A 900-year-old mystery.

Oh yeah.

NASA's launch of the Mars Science Laboratory -- hampered by technical difficulties and cost overruns -- has been delayed until the fall of 2011, NASA officials said at a news conference Thursday in Washington.

NASA officials Sunday waved off the first opportunity for space shuttle Endeavour to return to Earth, citing poor weather conditions.

From a remote valley in Northern California, Jill Tarter is listening to the universe.

Scientists have switched off several on-board instruments to halt rising temperatures inside India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft.

Economists authored a new study showing that aging populations lead to greater implementation of robots in workplace settings.

The sea slug has taught neuroscientists the most basic intelligence features that any creature in the animal kingdom needs to survive. Now, researchers have mimicked these strategies in a quantum material, a step toward figuring out how to build artificial intelligence directly into hardware.

A team studied whether hanging out with conversational agents, such as Alexa or Siri, could affect the way children communicate with their fellow humans.

Building a base on the moon was once something out of science fiction, but now scientists are starting to consider it more seriously. Researchers are investigating methods for mining lunar resources to build such a base, using swarms of autonomous robots.

Researchers have developed electrically-driven soft valves to control hydraulic soft actuators. These valves could be used in assistive and therapeutic devices, bio-inspired soft robots, soft grippers, surgical robots, and more.

A new, automated, artificial intelligence-based algorithm can learn to read patient data from electronic health records. In a side-by-side comparison, scientists showed that their method accurately identified patients with certain diseases as well as the traditional, 'gold-standard' method, which requires much more manual labor to develop and perform.

Many arboreal lizards leap and glide from tree to tree, but what if they can't glide to a gentle, four-point landing? Researchers documented many such leaps of the common house gecko, and found that they often hit trees headfirst and rebounded violently. Their recovery strategy -- grab on with the back feet and leverage their […]

A new study explains the science behind microscale concave interfaces (MCI) -- structures that reflect light to produce beautiful and potentially useful optical phenomena. Future applications of these effects could include aiding autonomous vehicles in recognizing traffic signs, researchers say. Multiple images, including of a sign created using the material, are available.

If humanoid robots with the same appearance are mass-produced and become commonplace, how will human beings react to them? In a series of six experiments, scientists examined peoples' reactions when presented with images of people with the same face. Their results reveal a new phenomenon they call the clone devaluation effect -- a greater eeriness […]

Facial recognition is now common in adults, but researchers have developed software that can reliably detect a premature baby's face in an incubator and remotely monitor its heart and breathing rates - rivaling ECG machines and even outperforming them. This is the first step in using non-contact monitoring in neonatal wards, avoiding skin tearing and […]

Engineers have developed robots that can work independently and cooperatively to move unwieldy objects like a couch. In simulations, the robots were successful even when tasked to move an object in new, unfamiliar scenarios.

Researchers have developed a lightweight optical system for 3D inspection of surfaces with micron-scale precision. The new system is designed to be mounted on tracking platform placed on a robotic arm for contactless 3D measurements of arbitrary shapes and surfaces.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will fundamentally change medicine and healthcare: Diagnostic patient data, e.g. from ECG, EEG or X-ray images, can be analyzed with the help of machine learning, so that diseases can be detected at a very early stage based on subtle changes. However, implanting AI within the human body is still a major technical […]

Whether a robot or a person delivers your package, the carbon footprint would essentially be the same, according to a new study that could help inform the future of automated delivery as the pandemic fuels a dramatic rise in online shopping.

A research team has developed a soft robot based on a water-driven hydrogel actuator.

Robots that need to use their arms to make their way across treacherous terrain just got a speed upgrade with a new path planning approach. The improved algorithm path planning algorithm found successful paths three times as often as standard algorithms, while needing much less processing time.

Music artists can find inspiration and new creative directions for their song writing with technology.

Advancements in natural language processing (NLP) enable computers to understand what humans say and help people communicate through tools like machine translation, voice-controlled assistants and chatbots.

