The cobweb draws its strength from nanotechnology
Reproducing the properties of cobwebs could create a material of unparalleled strength. Now researchers have began to understand the secrets of their construction. Spider webs have fascinated researchers for many years. Their strength and flexibility are unsurpassed in the animal world and, at equal weight,…
Google Assistant learns some manners
Should one be polite with one’s electronic devices? Google seems to believe so, since its virtual assistant will now be more polite when a user will say the words “please” and “thank you”. For example, the query “Set a five minute timer, please” will trigger…
Breakthrough towards the creation of an HIV/AIDS vaccine
A vaccine against HIV/AIDS has been successfully tested on rodents, succeeding, where other attempts have failed, to generate a powerful immune system response. This new vaccine strategy was developed by American scientists from the Scripps Institute of Research in San Diego, California. If these results…
complex life on earth started sooner than previously thought: study
Microbes have been able to oxygenate photosynthesis at least a billion years earlier in Earth’s history than previously thought. This hypothesis put forward by British biologists at Imperial College London has upset the widely accepted theory of the moment of the appearance of complex life…
Fingerprints generated by artificial intelligence
An algorithm capable of creating realistic enough fingerprints to fool electronic readers has been developed by researchers at New York University. The fingerprints generated by the artificial intelligence system are so well designed that they can fool an electronic reader once in five, even if…
“Facebook has a problem with blacks,” says former employee
A former Facebook employee on Tuesday lamented the under-representation of black people in the social network teams, saying they were subject to remarks and derogatory behavior by other employees. Mark Luckie, himself a black man, posted a message on his Facebook page that he sent…