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Tech Xplore / AI benchmark helps robots plan and complete their chores in the real world
No matter how sophisticated they are, robots can often be indecisive and struggle with multi-step chores in the real world. For example, if you tell a robot to tidy a messy room, it might understand the goal but not know ...
Phys.org / ZTF discovers a new mass-transferring brown dwarf binary system
Astronomers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and elsewhere report the discovery of a binary system consisting of two brown dwarfs undergoing stable mass transfer. The detection of the system, designated ...
Tech Xplore / UV glow test measures air disinfection performance in minutes
The effectiveness of air disinfection devices may now be measured in minutes, rather than hours, with a new technique from University of Michigan Engineering. This is important for researchers developing better antiviral ...
Tech Xplore / Do you trust me? A framework for making networks of robots and vehicles safer
From birds flying in formation to students working on a group project, the functioning of a group requires not only coordination and communication but also trust—each member must be confident in the others. The same is true ...
Phys.org / A color-changing phosphor can encode information
A new synthetic molecule switches between emitting green and blue light after application of a solvent or mild heat. The color-changing phosphor can be leveraged for a two-layered information encoding platform, according ...
Phys.org / How plants fight back against bacteria that promote waterlogging in leaves
Farmers, gardeners, and botanists have long observed that plant diseases tend to flare up during periods of high humidity, particularly after rainfall. Humid conditions help bacteria enter plant leaves, and once inside, certain ...
Phys.org / Tracking the footsteps of West Africa's prehistoric metalworkers
The discovery of a 2,400-year-old metalworking workshop in Senegal provides new insights into the history of iron production in Africa. Despite decades of archaeological research, the origins of iron metallurgy in sub-Saharan ...
Phys.org / Gut bacteria may influence social behavior through smell
In a new study, Northwestern University neurobiologists discovered that gut bacteria and the nose work together to shape social behavior in mice, including who fights and who backs down. Using a combination of genetic and ...
Phys.org / Wildfires accelerate winter snowmelt in Oregon's western Cascades, study finds
The Pacific Northwest has seen below-normal snow this season—and new research from Portland State University suggests that the region's snowmelt-dependent water resources could face growing challenges in the years ahead as ...
Phys.org / Are relationship surveys measuring the wrong thing? How one 'Q-factor' shapes most answers
Commonly used self-report measures of romantic relationships may capture people's overall appraisal of their relationship more than measuring distinct relationship facets such as communication, conflict and affection, according ...
Phys.org / Thawing permafrost becomes 25 to 100 times more permeable, experiments find
Experiments by University of Leeds researchers, published in Earth's Future, have shown that thawing of permafrost makes it between 25 and 100 times more permeable, allowing more climate change forcing gases to escape.
Medical Xpress / Study finds third dose of COVID-19 vaccine is crucial for immunocompromised patients
Because the immune systems of people with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) don't function like everyone else's, it was unclear until now how well COVID-19 vaccinations protected them. In a new study, posted on the medRxiv ...