By examining MRI data from a large Open Science repository, researchers reconstructed a brain connectivity pattern, and applied it to an artificial neural network (ANN). They trained the ANN to perform a cognitive memory task and observed how it worked to complete the assignment. These 'neuromorphic' neural networks were able to use the same underlying […]

People with autism spectrum disorder interpret facial expressions differently. Researchers have revealed more about how this comes to be. They induced abnormalities into a neural network model to explore the effects on the brain's learning development.

Attention is becoming increasingly popular in machine learning, but what makes it such an attractive concept? What is the relationship […] The post What is Attention? appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.

Attention is a concept that is scientifically studied across multiple disciplines, including psychology, neuroscience and, more recently, machine learning. While […] The post A Bird’s Eye View of Research on Attention appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.

In a previous post, we introduced the method of Lagrange multipliers to find local minima or local maxima of a […] The post Lagrange Multiplier Approach with Inequality Constraints appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.

Whether you implement a neural network yourself or you use a built in library for neural network learning, it is […] The post A Gentle Introduction To Sigmoid Function appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.

An artificial neural network is a computational model that approximates a mapping between inputs and outputs.  It is inspired by […] The post Calculus in Action: Neural Networks appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.

A Gentle Introduction to Taylor Series Taylor series expansion is an awesome concept, not only the world of mathematics, but […] The post A Gentle Introduction to Taylor Series appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.

When it comes to machine learning tasks such as classification or regression, approximation techniques play a key role in learning […] The post A Gentle Introduction To Approximation appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.

The chain rule is an important derivative rule that allows us to work with composite functions. It is essential in […] The post The Chain Rule of Calculus – Even More Functions appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.

The chain rule allows us to find the derivative of composite functions. It is computed extensively by the backpropagation algorithm, […] The post The Chain Rule of Calculus for Univariate and Multivariate Functions appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.

The method of Lagrange multipliers is a simple and elegant method of finding the local minima or local maxima of […] The post A Gentle Introduction To Method Of Lagrange Multipliers appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.

By John P. Desmond, AI Trends Editor    With AI systems today determining whether someone can get a job or a loan, it’s in the interest of the company running the AI system to make sure the underlying dataset is not so biased that it leads to errors in its conclusions.    Cases of biased data leading […]

By John P. Desmond, AI Trends Editor   Content moderation is becoming a bigger business, expecting to reach a volume of $11.8 billion by 2027, according to estimates from Transparency Market Research.  The market is being fueled by exponential increases in user-generated content in the form of short videos, memes, GIFs, live audio and video content and […]

By John P. Desmond, AI Trends Editor   Inevitably, AI has become a ripe subject for cartoons and comic strips. Cartoons are sometimes used to teach new concepts or present difficult material, as a way to ease into it. Cartoon comics designed to make people laugh often tap into fears that AI will be taking over […]

By AI Trends Staff   Companies who have some success with their initial AI projects are seeking ways to accelerate adoption to deliver more value to the business. One researcher has defined an AI Adoption Maturity Model that presents a roadmap for accelerating AI adoption.   The first stage of the six-step AI adoption maturity model is […]

By Lance Eliot, the AI Trends Insider    Have you been asked about manhole covers in any of your recent high-tech company job interviews?    Probably you have.    Yes, oddly enough, manhole covers have become a common topic for job interviews in the last several years, especially when seeking a job at a high-tech firm. You might […]

By John P. Desmond, AI Trends Editor  In a recent survey, senior business executives admitted to their sometimes unethical use of AI.  The admission of being openly unethical came from respondents to a recent survey conducted by KPMG of 250 director-level or higher executives at companies with more than 1,000 employees about data privacy.   Some […]

By John P. Desmond, AI Trends Editor   Nearly 100% of AI-accelerator chips are from Nvidia today, and the company cofounded in 1993 by CEO Jensen Huang is working hard to maintain its lead position in AI processing.   Still, the AI landscape now includes many companies engaged in efforts to build the next generation of AI chips, […]

By John P Desmond, AI Trend Editor   Experiences with AI and machine learning at CVS Health and St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, Idaho, are having practical benefits to the two organizations.   CVS Health is learning how to scale AI applications using machine learning, especially through the house of machine learning operations (MLOps) tools, according to Nels Lindahl, director of […]

By AI Trends Staff   What do you get when you combine 5G and AI with advanced drone development?   One answer is from Qualcomm’s recent launch of its Flight RB5 5G Platform, a reference drone containing computing at lower power with AI, 5G, and long-range Wi-Fi 6 connectivity.    According to the company in a press release, the drone […]

By Lance Eliot, the AI Trends Insider   Mice can be amazingly smart, mightily so. We all would likely agree that mice are quick on their feet and physically agile. On a personal level, I’ve dealt with mice that decided to take up residence at my home and were determined to stay without my permission and […]

‘Zombie’ purple urchins have obliterated West Coast kelp forests with their insatiable appetites. Can they be stopped?

