China Has Launched New Generation Transport Shocking the US

China is rapidly emerging as a global leader in engine innovation, showcasing impressive advancements that are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Their technology is developing at a breakneck pace, challenging the US to keep up with their rapid revolution. While China has consistently delivered awesome, futuristic innovations, their dominance now extends to the engine department. It’s time for the market to meet these new-generation engines, combining both beauty and quality .

{ https://beforeitsnews.com/v3/list/v2_top_beyond_science.html }

15-02-2025 om 16:06 geschreven door peter  

{ https://scientias.nl/}

14-02-2025 om 23:44 geschreven door peter  

Story by Laura Paddison, CNN

From a distance, the Ivanpah solar plant looks like a shimmering lake in the Mojave Desert. Up close, it’s a vast alien-like installation of hundreds of thousand of mirrors pointed at three towers, each taller than the Statue of Liberty.

When this plant opened near the California-Nevada border in early 2014, it was pitched as the future of solar power. Just over a decade later, it’s closing.

The plant’s co-owner NRG Energy announced in January it was unwinding contracts with power companies and, subject to regulatory approval, would begin closing the plant in early 2026, readying the site to potentially be repurposed for a new kind of solar energy.

For some, Ivanpah now stands as a huge, shiny monument to wasted tax dollars and environmental damage — campaign groups long criticized the plant for its impact on desert wildlife. For others, failures like this are a natural part of the race to find the winning solutions for the clean energy transition.

When Ivanpah was conceived, its technology, called concentrated solar or thermal solar, was considered a potential breakthrough.

It works like this: Hundreds of thousands of computer-controlled mirrors called “heliostats” track the sun and concentrate its rays onto three towers, each around 450 feet tall and topped with water-filled boilers. The sun’s hyper-concentrated energy turns this water to steam, which drives a turbine to create electricity.

One of the key selling points of this solar technology is the ability to store heat, allowing the production of electricity at night or when the sun isn’t shining without needing batteries.

The project got buy-in from the government with $1.6 billion in Department of Energy loan guarantees, and from utilities Pacific Gas & Electric Company and Southern California Edison, which both entered long-term agreements to buy Ivanpah’s power.

In 2014, it started commercial operations as the world’s largest solar thermal plant, spread across around 5 square miles of federal desert.

“This project is a symbol of the exciting progress we are seeing across the industry,” said then Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, in February 2014 during a dedication ceremony at the site.

So, where did it go wrong?

First, the technology proved finnicky and never quite worked as well as intended, said Jenny Chase, a solar analyst at BloombergNEF.

These kinds of plants “are just technically really difficult to operate,” she told CNN. They combine all the tricky, mechanical parts of a fossil fuel plant — running a turbine and maintaining many moving parts — with the challenges of a distributed energy source. The technology relies on mirrors tracking the sun exactly. “It’s really hard to get those all lined up perfectly and keep them lined up at all times,” Chase said.

But perhaps the biggest problem for Ivanpah is that photovoltaic solar — the technology used in solar panels — became really, really cheap.

In some parts of the world “you can basically buy a solar module for the price of a fence panel,” Chase said. At the time Ivanpah was built, “nobody really would have dreamed that photovoltaics would be this cheap, and batteries are doing a similar thing,” she added.

California's $2.2 billion dollar Ivanpah Solar Plant is a concentrated solar thermal plant in the California Mohave Desert.

Jason Andrew/Redux

Ivanpah's around 350,000 mirrors focus sunlight onto three towers, where water is turned to steam to generate electricity.

Jim West/REA/Redux

Wild burros are seen near the Ivanpah solar power plant on August 26, 2022. 

David McNew/Getty Images

A spokesperson for NRG said prices were competitive when the power agreements were signed in 2009. But over time, advancements in other types of solar technology “led to more efficient, cost effective and flexible options for producing reliable clean energy.”

In January, NRG finalized negotiations with PG&E to terminate power purchase agreements which were supposed to end in 2039. This “will provide significant savings for California ratepayers,” the company’s spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Southern California Edison said it was in ongoing discussions with the plant owners and the DOE about its contract.

For critics of Ivanpah, its imminent demise is proof the plant should never have been built.

It “was a financial boondoggle and environmental disaster,” said Julia Dowell, senior campaign organizer at the Sierra Club, an environmental organization. “The project’s construction destroyed irreplaceable pristine desert habitat,” she told CNN.

Ivanpahs’s location in the sweeping, sun-drenched Mojave Desert may have seemed ideal for generating solar power, but it is also a habitat for threatened desert tortoises. While the plant’s developers agreed to a series of measures to protect and relocate the animals, many environmentalists believed the plant should not have been approved.

The Ivanpah plant is set to begin closing in 2026, with units decommissioned to prepare the land to potentially be repurposed for a different kind of solar power.

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images

The other big issue was bird deaths. Reports of “streamers” — birds incinerated midair by the beams of intense heat from the mirrors — solidified opposition.

NRG did not respond to specific questions about the plant’s impact on wildlife.

Some commentators are using Ivanpah to make the case that renewable energy projects should not receive government money, a view that appears to fit with the new administration’s. One of President Donald Trump’s first actions was to pause approvals of new renewable energy projects on federal land.

But renewable energy experts say it’s important for governments to invest in a range of clean technologies, and many of those they have invested in, such as photovoltaics, have worked out.

It wasn’t clear which solar technologies would prove most cost effective when Ivanpah was being built 15 years ago, said Kenneth Gillingham, an economics professor at Yale School of the Environment.

“Picking winners is extremely difficult,“ he told CNN, “and it’s not a problem that some technologies are outcompeted by others, as long as innovation continues occurring.”

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14-02-2025 om 16:10 geschreven door peter  

• READ MORE: US Navy testing its new laser weapon that NEVER runs out of power

By JONATHAN CHADWICK FOR MAILONLINE 

He's gained a reputation as the 'real-life Iron Man', thanks to his futuristic jet suit. 

Now British engineer, Richard Browning, is on a mission to bring jet packs to the military.

His futuristic jet suit uses five gas turbines to reach heights of up to 20 feet (six metres) at impressive speeds of up to 85 mph. 

He's struck a deal with two western allies to equip militaries with the gizmo, allowing armed commandos to soar over warzones and land on enemy ships. 

Troops will be able to board hostile ships in the style of James Bond, without having to descend on ropes from a helicopter or climb on a ladder from another vessel. 

'We do something that looks like it should be in a Marvel film and it does look spectacular, but actually it's now a serious international business,' Browning told the Times.

'We are in the process of signing several deals with two western allies, in particular for marine mobility, enabling special forces to rapidly secure maritime targets.'

Marvel fans who fancy taking to the skies can try the jet suit at Goodwood Estate in West Sussex or in California – although the experience costs a whopping £6,600 ($8,200).

Developed by inventor Richard Browning from Gravity Industries, the suit uses five gas turbines that produce over 1,000 brake horsepower to gain flight

Richard Browning, a Royal Marines reservist for six years and Cardiff University graduate, wanted to augment the human body with enough technology to be able to fly

Mr Browning's invention is often compared to the suits worn by Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel comics and films (pictured)

Already, British Royal Navy marines used the jet packs to jump from boat to boat in the English Channel to prepare for future boarding operations. 

Astonishing video shows marines taking off from a rig fixed on to a small boat behind HMS Tamar and flying on to its deck. 

Mr Browning founded Gravity Industries in March 2017 with the mission of augmenting the human body with enough technology to be able to fly. 

Less than a decade later, Gravity Industries has flown the jet suit at more than 300 events in 50 different countries, including Vietnam at the end of last year. 

Mr Browning said: 'The Jet Suit produces up to 144kg of thrust; the thrust to weight ratio works out to be greater than any known Jet Fighter we are aware of.' 

The futuristic contraption is fitted with five downward-facing turbine engines that produce hot exhaust gases, the company explains. 

As the burning gases expand and blast out through the nozzle down towards the ground, the pilot is thrust upwards. 

Because most of the engines are positioned at the end of the user's hands, it's simply a case of moving the arms to be able to fly in the desired direction.

This is not the first time that the Mr Browning's invention has taken to the air for the pleasure of the British Armed Forces. Pictured: Mr Browning above Farnborough International Airport

It can reach impressive speeds of up to 85 mph and heights of up to 20 feet (6 metres), with a total flight time of up to 10 minutes. Pictured, Mr Browning in flight above the Farnborough International airport in November 2021

In Thunderball (1965), James Bond (Sean Connery) used a Bell Textron Rocket Belt to escape the scene after killing French antagonist Jacques Bouvar

It takes off vertically, much like the suit in the James Bond film Thunderball, while a display screen inside the helmet gives updates on fuel consumption. 

