Scientists have created the first artificial tongue that can sense and identify flavors entirely in liquid environments — mimicking how human taste buds work. The achievement, described July 15 in the journal PNAS, could lead to automated systems for food safety and early detection of diseases via chemical analysis, the researchers say. The technology could … Read more
Mars was a rainier, wetter place than planetary scientists previously thought, according to a new study of ancient, inverted river channels that span more than 9,000 miles (14,484 kilometers) in the Red Planet’s southern Noachis Terra region. “Our work is a new piece of evidence that suggests that Mars was once a much more complex … Read more
Our solar system has been around for 4.6 billion years. While that sounds like a long time, it’s just a blip in the 13.8 billion-year story of the universe. And one day, the solar system will cease to exist. But when will the solar system end? And how will it die out? The answers to … Read more
More than 5,000 people have applied for a first-of-its-kind migration visa that offers residents of a Pacific island an escape from the worst effects of climate change. Applications for the visa opened to people in Tuvalu on June 16 and close today (July 18). Under its terms, 280 Tuvaluans can relocate to Australia each year … Read more
You can use up all the storage on your phone or max out your computer’s drive, but can you use up all the memory space in your brain? Despite how you might feel before an exam or after a sleepless night before a work deadline, neuroscientists say that for a typical, healthy brain, memory capacity … Read more
On a weekend in mid-May, a clandestine mathematical conclave convened. Thirty of the world’s most renowned mathematicians traveled to Berkeley, Calif., with some coming from as far away as the U.K. The group’s members faced off in a showdown with a “reasoning” chatbot that was tasked with solving problems they had devised to test its … Read more
Up to 3 in every 1,000 newborns has hearing loss in one or both ears. While cochlear implants offer remarkable hope for these children, it requires invasive surgery. These implants also cannot fully replicate the nuance of natural hearing. But recent research my colleagues and I conducted has shown that a form of gene therapy … Read more
Tremendous tilts of Mars’ rotational axis during the past 20 million years may have dried out the planet, according to a new study. The findings may help solve the mystery of how Mars, which once contained lakes, rivers and possibly oceans, lost its water. Dry, dust-filled deserts cover much of Mars’ surface today. Astronomers think … Read more
A giant, flightless bird that roamed New Zealand before going extinct about 600 years ago is the next species on a controversial list of “de-extinction” targets from the biotechnology company Colossal Biosciences. Colossal announced on Tuesday (July 8) that its scientists and local Indigenous partners will “bring back” the South Island giant moa (Dinornis robustus) … Read more
A new artificial intelligence (AI) model can predict and simulate human thought and behavior with a surprising degree of accuracy. The language model, called Centaur, could help researchers improve our understanding of human cognition. The model was trained on more than 10 million real decisions made by participants of psychological experiments. Using this dataset, Centaur … Read more
