan Wants to Be the First Place Where Flying Cars Are Standard Because of Course

By Kristin Houser

Researchers from CERN have just moved one step closer to cooling antimatter, which should make it easier for us to study the mysterious substance.

We’re Almost Able to Cool Antimatter. Here’s Why That’s a Big Deal.

By Kristin Houser

A team of researchers from Brown University took control of a University of Washington robot to prove that hacking robots is far too easy.

It’s Really Easy for Hackers to Take Control of Robots

By Kristin Houser

A pilot program using facial recognition tech at airports catches a man from the Republic of Congo presenting a passport that didn't belong to him.

Facial Recognition Tech Catches Traveler With Fake Papers

By Kristin Houser

A Wisconsin vending machine company is developing a GPS implant for people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Prosthetics and Devices

A Tech Company Wants to Implant GPS Trackers in Dementia Patients

By Kristin Houser

Included in Y Combinator's 2018 batch of companies is the Good Food Institute (GFI), a non-profit focused on accelerating the adoption of clean meat.

We’re About to Get Many More Meat Alternatives

By Kristin Houser

China Is Serious About Cracking Down on Cryptocurrency

China Is Serious About Cracking Down on Cryptocurrency

By Victor Tangermann

MIT researchers have created an underwater communication system that would allow submarines to transmit data directly to planes.

Science & Energy

Underwater and Airborne Craft Can Now Communicate Directly and Wirelessly

By Kristin Houser

Researchers used AI to create a planetary navigation system that would allow humans to find their way around foreign planets and moons.

NASA Is Making an AI-Based GPS for Space

By Kristin Houser

Researchers from the University of Utah have found a way to effectively capture videos and images using a lens-free camera.

Robots and Machines

We Need Lens-Free Cameras. And Now We Know How to Make Them.

By Kristin Houser

Researchers discover that Oregon blue clay has antibacterial properties that even treatment-resistant bacterias can't withstand.

An Ancient Antibacterial Technique Might Hold the Key to Future Wound Treatment

By Kristin Houser

The Santa Clara County Fire Department claims Verizon's throttling of its data impeded its ability to provide essential emergency services.

Verizon Is Wrong. Throttling Emergency Responders’ Data Is Definitely About Net Neutrality.

By Kristin Houser

AI-Generated Art Will Go On Sale Alongside Human-Made Works This Fall

Artificial Intelligence

AI-Generated Art Will Go On Sale Alongside Human-Made Works This Fall

By Kristin Houser

The World’s Largest Aircraft Will Carry These Four Launch Vehicles

Advanced Transport

The World’s Largest Aircraft Will Carry These Four Launch Vehicles

By Kristin Houser

Artificial Retinas Made Of This Ultra-Thin Super Material Could Help Millions See Again

Health & Medicine

Artificial Retinas Made Of This Ultra-Thin Super Material Could Help Millions See Again

By Kristin Houser

An Enzyme Found in Our Guts Could Increase Our Blood Supply

Health & Medicine

An Enzyme Found in Our Guts Could Increase Our Blood Supply

By Kristin Houser

The Moon Definitely Has Water Ice on Its Surface, Says NASA

The Moon Definitely Has Water Ice on Its Surface, Says NASA

By Kristin Houser

The FBI is currently investigating a cyberattack on the campaign of David Min, a Democratic running for the House of Representatives.

Candidates in Smaller Elections Simply Can’t Defend Themselves Against Cyberattacks

By Kristin Houser

Construction has begun on the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), a telescope that will be the most powerful in the world once completed in 2024.

Science & Energy

We’ll Soon Have A Telescope That Will Show Us the Edge of the Universe

By Kristin Houser

Researchers have used a CRISPR technique called base editing to effectively repair the mutation that causes Marfan Syndrome.

Science & Energy

A New CRISPR Technique Let Researchers Repair a Genetic Mutation in Viable Human Embryos

By Kristin Houser

Facebook is breaking the law by allowing advertisers to create and post discriminatory ads, says the federal agency in charge of housing.

Facebook Helps Landlords Discriminate Against Minorities, Says U.S. Government

By Kristin Houser

Director Tony Kaye's next movie with have a robot star, an AI-powered bot that he claims will be trained in acting techniques.