Aside from its military applications and allowing members of the public to fly, the suit has potential for mountain rescue charities and emergency response scenarios. 

Eventually, in dangerous situations such as wildfire or remote mountainsides, professional staff wearing the pack could potentially perform life-threatening rescues.

In 2022, a paramedic wearing the suit flew up a hill in winds of over 30 miles per hour and heavy rain as part of a successful proof of concept. 

'The medic response stuff we don't see as a profit centre,' Browning – a Royal Marines reservist for six years and Cardiff University graduate – told the Times. 

'But it is still incredibly important to us and we have plans to launch a separate charity to scale this life-saving capability.'

Gravity Industries, which employs 25 people, recently raised $10 million in funding after being valued at $72 million (£58 million) – up from $36 million (£29 million) two years ago. 

The company was recognized by Guinness World Record for the fastest flight in a body-controlled jet suit in November 2019 at 85 mph (135 kmph). 

Aside from its military applications and allowing members of the public to fly, the suit has potential for mountain rescue charities and emergency response scenarios. Pictured in Lake District

Richard Browning CEO of Gravity Industries and the Chief Test Pilot, wears a Jet Suit and flies with second Test Pilot during a demonstration flight on May 22, 2019 in Belgrade, Serbia

READ MORE

• 'Son of Concorde' supersonic jet breaks sound barrier... here's how long it'll take to travel from NYC to London

At the time, Browning powered the contraption 1,640ft along the length of Brighton Pier in challenging weather conditions with sparks in his wake. 

More recently, Browning flew the device at Army People Conference in Farnborough to demonstrate its potential for application by British soldiers. 

The adventurer took off and landed both on the hood of a nearby jeep and the cabin roof of a truck before flying to a balcony filled with army onlookers. 

And as part of a promo with Domino's in summer 2023, pizzas were flown in to the Glastonbury Festival site. 

An early version of the flight pack was dubbed Daedalus after the father of Icarus – the pair in Greek mythology who flew with wings made from feathers and wax – although the name is no longer used on the company's website. 

According to the legendary tale, Icarus died when he flew too close to the sun and the wax holding the feathers together melted. 

The real-life Jetsons! Flying taxi dubbed 'Blackbird' can spin and move in any direction thanks to a futuristic propulsion system 

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{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

11-02-2025 om 21:26 geschreven door peter  

Yes, Humans Have Achieved ‘Teleportation’ with a Quantum Supercomputer—This May Help Teleport a Human One Day

Yes, humans have achieved ‘teleportation’ with a quantum supercomputer, but it’s not your Sci-Fi teleportation. Scientists want to teleport an entire human—can they do it? Let’s find out with this new Earth-Shattering discovery!

Scientists at Oxford found a way to connect two separate quantum computers so they can work together as one. They did this using something called quantum teleportation.

But this isn’t the kind of teleportation you see in sci-fi movies—nothing physically moves. Instead, information is transferred instantly from one place to another without actually traveling through space.

Quantum computers are super powerful, but they need millions of qubits to solve big problems. The problem is, cramming millions of qubits into one machine is nearly impossible. Instead of making one giant quantum computer, the researchers figured out how to link multiple smaller quantum computers together—like connecting tiny puzzle pieces to make a bigger, more powerful system.

Scientists have teleported quantum information before, but this is the first time they have teleported logical gates—the basic building blocks of a computer program. This means the linked quantum computers can now work together to run complex programs, just like a single, bigger quantum machine.

In short: They found a way to link quantum computers together using teleportation, making them work as one big system. This could help quantum computers become more powerful and practical in the real world.

Researchers at the University of Oxford connected two separate quantum processors using a special “photonic network interface,” making them work together as one fully connected quantum computer.

This breakthrough could help solve complex problems that regular computers cannot handle. To be truly useful, quantum computers need to process millions of qubits (the basic unit of quantum information). However, fitting so many processors into one machine would make it extremely large.

The new approach links smaller quantum devices together, allowing them to share the work. In theory, this method can connect as many processors as needed

While quantum teleportation has been done before, this study is the first to teleport “logical gates,” which are the basic building blocks of quantum algorithms, across a network. This could lead to a future “quantum internet,” where distant quantum processors form a super-secure network for communication and computing.

Lead researcher Dougal Main explained that, unlike previous teleportation experiments, their method allows separate quantum systems to interact. By carefully designing these interactions, they created logical quantum gates between qubits in different quantum computers, effectively linking them together as one system.

To test their method, the team ran Grover’s search algorithm, which can find items in large, unorganized datasets much faster than a regular computer. The success of this experiment shows how linking multiple quantum devices can lead to powerful, scalable quantum computers—potentially solving complex problems in hours that would take today’s supercomputers years to complete. (Study)

This is not your Sci-Fi Teleportation but it’s Magical

Scientists first proved that teleportation was possible in 1993. A team from IBM wrote a paper explaining how they could teleport a quantum state (not a physical object). Five years later, researchers from California and the U.K. successfully teleported a photon—a tiny particle of light—through a special cable.

Teleportation, like flying cars and time travel, sounds like science fiction, but scientists believe that improvements in quantum computing could make it real.

So far, most teleportation experiments have used photons. But in 2020, scientists found that teleporting electrons might also be possible. Electrons could be better for teleportation because they can hold their quantum states longe

Quantum computing is based on the weird science of quantum entanglement, which has nothing to do with our everyday experience of Newtonian mechanics, like masses, forces, and their related effects.

Instead of physically sending qubits from one computer to another, they used quantum teleportation to transfer quantum information instantly. This is possible due to a phenomenon called quantum entanglement, in which two particles (qubits) are mysteriously linked, no matter how far apart they are.

Scientists entangle two qubits (tiny quantum particles). Entangled qubits are like a magical pair—if you change one, the other instantly changes, no matter how far apart they are. This means they stay connected, even if one is on Earth and the other is on the Moon.

They used light (photons) to transfer quantum information between computers. This act acts like a bridge, allowing separate quantum processors to “talk” to each other.

The team didn’t just teleport individual qubits; they teleported logical gates (the basic operations of a quantum computer). This allowed the separate quantum computers to process data together as if they were part of the same system.

• Quantum entanglement: Where two particles, such as a pair of photons, remain correlated even when separated by vast distances. This allows them to share information without having to travel physically.
• Quantum teleportation: The transfer of quantum information over long distances almost instantly, using entanglement.

Scientists Want to Teleport a Human—Could This Breakthrough Make It Possible?

Moving an entire human from one place to another—like in sci-fi movies—is not possible yet. The human body has about 10^27 atoms, and each atom is made of even smaller particles like electrons, protons, and neutrons. These tiny parts also have their own even smaller parts, like quarks and muons, each with a unique quantum state.

To teleport a person, we’d have to calculate an unimaginably huge number of quantum states and rebuild them perfectly in a new location.

In the past, sci-fi writers thought teleportation meant breaking matter apart, sending it somewhere, and putting it back together. But quantum entanglement shows that teleportation isn’t about moving physical matter—it’s about transferring information that describes a quantum state, according to physicist Paul Davies.

If we can overcome the challenge of processing power—something that better quantum computers might help with—could teleporting a human be as easy as scanning their body and sending the data like an email attachment?

However, a physics rule (the uncertainty principle) says we can’t know both the speed and position of a particle at the same time. This means no matter how carefully we scan every particle in your body, the copy will never be 100% perfect.

What could these small errors mean? Maybe your teleported self looks fine but suddenly enjoys broccoli, even though you used to hate it. Or worse, the errors could be serious, causing big problems when your body is reassembled.

Even if we succeed in addressing all of these challenges, we must consider a philosophical question: do the atoms in your body and all their quantum states constitute the being you consider to be, well, you?

Experimental and theoretical physicist John Clauser—who, along with his colleagues won the 2022 Nobel Prize in physics for their work on quantum entanglement—has a take on this question that might give you pause.

“Imagine you’re told that if you step into this box, every atom in your body will be disassembled, effectively leaving your body totally destroyed, thereby killing you,” Clauser says. “Furthermore, you’re also told that afterwards, a replicant of you starts walking around . . . taking over your life as you once knew it . . . would you step into that box? I certainly wouldn’t!”

