Researchers at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore have made a significant breakthrough in noise pollution reduction by developing a new approach to absorbing sound waves using the triboelectric effect. The team has created a fibrous polypropylene/polyethylene terephthalate (PP/PET) composite foam that uses the triboelectric effect and in situ electrical energy…
health on The Soothsayer / page 10
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is on the cusp of a major overhaul, with proposals from both chambers of the US Congress and the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump aiming to reform the agency’s structure and research portfolio. The NIH’s advisory group has launched a series of meetings to consider the proposals and…
Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery in understanding the human brain’s unique genetic features, which could lead to new therapies for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. By comparing human and primate brain cells, researchers found that human dopamine neurons express more genes that boost the activity of damage-reducing antioxidants, allowing them to cope…
A recent study in Ecuador has revealed that the spread of dengue fever is not limited to urban areas, as previously thought. In fact, the disease is spreading rapidly in rural areas with high population density, where access to government services and amenities is limited. This misunderstanding of what constitutes an urban or rural area…
A team of researchers from Seoul National University, Stanford University, and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology has made a groundbreaking discovery in camera technology. They have developed a metasurface-based folded lens system that enables unprecedented manipulation of light, paving the way for the creation of slimline cameras for use in smartphones and augmented/virtual…
A newly identified breakdown product of chlorine-based water treatments, chloronitramide, has been found in tap water systems across the United States. The substance, which is electrically charged and potentially toxic, has been detected in 40 samples from 10 water treatment systems, with concentrations exceeding the threshold allowed for other harmful breakdown products. While the health…
ChatGPT, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, has taken the world by storm since its launch in November 2022. The chatbot has become an essential tool for businesses, with over 92% of Fortune 500 companies using it. However, OpenAI is facing internal drama, including the exit of co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, and a lawsuit from…
Anthropic, a leading AI startup, has secured an additional $4 billion from Amazon, solidifying their partnership and cementing Amazon’s position as a minority investor. The deal requires Anthropic to train its flagship generative AI models primarily on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon’s cloud computing division. This strategic move is expected to accelerate the development of…
Researchers from China and Spain have developed a nanoflake-based breath sensor that can detect lung cancer with unprecedented accuracy. The sensor, made from platinum-loaded nanoflakes, can detect isoprene levels in exhaled breath, a biomarker for lung cancer. The device has shown promising results in clinical trials, distinguishing between healthy individuals and lung cancer patients with…
Researchers warn that generative AI models, trained on their own synthetic content, may collapse and produce nonsensical responses. This could exacerbate bias and lead to a loss of nuance in AI-generated text. Experts suggest that using a combination of human-generated and AI-generated data for training can help prevent this collapse. Forecast for 6 months: In…
