news 2024

Instead of burning coal or oil to produce cement or steel, in the future solar energy could be used for this purpose. Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a thermal trap that can absorb concentrated sunlight and deliver heat at over thousand degrees Celsius. The production of cement, metals and many chemical commodities requires extremely high temperatures of over a thousand degrees Celsius.

The system is already in use in retirement homes. Researchers from Bochum have tested how effective it is in a scientific study. Solving a quiz as a group while moving around the room at the same time - this combination is the basis of a new tool designed to prevent dementia. Researchers developed and evaluated it in the "go4cognition" project with industry partners and brought it to market maturity.

Experiments by ETH Zurich computer security researchers showed that smartphones can be manipulated to allow the owner to ride Swiss trains for free. The researchers also highlighted ways of curbing such misuse. It makes travelling by train, bus and tram super easy: instead of buying a conventional ticket, people using the EasyRide function in the SBB app can start their journey with a single swipe on their smartphone.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic changed how nearly everyone mediated their social interactions through technology. Some moved happy hours into video chats. Others delved deeper into social media, or took a step back from it. Millions of people worked or learned through computers. University of Washington researchers took particular interest in how this tech shift affected older adults' social relationships.

The chip-scale device could provide sensitive detection of lead levels in drinking water, whose toxicity affects 240 million people worldwide. Engineers at MIT, Nanyang Technological University, and several companies have developed a compact and inexpensive technology for detecting and measuring lead concentrations in water, potentially enabling a significant advance in tackling this persistent global health issue.

Better understanding of this natural formation process offers potential for technical developments A new interdisciplinary study led by molecular biologist Florian Raible from the Max Perutz Labs at the University of Vienna provides exciting insights into the bristles of the marine annelid worm Platynereis dumerilii.

A Johns Hopkins-led team found that chatbots reinforce our biases, providing insight into how AI could widen the public divide on controversial issues Chatbots share limited information, reinforce ideologies, and, as a result, can lead to more polarized thinking when it comes to controversial issues, according to new Johns Hopkins University-led research.

Delaying a phone's swiping and tapping functions forces users to think harder, making it easier for them to consider whether to keep scrolling Study: InteractOut: Leveraging Interaction Proxies as Input Manipulation Strategies for Reducing Smartphone Overuse (DOI: 10. The best way to help smartphone users manage their screen time may be to make phones progressively more annoying to use, according to new University of Michigan research.

The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) just funded a new project in the Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC).

Core changemakers wants to give used solar panels a second life. As the world steadily progresses towards a more sustainable future, recycling solar panels becomes increasingly relevant. However, in some cases, simply reusing old solar panels is better. CORE CHANGEMAKERS, once a student team at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and now evolving into a startup, is exploring the possibility of using old solar panels.

New research shows need for 'design mindset' to include marginalized communities in the digital economy Whether it's a financial tracking app, a watch that monitors your health, or earphones that translate languages instantly, technology has revolutionized the human experience. Yet not everyone has equal access to these advantages.

More than 25 researchers from ten different European countries will join Utrecht's first Screenathon, taking place from May 14 to May 17 . At several beautiful, historical sites in Utrecht's city centre, the researchers together will screen more than 10,000 publications to get insights into research activities from all'over the world relevant to the IMPROVE project.

A new method to deliver a quality cold brew coffee in less than 3 minutes solidifies Australia's position as the innovators of modern coffee, according to researchers from The University of Queensland. Engineers from University New South Wales developed an ultrasonic machine to speed up the cold brew of ground coffee beans - a process that normally takes 12 to 24 hours.

New "AI Comes Out of the Closet" system seeks to merge artificial intelligence and LGBTQIA+ support. " AI Comes Out of the Closet " is a large learning model (LLM)-based online system that leverages artificial intelligence-generated dialog and virtual characters to create complex social interaction simulations.

Pet parrots given the choice to video-call each other or watch pre-recorded videos of other birds will flock to the opportunity for live chats, new research shows. The study, led by animal-computer interaction specialists at the University of Glasgow, gave tablet devices to nine parrots and their owners to explore the potential of the video chats to expand the birds' social lives.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a safe and inexpensive device for reliable blood measurements. It works using a suction cup and could also be employed to diagnose the tropical disease malaria - even by non-medical personnel. Many people are afraid of needles, and having a doctor take a blood sample from their arm makes them uncomfortable.

The results not only improve the efficiency and scalability of cryptographic proof systems, but also open up new possibilities for ensuring the integrity, fairness and privacy of data processing tasks in various applications of AI and image processing.

TorNet, a public artificial intelligence dataset, could help models reveal when and why tornadoes form, improving forecasters' ability to issue warnings. The return of spring in the Northern Hemisphere touches off tornado season. A tornado's twisting funnel of dust and debris seems an unmistakable sight.

Digital privacy and security engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found that the artificial intelligence-based systems that TikTok and Instagram use to extract personal and demographic data from user images can misclassify aspects of the images. This could lead to mistakes in age verification systems or introduce other errors and biases into platforms that use these types of systems for digital services.

Pacemakers, defibrillators, radar technology and electric vehicles all need electrical components called capacitors that can store and release a lot of energy in a matter of a few microseconds. Researchers at the University of Twente have recently found a way to increase these capacitors' storage, efficiency and durability.