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Jun 12, 2024

Scientists Reveal the Absolutely Metal Physics of Wormholes

Posted by in categories: climatology, cosmology, physics

Accreting wormholes likely form “plasma tornadoes” in its throat while firing matter at one-fifth the speed of light.

Jun 12, 2024

Some Breast Cancer Treatments Linked to Long-term Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Posted by in category: biotech/medical

Some breast cancer survivors are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease following certain treatments. A new study is one of the first to provide evidence that may inform long-term and age-specific monitoring for these adverse outcomes. Researchers observed that breast cancer survivors treated with anthracyclines, a type of chemotherapy, and/or trastuzumab, a targeted cancer therapy, had an increased long-term risk of cardiovascular disease, specifically cardiomyopathy/heart failure, compared to women who did not receive chemotherapy. This study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute on May 8, 2024, and was selected for the journal’s Early Career Investigator Research Section.

It is well established that certain breast cancer treatments, such as anthracycline and trastuzumab, can lead to heart damage, which contributes to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. However, current guidelines only recommend short-term cardiovascular surveillance up to two years after anthracycline and trastuzumab treatment because of a lack of evidence regarding long-term risks. Jacqueline B. Vo, Ph.D., R.N., M.P.H., assistant clinical investigator in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB), led a team of researchers from REB, the Integrative Tumor Epidemiology Branch, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and Kaiser Permanente, to explore whether patients could benefit from long-term surveillance. Their analysis included over 10,000 breast cancer survivors in the NCI-Kaiser Permanente Breast Cancer Survivors Cohort with up to 24 years of follow up.

They found that breast cancer survivors, especially those diagnosed at younger ages, had higher risks of cardiovascular disease and could benefit from long-term cardiovascular follow-up. Specifically, risk of cardiomyopathy/heart failure were highest 10+ years after breast cancer diagnosis. Women who were diagnosed prior to age 55 had the highest risks for cardiomyopathy/heart failure, which was nearly three times higher compared to women the same age who did not receive chemotherapy. One reason for the higher risk of cardiomyopathy/heart failure among women diagnosed with breast cancer at younger ages is that this group is more likely to be diagnosed with more aggressive and/or advanced tumors, which are more likely to be treated with anthracyclines and at higher doses. These results highlight the importance of extending current treatment-specific clinical guidelines for cardiovascular surveillance to include longer follow-up and focus on high-risk patients such as younger women.

Jun 12, 2024

With AI, Anyone Can Be a Coder Now | Thomas Dohmke | TED

Posted by in categories: business, robotics/AI

What if you could code just by talking out loud? GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke shows how, thanks to AI, the barrier to entry to coding is rapidly disappearing — and creating software is becoming as simple (and joyful) as building LEGO. In a mind-blowing live demo, he introduces Copilot Workspace: an AI assistant that helps you create code when you speak to it, in any language.

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Continue reading “With AI, Anyone Can Be a Coder Now | Thomas Dohmke | TED” »

Jun 12, 2024

Plasma Physicist Warns That Elon Musk’s Disposable Satellites May Be Damaging the Earth’s Magnetic Field

Posted by in categories: Elon Musk, satellites

Dead satellites and other debris are constantly burning up as they fall out of Earth’s orbit.

Conventional wisdom is destroying all that space junk is good, because it keeps orbit less cluttered. But it may have harmful effects on our planet’s magnetic field, as plasma physicist and former Air Force research scientist Sierra Solter — the author of a contentious and yet-to-be-peer-reviewed paper — argues in a new essay for The Guardian.

Ventures like Elon Musk’s SpaceX are launching thousands of satellites into orbit, and tens of thousands more are soon to follow as interest in the private space industry and space tourism continues to grow.

Jun 12, 2024

Mathematicians can’t agree what ‘equals’ means, and that’s a problem

Posted by in categories: computing, mathematics

What does “equals” mean? For mathematicians, this simple question has more than one answer, which is causing issues when it comes to using computers to check proofs. The solution might be to tear up the foundations of maths.