Catch up on the most important updates from this week.

A new study of the American West shows that climate change is driving more days that are hot, dry, and windy—the perfect conditions for deadly wildfires.

Utilities have upgraded the infrastructure for rooftop power in richer neighborhoods, but low-income areas don't have the same capacity.

The first all-civilian, all-private mission to orbit prepares to blast off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Four civilians—none of them NASA astronauts—are expected to blast into space aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

Dozens of microchips scattered over the cortical surface might allow researchers to listen in on thousands of neurons at the same time.

Human behavior has changed along with the virus and public health measures to contain it. For modelers, it’s a curveball.

Voice analysis of a 34-year-old recording proves that Ripper the musk duck “independently evolved” to mimic his human caretakers.

Scientists taught an artificial neural network to imitate a biological neuron. The result offers a new way to think about the complexity of brain cells.

The tiny optical devices turn up in lane markers, road signs, bike gear and even on the moon, helping us see under low-light conditions.

A spate of studies claim that the disease was circulating in Italy long before the pandemic—but they struggle to support the theory.

Overfishing, habitat loss, and climate change are driving species collectively known as chondrichthyan fishes toward a global crisis.

Catch up on the most important updates from this week.

Using cameras aboard the Hayabusa2 spacecraft, Japanese scientists get a rare, close-up glimpse of a space rock’s structure.

A decade of work helped limit the spread of dangerous pathogens in medical settings. Overcrowding from Covid care is allowing infections to rise again.

The new finding underscores the complexity of marine mammals’ social life and cognition. It may also help save the snoopy cetaceans.

Here's all the WIRED coverage in one place, from how to keep your children entertained to how this outbreak is affecting the economy.

Studies have been small and often not great. The best info so far says don’t use it, get vaccinated, and hang in there for the more promising meds being tested.

Mathematician Ian Stewart explains the twisty history of combinatorial optimization.

Daryl Gregory's stories explore the many complexities of the human brain.

The Covid-19 conversation has truly hit a nadir.

The internet has given all three artists license for role-playing. Only one is using it to the best effect.

Sometimes a gentle nudge is all we need to start looking after ourselves, and others.

The Emmy-nominated HBO series has been lauded for subversive storytelling. But its final episodes had fallen apart.

Arkane’s art director talks about the inspiration behind the game's unique psychedelic look.

The nonprofit raised over $1 million. Donations came from big companies like Twitch, but most were smaller contributions from individual gamers.

The Light in the Darkness, co-written by a researcher and Holocaust survivor, aims to educate a new generation—and inspire them to learn more.

A judge ordered significant changes to the App Store today, but the fight between Epic Games and Apple isn't over yet.

David Lowery's new film puts a modern, surreal spin on a classic Arthurian tale.

The lawsuit accuses two anonymous users of “targeting black and LGBTQIA+ streamers with racist, homophobic, sexist and other harassing content” in violation of its terms of service.

The Matrix, President Clinton, Blue’s Clues, and what we lose when we live in the past.

The game's art team reveals the "80 percent beautiful, but mysterious" ethos that has guided the franchise's evolution.

It also looks awesome AF.

This year has been the biggest yet for Lilliputian board gaming. It’s much more than Redwall nostalgia.

This joyous game is full of surprisingly deep messages about what it means to be authentic and to make impactful art.

Players in lockdown looked to Rockstar's open-world game to escape—and reconnect with their posses.

Ksenia Coffman’s fellow editors have called her a vandal and a McCarthyist. She just wants them to stop glorifying fascists—and start citing better sources.

Two games. Two foxlike creature-heroes. Vastly different outcomes.

