Tag: technology

Is there someone behind the screen? Researchers are divided on AI consciousness

No researcher seriously believes that AI is conscious yet. But they are deeply divided on whether it could be.

Humans have always had difficulty attending

It's not the fault of technology. The idea of 'information overload' rests on a faulty assumption about attention, researcher argues.

Did you know energy possibly speaks?

Understanding the language of energy flows can help us prevent energy blackouts due to climate change and cyber attacks

How do we make more sustainable concrete that can last over 100 years?

Making concrete sounds easy enough: You mix cement, water, sand and stones and let it harden. But it becomes a lot more complicated to ensure a concrete bridge has a long life.

Consistent and coherent: The recipe for digital presence

How is it possible to feel present in a digital world when our feet are very much on the ground of the real world?

Here is how an algorithm is baking optimal brownies and discovering drugs

A new scientific paradigm revolving around the use of algorithms is solving optimisation problems and increasing scientists’ efficiency – and you can try it at home!

Stock markets are facing a major challenge: Algorithms

Algorithms have a hold on the stock markets that has fuelled the need for regulation. But how do we regulate what we don’t understand? The second generation of trading algorithms are designing their own investment strategies – and they are so complicated that we are unable to understand them.

A 60 billion tweet study of anti-vaccine misinformation

Provaxx profiles often refer to news media and science sites, while antivaxx profiles much more often refer to YouTube.

Urgent – your digital twin needs your help

Organisations are becoming increasingly skilled at predicting and ultimately influencing our thoughts and actions. Researchers here offer an idea about how to take control of your own data.

The future map of the world is all about power and money – and it risks making the world more unequal

COMMENT: Future maps of roads and cities will be made by an artificial intelligence that may very well have only seen a small part of the world. This can result in a geo-cultural bias that can make the world more unequal.

Chance separates the strongest from the weakest

COMMENT: Studies show that an element of luck and contingency determines whether actions are considered intelligent – both in a computer's algorithms and in executive offices.

Computers must learn to make mistakes

As human beings, sometimes we do not know enough to make a decision. And, when it comes to computer systems, we actually ought to develop the same uncertainty.

AI: This is how researchers make computers that can think

Deep learning is susceptible to bias. Therefore researchers are working to develop new methods to teach computers to think about their decisions.

Disinformation goes South

In the Global South, social media monopolies and a surge in digital media users allow information operations to reach millions and affect political elections and developments. The consequences can be fatal, as seen in Myanmar.

The hidden price of Iceland’s green energy

In times of runaway climate change, phasing out fossil fuels and increasing the share of renewables is imperative. But this transition is not without pitfalls as shown by a recent study of two large renewable projects in Iceland.

New Materials for a New Age

You probably haven’t heard of “multiferroics,” but they could lead to entirely new ways of designing technologies, some of which we are only just starting to imagine.

Warfare spurred on the welfare state in the 20th century

...but it probably won’t in future.

How to build your own personal robot

Researchers in Denmark are helping people who have suffered brain damage to develop their own personal robots that fit in with their existing routines and aid recovery.

New Greenland telescope is up and running

A new radio telescope in Greenland is looking for signs of black holes, and preliminary data are already coming in.

Future cities could be lit by algae

Bioluminescent algae are a sustainable light source.

How smart is your city?

Smart cities are much more than technology and big data. It’s about using technology sustainably and in a way that improves the lives of the people that live there.

How your WiFi can protect against intruders

Research in Denmark could turn your regular WiFi network into a burglar’s worst nightmare: An intruder alarm that can see through walls.

How to make greener biofuels

A combination of two well known methods could produce a greener, more efficient, biofuel.

Smartphone sensor can detect dirty water

Using DNA-Magnetic particles we can detect single cells of E.coli bacteria in drinking water at record speed.

Optical computers light up the horizon

Moore’s Law is dead: long live the laser!

Bird senses can improve drone navigation

South American oilbirds combine echolocation and extremely sensitive vision to find their way through dark caves. Decoding how they do this could help develop autonomous drones.

Can your child’s phone bring them closer to nature?

Our five-year project will find out how apps and technology change children’s experiences and knowledge of the great outdoors. And we need your help!

Digital knowledge is a poor substitute for learning in the real world

Today, children spend more time learning in front of a screen than they do outdoors. But does this harm their understanding of the real world and physical mechanisms?

More geo-engineering, please!

Geo-engineering could help us solve the problem of global climate change, but only if we do it in a sustainable way and tackle the problem at the source.

From monstrosity to laptop: the story of the personal computer

What began as a “bizarre” fantasy has now become reality.

Net Neutrality: What the Public Gets Wrong

OPINION: Repealing “net neutrality” in the US will have no bearing on Internet freedom or security there or anywhere else.

Escape the exercise doldrums with fitness apps

Your smartphone can help you overcome negative mental and physical experiences of exercise.

The machine that converts carbon dioxide to stone in Iceland

The new technology could help mitigate climate change, says scientist.

Space travel changes gut bacteria in mice

Astronaut food, microgravity, and space radiation can change the composition of gut bacteria. Understanding how could improve radiation therapy here on Earth.

Atomic structure is key to making crack-resistant phone screens

A new material can withstand powerful impacts without breaking and could be used in glass products in the future.

Humanoid robot takes over as teacher

Studies show that robots need to look and act like people if they’re to replace teachers. Then kids are fine with having a robot teach them.

