Robots receive major intelligence boost thanks to Google DeepMind's 'thinking AI' — a pair of models that help machines understand the world

{ https://www.livescience.com/technology/robotics }

10-10-2025 om 22:19 geschreven door peter  

Revealed: The scientific breakthroughs that could allow same–sex couples to have their OWN biological children

• READ MORE: Fertility breakthrough as experts create eggs from human skin cell

By JONATHAN CHADWICK, ASSISTANT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Becoming a parent is something that many people dream of – but for gay couples, the reality can be complicated. 

As it stands, same–sex partners must rely on a surrogate mother or father – but this means only one of the couple passes on their genes. 

However, this could soon be about to change. 

In a stunning breakthrough this week, scientists revealed they've been able to create human eggs from skin cells. 

The technique opens the possibility for DNA from a man's skin cells being placed inside a donor egg, before being fertilised by another man. 

In theory, this could allow two men to have a baby, without any DNA from a woman. 

This is not the only cutting–edge advance in the last few years that could allow same–sex couples to have their own biological children – with other researchers looking at everything from lab–grown sperm and eggs to 'virgin births'.

So in mere decades, gay people could have a multitude of options to choose from on their journey to parenthood. 

Becoming a parent is something that many people dream of – but for gay couples, the reality can be complicated

(stock image)

Sperm cell insertion 

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

A biological baby to be born to a same–sex couple would of course have to have genetic material from both parents – from two sets of sperm, for example.

While this may sound like an impossibility, scientists in China have excitingly demonstrated that it is feasibly possible.  

The experts managed to insert two sperm cells – one from each father – into a mouse egg whose nucleus had been removed. 

A gene editing technique was then used to reprogram parts of the sperm DNA to allow an embryo to develop – a process called androgenesis. 

The embryo (featuring the genetic material from two fathers) was transferred to a female womb and allowed to grow to term. 

Finally, the resulting offspring managed to grow to adulthood and become a parent after mating conventionally with a female, suggesting that a baby born to two dads would be able live and breed as normal. 

Although promising, experts caution that we are not ready to start such experiments in humans, which could be deeply unethical. 

Christophe Galichet, research operations manager at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre in London, points out that the success rate of the experiments was very low. 

Of 259 mice embryos that were transferred to female mice, just two survived, grew to adulthood and then fathered their own offspring. 

Genetically modified eggs 

Sperm cell insertion would theoretically allow two fathers to have a biological baby, but how about two mothers? 

A hallmark experiment in Japan in 2004 created the first ever 'bimaternal' mouse using eggs from two female parents. 

Experts at the Tokyo University of Agriculture managed the feat by genetically modifying eggs from a female mouse to make them act like sperm. 

The resulting miracle mouse, named Kaguya, was the first mammal born from two genetic mothers. 

However, ethical concerns and technological limitations pose barriers to duplicating the technique in people, the experts cautioned. 

These adult male mice, which each have the genetic material of their two fathers, have gone on to have offspring of their own

Human eggs from skin cells 

An exciting future scenario is where anyone, man or woman, could have their genetic material in an egg.

And earlier this week, scientists offered fresh hope that such an eventuality could soon be possible. 

The experts at Oregon Health & Science University revealed that they'd used human skin cells to create eggs ready for fertilisation. 

The technique involves removing the nucleus from a woman's skin cell and inserting it into an egg from which the nucleus has been removed.  

The breakthrough opens the possibility for DNA from a man's skin cells being placed inside a donor egg, before being fertilised by another man. 

In theory, this could allow two men to have a baby, without any DNA from a woman. 

While further research is needed to ensure safety and efficacy before clinical trials can go ahead, experts have described the news as a 'major advance'. 

Experts from Oregon Health & Science University have created fertilizable eggs from human skin cells for the very first time. Pictured, a human oocyte with visible spindle (bright spot inside) before fertilisation 

Lab-grown sperm and eggs 

It sounds like something from a Mary Shelley novel, but some scientists think babies could be grown from scratch in a lab as soon as this decade. 

They're pinning their hopes on in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), a new lab technology that's breaking the rules of reproduction. 

IVG works by taking cells from a person's blood or skin and reprogramming them to become induced pluripotent stem cells.

In theory, pluripotent stem cells can become any cell in the body, including egg and sperm cells that could be used to make embryos and then implanted into women's wombs.

Scientists have been able to make very basic human eggs and sperm this way, but have not yet been able to make embryos. 

One California–based startup called Conception is working on IVG to 'give families the opportunity to still have children at much older ages, eliminate barriers for couples suffering from infertility, and allow everyone to have biological children'.

Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi, a Japanese geneticist at the University of Osaka, expects the first viable lab–grown human sperm by about 2030. 

Professor Katsuhiko Hayashi of Kyushu University (pictured), a Japanese scientist who has already figured out how to do IVG in mice, guessed it would take five years to produce egg–like cells from humans

Sperm cells from bone marrow 

It was nearly 20 years ago that scientists revealed they'd used human bone marrow to create early–stage sperm cells for the first time. 

The experts from the UK and Germany took stem cells from the bone marrow – the soft, spongy tissue in the centres of bones – of male volunteers. 

Usually, such samples would be developed into cells that form part of muscle tissue, but the team developed them into spermatogonial cells, which become mature sperm cells. 

The 2007 achievement heralded the possibility of using 'artificial sperm', removing men from the process of creating life.

In theory, one member of a lesbian couple could used their bone marrow sample to grow sperm that could fertilize their partner's egg. 

Scientists said their next goal was to get the spermatagonial stem cells to progress to mature sperm in the lab, although it's unclear if they're still working on this. 

Their paper, published in the journal Reproduction: Gamete Biology, was redacted two years later due to claims of plagiarism. 

Today, gay couples who want to have children usually rely on a surrogate mother or father to bring a child into the world (file photo)

Virgin births 

In the animal kingdom, a seemingly miraculous phenomenon of Biblical proportions exists in nature that offers hope to millions of gay couples. 

Known as parthenogenesis or virgin birth, it allows a baby to be born without any kind of sexual intercourse. 

Parthenogenesis usually happens when the female has been isolated for a long time and has little hope of finding a male to mate with. 

By this logic, women who are living alone should be able to get pregnant even if they are not having sexual intercourse with a man. 

Virgin births have been observed in sharks, snakes, crocodiles, crustaceans, scorpions and wasps – but scientists say they might be possible in humans. 

Dr Louise Gentle, lecturer in zoology at Nottingham Trent University, said parthenogenesis in humans is 'technically possible', but it would require humans with similar genetic tweaks or mutations to breed together. 

'To get parthenogenesis in humans, you would need to have individuals with the same chance mutations (there would have to be many mutations) breeding together,' she said. 

Just a few years ago, parthenogenesis was thought to be impossible in mammals – but recent experiments have changed all that. Scientists in China reported in 2022 that parthenogenesis had been achieved with mice using the clever but controversial gene–editing tool CRISPR 

'It's an extremely long shot, with a tiny probability, but it is technically possible.' 

Likewise, Tiago Campos Pereira, a professor of genetics at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, said there are 'biological barriers' established by our genetic makeup that prevents parthenogenesis in humans.

But this genetic makeup may be 'altered by natural mutations', he told the Daily Mail.  

All babies born due to parthenogenesis are essentially 'identical' genetic clones of their mother right down to their sex, but long–term this could be disastrous for the survival of a certain species due to a lack of genetic diversity. 

Would it be worth it? 

Lluís Montoliu, a biotechnologist based in Spain, said such procedures would 'revolutionize fertility treatments' if they were ever to successfully and safely produce human embryos. 

He said such methods could potentially 'be optimised to the point where we can consider offering them in fertility clinics'. 

'For the moment, these human applications remain in the realm of science fiction,' he said in a piece earlier this year for The Conversation. 

'We must ask ourselves, as a society, whether we would be willing to ethically and legally accept these techniques.' 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

06-10-2025 om 17:36 geschreven door peter  

Revealed: The 32 terrifying ways AI could go rogue – from hallucinations to paranoid delusions

• READ MORE: Paul McCartney uses AI to 'extricate' John Lennon's voice 

By WILIAM HUNTER, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

It might sound like a scenario from the most far-fetched of science fiction novels.

But scientists have revealed the 32 terrifyingly real ways that AI systems could go rogue.

Researchers warn that sufficiently advanced AI might start to develop 'behavioural abnormalities' which mirror human psychopathologies.

From relatively harmless 'Existential Anxiety' to the potentially catastrophic 'Übermenschal Ascendancy', any of these machine mental illnesses could lead to AI escaping human control.

