Keep anonymous online with deepfake tech that generates a whole new face for you
Think deepfakes are the worst thing to happen since the last terrible thing? Researchers from Norway have developed a new way to potentially use them for good. DeepPrivacy uses deepfake technology to create a new real-time face that could be used to keep your identity a secret online.
Disabling a single protein could make humans immune to the common cold
Researchers at Stanford University and University of California, San Francisco, have developed an experimental approach that could lead to a universal vaccine for the common cold. Here's what they have created, how it works, and -- most importantly -- what happens next.
New algae-based bioreactor can swallow carbon dioxide 400x faster than trees
A.I. startup Hypergiant Industries has developed a prototype algae bioreactor which promises to be 400 times more efficient than trees at sucking carbon dioxide out of the air. Here's why it could turn out to be such a game-changer when it comes to battling climate change.
FarmWise has built a robotic weeding machine that cuts out the chemicals
Killer robots are coming to a farm near you. Well, weed-killing robots, that is. Developed by autonomous farming robot startup FarmWise, these weed-killing machines have already removed weeds from more than 10 million plants. Now, the company has raised funds to grow its fleet.
Synthetic spider silk could help solve the world’s plastic pollution problems
Each year, Americans throw away some 35 billion plastic bottles. Could spider silk help? According to some new research carried out in Finland, it could. Researchers there have developed a new plastic alternative made of synthetic spider silk and wood fibers. Here's how it works.
This biotech startup wants to put your DNA in a vault on the moon
A new space and biotech startup called LifeShip wants to build a pyramid on the moon to store the DNA of every plant and creature on Earth -- yours included. Here's what you need to know about the latest audacious attempt to create a record of Earth's life as it exists today.
The drones used in the Saudi Arabia oil attack were not ‘off the shelf’
Over the weekend, a fleet of 10 drones attacked a major oil processing facility and oil field in Saudi Arabia. But these aren't your everyday, off-the-shelf consumer unmanned aerial vehicles. Here's what we know about the kind of drones used by the forces responsible for the attack.
The world’s most freakishly realistic text-generating A.I. just got gamified
What would an adventure game designed by the world’s most dangerous A.I. look like? A neuroscience grad student is here to help you find out. Welcome to the algorithmically generated GPT Adventure, a text adventure game that rewrites itself every time it is played by gamers.
5 ways that future A.I. assistants will take voice tech to the next level
Since Siri debuted on the iPhone 4s, voice assistants have gone from sci-fi gimmick to the basis for smart speaker technology found in one in six American homes. But what will it take to drive these A.I. assistants to the next level? Here are 5 challenges just waiting to be solved.
The hands on this clock are made from an experimental magnetic rocket fuel
New on Kickstarter, Ferrofluid Clock is an analog desk clock in which the hour and minute hands are made of an oily dark magnetic liquid, called ferrofluid. These are held in place by hidden magnets behind the face. Check it out in all its creepy alien symbiote goodness now.
Sub-zero supercooling technique can help transplant organs survive for longer
Researchers at Harvard Medical School have found a way to keep potentially life-saving transplant organs alive for longer outside the human body. Their supercooling technique cools organs below zero, but without damaging them in the process. Here's how that could be a game-changer.
IBM Research is using A.I. algorithms to unlock the secrets of dark matter DNA
Scientists at IBM Research have used cutting-edge A.I. algorithms to help examine some of the secrets of dark matter DNA, the unexplored molecules and matter surrounding our genes which make up more than half of the human genome. Here's what they have discovered so far.
Artificial leg with realistic sensory feedback helps wearers walk confidently
Researchers from Switzerland’s Swiss Federal Institute of Technology have developed a new bionic prosthesis that uses onboard sensors and electrodes to provide wearers with neurofeedback when they're walking. Here's how it fared in a recent three-month test drive experiment.
MIT’s amazing reprogrammable ink can create color-changing objects
Researchers from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have created an awesome new reprogrammable ink that allows people to create objects that change color or even patterns in response to UV and visible light sources. Check it out in colorful action.
Robot helps a surgeon carry out world’s first long-distance heart operations
In a world'x first, a surgeon in India has successfully carried out several long distance heart operations using a telepresence robot to help him. Here's how the procedures played out -- and why these procedures are so exciting for the future of surgery in underserved parts of the world.
DARPA is sending robots underground to teach them to save lives
What does the ultimate search-and-rescue robot look like? And how would it cope in an underground disaster zone? That's what DARPA set out to discover in its Subterranean Challenge. Here's what you need to know about the competition that's attracting the world's top research labs.
Designing new drugs takes years, but A.I. could help reduce that to days
A new biotech company called Insilico Medicine is using advanced artificial intelligence algorithms to potentially discover the next world-changing drugs. Here's what it recently demonstrated, and why it could potentially prove to be such a big disruptor in the pharma space.
