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

Efficient training for artificial intelligence      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New physics-based self-learning machines could replace the current artificial neural networks and save energy.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Paleontology: Fossils
Published

New study reveals a long history of violence in ancient hunter-gatherer societies      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Violence was a consistent part of life among ancient communities of hunter-gatherers, according to a new study that looked for signs of trauma on 10,000-year-old skeletal remains from burial sites in northern Chile.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology
Published

Ritual use of human remains dating from the Neolithic      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

An international study has documented post-mortem bone modifications not linked to consumption.

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

Shape-changing smart speaker lets users mute different areas of a room      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team has developed a shape-changing smart speaker, which uses self-deploying microphones to divide rooms into speech zones and track the positions of individual speakers.

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

Scientists successfully maneuver robot through living lung tissue      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have shown that their steerable lung robot can autonomously maneuver the intricacies of the lung, while avoiding important lung structures.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry
Published

Ancient Amazonians intentionally created fertile 'dark earth'      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new study suggests patches of fertile soil in the Amazon, known as dark earth, were intentionally produced by ancient Amazonians as a way to improve the soil and sustain large and complex societies.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals
Published

Archaeologists discover world's oldest wooden structure      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Half a million years ago, earlier than was previously thought possible, humans were building structures made of wood, according to new research.

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

Combustion powers bug-sized robots to leap, lift and race      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers combined soft microactuators with high-energy-density chemical fuel to create an insect-scale quadrupedal robot that is powered by combustion and can outrace, outlift, outflex and outleap its electric-driven competitors.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Assessing unintended consequences in AI-based neurosurgical training      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new study shows that human instruction is still necessary to detect and compensate for unintended, and sometimes negative, changes in neurosurgeon behavior after virtual reality AI training. This finding has implications for other fields of training.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

Buried ancient Roman glass formed substance with modern applications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers discover how molecules in ancient glass rearrange and recombine with minerals over centuries to form a patina of photonic crystals -- ordered arrangements of atoms that filter and reflect light in very specific ways -- an analog of materials used in communications, lasers and solar cells.

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

Groundbreaking soft valve technology enabling sensing and control integration in soft robots      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A research team has developed groundbreaking 'soft valve' technology -- an all-in-one solution that integrates sensors and control valves while maintaining complete softness.

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

Verbal nonsense reveals limitations of AI chatbots      (via sciencedaily.com) 

The era of artificial-intelligence chatbots that seem to understand and use language the way we humans do has begun. Under the hood, these chatbots use large language models, a particular kind of neural network. But a new study shows that large language models remain vulnerable to mistaking nonsense for natural language. To a team of researchers, it's a flaw that might point toward ways to improve chatbot performance and help reveal how humans process language.

Anthropology: Cultures Archaeology: General Biology: Zoology
Published

How just one set of animal tracks can provide a wealth of information      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Rock faces in Namibia are decorated with hundreds of stone-age images not only of animals and human footprints, but also of animal tracks. These have been largely neglected to date as researchers lacked the knowledge required to interpret them. Archaeologists have now worked together with animal tracking experts to investigate the engraved animal tracks on six rock faces in more detail, and were able to determine detailed information on the species, age, sex, limbs, side of the body, trackway and relative direction of the tracks.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Mathematics: General Mathematics: Modeling Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
Published

Evolution wired human brains to act like supercomputers      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Scientists have confirmed that human brains are naturally wired to perform advanced calculations, much like a high-powered computer, to make sense of the world through a process known as Bayesian inference.

Archaeology: General
Published

Shipboard cannon found off the Swedish coast may be the oldest in Europe      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Maritime archaeologists have studied what might be Europe's oldest shipboard cannon. The cannon was found in the sea off Marstrand on the Swedish west coast and dates back to the 14th century. The findings from the interdisciplinary study contribute new knowledge about the early development of artillery on land and at sea, but also bears witness to a troubled period for seafarers as well as coastal populations.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ecology: General Ecology: Research Environmental: Ecosystems
Published

Ecology and artificial intelligence: Stronger together      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Many of today's artificial intelligence systems loosely mimic the human brain. In a new paper, researchers suggest that another branch of biology -- ecology -- could inspire a whole new generation of AI to be more powerful, resilient, and socially responsible. The paper argues for a synergy between AI and ecology that could both strengthen AI and help to solve complex global challenges, such as disease outbreaks, loss of biodiversity, and climate change impacts.

Archaeology: General
Published

Archaeologists reveal largest palaeolithic cave art site in Eastern Iberia      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Archaeologists have discovered a major Palaeolithic cave art site, arguably the most important found on the Eastern Iberian Coast in Europe.

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

'Brainless' robot can navigate complex obstacles      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers who created a soft robot that could navigate simple mazes without human or computer direction have now built on that work, creating a 'brainless' soft robot that can navigate more complex and dynamic environments.

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

Online AI-based test for Parkinson's disease severity shows promising results      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new artificial intelligence tool can help people with Parkinson's disease remotely assess the severity of their symptoms within minutes. While expert neurologists performed slightly better than the AI model, the AI model outperformed the primary care physicians with UPDRS certification.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Paleontology: Fossils
Published

St Helena's 'liberated' Africans came from West Central Africa between northern Angola and Gabon      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Between 1840 and 1867, thousands of enslaved Africans who had been 'liberated' from slave ships intercepted by the British Royal Navy were taken to the South Atlantic island of St Helena. But little is written in history books or otherwise known about the lives of these individuals. Now, ancient DNA analyses offer the first direct evidence for the origins of St Helena's liberated Africans.