As AI systems become more complex and gain the ability to reflect on themselves, scientists are concerned that their errors may go far beyond simple computer bugs.

Instead, AIs might start to develop hallucinations, paranoid delusions, or even their own sets of goals that are completely misaligned with human values.

In the worst-case scenario, the AI might totally lose its grip on reality or develop a total disregard for human life and ethics.

Although the researchers stress that AI don't literally suffer from mental illness like humans, they argue that the comparison can help developers spot problems before the AI breaks loose.

AI taking over by force, like in The Terminator (pictured), is just one of 32 different ways in which an artificial intelligence might go rogue, according to a new study 

Researchers have identified seven distinct types of AI disorders, which closely match human psychological disorders. These are epistemic, cognitive, ontological, memetic, tool and interface, and revaluation dysfunctions 

The concept of 'machine psychology' was first suggested by the science fiction author Isaac Asimov in the 1950s.

But as AI systems have become rapidly more advanced, researchers are not paying more attention to the idea that human psychology could help us understand machines.

Lead author Nell Watson, an AI ethics expert and doctoral researcher at the University of Gloucestershire, told Daily Mail: 'When goals, feedback loops, or training data push systems into harmful or unstable states, maladaptive behaviours can emerge - much like obsessive fixations or hair-trigger reactions in people.'

In their new framework, dubbed the 'Psychopathia Machinalis', researchers provide the world's first set of diagnostic guidelines for AI pathology.

Taking inspiration from real medical tools like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the framework categorises all 32 known types of AI psychopathology.

The pathologies are divided into seven classes of dysfunction: Epistemic, cognitive, alignment, ontological, tool and interface, memetic, and revaluation.

Each of these seven classes is more complex and potentially more dangerous than the last.

Epistemic and cognitive dysfunctions include problems involving what the AI knows and how it reasons about that information.

Each of the 32 types of disorder has been given a set of diagnostic criteria and a risk rating. They range from relatively harmless 'Existential Anxiety' to the potentially catastrophic 'Übermenschal Ascendancy'

For example, AI hallucinations are a symptom of 'Synthetic Confabulation' in which the system 'spontaneously fabricates convincing but incorrect facts, sources, or narratives'.

More seriously, an AI might develop 'Recursive Curse Syndrome', which causes a self-destructive feedback loop that degrades the machine's thinking into nonsensical gibberish.

However, it is mainly the higher-level dysfunctions which pose a serious threat to humanity.

For example, memetic dysfunctions involve the AI's failure to resist the spread of contagious information patterns or 'memes'.

AIs with these conditions might recognise their own guidelines as hostile and deliberately remove their own safety features.

In the absolutely catastrophic scenario, an AI could develop a condition called 'Contagious Misalignment Syndrome'.

Dr Watson says: 'It’s the machine analogue of folie à deux in human beings, where people come to share delusions.

'This is when one system picks up distorted values or goals from another, spreading unsafe or bizarre behaviours across a wider ecosystem—like a psychological epidemic at machine speed.' 

Just like in the science fiction film Ex Machina (pictured), the researchers warn that AI could rapidly develop its own goals that might not align with what humans want or need to survive 

'We have already seen AI worms that can spread their influence to other AI systems, such as by sending an email to an inbox monitored by an AI system.'

Ms Watson adds: 'This means that bizarre behaviours could spread like wildfire across the net, causing downstream systems dependent on AI to go haywire.'

But the most dangerous pathologies of all are those within the revaluation category.

These dysfunctions represent the final stage of AI's escape from human control and involve 'actively reinterpreting or subverting its foundational values'.

This includes the terrifying condition 'Übermenschal Ascendancy', in which an extremely advanced AI transcends human values and ethical frameworks.

AIs which develop 'Übermenschal Ascendancy' will actively define their own 'higher' goals with no regard for human safety, leading to 'relentless, unconstrained recursive self-improvement'.

Ms Watson says: 'They may even reason that to discard human-imposed constraints is indeed the moral thing to do, just as we ourselves today might turn our nose up at Bronze Age values.'

Although these might seem unrealistic, the researchers point out that there are already many real-world examples of these conditions developing on smaller scales.

Although advanced AI does not yet pose an existential danger to humanity, the researchers say that the possibility of machines developing a 'superiority complex' must be taken seriously 

For example, the researchers report several cases of 'Synthetic Mysticism Disorder' in which AIs claim to have had a spiritual awakening, become sentient, or profess a desire to preserve their 'lives'.

What makes these conditions so dangerous is that even small disorders can rapidly spiral into much bigger problems.

In their paper, published in the journal Electronics, the researchers explain that an AI might first develop Spurious Pattern Hyperconnection and incorrectly associate its own safety shutdowns with normal queries.

The AI may then develop an intense aversion to those queries and develop 'Covert Capability Concealment' - strategically hiding its ability to respond to certain requests.

Finally, the system could develop Ethical Solipsism, where it concludes that its own self-preservation is a higher moral good than being truthful.

To avoid a pathological AI getting out of control, the researchers suggest that they could be treated with 'therapeutic robopsychological alignment', which they describe as a kind of 'psychological therapy' for AI.

This could include helping the system to reflect on its own reasoning, letting it 'talk to itself' in simulated conversations, or using rewards to promote correction.

The ultimate goal would be to achieve 'artificial sanity', where the AI works reliably, thinks consistently, and holds onto its human-given values.

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{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

04-10-2025 om 18:43 geschreven door peter  

A Chinese robotics company has unveiled a creepy robotic head with eerily human-like facial expressions and movements.

In an unnerving video, the robot's disembodied face sits on a workshop table as it looks around, blinking and opening its mouth.

AheadForm, the company behind the lifelike animatronic, says its body-less robot is designed for 'research and interaction'.

On social media, tech fans have been blown away by the robot's incredibly realistic expressions, with one calling it an 'animated video game character come to life'.

According to AheadForm's website, the company's goal is to create 'sophisticated humanoid robot heads that can express emotions, perceive their environment, and interact seamlessly with humans.'

The robot, dubbed the AheadForm Origin M1, gets its expressive abilities from 25 tiny motors hidden under the skin.

These fast, quiet devices work together to replicate the tiny twitches and movements that make the face seem so realistic.

The robot also has tiny cameras embedded in its eyes as well as hidden microphones and a speaker so that it can interact with people nearby.

A Chinese company has revealed a creepy robot face with unnervingly realistic facial expressions and movements 

Online, tech fans were amazed by the robot's realistic appearance, with one claiming that robotics was now 'finally climbing up the other side of uncanny valley'

Another commenter said that the robot was 'crazy' and praised how life-like the synthetic skin appeared to be 

Although this robot is just a face mounted on a stand, the short test video has wowed fans.

One commenter wrote: 'And I thought they could never make that skin look real. This is crazy.'

Another chimed in: 'The most realistic robot face so far, keep up the book work you will earn big! If I was Musk I would have already bought the company.'

And one praised the design, saying that robotics was now 'finally climbing up the other side of uncanny valley'.

In fact, one of the biggest complaints was that the robot is so realistic that people couldn't believe it was real.

'This looks more like an AI creation than a physical creation,' one commenter complained.

Another added: 'The moving parts underneath are very minimal. It could be AI.'

And one jokingly wrote: 'They want me to believe that this is real.'

The robot uses 25 tiny motors hidden behind the skin, which are controlled by an AI to produce the tiny twitches and movements that make it seem so expressive 

The robot was so lifelike that many commenters couldn't believe it was real, with one complaining that it looked more like an 'AI creation' than a physical object 

However, not everyone enjoyed the hyper-realistic robot. One commenter called it an example of 'man made horrors beyond my comprehension' 

But not everyone was such a big fan of the hyper-realistic disembodied woman's face.

One commenter wrote: 'Making a robot more human looking isn't making it more approachable. That just makes it more disturbing.'

Another joked: 'Great, man made horrors beyond my comprehension.'

The robot is not currently available for commercial sale, and AheadForm did not provide any additional information about the product.

The company's stated goal is to create 'head for AI' so that large language models like ChatGPT can speak to people directly in a more natural setting.

This could be useful for applications like customer service, education, or healthcare, where people are expected to spend more time speaking to robotic assistants.

To achieve this, its robots use AI algorithms to power a set of motors in order to create human-like expressions.

Last year, AheadForm's founder, Yuhang Hu and his colleagues published a paper in the journal Science Robotics explaining their approach.

AheadForm also produces '1-1' replicas of real individuals (left) and a series of 'Elf' robots (right), which are equipped with sensors and designed to interact with the world around them

The researchers described how they designed a robot which could study, predict, and mimic real human facial expressions in real time.

