Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Geoscience: Geology
Published

In Florida, endangered coral finds a way to blossom      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In a new study, researchers have found that the restoration efforts of the critically endangered species elkhorn coral depend largely on the animal's location, microbiome, and the right conditions to provide an abundance of food.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Space: Exploration
Published

Robot team on lunar exploration tour      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Engineers are training legged robots for future lunar missions that will search for minerals and raw materials. To ensure that the robots can continue to work even if one of them malfunctions, the researchers are teaching them teamwork.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Pump powers soft robots, makes cocktails      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Over the past several years, researchers have been developing soft analogues of traditionally rigid robotic components. In fluid-driven robotic systems, pumps control the pressure or flow of the liquid that powers the robot's movement. Most pumps available today for soft robotics are either too large and rigid to fit onboard, not powerful enough for actuation or only work with specific fluids. Researchers have now developed a compact, soft pump with adjustable pressure flow versatile enough to pump a variety of fluids with varying viscosity, including gin, juice, and coconut milk, and powerful enough to power soft haptic devices and a soft robotic finger.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Training robots how to learn, make decisions on the fly      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Mars rovers have teams of human experts on Earth telling them what to do. But robots on lander missions to moons orbiting Saturn or Jupiter are too far away to receive timely commands from Earth. Researchers developed a novel learning-based method so robots on extraterrestrial bodies can make decisions on their own about where and how to scoop up terrain samples.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

Crawford Lake, Canada, chosen as the primary marker to identify the start of the Anthropocene epoch      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team of researchers has chosen the location which best represents the beginnings of what could be a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene Working Group have put forward Crawford Lake, in Canada, as a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the Anthropocene. A GSSP is an internationally agreed-upon reference point to show the start of a new geological period or epoch in layers of rock that have built up through the ages.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Revolutionary self-sensing electric artificial muscles      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have made groundbreaking advancements in bionics with the development of a new electric variable-stiffness artificial muscle. This innovative technology possesses self-sensing capabilities and has the potential to revolutionize soft robotics and medical applications. The artificial muscle seamlessly transitions between soft and hard states, while also sensing forces and deformations. With flexibility and stretchability similar to natural muscle, it can be integrated into intricate soft robotic systems and adapt to various shapes. By adjusting voltages, the muscle rapidly changes its stiffness and can monitor its own deformation through resistance changes. The fabrication process is simple and reliable, making it ideal for a range of applications, including aiding individuals with disabilities or patients in rehabilitation training.

Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Scientists discover 36-million-year geological cycle that drives biodiversity      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Movement in the Earth's tectonic plates indirectly triggers bursts of biodiversity in 36 million-year cycles by forcing sea levels to rise and fall, new research has shown.

Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: Climate Paleontology: General
Published

Global cooling caused diversity of species in orchids, confirms study      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research shows global cooling of the climate 10 million years ago led to an explosion of diversity in terrestrial orchids.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Mathematics: General
Published

GPT detectors can be biased against non-native English writers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers show that computer programs commonly used to determine if a text was written by artificial intelligence tend to falsely label articles written by non-native language speakers as AI-generated. The researchers caution against the use of such AI text detectors for their unreliability, which could have negative impacts on individuals including students and those applying for jobs.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

AI nursing ethics: Viability of robots and artificial intelligence in nursing practice      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) are expected to play a key role in nursing practice in the future. In this regard, researchers from Japan ask whether intelligent machines can replace humans as nurses. They investigate the potential of current advancements in robotics and AI to replicate the ethical concepts attributed to nurses, including advocacy, accountability, cooperation, and caring. While these technologies hold promise in enhancing healthcare practices, their integration into nursing requires careful consideration.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Offbeat: Computers and Math
Published

Bees make decisions better and faster than we do, for the things that matter to them      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Research reveals how millions of years of evolution has engineered honey bees to make fast decisions and reduce risk.

Geoscience: Geology Space: The Solar System
Published

Why the day is 24 hours long: Astrophysicists reveal why Earth's day was a constant 19.5 hours for over a billion years      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astrophysicists have revealed how the slow and steady lengthening of Earth's day caused by the tidal pull of the moon was halted for over a billion years. They show that from approximately two billion years ago until 600 million years ago, an atmospheric tide driven by the sun countered the effect of the moon, keeping Earth's rotational rate steady and the length of day at a constant 19.5 hours. Without this billion-year pause in the slowing of our planet's rotation, our current 24-hour day would stretch to over 60 hours. The paper offers a new perspective on how global warming will affect the length of our day and validates global circulation models as a climate modelling tool.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

Earth's Inner Core: Earth's solid metal sphere is 'textured'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists used seismic data discovered Earth's inner core displays a variety of textures that it acquired will it formed from within the fluid outer core. The data set was generated over the past 27 years by a network of seismometers set up to enforce the nuclear test ban treaty.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: Quantum Computers
Published

An easier way to learn quantum processes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists show that even a few simple examples are enough for a quantum machine-learning model, the 'quantum neural networks', to learn and predict the behavior of quantum systems, bringing us closer to a new era of quantum computing.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

Water storage capacity in oceanic crust slabs increases with age, researchers find      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international research team has discovered that a subduction zone's age affects the ability for it to recycle water between the Earth's surface and its inner layers. The more mature the subduction zone, the bigger the water storage capacity.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineering: Robotics Research Physics: Acoustics and Ultrasound
Published

Robotic glove that 'feels' lends a 'hand' to relearn playing piano after a stroke      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new soft robotic glove is lending a 'hand' and providing hope to piano players who have suffered a disabling stroke or other neurotrauma. Combining flexible tactile sensors, soft actuators and AI, this robotic glove is the first to 'feel' the difference between correct and incorrect versions of the same song and to combine these features into a single hand exoskeleton. Unlike prior exoskeletons, this new technology provides precise force and guidance in recovering the fine finger movements required for piano playing and other complex tasks.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes Paleontology: Climate
Published

Research reveals sources of CO2 from Aleutian-Alaska Arc volcanoes      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have wondered what happens to the organic and inorganic carbon that Earth's Pacific Plate carries with it as it slides into the planet's interior along the volcano-studded Ring of Fire. A new study suggests a notable amount of such subducted carbon returns to the atmosphere rather than traveling deep into Earth's mantle.

Geoscience: Geology Geoscience: Volcanoes Paleontology: Climate
Published

Climate change will increase impacts of volcanic eruptions      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Volcanic disasters have been studied since Pompeii was buried in 79 A.D., leading the public to believe that scientists already know why, where, when and how long volcanoes will erupt. But a volcanologist said these fundamental questions remain a mystery.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology Paleontology: General
Published

Researchers unearth the mysteries of how Turkey's East Anatolian fault formed      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international team has, for the first time, accurately determined the age of the East Anatolian fault, allowing geologists to learn more about its seismic history and tendency to produce earthquakes.

Geoscience: Earthquakes Geoscience: Geology
Published

What are the characteristics of foreshocks for large earthquakes?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Seismologists agree that foreshocks are the most widely identified signal of an upcoming mainshock earthquake. But do these foreshock sequences have distinctive characteristics that separate them from aftershock sequences, and could these characteristics be used to help forecast mainshocks?