What happens when a high-tech project fails?
Michael Dempsey Technology Reporter Reaction Engines Reaction Engines hoped one day its tech would power…
Scientists create biodegradable plastic stronger than PET
The PET-alternative PDCA is biodegradable and has superior physical properties. A Kobe University team of bioengineers engineered E. coli bacteria to produce the compound from glucose at unprecedented levels and without byproducts — and opened up a realm of possibilities for the future of bioengineering. The durability of plastics is both the reason why they…
Fossil reveals a 310-million-year-old fish that ate with a hidden second jaw
Experts have uncovered the earliest known example of a fish with extra teeth deep inside its mouth – a 310-million-year-old fossilized ray-finned fish that evolved a unique way of devouring prey. Platysomus parvulus had a unique way of eating never seen in ray-finned fish from that time – a ‘tongue bite’, using a special set…
Scientists watch an atomic nucleus flip in real time
Researchers from Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands have been able to see the magnetic nucleus of an atom switch back and forth in real time. They read out the nuclear ‘spin’ via the electrons in the same atom through the needle of a scanning tunneling microscope. To their surprise, the spin remained stable…
A 3-minute brainwave test could spot Alzheimer’s years before symptoms
A simple brainwave test developed at the University of Bath has been shown to detect signs of memory impairment linked to Alzheimer’s disease years before clinical diagnosis is typically possible. Published in the journal Brain Communications the study by academics from the University of Bath and the University of Bristol, reports that Fastball EEG, a…
Martha’s rule rolled out to all acute hospitals in England
Smitha Mundasad and Judith BurnsBBC News Merope Mills Martha Mills died aged 13 after developing sepsis. Martha’s rule, a way for families to seek an urgent second opinion if they are concerned about the care their loved ones receive, will be rolled out across all English hospitals delivering acute or short-term treatment. The telephone helpline,…
Constipated children being failed by lack of services, say parents
BBC Elissa says constipation needs to be screened for in every area of healthcare A mother who feared her two-year-old son’s untreated constipation could have killed him is calling for access to children’s continence services to be made a national priority. Elissa Novak said Ivan was constantly vomiting, losing weight and in severe pain when…
This Robot Only Needs a Single AI Model to Master Humanlike Movements
While there is a lot of work to do, Tedrake says all of the evidence so far suggests that the approaches used to LLMs also work for robots. “I think it’s changing everything,” he says. Gauging progress in robotics has become more challenging of late, of course, with videoclips showing commercial humanoids performing complex chores,…
Plant-based dog foods provide almost all the nutrients pets need
Plant-based and meaty kibbles may both lack some important nutrients Snizhana Halytska/Alamy Vegetarian and vegan dog foods just need a few tweaks to make them nutritionally complete diets. Analyses reveal that meat-free dry kibbles meet dogs’ protein and fat requirements, lacking only sufficient iodine and B vitamins. With supplements or – better yet – improved…
Enhancing LLM accuracy with Coveo Passage Retrieval on Amazon Bedrock
This post is co-written with Keith Beaudoin and Nicolas Bordeleau from Coveo. As generative AI transforms business operations, enterprises face a critical challenge: how can they help large language models (LLMs) provide accurate and trustworthy responses? Without reliable data foundations, these AI models can generate misleading or inaccurate responses, potentially reducing user trust and organizational…
New Scientist recommends the 55-year-old Songs of the Humpback Whale
There I was, idly researching cetaceans on the company dime, when I came across Songs of the Humpback Whale. Released 55 years ago this month, this album of whale songs remains the bestselling environmental recording of all time, inspiring everyone from Pete Seeger to Kate Bush. I had to see what the fuss was about….