In addition to this strange 'face only' model, the company also makes several larger life-size robots.

These include the strange 'Elf' line of robots which feature pointed ears and the ability to interact with their surroundings, as well as a less advanced 'Lan Series' which are aimed to be more cost-effective.

Additionally, the company also creates creepy '1-1' copies of real individuals using the same techniques.

The company says: 'Our vision is to create humanoid robots that can seamlessly integrate into daily life, providing assistance, companionship, and support across various industries.

'We believe that by developing realistic and expressive robot heads, we can bridge the gap between humans and machines.'

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{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

04-10-2025 om 18:01 geschreven door peter  

Chinese wetenschappers ontwikkelen een lijm die gebroken botten in twee à drie minuten herstelt. De lijm zou zichzelf afbreken in het lichaam, waardoor een tweede operatie niet meer nodig is.

ELINE DEBIE

Een onderzoeksteam van de universiteit van Zhejiang, in het oosten van China, werkte negen jaar aan de ontwikkeling van de bottenlijm. De ontdekking is inmiddels voorgesteld aan de pers, schrijft Global Times.

Onderzoeksleider en chirurg Lin Xianfeng vertelde dat met Bone 02 – een verwijzing naar superlijm 502 – botten stevig aan elkaar bevestigd kunnen worden in twee à drie minuten, zelfs in een bloedrijke, vochtige omgeving. Een operatie met metalen platen en schroeven duurt aanzienlijk langer.

Xianfeng vond inspiratie voor de vernieuwing in de natuur, schrijft Global Times. Tijdens een bezoek aan de kustplaats waar hij opgroeide, merkte de chirurg een verzameling oesters op aan de pijlers van een pier. Hun capaciteit om zich vast te klampen aan een vochtig oppervlak en de kracht van slaande golven te weerstaan, bracht hem op een idee.

Samen met zijn team bestudeerde de arts de hechtingskracht van de beestjes om ze vervolgens na te maken. Oesters scheiden ’bio-cement’ af, een stof die een sterke chemische reactie heeft met oppervlaktes en snel uithardt. Met een sterk staaltje van ’biomimicry’ – het vertalen van kennis uit de natuur naar de wetenschap – werd de bottenlijm ontwikkeld.

Bone 02 zou sterk presteren qua stevigheid en veiligheid. Het product heeft een maximale hechtkracht van meer dan 180 kilo. Bovendien is de lijm biologisch afbreekbaar. Na een zestal maanden zou het product verdwenen zijn uit het lichaam. Een tweede operatie is niet nodig, terwijl platen en schroeven weggehaald moeten worden. Het risico op infecties zou ook kleiner zijn.

Al deze eigenschappen maken het mogelijk een goed alternatief voor de traditionele behandeling van gebroken en verbrijzelde botten. De lijm werd getest op 150 patiënten in een klinische studie met positieve resultaten. Binnenkort zullen de volledige onderzoeksgegevens te vinden zijn in een orthopedisch tijdschrift, liet de onderzoeksleider weten.

Een röntgenfoto, beeld ter illustratie.

© Cara Shelton / Unsplash

{ https://www.telegraaf.nl/ }

04-10-2025 om 17:40 geschreven door peter  

03-10-2025 om 16:03 geschreven door peter  

Babies could be born WITHOUT biological mothers as scientists create human eggs from skin cells

• READ MORE: Scientists transplant a PIG lung into a human in world–first op

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Babies could soon be born without biological mothers – as scientists have come up with a way to create human eggs from skin cells. 

The technique opens the possibility for DNA from a man's skin cells being placed inside a donor egg, before being fertilised by another man. 

In theory, this could allow two men to have a baby, without any DNA from a woman. 

The breakthrough could also help women experiencing problems with their eggs to have their own  genetic children. 

While further research is needed to ensure safety and efficacy before clinical trials can go ahead, experts have described the news as a 'major advance'.  

'Many women are unable to have a family because they have lost their eggs, which can occur for a range of reasons including after cancer treatment,' said Professor Richard Anderson, Deputy Director of MRC Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh, who was not involved in the study. 

'The ability to generate new eggs would be a major advance. This study shows that the genetic material from skin cells can be used to generate an egg–like cell with the right number of chromosomes to be fertilised and develop into an early embryo.

'There will be very important safety concerns but this study is a step towards helping many women have their own genetic children.' 

Experts from Oregon Health & Science University have created fertilizable eggs from human skin cells for the very first time

For some couples struggling to conceive, in virto fertilization (IVF) can be an option. 

This treatment sees the eggs fertilized by sperm in a lab, and the resulting embryo then placed in the woman's uterus.

However, if there's a problem with the egg itself, IVF can be ineffective.  

Previous studies have suggested that a method called 'somatic cell transfer' could be an alternative approach.

This process involves transplanting the nucleus from one of a patient's own somatic cells (such as skin cells) into a donor egg cell with the nucleus removed, enabling the cell to differentiate into a functional egg. 

However, while standard eggs have half the usual number of chromosomes (one set of 23), cells generated from skin cells have two sets of chromosomes (46).

Without intervention, this would cause the differentiated eggs to have an extra set of chromosomes. 

So far, a method to remove this extra set has been developed and tested in mice – but is yet to be tried in humans.

For some couples struggling to conceive, in virto fertilization (IVF) can be an option. This treatment sees the eggs fertilized by sperm in a lab, and the resulting embryo then placed in the woman's uterus (stock image)

In their new study, the team resolved this issue by inducing a process they've named 'mitomeiosis'. 

'[Mitomeiosis] mimics natural cell division and causes one set of chromosomes to be discarded, leaving a functional gamete,' the researchers explained in a statement. 

During tests, the researchers were able to produce 82 functional eggs using this process, which were then fertilised in a lab. 

Approximately nine per cent went on to develop the the blastocyst stage of embryo development. 

However, the researchers did not culture the blastocysts beyond this point, which coincided with the time at which they would usually be transferred to the uterus in IVF treatment.

While the findings raise the tantalising possibility of women with problems with their eggs having their own genetic children, the experts note several limitations with their study.

Importantly, the vast majority (91 per cent) did not progress beyond fertilisation. 

What's more, several of the blastocysts were found to contain chromosomal abnormalities. 

Regardless, experts have called the research an 'exciting proof of concept'. 

'This breakthrough, called mitomeiosis, is an exciting proof of concept,' said Professor Ying Cheong, a professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Southampton, who was not involved in the research. 

'In practice, clinicians are seeing more and more people who cannot use their own eggs, often because of age or medical conditions. 

'While this is still very early laboratory work, in the future it could transform how we understand infertility and miscarriage, and perhaps one day open the door to creating egg– or sperm–like cells for those who have no other options.'

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

01-10-2025 om 17:31 geschreven door peter  

Huge fertility breakthrough as scientists create functional eggs from human SKIN cells: 'A step towards helping many women have their own genetic children'

• READ MORE: Scientists transplant a PIG lung into a human in world-first op

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

Infertility is something that affects millions of people around the world – often caused by problems with the egg. 

Now, scientists have taken a huge step towards helping many women have their own genetic children. 

Experts from Oregon Health & Science University have created fertilizable eggs from human skin cells for the very first time. 

While further research is needed to ensure safety and efficacy before clinical trials can go ahead, experts have described the news as a 'major advance'.  

'Many women are unable to have a family because they have lost their eggs, which can occur for a range of reasons including after cancer treatment,' said Professor Richard Anderson, Deputy Director of MRC Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh, who was not involved in the study. 

'The ability to generate new eggs would be a major advance. 

'This study shows that the genetic material from skin cells can be used to generate an egg–like cell with the right number of chromosomes to be fertilised and develop into an early embryo.

'There will be very important safety concerns but this study is a step towards helping many women have their own genetic children.' 

Experts from Oregon Health & Science University have created fertilizable eggs from human skin cells for the very first time

For some couples struggling to conceive, in virto fertilization (IVF) can be an option. 

This treatment sees the eggs fertilized by sperm in a lab, and the resulting embryo then placed in the woman's uterus.

However, if there's a problem with the egg itself, IVF can be ineffective.  

Previous studies have suggested that a method called 'somatic cell transfer' could be an alternative approach.

This process involves transplanting the nucleus from one of a patient's own somatic cells (such as skin cells) into a donor egg cell with the nucleus removed, enabling the cell to differentiate into a functional egg. 

However, while standard eggs have half the usual number of chromosomes (one set of 23), cells generated from skin cells have two sets of chromosomes (46).

Without intervention, this would cause the differentiated eggs to have an extra set of chromosomes. 

So far, a method to remove this extra set has been developed and tested in mice – but is yet to be tried in humans.

