‘DishBrain’ cells learn video games faster than AI
In a landmark study, lab-grown neural networks learned to play Pong more efficiently than sophisticated AI, demonstrating the superior learning speed of biological systems.
Metformin’s anti-diabetes effect linked to brain pathway
A groundbreaking study reveals that the common diabetes drug metformin primarily works through a newly discovered neural pathway in the brain, changing our understanding of how to treat the disease.
Maple seed drone flies 26 minutes on a single rotor
Inspired by a maple seed, researchers developed a 32-gram monocopter with a single rotor that can hover for 26 minutes, significantly improving the endurance and efficiency of small drones.
Scientists use supercomputers to ask: What was before the Big Bang?
Scientists are turning to powerful supercomputer simulations to solve Einstein's equations and finally explore what happened before the Big Bang.
Why Don’t Animals Need to Go to the Gym?
While humans hit the gym to train, animals, from geese to kangaroos, perform incredible feats of endurance and strength through instinct and biological adaptation, rather than through intentional workouts.
Storing Radioactive Waste Is Weirder Than You Think
From deep underwater pools and solid glass cakes to simple empty rooms in hospitals, the ways we store radioactive waste are far weirder than you might imagine.
How Ancient Crocs Survived Two Apocalypses
While modern crocodilians are impressive survivors, their ancestors—from armored plant-eaters to swift two-legged hunters—used entirely different strategies to survive ancient apocalypses and conquer the world.
Why Our Entire World Depends on This One Tree
The modern world relies on natural rubber, a material that cannot be fully replicated, sourced from a single tree species at risk of being wiped out by a devastating disease.
Physicist uses quantum tool to unlock AI ‘black box’
A University of Utah physicist has applied methods from quantum field theory to solve a machine learning model, uncovering new scaling laws that help predict AI performance.
Guava molecule synthesis offers new hope for liver cancer
Chemists at the University of Delaware report the first total synthesis of (–)-psiguadial A, a guava-derived molecule with significant potential to fight liver cancer.