Communication & Information

  • Quantum dice: Scientists harness true randomness from entangled photons
    on June 23, 2025 at 2:59 am

    Scientists at NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder have created CURBy, a cutting-edge quantum randomness beacon that draws on the intrinsic unpredictability of quantum entanglement to produce true random numbers. Unlike traditional methods, CURBy is traceable, transparent, and verifiable thanks to quantum physics and blockchain-like protocols. This breakthrough has real-world applications ranging from cybersecurity to public lotteries—and it’s open source, inviting the world to use and build upon it.

  • Affordances in the brain: The human superpower AI hasn’t mastered
    on June 23, 2025 at 2:59 am

    Scientists at the University of Amsterdam discovered that our brains automatically understand how we can move through different environments—whether it's swimming in a lake or walking a path—without conscious thought. These "action possibilities," or affordances, light up specific brain regions independently of what’s visually present. In contrast, AI models like ChatGPT still struggle with these intuitive judgments, missing the physical context that humans naturally grasp.

  • MIT's tiny 5G receiver could make smart devices last longer and work anywhere
    on June 20, 2025 at 10:49 am

    MIT scientists have built a tiny, ultra-efficient 5G receiver that can thrive in noisy wireless environments ideal for smartwatches, wearables, and sensors that need to sip power and still stay reliably connected. The chip s unique design uses clever capacitor-switch networks and barely a milliwatt of power to block interference 30 times better than typical receivers. This tech could shrink and strengthen the next generation of smart devices.

  • Scientists create ‘universal translator’ for quantum tech
    on June 20, 2025 at 7:12 am

    Scientists at UBC have devised a chip-based device that acts as a "universal translator" for quantum computers, converting delicate microwave signals to optical ones and back with minimal loss and noise. This innovation preserves crucial quantum entanglement and works both ways, making it a potential backbone for a future quantum internet. By exploiting engineered flaws in silicon and using superconducting components, the device achieves near-perfect signal translation with extremely low power use and it all fits on a chip. If realized, this could transform secure communication, navigation, and even drug discovery.

  • Scientists just took a big step toward the quantum internet
    on June 12, 2025 at 7:14 am

    A team of Danish and German scientists has launched a major project to create new technology that could form the foundation of the future quantum internet. They re using a rare element called erbium along with silicon chips like the ones in our phones to produce special particles of light for ultra-secure communication and powerful computing. With cutting-edge tools like lasers and nanotech, the researchers are working to make something that didn t seem possible just a few years ago: light that can both travel long distances and remember information.

  • Self-powered artificial synapse mimics human color vision
    on June 2, 2025 at 7:53 pm

    Despite advances in machine vision, processing visual data requires substantial computing resources and energy, limiting deployment in edge devices. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a self-powered artificial synapse that distinguishes colors with high resolution across the visible spectrum, approaching human eye capabilities. The device, which integrates dye-sensitized solar cells, generates its electricity and can perform complex logic operations without additional circuitry, paving the way for capable computer vision systems integrated in everyday devices.

  • Five things to do in virtual reality -- and five to avoid
    on May 28, 2025 at 5:25 pm

    A review of experimental research reveals how VR is best used and why it's struggled to become a megahit with consumers.

  • A chip with natural blood vessels
    on May 27, 2025 at 4:44 pm

    Miniature organs on a chip could allow us to do scientific studies with great precision, without having to resort to animal testing. The main problem, however, is that artificial tissue needs blood vessels, and they are very hard to create. Now, new technology has been developed to create reproducible blood vessels using high-precision laser pulses. Tissue has been created that acts like natural tissue.

  • AI is good at weather forecasting. Can it predict freak weather events?
    on May 22, 2025 at 4:47 pm

    Scientists found that neural networks cannot yet forecast 'gray swan' weather events, which might not appear in existing training data but could still happen -- like 200-year floods or massive hurricanes.

  • Infrared contact lenses allow people to see in the dark, even with their eyes closed
    on May 22, 2025 at 4:45 pm

    Neuroscientists and materials scientists have created contact lenses that enable infrared vision in both humans and mice by converting infrared light into visible light. Unlike infrared night vision goggles, the contact lenses do not require a power source -- and they enable the wearer to perceive multiple infrared wavelengths. Because they're transparent, users can see both infrared and visible light simultaneously, though infrared vision was enhanced when participants had their eyes closed.