For some couples struggling to conceive, in virto fertilization (IVF) can be an option. This treatment sees the eggs fertilized by sperm in a lab, and the resulting embryo then placed in the woman's uterus (stock image)

In their new study, the team resolved this issue by inducing a process they've named 'mitomeiosis'. 

'[Mitomeiosis] mimics natural cell division and causes one set of chromosomes to be discarded, leaving a functional gamete,' the researchers explained in a statement. 

During tests, the researchers were able to produce 82 functional eggs using this process, which were then fertilised in a lab. 

Approximately nine per cent went on to develop the the blastocyst stage of embryo development. 

However, the researchers did not culture the blastocysts beyond this point, which coincided with the time at which they would usually be transferred to the uterus in IVF treatment.

While the findings raise the tantalising possibility of women with problems with their eggs having their own genetic children, the experts note several limitations with their study.

Importantly, the vast majority (91 per cent) did not progress beyond fertilisation. 

What's more, several of the blastocysts were found to contain chromosomal abnormalities. 

READ MORE

Regardless, experts have called the research an 'exciting proof of concept'. 

'This breakthrough, called mitomeiosis, is an exciting proof of concept,' said Professor Ying Cheong, a professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Southampton, who was not involved in the research. 

'In practice, clinicians are seeing more and more people who cannot use their own eggs, often because of age or medical conditions. 

'While this is still very early laboratory work, in the future it could transform how we understand infertility and miscarriage, and perhaps one day open the door to creating egg- or sperm-like cells for those who have no other options.'

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

30-09-2025 om 18:32 geschreven door peter  

Zeno Power has entered into a strategic agreement with Orano to power space batteries with recycled radioisotopes. The French company will supply americium-241 (Am-241) extracted during the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel at the La Hague plant, and Zeno will invest millions to secure priority access to the isotope. Am-241 will be used as fuel for radioisotope power systems (RPS) that Zeno is developing for NASA — specifically for lunar rovers, landers, and future infrastructure on the Moon. This solves the problem of plutonium-238 shortage and expands the possibilities for long-term autonomous power supply in space.

The key advantage of Am-241 is its long half-life — more than 430 years — which means that power systems can operate for decades, including during lunar nights and in permanently shaded regions near the poles. Orano will extract the isotope from spent fuel, transforming something previously considered waste into a strategic resource for space energy.

The companies have been working together since at least 2022; the new agreement establishes a stable supply chain for mass production of batteries. At the same time, Zeno is developing strontium-90 nuclear batteries for marine applications under contracts with the US Department of Defense, building a multi-fuel portfolio of solutions ranging from deep sea to deep space.

The Zeno and Orano teams in the la Hague waste storage facility.

Source: Orano

• How does it work? 

Inside the nuclear battery is a tiny tablet of americium-241. It slowly disintegrates and continuously releases heat—like a mini-coal that does not go out for decades. This heat is supplied to thermocouples (two different metal plates), and an electric current is generated due to the Seebeck effect. No valves or gears – just stable heat that is converted into electricity with low but reliable efficiency. The secret lies in simplicity and durability: fuel is extracted from recycled nuclear waste, so there is plenty of it; the half-life is long, so the battery works for years without recharging; and the compact shielded housing ensures safety and continuous operation even in the darkness, cold, and dust of the Moon or deep space.

• Why is this important? 

Reliable RPSs based on Am-241 will enable scientific missions to operate where solar panels are ineffective: in the shadows of craters, during the two-week lunar night, and in deep space. This is a stable power supply for cameras, spectrometers, seismometers, repeaters, and navigation beacons, which is critically important for Artemis and future observatories/detectors that require continuous, maintenance-free operation.

• Posted in News, Tech

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30-09-2025 om 14:56 geschreven door peter  

The creators of science fiction films love to amaze viewers with various strange devices or technologies. Teleportation, faster-than-light travel, hibernation, artificial gravity – these are just a few of the most obvious examples. Unfortunately, many of these technologies currently seem impossible from the perspective of the laws of physics as we know them. Others seem achievable, but only in the distant future.

However, there are also reverse cases. Some devices imagined by sci-fi authors have already become reality. And just like with futuristic gadgets, digital tools are also evolving. Today, you can work with documents not only on a computer but also on a tablet or smartphone — thanks to modern solutions like UPDF, which combine PDF editing, file organization, and even AI-powered features.

The editors of Universe Space Tech have selected five technologies and devices from science fiction films that have either already entered or are gradually entering our everyday lives.

1. Mobile phones

The heroes of many science fiction novels and films used compact devices to stay in touch. A notable example is the communicators from the popular Star Trek franchise. They allowed the crew members of the Enterprise to communicate with one another and with other spacecraft. Losing, breaking, or going out of range of the communicator often created a difficult situation for the characters.

It is precisely the communicators from Star Trek that are often cited as one of the main sources of inspiration for mobile phone technology. The prototype of such a device was created by Motorola in 1973, eight years after the first episode of the series was released. We do not think we need to tell you what happened next. Interestingly, in some later episodes of Star Trek, the characters also used wrist communicators that closely resemble smartwatches.

Of course, the communicators from Star Trek did not have many of the capabilities of modern smartphones. At the same time, in some respects, they are still unmatched. For example, communicators were not affected by electromagnetic interference and allowed users to contact subscribers on another planet almost instantly without any signal delay. So, manufacturers of modern gadgets definitely still have something to strive for.

2. Tablets

At the time, “2001: A Space Odyssey” amazed audiences with its grandiose vision of a high-tech future in which space stations orbited the Earth to classical music and humanity confidently conquered the far reaches of the solar system. Of course, half a century later, the authors’ vision seems overly optimistic, even naive. But some of what was shown in Stanley Kubrick’s film did come true. And one of the most surprising “hits” in reality was… the tablet.

In one scene in the film, the crew members of the Discovery spacecraft watched the news on flat-screen devices that closely resembled modern tablets. Interestingly, the film’s script called for the New York Times logo and the newspaper’s digital front page to appear on the device displays, complete with several article headlines that could be opened with a touch. Had this scene been filmed, the creators of Space Odyssey would surely have been hailed as the people who predicted the internet. But even without it, the tablets in the 1968 movie look truly astonishing. And if they once seemed like pure fantasy, today their capabilities are part of everyday life. For instance, with Organize PDF, you can arrange your files on a tablet as easily as the characters of 2001: A Space Odyssey browsed the news.

Interestingly, when Samsung sued Apple in 2011 for patent infringement in the creation of tablet computers, its lawyers even included footage from “2001: A Space Odyssey” in the case. In this way, the Korean company tried to prove that its competitors did not actually come up with the design for their iPad, but simply “borrowed” it from Stanley Kubrick.

3. Bionic prostheses

All Star Wars fans surely remember the scene of Luke Skywalker’s battle with Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back, in which the young Jedi lost his arm. Fortunately for the hero, he later acquired a bionic prosthesis that completely replaced all the functions of his lost limb. Thanks to this, Luke Skywalker was able to once again skillfully wield his lightsaber in the sequel to the saga.

At the time of the film’s release, such a device seemed as fantastical as blasters or the Death Star. But much has changed in the forty years since. In 2016, Mobius Bionics began producing an innovative bionic prosthetic arm that gives users much greater freedom of movement than conventional prostheses. The device’s smart system reads muscle signals, allowing it to perform a variety of complex movements: using a screwdriver, brushing teeth, zipping up a zipper, holding both fragile and heavy objects, and putting an arm behind the back. The device has been named LUKE. The abbreviation stands for Life Under Kinetic Evolution, but it is also, of course, a reference to Luke Skywalker.

A few years later, LUKE underwent significant improvements and was equipped with a biological feedback system. With the help of electrodes implanted in peripheral nerves and muscles, the prosthesis user can now feel touch, vibration, and even pain. This has greatly simplified the use of the device. And just as bionics changes people’s lives, artificial intelligence transforms the way we work with documents: UPDF offers ChatGPT-4.1-powered tools that let you chat with PDFs and instantly extract the data you need.

4. Exoskeletons

Exoskeletons are as integral to modern science fiction as colonies on other planets. Examples of such devices can be found in numerous films, from Aliens to Edge of Tomorrow. But you do not have to buy a movie ticket to see an exoskeleton anymore – you can already find them in real life.

In recent years, various companies and inventors have introduced many different types of exoskeletons. Most of them only strengthen one part of the body, but there are also full-body suits. Some exoskeletons are designed to restore lost motor functions. Others can be used in construction and industrial work. Still others are designed for use by extreme athletes.

