DeepMind Cracks "Knot" Conjecture That Bedeviled Mathematicians For Decades
The artificial intelligence (AI) program DeepMind has gotten closer to proving a math conjecture that's bedeviled mathematicians for decades and revealed another new conjecture that may unravel how mathematicians understand knots. Live Science report.....»»
An Old Abstract Field of Math Is Unlocking the Deep Complexity of Spacecraft Orbits
Mathematicians think abstract tools from a field called symplectic geometry might help with planning missions to far-off moons and planets......»»
Researcher: Climate models can run for months on supercomputers—but my new algorithm can make them ten times faster
Climate models are some of the most complex pieces of software ever written, able to simulate a vast number of different parts of the overall system, such as the atmosphere or ocean. Many have been developed by hundreds of scientists over decades and.....»»
Seismic waves used to track LA"s groundwater recharge after record wet winter
Record-setting storms in 2023 filled California's major reservoirs to the brim, providing some relief in a decades-long drought, but how much of that record rain trickled underground?.....»»
NASA hasn’t landed on the Moon in decades—China just sent its third in six years
China is going. NASA is talking about going. What gives? Enlarge / A Long March 5 rocket carrying the Chang'e-6 lunar probe blasts off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center on May 3, 2024 in Wenchang, China. (credit: Li Zhenzhou/.....»»
Contemporary wildfires not more severe than historically in western US dry forests: Study
Wildfires have increased over the last few decades in dry forests, which cover 25.5 million ha (63 million acres) of the western U.S. But are high-severity fires that kill 70% or more of trees already burning at rates that exceed historical (preindus.....»»
Microsoft, Google widen passkey support for its users
Since 2013, the first Thursday in May is marked as World Password Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the need for using strong, unique passwords to secure out digital lives. Despite decades of often-repeated statements proclaiming the de.....»»
Wildfires in wet African forests have doubled in recent decades, large-scale analysis finds
A new study presents the first large-scale analysis of fire patterns in West and Central Africa's wet, tropical forests. The number of active fires there typically doubled over 18 years, particularly in the Congo Basin. The increases are primarily du.....»»
International team cracks genomic code for earliest forms of terrestrial plant life
Plant life first emerged on land about 550 million years ago, and an international research team co-led by University of Nebraska–Lincoln computational biologist Yanbin Yin has cracked the genomic code of its humble beginnings, which made possible.....»»
Kenya"s devastating floods expose decades of poor urban planning and bad land management
Floods in Kenya killed at least 169 people between March and April 2024. The most catastrophic of these deaths occurred after a flash flood swept through a rural village killing 42 people. Death and destruction have also occurred in the capital, Nair.....»»
Tire toxicity faces fresh scrutiny after salmon die-offs
For decades, concerns about automobile pollution have focused on what comes out of the tailpipe. Now, researchers and regulators say, we need to pay more attention to toxic emissions from tires as vehicles roll down the road......»»
Synopsys Polaris Assist automates repetitive, time-consuming tasks for security and development teams
Synopsys introduced Polaris Assist, an AI-powered application security assistant on the Synopsys Polaris Software Integrity Platform. Polaris Assist combines Large Language Model (LLM) technology with decades of Synopsys’ application security knowl.....»»
If plastic manufacturing goes up 10%, plastic pollution goes up 10%—and we"re set for a huge surge in production
In the two decades to 2019, global plastic production doubled. By 2040, plastic manufacturing and processing could consume as much as 20% of global oil production and use up 15% of the annual carbon emissions budget......»»
Apple bids farewell to Frank Casanova after pivotal 36-year tenure
After nearly four decades at Apple, Frank Casanova, the Senior Director of Product Marketing who recently spearheaded the launch of the Vision Pro headset, has retired.Apple bids farewell to Frank Casanova after pivotal 36-year tenureOver his extensi.....»»
See incredible time lapses of two of space’s most famous objects
Two striking timelapses from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory show how two famous objects have changed over the last two decades......»»
NASA"s Chandra releases timelapse movies of Crab Nebula and Cassiopeia A
New movies of two of the most famous objects in the sky—the Crab Nebula and Cassiopeia A—are being released from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Each includes X-ray data collected by Chandra over about two decades. They show dramatic changes in.....»»
How studying trends in human lifespans can measure progress in addressing inequality
People are living longer lives compared to previous generations but, over the last few decades, there has been a hidden shift—they are passing away at increasingly similar ages......»»
Sugar gums have a reputation as risky branch-droppers but they"re important to bees, parrots and possums
I had the good fortune to care for the sugar gum at The University of Melbourne's Burnley Gardens in Victoria where I worked for many decades. It was a fine tree—tall and dominating. Less than a year after my retirement, it shed a couple of major l.....»»
Gone in a puff of smoke: 52,000 square kilometers of "long unburnt" Australian habitat has vanished in 40 years
Landscapes that have escaped fire for decades or centuries tend to harbor vital structures for wildlife, such as tree hollows and large logs. But these "long unburnt" habitats can be eliminated by a single blaze......»»
Laser-treated cork absorbs oil for carbon-neutral ocean cleanup
Oil spills are deadly disasters for ocean ecosystems. They can have lasting impacts on fish and marine mammals for decades and wreak havoc on coastal forests, coral reefs, and the surrounding land. Chemical dispersants are often used to break down oi.....»»
Record electron temperatures for a small-scale, sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch fusion device achieved
In the nine decades since humans first produced fusion reactions, only a few fusion technologies have demonstrated the ability to make a thermal fusion plasma with electron temperatures hotter than 10 million degrees Celsius, roughly the temperature.....»»