Read also:

• This British Scientist Proposes Controversial Theory: We May Be Living 52 Million Lives in a Simulation
• This Man Claims He Has Found Ways to Escape the Simulation, But the Consequences Are Unknown
• This Man finds that Altered States of Consciousness Can Distort Time, And Nobody Knows Why

While the direct teleportation of matter remains speculative, some theoretical frameworks suggest alternative approaches: If the human mind can be fully understood as a quantum system, it might one day be possible to “upload” and “download” consciousness.

Emerging studies in quantum biology suggest that quantum phenomena may play a role in human consciousness.

Dr. Hameroff’s research focuses on the role of microtubules—protein structures within cells—in consciousness. He proposed, alongside Sir Roger Penrose, the Orch OR (Orchestrated Objective Reduction) model of consciousness in the 1990s.

This theory suggests that consciousness arises from quantum computing processes within the brain’s microtubules, with influences from the fundamental structure of spacetime at the quantum level. According to the model, this could explain phenomena like perception, self-awareness, and potentially even spirituality and the afterlife, connecting consciousness to the basic fabric of the universe.

Dr. Stuart Hameroff has been interested in the mystery of consciousness for almost his entire life. Instead of studying brain science or psychology, Hameroff became interested in anesthetics—drugs that cause loss of consciousness—because of their connection to consciousness. (Click here to read the full article)

“I thought about neurology, psychology, and neurosurgery, but none of those seemed to address the problem of consciousness,” says Hameroff, a retired anesthesiology professor from the University of Arizona. He remembers when he first came to the university and met the chair of the anesthesia department. The chair said, “If you want to understand consciousness, figure out how anesthesia works because we don’t know how it works.”

Dr. Hameroff suggests that at its core, consciousness can be understood as “awareness,” which he equates to having a “phenomenal experience”—the subjective, first-person experience of the world around us or our inner thoughts and feelings.

In recent years, research showing quantum effects in biological systems, including microtubules, has given some critics reason to reconsider. Dr. Hameroff believes the focus on AI and computation has shifted attention away from the true nature of consciousness. Despite the criticism, he continues to defend the theory, even exploring the possibility that consciousness could predate life itself, a view he admits leans into the spiritual realm.

{ https://howandwhys.com/ }

10-02-2025 om 16:30 geschreven door peter  

This British Scientist Proposes Controversial Theory: We May Be Living 52 Million Lives in a Simulation

Dr. Melvin Vopson suggests a controversial theory that we may be living 52 million lives in a simulation, as one real-world lifetime could feel like 4.2 billion years in simulated time.

Dr. Vopson, an associate professor in physics at the University of Portsmouth, suggests that we might be living in a computer simulation, much like in The Matrix. He believes that certain signs in our daily lives hint that reality might not be what it seems. He explores the question: if we are in a simulated world, what is its purpose?

Dr Vopson makes scientific observations and measurements to support his theory. His theory is considered controversial which suggests that time can slow down in a simulation. Just like dreams feel long but last only a short time in real life, a whole lifetime in a simulated world could happen in just one real-world minute. This means a person could live many lifetimes by repeating these short simulations, potentially experiencing 52 million lifetimes in one human lifespan.

Dr. Melvin Vopson has previously published research suggesting that information has mass and that all elementary particles – the smallest known building blocks of the universe – store information about themselves, similar to the way humans have DNA.

In 2022, he discovered a new law of physics that could predict genetic mutations in organisms, including viruses, and help judge their potential consequences. It is based on the second law of thermodynamics, which establishes that entropy – a measure of disorder in an isolated system – can only increase or stay the same.

Dr. Vopson had expected that the entropy in information systems would also increase over time, but on examining the evolution of these systems he realized it remains constant or decreases. That’s when he established the second law of information dynamics, or infodynamics, which could significantly impact genetics research and evolution theory.

Dr. Vopson presents three possible explanations. One idea is that we willingly entered this simulation before birth, choosing to live in an exciting, artificial world rather than a dull real one. In this view, life is like a highly advanced virtual reality game meant for entertainment.

Another possibility is that we are part of an experiment designed to solve real-world problems. This theory suggests that humans in the future create simulations like ours to test solutions for global crises such as climate change or war. If one of these simulations finds a solution, it could be applied in the real world.

The third idea is that time in the simulation moves much slower than in reality. A few minutes in the real world could last for centuries here, allowing us to live multiple lifetimes. Thus, by choosing to exist in the simulation, we might experience a form of immortality.

According to this idea, in the same way, that our dreams can feel days long but last only minutes in real life, an entire lifetime in a simulated universe could take just one minute in the real world. That means a person could become virtually immortal by stacking up these one-minute simulated lives across their entire human lifetime, leaving 52 million chained lifetimes behind. (Source)

Although Dr. Vopson admits these are just theories and not proven by science, some of his research suggests that the universe could be a giant computer. He is not alone in this belief—figures like Elon Musk have also speculated that reality might be a simulation.

In 2022, Dr. Vopson discovered a new law of physics that could predict genetic mutations in organisms, including viruses, and help judge their potential consequences.

It is based on the second law of thermodynamics, which establishes that entropy – a measure of disorder in an isolated system – can only increase or stay the same.

Dr. Vopson had expected that the entropy in information systems would also increase over time, but on examining the evolution of these systems he realized it remains constant or decreases. That’s when he established the second law of information dynamics, or infodynamics, which could significantly impact genetics research and evolution theory.

Dr Vopson said: “I knew then that this revelation had far-reaching implications across various scientific disciplines.

“What I wanted to do next is put the law to the test and see if it could further support the simulation hypothesis by moving it on from the philosophical realm to mainstream science.”

Information theory is the study of how information is measured, stored, and shared. It was first developed by a mathematician named Claude Shannon and is now used in many areas of science, including physics.

In 2022, Dr. Vopson and another physicist, Serban Lepadatu, introduced a new idea called the “second law of infodynamics.”

This idea is similar to a well-known rule in physics called the “second law of thermodynamics,” which says that disorder (called entropy) in the universe always increases or stays the same over time. In simple terms, things naturally become more chaotic.

However, Dr. Vopson found that in information systems—such as digital data or genetic code—the opposite happens. Instead of becoming more disordered, these systems become more organized over time.

He tested this idea on different systems and found that it supports the theory that our universe might be a simulation. This is because, unlike in nature where things become more chaotic, information systems tend to become more efficient and structured. The patterns we see in nature might be a way of organizing information, which fits with the idea of a simulated world.

Key findings include:

• Biological Systems: The second law of infodynamics challenges the conventional understanding of genetic mutations, suggesting that they follow a pattern governed by information entropy. This discovery has profound implications for fields such as genetic research, evolutionary biology, genetic therapies, pharmacology, virology, and pandemic monitoring.
• Atomic Physics: The paper explains the behavior of electrons in multi-electron atoms, providing insights into phenomena like Hund’s rule; which states that the term with maximum multiplicity lies lowest in energy. Electrons arrange themselves in a way that minimizes their information entropy, shedding light on atomic physics and the stability of chemicals.
• Cosmology: The second law of infodynamics is shown to be a cosmological necessity, with thermodynamic considerations applied to an adiabatically expanding universe supporting its validity.

“The paper also provides an explanation for the prevalence of symmetry in the universe”, explained Dr. Vopson.

Dr. Vopson argues that this law plays a role in atomic physics (electron arrangement), cosmology, and biological systems. This last one is where Dr. Vopson makes a big claim: contrary to Charles Darwin’s idea that mutations occur randomly, mutations actually occur so that information entropy is minimized.

He analyzed the constantly mutating SARS-CoV-2 (a.k.a. COVID-19) virus, and his paper on that investigation—shows a “unique correlation between the information and the dynamics of the genetic mutations.”

“A super complex universe like ours, if it were a simulation, would require a built-in data optimization and compression in order to reduce the computational power and the data storage requirements to run the simulation,” Dr. Vopson wrote. (Source)

Dr. Vopson tested his new idea, called the “second law of infodynamics,” by studying digital information.

He wrote the word “INFORMATION” in binary (a computer code using 1s and 0s) onto a tiny magnetic surface. Over time, as the system went through many cycles at room temperature, the information started to fade. After 1,990 cycles, it disappeared completely. This matched his theory, which says that information naturally gets lost over time, becoming simpler.

Read also:

• This Man Claimed the Brain Creates Consciousness, but His Quantum Consciousness Theory Faces Three Decades of Criticism—New Evidence Now Supports His Claim
• This Man Claims He Has Found Ways to Escape the Simulation, But the Consequences Are Unknown
• Scientist found People Born Blind Are Mysteriously Protected From Schizophrenia
• This Man finds that Altered States of Consciousness Can Distort Time, And Nobody Knows Why

Dr. Vopson was surprised and excited that his idea applied to many different systems. He believes the law could be universal. However, he made it clear that, while his study supports the idea that the universe might be a simulation, it doesn’t prove it for sure. He hopes his work will encourage more research and that other scientists will find new ways to test this idea.

