news 2024

The innovative thermostat BRYS, developed by industrial designer Lenneke Kuijer with her Veni grant, is designed to help residents keep their homes up to nine degrees cooler in the summer heat. BRYS also helps train our bodies to stay comfortable at temperatures between 17 and 28 degrees Celsius. Summers are getting longer and hotter, even in the Netherlands.

Researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) have published a new study of the effectiveness of AI tools like ChatGPT in targeting specific demographics with tailored political messaging. Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) have raised the prospect of scalable, automated, and fine-grained political microtargeting on a scale previously unseen.

Researchers develop a painless patch for continuous health monitoring. Researchers at two Ontario universities have developed a pain-free, wearable sensor that can continuously monitor levels of blood sugar, lactates and other critical health indicators for weeks at a time, sending results to a smartphone or other device.

People use computer vision every day -  to unlock a smartphone, receive notifications when a package has arrived on their doorstep, or check the speed limit on the dashboard of their car. But computers do not see the same way humans do - they process information like edges, colors or patterns and interpret what the image is.

Scientists at EPFL have successfully miniaturized a powerful erbium-based biber laser on a silicon-nitride photonic chip. Since typical erbium-based fiber lasers are large and difficult to scale down, the breakthrough promises major advances in optical communications and sensing technologies. Lasers have revolutionized the world since the 60's and are now indispensable in modern applications, from cutting-edge surgery and precise manufacturing to data transmission across optical fibers.

New camera chip design allows for optimizing each pixel's timing to maximize signal-to-noise ratio when tracking real-time visual indicator of neural voltage. Neurons communicate electrically, so to understand how they produce such brain functions as memory, neuroscientists must track how their voltage changes - sometimes subtly - on the timescale of milliseconds.

Cathodic corrosion protection is a widely used technique for protecting steel-based infrastructure from corrosion. researchers have now clarified the detailed mechanisms involved, thereby resolving a controversial issue that had preoccupied the engineering community for decades. Corrosion is a chemical reaction to which even the strongest structures fall victim.

Researchers have developed a platform for the interactive evaluation of AI-powered chatbots such as ChatGPT. Anyone using an LLM, for any application, should always pay attention to the output and verify it themselves Albert Jiang A team of computer scientists, engineers, mathematicians and cognitive scientists, led by the University of Cambridge, developed an open-source evaluation platform called CheckMate, which allows human users to interact with and evaluate the performance of large language models (LLMs).

A simpler and more cost-efficient method for removing salt from seawater using heat,  developed by scientists from The Australian National University (ANU), could address unprecedented global water shortages. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will likely face what the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) calls " absolute water scarcity."     To help combat the water crisis, ANU researchers have developed the world's first thermal desalination method, where water remains in the liquid phase throughout the entire process.

With the rise and increasing use of digital technologies and online platforms worldwide, the debate about their potential impact on our psychological well-being is growing. New research from Tilburg University and the University of Oxford shows that active (mobile) internet users are more satisfied with their lives and assess their social and physical well-being more positively than non-users.

Despite widespread skepticism, more and more retail banks are offering cryptocurrencies as a fully-fledged asset class. While some banks are specifically building up their own expertise in blockchain, most are relying on third-party providers. These are the findings of a new study by Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

  Researchers from RWTH have written a new book that provides actionable insights for practical application. The global environmental crisis, technological developments, the COVID-19 pandemic and advancing economic and political globalization are just some of the developments that have strongly increased the pressure on regions, companies, and society as a whole to transform and innovate.

Task force aims to ensure trust in research Artificial intelligence (AI) generates texts, videos and images that can hardly be distinguished from those of humans - with the result that we often no longer know what is real. Also researchers are increasingly being supported by AI. An international task force has now developed principles for the use of AI in research to ensure trust in science.

Young people are encouraged to participate in a University of Queensland study that will use artificial intelligence technology to develop campaign materials to reduce youth vaping rates. Associate Professor Gary Chung Kai Chan from UQ's National Centre for Youth Substance Use Research said the research will use AI programs to co-design an anti-vaping campaign with people aged between 16 and 25 years old.

How TU/e researchers push further the performance of computer chips while at the same time making them more efficient. Nowadays, it's hard to envision the world without computers. But the ever better performing chips in smartphones, cars, and almost every modern device are consuming more and more power.

Scientists have discovered that a 'single atomic defect' in a layered 2D material can hold onto quantum information for microseconds at room temperature, underscoring the potential of 2D materials in advancing quantum technologies. The defect, found by researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Cambridge using a thin material called Hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN) , demonstrates spin coherence-a property where an electronic spin can retain quantum information- under ambient conditions.

A new advance in a developing form of wireless communications could help precisely pinpoint the locations of people and objects indoors, researchers say. Engineers from University of Glasgow and colleagues from the UK and Australia are behind the research breakthrough. Their work could have a wide range of future applications, from helping emergency services quickly find people trapped in smoke-filled buildings to offering device-assisted navigation through public spaces for blind and partially-sighted people.

Rapid Test for Topological 2D Materials: Researchers from the Würzburg-Dresden Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat have developed a method with which two-dimensional topological materials can be detected more easily and quickly. Topological quantum materials are hailed as a cornerstone of future technological advancements.

Researchers at the University of Basel have developed a new method for calculating phase diagrams of physical systems that works similarly to ChatGPT. This artificial intelligence could even automate scientific experiments in the future. A year and a half ago, ChatGPT was released, and ever since, there has been hardly anything that cannot be created with this new form of artificial intelligence: texts, images, videos, and even music.

The Trustnet browser extension lets individuals assess the accuracy of any content on any website. Most people agree that the spread of online misinformation is a serious problem. But there is much less consensus on what to do about it. Many proposed solutions focus on how social media platforms can or should moderate content their users post, to prevent misinformation from spreading.