  • Imaging technique removes the effect of water in underwater scenes
    on May 21, 2025 at 4:52 pm

    SeaSplat is an image-analysis tool that cuts through the ocean's optical effects to generate images of underwater environments reveal an ocean scene's true colors. Researchers paired the color-correcting tool with a computational model that converts images of a scene into a three-dimensional underwater 'world' that can be explored virtually.

  • Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling
    on May 21, 2025 at 4:48 pm

    Researchers have unveiled a breakthrough in solid-state cooling technology, doubling the efficiency of today's commercial systems. Driven by the Lab's patented nano-engineered thin-film thermoelectric materials and devices, this innovation paves the way for compact, reliable and scalable cooling solutions that could potentially replace traditional compressors across a range of industries.

  • Robots learning without us? New study cuts humans from early testing
    on May 19, 2025 at 5:20 pm

    Humans no longer have exclusive control over training social robots to interact effectively, thanks to a new study. The study introduces a new simulation method that lets researchers test their social robots without needing human participants, making research faster and scalable.

  • Empowering robots with human-like perception to navigate unwieldy terrain
    on May 19, 2025 at 5:20 pm

    Researchers have developed a novel framework named WildFusion that fuses vision, vibration and touch to enable robots to 'sense' and navigate complex outdoor environments much like humans do.

  • Researchers take AI to 'kindergarten' in order to learn more complex tasks
    on May 19, 2025 at 5:15 pm

    We need to learn our letters before we can learn to read and our numbers before we can learn how to add and subtract. The same principles are true with AI, a team of scientists has shown through laboratory experiments and computational modeling. In their work, researchers found that when recurrent neural networks (RNNs) are first trained on simple cognitive tasks, they are better equipped to handle more difficult and complex ones later on.

  • Cyberbullying in any form can be traumatizing for kids
    on May 15, 2025 at 5:19 pm

    New research shows that cyberbullying should be classified as an adverse childhood experience due to its strong link to trauma. Even subtle forms -- like exclusion from group chats -- can trigger PTSD-level distress. Nearly 90% of teens experienced some form of cyberbullying, accounting for 32% of the variation in trauma symptoms. Indirect harassment was most common, with more than half reporting hurtful comments, rumors or deliberate exclusion. What mattered most was the overall amount of cyberbullying: the more often a student was targeted, the more trauma symptoms they showed.

  • Tech meets tornado recovery
    on May 14, 2025 at 9:54 pm

    Traditional methods of assessing damage after a disaster can take weeks or even months, delaying emergency response, insurance claims and long-term rebuilding efforts. New research might change that. Researchers have developed a new method that combines remote sensing, deep learning and restoration models to speed up building damage assessments and predict recovery times after a tornado. Once post-event images are available, the model can produce damage assessments and recovery forecasts in less than an hour.

  • Study shows vision-language models can't handle queries with negation words
    on May 14, 2025 at 8:56 pm

    Researchers found that vision-language models, widely used to analyze medical images, do not understand negation words like 'no' and 'not.' This could cause them to fail unexpectedly when asked to retrieve medical images that contain certain objects but not others.

  • Energy and memory: A new neural network paradigm
    on May 14, 2025 at 8:43 pm

    Listen to the first notes of an old, beloved song. Can you name that tune? If you can, congratulations -- it's a triumph of your associative memory, in which one piece of information (the first few notes) triggers the memory of the entire pattern (the song), without you actually having to hear the rest of the song again. We use this handy neural mechanism to learn, remember, solve problems and generally navigate our reality.

  • The key to spotting dyslexia early could be AI-powered handwriting analysis
    on May 14, 2025 at 7:17 pm

    A new study outlines how artificial intelligence-powered handwriting analysis may serve as an early detection tool for dyslexia and dysgraphia among young children.

  • New survey shows privacy and safety tops list of parental concerns about screen time
    on May 13, 2025 at 3:24 pm

    As kids spend more time on screens, a new national survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of The Kids Mental Health Foundation, founded by Nationwide Children's Hospital, identifies parents' greatest fears for their children around screen time.

