If you're trying to master a skill, a new study says that using a 'cross-training' regimen may help improve your ability to learn versus solo cognitive training. The study calls this multimodal training, and explains that it 'significantly enhanced learning' among volunteers who participated in the study. Best of all, the method doesn't require any nootropics or otherwise invasive measures.
It's hard to imagine that such massive fish could spend the better part of three centuries eluding scientists, but that's exactly what happened. Known by some now as the Hoodwinker Sunfish, this giant sunfish species was first detected a decade ago by Japanese researchers, who found genetic evidence of its existence near Australia. With confirmation of its existence, this marks the first time the Mola genus has seen a new species addition in 130 years.
Unless you're still using an old television, it has probably been years since you've last seen television static. The snowy mess was an annoyance; for the user, it meant the coaxial cable needed adjusted or the TV antenna needed leaves cleaned off. As it turns out, that static contained something pretty astonishing: a sliver of residue from the creation of the universe.
The AI invasion isn’t coming. It’s already hear. Forget Skynet, we already have Siri, Cortana, Google Assistant, and, now, Bixby. But AI is found in more than those. It’s also present in Google Search, Office Lens, email, photos, and, soon, your head. No, we’re not talking about plugging your head to a computer, but something close. Microsoft researchers have just revealed how the next version of the HoloLens will include a custom-made, special-purpose chip whose processing power will be dedicated solely to, what else, AI.
A simple salivary protein has revealed a so-called 'ghost' species of ancient humans, a new study reveals, hinting at the existence of an archaic species that swapped genetic material with human ancestors. It is well known that ancient hominin species contributed to the rise of modern humans, not the least of which is the Neanderthals and lesser known Denisovans. Such rendezvous took place in Europe and Asia, but it seems similar encounters may have happened in ancient Africa, too.
Researchers have developed a proof-of-concept robot that is able to grow, a functionality that may have big implications for the medical field in coming years, though there are other potential uses for such a creation. The robot doesn't grow how you're likely imaging -- it's not like a human, that is. Instead, the growing robot can be imagined as something like a climbing vine, being equipped with the ability to extend its reach via a growing tip. That tip itself can accommodate many types of environments.
An 11-year-old cow was identified in Alabama with the neurological condition known as 'mad cow disease.' The discovery was made before the cow was butchered and, according to the USDA, wasn't at any point any sort of risk for the food supply chains. The discovery of the disease was first made during a routine surveillance of the cows; this particular victim was said to be presenting clinical signs of mad cow disease upon discovery.
The Tyrannosaurus-Rex was, no doubt, one of the largest beasts to ever walk around on two legs. Questions remain, though, about how quickly it could move; were those legs similarly capable of running, and if so, how fast could this dinosaur move? The topic has been studied extensively, but answers are still forthcoming. In the latest study, researchers used a multi-physics approach to reconstructing the dino's locomotor abilities, and the results are surprising.
Apple is pulling back the curtain on its machine learning efforts, launching a new journal where employees can share their work on the Cupertino firm's cutting edge developments. The site is an unusual step by the traditionally secretive firm, which in the past has been more focused on wowing with the end-result of such endeavors. Still, with machine learning set to be one of the mainstays of technology over the next decade, Apple appears to want some of the attention that rivals like Google and Microsoft are garnering.
Photo manipulation tricks human eyes very easily according to a new report. Three researchers from the Department of Psychology at the University of Warwick have done a number of tests to conclude that "people have poor ability to identify whether a real-world image is original or has been manipulated." In other words - humans do not have any sort of innate sense for discerning reality from computer-edited photography, AKA Photoshopping.
"The camera never lies" may not have ever been especially true, but new research into lip-sync for computer-generated mouths could one day leave all videos suspect. The research, by a group at the University of Washington, details how by training a neural network it can be used to generate a computer-controlled mouth to map onto a chunk of real footage. In their example, presented at SIGGRAPH 2017, a section from one of President Obama's speeches was used to create a totally new video of him apparently speaking it.
Scientists have successfully reanimated fish that were frozen as part of a cryopreservation project. Though the process was not perfect -- most of the fish died within the first hour of being reanimated -- there were statistically notable instances of survival that highlighted the potential of this new cryopreservation technique. How did the researchers pull it off? By using very small particles of gold and laser beams.
