A four-armed, marimba-playing robot can now write and play its own compositions with aid from artificial intelligence and deep learning. Researchers fed the robot nearly 5,000 complete songs—from Beethoven to the Beatles to Lady Gaga to Miles Davis—and more than […]
Finger-prick blood glucose testing does not offer a significant advantage in blood sugar control or quality of life for patients with type 2 diabetes who do not take insulin for the condition, a new study suggests. “There has been a […]
Researchers have uncovered 300,000-year-old fossil bones of Homo sapiens-the oldest reliably dated fossil evidence of our species. The unearthing, reported in two papers in the journal Nature (one, two), significantly pushes back the origins of our species: the find is […]
Researchers have created a wireless pacemaker that requires no battery and can be directly implanted into a patient’s heart. The pacemaker harvests energy wirelessly from radio frequency radiation transmitted by an external battery pack. In the prototype, the wireless power […]
Scientists have created a new interactive design tool that makes it possible for novices and experts to create custom robots with 3D-printed parts and consumer-level actuators. Using a familiar drag-and-drop interface, individuals can choose from a library of components and […]
Simple, statistically informed decision rules can dramatically improve judicial determinations, says Sharad Goel. But, he cautions, algorithms are not a complete fix. Courts nationwide are making greater use of computer algorithms to help determine whether defendants should be released into […]
Researchers have captured the first cryo-electron microscopy images of a key cellular receptor for diabetes in action. The findings, published in Nature, reveal new information about workings of G protein-coupled receptors—which are intermediaries for molecular messages related to nearly every […]
Airline mergers often take the blame for flight delays, late arrivals, and missed connections. A new analysis of 15 years of US Department of Transportation statistics, however, shows that airline consolidation has had little negative impact on on-time performance. In fact, […]
The benefits of light drinking-and the risks of not drinking at all-might not be as great as once thought, report researchers. The researchers analyzed information about more than 9,000 people across England, Scotland, and Wales born in 1958 who are […]
Researchers have discovered ways for manufacturers using 3D-printing to embed hidden flaws in files to thwart intellectual property theft. But since the global supply chain for 3D-printing, also called additive manufacturing (AM), requires companies to share computer aided design (CAD) files […]
A new augmented reality system lets physiotherapy students see inside the human body by projecting different layers of muscles and bones over the top of a volunteer “patient.” The technology, called the Augmented Studio, is designed to enhance the teaching […]