Menu

Blog

Archive for the ‘habitats’ category

Mar 28, 2024

Why NASA Will Fire Three Rockets At The Solar Eclipse

Posted by in categories: habitats, space

Building on experiments during October’s partial solar eclipse in the U.S, NASA has a once-in-400 years opportunity to study how an eclipse affects Earth’s atmosphere.

Mar 26, 2024

Primordial Fuel: Uncovering Hydrogen’s Role at the Origin of Life

Posted by in categories: biological, chemistry, habitats, sustainability

A recent study reveals how hydrogen gas, often touted as the energy source of tomorrow, provided energy in the past, at the origin of life 4 billion years ago. Hydrogen gas is clean fuel. It burns with oxygen in the air to provide energy with no CO2.

Hydrogen is a key to sustainable energy for the future. Though humans are just now coming to realize the benefits of hydrogen gas (H2 in chemical shorthand), microbes have known that H2 is a good fuel for as long as there has been life on Earth. Hydrogen is ancient energy.

The very first cells on Earth lived from H2 produced in hydrothermal vents, using the reaction of H2 with CO2 to make the molecules of life. Microbes that thrive from the reaction of H2 and CO2 can live in total darkness, inhabiting spooky, primordial habitats like deep-sea hydrothermal vents or hot rock formations deep within the Earth’s crust, environments where many scientists think that life itself arose.

Mar 22, 2024

UK firm AUAR bags $3.2M to construct robot-built Lego homes

Posted by in categories: habitats, robotics/AI

UK-based construction technology firm Automated Architecture (AUAR) has bagged $3.2 million in funding to advance its mission to automate the construction process to solve housing-related issues.

AUAR is creating a network of dispersed micro-factories for environmentally friendly timber homes. AUAR claims that it presents an alternative vision for the built environment, in which local ecosystems comprising developers, contractors, architects, and communities are empowered to construct better homes instead of centralized automation in massive factories.

Mar 22, 2024

Secretly working a second job? It may not be for much longer, the ‘Oracle of Wall Street’ warns

Posted by in categories: economics, finance, habitats

This apparent paradox has a simple yet surprising explanation, according to Meredith Whitney: Employers are finally exacting revenge on remote workers who’ve secretly had a second job.

The veteran researcher, who became known as the “Oracle of Wall Street” for her early warnings about banks before the financial crisis, is no stranger to thinking outside the box about everything from the housing market to the economy, and this theory is no exception.

But there’s evidence to support Whitney’s thesis that many of the job cuts made have been to remote positions that were filled by people working at multiple companies under the radar.

Mar 21, 2024

Microsoft Introduces AutoDev: A Fully Automated Artificial Intelligence-Driven Software Development Framework

Posted by in categories: habitats, robotics/AI, security

The software development sector stands at the dawn of a transformation powered by artificial intelligence (AI), where AI agents perform development tasks. This transformation is not just about incremental enhancements but a radical reimagining of how software engineering tasks are approached, executed, and delivered. Central to this shift is introducing AI-driven frameworks that transcend traditional code assistance tools, marking a leap toward more autonomous, efficient, and secure software development methodologies.

The integration of AI in software development has been confined largely to providing code suggestions and aiding in file manipulation. This approach, while beneficial, barely scratches the surface of what is technologically feasible. AI-powered tools operate within a constrained scope, missing out on Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)’ vast capabilities, such as comprehensive code building, testing, and version control operations. This limitation underscores a critical gap in the software development toolkit, where the potential for AI to contribute more profoundly to the development lifecycle remains largely untapped.

Microsoft researchers present AutoDev, which empowers AI agents to tackle a broad spectrum of software engineering tasks autonomously, from intricate code editing and comprehensive testing to advanced git operations. This framework is designed to focus on autonomy, efficiency, and security. By housing operations within Docker containers, AutoDev ensures that development processes are streamlined and secure, safeguarding user privacy and project integrity through meticulously designed guardrails.

Mar 20, 2024

Full-Scale Prototype Space Habitat Explodes Under Pressure

Posted by in categories: habitats, space

Private space company Sierra Space has blown up its first full-scale inflatable space habitat, dubbed the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) — and it was all part of the plan.

The balloon-like contraption, which measured just over 20 feet tall, held a third of the volume of the International Space Station once fully inflated. During a recent test, engineers at the Colorado-based company kept pumping it with air, reaching a whopping 77 psi — well above NASA’s recommended level of 60.8 psi — before it exploded in spectacular fashion.

Continue reading “Full-Scale Prototype Space Habitat Explodes Under Pressure” »

Mar 18, 2024

Not Science Fiction — This Bizarre Worm-Lizard Is Like the Dune Sandworm but Weirder

Posted by in categories: futurism, habitats

With skull parts that click together like puzzle pieces and a large central tooth, the real-life sandworm is stranger than fiction.

Amphisbaenians are strange creatures. Like worms with vertebrae, scales, a large central tooth, and sometimes small forearms, these reptiles live underground, burrowing tunnels and preying on just about anything they encounter, not unlike a miniature version of the monstrous sandworms from “Dune.”

Even though they’re found around much of the world, little is known about how amphisbaenians behave in the wild because they cannot be observed while in their natural habitat under sand and soil. But thanks to two papers published in the March issue of The Anatomical Record, new light is being shed on these animals and their specialized anatomy.

Mar 15, 2024

MM1: Methods, Analysis & Insights from Multimodal LLM Pre-training

Posted by in category: habitats

Apple announces MM1

Methods, Analysis & Insights from Multimodal LLM Pre-training.

In this work, we discuss building performant Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs).

Continue reading “MM1: Methods, Analysis & Insights from Multimodal LLM Pre-training” »

Mar 15, 2024

Clever Thieves Using WiFi Jammers to Shut Down Those Crappy Security Cameras You Bought on Amazon

Posted by in categories: habitats, internet, security, surveillance

The Los Angeles Police Department is warning residents that burglars are using WiFi jammers to easily disarm “connected” surveillance cameras and alarms that are available for cheap on marketplaces like Amazon.

As LA-based news station KTLA5 reports, tech-savvy burglars have been using WiFi jammers, which are small devices that can confuse and overload wireless devices with traffic, to enter homes without setting off alarms — a worrying demonstration of just how easily affordable home security devices from the likes of Ring and Eufy can be disarmed.

As Tom’s Hardware reported last month, instances of WiFi jammers being used by criminals go back several years. Jammers are not only easily available to purchase online, they’re also pretty cheap and can go for as little as $40.

Mar 15, 2024

Millennials are about to become the ‘richest generation in history’ thanks to $90 trillion wealth transfer, according to new report

Posted by in category: habitats

“There is evidence that the youth of today blame the generations before them for the challenges that they and the planet face today,” said Mike Pickett, director of London-based Cazenove Capital, in the report.

The property broker added that housing will continue to be a focus of spending for the next generation, as those born between 1981 and 1996 may have struggled to get on the housing ladder thus far. Even at the highest end of the income ladder, growing a property portfolio is a key concern among those born between 1981 and 1996.

The study shows 23% of female ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI, valued at $30 million or above) are considering buying a home in 2024, with 21% of male UHNWI expecting to make a similar purchase this year. Wealthy Gen Zers feel the same, with 20% of those born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s planning an acquisition.

Page 1 of 13612345678Last