Biology: Biochemistry Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Researchers create realistic virtual rodent      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To help probe the mystery of how brains control movement, scientists have created a virtual rat with an artificial brain that can move around just like a real rodent. The researchers found that activations in the virtual control network accurately predicted neural activity measured from the brains of real rats producing the same behaviors.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
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People feel more connected to 'tweezer-like' bionic tools that don't resemble human hands      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Some say the next step in human evolution will be the integration of technology with flesh. Now, researchers have used virtual reality to test whether humans can feel embodiment -- the sense that something is part of one's body -- toward prosthetic 'hands' that resemble a pair of tweezers. They report that participants felt an equal degree of embodiment for the tweezer-hands and were also faster and more accurate in completing motor tasks in virtual reality than when they were equipped with a virtual human hand.

Biology: General Biology: Marine Biology: Zoology Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography Geoscience: Oceanography
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Rocky shores of Pacific Northwest show low resilience to changes in climate      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A 15-year period ending in 2020 that included a marine heat wave and a sea star wasting disease epidemic saw major changes in the groups of organisms that live along the rocky shores of the Pacific Northwest.

Ecology: General Energy: Alternative Fuels Energy: Technology Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Geography Offbeat: Earth and Climate Offbeat: General
Published

Some countries could meet their total electricity needs from floating solar panels      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Floating solar photovoltaic panels could supply all the electricity needs of some countries, new research has shown. The researchers calculated the daily electrical output for floating photovoltaics (FPV) on nearly 68,000 lakes and reservoirs around the world, using available climate data for each location.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Geoscience: Geography
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Best of both worlds: Innovative positioning system enhances versatility and accuracy of drone-viewpoint mixed reality applications      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed an innovative positioning system that enhances the versatility and accuracy of drone-viewpoint mixed reality (MR) applications by aligning real and virtual world coordinates without predefined routes. By integrating visual positioning systems and natural feature-based tracking, this technology is expected to be applied to urban landscape simulation, maintenance, and inspection work.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: General Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geography
Published

Urgent need for action now for increasing threat from invasive alien species      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Urgent action now is needed to tackle the major and growing global issue of invasive alien species, says a team of 88 experts from 47 countries. The paper follows the (IPBES) thematic assessment report on invasive alien species and their control. The experts say co-developing management actions with multiple stakeholders including government and private sector stakeholders, and Indigenous Peoples and local communities will be critical to achieving success in addressing biological invasions.

Ecology: General Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Environmental Issues
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Researchers call for return of Sumas Lake following devastating 2021 floods      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new proposal has emerged in response to the November 2021 floods that swept Sumas Prairie in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia, causing mass evacuations and millions in damages. Instead of rebuilding the dykes to manage water flows and prevent future floods, scientists, along with members of the Sumas First Nation and other research partners, suggest an alternative: let Sumas Lake, which was drained in the early 1920s and converted into the farmland known as Sumas Prairie, return to its natural state. This can be done by buying out properties on the lakebed -- a solution that is projected to cost around $1 billion, less than half of the estimated $2.4 billion cost of repairing the dykes and installing a new pump station.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: General Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Mathematics: Modeling
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Children's visual experience may hold key to better computer vision training      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A novel, human-inspired approach to training artificial intelligence (AI) systems to identify objects and navigate their surroundings could set the stage for the development of more advanced AI systems to explore extreme environments or distant worlds, according to new research.

Chemistry: Biochemistry Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Engineering: Robotics Research
Published

Designing environments that are robot-inclusive      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

To overcome issues associated with real-life testing, researchers successfully demonstrated the use of digital twin technology within robot simulation software in assessing a robot's suitability for deployment in simulated built environments.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Marine Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

New coral disease forecasting system      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Research has led to a new tool for forecasting coral disease that could help conservationists step in at the right times with key interventions. Ecological forecasts are critical tools for conserving and managing marine ecosystems, but few forecasting systems can account for the wide range of ecological complexities in near-real-time.

Ecology: General Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: Ecosystems Environmental: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues Geoscience: Geochemistry Geoscience: Geography
Published

People are altering decomposition rates in waterways      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Humans may be accelerating the rate at which organic matter decomposes in rivers and streams on a global scale, according to a new study. That could pose a threat to biodiversity in waterways around the world and increase the amount of carbon in Earth's atmosphere, potentially exacerbating climate change. The study is the first to combine a global experiment and predictive modeling to illustrate how human impacts to waterways may contribute to the global climate crisis.

Biology: Marine Ecology: Endangered Species Ecology: Extinction Ecology: General Ecology: Invasive Species Ecology: Nature Ecology: Research Ecology: Sea Life Environmental: Biodiversity Environmental: General Geoscience: Earth Science Geoscience: Environmental Issues
Published

Some species may tolerate climate change better than expected      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

A new model reassesses the proportion of terrestrial and marine species threatened with extinction by climate change. While the forecasts of traditional models estimate that the diversity of terrestrial species in tropical areas could decrease by 54% between now and 2041-2060, this model is more moderate, predicting a decrease of 39%. Nevertheless, this proportion remains alarming and confirms the importance of taking urgent measures to mitigate climate change and its impact on biodiversity.

Ecology: General Environmental: Water Geoscience: Severe Weather
Published

Warmer wetter climate predicted to bring societal and ecological impact to the Tibetan Plateau      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

According to a paper, climate and weather predictions of increased rainfall will lead to an exponential expansion of land-locked lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, resulting in major land loss and related economic, environmental and climatic impacts.

Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: General
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Imperceptible sensors made from 'electronic spider silk' can be printed directly on human skin      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Researchers have developed a method to make adaptive and eco-friendly sensors that can be directly and imperceptibly printed onto a wide range of biological surfaces, whether that's a finger or a flower petal.

Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR)
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AI poised to usher in new level of concierge services to the public      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Concierge services built on artificial intelligence have the potential to improve how hotels and other service businesses interact with customers, a new paper suggests.

Biology: Biochemistry Biology: Zoology Computer Science: Virtual Reality (VR) Ecology: Animals
Published

Finding the beat of collective animal motion      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Virtual Reality experiments have illuminated the rhythmic glue that could keep animals moving in synchrony.