Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Biomechanical dataset for badminton performance analysis      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

In the sports industry, player data collection aids in personalized training feedback. Researchers have now gathered a detailed dataset and laid the foundation for delivering coaching assistance and feedback through the same. Utilizing wearable sensors and machine learning, their dataset offers real-time feedback and optimized movement suggestions. With over 7,763 badminton swings analyzed, stroke quality assessment offers valuable insights, making badminton training more accessible and affordable.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Ecology: Animals
Published

In medieval England, leprosy spread between red squirrels and people, genome evidence shows      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Evidence from archaeological sites in the medieval English city of Winchester shows that English red squirrels once served as an important host for Mycobacterium leprae strains that caused leprosy in people, researchers report.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Physics: Optics
Published

Unveiling a polarized world -- in a single shot      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a compact, single-shot polarization imaging system that can provide a complete picture of polarization. By using just two thin metasurfaces, the imaging system could unlock the vast potential of polarization imaging for a range of existing and new applications, including biomedical imaging, augmented and virtual reality systems and smart phones.

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

75,000-year-old female Neanderthal from cave where species buried their dead      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new documentary has recreated the face of a 75,000-year-old female Neanderthal whose flattened skull was discovered and rebuilt from hundreds of bone fragments by a team of archaeologists and conservators.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Virtual reality environment for teens may offer an accessible, affordable way to reduce stress      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Working with teens, researchers designed RESeT: a snowy virtual world with six activities intended to improve mood. In a 3-week study of 44 teens, researchers found that most of the teens used the technology about twice a week without being prompted and reported lower stress levels after using the environment.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Paleontology: Fossils Paleontology: General
Published

Revised dating of the Liujiang skeleton renews understanding of human occupation of China      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have provided new age estimates and revised provenance information for the Liujiang human fossils, shedding light on the presence of Homo sapiens in the region. Using advanced dating techniques including U-series dating on human fossils, and radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating on fossil-bearing sediments, the study revealed new ages ranging from approximately 33,000 to 23,000 years ago. Previously, studies had reported ages of up to 227,000 years of age for the skeleton.

Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

How evolving landscapes impacted First Peoples' early migration patterns into Australia      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Scientists have applied a dynamic model of the landscape to patterns of human migration into Sahul, the combined continent of Australia, Tasmania and New Guinea.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Researchers develop a new way to instruct dance in Virtual Reality      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Virtual reality dance made easier with crowd wave technique. Open source code can be downloaded for Quest 2 and 3.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: Early Humans Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Cell Biology Ecology: Animals
Published

More plants on the menu of ancient hunter-gatherers      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

It has long been thought that meat played an important role in the diet of hunter-gatherers before the Neolithic transition. However, due to the scarcity of well-preserved human remains from Paleolithic sites, little information exists about the dietary habits of pre-agricultural human groups. A new study challenges this notion by presenting compelling isotopic evidence of a strong preference for plants among 15,000-year-old hunter-gatherers from Morocco. This is the first time a significant amount of plant consumption has been measured for a pre-agricultural population, shedding new light on the dietary practices of ancient human societies.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Biology: Biochemistry Ecology: Endangered Species Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Plants and Animals Paleontology: Fossils
Published

Ancient Maya blessed their ballcourts      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Using environmental DNA analysis, an international team of researchers identified a collection of plants used in ceremonial rituals in the ancient Maya city of Yaxnohcah in Mexico. The plants, known for their religious associations and medicinal properties, were discovered beneath a plaza floor where a ballcourt was built.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General Physics: Optics
Published

Holographic displays offer a glimpse into an immersive future      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have invented a new optical element that brings us one step closer to mixing the real and virtual worlds in an ordinary pair of eyeglasses using high-definition 3D holographic images.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

Decoding Avar society      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A multidisciplinary research team has combined ancient DNA data with a clear archaeological, anthropological and historical context to reconstruct the social dynamics of Avar-period steppe descent populations that settled in Europe's Carpathian Basin in the 6th century.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
Published

Child pedestrians, self-driving vehicles: What's the safest scenario for crossing the road?      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Crossing roads for children can be a risky calculation, especially when the vehicles are self-driven. In a new study, researchers determined pre-teenage children are safest when self-driving vehicles signaled their intent to yield with a green light when they arrived at the intersection, then stopped.

Anthropology: General Archaeology: General
Published

'Forgotten city:' the identification of Dura-Europos' neglected sister site in Syria      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

The Dura-Europos site in modern-day Syria is famous for its exceptional state of preservation. Like Pompeii, this ancient city has yielded many great discoveries, and serves as a window into the world of the ancient Hellenistic, Parthian, and Roman periods. Yet despite the prominence of Dura-Europos in Near Eastern scholarship, there is another city, only some miles down the Euphrates river, that presents a long-neglected opportunity for study.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Mathematics: Modeling
Published

Teaching a computer to type like a human      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new typing model simulates the typing process instead of just predicting words.

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

First evidence of human occupation in lava tube cave in Saudi Arabia      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New research has highlighted an area in Arabia that once acted as a key point for cultural exchanges and trades amongst ancient people -- and it all took place in vast caves and lava tubes that have remained largely untapped reservoirs of archaeological abundance in Arabia. Through meticulous excavation and analysis, the international team uncovered a wealth of evidence at Umm Jirsan, spanning from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic/Bronze Age periods (~10,000-3,500 years ago).

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

Star Trek's Holodeck recreated using ChatGPT and video game assets      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Star Trek's Holodeck is no longer just science fiction. Using AI, engineers have created a tool that can generate 3D environments, prompted by everyday language.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Geography
Published

Pacific cities much older than previously thought      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

New evidence of one of the first cities in the Pacific shows they were established much earlier than previously thought, according to new research. The study used aerial laser scanning to map archaeological sites on the island of Tongatapu in Tonga, showing Earth structures were being constructed in Tongatapu around AD 300.

Anthropology: Cultures Anthropology: General Archaeology: General Offbeat: General Offbeat: Paleontology and Archeology Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: General Space: The Solar System
Published

The hidden role of the Milky Way in ancient Egyptian mythology      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astrophysicists shed light on the relationship between the Milky Way and the Egyptian sky-goddess Nut. The paper draws on ancient Egyptian texts and simulations to argue that the Milky Way might have shone a spotlight, as it were, on Nut's role as the sky. It proposes that in winter, the Milky Way highlighted Nut's outstretched arms, while in summer, it traced her backbone across the heavens.

Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Nanotechnology
Published

Waterproof 'e-glove' could help scuba divers communicate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

When scuba divers need to say 'I'm okay' or 'Shark!' to their dive partners, they use hand signals to communicate visually. But sometimes these movements are difficult to see. Now, researchers have constructed a waterproof 'e-glove' that wirelessly transmits hand gestures made underwater to a computer that translates them into messages. The new technology could someday help divers communicate better with each other and with boat crews on the surface.