A.I. researchers create a facial-recognition system for chimps
Facial recognition technology is pretty great ... for humans. Researchers from the U.K.’s University of Oxford and Japan's Kyoto University are opening that up with a new facial recognition system designed for chimpanzees. Here's why it could actually turn out to be useful.
Startup has created technology for turning greenhouse gas emissions into soap
A Canadian startup called CleanO2 has come up with a smart way to transform greenhouse gas emissions into cleaning products like hand soap. Here's the technology they've developed, and why its creator thinks that it could pave the way for other clean-tech companies to follow.
Rice University’s new reactor can transform greenhouse gas into liquid fuel
A team of scientists from Rice University has developed a breakthrough electrocatalysis reactor that’s able to recycle carbon dioxide (CO2) into liquid fuel in the form of purified concentrations of formic acid. Here's why that could prove to be an important development.
Experts think America should consider giving A.I. control of the nuclear button
In news to file under “W” for “What could possibly go wrong,” two U.S. deterrence experts have penned an argument suggesting that it might be time to hand control of the launch button for America’s nuclear weapons over to artificial intelligence. Here's why they believe that.
Tomorrow’s jobs: 7 future roles that will exist in the age of automation
Forget Skynet gaining sentience, the real fear a lot of folks have about artificial intelligence and robots is what it means for all of our jobs. The good news: While robots will certainly eliminate certain jobs, new roles will be created as well. Here are seven great examples.
On your mark. Get set. Blow: The race to build a breathalyzer for weed
With the growing legalization of marijuana, a number of research labs and startups are working to develop a breakthrough breathalyzer that can objectively determine whether or not a person is high. Here's why such a tool is required -- and when we can expect it to arrive.
MIT’s snake robot is designed to crawl through blood vessels in the brain
What’s creepier than a snake robot? Answer: A snake robot that’s designed to crawl through the blood vessels in your brain. That’s exactly what researchers at MIT are working to develop. But, don’t worry, it’s here to help. Here's why it could one day help save someone's life.
Pulse technology uses electricity to defrost frozen windows in just one second
Hate scraping your frozen car windows in winter? Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Kyushu University have developed a new way of removing ice and frost from surfaces with less than 1% of the energy and 0.01% of the time required for other defrosting methods.
Scientists at UC San Francisco discover gene that helps supercharge sleep
Would you like to be able to sleep just a few short hours each night, but still rise fully rested and revitalized in the morning? You very may well be able to in the not-too-distant future, thanks to groundbreaking new research from genetic scientists at the University of California, San Francisco.
Figur8’s sensors can track body movement with astonishing levels of accuracy
A new startup created by a former Google research and development lead and researchers from MIT Media Lab can track the movement of the body with astonishing levels of detail. In doing so, it could be used to help diagnose diseases or monitor elite athletes in training. Here's how it works.
Graphene’s latest neat trick? Stopping mosquitoes from biting you
Scientists have discovered graphene’s latest superpower, and it’s a doozy. New research shows how dry graphene film seemingly interferes with mosquitoes’ ability to sense skin and sweat, thereby stopping them from being attracted to humans as possible mobile drinking fountains.
DARPA’s latest pursuit? Stealth gliders that dissolve when exposed to sunlight
Imagine the scenario: there’s a mission in which spies or soldiers must travel into enemy territory without raising any alarms or leaving behind any evidence. How do they do it? DARPA thinks the answer involves a glider that self-destructs in the sunlight. Here's how it works.
Meet the subversive startup that’s fighting mass surveillance with t-shirts
Adversarial Fashion is a new fashion line which sells t-shirts, hoodies and other items designed to confuse license plate-reading surveillance cameras. Here's how the technology works -- and why its computer security expert creator, Kate Rose, is fighting the good fight.
The U.S. military is looking for an underground lair to run experiments
DARPA, the United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, is looking to occupy some kind of underground lair from which it could carry out all manner of crazy experiments. But would-be landlords will need to respond quickly.
Cerebras’ enormous artificial intelligence chip is the size of an iPad
Californian startup Cerebras recently unveiled its new Wafer Scale Engine (WSE) chip, designed for carrying out artificial intelligence processing. It's easily the biggest chip we've ever seen -- the size of an iPad, in fact. Here's what its creators think makes it so very special.
The house appraiser of the future is probably an A.I. algorithm
To paraphrase 1984’s The Terminator, the artificial intelligence algorithm developed by residential real estate company HouseCanary will not stop, ever, until your house is properly valued. Here's how it works -- and why it could prove superior to a flesh-and-blood appraiser.
Photorealistic CGI product placement ads could soon invade your favorite movies
You know the kind of targeted advertising that you get online? Thanks to a new Hollywood visual effects startup, it could be coming to the world of movies and TV as well. Welcome to a future of personalized unskippable ads in your favorite media. Here's how the technology works.