185021788
submission
alternative_right writes:
Quarks are fundamental subatomic particles that combine in trios to make up familiar baryons such as protons and neutrons, and gluons are the quantum 'Gorilla Glue' that binds their quark structure together.
For nearly 50 years, physicists have hunted for "glueballs", exotic particles predicted by this theory of the strong interaction.
Now, a collaboration working at a collider in Beijing says it has the clearest evidence yet that a known particle called X(2370) is dominated by one of these elusive states.
Physicists sifted through the wreckage of high-energy particle collisions to find strong evidence of this glueball, made predominantly of gluons â" massless force carriers of the strong interaction between quarks.
The same underlying physics also gives rise to the residual strong force that binds protons and neutrons into an atomic nucleus, much as photons carry the electromagnetic force.
185021676
submission
alternative_right writes:
AI companies are seeking access to data beyond the chat window.
OpenAI last week announced an optional Computer History feature that lets ChatGPT retain a record of the apps and websites a person uses.
Google, meanwhile, said last month it will use photos and other material people upload through Search to train its AI systems by default, though users can opt out.
The upside is the potential for more useful, personalized AI. The tradeoff is giving companies a broader and more continuous view of users' lives.
185020336
submission
alternative_right writes:
Scientists demonstrated a pilot-scale production process for mushroom-based fabric that could one day compete with animal leather in fashion, automotive, and interior design.
185019388
submission
alternative_right writes:
Amazon is buying massive quantities of books, scanning them for AI training data, and destroying them in the process.
A 404 Media investigation was able to reveal Amazonâ(TM)s book buying operation, which hasnâ(TM)t been previously reported, by placing a tracking device in a rare book we suspected would be acquired by an AI company for training data, and following it around the country to its final destination.
That final destination was an Amazon warehouse in Las Vegas, Nevada. Amazon employees who work at this location say all they do is receive massive shipments of printed books which they then cut the bindings off in order to scan the books more quickly. The printed book is destroyed in the process. The logo of the Amazon team that works at this warehouse, called VGT3, is a dinosaur, brandishing its teeth and with a book in its hands.
184999706
submission
alternative_right writes:
The website, haveibeenflocked.com, allows a user to type in their license plate number. Then the website will send back information on search results, letting someone know if an operator on the Flock system asked the database for their license plate through Flock.
184999652
submission
alternative_right writes:
Researchers built a tiny device that fits inside an existing maintenance port in the belly of a Boeing 737 and demonstrated, on a genuine Boeing 737 test setup, that it could alter the flight management computerâ(TM)s route and performance data, the inputs that tell the autopilot where to fly, while hiding those changes from pilots in that test environment.
184991752
submission
alternative_right writes:
While doomscrolling is often dismissed as a productivity issue, the researchers found the consequences extend beyond the time spent looking at a screen.
"What we find is that workers who doomscroll on the clock are less engaged, in part because their mind is preoccupied, sort of replaying the images and messages that they encountered during their doomscrolling sessions," Hughes said.
The relationship was especially strong among people with higher levels of neuroticism, a personality trait associated with anxiety and worry.
184939894
submission
alternative_right writes:
Ordinary WiFi networks could quietly become powerful surveillance tools, allowing people to be identified without cameras, special sensors, or even carrying a connected device. Researchers showed that unencrypted signals routinely exchanged between WiFi devices and routers can be used to create radio-based images of people and recognize them within seconds. In tests involving 197 participants, the system identified individuals with nearly 100% accuracy, even from different angles and regardless of how they walked.
184939864
submission
alternative_right writes:
Researchers have found a clever new way to map a part of Earthâ(TM)s upper atmosphere that is notoriously difficult to observe. Using orbital data from roughly 1,200 Starlink satellites, they reconstructed changes in atmospheric density about 500 kilometers above Earth. The approach could sharpen satellite tracking and help reduce the growing risk of collisions in increasingly crowded orbits.
184933250
submission
alternative_right writes:
Scientists from the Czech Republic have created microscopic cleanup robots that successfully removed microplastics from both soil and aquatic environments in the lab. Details of their work are published in the journal npg Asia Materials.
To build the robots, researchers started with microscopic MXene particles made of ultrathin, stacked layers. The material has a large surface area and surface chemistry that help it attract and hold plastic. They then coated the particles with magnetic nickel nanoparticles so rotating magnetic fields could drive the tiny robots.
Then came the testing phase. The team placed swarms of these microbots into water and soil samples contaminated with plastic. The externally generated magnetic fields made the robots spin and tumble through the liquid and squeeze through tiny water-filled gaps in the soil.
184920098
submission
alternative_right writes:
Robotics companies promise that video-camera-toting security robots can deter and detect crime. But many companies are rethinking the approach after a trail of canceled contracts and questions about whether the artificial intelligence-powered bots are meeting the needs of businesses and local governments.
Proof News found evidence of at least 21 security robot deployments since 2015. We contacted contract holders and combed news articles and determined that at least 13 of those programs have ended. Silicon Valley-based Knightscope secured the most security robot contracts, according to Proofâ(TM)s analysis, and also suffered the bulk of cancellations.
For example, New York Cityâ(TM)s then-Mayor Eric Adams installed a Knightscope robot on the overnight shift at the Times Square subway station, but the program was scrapped when the pilot expired in 2024. City leaders did not respond to Proof Newsâ(TM) questions about why the robot wasnâ(TM)t renewed. By the end of its assignment, it was reportedly gathering dust in an empty storefront.
184898348
submission
alternative_right writes:
Platforms such as TikTok present a rapid stream of brief, attention-grabbing videos, often selected by personalized recommendation systems. Greater use has previously been associated with anxiety, depression, loneliness, and problematic use, but an association does not necessarily mean that the platforms cause these difficulties.
While participants rested in a scanner, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measured fluctuations in blood flow associated with brain activity. The researchers examined activity in individual regions, communication within and between brain networks, and the overall organization of connections across the brain.
At the whole-brain level, higher-use participants had greater global and local efficiency, greater clustering of neighboring regions, and shorter communication paths across the brain. One interpretation for this is that intensive exposure to fast-paced audiovisual material changes brain systems involved in sensory processing and attention. The authors also acknowledged that greater efficiency is not automatically evidence of damage: similar patterns have sometimes been connected with intelligence and working-memory performance.
184894458
submission
alternative_right writes:
Waymo robotaxis have escaped a single enforcement notice in Los Angeles during the first month California police were given the power to cite autonomous vehicle companies for traffic violations.
This is despite a string of viral incidents showing the driverless cars blocking roads, trapping motorists and breaking traffic laws.
184894202
submission
alternative_right writes:
A man from Houston was arrested and charged after making terroristic threats to Gov. Greg Abbott's office in July, court records show.
The court documents show that the threatening voicemail was apparently about anime and the recent Texas law requiring age verification for certain websites, such as pornographic and obscene content. The voicemail to the Governor's Constituent Communications line read in part:
"I don't know which one of you sons of (expletive) passed this (expletive) bill to get this damn (expletive) blocking my (expletive) anime, but you whole (expletive) (expletive) need to unpass this (expletive). Y'all are (expletive) ridiculous with your (expletive) (expletive). My Google account says I'm (expletive) over the age of 18, and your (expletive) is passing these (expletive) laws. I'm a (expletive) stab every (expletive) one of you (expletive). Unlock my (expletive) anime."
184883966
submission
alternative_right writes:
A federal judge in Mississippi ruled Wednesday that âoetower dumpâ warrants are unconstitutional, declining to reverse a lower court decision refusing the governmentâ(TM)s request to obtain the search warrants in a series of violent crime investigations.
