🤖 Computer Science

Stylus: Automatic Adapter Selection for Diffusion Models

This paper explores how fine-tuned adapters offer a cost-effective approach for generating customized images, complementing the traditional method of scaling base models. With over 100K adapters in open-source databases, the challenge lies in matching prompts to relevant adapters, leveraging recent findings on the performance benefits of adapter composition.

Holmes: Benchmark the Linguistic Competence of Language Models

Holmes is a novel benchmark designed to evaluate language models' linguistic competence by examining their internal representations rather than relying on prompting-based evaluations. By employing classifier-based probing, Holmes disentangles linguistic phenomena from other cognitive abilities, aligning with recent calls to assess language models' linguistic competence independently.

➕ Math

Too many vehicles, slow reactions and reckless merging: New math model explains how traffic and bacteria move

Physicists Alexandre Solon and Eric Bertin from Sorbonne Université and the University of Grenoble, respectively, have applied statistical physics to study traffic jams, drawing parallels between the flow of cars on highways and the movement of bacteria towards food sources.

⚛️ Physics and Chemistry

Tobacco cutworms insert oxygen into nanocarbon hoops and rings

In a preprint yet to undergo peer review, Japanese chemists used tobacco cutworm larvae as reaction vessels. They discovered that when these larvae were fed a mixture of agar, boiled kidney beans, and nanocarbon structures, they inserted an oxygen atom into a C–C bond within the nanocarbon.

Climate modelers grapple with their own carbon emissions

Following international climate simulations seek to curb excess energy used by their computation.

Robots can't outrun animals. A new study explores why

In a recent perspective article, a team of engineers from the US and Canada, led by University of Colorado Boulder roboticist Kaushik Jayaram, tackled the age-old question: who would win in a race between a robot and an animal? Their analysis of numerous studies suggests that, in most cases, biological organisms like cheetahs, cockroaches, and humans outpace robots.

🧬 Biology & Medicine

Does 'Brain Training' Really Improve Cognition and Forestall Cognitive Decline?

The article explores the efficacy of brain training programs in improving cognition and delaying cognitive decline. It discusses various studies that have investigated the effectiveness of brain training interventions, highlighting both positive and negative findings. While some studies suggest potential benefits, others indicate limited or negligible improvements in cognitive function, leading to ongoing debate among researchers regarding the true impact of these programs.

First fetus-to-fetus transplant demonstrated in rats

In Japan, surgeons conducted a groundbreaking procedure, transplanting kidney tissue from one rat fetus to another while both were in the womb. Lead researcher Takashi Yokoo views this as a preliminary step toward transplanting fetal pig kidneys into human fetuses born without functional kidneys.

Report: DEA Plans to Reclassify Cannabis as Less Dangerous

The AP reports that the Drug Enforcement Administration will soon propose to reclassify cannabis, following an endorsement from the HHS last summer.

🔭 Space & Astronomy

Dusty 'Cat's Paw Nebula' contains a type of molecule never seen in space — and it's one of the largest ever found

Researchers have identified a novel and notably large molecule, previously unseen in space, within the Cat's Paw Nebula. The molecule, 2-methoxyethanol, comprises 13 atoms and marks a significant discovery in astrophysical studies.

‘Daredevil’ running could help astronauts maintain muscles in low gravity

A study suggests that ‘Daredevil’ running, could aid in maintaining muscle strength and size in astronauts experiencing the effects of low gravity.

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