06 Dec

Posted at 11:21h in Scoop.it

ADEPT, an artificial intelligence model developed by MIT researchers, demonstrates an understanding of some basic “intuitive physics” by registering a surprise signal when objects in a scene violate assumed reality, similarly to how human infants and adults would register surprise.

 

We often think of artificial intelligence as a tool for automating certain tasks. But it turns out that the technology could also help give us a better understanding of ourselves. At least that’s what a team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) think they’ll be able to do with their new AI model.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: news.mit.edu

29 Nov

Posted at 15:37h in Scoop.it

According to the latest theories, planets are formed from fluffy dust aggregates in a protoplanetary disk around a young star. But young stars are not the only objects that possess dust disks. In a novel approach, the researchers focused on heavy disks around supermassive black holes in the nuclei of galaxies.

 

"Our calculations show that tens of thousands of planets with 10 times the mass of the Earth could be formed around 10 light-years from a black hole," says Eiichiro Kokubo, a professor at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan who studies planet formation. "Around black holes, there might exist planetary systems of astonishing scale."

Sourced through Scoop.it from: phys.org

29 Nov

Posted at 14:53h in Scoop.it

“Experts noted reduced anxiety and improved overall emotional mood in the herd. Examples of dairy farms from different countries show that in a calm atmosphere, the quantity, and sometimes the quality, of milk increases markedly," the statement read. 

They also noted that local farms are already playing classical music to cows during the winter months to boost their spirits. That already "has a positive effect on milk flow.” 

Researchers will continue the experiment in a long-term study, and the developers are reportedly happy to expand the project to other farms if it proves successful.  

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.distractify.com

29 Nov

Posted at 14:52h in Scoop.it

A little robotic explorer will be rolling into Antarctica this month to perform a gymnastic feat — driving upside down under sea ice.

BRUIE, or the Buoyant Rover for Under-Ice Exploration, is being developed for underwater exploration in extraterrestrial, icy waters by engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. It will spend the next month testing its endurance at Australia’s Casey research station in Antarctica, in preparation for a mission that could one day search for life in ocean worlds beyond Earth.  

 

 

Sourced through Scoop.it from: scitechdaily.com

21 Nov

Posted at 11:31h in Scoop.it

Forty years ago, a Voyager spacecraft snapped the first closeup images of Europa, one of Jupiter’s 79 moons. These revealed brownish cracks slicing the moon’s icy surface, which give Europa the look of a veiny eyeball. Missions to the outer solar system in the decades since have amassed enough additional information about Europa to make it a high-priority target of investigation in NASA’s search for life.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.nasa.gov

21 Nov

Posted at 11:31h in Scoop.it

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made one of the highest-performance cameras ever composed of sensors that count single photons, or particles of light.

 

With more than 1,000 sensors, or pixels, NIST’s camera may be useful in future space-based telescopes searching for chemical signs of life on other planets, and in new instruments designed to search for the elusive "dark matter" believed to constitute most of the "stuff" in the universe.

 

 

Sourced through Scoop.it from: phys.org