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  • Solar-Powered Hamster Cells, 44 AI Startups with $100M+ Raised, First Fully Mechanical Qubit, SpaceX Launch

Solar-Powered Hamster Cells, 44 AI Startups with $100M+ Raised, First Fully Mechanical Qubit, SpaceX Launch

🤖 Tech & Computer Science

AI companies raised $18.9 billion in Q3 2024, accounting for 28% of venture funding. OpenAI led with a $6.6 billion round, marking the largest venture deal ever. Other notable U.S. funding highlights include Physical Intelligence's $400M Series A, Sierra's $175M round, and Poolside's $500M Series B. Startups like Nimble Robotics, Lightmatter, and Path Robotics also achieved unicorn status. Venture investment in AI remains strong, with significant rounds across robotics, software, and hardware innovation, reflecting continued growth in the sector.

Neural networks face an inherent trade-off between accuracy and robustness, rooted in the "uncertainty principle." This study reveals that higher accuracy in feature extraction increases vulnerability to adversarial attacks, aligning with principles from quantum mechanics. The research provides a theoretical foundation for understanding these vulnerabilities, offering insights into the balance neural networks must maintain between precision and susceptibility to perturbations.

⚛️ Physics and Chemistry

Physicists at ETH ZĂĽrich have developed the first mechanical qubit, using a piezoelectric disk as a resonator combined with a superconducting qubit. This approach avoids the short-lived nature of virtual qubits, enabling data storage in steady, vibrating, or superposition states. Their innovative design marks a significant step toward more stable quantum computing solutions.

FLASH radiotherapy uses ultra-high-dose rates to target tumors while sparing healthy tissue. A hybrid approach combining UHDR electron beams and conventional photon therapy achieves effective, conformal treatments for deep-seated cancers, demonstrated in a Lausanne study.

🧬 Biology & Medicine

Japanese researchers successfully introduced chloroplasts from algae into hamster cells, enabling photosynthesis in animal cells for up to two days. This breakthrough, described as the first detection of photosynthetic electron transport in animal cells, could address oxygen supply issues in lab-grown tissues like artificial organs. The process may enhance tissue growth by generating oxygen through light-driven photosynthesis.

AI-assisted echocardiography, using systems like Us2.ai and PanEcho, enhances speed, accuracy, and image quality while reducing operator fatigue. A Japanese trial showed AI matched physician reports up to 99% of the time. PanEcho, trained on vast datasets, simplifies imaging for underserved areas and plans open-source code release, promoting innovation.

A study published in Nature Microbiology reveals that zinc deficiency increases vulnerability to Acinetobacter baumannii pneumonia, a leading cause of ventilator-associated infections. The researchers found that low zinc levels lead to increased IL-13 production, which worsens the infection. Blocking IL-13 with FDA-approved antibodies protected zinc-deficient mice from death caused by the infection. This suggests anti-IL-13 therapy could help treat bacterial pneumonia in zinc-deficient patients, particularly in healthcare settings.

đź”­ Space & Astronomy

SpaceX successfully launched the Optus-X telecom satellite from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on November 17, 2024. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 5:28 p.m. EST, and its first stage landed on SpaceX's droneship in the Atlantic Ocean nine minutes later. The satellite is headed to geosynchronous transfer orbit, where it will move to a geostationary orbit. This was the 16th flight for the Falcon 9 booster. SpaceX plans additional missions in the coming days​

A study using NASA-German satellites found a significant drop in Earth's freshwater levels beginning in May 2014, continuing through 2023. The loss of 290 cubic miles of freshwater—about 2.5 times the volume of Lake Erie—reflects a drier global phase, potentially linked to climate change. Major droughts and reliance on groundwater exacerbate the issue, impacting agriculture and communities. The GRACE satellites identified a global trend of declining freshwater storage, with 13 of the most severe droughts occurring since 2015.

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