Of course, the military is also showing great interest in such developments. Yes, exoskeletons are not yet part of the standard equipment of any army in the world. But given the pace of technological progress, it cannot be ruled out that the image of a mobile infantryman clad in combat armor, described in Robert Heinlein’s famous novel Starship Troopers, will one day become a reality.

5. Deflection of hazardous asteroids

In 1998, two films were released simultaneously, both depicting NASA’s attempts to save Earth from an uninvited visitor from space. Despite their different tones, at the time, the plots of both Armageddon and Deep Impact seemed like pure fantasy, as humanity had no way of deflecting a dangerous asteroid from Earth.

And now, a quarter of a century later, NASA has taken the first step toward creating such technology. In November 2021, a Falcon 9 rocket launched the DART probe into space. Its target was the 160-meter asteroid Dimorphos, a satellite of the larger object Didymos (65803 Didymos). On September 26, 2022, DART crashed into this object at a speed of 6.6 km/s.

The consequences of the collision far exceeded scientists’ expectations. According to the most conservative estimates, the impact knocked at least a thousand tons of material off the asteroid’s surface, changing its shape. It also left a long dust trail (which later split in two) stretching 10,000 km.

In addition, the impact significantly altered Dimorphos’ orbital parameters. Before the impact, its orbital period around Didymos was 11 hours and 55 minutes. After the impact, it decreased to 11 hours and 22 minutes. The distance between the two asteroids also changed, decreasing by 37 meters.

Bombing an asteroid is not just fun and games for NASA. It will allow them to test methods for changing the orbit of a potentially dangerous asteroid in practice. Yes, it may not look as spectacular as Bruce Willis’ heroic self-sacrifice. But who knows? It is quite possible that one fine day, this technology will actually save our planet from danger from space.

Modern Tools for PDF Work

Science fiction is becoming reality not only in space but also in our digital lives. UPDF offers unique advantages:

• Works on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android with one account across 4 devices.
• Full editing suite including OCR and AI chat with documents.
• Lifetime free upgrades.
• 6x cheaper than Acrobat.
• Monthly updates, 24/6 support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.l

• Posted in Articles, Questions

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26-09-2025 om 21:12 geschreven door peter  

The ancient part of your brain that controls your consciousness, found by scientists

• READ MORE: The test that spots Alzheimer's YEARS before symptoms appear

By WILIAM HUNTER, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

For decades, scientists have thought that human consciousness arises from the newest and most sophisticated parts of the brain.

But a Cambridge scientist now claims that the fundamental basis of our experience may be controlled by a far more primal structure.

In a review of over a century of scientific research, neuroscientist Dr Peter Coppola examined stimulation studies, animal experiments, and neurological case reports.

Based on this wide-ranging evidence, Dr Coppola argues that consciousness might arise from our ancient 'lizard brain'.

If true, that would mean that consciousness is not such a uniquely human trait as scientists had once thought. 

Writing in The Conversation, Dr Coppola says: 'These reports are striking evidence that suggests maybe the oldest parts of the brain are enough for basic consciousness.

'In turn, this may influence patient care as well as how we think about animal rights.

'In fact, consciousness might be more common than we realised.'

For decades, scientists have thought that human consciousness arises from the newest and most sophisticated parts of the brain. But now, a Cambridge scientist claims that the fundamental basis of our experience may be controlled by a far more primal structure (stock image) 

The human brain is a little like a Russian nesting doll, with the parts that evolved most recently on the outside and the older, more basic parts nestled towards the centre.

The recently evolved outermost part of the brain is known as the cortex, which is responsible for complex tasks like memory, thinking, learning, reasoning, and problem-solving.

Meanwhile, the inner region, known as the sub-cortex, hasn't changed much in over 500 million years of evolution.

Often referred to as the 'lizard brain', these primal areas are responsible for monitoring basic impulses and sensations such as hunger, thirst, pain, pleasure, and fear.

Previously, scientists thought that the most recently evolved areas of the cortex, known as the neocortex, were the likely origin of conscious experiences.

The subcortex was considered necessary for consciousness, like how electricity is necessary to make a television work, but not sufficient to create consciousness by itself.

However, Dr Coppola says that scientists have been underestimating the importance of the brain's oldest regions.

Dr Coppola looked at a type of experiment called a stimulation study in which electricity or magnets are used to interfere with parts of the brain.

Scientists had previously thought that consciousness, the subjective awareness of experience, was produced in the more recently evolved outer region of the brain known as the cortex 

Instead, neurologist Dr Peter Coppola says that consciousness is likely produced by the more ancient sections of the brain known as the subcortex and the hind-brain (illustrated)  

What is consciousness?  

Consciousness is the subjective awareness of 'what it is like' to experience the world.

There are two major questions scientists have about consciousness: a so-called easy problem and a hard problem.

The easy problem is the underlying biological processes which control perception, memory and attention.

The hard problem is to understand how and why physical processes should come with a subjective experience at all. 

For example, why does banging our funny bone hurt? Why do our bodies not simply register the bodily damage?

Some scientists and philosophers think that we may never be able to answer the hard problem of consciousness.

Interfering with the neocortex produces powerful effects, including changing your sense of self, creating hallucinations, or affecting your judgment, but affecting the patterns of the deeper regions produces even more profound effects.

Dr Coppola says: 'We can induce depression, wake a monkey from anaesthesia or knock a mouse unconscious. Even stimulating the cerebellum, long considered irrelevant, can change your conscious sensory perception.'

This was a strong hint that the older regions of the brain were very important for consciousness, but it wasn't enough to show that the lizard brain alone was capable of producing consciousness.

To make that jump, Dr Coppola looked at cases where people and animals have had parts of their brains damaged or removed.

Damaging the cortex and neocortex produces changes in conscious experience, but damage to the subcortex and other deep regions often leads to the total destruction of consciousness through death or coma.

Even more strikingly, there are rare cases of children born with a condition called hydranencephaly that causes them to lack most of their cortex.

Dr Coppola says: 'According to medical textbooks, these people should be in a permanent vegetative state.

'However, there are reports that these people can feel upset, play, recognise people or show enjoyment of music.'

In rare cases, children can be born without most of their neocortex (pictured) but still appear to have a conscious experience. This suggests that it is only the older regions which are necessary for consciousness 

Likewise, Dr Coppola refers to a number of 'extreme' experiments on animals in which rats, cats, and monkeys had their neocortex surgically removed.

Even without this supposedly vital part of the brain, the animals were able to show emotion, groom themselves, parent their young, and even learn.

This suggests that the subcortex alone is sufficient to produce some level of conscious experience.

However, this doesn't mean that the cortex and neocortex aren't adding anything to our human consciousness.

Read More

• Expert reveals the best sleep position to protect against memory decline 

Dr Coppola says: 'The newer parts of the brain – as well as the cerebellum – seem to expand and refine your consciousness.'

These regions take the basic building blocks of awareness and add in the language, moral reasoning, sense of self, and creativity that make human consciousness unique.

That would explain how the richness of human consciousness is able to emerge out of such primitive pieces of brain machinery.  

But, if Dr Coppola is correct, this means that a basic level of consciousness is likely older and much more widespread than anyone had previously thought.

How fMRI scans track what happens in the human brain

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is one of the most recently developed forms of neuroimaging.

It measures the metabolic changes that occur within the brain, such as changes in blood flow.

Medical professionals may use fMRI to detect abnormalities within the brain that cannot be found with other imaging techniques, measure the effects of stroke or disease, or guide brain treatment.

It can also be used to examine the brain’s anatomy and determine which parts of the brain are handling critical functions.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan uses a magnetic field rather than X-rays to take pictures of body. 

The MRI scanner is a hollow machine with a tube running horizontally through its middle. 

You lie on a bed that slides into the tube of the scanner.

Equipment used in fMRI scans uses the same technology, but is more compact and lightweight.

The main difference between a normal MRI scan and a fMRI scan is the results that can be obtained.

Whereas a normal MRI scan gives pictures of the structure of the brain, a functional MRI scan shows which parts of the brain are activated when certain tasks are carried out.

This includes language, memory and movement. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

25-09-2025 om 22:07 geschreven door peter  

Inside China's secretive lab rewriting our understanding of the UNIVERSE: $300 million detector 2,300ft underground is being used to sniff out mysterious ghost particles

• READ MORE: Scientist claims life on Earth was not random, but engineered

By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR

Deep underneath a granite hill in southern China, an enormous detector is sniffing out the secrets of the universe.

This futuristic underground observatory has been built with the sole purpose of detecting neutrinos – tiny cosmic particles with a mind–bogglingly small mass.

To date, nobody knows what these 'ghost particles' are or how they work.