Artificial Intelligence

A Robot Will Become A Real-Life Movie Star

By Kristin Houser

A baseball player got ejected from a game after saying that players would prefer an electronic strike zone to human umpires.

Baseball Players Are Sick of Fallible Umpires. Robots Should Make Calls Instead.

By Kristin Houser

In a new study, people performed better at a cognitive task when a robot supervisor was in the room — but only if the robot was mean.

A Mean Robot Supervisor Could Make You a Better-Performing Employee

By Kristin Houser

Google employees have once again sounded the ethics alarm over the company's actions, this time in reference to its planned Chinese search app.

Google Employees Have Become the Company’s Moral Compass

By Kristin Houser

China just announced new details for its Chang'e-4 lunar mission, including plans to study's the Moon's most ancient rocks for clues into its history.

China Will Send Two Robots to Study the Moon

By Kristin Houser

Researchers have created a Wi-Fi weapon detection system that is both cheap and accurate at identifying bombs, explosives, and other weapons.

To Detect Bombs Efficiently and Cheaply, Try Using Wi-Fi

By Kristin Houser

A Colorado university just launched the world's first space resources degrees, which are designed to prepare students for off-world mining.

Want To Snag A Job Mining Asteroids Someday? You Can Now Get Your Masters In It.

By Kristin Houser

Elon Musk's Boring Company announces the Dugout Loop, an underground tunnel designed to ferry passengers to and from LA's Dodger Stadium.

Advanced Transport

The Boring Company Plans to Drill a Tunnel to Dodger Stadium

By Kristin Houser

Apparel startup Vollebak is selling a $695 graphene jacket that can conduct and retain heat, repel bacteria, and decrease humidity.

You Can Now Buy The World’s First Graphene Jacket, And It’s Everything You Want It To Be

By Kristin Houser

Researchers create an EV-charging robot that can autonomously charge vehicles, potentially solving the problem of charging autonomous cars.

Self-Driving Vehicles

Who’s Gonna Charge Autonomous EVs? Seems Like It Might Be This Robot.

By Kristin Houser

Sprint's 5G smartphone will be ready for the next-gen networks right out of the box, making it easy for consumers to take advantage of their faster speeds.

Robots and Machines

There’s a New 5G Smartphone Coming, and It Might Finally Make the Next-Gen Network Mainstream

By Kristin Houser

Children are susceptible to robot peer pressure, raising concerns that future bots might be able to influence children in dangerous ways.

Children Get Pretty Easily Peer Pressured By Robots

By Kristin Houser

A researcher has developed an algorithm that produces a person's polygenic risk score, risk of developing various health conditions, based on their genome.

Health & Medicine

A $50 Genetic Test Can Tell How Likely You Are to Have a Heart Attack

By Kristin Houser

An investigative report by the Associated Press reveals that turning off location tracking doesn't actually stop Google from recording your location.

Google May Still Be Tracking You, Even If You Opted Out

By Kristin Houser

The U.S. Military Now Has the Money It Needs to Prepare for Climate Change

The U.S. Military Now Has the Money It Needs to Prepare for Climate Change

By Kristin Houser

The FDA just approved Natural Cycles, a contraceptive app that helps women track their fertility throughout the month, as a medical device.

Health & Medicine

The FDA Has Approved a Contraceptive App. Now More Could Flood the Market.

By Kristin Houser

Using a combination of AI and 360-degree imaging, researchers identify a type of coral reef seemingly impervious to global warming.

AI Analysis Uncovers Coral Reefs Resistant to Climate Change

By Kristin Houser

Pre-Teen Hackers Prove It: The U.S. Election System Simply Isn’t Secure Enough

Pre-Teen Hackers Prove It: The U.S. Election System Simply Isn’t Secure Enough

By Kristin Houser

On Friday, a CA court ruled that Monsanto owed a groundskeeper $289 million because its weedkillers containing glyphosate gave the man terminal cancer.

Monsanto’s Court Ruling Marks a Turning Point for Cancer-Causing WeedKiller

By Kristin Houser

Elon Musk says he plans to make Tesla's security code for autonomous vehicles freely available, allowing other automakers to use it as they see fit.