NICER will reveal the mysteries of neutron stars

Did you know that neutron stars have many of the same properties as black holes? The big difference being that we can actually see them. A new NASA-mission has just set out to explore the many mysteries of neutron stars.

Electric bikes score well in head injury test

Swedish researchers have used crash-test dummies to determine whether head injuries from accidents vary according to bicycles types.

Mustard oil could soon replace rapeseed oil

New research shows that mustard could be an attractive alternative to rapeseed oil—the world’s third largest oil crop.

Why you automatically begin to run when you are in a hurry

New research shows why the legs change from walking to running when we need to hurry up. The research can be used to help people with paralysis and to create super soldiers, say scientists.

Buying new football boots? Here’s what to look for according to scientists.

When you buy a new pair of football boots the only thing that matters is whether or not they fit. Special features will not make you a better player, say scientists.

How should we regulate GMOs?

Regulation of GMOs must accommodate both scientific developments and public perception of the risks associated with biotechnology.

Are all your worries about Artificial Intelligence wrong?

AI will make us all healthier, wealthier, and happier. But we should not let machines make the decisions that only a human should.

Human organs-on-chips may one day replace animal testing

Scientists have developed more than ten different human organ chips, including devices to mimic critical functions of the lungs, kidneys, intestines, liver, and bone marrow. Eventually this technology could render animal testing obsolete.

Scientists fling bacteria’s “black box” wide open

A new “genome-meter” will allow scientists to quickly identify the bacteria that live in waste water treatment plants, reducing the need for chemicals to clean our waste water.

Hunting for the “quantum limit”

Lasers, encryption, and the boundaries of “reality.” Follow ScienceNordic as we enter the world of quantum physics.

Computer games can make ADHD kids better planners

Can computer game training really help ease children’s ADHD symptoms? Or are they just a waste of time and money?

Birth control app invented by physicists gets EU approval

A mobile app is now officially certified as a contraceptive by a European regulatory body. Studies show it is as effective as the contraceptive pill.

Archaeology is being revolutionised by amateur collectors

A new database created with the help of amateur archaeologists provides an improved and quicker overview of archaeological finds.

"Art in Science” depicts the microscopic beauty of science

The winners of this year’s “Art in Science” photo competition have been announced. See the winning entries in the gallery below.

Can electric pulses to the brain boost your creativity?

Two entrepreneurs want to boost your creativity by sending a current through your brain, but most brain scientists are sceptical. ScienceNordic gave the method a try.

This super camera will search for signs of life on Mars

VIDEO: In 2020 a new probe will be sent to Mars. Aboard will be a new camera with x-rays and a super lens to search for previous life on the red planet.

Extreme bacteria can photosynthesise in near total darkness

New study explains how some bacteria manage to photosynthesise in very little light. The discovery could lead to improved solar cells.

Space bacteria will produce dinner for Mars astronauts

A group of Danish university students are developing a simple and cheap way for astronauts to produce their own food on Mars.

Big data: necessary but insufficient to understand the brain

OPINION: Neuroscientists should select the data they need, rather than collecting more and more big data, says brain scientist Florian Engert in an interview with ScienceNordic.

Scientists need your help to build a quantum computer

If you have always dreamed of helping out with a quantum physics experiment, now is you chance. And all you need to do is play a video game.

Do mobile phones give you brain cancer?

OPINION: We are unlikely to see an epidemic of brain cancer due to mobile phone use, but we could see a modest increase in cases.

Scientists send world’s fastest data signal

Scientists have set a new world record: the largest amount of data, equal to twice the world’s daily Internet traffic, sent through a single fibre cable.

Meet your new physician: Dr Google

OPINION: In theory, internet search engines like Google and Bing can make early diagnoses and may even save lives.

Studying astronaut headaches could help patients on Earth

A cure for headaches and impaired vision may be found by studying astronauts in space as well as patients on Earth.

Creative machines: The next frontier in artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is making huge advances but it still struggles to be creative or collaborate with us.

New satellite will test Einstein’s theory

A new satellite is launched that will test Einstein's general theory of relativity. Alongside it is a miniature satellite, designed and built by students to monitor shipping around Greenland.

Gamers solve problems faster than a computer

Humans routinely find better solutions to difficult quantum mechanical problems than computers, shows new research.

App calms ADHD children before bedtime

A new app helps parents of children with ADHD to cope with daily tasks that are often a source of frustration and stress, such as bedtime. Preliminary results look promising.

3D-printed organs give insights to complex anatomy

Inexpensive 3D-printers create detailed plastic models of organs and help scientists study complex anatomical structures.

Scientists discover ‘reverse photosynthesis’

Sunlight combined with a special enzyme breaks down the chemical bonds in plants. It is called reverse photosynthesis and has industrial applications, say scientists.

World's fastest chip could make the Internet eco-friendly

Scientists have invented the world's fastest chip, which could help improve the eco-friendly credentials of the Internet.

Scientists develop explosives-detecting liquid

Scientists have developed a liquid that fluoresces when in close proximity to explosives--may even replace sniffer dogs.

CERN: Antihydrogen has no electric charge

Using a new anti-nuclear trap CERN scientists have shown that the antihydrogen is electrically neutral.

Smartphone app can reveal eye disease

Smartphones and tablets can be equipped with an app that can help detect potentially blinding deteriorations of the eye. This can even be much more effective than traditional vision tests, according to a Swedish study.