A UK, Canadian and Italian study has provided what researchers believe is the first observational evidence that our universe could be a vast and complex hologram. Theoretical physicists and astrophysicists, investigating irregularities in the cosmic microwave background (the ‘afterglow’ of the Big Bang), have found there is substantial evidence supporting a holographic explanation of the universe – in fact, as much as there is … Read More → "Study reveals substantial evidence of holographic universe"

Starbucks has launched its AI-powered voice ordering interface for mobile ordering and paying. Soon, Starbucks app users will be able to remotely order drinks just like they would from an in-store barista.

The Starbucks app has long allowed remote ordering, but not in the conversational mode enabled by a virtual assistant. Citing a desire to personalize the mobile experience, Starbucks is also launching an Amazon … Read More → "Starbucks is rolling out its bot barista"

A robotic arm beats an “I Am Not a Robot” CAPTCHA by manipulating a stylus on the trackpad of a Macbook Air.
via Laughing Squid

… Read More → "A robotic arm successfully beats an ‘I Am Not a Robot’ CAPTCHA using a stylus on the trackpad"

Researchers have created a viable hybrid part-human, part-pig embryo for the first time in history. According to a study published in the journal Cell Thursday, researchers were able to successfully inject human stem cells into a pig embryo and grow tissue that would form the early stages of human organs like the heart, liver and neurons. Although it’s in the very … Read More → "Researchers create first viable hybrid human-pig embryo"

We know that plankton are too small and weak to swim on their own, so how do these little drifters get to where they need to go? Seeking answers to this question along with other insights about our oceans, scientists have built underwater robots that mimic plankton behavior and can be used to monitor surrounding ocean conditions, with their early experiments confirming long-held theories on how plankton do what they … Read More → "Swarms of robotic plankton ride underwater waves of survival"

Researchers have developed an algorithm that recognizes skin cancer in photos about as well as dermatologists do. So says a study published today in Nature. The algorithm, developed by a group at Stanford University, is not the first automated system for recognizing skin lesions, but it’s likely the most robust, the researchers say.
… Read More → "Computer diagnoses skin cancers"

If the world sometimes seems chaotic today, consider this: Our planet’s swamps were once home to gargantuan otters with mighty, shell-cracking jaws. A report on the newly discovered mega-otters was published in The Journal of Systematic Paleontology. Researchers were digging through an ancient lake bed in China’s Yunnan Province when they found a sizable fossilized skull … Read More → "Wolf-sized otters once prowled prehistoric swamps"

Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have already created organisms with synthetic DNA letters, but they weren’t ready for the real world when they couldn’t even keep the artificial base pair in their genetic code. However, the team has made a lot of progress since then: they’ve produced the first stable semi-synthetic organism. The bacteria now holds on to its human-created X and Y bases while it … Read More → "Scientists make a viable semi-synthetic organism"

NASA’s Juno Spacecraft is currently orbiting Jupiter, taking some spectacular images as it studies the gas giant’s atmosphere. The spacecraft is making its next close pass to the planet on February 2nd, and the agency is asking the public to help it figure out where to point one of its cameras next.</ … Read More → "NASA is asking the public to select Juno’s next pictures of Jupiter"

Powered by an Arduino Mega 2560, the Ardu McDuino is an impressive creation to see in action as its individually-articulated fingers are actually covering and uncovering the holes on a real bagpipe, producing the individual notes you hear. For the 12 of you who love the sound of bagpipes, you can get a full breakdown of how XenonJohn built … Read More → "Bagpipe playing robot"