He also suggested another experiment to check his theory. If scientists smash matter and antimatter (opposites of each other) together, they might see low-energy light particles appear. This would show that information is being erased, proving his law of infodynamics in action.

Information physics suggests that everything we see as physical might actually be made of bits of information.

This means our universe could be a simulation. The idea isn’t new—John Archibald Wheeler suggested in 1989 that the universe might emerge from information.

In 2003, philosopher Nick Bostrom argued that it’s likely we are living in such a simulation, as advanced civilizations might create simulations that are impossible to tell apart from reality.

Physicist Seth Lloyd from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US took the simulation hypothesis to the next level by suggesting that the entire universe could be a giant quantum computer. (Source)

Dr. Vopson noted that the simulation hypothesis has attracted the interest of many public figures, such as Elon Musk and Neil deGrasse Tyson, along with other people from all walks of life, showing that it has a broad appeal.

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{ https://howandwhys.com/ } 

08-02-2025 om 18:25 geschreven door peter  

By SHIVALI BEST FOR MAILONLINE

The idea of a robotic dog that can move on almost any terrain might sound like something from the latest episode of Black Mirror. 

But as this terrifying footage shows, it has now become a reality. 

The state-of-the-art robot dog is called Lynx, and is the brainchild of Chinese company, Deep Robotics. 

Equipped with four wheels instead of paws, the bot can walk, climb, and even backflip on everything from rocks to snow. 

Deep Robtics hopes that it could be used in search and rescue operations. 

However, some sceptics have already raised concerns about the four-legged robot. 

'I know these are gonna be hunting down every last human before long,' one user commented on the video. 

However, they reluctantly added: 'But this is also just legitimately cool as hell.'

The state-of-the-art robot dog is called Lynx, and is the brainchild of Chinese company, Deep Robotics

Equipped with four wheels instead of paws, the bot can walk, climb, and even backflip on everything from rocks to snow

Lynx stands at just under one metre tall, and weighs 30kg - around the same size as a Labrador Retriever. 

'DEEPRoboticsLynx all-terrain robot boasts a compact and agile design with exceptional adaptability to diverse terrains,' Deep Robotics explains on its website. 

'By leveraging its distinctive wheel-leg motion, DEEPRoboticsLynx strikes an optimal balance between speed and agility, carrying forward DEEP Robotics' deep expertise in embodied intelligence and industry applications.'

According to the firm, the robot is able to climb platforms up to 80cm tall and navigate continuous steps reaching up to 22cm tall. 

Meanwhile, when it's on the move, the bot can reach top speeds of five metres/second (11mph). 

It also comes with an IP54 protection rating, meaning it is suitable for use in all weather conditions. 

Equipped with a wide-angle camera, the bot could be used to access hard-to-reach areas during search and rescue missions. 

Unsurprisingly, it comes with a fairly hefty price-tag. 

According to the firm, the robot is able to climb platforms up to 80cm tall and navigate continuous steps reaching up to 22cm tall

Unsurprisingly, it comes with a fairly hefty price-tag. Lynx will set buyers back by $17,999 (£14,520.65)

Lynx will set buyers back by $17,999 (£14,520.65)!

The response to the bot has been overwhelmingly positive on social media. 

Commenting on Deep Robotics' video showcasing the robot, one user wrote: 'That's crazy. This kind of robots with such agility were still a science fiction several years ago.'

Another added: 'this is the most hardcore flex I've ever seen in the history of robotics.'

And one joked: 'the first couple of jump clips had me wondering if those were real or cgi because of how well the lynx did it!'

However, others were slightly more sceptical of the robot. 

'Cant wait for this thing to chase me down in the future,' one user wrote, while another said: 'This 100% was a black mirror episode.'

'Spot is a small four-legged robot that comfortably fits in an office or home' the firm says on its website.

It weighs 25 kg (55 lb), or 30 kg (66 lb) when you include the robotic arm.

Spot is all-electric and can go for about 90 minutes on a charge, depending on what it is doing, the firm says, boasting 'Spot is the quietest robot we have built.' 

Spot was first unveiled in 2016, and a previous version of the mini version of spot with a strange extendable neck has been shown off helping around the house. 

In the firm's previous video, the robot is shown walking out of the firm's HQ and into what appears to be a home.

There, it helps load a dishwasher and carries a can to the trash.

It also at one point encounters a dropped banana skin and falls dramatically - but uses its extendable neck to push itself back up. 

'Spot is one of the quietest robots we have ever built, the firm says, due to its electric motors.

'It has a variety of sensors, including depth cameras, a solid state gyro (IMU) and proprioception sensors in the limbs. 

'These sensors help with navigation and mobile manipulation. 

'Spot performs some tasks autonomously, but often uses a human for high-level guidance.' 

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{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

07-02-2025 om 21:31 geschreven door peter  

Watch humanoid robots waltzing seamlessly with humans thanks to AI motion tracking software upgrade

Humanoid robots could soon move in a far more realistic manner — and even dance just like us — thanks to a new software framework for tracking human motion.

Developed by researchers at UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, MIT, and Nvidia, "ExBody2" is a new technology that enables humanoid robots to perform realistic movements based on detailed scans and motion-tracked visualizations of humans.

The researchers hope that future humanoid robots could perform a much wider range of tasks by mimicking human movements more accurately. For example, the teaching method could help robots operate in roles requiring fine movements — such as retrieving items from shelves — or moving with care around humans or other machines.

ExBody2 works by taking simulated movements based on motion-capture scans of humans and translating them into usable motion data for the robot to replicate. The framework can replicate complex movements using the robot, which would let robots move less rigidly and adapt to different tasks without needing extensive retraining.

Related: 

• 8 of the weirdest robots in the world right now

This is all taught using reinforcement learning, a subset of machine learning in which the robot is fed large amounts of data to ensure it takes the optimal route in any given situation. Good outputs, simulated by researchers, are assigned positive or negative scores to "reward" the model for desirable outcomes, which here meant replicating motions precisely without compromising the bot's stability.

The framework can also take short motion clips, such as a few seconds of dancing, and synthesize new frames of movement for reference, to enable robots to complete longer-duration movements.

Dancing with robots

In a video posted to YouTube, a robot trained through ExBody2 dances, spars and exercises alongside a human subject. Additionally, the robot mimics a researcher's movement in real time, using additional code titled "HybrIK: Hybrid Analytical-Neural Inverse Kinematics for Body Mesh Recovery" developed by the Machine Vision and Intelligence Group at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

At present, ExBody2's dataset is largely focused on upper-body movements. In a study, uploaded Dec. 17, 2024 to the preprint server ArXiv, the researchers behind the framework explained that this is due to concerns that introducing too much movement in the lower half of the robot will cause instability.

"Overly simplistic tasks could limit the training policy's ability to generalize to new situations, while overly complex tasks might exceed the robot's operational capabilities, leading to ineffective learning outcomes," they wrote. "Part of our dataset preparation, therefore, includes the exclusion or modification of entries that featured complex lower body movements beyond the robot's capabilities."

The researchers' dataset contains more than 2,800 movements, with 1,919 of these coming from the Archive of Motion Capture As Surface Shapes (AMASS) dataset. This is a large dataset of human motions, including more than 11,000 individual human movements and 40 hours of detailed motion data, intended for non-commercial deep learning — when a neural network is trained on vast amounts of data to identify or reproduce patterns.

Having proven ExBody2's effectiveness at replicating human-like movement in humanoid robots, the team will now turn to the problem of achieving these results without having to manually curate datasets to ensure only suitable information is available to the framework. The researchers suggest that, in the future, automated dataset collection will help smooth this process.

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{ https://www.livescience.com/ }

06-02-2025 om 17:12 geschreven door peter  

Incredible images capture US Navy testing its new laser weapon that NEVER runs out of power

• READ MORE: US military launches missile tests hours after 2024 election 

By STACY LIBERATORE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

The US Navy has released stunning images showing its incredible new drone-destroying laser weapon in action for the first time.

The HELIOS system was tested aboard the USS Preble, with photos capturing its bright beam shooting an unmanned aerial vehicle out of the sky.

HELIOS, which stands for High Laser with Integrated Optical-dazzler and Surveillance, was developed by Lockheed Martin in 2021 and delivered to the Navy a year later.