  • Ping pong bot returns shots with high-speed precision
    on May 8, 2025 at 8:14 pm

    Engineers developed a ping-pong-playing robot that quickly estimates the speed and trajectory of an incoming ball and precisely hits it to a desired location on the table.

  • New chip uses AI to shrink large language models' energy footprint by 50%
    on May 8, 2025 at 3:31 pm

    Researchers have developed a more efficient chip as an antidote to the vast amounts of electricity consumed by large-language-model artificial intelligence applications like Gemini and GPT-4.

  • Tiny vibrations have a massive impact: Transmitting clear signals over long distances using nonlinear math
    on May 8, 2025 at 3:31 pm

    A research team has discovered a surprising phenomenon that could revolutionize how we think about signal amplification. Just two tiny vibrating units can, when connected with a delay, amplify their combined vibrations by 100 million times. Their findings have applications for communication technology, suggesting that small, simple devices could be used to transmit clear signals over long distances.

  • 'Universe's awkward handshake' -- simplifying information processing using photons a quantum breakthrough
    on May 8, 2025 at 3:31 pm

    Researchers have developed a technique that makes high-dimensional quantum information encoded in light more practical and reliable. The advancement could pave the way for more secure data transmission and next-generation quantum technologies.

  • Piecing together the brain puzzle
    on May 7, 2025 at 4:58 pm

    Our brain is a complex organ. Billions of nerve cells are wired in an intricate network, constantly processing signals, enabling us to recall memories or to move our bodies. Making sense of this complicated network requires a precise look into how these nerve cells are arranged and connected. A new method makes use of off-the-shelf light microscopes, hydrogel and deep learning.

  • AI model improves delirium prediction, leading to better health outcomes for hospitalized patients
    on May 7, 2025 at 4:58 pm

    An artificial intelligence (AI) model improved outcomes in hospitalized patients by quadrupling the rate of detection and treatment of delirium. The model identifies patients at high risk for delirium and alerts a specially-trained team to assess the patient and create a treatment plan, if needed.

  • Experimental quantum communications network
    on May 6, 2025 at 5:13 pm

    Researchers recently connected their campuses with an experimental quantum communications network using two optical fibers.

  • A new method for characterizing quantum gate errors
    on May 6, 2025 at 12:49 am

    Researchers have developed a new protocol for characterizing quantum gate errors, paving the way toward more reliable quantum simulations and fault-tolerant quantum computing.

  • Using principles of swarm intelligence, study compared platforms that allow brainstorming among large groups
    on May 1, 2025 at 8:41 pm

    A next-generation technology developed in 2023, conversational swarm intelligence (CSI), combines the principles of ASI with the power of large language models.

  • Making AI models more trustworthy for high-stakes settings
    on May 1, 2025 at 8:41 pm

    Researchers made a technique that improves the trustworthiness of machine-learning models, which could help improve the accuracy and reliability of AI predictions for high-stakes settings such health care.

  • Artificial sense of touch, improved
    on May 1, 2025 at 4:24 pm

    While exploring a digitally represented object through artificially created sense of touch, brain-computer interface users described the warm fur of a purring cat, the smooth rigid surface of a door key and cool roundness of an apple.

  • Researchers develop a novel vote-based model for more accurate hand-held object pose estimation
    on May 1, 2025 at 4:22 pm

    Estimating the pose of hand-held objects is a critical and challenging problem in robotics and computer vision. While leveraging multi-modal RGB and depth data is a promising solution, existing approaches still face challenges due to hand-induced occlusions and multimodal data fusion. In a new study, researchers developed a novel deep learning framework that addresses these issues by introducing a novel vote-based fusion module and a hand-aware pose estimation module.

  • Engineers develop wearable heart attack detection tech
    on April 30, 2025 at 6:30 pm

    Every second counts when it comes to detecting and treating heart attacks. A new technology may be able to identify heart attacks faster and more accurately than traditional methods.

  • Artificial intelligence tools make education materials more patient friendly
    on April 30, 2025 at 6:26 pm

    Artificial intelligence (AI) tools significantly improve the readability of online patient education materials (PEMs), making them more accessible, a new study shows.