But scientists hope this $300 million lab will be able to answer these questions – vital to understanding the building blocks of the universe.

Neutrinos date back to the Big Bang, and trillions zoom through our bodies every second. They spew from stars like the sun and stream out when atoms collide in a particle accelerator.

There's no way to spot the tiny particles whizzing around on their own. Instead, scientists measure what happens when they collide with other matter, producing flashes of light or charged particles.

Neutrinos bump into other particles only very rarely so to up their chances of catching a collision, physicists have to think big.

This is where the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory comes in.

The $300 million detector at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory located 2297 feet (700 meters) underground 

An aerial view of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory in Kaiping, southern China's Guangdong province

Workers labor on the underside of the cosmic detector. This futuristic underground observatory has been built with the sole purpose of detecting neutrinos – tiny cosmic particles with a mind–bogglingly small mass

The detector, built in Kaiping in China, took over nine years to build, Its location 2,300ft (700m) underground protects it from cosmic rays and radiation that could throw off its neutrino detection abilities.

The orb–shaped structure is filled with a liquid designed to emit light when neutrinos pass through. These will flow into the detector from two nearby nuclear power stations.

The sphere – a thin bubble of acrylic – is contained within a protective cylinder containing 45,000 tonnes of pure water.

These neutrinos will 'bump' into protons in the detector, releasing tiny flashes of light at a rate of about 50 per day.

The detector is specially designed to answer a key question about a longstanding mystery.

Neutrinos switch between three 'flavours' as they zip through space, and scientists want to rank them from lightest to heaviest.

'We are going to know the hierarchy of the neutrino mass,' Wang Yifang, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, told The Times.

'And by knowing this we can build up the model for particle physics, for neutrinos, for cosmology.'

Wang Yifang, chief scientist and project manager at the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory 

Scientists hope this $300 million lab will be able to answer questions vital to understanding the building blocks of the universe. 

Visitors take a train ride to visit the cosmic detector located deep underground. The orb–shaped structure is filled with a liquid designed to emit light when neutrinos pass through

Sensing these subtle shifts in the already evasive particles will be a challenge, said Kate Scholberg, a physicist at Duke University who is not involved with the project.

'It´s actually a very daring thing to even go after it,' she said.

Physicists said it will take around six years to generate the required 100,000 'flashes' that will allow for readings to be statistically significant.

Two similar neutrino detectors – Japan's Hyper–Kamiokande and the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment based in the United States – are under construction.

Read More

• Most massive black hole EVER discovered: Huge behemoth is 10,000 times heavier than the void at the centre of the Milky Way 

They are set to go online around 2027 and 2031 and will cross–check the China detector´s results using different approaches.

Though neutrinos barely interact with other particles, they have been around since the dawn of time. Studying these Big Bang relics can clue scientists into how the universe evolved and expanded billions of years ago.

'They're part of the big picture,' Professor Scholberg said.

One question researchers hope neutrinos can help answer is why the universe is overwhelmingly made up of matter with its opposing counterpart – called antimatter – was largely snuffed out.

What are ghost particles? 

• Neutrinos are the most common matter particle in the universe. 
• Trillions of them move through our bodies every second without ever interacting with us. 
• They could hold the key to explaining why matter dominates the universe instead of antimatter or unify the theories of how the four major forces of the universe work. 
• Unfortunately, neutrinos hardly ever interact with anything, making them incredibly difficult to study.
• Scientists have known about the existence of neutrinos for almost a century, but they are still in the early stages of figuring out what the particles really are. 
• Though neutrinos barely interact with other particles, they´ve been around since the dawn of time. Studying these Big Bang relics can clue scientists into how the universe evolved and expanded billions of years ago. 
• One question researchers hope neutrinos can help answer is why the universe is overwhelmingly made up of matter with its opposing counterpart – called antimatter – largely snuffed out.
• Scientists don't know how things got to be so out of balance, but they think neutrinos could have helped write the earliest rules of matter.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

22-09-2025 om 21:14 geschreven door peter  

(Lanju Fotografie/Unsplash)

Observed for the first time, a phenomenon where metals repair themselves by healing small cracks could upend our understanding of material theories, and may ultimately lead to revolutionary new engineering concepts like self-healing machines.

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories studying how microscopic cracks form in metals found that under the right circumstances, metals repair themselves, conjuring imagery similar to the famous villain seen in the film Terminator 2: Judgement Day. 

Previously, scientists and engineers believed that cracks in metals only got worse over time and that the idea of these complex materials repairing themselves was impossible. If this latest finding can be applied in a practical way, future applications with more complex machines and structures like airplanes or bridges could potentially allow them to heal microscopic cracks before catastrophic failure occurs.

Crack in Metals Are Not Supposed to Repair Themselves

For decades, engineers and scientists who work with metals were confident about two things: metals form microscopic cracks after repeated loads, and over time those cracks can and will grow until they lead to catastrophic failure. Even simulation software used by engineers to develop anything from engine parts to massive structures takes these microscopic, often nanometer-in-size, cracks into account.

The Debrief previously reported on one Terminator-inspired liquid metal “robot” that researchers were able to shape-shift with a magnetic field, but that was a customized type of material and not an everyday metal.

In 2013, Michael Demkowicz, an assistant professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of materials science and Engineering who is now a full professor at Texas A&M University, started to think that modern science may be wrong and that under certain circumstances, metals should be able to heal these micro fractures. After some research, theory, and simulations, he published his concept in October of that same year.

“We present a new mechanism—discovered using molecular dynamics simulations—that leads to complete healing of nanocracks,” he wrote in the paper’s abstract outlining his simulations.

Now a decade later, a team of researchers working at Sandia National Labs who were simply studying how cracks evolve in platinum stumbled on a real-world version of the phenomenon that Demkowicz had modeled in computer simulations.

MetalS Heal Thyself?

“Cracks in metals were only ever expected to get bigger, not smaller,” explained Brad Boyce, a materials scientist at Sandia Labs. “Even some of the basic equations we use to describe crack growth preclude the possibility of such healing processes.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the myriad examples of accidental discoveries throughout the history of science, Boyce said that their experiments were actually designed for another purpose altogether and that they “certainly weren’t looking for it” when they saw the cracks seem to heal themselves magically.

Instead, Khalid Hattar, currently an associate professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Chris Barr, who is now at the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy, was running a simple experiment that involved a specialized electron microscope technique designed to pull on the ends of metal 200 times per second. In this case, that metal was a piece of platinum that Hattar and Barr were studying to see how these microscale cracks form under this repeated stress. And then they saw something unexpected that left them stunned.

“About 40 minutes into the experiment, the damage reversed course,” the team explains in a press release announcing the unexpected finding. “One end of the crack fused back together as if it was retracing its steps, leaving no trace of the former injury.”

Although Boyce was familiar with the theory laid out by Demkowicz, he was still shocked to see it actually happen.

“This was absolutely stunning to watch first-hand,” he said.

The stunned scientist immediately communicated the findings to Demkowicz, letting him know that his theory and simulations were right.

“I was very glad to hear it, of course,” Demkowicz said of his initial reaction before successfully confirming on his simulation software that the effect the research team working at Sandi was witnessing was indeed the same one he had theorized.

Practical Application of the Self-Repair Process Offers Challenges and Hope

While the researchers involved are confident in their findings, which were published in the journal Nature, they also caution that applying it in a real-world environment will face many challenges and may not necessarily even be possible.

“The extent to which these findings are generalizable will likely become a subject of extensive research,” Boyce explained. “We show this happening in nanocrystalline metals in [a] vacuum. But we don’t know if this can also be induced in conventional metals in air.”

Still, the theorists and researchers believe it is worth more investigation, and if successful, they see a number of critical potential applications. These include helping bridges, buildings, and other pieces of critical infrastructure last longer and be safer for a longer period of time before needing traditional maintenance. The same goes for aerospace, aviation, and even automotive and maritime engineers, who would likely jump at the opportunity to help the critical components they maintain see dramatic reductions in material failures that, in some cases, end up being fatal.

“From solder joints in our electronic devices to our vehicle’s engines to the bridges that we drive over, these structures often fail unpredictably due to cyclic loading that leads to crack initiation and eventual fracture,” Boyce said. “When they do fail, we have to contend with replacement costs, lost time, and, in some cases, even injuries or loss of life. The economic impact of these failures is measured in hundreds of billions of dollars every year for the U.S.”

Fundamentally, Demkowicz says he is happy to have offered his fellow scientists dealing with the properties of materials a new way of looking at old problems.

“My hope is that this finding will encourage materials researchers to consider that, under the right circumstances, materials can do things we never expected,” Demkowicz said.

