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Why Retaining Walls Collapse
[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.]
Topics /
Science & Space
The most popular blog posts about science & space on Hacker News. 4,454 posts.
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AI system self-organises to develop features of brains of complex organisms
Cambridge scientists have shown that placing physical constraints on an artificially-intelligent system – in much the same way that the human brain has to develop and operate within physical and biological constraints – allows it to develop features of the brains of complex organisms in order to solve tasks.
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Are Aerospike Engines Better Than Traditional Rocket Engines?
Today we’re going to look at the history of aerospike engines, go over how nozzles work including things like overexpansion, underexpansion and even expansion ratios, we’ll look at the pros and cons of the aerospike, the physical limitations and problems, then we’ll compare the aerospike to some other traditional…
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Atlas: A World Model for Spatial Intelligence
Introducing Atlas, our new omni world model for spatial intelligence.
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Meta announces nuclear energy projects
Our landmark agreements with Vistra, TerraPower, and Oklo will expand the operation of three nuclear power plants, boost the development of nuclear technology, and foster job growth in American communities.
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Our brain is a prediction machine that is always active
This is in line with a recent theory on how our brain works: it is a prediction machine, which continuously compares sensory information that we pick up (such as images, sounds and language) with internal predictions. "This theoretical idea is extremely popular in neuroscience, but the existing evidence for it is…
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Adderall Risks: Much More Than You Wanted to Know
[Previously in series: Antidepressant Pharmacogenomics: Much More Than You Wanted To Know; SSRIs: Much More Than You Wanted To Know, etc. This is all preliminary and you should not take it as a rea…
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Plane Lands/Takes Off in Only 20 Feet (2013)
I posted a video earlier today of a Super Cub airplane landing on the side of a mountain. Super Cubs are ideal for that undertaking because of their low stall s
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Chai-1: Decoding the molecular interactions of life
Building frontier artificial intelligence to predict and reprogram the interactions between biochemical molecules.
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What has a 1 in a million chance? (2010)
If you overheard the phrase "1 in a million chance" in someone else's casual conversation, what might they be talking about?
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Study helps explain why motivation to learn declines with age
MIT neuroscientists have identified a brain circuit critical for learning to make decisions that require evaluating the cost or reward of an action. They showed this circuit is negatively affected by aging and in Huntington’s disease.
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Giant trees have no trouble pumping water to top branches: new research
The world’s tallest tropical trees have no trouble pumping water to their topmost branches, new research reveals. Conventional scientific theory suggests that as trees grow, it becomes harder to transport water from roots to leaves
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Cancer death rates are falling, five-year survival rates rising
Cancers are one of the leading causes of death globally. Are we making progress against them?
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We don't know why lithium batteries work
If you are a scientist, you confront ignorance as soon as you open your eyes. For example -- I am typing this post on a laptop computer that is powered by a lithium battery. No one has the slightest idea how and why it works. Metallic lithium can intercalate between the graphene sheets in graphite…
1038
How automatic transmission almost made sperm whales extinct
It was the familiar story of human cruelty and greed: the sperm whales were hunted to the oblivion. Then, in the 1970s, the better part of humanity led by good people - ecological activists - saw the error of their ways and stopped the murder. Good triumphed over evil. Amen. The problem with such…
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Caltech Develops First Noninvasive Method to Continually Measure Blood Pressure
Device uses sound waves to gather blood pressure data from blood vessels, monitoring the response with ultrasound.
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Heinz’s sustainable ketchup cap
CT scans of Heinz's new recyclable ketchup cap reveal the channel geometry that replaced a silicone valve and why the redesign took eight years.
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The Overview Effect – William Shatner's Words After Returning from Space
William Shatner's profound words about his experience in space after returning on Blue Origin NS-18:
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Hundreds of dogs in Norway hit by mystery illness
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority
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ACM Makes Thousands of Research Articles Freely Available; Opens First 50 Years
World’s Largest Computing Society Makes Thousands of Research Articles Freely Available; Opens First 50 Years Backfile
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