By Alex Wilkins

Jun 12, 2024

AI strategy may promise more widespread use of portable, robotic exoskeletons—on Earth and in space

Posted by in categories: cyborgs, robotics/AI, space

Exoskeleton for real world adoption.

A super smart or “learned” controller that leverages data-intensive artificial intelligence (AI) and computer simulations to train portable, robotic exoskeletons.

Continue reading “AI strategy may promise more widespread use of portable, robotic exoskeletons—on Earth and in space” »

Jun 12, 2024

Affordable and sensitive nanofiber piezoelectric sensors for human and robot motion monitoring

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, robotics/AI, wearables

Flexible piezoelectric sensors are essential to monitor the motions of both humans and humanoid robots. However, existing designs are either are costly or have limited sensitivity. In a recent study, researchers from Japan tackled these issues by developing a novel piezoelectric composite material made from electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibers combined with dopamine. Sensors made from this material showed significant performance and stability improvements at a low cost, promising advancements in medicine, healthcare, and robotics.

The world is accelerating rapidly towards the intelligent era—a stage in history marked by increased automation and interconnectivity by leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics. As a sometimes-overlooked foundational requirement in this transformation, sensors represent an essential interface between humans, machines, and their environment.

However, now that robots are becoming more agile and wearable electronics are no longer confined to science fiction, traditional silicon-based sensors won’t make the cut in many applications. Thus, flexible sensors, which provide better comfort and higher versatility, have become a very active area of study. Piezoelectric sensors are particularly important in this regard, as they can convert mechanical stress and stretching into an electrical signal. Despite numerous promising approaches, there remains a lack of environmentally sustainable methods for mass-producing flexible, high-performance piezoelectric sensors at a low cost.

Jun 12, 2024

Quantum dot based metasurface enables two objects to exist in the same space

Posted by in categories: chemistry, engineering, nanotechnology, quantum physics

In relationships, sharing closer spaces naturally deepens the connection as bonds form and strengthen through increasing shared memories. This principle applies not only to human interactions but also to engineering. Recently, an intriguing study was published demonstrating the use of quantum dots to create metasurfaces, enabling two objects to exist in the same space.

Professor Junsuk Rho from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Department of Chemical Engineering, and the Department of Electrical Engineering, PhD candidates Minsu Jeong, Byoungsu Ko, and Jaekyung Kim from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Chunghwan Jung, a PhD candidate, from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) employed Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) to fabricate metasurfaces embedded with quantum dots, enhancing their luminescence efficiency. Their research was recently published in Nano Letters (“Printable Light-Emitting Metasurfaces with Enhanced Directional Photoluminescence”).

(Left) Schematic diagram of the fabrication of a luminescence-controlled metasurface using the nanoimprint lithography process. (Right) Experiment evaluating the performance of the metasurface’s luminescence control. (Image: POSTECH)

Jun 12, 2024

A ‘digital twin’ of Earth will help scientists predict the future

Posted by in categories: climatology, computing

The complex computer model takes into account weather and climate systems as well as our impact on the planet.

Jun 12, 2024

Spacewalk Approaches as Starliner Astronauts Extend Their Orbit

Posted by in categories: health, space

The Expedition 71 crew at the International Space Station is gearing up for a spacewalk focused on scientific and maintenance tasks, including the installation of a spare pump and the retrieval of faulty communications hardware. Additionally, Commercial Crew astronauts have extended their stay to facilitate further systems checks on the Starliner spacecraft. Amidst these preparations, the crew continues to engage in routine health checks and scientific experiments across various modules of the station.

Aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Expedition 71 crew is getting ready for a spacewalk this week while two Commercial Crew astronauts will spend a few extra days. In addition, the orbital residents continued their advanced space research and conducted eye and ear exams on Monday.

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