  • A virtual reality game integrating smell to fight cognitive decline
    on April 30, 2025 at 6:23 pm

    Aiming to address age-related cognitive decline, a growing global health challenge, a team of researchers has developed a VR-based smell-training system to help combat it. This innovative VR game activates memory pathways by incorporating olfactory stimulation in a virtual environment. This game-based method offers an engaging platform for maintaining cognitive function and reducing the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia in older adults.

  • How to find the hypergraphs underlying dynamical systems
    on April 29, 2025 at 8:22 pm

    Scientists usually use a hypergraph model to predict dynamic behaviors. But the opposite problem is interesting, too. What if researchers can observe the dynamics but don't have access to a reliable model? Scientists now have an answer. They describe a novel algorithm that can infer the structure of a hypergraph using only the observed dynamics.

  • Smart surfaces: A powerless solution to multipath signal interference
    on April 29, 2025 at 2:19 am

    Multipath interference disrupts wireless signals, causing issues like TV ghosting and fading. Now, researchers have developed a passive metasurface that overcomes traditional filtering limits. Using a time-varying interlocking mechanism with field-effect transistors, it transmits the first signal while blocking delayed ones from other angles -- without power or processing. This innovation enables low-cost, reliable wireless communication, which is ideal for IoT applications and environments prone to interference.

  • Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry
    on April 25, 2025 at 3:33 pm

    Many products in the modern world are in some way fabricated using computer numerical control (CNC) machines, which use computers to automate machine operations in manufacturing. While simple in concept, the ways to instruct these machines is in reality often complex. A team of researchers has devised a system to demonstrate how to mitigate some of this complexity.

  • Nanophotonic platform boosts efficiency of nonlinear-optical quantum teleportation
    on April 24, 2025 at 9:29 pm

    Researchers have long recognized that quantum communication systems would transmit quantum information more faithfully and be impervious to certain forms of error if nonlinear optical processes were used. However, past efforts at incorporating such processes could not operate with the extremely low light levels required for quantum communication.

  • Quantum sensors tested for next-generation particle physics experiments
    on April 24, 2025 at 8:56 pm

    Researchers have developed a novel high-energy particle detection instrumentation approach that leverages the power of quantum sensors -- devices capable of precisely detecting single particles.

  • Awkward. Humans are still better than AI at reading the room
    on April 24, 2025 at 8:56 pm

    Humans are better than current AI models at interpreting social interactions and understanding social dynamics in moving scenes. Researchers believe this is because AI neural networks were inspired by the infrastructure of the part of the brain that processes static images, which is different from the area of the brain that processes dynamic social scenes.

  • 'Periodic table of machine learning' could fuel AI discovery
    on April 23, 2025 at 5:50 pm

    After uncovering a unifying algorithm that links more than 20 common machine-learning approaches, researchers organized them into a 'periodic table of machine learning' that can help scientists combine elements of different methods to improve algorithms or create new ones.

  • New electronic 'skin' could enable lightweight night-vision glasses
    on April 23, 2025 at 3:19 pm

    Engineers developed a technique to grow and peel ultrathin 'skins' of electronic material that could be used in applications such as night-vision eyewear and autonomous driving in foggy conditions.

  • Brain-inspired AI breakthrough: Making computers see more like humans
    on April 22, 2025 at 5:19 pm

    Researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) technique that brings machine vision closer to how the human brain processes images. Called Lp-Convolution, this method improves the accuracy and efficiency of image recognition systems while reducing the computational burden of existing AI models.

  • AI tool grounded in evidence-based medicine outperformed other AI tools -- and most doctors- on USMLE exams
    on April 22, 2025 at 5:12 pm

    A powerful clinical artificial intelligence tool developed by biomedical informatics researchers has demonstrated remarkable accuracy on all three parts of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (Step exams), according to a new article.

  • High-tech sticker can identify real human emotions
    on April 21, 2025 at 8:28 pm

    Saying one thing while feeling another is part of being human, but bottling up emotions can have serious psychological consequences like anxiety or panic attacks. To help health care providers tell the difference, a team has created a stretchable, rechargeable sticker that can detect real emotions -- by measuring things like skin temperature and heart rate -- even when users put on a brave face.

  • Scientists uncover quantum surprise: Matter mediates ultrastrong coupling between light particles
    on April 18, 2025 at 3:29 pm

    A team of researchers has developed a new way to control light interactions using a specially engineered structure called a 3D photonic-crystal cavity that could enable transformative advancements in quantum computing, quantum communication and other quantum-based technologies.

