EU member states and lawmakers have reached a significant milestone in regulating artificial intelligence (AI) with the adoption of the AI Act. After 36 hours of intense negotiations, a political deal has been sealed in Brussels, making the EU the first continent to establish clear rules for the use of AI. The AI Act is
RIKEN chemists have made a groundbreaking discovery with the development of a highly active catalyst that can synthesize drug molecules within the body. This new catalyst has the potential to revolutionize drug delivery methods by assembling drugs at specific target sites, minimizing side effects and maximizing effectiveness. Conventional drug delivery methods, such as injections or
The competition watchdog in Britain, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has recently announced that it is launching an investigation into the partnership between US tech giant Microsoft and artificial intelligence developer OpenAI. The CMA is looking into whether this partnership resembles a merger and is seeking comments from the involved parties as well as
The field of quantum computation holds great promise for revolutionizing how we process and store information. One of the key challenges in this field is finding suitable materials that can host and manipulate quantum states. Physicists at RIKEN have recently made an exciting breakthrough by developing an electronic device that hosts unusual states of matter,
The global carbon cycle is a complex system influenced by various factors, and marine organisms play a crucial role in this process. Phytoplankton, for example, absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequester it in organic matter that sinks to the deep ocean. This process, known as the biological carbon pump, has long been thought
For centuries, the Moon has captivated our imagination as a pristine celestial body, untouched by human influence. However, the reality is drastically different. Over the past 60 years, humans have been busy leaving their mark on Earth’s satellite. In a new paper, researchers argue that we have entered a new epoch on the Moon –
In a new review conducted by psychiatrist John McGrath and his team at the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, it was suggested that owning a cat as a pet could potentially double a person’s risk of developing schizophrenia-related disorders. This idea was first proposed in a study back in 1995, where exposure to a
Stir-frying is a popular cooking method enjoyed by billions of people around the world. However, this cooking technique not only produces delicious dishes but also emits a mixture of gases and particles that can pollute indoor air and pose a risk to human health. In order to accurately estimate and predict the concentration of these
On the highway of heat transfer, thermal energy is traditionally moved through quantum particles known as phonons. However, in today’s nanoscale semiconductors, the efficacy of phonons in removing heat has reached its limit. This limitation has led researchers at Purdue University to focus on harnessing the potential of a novel type of quasiparticles called “polaritons”
The field of metal-catalyzed C-H functionalization has long been plagued by the challenge of differentiating between bonds in fluoroarenes. However, the Chirik Group at the Princeton Department of Chemistry has taken a significant step forward by introducing a new method that leverages a cobalt catalyst to functionalize fluoroarenes based on their intrinsic electronic properties. Published
A team of roboticists from Technical University of Munich and Sun Yat-sen University in Germany and China, respectively, have made significant improvements to the agility of quadruped robots. By adding a flexible spine and tail, the researchers have created a more refined robot that demonstrates enhanced mobility. The study was recently published in the journal
Throughout adulthood, there has been a prevailing notion that the thymus gland is no longer essential. However, a recent retrospective study challenges this belief and suggests that the thymus gland may play a crucial role in our overall health. The study conducted by US researchers revealed that individuals who had their thymus removed face an