Elon Musk Wants All Autonomous Cars to Be as Secure as Tesla’s

By Kristin Houser

Elon Musk’s Money Run for the Future of Tesla Starts Now—Here’s How He’ll Try to Pull It Off

Elon Musk’s Money Run for the Future of Tesla Starts Now—Here’s How He’ll Try to Pull It Off

By Victor Tangermann

Anew AI developed by MIT researchers can prescribe the minimum effective dose for patient with an aggressive type of brain tumor known as glioblastoma.

Artificial Intelligence

AI Can Make Sure Cancer Patients Get Just Enough (but Not Too Much) Treatment

By Kristin Houser

Researcher presents ways hackers could manipulate today's SATCOM to affect the aviation, maritime, and military industries.

Hackers Find Earth’s Satellite Communication Systems Aren’t All That Secure

By Kristin Houser

QTrobot, a two-foot-tall humanoid robot, could be useful in teaching children with autism valuable social skills, according to a new study.

Robots and Machines

Interacting With This Therapy Bot Can Help Children With Autism Perfect Their Social Skills

By Kristin Houser

For the first time, astronomers have discovered a coronal mass ejection (CME), a spewing of plasma and energy, from a star that's not the Earth's Sun.

Science & Energy

Scientists Observe a Star That Spews Plasma — And It’s Not Our Sun

By Kristin Houser

NASA’s New Space Probe Will Venture Closer to the Sun Than Any Craft Before It

Science & Energy

NASA Just Launched A New Space Probe That Will Venture Closer to the Sun Than Any Craft Before It

By Kristin Houser

Researchers discover that a combination of blue light and the molecule retinal can lead to cell death, explaining how blue light contributes to blindness.

Health & Medicine

Scientists Knew Blue Light From Screens Contributed to Blindness. Now They Know Why.

By Kristin Houser

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence delivered a speech outlining the first steps toward the establishment of a new military branch, the Space Force.

Here’s How President Trump and His VP Plan to Get Their Space Force

By Kristin Houser

Open-source tool Social Mapper can help white hat hackers keep up with the black hats, but also has the potential to create more of the latter.

Facial Recognition Tool That Tracks People Across Social Media Now Available to Hackers

By Kristin Houser

Researchers have created an AI than can find scientists that deserve (but don't have) Wikipedia pages, helping close the site's gender gap.

Artificial Intelligence

AI Is Shining a Spotlight on Women Scientists That Were Previously Overlooked

By Kristin Houser

There Is Literally No Logical Reason The US Should Allow *More* Uses for Asbestos

There Is Literally No Logical Reason The US Should Allow More Uses for Asbestos

By Kristin Houser

Even if we meet the emissions limits set by the Paris Agreement, natural feedback processes could create "Hothouse Earth" climate conditions.

No Existing Policies Will Be Enough To Prevent A Future “Hothouse Earth”

By Kristin Houser

Geoengineering Would Hurt Earth’s Crops More Than It Would Help Them, Says Study

Geoengineering Would Hurt Earth’s Crops More Than It Would Help Them, Says Study

By Kristin Houser

New York City Council Capped The Number Of Ubers Allowed On City Streets

New York City Council Capped The Number Of Ubers Allowed On City Streets

By Victor Tangermann

According to a recent public letter, Elon Musk might actually be serious about taking Tesla private. But will a buyout ever happen?

Turns Out Musk Might Actually Be Serious About Taking Tesla Private

By Victor Tangermann

Some Americans Will Get to Vote via Blockchain This November

Some Americans Will Get to Vote via Blockchain This November

By Kristin Houser

Researchers discover a network of Twitter bots designed to perpetuate a cryptocurrency scam while conducting a study on identifying online bots.

Researchers Inadvertently Discover Crypto Scam Involving 15,000 Twitter Bots

By Kristin Houser

A number of scientifically sound studies all reached different conclusions when trying to figure out the universe's expansion rate.

Figuring out How Fast the Universe Is Expanding Might Require a New Type of Physics

By Kristin Houser

The FCC hack from May 2017 wasn't really a hack, says FCC chairman Ajit Pai, who now blames the misunderstanding on an Obama-era hire.

That Hack of the FCC’s Comment Section Last Year? It Never Actually Happened, Agency Admits

By Kristin Houser