  • Emotions and levels of threat affect communities' resilience during extreme events
    on April 15, 2025 at 12:35 am

    Researchers use mathematical modeling to probe whether cohesive communities are more resilient to extreme events, finding that emotional intensity and levels of stress play a big role.

  • Photonic computing needs more nonlinearity: Acoustics can help
    on April 14, 2025 at 4:47 pm

    Neural networks are one typical structure on which artificial intelligence can be based. The term neural describes their learning ability, which to some extent mimics the functioning of neurons in our brains. To be able to work, several key ingredients are required: one of them is an activation function which introduces nonlinearity into the structure. A photonic activation function has important advantages for the implementation of optical neural networks based on light propagation. Researchers have now experimentally shown an all-optically controlled activation function based on traveling sound waves. It is suitable for a wide range of optical neural network approaches and allows operation in the so-called synthetic frequency dimension.

  • How the brain controls movement under uncertainty
    on April 14, 2025 at 4:43 pm

    A new study by neuroscientists shows that our brain deals with different forms of visual uncertainty during movements in distinct ways. Depending on the type of uncertainty, planning and execution of movements in the brain are affected differently. These findings could help to optimize brain-computer interfaces that, for example, help people with paralysis to control prostheses or computers with their thoughts alone.

  • AI tool set to speed quest for advanced superconductors
    on April 10, 2025 at 8:09 pm

    Using artificial intelligence shortens the time to identify complex quantum phases in materials from months to minutes, finds a study. The breakthrough could significantly speed up research into quantum materials, particularly low-dimensional superconductors.

  • AI models of the brain could serve as 'digital twins' in research
    on April 9, 2025 at 9:31 pm

    In a new study, researchers created an AI model of the mouse visual cortex that predicts neuronal responses to visual images.

  • 3D streaming gets leaner by seeing only what matters
    on April 9, 2025 at 7:50 pm

    A new approach to streaming technology may significantly improve how users experience virtual reality and augmented reality environments, according to a new study. The research describes a method for directly predicting visible content in immersive 3D environments, potentially reducing bandwidth requirements by up to 7-fold while maintaining visual quality.

  • Engineers bring sign language to 'life' using AI to translate in real-time
    on April 9, 2025 at 3:49 pm

    American Sign Language (ASL) recognition systems often struggle with accuracy due to similar gestures, poor image quality and inconsistent lighting. To address this, researchers developed a system that translates gestures into text with 98.2% accuracy, operating in real time under varying conditions. Using a standard webcam and advanced tracking, it offers a scalable solution for real-world use, with MediaPipe tracking 21 keypoints on each hand and YOLOv11 classifying ASL letters precisely.

  • Amplifier with tenfold bandwidth opens up for super lasers
    on April 9, 2025 at 3:46 pm

    The rapidly increasing data traffic is placing ever greater demands on the capacity of communication systems. A research team now introduces a new amplifier that enables the transmission of ten times more data per second than those of current fiber-optic systems. This amplifier, which fits on a small chip, holds significant potential for various critical laser systems, including those used in medical diagnostics and treatment.

  • Researchers demonstrate the UK's first long-distance ultra-secure communication over a quantum network
    on April 7, 2025 at 11:25 pm

    Researchers have successfully demonstrated the UK's first long-distance ultra-secure transfer of data over a quantum communications network, including the UK's first long-distance quantum-secured video call.

  • Chatbot opens computational chemistry to nonexperts
    on April 7, 2025 at 9:29 pm

    A web platform uses a chatbot to enable any chemist -- including undergraduate chemistry majors -- to configure and execute complex quantum mechanical simulations through chatting.

  • Is AI in medicine playing fair?
    on April 7, 2025 at 3:42 pm

    As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly integrates into health care, a new study reveals that all generative AI models may recommend different treatments for the same medical condition based solely on a patient's socioeconomic and demographic background.

  • Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible
    on April 3, 2025 at 6:37 pm

    A powerful new software platform is set to transform biomedical research by allowing scientists to conduct complex and customized data analyses without advanced programming skills. The web-based platform enables scientists to analyze and visualize their own data independently through an intuitive, interactive interface.

Sarah Ibrahim