🤖 Computer Science

Perplexity, Google, and the battle for AI search supremacy

AI "answer engines" are changing web searches by providing direct answers instead of links. Companies like Google and Microsoft are using large language models (LLMs) for this purpose, despite issues like hallucinations and plagiarism. The future impact of LLMs on search engines is still uncertain.

Road defect detection based on improved YOLOv8s model

Current road defect detection methods struggle with accuracy, speed, and real-time capability. An improved YOLOv8 model addresses these issues by using an EMA Faster Block structure, SimSPPF for speed, and Detect-Dyhead for better representation. This model enhances average accuracy by 5.8% and reduces model size, parameter size, and computational complexity by over 20% each, compared to the original YOLOv8.

⚛️ Physics and Chemistry

A new way to control the magnetic properties of rare earth elements

Researchers from HZB, Freie Universität Berlin, and other institutions have discovered that laser pulses can control the magnetic properties of 4f electrons in rare earth elements. This breakthrough, achieved through experiments at EuXFEL and FLASH, offers new possibilities for data storage using rare earths, which are known for their strong magnetic properties due to their 4f electrons.

Robotic radiotherapy could ease treatment for eye disease

A UK clinical trial found that a single radiation dose can reduce the number of eye injections needed for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This treatment could significantly decrease the frequency of anti-VEGF injections, which are typically required every 1–3 months to control the disease. The findings suggest that radiation therapy could eliminate 1.8 million injections per year globally in high-income countries.

🧬 Biology & Medicine

Could taking vinegar every day help reduce depression?

A recent study in the journal Nutrients found that daily vinegar ingestion over four weeks significantly improved self-reported depression scores in overweight, healthy adults. The improvement is potentially linked to enhanced niacin metabolism.

CD5 deletion enhances the antitumor activity of adoptive T cell therapies

CAR T cell therapy, while approved by the FDA, often fails due to disease progression and limited effectiveness against solid cancers and some hematological malignancies. A study found that the CD5 protein inhibits CAR T cell activation. Using CRISPR-Cas9 to knockout CD5 enhances CAR T cell function, increasing their cytotoxicity, expansion, and persistence without apparent toxicity. Targeting CD5 could improve the effectiveness of CAR T cell therapies.

Brain Study Suggests We Perceive Time Through Activities, Not By Minutes or Hours

A rat-brain study by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, suggests that our perception of time is based on the number of experiences rather than the passage of minutes or hours. Monitoring rat brain wave activity showed that busier periods feel shorter because more activities advance our brain's perception of time. These findings, published in Current Biology, imply that staying busy can make time seem to pass faster, offering insights into how we experience and manage time.

🔭 Space & Astronomy

Signs of life could survive on solar system moons Enceladus and Europa

If life exists on Enceladus or Europa, trace molecules could survive just below their icy surfaces. Despite harsh radiation potentially destroying complex organic molecules, recent research suggests these biosignatures might be preserved in the moons' icy shells. This means future missions could potentially detect these molecules, with Enceladus possibly offering easier access than Europa.

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