The system blasts more than 60 kilowatts of directed energy, enough to power up to 60 homes, at the speed of light and can hit targets up to five miles away.

It is designed to counter a range of threats, including drones, small boats, and potentially incoming missiles.

HELIOS was also designed to disrupt the intelligence and reconnaissance sensors on enemy vessels.

The testing comes as threats against America's warships are growing as foreign nations stock their arsenals with drones and anti-ship missiles.

The US Naval Institute said in a recent report: 'The drone threat has been around for years, but the Navy has yet to prioritize defending against these easily acquired weapons.'

The US Navy conducted the first tests of its drone-kill laser weapon. HELIOS can fire for as long as it has power, which it collects from the ship

'Expecting sailors who shoot shotguns, rifles, or machine guns twice a year on a range to be able to engage multiple small, fast-moving targets is unreasonable, 'the report added.

'Even if a few sailors were expert shooters capable of shooting down drones, it likely would take a few minutes from the first report of a potential drone to identify the drone, raise the alarm, and bring key weapons and associated ammunition to bear against the threat—time the ship might not have.'

But the Navy sees its new HELIOS as a way to fight back, showing off its capabilities on the open ocean.

The US Center for Countermeasures (CCM) released details on the testing, SWNS reported.

'CCM supported the Navy’s demonstration on USS Preble (DDG 88) to verify and validate the functionality, performance, and capability of the HEL with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance system against an unmanned aerial vehicle target, it shared in a report. 

The weapon was integrated into the ship's combat system, enhancing its target detection and tracking capabilities. 

HELIOS can fire for as long as it has power, which it collects from the ship.

The system blasts more than 60 kilowatts of directed energy, enough to power up to 60 homes, at the speed of light and can hit targets up to five miles away

The HELIOS system was tested aboard the USS Preble, with photos showing its bright beam shooting an unmanned aerial vehicle out of the sky

And because the ship's power source is constantly replenished, the laser has an unlimited supply of power. 

The test comes as a Homeland Security Advisor and billionaire Marc Andreessen suggested AI-powered jets will be the main fighters in future wars.

Speaking on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast in November, Andreessen said jets that travel five times the speed of sound, Mach 5, are going to be more common 'within a few years.'

'Image a thousand of these things coming over the horizon right at you,' Andreessen said. 'It really changes the fundamental equation of war.' 

He explain that instead of needing the most soldiers and material to win, people with the most technology and money will take over.

Andreessen also noted that there are 'a bunch of reasons' why he believes a future of AI-piloted fighter jets is all but inevitable.

'Part of it is simply the speed of processing,' Andreessen explained.

'But the other big thing is, if you don't have a human in the plane, you don't have [...] 'the Spam in the Can.''

'You don't have the human body in the plane to keep alive, which means you can be a lot faster,' the billionaire White House advisor continued, 'much higher G-forces.'

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{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

05-02-2025 om 15:53 geschreven door peter  

PREMIUM

Kopfoto Lieve Scheire © UAntwerpen, GTT, montage HLN

Lieven Scheire toert momenteel door Nederland en het Verenigd Koninkrijk met zijn theatershow over AI. Daarin krijgt DeepSeek ook meteen aandacht. 

© VTM

{ https://www.hln.be/ }

04-02-2025 om 17:20 geschreven door peter  

12 pivotal moments in the history of robotics, from Isaac Asimov to self-driving cars

{ https://www.livescience.com/ }

04-02-2025 om 00:00 geschreven door peter  

How Many Dimensions Does Our Universe Really Have?

Does our Universe have extra dimensions, and how do they influence our reality?

 Matthew S. Williams

While this kind of talk may sound like something farfetched or purely speculative, it is actually a vital part of our understanding of how our Universe works. If and when we determine how many dimensions our Universe has (and what each of them does), we will finally have a Theory of Everything (ToE) and know how it all fits together.

Dimensions 101

To break it down, the term “dimension” refers to any mathematical measurement. This can generally refer to a physical measurement (an object or space) or a temporal measurement (time). There are three dimensions that we experience daily, which define the length, width, and depth of all objects in our Universe (the x, y, and z-axis, respectively).

However, scientists maintain that to understand the laws of nature, one must include a “fourth dimension,” which is time. Without this coordinate, the position, velocity, and acceleration of objects in our Universe cannot be properly measured. It’s not enough to know where an object is in terms of three spatial coordinates. You also need to know when the object was where.

Beyond these four dimensions, theoretical physicists have ventured that there may be more at play. The number of dimensions varies, but the purpose behind extra dimensions is to find ways of unifying the known laws of the Universe, which theoretical physicists have been trying to do for about a century.

• Electromagnetism
• Weak Nuclear Force
• Strong Nuclear Force
• Gravitation

The first three forces are all described by the field of Quantum Mechanics and are associated with specific subatomic particles. Electromagnetism is associated with electrons (a lepton), which are responsible for electricity, magnetism, and all forms of electromagnetic radiation. That includes visible light (color), heat, microwaves, radio waves, ultraviolet radiation, and gamma rays.

The weak nuclear force deals with interactions between subatomic particles responsible for the radioactive decay of atoms and is associated with particles smaller than a proton (bosons). At higher energies, this force merges with electromagnetism, which has given rise to the unified term “electroweak force.”

The strong nuclear force governs particles that are the size of protons and neutrons (hadrons) and is so-named because it is approximately 137 times as strong as electromagnetism, millions of times stronger than the weak nuclear force, and 10³⁸ times as strong as gravitation. It causes quarks to come together to form larger protons and neutrons and binds them to create atomic nuclei.

Superstring theory, a variation on ST, requires the existence of 10 spacetime dimensions. These include the four dimensions immediately apparent to us (length, width, depth, time) and six more that are not. 

These extra six dimensions are curled up into a compact space. On order the string scale (10^-33 cm) we wouldn’t be able to detect the presence of these extra dimensions directly because they’re just too small. 

According to the theory, the fifth and sixth dimensions deal with possible worlds that began with the same initial conditions. 

The fifth dimension encompasses worlds with slightly different outcomes than ours, while the sixth is where a plane of possible worlds would be visible. The seventh dimension is where one could see possible worlds that started with different initial conditions and then branched out infinitely — hence why the term “infinity” is used to describe them.

On its face, the first possibility seems highly unlikely. After all, ongoing particle experiments — like those conducted with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) — have confirmed that the Standard Model of particle physics is correct. Similarly, General Relativity has been confirmed many times over since Einstein formally proposed it in 1915.

That leaves us with the second possibility: that extra dimensions cannot be measured or characterized using current methods and experiments. A well-studied possibility is that dimensions are “curled up” at tiny scales, which means their properties and influence on spacetime could only be measured at subatomic levels.

Another possibility is “compactification,” where certain dimensions are finite or temporal in nature. In short, this theory posits that curled-up dimensions become very small or close in on themselves to form circles. If this is true, then the six extra dimensions would likely take the form of a Calabi–Yau manifold (these are shapes that satisfy the requirement needed for the six “unseen” spatial dimensions of string theory).

For astrophysicists and theoretical physicists, compactification and the idea that extra dimensions are tiny explains why the Universe still exists billions of years after its emergence. If these dimensions were larger, they would accommodate enough matter to trigger gravitational collapses and the formation of black holes (which would consume the rest of the Universe).

The fact that the cosmos still exists after 13.8 billion years, and shows no sign of being torn apart, would suggest that this theory is sound. Alternatively, the laws of physics may operate differently in these extra dimensions. Either way, there’s still the unanswered question of how we might observe and study them.

How do we find them?

So if the Universe really does have extra dimensions that are imperceptible to us, how are we going to find evidence of their existence and determine their properties? One possibility is to look for them through particle physics experiments, like those conducted by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) — the operators of the LHC — and other particle accelerator labs.

At CERN, scientists boost particles to high energies before smashing them together and measuring the resulting cascade of subatomic particles. Detectors gather clues about the particles, such as their speed, mass, and charge, which can be used to work out their identity.

Theories involving extra dimensions predict that there must be heavier versions of standard particles recurring at higher and higher energies as they navigate smaller dimensions. These would have exactly the same properties as standard particles (and so be visible to detectors like those at CERN) but at a greater mass. If evidence of these were to be found, this might suggest the presence of extra dimensions. 

To date, astronomers have been unable to see this far back in time since no telescopes have been sensitive enough. This will change in the near future, thanks to next-generation instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (RST), the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), and the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT).

