Unpacking Perseverance: a look into the updates on NASA’s new rover
NASA’s newest rover, Perseverance, landed on Mars last month equipped to hunt for signs of life—and to pave the way for human exploration in the future.
Mar. 16, 2021
NASW news
Light, Perception, and Architecture: How Your Environment Can Make You Feel Better
Walking into the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is a feast for the senses. Through the graceful curve of the cavernous ceilings, the gentle diffusion of light permeating the floor and the grandness of an echoing space, the nearly 800-year-old iconic house of worship serves as an example of how our built environment influences the human sensory experience.
Mar. 16, 2021
Artificial intelligence is getting chatty, but still hasn’t perfected the gift of gab
It’s one thing to be able to talk; but it’s another to converse. And artificial intelligence (AI) has yet to check off the latter. Even with tremendous progress over the last years, the technology still hasn’t achieved the level of naturalness that would make you want to trade your best friend or favorite coworker for a smart virtual assistant.
Mar. 16, 2021
Indigenous knowledge vital to resilience of coastal communities, experts say
More than 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods, according to the U.N. Coastal landscapes and communities, however, are increasingly threatened by environmental degradation, climate change and overexploitation. Some experts believe meeting this ecological and economic challenge is contingent on creating connections between modern science and Indigenous knowledge.
Mar. 16, 2021
Programmable “Living Architecture” system uses microbes to power homes and recycle wastewater
Researchers in the UK have built a prototype of a home-architecture system that capitalizes on microbial actions in urine and wastewater to generate electricity, scrub water and air of pollutants, produce plant fertilizers, and carry out other household chores.
Mar. 15, 2021
Little Known COVID-19 Virus Variants Are Changing How Scientists Track the Pandemic
It’s official. Less than a month into the new year, a year quietly anticipated to be full of plentiful vaccines and bustling restaurants, 2021 was dubbed “the year of COVID-19 variants” by major science publications and public health specialists.
Mar. 15, 2021
Doctors and engineers are asking: Can we trust Dr. AI?
In his dermatology clinic at UT Austin, Dr. Adewole Adamson had a disagreement with a colleague. To his trained eye, a patient’s mole had looked strange, showing early warning signs of melanoma, aggressive skin cancer. But his colleague saw it as a low risk.
Mar. 15, 2021