By Margherita Bassi Published January 14, 2025 | Comments (0) | A large-volume spring in young volcanic rocks in the Cascades. Benjamin Nash While studying the landscape of Oregons Cascade Range, also known as the Cascades, a team of scientists discovered that a region of subsurface water is far larger than previously thoughtand may even be a record holder. The discovery is both a blessing and a potential curse, serving as a vital water source while also posing a volcanic hazard. Researchers from the University of Oregon and other institutions have identified an aquifera layer of water-saturated rock or sedimentbeneath volcanic rocks at the crest of the central Oregon Cascades. Its volume of at least 19.43 cubic miles (81 cubic kilometers) is much larger than scientists previously estimated. Thats more than half the volume of Lake Tahoe. The discovery, detailed in a study published on January 13 in the journal PNAS, could reshape understanding of the regions water supply and aid geologists in evaluating potential volcanic hazards. It is a continental-size lake stored in the rocks at the top of the mountains, like a big water tower, said Leif Karlstrom of the University of Oregon, who led the study, in a university statement. That there are similar large volcanic aquifers north of the Columbia Gorge and near Mount Shasta likely make the Cascade Range the largest aquifer of its kind in the world. This region has been handed a geological gift, but we really are only beginning to understand it. Oregons Cascade Range mountains were built by volcanoes and are typically divided into two regions: the western Cascades, with older river-carved slopes and valleys, and the high Cascades, featuring a younger, flatter landscape with lakes and volcanic topography, including lava flows. Scientists can study the transition zone between these two contrasting regions to analyze how volcanoes have changed the mountain ranges landscape.We initially set out to better understand how the Cascade landscape has evolved over time, and how water moves through it, said Gordon Grant, a geologist with the Forest Service who also participated in the study. But in conducting this basic research, we discovered important things that people care about: the incredible volume of water in active storage in the Cascades and also how the movement of water and the hazards posed by volcanoes are linked together.In other words, the discovery of the aquifers size is good andpotentiallybad. The Cascades provide a substantial amount of drinking water for the people of Oregonmost of the city of Eugenes potable water, for example, comes from the McKenzie River. At the same time, volcanic eruptions with large quantities of water tend to be more explosive, and as a consequence, more dangerous. The team of researchers was able to map the extent of the aquifer by relying on previous field work in the 1980s and 1990s during which scientists had drilled holes to measure temperatures deep into the earth. While rocks usually get hotter the deeper they are, the presence of underground water can lower temperatures. The team reused the holes to, once again, measure rock temperatures, and consequently infer the expanse of the aquifer from these temperature variations.The inferred volume greatly exceeded earlier estimates. Given that the team only used previously drilled holes, which might have missed parts of the aquifer, the volume could be on the conservative side of its true expanse. It may actually be even bigger. While the aquifers underestimated size is an exciting discovery, the researchers also warned that it remains a limited resource that could be affected by changes in precipitation of snow and rain projected for the region.This region has been handed a geological gift, but we really are only beginning to understand it, Grant said. If we dont have any snow, or if we have a run of bad winters where we dont get any rain, whats that going to mean? Those are the key questions were now having to focus on. It remains to be seen how the the state of Oregon will handle the complex intersection between water resources and volcanic hazards presented by this new discovery.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Lucas Ropek Published October 29, 2024 By Adam Kovac Published October 26, 2024 By Adam Kovac Published October 2, 2024 By Isaac Schultz Published September 3, 2024 By Ed Cara Published July 12, 2024 By Matthew Gault Published July 10, 2024

What If Every Brick Had a Future? Rethinking Demolition and Material Reuse in the Circular EconomySave this picture!IP School Buildings Model. Image Arthur Wong, courtesy of OMAFor decades, the life cycle of buildings was a simple formula: planning, design, construction, demolition, and, of course, the great villain in this history: the landfill. Over time, architectural practice began embracing concepts like reuse, disassembly, and circular demolition, but often as secondary elements, part of the gradual shift toward a circular economy in construction. But what if these principles were no longer exceptions? What if we crafted or chose every building component to maintain value and purpose beyond its original use? The truth is, there is life after demolition. This transitionfrom demolition to practices focusing on reuse, repurposing, and sustainable dismantlingis edging closer to reality. By the time 2030 arrives, we could fundamentally reshape how we approach processes, buildings, and the market itself. As these changes unfold, we must assess how our strategies align with the evolving goals and challenges related to sustainabilityand, of course, the new opportunities they bring.Save this picture!Much discussion exists about the resolutions linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COPs), which propose new goals and present often challenging scenarios. These resolutions, frequently shaped by the priorities of more developed nations, can sometimes feel disconnected from many people's immediate realities, daily lives and the human scale. In light of this, architects and design studios face the challenge of implementing concrete initiatives and identifying new opportunities at a scale closer to people. Actions such as disassembling and reusing materials provide viable and consistent alternatives across diverse contexts, whether in regions with abundant resources or in those where reuse is a necessity rather than an option.Given the industry's evolving nature, many building codes and processes may soon change, creating new opportunities for materials management and commercialization. If resource scarcity increases or stricter regulations on virgin materials are imposed, architects and designers could transform existing buildings into valuable mines. While there is no definitive