This coincides nicely with existing Dark Matter and Dark Energy surveys that are observing early comic history in the hopes of measuring their influence on cosmic evolution. Since some theorists venture that the existence of extra dimensions could help explain the “Dark Universe,” these observations could address several mysteries at once.

This dual approach is not unlike our current understanding of the Universe, which scientists can only understand in one of two ways — the largest (GR) and tiniest of scales (QM). By observing the Universe with a very wide and very tight-angle lense, we may be able to account for all the forces governing it.

Much like other ToE candidates, the belief that the universe is made up of ten dimensions or more is an attempt to take all the physical laws we understand and find out how they fit together. In that respect, it’s like assembling a puzzle, where each piece makes sense to us, but we are unaware of what the bigger picture looks like.

It’s not enough to put pieces together wherever they appear to match. We also need to have an overall idea of what the framework is, a mental picture of what it will look like when it is finished. This helps to guide our efforts so we can anticipate how it will all come together.

{ https://interestingengineering.com/ }

31-01-2025 om 15:40 geschreven door peter  

Could we travel to parallel universes?

But how would we get to one of those parallel universes?

The trick is to build a time machine. It doesn't matter how you do it; you just need to go back in time. Normally, going back in time introduces all sorts of nasty paradoxes, like the infamous grandfather paradox, or, less violently, inconsistent histories. Try going back in time and destroying your time machine. Now it doesn't exist, which means you can't go back in time to destroy it, which means it should exist.

Related: 

• How long does it take to travel to the moon?

Perhaps time travel into the past is forbidden for exactly these reasons, according to Stephen Hawking's chronology protection conjecture. Or perhaps time travel into the past is allowed, but with one strict rule: You can't change the past. This is known as Igor Novikov's self-consistency conjecture. But how could you go into the past without changing it?

One possible answer is that when you travel into the past, you don't go into your own past. Instead, you slip into another history. If you go back in time and kill Hitler, you're not killing the Hitler of your past; you're killing somebody else's. And in that alternate universe, Hitler was always killed by a time-traveling assassin from another universe. When you return to the future, you come back home, with an unchanged past.

The many-worlds interpretation offers a natural platform for creating these alternate histories. If the universe is constantly splitting and branching anyway, then time travel simply moves you from one of those branches to another. Or, in another possibility, when you go back in time, you create a new branch that didn't exist before.

While this all sounds neat and tidy, it runs into the slight complication that nobody has ever gotten it to work. We don't know how this process actually unfolds or through what mechanism the alternate history emerges.

Attempts to navigate the issue by studying quantum mechanics have had mixed results. Left to their own devices, quantum fields tend to go haywire when time machines are involved. You can stabilize them — if you give up some of the core tenets of the theory, like the correspondence principle or unitarity, which say that quantum processes eventually lead to macroscopic behavior and that fundamental reactions are reversible. Nobody is really willing to give those up, since they seem central to the theory — so we're stuck on that front.

Besides, even classical, non-quantum systems run into issues. Let's say you have a switch that can turn your time machine on and off — say, by opening or closing a wormhole. We don't know how the alternate histories can accommodate changes in their space-time structures like that, regardless of whatever quantum processes are happening on a subatomic level.

However, if we could build a time machine, we could easily test whether alternate histories are created. All we'd have to do is change something in the past that you remember. If you're not allowed to do it (say, no matter how hard you try, you just can't kill Hitler), then you know there's only one timeline with a past that is locked in stone. But if you accomplish the mission, then you know that alternate histories are real and that the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics might be valid.

We don't know if any of this is possible. On the other hand, we can't exactly rule it out. Time travel into the past seems forbidden but for reasons we can't readily discern. Our past seems to be gone forever — but it's also possible that it's just one branch of many and that visiting alternate universes is as easy as … Well, it's not easy at all.

• Originally posted on Space.com.

{ https://www.livescience.com/space }

31-01-2025 om 14:35 geschreven door peter  

First mouse with two biological FATHERS reaches adulthood - in breakthrough that could pave the way for gay men to have children

• READ MORE: Step-by-step graphic reveals how a 'virgin birth' is possible 

By WILIAM HUNTER

The first mouse with two biological fathers has survived until adulthood, a new study has revealed.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences say they have succeeded in breeding mice using only genetic material from two males.

Through a technique called 'embryonic stem cell engineering’, scientists created eggs from the sperm of one father which could be fertilised by the other.

The stem cell technique used by the researchers is not entirely new, but all previous attempts faced seemingly insurmountable problems.

Mice bred using two sets of male genes either failed to grow at all or were born with severe developmental defects that prevented them from reaching adulthood.

However, by editing 20 different genes in the mice's stem cells, the researchers were able to prevent these issues.

Co-author of the study Dr Wei Li says: 'This work will help to address a number of limitations in stem cell and regenerative medicine research.'

While it is currently only possible in mice, this major breakthrough could pave the way for gay men to have children who are biologically related to both fathers. 

Researchers have successfully bred a mouse (right) that has two male parents (one pictured left) and can survive to adulthood by editing their genes to overcome developmental challenges 

In order to breed offspring which have two biological fathers, the researchers first needed to transform the male sex cells from one parent into female sex cells.

The scientists took sperm from a mouse and injected it into a type of cell called an oocyte - an immature egg cell that has had its genetic material removed in a process called enucleation.

This created a stem cell - a type of cell with the potential to become any other type of cell in the body - which contained only male DNA from the first parent.

The researchers then took one of these stem cells and a sperm cell from another male and injected both into another enucleated immature egg.

These male cells combined to create an embryonic stem cell containing the DNA of both parents, which was then used to create an embryo which could be implanted in a surrogate mother.

Once the embryo had developed, the mother gave birth to the offspring, which contained only genetic material from the two males.

Scientists have known for a long time that this is possible and have managed to create viable embryos using the technique.

However, no one has previously managed to create 'bi-paternal' mice that are actually capable of surviving to adulthood.

By changing genes which control how the parents' chromosomes combine, the bi-paternal mice lived much longer and could even survive weaning. Edited mice are shown by the dark blue line 

During heterosexual reproduction, genetic material from a male carried by the sperm combines with genetic material from a female contained in the egg, or ovum.

When this happens, a group of genes called 'homologous chromosomes' from the mother come together with those from the father and combine in a process called 'crossing over'.

But when both sets of homologous chromosomes come from either two males or two females, the genes don't copy over properly, leading to 'imprinting abnormalities'.

These abnormalities can cause developmental defects which prevent the offspring from living healthy lives.

Co-author Dr Qi Zhou says: 'The unique characteristics of imprinting genes have led scientists to believe that they are a fundamental barrier to unisexual reproduction in mammals.

'Even when constructing bi-maternal or bi-paternal embryos artificially, they fail to develop properly, and they stall at some point during development due to these genes.'

In this study, the researchers used a gene editing technology called CRISPR to make changes to mice's DNA in order to prevent imprinting abnormalities.

After creating stem cells from the first male's sperm, they inserted or removed sections of genetic code at 20 places in the mice's DNA that control imprinting.

Using a technique called CRISPR, the researchers modified 20 genes in one of the male mice. This prevented their offspring developing defects which led to earlier death (stock image) 

When these genetically modified stem cells were combined with the sperm from another male, they were much more likely to develop properly.

These changes resulted in mice with two fathers who were able to live until adulthood for the first time ever.

Study co-author Dr Guan-Zheng Luo, of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, says: 'These findings provide strong evidence that imprinting abnormalities are the main barrier to mammalian unisexual reproduction.

'This approach can significantly improve the developmental outcomes of embryonic stem cells and cloned animals, paving a promising path for the advancement of regenerative medicine.'

The authors do acknowledge some significant limitations to these findings.

Only 11.8 per cent of the viable embryos were capable of developing to birth and not every pup which was born lived to adulthood.

The mice that did live to adulthood showed altered growth, shortened lifespans, and were sterile.

However, these results show the first promising steps towards giving gay men the option to have children who are related to both of their fathers.

In the future, the development of this technique could allow gay men to have children who are genetically related to both partners. However, gene editing techniques are currently not permitted for use on humans (stock image)

In theory, it could be possible to use a similar technique to create an embryo using stem cells derived from one human partner and sperm from the other.

Although the child would still need to be carried to term by a female surrogate, they would have genetic material only from both of their fathers.

Currently, the researchers are planning to try this approach in larger animals like monkeys - and warn that the technological hurdles will be significantly larger.

That means getting the technique to work in humans could require years of effort. 