The female characters who survive until the end of the film are the antidote to the movie's cycle of violence.

Plus: Adam Mosseri on News Feeds, remote drivers for cars, and a pickle for Greenland.

This November, some of the most interesting thinkers, technologists, and artists in the world will convene to discuss how tech is shaping our future.

As more governments force US tech companies to change how they do business, one case in Turkey cuts to the heart of the search giant’s power.

A research paper that dubs some artificial intelligence models "foundations" is sparking a dispute over the future of the field.

Scientists taught an artificial neural network to imitate a biological neuron. The result offers a new way to think about the complexity of brain cells.

“I’m glad the ‘Fake it till you make it’ mantra of Silicon Valley is coming into question,” one investor told WIRED.

A judge ordered significant changes to the App Store today, but the fight between Epic Games and Apple isn't over yet.

Plus: Nest's original vision, a vaccine-weary public, and catastrophic business as usual.

In 2021, corporations are expected to take a stand on even the most divisive issues.

For years, algorithms have driven workers to meet punishing quotas. A state bill trying to reinject humans into the workflow has cleared a big hurdle.

Last year in Nova Scotia, after 3-year-old Dylan Ehler vanished, online sleuths descended on Facebook groups to help find him. Then they lost their way.

A new study illustrates just how geographically concentrated AI activity has become.

Enthusiasm, fear, and light shows usher the country into the age of cryptocurrency.

Pharmacies have long been perceived as commodities. Now, they’re a central tool for removing barriers to health care.

Developing AI is costly and time-consuming. Custom silicon can give companies an edge.

The city capped commissions on restaurant deliveries amid the pandemic, but it says the apps added new fees and marketed deceptive promotions.

Deadly flooding in and around New York City dramatizes the risks to infrastructure that wasn’t built to handle warmer, wetter climate.

A new study finds that small groups of laypeople can match or surpass the work of professional fact checkers—and they can do it at scale.

Everyone from tech companies to churches wants a say in how the EU regulates AI that could harm people.

In an excerpt from AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future, Kai-Fu Lee and Chen Qiufan explore what happens when deepfakers attack the deepfakes.

Social scientists are researching what humans can do to improve their quality of life. Their findings echo what religious practices perfected centuries ago.

On influencers, symbolic analysts, and buying and selling in the age of turbo-capitalism.

A successful clinical trial on stimulating the vagus nerve shows that it could change everything from medical treatment to Olympic training. Are we ready?

Constant tracking has compromised Americans’ sense of themselves. But we may be able to regain our freedom.

It’s a lucrative gig for content creators, who can make $10 to $15 a day by smearing journalists and activists on social media.

The Grammy-nominated composer BT spoke to WIRED about art as a form of big data—and his new composition that lives on the blockchain.

The metaverse could be beautiful. But left unchecked, it will further fragment reality and make us even more polarized.

Preemptively familiarizing people with centuries-old anti-vaccine narratives may be more effective than retroactive fact-checking.

As the nation battles the Delta variant, contact tracing seems to have disappeared from the arsenal of defenses—right when it could help the most.

These firms could track whether you've visited your therapist's office or your ex's house. And without regulation, they're a threat to democracy.

The chasm between how platform giants uphold democratic values in the West and don't in the global south grows by the day.

WIRED’s spiritual advice columnist on emotional connection, continental affairs, and the ulterior motives of chatbots.

The company’s claims cloak threats to millions of users’ iCloud, iMessage, and facial verification data.

On the app you'll see a raucous reboot of "slacker" attitude. Or not. Whatever.

Gone are the easy, thoughtless choices of hot vax summer. Making decisions that balance safety and sanity just got a lot more complicated.

A new cybercrime treaty Russia presented to the UN signals once again that the regime won’t help clamp down on attacks.

It isn’t just about social responsibility. It’s about ending the pandemic and not giving  the coronavirus chances to evolve.

The National Radio Quiet Zone limits wireless communications. But a journey to its center in Green Bank, West Virginia, reveals a town at odds with itself.

My favorite force belittles me—literally—but also inspires new ways to get high.

Social media is not the reason the pandemic hasn’t been conquered.