Singularity Hub

3 days ago | singularityhub.com | Edd Gent

Despite the impressive performance of modern AI models, they still struggle to match the learning abilities of young children. Now, researchers have shown that teaching models like kindergartners can boost their skills. Neural networks are typically trained by feeding them vast amounts of data in one go and then using this data to draw statistical patterns that guide the model’s behavior.

4 days ago | singularityhub.com | Shelly Fan

Our eyes take in the dazzling greens of dense forests, blues of alpine lakes, and reds and purples of sunset. Yet there’s an entire world hidden from sight. Our eyes only perceive a narrow sliver of the spectrum—wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers make up what we call “visible” light. Infrared light, just beyond the 700-nanometer mark, is invisible to us. Over half of the spectrum is mysterious to people, wrote Tian Xue and team at the University of Science and Technology in China.

1 week ago | singularityhub.com | Shelly Fan

We have a data storage problem. This year, the world’s storage needs will reach 175 zettabytes—the equivalent of over a trillion 4K movies. While hardware advances like solid-state drives are more efficient alternatives, traditional hard drives are struggling to keep up. An alternative approach could tap into biology. Scientists have long sought to use DNA as a storage medium that, once encoded, would be both relatively easy to maintain and environmentally sustainable.

1 week ago | singularityhub.com | Edd Gent

There’s growing optimism that huge amounts of natural hydrogen are stored deep underground. Now, researchers have identified the key geological features that could help us hunt for the clean-burning fuel. Hydrogen is a leading contender to replace fossil fuels because it only produces water when burned in combustion engines or used to power fuel cells. We already produce a substantial amount of hydrogen for industrial purposes, such as during the production of fertilizer.

1 week ago | singularityhub.com | Shelly Fan

We all live by unspoken societal rules. Greeting your barista with a “good morning,” saying “thank you” after good service, or expressing affection with a hug is normal and expected. Social conventions are instilled in us from an early age, but they can massively differ between cultures—Westerners prefer handshakes to bowing and forks and knives to chopsticks.