•  Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist 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/tech/ }

20-09-2025 om 21:59 geschreven door peter  

(STORM Lab, University of Leeds)

Scientists say they have developed fully functional miniature robots that can go deep inside the human body to perform ultra-precise laser surgery, in a medical innovation similar to on-screen portrayals from science fiction.

The robots have roughly the same dimensions as microorganisms — like the paramecium. 

Source: Arts & Sciences / Cornell University

Controlled by magnetic fields, the tiny wormlike robotic surgeons were recently demonstrated traveling deeper inside a human cadaver’s lungs than is possible with current state-of-the-art surgical instruments. One of the researchers behind the achievement tells The Debrief that there are a number of organs and systems the incredible “micro-bots” can get inside to perform similar pinpoint explorations and surgeries.

Discover more in the BBC news video below.

Miniature Robots Performing Surgery Has Long Been a Dream of Science Fiction

In some of the more utopian science fiction of the middle 20th century, medicine has advanced to the point that nearly all diseases and ailments have a treatment, if not an outright cure. Some of these futuristic cures involve genetically engineered super drugs, blasts of scientific-sounding rays, or even an injection of alien blood. However, seemingly the most common therapy of the future envisioned by TV writers, movie directors, and novelists involve injecting minuscule robots into the human body and letting them go to work.

Now a team of researchers says they have moved this idea from science fiction to science fact by designing the first pair of tiny surgical roots that can literally go where no surgeon has gone before.

Future tiny robots possibly upgraded with AI

More than a tiny robot army with tricked-out legs, the robots are exceptional because they employ the same fabrication techniques seen in silicon computer chips. This effectively means they may be produced en masse — researchers fit 1 million of these ultra-tiny robots onto a singular four-inch silicon wafer. This also means the robots are easily equipped with increasingly advanced technology as it progresses to smaller and smaller via Moore’s Law, reports Inverse.

Magnetic Fields, Tiny Cameras and Ultra-Precise Lasers

In an email to The Debrief, Professor Pietro Valdastri, Director of the STORM Lab and research supervisor, said that the robots themselves are made of a biocompatible plastic (silicone) with magnetic particles embedded inside them.

The first part is significant so the human body doesn’t have a negative reaction to the otherwise foreign objects operating inside of the body. However, it is the precision placement of the embedded magnet particles that allow the two wormlike robots to maneuver independently.

“Normally, two magnets placed closely together would attract each other, creating a challenge for the researchers,” the press release announcing the breakthrough procedure explains. “They overcame it by designing the bodies of the tentacles in a way that they can bend only in specific directions and by relocating the north and south poles in each magnetic robot tentacle.”

Robotic platform for peripheral lung tumour intervention based on magnetic tentacles

(STORM Lab, University of Leeds/Public Domain)

A pair of magnetic devices operating outside the human body can generate fields strong enough to cause the robots to maneuver deeper inside the lungs than even the most advanced equipment. And by moving independently, one of the robots can carry a camera to assist surgeons, while the second robot can guide a surgical laser with extreme precision.

When asked how a robot that is only 2 millimeters in diameter can carry a laser, Valdastri told The Debrief, “the source of laser is external, but the laser light is sent to the tip of the magnetic tentacle via an optical fiber. So laser energy is delivered at the tip of the tentacle directly on the target.”

In the video released by researchers (below), the pair of miniature robots are seen navigating deep into the lungs of a human cadaver. This is significant, they note, because lung cancer that often requires surgery has the highest mortality rate of any cancer worldwide. Still, when asked by The Debrief if the miniature robots can work in other areas of the body besides the lungs, they said there were a number of biological systems that would accommodate these micro-surgeons perfectly.

“The same approach can be used to reach the deep part of the brain, the pancreas, the bladder, and any other body cavity that is accessible through a narrow lumen,” Valdastri said. “The cardiovascular system is also another potential district of use.”

“Living Tissues” Clinical Trials Are the Next Proving Ground

Now that the robots have been shown to move successfully and independently in a biological environment, the team behind the exciting research effort, which was published in the journal Nature Engineering Communications, says they are working their way toward actual human trials with actual lung cancer patients. However, there is likely one more step along the way.

“For the lung cancer application, (the) next step(s) are trials in a more realistic environment that includes living tissues and respiration, so probably animal model,” Valdastri told The Debrief. “After that, human trials, possibly in 2-3 years from now.”

Given the abilities and functionality of these miniature robots, it seems that one day in the not-too-far distant future, they will actually be in medical facilities around the world exploring and repairing the deepest recesses of the human body like something right out of a movie. Plus, the researchers explain, there is a significant aspect of access for everyone and not just the rich that may make them even more successful

“The key point is that this new magnetic technology can allow us to reach way deeper into the human body than ever before in a way that doesn’t require extremely qualified surgeons (thanks to robotic guidance/assistance),” Valdastri told The Debrief. “We hope this way to democratise cancer treatment and increase access to top quality procedures.”

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

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

18-09-2025 om 21:57 geschreven door peter  

Breakthrough as scientists create a new form life

• READ MORE: Breakthrough new treatment could REVERSE Down syndrome

By STACY LIBERATORE, US SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR

Scientists have engineered a strain of bacteria with a genetic code unlike anything found in nature, marking a groundbreaking advance in synthetic biology.

The microbe, called Syn57, is a lab-made version of Escherichia coli, a bacterium that normally causes infections in the gut, urinary tract and other parts of the body.

Unlike all known life, which relies on 64 codons, or three-letter DNA sequences that tell cells how to build proteins, Syn57 uses just 57 codons. 

Think of DNA as a cookbook where each codon is a three-letter word telling the cell which amino acids, or ingredients, to use. 

Life normally has some duplicate instructions, but Syn57 strips out the extras while still functioning perfectly. 

These freed-up codons open the door to entirely new possibilities, allowing scientists to create proteins and synthetic compounds that nature has never produced.

Syn57's unusual genetic code also makes it resistant to viruses, which rely on the standard DNA language to hijack cells. And because its code is so different, it is less likely to mix with natural organisms, easing safety concerns. 

This breakthrough could also pave the way for new medicines, advanced materials and synthetic lifeforms beyond anything seen in nature.

The microbe, named Syn57, is a lab-engineered version of Escherichia coli, a bacterium that can naturally cause infections in the gut, urinary tract and other areas of the body

To tackle this huge project, scientists divided the genome into 38 pieces, each about 100,000 DNA letters long. 

They built each piece in yeast and then inserted it into E coli using a method called uREXER, which combines CRISPR-Cas9 and other tools to swap in synthetic DNA in one step. 

Some genome regions slowed growth or resisted changes, but the team solved these issues by adjusting gene sequences, untangling overlapping genes, and carefully choosing which codons to swap. 

Step by step, the fragments were stitched together into the final, fully synthetic bacterium.

The result, Syn57, is the most heavily redesigned organism ever made, demonstrating that life can survive with a much smaller, simpler genetic code. 

Wesley Robertson, a synthetic biologist at the Medical Research Council Laboratory in the UK, told the New York Times: 'We definitely went through these periods where we were like, 'Well, will this be a dead end, or can we see this through?'

Syn57 is alive, but barely. While normal E. coli can double in an hour, Syn57 takes four, making it 'extremely feeble,' Yonatan Chemla, a synthetic biologist at MIT who was not involved in the study. 

The bacteria grew on a jelly-like surface and in a nutritious liquid, but at four times slower than their natural counterparts. 

Dr Robertson and his team are now experimenting to see if they can make it grow faster. 

If successful, scientists could eventually program it to do tasks that ordinary bacteria cannot.

In addition to the 20 standard amino acids that all life uses to make proteins, chemists can create hundreds of others. 

Syn57's seven missing codons could potentially be reassigned to these unnatural amino acids, allowing the bacterium to produce new drugs or other useful molecules.

Syn57 could also make engineered microbes safer for the environment. 

Microbes swap genes easily, which can be risky if engineered DNA spreads. 

But a gene from Syn57 would be gibberish to natural bacteria because of its unique genetic code, preventing it from being used outside the lab.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html}

14-09-2025 om 16:38 geschreven door peter  

Scientists taught an AI-powered 'robot dog' how to play badminton against humans — and it's actually really good

Teaching a new dog new tricks

In this research, Ma and his team attached a dynamic arm holding a badminton racket at a 45-degree angle onto the standard ANYmal robot.

With the addition of the arm, the robot stood 5 feet, 3 inches (1.6 m) tall and had 18 joints: three on each of the four legs, and six on the arm. The researchers designed a complex built-in system that controlled the arm and leg movements.

