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Categories: Computer Science: General, Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published Chatbots tell people what they want to hear



Chatbots share limited information, reinforce ideologies, and, as a result, can lead to more polarized thinking when it comes to controversial issues, according to new research. The study challenges perceptions that chatbots are impartial and provides insight into how using conversational search systems could widen the public divide on hot-button issues and leave people vulnerable to manipulation.
Published Just believing that an AI is helping boosts your performance



Sometimes it seems like an AI is helping, but the benefit is actually a placebo effect -- people performing better simply because they expect to be doing so -- according to new research. The study also shows how difficult it is to shake people's trust in the capabilities of AI systems.
Published Cats purrfectly demonstrate what it takes to trust robots



Would you trust a robot to look after your cat? New research suggests it takes more than a carefully designed robot to care for your cat, the environment in which they operate is also vital, as well as human interaction.
Published World's largest hummingbird is actually two species



The Giant Hummingbird of western South America is not one species but two, according to an international group of researchers. The northern population stays in the high Andes year-round while the southern population migrates from sea level up to 14,000 feet for the nonbreeding months.
Published Fruit fly testes offer potential tool against harmful insects



A way to curb nagging insects has been flying under our radar -- an enzyme from fruit fly testes. The compound could control bugs that carry disease and harm crops by stunting their ability to procreate, researchers have found.
Published New work extends the thermodynamic theory of computation



Physicists and computer scientists have recently expanded the modern theory of the thermodynamics of computation. By combining approaches from statistical physics and computer science, the researchers introduce mathematical equations that reveal the minimum and maximum predicted energy cost of computational processes that depend on randomness, which is a powerful tool in modern computers.
Published Like dad and like mum ... all in one plant



Scientists have established a system to generate clonal sex cells in tomato plants and used them to design the genomes of offspring. The fertilization of a clonal egg from one parent by a clonal sperm from another parent led to plants containing the complete genetic information of both parents.
Published Nature's 3D printer: Bristle worms form bristles piece by piece



Molecular biologists provide exciting insights into the bristles of the marine annelid worm Platynereis dumerilii. Specialized cells, so-called chaetoblasts, control the formation of the bristles. Their mode of operation is astonishingly similar to that of a technical 3D printer.
Published New machine learning algorithm promises advances in computing



Systems controlled by next-generation computing algorithms could give rise to better and more efficient machine learning products, a new study suggests.
Published Robotic system feeds people with severe mobility limitations



Researchers have developed a robotic feeding system that uses computer vision, machine learning and multimodal sensing to safely feed people with severe mobility limitations, including those with spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.
Published New study finds AI-generated empathy has its limits



Conversational agents (CAs) such as Alexa and Siri are designed to answer questions, offer suggestions -- and even display empathy. However, new research finds they do poorly compared to humans when interpreting and exploring a user's experience.
Published New super-pure silicon chip opens path to powerful quantum computers



Researchers have invented a breakthrough technique for manufacturing highly purified silicon that brings powerful quantum computers a big step closer.
Published Engineers develop innovative microbiome analysis software tools



Engineers have developed two new graph-based computational tools for tracking genomic variation within microbiomes.
Published Cybersecurity education varies widely in US



Cybersecurity programs vary dramatically across the country, a review has found. The authors argue that program leaders should work with professional societies to make sure graduates are well trained to meet industry needs in a fast-changing field. A research team found a shortage of research in evaluating the instructional approaches being used to teach cybersecurity. The authors also contend that programs could benefit from increasing their use of educational and instructional tools and theories.
Published Experiment opens door for millions of qubits on one chip



Researchers have achieved the first controllable interaction between two hole spin qubits in a conventional silicon transistor. The breakthrough opens up the possibility of integrating millions of these qubits on a single chip using mature manufacturing processes.
Published Did a magnetic field collapse trigger the emergence of animals?



Researchers uncovered compelling evidence that Earth's magnetic field was in a highly unusual state when the macroscopic animals of the Ediacaran Period -- 635 to 541 million years ago -- diversified and thrived. Their study raises the question of whether these fluctuations in Earth's ancient magnetic field led to shifts in oxygen levels that may have been crucial to the proliferation of life forms millions of years ago.
Published Stretchable e-skin could give robots human-level touch sensitivity



A stretchy electronic skin could equip robots and other devices with the same softness and touch sensitivity as human skin, opening up new possibilities to perform tasks that require a great deal of precision and control of force.
Published Wild orangutan treats wound with pain-relieving plant



A wild orangutan was observed applying a plant with known medicinal properties to a wound, a first for a wild animal.
Published Science has an AI problem: This group says they can fix it



A team of 19 prominent researchers has published guidelines for the responsible use of machine learning in science. They say it could avert a crisis that's smoldering in every field.
Published Physicists build new device that is foundation for quantum computing



Scientists have adapted a device called a microwave circulator for use in quantum computers, allowing them for the first time to precisely tune the exact degree of nonreciprocity between a qubit, the fundamental unit of quantum computing, and a microwave-resonant cavity. The ability to precisely tune the degree of nonreciprocity is an important tool to have in quantum information processing. In doing so, the team derived a general and widely applicable theory that simplifies and expands upon older understandings of nonreciprocity so that future work on similar topics can take advantage of the team's model, even when using different components and platforms.