However, not everyone is convinced that scientists should try to pursue this technology in humans, even if it is possible.

Lukasz Konieczka, executive director of the LGBT+ charity Mosaic Trust, told MailOnline: ''I do understand that some might have a strong desire to have biological children as it offers some virtual immortality, as psychologists call it.

'I do not think it is necessary to spend time and resources on such technology as we still have children who are alive today, stuck in a care system due to neglectful or abusive biological parents.'

Since the technique requires editing the genome of the parent's stem cells, it is also prohibited in humans.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research's ethical guidelines for stem cell research do not allow heritable genome editing for reproductive purposes nor the use of human stem cell-derived gametes for reproduction because they are deemed as currently unsafe.

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{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

28-01-2025 om 23:34 geschreven door peter  

Chinese researchers just built an open-source rival to ChatGPT in 2 months. Silicon Valley is freaked out.

For large language models, these data are text. For instance, OpenAI's GPT-3.5, which was released in 2023, was trained on roughly 570GB of text data from the repository Common Crawl — which amounts to roughly 300 billion words — taken from books, online articles, Wikipedia and other webpages.

Reasoning models, such as R1 and o1, are an upgraded version of standard LLMs that use a method called "chain of thought" to backtrack and reevaluate their logic, which enables them to tackle more complex tasks with greater accuracy.

This has made reasoning models popular among scientists and engineers who are looking to integrate AI into their work.

But unlike ChatGPT's o1, DeepSeek is an "open-weight" model that (although its training data remains proprietary) enables users to peer inside and modify its algorithm. Just as important is its reduced price for users — 27 times less than o1.

Besides its performance, the hype around DeepSeek comes from its cost efficiency; the model's shoestring budget is minuscule compared with the tens of millions to hundreds of millions that rival companies spend to train its competitors.

In addition, U.S. export controls, which limit Chinese companies' access to the best AI computing chips, forced R1's developers to build smarter, more energy-efficient algorithms to compensate for their lack of computing power. ChatGPT reportedly needed 10,000 Nvidia GPUs to process its training data, DeepSeek engineers say they achieved similar results with just over 2,000.

How much this will translate into useful scientific and technical applications, or whether DeepSeek has simply trained its model to ace benchmark tests, remains to be seen. Scientists and AI investors are watching closely.

{ https://www.livescience.com/ }

28-01-2025 om 22:07 geschreven door peter  

Nuclear fusion breakthrough: China's 'artificial sun' reactor sets a new world record by generating a steady loop of plasma for 1,066 seconds - taking the world closer towards limitless clean energy

• READ MORE: Inside the world's first nuclear waste 'tomb' costing $4 BILLION

By JONATHAN CHADWICK FOR MAILONLINE 

If we want to rely on nuclear fusion to power the world's homes, the first step is making reactors that can run as hot and as long as possible. 

Now, China's 'artificial sun' reactor – officially called 'Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak' (EAST) – has set a new world record, bringing the goal of limitless clean energy ever closer. 

The reactor, located in Hefei in Anhui province, generated a steady loop of plasma for 1,066 seconds at 180million°F (100million°C) – seven times hotter than the sun's core. 

It surpasses the previous world record of 403 seconds, also set by EAST in 2023. 

EAST could be a precursor to the first ever fusion power plants that supply power directly to the grid and electricity to people's homes. 

These power plants could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the power-generation sector by diverting away from the use of fossil fuels like coal and gas. 

Fusion differs from fission (the technique currently used in nuclear power plants), because the former fuses two atomic nuclei instead of splitting one (fission). 

Unlike fission, fusion carries no risk of catastrophic nuclear accidents – like that seen in Fukushima in Japan in 2011 – and produces far less radioactive waste than current power plants, its exponents say.

China's 'artificial sun' reactor - officially called 'Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak' (EAST) - has set a new world record, bringing the goal of limitless clean energy ever closer. The reactor, located in Hefei in Anhui province, generated a steady loop of plasma for 1,066 seconds at 180million°F (100million°C) - seven times hotter than the sun's core 

If nuclear fusion experiments can be harnessed on a much larger scale, reactors hotter than anything else in the solar system will provide limitless clean energy. Tokamak Energy is a private company based at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire

China's 'artificial sun' is operated by the Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) at Hefei Institutes of Physical Science on behalf of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 

The new world record, achieved on Monday, marks a critical step toward a functional fusion reactor, according to ASIPP director Professor Song Yuntao.

'A fusion device must achieve stable operation at high efficiency for thousands of seconds to enable the self-sustaining circulation of plasma, which is essential for the continuous power generation of future fusion plants,' he said. 

Global scientists have worked for more than 70 years on trying to achieve this feat, according to a release from State Council Information Office, central propaganda department of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. 

Gong Xianzu, head of the division of EAST physics and experimental operations, said they have upgraded several EAST systems since the last round of experiments. 

For example, the heating system, which previously operated at the equivalent of nearly 70,000 household microwave ovens, has now doubled its power output. 

'The ultimate goal of an artificial sun is to create nuclear fusion like the sun, providing humanity with an endless, clean energy source,' the release says. 

Fusion – generally considered the holy grail of energy – could also enable 'space exploration beyond the solar system', by providing rockets with more powerful propulsion systems. 

China's self-designed 'artificial sun' - a device to harness the energy of fusion, has made an important advance by achieving a temperature of 180 million °F (100 million °C) in plasma

This photo shows the control center of the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, January 20, 2025

A staff member performs an upgrade to the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) at the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on April 28, 2021

At the heart of EAST and other fusion reactors around the world is a tokamak, a doughnut-shaped device initially conceptualised in the 1950s by Soviet physicists. 

Inside, under the influence of extreme heat and pressure, gaseous hydrogen fuel becomes a plasma – a hot, electrically charged gas. 

Plasma is often referred to as the fourth state of matter after solid, liquid and gas, and comprises over 99 per cent of the visible universe, including most of our sun. 

In the tokamak, the plasma is trapped and pressurised by magnetic fields until the energised plasma particles start to collide.

As the particles fuse into helium, they release enormous amounts of energy, mimicking the process that occurs naturally in the centre of stars like our sun.

The only by-products of fusion reactions are small amounts of helium, an inert gas which can be safely released without harming the environment. 

As a result, fusion reactors have long been touted as the best clean energy source – although the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists claims they are 'far from perfect'.

As yet, the energy input required to produce the temperatures and pressures that enable significant fusion reactions in hydrogen isotopes don't justify the fusion energy that's actually being generated, the nonprofit organization points out. 

At the heart of EAST and other fusion reactors around the world is the tokamak, a doughnut-shaped device initially conceptualised in the 1950s by Soviet physicists. Inside, under the influence of extreme heat and pressure, gaseous hydrogen fuel becomes a plasma – a hot, electrically charged gas

Gong Xianzu, head of division of the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) Physics and Experimental Operations, watches the experimental data on January 15, 2025 in Hefei, Anhui Province of China

Nuclear fusion is still in the research and development phase - while nuclear fission is already making electricity. Pictured, nuclear power plant in Wuhan, China

Fusion power works by colliding heavy hydrogen atoms to form helium - releasing vast amounts of energy in the process, as occurs naturally in the centre of stars

It's worth bearing in mind that EAST, as the name suggests, is China's 'experimental' reactor project – and may yet pave the way for the first nuclear fusion power plants. 

Chinese experts say: 'The mission of the EAST project is to develop an advanced fully superconducting tokamak so as to establish solid scientific and technological bases for the future continuous operation of tokamak fusion devices.' 

Of course there are already nuclear power plants around the world, but they use nuclear fission, which has the disadvantage of generating unstable nuclei, some of which are radioactive for millions of years. 

Fusion, on the other hand, does not create any long-lived radioactive nuclear waste but instead helium, which is an inert gas. 

Fusion fuel is made up of deuterium and tritium, which are isotopes of hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, giving scientists hopes of 'unlimited energy'. 

The Chinese team plan to use the nuclear fusion reactor in collaboration with scientists in France working on the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).

The Provence-based ITER project is expected to begin delivering power in 2035, and will become the world's biggest reactor once completed. 

Meanwhile, the SPARC nuclear fusion reactor, a US project involving MIT, is currently in development in Devens, Massachusetts and scheduled to start operations in 2026. 

Construction of ITER, the world's largest nuclear fusion project that will replicate the reactions that power the sun in pursuit of clean power

In 2024, Korea's artificial sun' (pictured) ran at 100 million°C (180 million°F) for 48 seconds - seven times hotter than the sun's core

South Korea also has its own 'artificial sun', the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR), which has run at 180million°F (100million°C) for 48 seconds. 

