Top Technology News -- ScienceDaily

Uranus's swaying moons will help spacecraft seek out hidden oceans (Mon, 25 Nov 2024)
A new computer model can be used to detect and measure interior oceans on the ice covered moons of Uranus. The model works by analyzing orbital wobbles that would be visible from a passing spacecraft. The research gives engineers and scientists a slide-rule to help them design NASA's upcoming Uranus Orbiter and Probe mission.
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A clue to what lies beneath the bland surfaces of Uranus and Neptune (Mon, 25 Nov 2024)
When Voyager 2 flew by Uranus and Neptune 40 years ago, astronomers were surprised that it detected no global dipole magnetic fields, like Earth's. The explanation: the ice giants are layered and unmixed, which prevents large scale convection to create a dipole field. But what substances would remain immiscible? A scientist modeled the interiors and found that water-rich and hydrocarbon-rich layers naturally form at extreme pressure and temperature, and they do not mix.
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Managing forests with smart technologies (Mon, 25 Nov 2024)
Deforestation has remained a significant issue globally, with primary forests contributing to 16 per cent of the total tree cover loss in the last two decades, driven by climate change and intensive human activity. This threatens natural resources, biodiversity, and people's quality of life. To protect forests, scientists have developed Forest 4.0, an intelligent forest data processing model integrating blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. The system enables real-time monitoring of forest conditions, sustainable resource accounting, and a more transparent forest governance model.
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Self-assembling proteins can be used for higher performance, more sustainable skincare products (Mon, 25 Nov 2024)
Researchers have created a novel protein-based gel as a potential ingredient in sustainable and high-performance personal skincare products (PSCPs). This protein-based material, named Q5, could transform the rheological -- or flow-related -- properties of PSCPs, making them more stable under the slightly acidic conditions of human skin. This innovation could also streamline the creation of more eco-friendly skincare products, offering increased efficacy and durability while addressing market demands for ethically sourced ingredients.
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Nonlinear compton scattering with a multi-petawatt laser producing ultra-bright gamma rays (Mon, 25 Nov 2024)
A team of researchers has successfully demonstrated nonlinear Compton scattering (NCS) between an ultra-relativistic electron beam and an ultrahigh intensity laser pulse using the 4-Petawatt laser. The innovative approach was the usage of only a laser for electron-photon collisions, in which a multi-PW laser is applied both for particle acceleration and for collision (also called an all-optical setup). This achievement represents a significant milestone in strong field physics, in particular strong field quantum electrodynamics (QED), offering new insights into high-energy electron-photon interactions without the need for a traditional mile-long particle accelerator.
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Scientists produce high-power attosecond X-ray pulses at megahertz repetition rates (Mon, 25 Nov 2024)
A research team has achieved a major advance in X-ray science by generating unprecedented high-power attosecond hard X-ray pulses at megahertz repetition rates. This advancement opens new frontiers in the study of ultrafast electron dynamics and enables non-destructive measurements at the atomic level.
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ODS FeCrAl alloys endure liquid metal flow at 600 °C resembling a fusion blanket environment (Mon, 25 Nov 2024)
Researchers explored protective coatings to resist corrosion in fusion reactors. They tested -Al2O3 oxide layers on ODS alloys in a high-temperature, flowing lithium-lead environment. Even bare ODS alloys formed a durable -LiAlO2 layer in situ, which suppressed further corrosion. The layers exhibited strong adhesion under mechanical stress, making these findings crucial for improving material durability in fusion reactors and high-temperature energy systems.
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The future of edge AI: Dye-sensitized solar cell-based synaptic device (Mon, 25 Nov 2024)
Physical reservoir computing (PRC) utilizing synaptic devices shows significant promise for edge AI. Researchers from the Tokyo University of Science have introduced a novel self-powered dye-sensitized solar cell-based device that mimics human synaptic behavior for efficient edge AI processing, inspired by the eye's afterimage phenomenon. The device has light intensity-controllable time constants, helping it achieve high performance during time-series data processing and motion recognition tasks. This work is a major step toward multiple time-scale PRC.
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The next evolution of AI begins with ours (Mon, 25 Nov 2024)
The genome has space for only a small fraction of the information needed to control complex behaviors. So then how, for example, does a newborn sea turtle instinctually know to follow the moonlight? Neuroscientists have devised a potential explanation for this age-old paradox. Their ideas should lead to faster, more evolved forms of artificial intelligence.
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