The rapid urbanization of Africa is a phenomenon that shows no signs of slowing down. The continent’s urban population has more than doubled since the early 2000s, reaching over 600 million in 2020. Projections indicate that this population will double again by 2050. This growth in urban areas has outpaced the rate of urban population
Robotic manipulation is a critical aspect of enabling robots to complete real-world tasks in various environments. To achieve effective object grasping and manipulation, developers have been exploring machine learning models for training robots. While some models have shown success, many of them require extensive pre-training on large datasets, primarily consisting of visual data. However, researchers
In a groundbreaking development, Japanese researchers have successfully constructed the world’s first wooden satellite. This innovative cuboid craft, designed by scientists at Kyoto University in collaboration with Sumitomo Forestry, breaks the traditional norms of satellite construction with its unique material composition. Measuring just 10 centimeters on each side, this wooden satellite, named LignoSat, represents a
Have you ever found yourself completely immersed in an activity, to the point where everything else fades away? This state of heightened concentration is known as “flow” in psychology. It is a feeling of being completely absorbed in what you are doing, to the extent that you lose track of time and space. Flow typically
Protein structure prediction has been a key area of focus for researchers due to its implications on human health and disease. Computational approaches have long been utilized to predict how proteins fold themselves into structures that determine their functions and interactions with other molecules in the body. These structures play a crucial role in understanding
Proteins, the molecular machines essential for cellular functions, rely on their three-dimensional structures for proper functioning. Recent advancements in protein research have led to the development of a groundbreaking mathematical method, known as LoCoHD (Local Composition Hellinger Distance), by the HUN-REN-ELTE Protein Modeling Research Group. Unlike traditional methods that only consider atom positions, LoCoHD incorporates
When it comes to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in South-East Asia, there are systemic issues that can jeopardize women’s security. Gender biases present in widely used AI-systems create a significant barrier to leveraging AI for promoting peace and security in the region. Research conducted by UN Women and the United Nations University Institute
Farmland is often a battleground in the fight against climate change. Solar panels and energy crops are pitted against food production, while well-intended policy choices can create incentives for farmers to till up new lands, releasing even more heat-trapping gas into the atmosphere. That’s why strategies for sustainable plant-based fuels focus on marginal lands –
The Salton Sea, which was formed in 1905 due to an overflow of the Colorado River, has been shrinking for years. The reduced flows into the lake have led to various environmental and health issues in nearby communities. A recent study published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics sheds light on the impacts of
The creation of new materials through atomic precision manipulation is a groundbreaking achievement in the field of materials science. In a recent study published in Nature Materials, researchers have introduced a novel oxide material, Ca3Co3O8, that exhibits a unique combination of properties – ferromagnetism, polar distortion, and metallicity. This discovery sheds light on the concept
The biorefining industry has long struggled with the concept that “You can make anything from lignin, except money.” Despite its abundance and potential, commercializing lignin has proven to be a challenge. However, there may be hope on the horizon with an innovative approach developed by chemists from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of
Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize the world of technology by solving complex problems in a fraction of the time it would take traditional computers. However, the biggest challenge lies in building a system with millions of interconnected qubits. In a groundbreaking development, researchers at MIT and MITRE have introduced a scalable, modular hardware