Japan's reactor, called JT-60SA and switched on in Naka north of Tokyo late 2023, is a six-storey-high machine measuring 50 feet high and 44 feet wide. 

Built and operated jointly by Europe and Japan, JT-60SA will be the world's largest fusion reactor until the completion of ITER in France.

Other smaller reactors are being built and tested – including the ST40 in Oxfordshire, which is more squashed-up and compact compared with other 'doughnut-shaped' reactors. 

The Joint European Torus (JET), also located in Oxfordshire, released a total of 69 megajoules of energy over five seconds before being decommissioned. 

They could all be precursors to fusion power plants that supply power directly to the grid and electricity to people's homes. 

HOW A FUSION REACTOR WORKS

Fusion is the process by which a gas is heated up and separated into its constituent ions and electrons. 

It involves light elements, such as hydrogen, smashing together to form heavier elements, such as helium. 

For fusion to occur, hydrogen atoms are placed under high heat and pressure until they fuse together.

The tokamak (artist's impression) is the most developed magnetic confinement system and is the basis for the design of many modern fusion reactors. The purple at the center of the diagram shows the plasma inside 

When deuterium and tritium nuclei - which can be found in hydrogen - fuse, they form a helium nucleus, a neutron and a lot of energy.

This is done by heating the fuel to temperatures in excess of 150 million°C and forming a hot plasma, a gaseous soup of subatomic particles.

Strong magnetic fields are used to keep the plasma away from the reactor's walls, so that it doesn't cool down and lose its energy potential.

These fields are produced by superconducting coils surrounding the vessel and by an electrical current driven through the plasma.

For energy production, plasma has to be confined for a sufficiently long period for fusion to occur.

When ions get hot enough, they can overcome their mutual repulsion and collide, fusing together. 

When this happens, they release around one million times more energy than a chemical reaction and three to four times more than a conventional nuclear fission reactor.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

22-01-2025 om 23:36 geschreven door peter  

Quantum computing, a transformative field leveraging quantum mechanics, has the potential to solve complex problems far beyond the reach of classical computers. While it promises significant advancements, it also poses risks, such as breaking cryptographic codes, threatening global data security. 

For example: At NASA's Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (QuAIL), experiments revealed unprecedented computational power and successfully solved the unsolvable problem. However, the quantum computer began generating independent and unconventional outputs, leading to speculation that it could think for itself or even connect with extraterrestrial intelligence. Concerned about the implications, NASA halted its quantum computing project in 2023, though some believe the research continued in secret. 

Separately, researchers have hypothesized that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations might use black holes as quantum computers for computation and communication. highlighting the mysterious potential of these quantum systems to explore phenomena beyond Earthly understanding. 

A fictional scenario (watch video below) illustrates the dangers of quantum technology spiraling out of control: 

A mysterious data transfer lights up NSA monitors at 3 AM. Within hours, hospital records flash across Times Square billboards. Dating app messages spill onto every screen in the city. 

Bank accounts vanish. Traffic lights freeze. Autonomous vehicles crash through shopping malls. Intelligence agencies scramble as decades of encrypted messages suddenly unlock. Someone or something has broken the unbreakable - the mathematical foundations that protect everything from banking passwords to nuclear launch codes. 

The quantum apocalypse arrives years ahead of schedule. But as chaos spreads, patterns start to surface. The timing seems too perfect, the targets too precise. 

Deep beneath the Pentagon, analysts notice something strange: some messages were decrypted months ago. The chaos isn't random - it's cover for something bigger.

  

{ https://ufosightingshotspot.blogspot.com/ }

16-01-2025 om 14:44 geschreven door peter  

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12-01-2025 om 23:52 geschreven door peter  

Along with this unique heating ability that doesn’t require an outside heating source to change from a solid state to a liquid one, Majidi says the magnetic particles also give the robots the ability to move in response to the magnetic field. This is particularly significant since the primary function of any robot is the ability to move around and perform various functions.

“Giving robots the ability to switch between liquid and solid states endows them with more functionality,” says Chengfeng Pan, an engineer at The Chinese University of Hong Kong who led the study.

Liquid Metal Robot Passes a wide range of tests

To understand the limits of their new shape-shifting liquid metal robot, the researchers put it through a number of tests. This included using magnetic fields to make the robot jump over moats, climb walls, and even split itself into two smaller robots to move other objects around before coalescing back together.

To show how it could help screw together parts in hard-to-reach places, the team melted some of the metal into the threaded screw socket and then allowed it to harden in place. They even used the conductive ability of their liquid metal robot to show how it could perform soldering tasks in extremely tight confines by melting into them and then re-hardening to perform its tasks.

Extreme Liquid Phase Allows For Sci-Fi Jailbreak

In the case of the video provided by researchers, the ability to change from a solid state to a liquid metal state allows the robot-shaped metal to escape a tiny prison. This is due to what the researchers describe as an “extremely liquid phase.” Other shape-shifting materials typically have a liquid phase that is much more viscous than the newly created material.

“What we’re showing are just one-off demonstrations, proofs of concept,” said Majidi.

Of course, the robot from the video wasn’t able to travel back in time or track down a tween-aged John Connor. But given its ability to shape-shift from a solid metal state to a liquid one and then back to a solid, it’s pretty much guaranteed that if the robot could talk, it would say, “I’ll be back!”

• Christopher Plain is a novelist, comedian, and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on Twitter, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/science/ }

11-01-2025 om 01:27 geschreven door peter  

• READ MORE: UFO-like flying vehicle that could be the next Uber 

By LUKE ANDREWS AT CES IN LAS VEGAS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

It looks like something straight out of Star Wars.

But this new electric flying vehicle is the latest in a line of aerodynamic EVs set to take over the skies over the next decade.

The stylish $300,000 Manta M4 offers space for one passenger and takes off from land and sea, but can only land in water.

The Manta M4 travels up to 65 miles per hour and weighs as much as a small jet ski.

The vehicle is steered using a joystick, allowing riders to soar up to 500 feet above the ground — about the height of two Statue of Liberty, or half the height of the Empire State Building.

Riders are protected by a glass hood, which will protect against wind speed and keep users safe from the craft's three propellers. 

The craft gets 30 minutes of power with an electric battery or three hours using one of its hydrogen fuel cells.

Revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, founder David Simchon told DailyMail.com how his vehicle would surely be the next pleasure craft of the skies.

Only a model of the vehicle was shown, but the company, called SimTechLabs, says the full product will be unveiled at a boat show in Florida next month when it hits the market for the first time.

Pictured above is a model of the Manta M4, which will debut at a boat show in Florida next month

The device uses three propellers to take off from land or water, and can fly at 65mph for up to 30 minutes using its electric battery

Simchon said that users will not need a license due to the craft’s lightweight design that is at under 300lbs, meaning it is considered ultra-light, a point where the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not require users to have a license.

However, owners without a pilot's license will have to follow the FAA's regulations and airspace restrictions.

Manta M4 has a thermal onboard system to detect and warn of birds and other dangers in the air and a system emitting ultrasonic sounds to scare away sharks that may be lurking in the water beneath.

The base features a 360-degree camera, allowing riders to capture breathtaking views of the world below while they fly — or check the water below for any signs of rocks or sharks.

It also features eight ultrasonic sensors, 16 sonar disruptions sensors and four thermal cameras to capture scenes of its surroundings and avoid oncoming obstacles. 

In a worst-case scenario of the craft losing power, it has three parachutes that will deploy to ensure a safe landing.

It is the second craft to be launched by SimTech labs after it launched a flying aircraft called the Icarus Project in 2024.

Flying aircraft and taxis — some autonomously operated — are expected to be routinely whizzing around US skies within the next few years, according to the FAA.

And it’s the same in the UK, where the Government says it expects them to be ‘routinely’ in operation by 2028.

Manta M4 has a thermal onboard system to detect and warn of birds and other dangers in the air and a system emitting ultrasonic sounds to scare away sharks that may be lurking in the water beneath

Developer SimTechLabs prices the craft at $300,000 for one. Ten are set to go on sale

The former head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Sergio Cecutta and who resigned in 2023, said at the time that one of his major achievements was fast-tracking progress to get electric airtaxis into the skies.

Another UFO-like craft was also revealed at CES — called the ‘Invo Moon’ — that could carry up to three passengers through US skies. 

And Toyota debuted its Joby aircraft which is expected to go on sale later this Year.

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10-01-2025 om 21:22 geschreven door peter