🤖 Computer Science

Meta’s AI translation model embraces overlooked languages

Meta's No Language Left Behind (NLLB) project aims to expand AI machine translation to 204 languages, including many from low- and middle-income countries. This publicly available model addresses the lack of online data for many languages, enhancing global communication by breaking down language barriers. The project's findings were published in Nature.

Researchers demonstrate the first chip-based 3D printer

MIT and University of Texas at Austin researchers have developed the first chip-based 3D printer, a proof-of-concept device. This portable printer uses a millimeter-scale photonic chip to emit reconfigurable light beams into resin, curing it into solid shapes. This innovation could enable on-the-go creation of customized, low-cost objects, like bicycle fasteners or medical components.

⚛️ Physics and Chemistry

Researchers observe quantum critical Bose gas of magnons in quasi-2D antiferromagnet

Researchers observed Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) behavior in the quasi-2D antiferromagnet YbCl3 at relatively low magnetic fields. This study, conducted by the Max Planck Institute, University of Stuttgart, and University of Tokyo, shows that while traditional 3D antiferromagnets cannot exhibit this transition, quasi-2D systems like YbCl3 can. Published in Nature Physics, their findings report the observation of a quantum critical Bose gas of magnons, highlighting new insights into magnetic phase transitions in low-dimensional systems.

Simple equation predicts how quickly animals flap their wings

Researchers found that the wingbeat and fin-flap frequencies of animals follow the same mathematical expression, regardless of size or flying style. This expression, relating frequency to body mass and wing area, applies to birds, whales, insects, bats, and flapping robots. Led by Tina Hecksher of Roskilde University, the study confirms a universal pattern in animal locomotion, expanding on earlier work by biologists and mathematicians. The finding reveals a fundamental rule in biology that crosses species and environments.

Oxygen-free conditions are key to high-quality graphene

Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms, is commonly produced via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), which often results in defects. Researchers in the US, Canada, and Japan discovered that removing trace oxygen during CVD improves graphene quality. This method produces high-quality graphene with electronic performance surpassing previous CVD results and comparable to exfoliated graphene.

🧬 Biology & Medicine

Restless legs syndrome tied to 140 'hotspots' in the genome

Researchers identified over 140 new genetic risk loci for restless legs syndrome (RLS), increasing the total to 164. This discovery, published in Nature Genetics, enhances understanding of RLS, which affects up to 10% of the U.S. population. Three risk loci were found on the X chromosome, but they don't fully explain why RLS is more common in women. The study's co-senior author, Steven Bell, hopes this genetic insight will lead to better RLS management and treatment.

A Bird Flu Virus Has Killed Its First Human

Mexican health officials and the WHO confirmed the first human death from H5N2 avian influenza in a 59-year-old man. He developed symptoms on April 17, was hospitalized on April 24, and died the same day. Genetic sequencing identified the H5N2 strain. Despite this incident, the WHO states that the risk to the general public is low.

Melatonin May Cut Risk for Age-Related Eye Disease

Melatonin supplementation is linked to a significantly reduced risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and slowing its progression, according to a study using the TriNetX database. The retrospective study compared patients aged 50 and older with and without melatonin use from 2008 to 2023. Melatonin users had a 58% lower risk of developing AMD and a 56% lower risk of progression from nonexudative to exudative AMD. The benefits were consistent across all age groups, indicating melatonin's potential as a preventive therapy for AMD.

🔭 Space & Astronomy

SpaceX’s Starship took a beating, but held on for first return from space

SpaceX successfully demonstrated the potential for reusability of its Super Heavy booster and Starship rocket. For the first time, both components launched from the Starbase facility in Texas and performed controlled splashdowns at sea. This achievement is a precursor to future tests aiming to recover and reuse the rocket's booster and upper stage on land. The rocket, nearly 400 feet tall, launched with over 15 million pounds of thrust, double that of NASA's Saturn V rocket.

The 'hole' on Mars making headlines could be crucial to Red Planet exploration

A pit on the ancient Martian volcano Arsia Mons, captured by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, has intrigued scientists due to its potential to reveal subsurface details. The pit, one of many in the Tharsis region, might be a vertical shaft, a larger cavern, or a deep lava tube. Such structures on Mars are significant as they could offer future astronauts shelter from the planet's high radiation levels.

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