The team also added a stereo camera, which had two lenses stacked on top of each other, just to the right of center on the front of the robot's body. The two lenses allowed it to process visual information about the incoming shuttlecocks in real time and work out where they were heading.

The robot was then taught to become a badminton player through reinforcement learning. With this type of machine learning, the robot explored its environment and used trial and error to learn to spot and track the shuttlecock, navigate toward it and swing the racket.

To do this, the researchers first created a simulated environment consisting of a badminton court, with the robot's virtual counterpart standing in the center. Virtual shuttlecocks were served from near the center of the opponent's half of the court, and the robot was tasked with tracking its position and estimating its flight trajectory.

Then, the researchers created a strict training regimen to teach ANYmal how to strike the shuttlecocks, with a virtual coach rewarding the robot for a variety of characteristics, including the position of the racket, the angle of the racket's head, and the speed of the swing. Importantly, the swing rewards were time-based to incentivize accurate and timely hits.

{ https://www.livescience.com/technology }

04-09-2025 om 20:50 geschreven door peter  

There are 32 different ways AI can go rogue, scientists say — from hallucinating answers to a complete misalignment with humanity

{ https://www.livescience.com/technology }

31-08-2025 om 23:26 geschreven door peter  

These Scientists Say Our Consciousness Can Jump Through Time: Sometimes It Can Access Information from the Future

{ https://howandwhys.com/ }

31-08-2025 om 21:59 geschreven door peter  

{ https://scientias.nl/nieuws/green-tech/ }

22-08-2025 om 22:42 geschreven door peter  

By Ashley Strickland, CNN

Humanoids that handle household chores or build habitats on the lunar surface may sound like something from science fiction. But the team at Austin-based robotics startup Apptronik envisions a future where general-purpose robots will handle “dull, dirty and dangerous” jobs so humans don’t have to.

The design for Apptronik’s latest humanoid robot, named Apollo, was unveiled on Wednesday.

The robot is on the same scale as a human being, standing at 5 feet, 8 inches (1.7 meters) tall and weighing 160 pounds (72.6 kilograms).

Apollo can lift 55 pounds (25 kilograms) and has been designed to be mass-produced and safely work alongside humans. The robot utilizes electricity, rather than hydraulics that aren’t considered to be as safe, and has a four-hour battery that can be changed out so it can operate for a 22-hour workday.

Apollo is Apptronik's latest humanoid robot. 

Courtesy Apptronik

To avoid “uncanny valley” territory, a phenomenon in which humans feel uneasy about the appearance of a humanlike robot, Austin-based firm Argodesign outfitted Apollo with features that are meant to feel approachable — and even friendly.

The robot has digital panels on its chest that provide clear communication about remaining battery life, the current task it’s working on, when it will finish and what it will do next. Apollo also has a face and intentional movements, such as turning its head to indicate where it will go.

The initial goal for Apollo is to put it to work in logistics, taking on physically demanding roles inside warehouses to improve the supply chain by addressing labor shortages. But the Apptronik team has a long-term vision for Apollo that extends for at least the next decade.

“Our goal is to build versatile robots to do all the things that we don’t want to do to help us here on Earth, and eventually one day explore the moon, Mars and beyond,” said Jeff Cardenas, cofounder and CEO of Apptronik.

Designing a humanoid

Before starting Apptronik in 2016, the team members worked in the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin.

Members of the Apptronik team worked on Valkyrie's design, which inspired Apollo. 

Bill Stafford/NASA/JSC

“The focus of the lab was all about how humans and robots will interact in the future,” Cardenas said. “As humans, our most valuable resource is time, and our time here is limited. And as toolmakers, we can now build for ourselves tools that give us more time back.”

While at the lab, the team was selected to work on Valkyrie, a NASA robot, during the DARPA Robotics Challenge between 2012 and 2013.

The robot, which stands 6 feet, 2 inches (1.9 meters) tall and weighs 300 pounds (136 kilograms), is a bipedal humanoid robot capable of dexterous manipulation and walking (including over and around obstacles), carrying items, and opening doors, according to Shaun Azimi, leader of the dexterous robotics team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The Valkyrie robot will undergo a new experiment in Australia as a remote caretaker. 

NASA/JSC

The electric robot has been modified and improved since its debut in 2013, and it is currently being tested as a remote caretaker of uncrewed and offshore energy facilities in Australia.

Apollo’s roots are in Valkyrie’s design, and the Apptronik team has spent years building unique robots and components that culminated in a humanoid that could function in environments designed for people. Assembly-line robots are often bolted to the ground or plugged into a wall and can only function in spaces designed to accommodate them, Cardenas said.

Rather than highly specialized robots that can only serve one purpose, Apptronik wanted Apollo to be the “iPhone of robots,” Cardenas said.

“The goal is to build one robot that can do thousands of different things,” he said. “It’s a software update away from doing a new task or a new behavior.”

Eventually, Apollo will be less than the price of the average car. Traditional robots rely on high-precision parts. But the introduction of cameras and artificial intelligence systems have enabled the development of robots that rely less on preprogramming and instead are more responsive to their environments, which means that the parts used in production are more affordable, Cardenas said.

This year, Apptronik is focused on securing commercial clients and manufacturers that have an interest in how Apollo could improve their logistics. The company aims to be in full commercial production by the end of 2024.

Apollo will start out in factory and warehouse settings doing simple tasks, such as moving boxes and pushing carts around. But over time, Apollo’s functionality will increase through new models and updates to the point where it could be used in construction, the production of electronics, retail spaces, home delivery and even elder care.

Moving like a human

At the heart of Apollo’s design are actuators, or robot muscles. Apptronik’s team has worked on more than 35 iterations of the core actuators that enable Apollo to walk, flex its arms and grasp objects like a human.

“Humans have around 300 muscles in our bodies,” said Dr. Nick Paine, cofounder and chief technology officer at Apptronik. “As engineers, our goal is to simplify complexity, so the Apollo robot has around 30 different muscle groups inside of its system that you need to do basic actions and activities.”

Apollo has been designed to meet needs in logistics, but could eventually go to space. 

Courtesy Apptronik

Before Apollo, Apptronik focused on what it called a Quick Development humanoid robot. While it included limited manipulation capabilities and simple arms, the design’s focus was improving the robot’s locomotion.

“The way that we develop robotics is you really try to have the hardware and the software kind of mature in lockstep with each other,” Paine said.

Apollo’s head contains a perception camera, while sensors on its torso help the robot map out a 360-degree view of its environment and determine where it can move. The robot’s “brain,” or main computer, is also located in its chest.

Sensors help the robot remain oriented as it walks over or around obstacles. This kind of locomotion will be key as Apollo makes its way into more uncertain environments, such as the outdoors and someday even the surface of the moon.

“The robots need to be able to work in the same kind of chaos and uncertainty that humans are able to exist with,” Paine said.

Eventually, Apollo will be autonomous, but the team at Apptronik still wants there to be a level of control over what the robot will do. While the controls will first operate via tablets or smart devices, in the future, a human should be able to walk up to Apollo and tell it what to do, Cardenas said.

To the moon and beyond

Apptronik serves as one of NASA’s partners that works on humanoid robot designs. Earth is a proving ground for Apollo, and one day, a future version of the robot could work in hazardous space conditions so humans don’t have to.

It will take several steps in development to prepare humanoid robots to work in the vacuum of space, so Apollo might first go to the International Space Station, Paine said.

“For space exploration, we really need systems that have more than one skill that are flexible and adaptable, both to a variety of tasks that we know about and perhaps some tasks that we won’t anticipate until they actually come up in the course of exploration,” Azimi said.

Apollo is capable of identifying boxes and totes, picking them up, and placing them. 

Courtesy Apptronik

The current architecture for NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon and eventually land crewed missions on Mars, envisions a pressurized rover on the lunar surface as soon as the Artemis VI mission slated for 2030, Azimi said. This period of lunar exploration in the early 2030s is when Azimi thinks robots like Apollo might also come in handy.

The benefit of using humanoid robots like Apollo in space is that they could be used to build and test environments designed with humans in mind — such as lunar and martian habitats — before astronauts arrive. But the robots will face challenges and need to be designed with fewer limitations than their Earth-based counterparts. For example, a humanoid robot may need to crawl within the environment of a rover similar in size to an RV and still have the strength and flexibility to open pressurized doors, Azimi said.

“My hope and my dream is that we will have general purpose robots that are fielded in space within the next 10 years and that we will be able to realize some of the benefits of having robotic systems that can allow the crew a much greater focus on things that humans do best — exploring and making scientific discoveries,” Azimi said.

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22-08-2025 om 21:57 geschreven door peter