Science & TechnologyS


Robot

Intel CTO: Gap between Humans, Machines Closing



Justin Rattner
©Stephen Shankland/CNET News
Intel Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner agrees with futurist Ray Kurzweil's assessment that the "singularity", when machine intelligence surpasses human intelligence, is nigh.

Justin Rattner, CTO of Intel Cop. has predicted big changes in social interactions, robotics, and improvements in the computer's ability to sense the real world and he believes these changes will be seen sooner rather than later.

"The industry has taken much greater strides than anyone ever imagined 40 years ago," Rattner said, speaking at the Intel Developer's Forum. "There is speculation that we may be approaching an inflection point where the rate of technology advancements is accelerating at an exponential rate, and machines could even overtake humans in their ability to reason, in the not so distant future."

Info

New Evidence Debunks 'Stupid' Neanderthal Myth

Research by UK and American scientists has struck another blow to the theory that Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) became extinct because they were less intelligent than our ancestors (Homo sapiens). The research team has shown that early stone tool technologies developed by our species, Homo sapiens, were no more efficient than those used by Neanderthals.

Image
©iStockphoto/Klaus Nilkens
Early stone tool technologies developed by our species, Homo sapiens, were no more efficient than those used by Neanderthals (like the one shown in the above model), new research shows.

Published in the Journal of Human Evolution, their discovery debunks a textbook belief held by archaeologists for more than 60 years.

The team from the University of Exeter, Southern Methodist University, Texas State University, and the Think Computer Corporation, spent three years flintknapping (producing stone tools). They recreated stone tools known as 'flakes,' which were wider tools originally used by both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, and 'blades,' a narrower stone tool later adopted by Homo sapiens. Archaeologists often use the development of stone blades and their assumed efficiency as proof of Homo sapiens' superior intellect. To test this, the team analysed the data to compare the number of tools produced, how much cutting-edge was created, the efficiency in consuming raw material and how long tools lasted.

Telescope

Massive Galaxies Caught In The Act Of Merging

Astronomers have caught multiple massive galaxies in the act of merging about 4 billion years ago. This discovery, made possible by combining the power of the best ground- and space-based telescopes, uniquely supports the favoured theory of how galaxies form.

Composite colour-image of the brightest galaxies
©ESO
Composite colour-image of the brightest galaxies in four groups located about 4 billion light-years away. The galaxies are ordered in increasing stellar mass, i.e. a rough time sequence (upper left, upper right, lower left, lower right).

How do galaxies form? The most widely accepted answer to this fundamental question is the model of 'hierarchical formation', a step-wise process in which small galaxies merge to build larger ones. One can think of the galaxies forming in a similar way to how streams merge to form rivers, and how these rivers, in turn, merge to form an even larger river. This theoretical model predicts that massive galaxies grow through many merging events in their lifetime. But when did their cosmological growth spurts finish? When did the most massive galaxies get most of their mass?

To answer these questions, astronomers study massive galaxies in clusters, the cosmological equivalent of cities filled with galaxies. "Whether the brightest galaxies in clusters grew substantially in the last few billion years is intensely debated. Our observations show that in this time, these galaxies have increased their mass by 50%," says Kim-Vy Tran from the University of Zürich, Switzerland, who led the research.

Info

Human exoskeleton suit helps paralyzed people walk

Haifa, Israel - Paralyzed for the past 20 years, former Israeli paratrooper Radi Kaiof now walks down the street with a dim mechanical hum.

That is the sound of an electronic exoskeleton moving the 41-year-old's legs and propelling him forward -- with a proud expression on his face -- as passersby stare in surprise.

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©REUTERS/Baz Ratner
Radi Kaiof walks using an electronic exoskeleton at a development center in the northern city of Haifa August 18, 2008. The device, called ReWalk, slated for commercial sales in 2010, consists of motorised leg supports, body sensors and a back pack containing a computerised control box and rechargable batteries. It also requires crutches to help with balance. Picture taken August 18, 2008.

Magnify

Flashback Longest underground river found near Mexican coast

Cave divers in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula have discovered what may be the world's longest underground river, connecting two cave systems with a waterway at least 95 miles (154 km) long.

A group of foreign divers exploring the area near the Caribbean beach resort of Playa del Carmen have yet to name the stretch, but believe it could be connected to two other major systems, adding more than 125 miles (200 km) to its length.

Sherlock

Portal to Maya Underworld Found in Mexico?

A labyrinth filled with stone temples and pyramids in 14 caves - some underwater - have been uncovered on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, archaeologists announced last week.

The discovery has experts wondering whether Maya legend inspired the construction of the underground complex - or vice versa.

According to Maya myth, the souls of the dead had to follow a dog with night vision on a horrific and watery path and endure myriad challenges before they could rest in the afterlife.

In one of the recently found caves, researchers discovered a nearly 300-foot (90-meter) concrete road that ends at a column standing in front of a body of water.

X

Anti-Russian Techno Craze: Eight million people at risk of ID fraud after credit card details are stolen by hotel chain hackers

Up to eight million people are at risk of ID fraud after a hacker breached the security system of the world's largest hotel chain.

An Indian hacker broke into the IT system of Best Western Hotel Group and stole personal details of everyone who has stayed there in the past 12 months.

The details, which included home addresses, phone numbers, place of employment and credit card details, were sold on through an underground network controlled by the Russian Mafia.

The information is thought to be worth up to £2.8billion. Experts say that if it falls into the wrong hands it could spark a 'major crimewave'.

Hourglass

Alpine melt reveals ancient life

Melting alpine glaciers are revealing fascinating clues to Neolithic life in the high mountains.

Schnidejoch glacier
©University of Berne
The Schnidejoch glacier records human activity in the region

Hourglass

Ancient city in western Turkey waits to be unearthed

An ancient city in western Turkey, discovered by smugglers of ancient artifacts at an illegal excavation six years ago and recovered with soil by officials, now waits to be unearthed.

Meteor

Australian researcher 'saves the world'

An Australian researcher has won an international prize for her plan to wrap a giant asteroid with reflective sheeting to stop it colliding with the earth and destroying all life.

Such an impact would have the force of 110,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs if the asteroid, which actually exists, hits the planet in 2036, said Mary D'Souza, a PhD student with the University of Queensland's School of Engineering.

Comment: And what about the asteroids that we might not see... in time?