The goal of artificial intelligence (AI) is to teach a computer how to think. So, it’s unsurprising that many of the strides made in AI and specifically machine learning — a subset of AI focused on using large collections of data to teach a computer rules through discovering patterns — have been based on biological […]
Spatio-temporal Information and Applications of Spiking Neural Networks Read More »
Did you get an alert three weeks ago saying you needed to update your iPhone? Well then stop what you’re doing, check your settings, and update your phone right now. This update may be the most important one to date; the iOS 14.8 update is designed to protect your Apple devices from being hacked without
iOS 14.8: Not your average Apple update Read More »
The past ten years have seen an explosion of small-lift rocket companies. Ranging from 30 to 100 feet tall, these liquid-propellant rockets aim to launch up to two tons of payload — equivalent to the weight of a large car — into orbit. Instead of focusing on humans and large space telescopes, they’re launching smaller
A new space race is underway, and it’s explosive Read More »
For a few years now, computers have been getting better at generating text (and images). Since OpenAI (an Elon Musk–funded private artificial intelligence research lab) published their new GPT-3 (Generative Pre-trained Transformer-3) language model last year, hype around its capabilities has been growing, and many similar and even more powerful models have been created. Language
Thinking computers? Not yet Read More »
An estimated 45 million people in the world are blind. A multitude of factors cause blindness. Amongst the greatest are genetic disorders, such as retinitis pigmentosa, which affects over 2 million people worldwide, and macular degeneration, which affects 14 percent of people over the age of 80. One solution to this? Bionic eyes. Creating artificial
Bionic eyes: Can we provide artificial vision? Read More »
It’s a typical Wednesday morning. You wake up and instinctively grab your phone from the nightstand to catch up on what you missed while you were asleep. Tons of photos and videos start flooding into your Instagram, Tik Tok, and YouTube, immediately compelling you to continue scrolling to discover more. Suddenly, you notice how much
Human and AI coexistence: Can we prevent AI deception? Read More »
Virtual reality (VR) has been an up-and-coming technology in recent years, and much of it is implemented in recreational activities such as video games and computer software. VR’s utility extends far beyond this, though — as one of the most complex ways ever created to mimic reality, VR is a great tool for scientists to
VR, zebrafish, and neuroscience: An unlikely trio Read More »
Late afternoon on Sunday, June 13, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center received an unlucky but increasingly familiar message: The Hubble Space Telescope entered safe mode. The telescope’s primary computer halted, likely because of degrading hardware. NASA’s inability to send astronauts on a servicing mission, due to the Space Shuttle’s retirement, severely limited the Goddard team’s
As Hubble falters, astrophysicists find hope in the telescope’s successor Read More »
Y2K, short for “Year 2000” and also known as the Millenium Bug, was actually a problem in the way information was stored in computers prior to 2000. The phrase “Y2K,” instantly conjures up images of baby tees, Britney Spears, Bratz Dolls, double denim, and MySpace. The Y2K aesthetic has massively surged recently thanks to social
On computers, aesthetics, and the end of the world — A.K.A., Y2K Read More »