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Categories: Biology: Evolutionary, Computer Science: General
Published Toxoplasmosis: Evolution of infection machinery



Researchers have identified a protein that evolved concurrently with the emergence of cellular compartments crucial for the multiplication of the toxoplasmosis pathogen.
Published New chip opens door to AI computing at light speed



Engineers have developed a new chip that uses light waves, rather than electricity, to perform the complex math essential to training AI. The chip has the potential to radically accelerate the processing speed of computers while also reducing their energy consumption.
Published A new design for quantum computers



Creating a quantum computer powerful enough to tackle problems we cannot solve with current computers remains a big challenge for quantum physicists. A well-functioning quantum simulator -- a specific type of quantum computer -- could lead to new discoveries about how the world works at the smallest scales. Quantum scientists have developed a guide on how to upgrade these machines so that they can simulate even more complex quantum systems.
Published Big new idea introduced with the help of tiny plankton



A new model bridges the rules of life at the individual scale and the ecosystem level, which could open new avenues of exploration in ecology, global change biology, and ultimately ecosystem management.
Published 'Scientists' warning' on climate and technology



Throughout human history, technologies have been used to make peoples' lives richer and more comfortable, but they have also contributed to a global crisis threatening Earth's climate, ecosystems and even our own survival. Researchers have suggested that industrial civilization's best way forward may entail embracing further technological advancements but doing so with greater awareness of their potential drawbacks.
Published Artificial intelligence: Aim policies at 'hardware' to ensure AI safety, say experts



Chips and datacentres -- the 'compute' power driving the AI revolution -- may be the most effective targets for risk-reducing AI policies as they have to be physically possessed, according to a new report.
Published Ancient retroviruses played a key role in the evolution of vertebrate brains



Researchers report that ancient viruses may be to thank for myelin -- and, by extension, our large, complex brains. The team found that a retrovirus-derived genetic element or 'retrotransposon' is essential for myelin production in mammals, amphibians, and fish. The gene sequence, which they dubbed 'RetroMyelin,' is likely a result of ancient viral infection, and comparisons of RetroMyelin in mammals, amphibians, and fish suggest that retroviral infection and genome-invasion events occurred separately in each of these groups.
Published A lighthouse in the Gobi desert



A new study explores the weight great fossil sites have on our understanding of evolutionary relationships between fossil groups and quantified the power these sites have on our understanding of evolutionary history. Surprisingly, the authors discovered that the wind-swept sand deposits of the Late Cretaceous Gobi Desert's extraordinarily diverse and well-preserved fossil lizard record shapes our understanding of their evolutionary history more than any other site on the planet.
Published Key genes linked to DNA damage and human disease uncovered



Scientists unveil 145 genes vital for genome health, and possible strategies to curb progression of human genomic disorders.
Published Tawny owl's pale grey color linked to vital functions ensuring survival in extreme conditions



A recent genetic discovery has revealed that the pale grey plumage of the tawny owl is linked to crucial functions that aid the bird's survival in cold environments. As global temperatures rise, dark brown plumage is likely to become more common in tawny owls living in colder areas.
Published Fundamental equation for superconducting quantum bits revised



Physicists have uncovered that Josephson tunnel junctions -- the fundamental building blocks of superconducting quantum computers -- are more complex than previously thought. Just like overtones in a musical instrument, harmonics are superimposed on the fundamental mode. As a consequence, corrections may lead to quantum bits that are 2 to 7 times more stable. The researchers support their findings with experimental evidence from multiple laboratories across the globe.
Published Interactions between flu subtypes predict epidemic severity more than virus evolution



Researchers have shed new light on how viral evolution, population immunity, and the co-circulation of other flu viruses shape seasonal flu epidemics.
Published Widespread machine learning methods behind 'link prediction' are performing very poorly



New research establishes that the metric used to measure link prediction performance is missing crucial information, and link prediction tasks are performing significantly worse than popular literature indicates.
Published The hidden rule for flight feathers -- and how it could reveal which dinosaurs could fly



Scientists examined hundreds of birds in museum collections and discovered a suite of feather characteristics that all flying birds have in common. These 'rules' provide clues as to how the dinosaur ancestors of modern birds first evolved the ability to fly, and which dinosaurs were capable of flight.
Published Why insects navigate more efficiently than robots



Engineers have studied how insects navigate, for the purpose of developing energy-efficient robots.
Published Innovations in depth from focus/defocus pave the way to more capable computer vision systems



In an image, estimating the distance between objects and the camera by using the blur in the images as clue, also known as depth from focus/defocus, is essential in computer vision. However, model-based methods fail when texture-less surfaces are present, and learning-based methods require the same camera settings during training and testing. Now, researchers have come up with an innovative strategy for depth estimation that combines the best of both the worlds to solve these limitations, extending the applicability of depth from focus/defocus.
Published Researchers show classical computers can keep up with, and surpass, their quantum counterparts



A team of scientists has devised means for classical computing to mimic a quantum computing with far fewer resources than previously thought. The scientists' results show that classical computing can be reconfigured to perform faster and more accurate calculations than state-of-the-art quantum computers.
Published Combining materials may support unique superconductivity for quantum computing



A new fusion of materials, each with special electrical properties, has all the components required for a unique type of superconductivity that could provide the basis for more robust quantum computing.
Published Dinosaurs' success helped by specialized stance and gait, study finds



Dinosaurs' range of locomotion made them incredibly adaptable, researchers have found.
Published Microfluidic environments alter microbe behaviors, opening potential for engineering social evolution



A research group explored how the social evolution of microbes can be manipulated by tuning the physical parameters of the environment in which they live.