conclusion, these new dynamics might redefine the future and reverse the design order. This article explores possible scenarios and highlights how these transformations could impact us.Save this picture! Policies and Regulations Shaping the Future of Circular Design and Construction Demolition entails significant material costs and can amplify negative social consequences, particularly in large cities where affordable living spaces are scarce. In response to this reality, a compelling idea is gaining traction: advocating for our "right to reuse". This initiative is taking shape in Europe, potentially incentivizing transformations in public policies, putting refurbishment and material reuse at the forefront. By doing so, we could unlock the full potential of both public and private buildings.These changes do not signal the end of brand-new materials but will transform the relationship between project locations and the origin of the materials used. Traceability will become a fundamental pillar, allowing us to track the path of each product from its source. Additionally, implementing material passportsdigital records documenting their characteristics and reuse possibilitiescould turn this information into systematic tools. When integrated into public policies, these approaches can strengthen sustainability in construction, promoting responsible practices aligned with the principles of the circular economy.Save this picture!Save this picture! Emerging Technologies and Processes in Disassembly It is well-established that design for disassembly has become a key process in promoting sustainability within the built environment. This approach focuses on carefully separating components for recovery and reuse. As in many fields, technology plays a crucial role, with emerging innovations shaping demolition practices. One example is robotic systems with advanced sensors that precisely perform disassembly tasks. These systems optimize the recovery of materials with enhanced accuracy and care compared to manual methods. Save this picture!A pivotal extension of accurate and swift dismantling tasks is seen in zero-bonding construction systems, which are well-established as sustainable solutions for pavilions and temporary structures and show growing potential for larger-scale buildings. Their implementation simplifies assembly and deconstruction methods while promoting the reuse of components, aligning with the principles of the circular economy. Technologies like digital twins enable the precise simulation and planning of disassembly processes, allowing for more efficient resource recovery. Meanwhile, advanced material identification and tagging techniques, such as spectrometry and RFID tags already employed in the chemical industry and logistics offer significant improvements in sorting, tracking, and recycling materials, facilitating a more streamlined and accurate waste management and tracing process.Enhancing material retrieval processes also raises questions about how to manage the aging of materials over time: What happens if we recover more than we can reuse or if the components' properties degrade to the point of obsolescence? The data collected in material passports could be key in tracking component conditions, guiding inspection and repair efforts, and forecasting their future use. Moreover, digital twins (besides optimizing disassembly) would anticipate where and how those components could be integrated into other buildings, taking strategic steps toward more efficient and fast-paced reuse.Save this picture!Construction and Business Models Centered on Reuse and Environmental ResponsibilityEnvironmental responsibility and business opportunity can be compatible concepts. Perhaps the key is to find the right balance and the right conditions. There is remarkable potential in an emerging industry focused on sorting and managing recovered products. Startups dedicated to the circularity of materials are emerging, marking just the beginning of this path. Some of these companies have developed methodologies and tools to record, inventory, and account for materials, as was the case at the 2022 Art Biennale, whose resources were reused in the German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale the following year. Analyzing the reuse potential of buildingsincluding structures and componentscould soon become a common practice, especially given the growing demand for sustainable solutions in the construction sector. Developing new business models focused on material recovery and sorting could stimulate the consolidation of companies specializing in technologies for efficiently evaluating, disassembling, and documenting components. Innovations in this field could also lead to digital platforms with product catalogs to facilitate the buying, selling, and exchanging of resources. A new market approach cannot emerge in isolation; it must encompass changes in public policies and adopting technologies that optimize processes. Together, these efforts could pave the way for a construction and an architectural business model that balances responsibility and sustainability.Save this picture!Save this picture!In the long run, how can we create environments with a positive environmental impact when (all too often) the first instinct is to demolish? Advancing toward sustainable architecture requires an ongoing shift in mindset to prioritize preservation over destruction. Demolition may seem like the most straightforward solutionjust a bit of machinery and time can erase what took years to build. But before choosing it as the only option, ask yourself:How much could you salvage if you had to demolish your house?Image gallerySee allShow lessAbout this authorEnrique TovarAuthorCite: Enrique Tovar. "What If Every Brick Had a Future? Rethinking Demolition and Material Reuse in the Circular Economy" 14 Jan 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1025567/what-if-every-brick-had-a-future-rethinking-demolition-and-material-reuse-in-the-circular-economy&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Biden Bashed Over AI Diffusion PolicyBy John P. Mello Jr.January 14, 2025 5:00 AM PT ADVERTISEMENTEnterprise IT Lead Generation ServicesFuel Your Pipeline. Close More Deals. Our full-service marketing programs deliver sales-ready leads. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee! Learn more. An eleventh-hour move by the Biden Administration to regulate how American AI technology is shared with the world is coming under fire from the nations tech sector.According to the White House, the Interim Final Rule on Artificial Intelligence Diffusion (IFR) streamlines licensing hurdles for both large and small chip orders, bolsters U.S. AI leadership, and provides clarity to allied and partner nations about how they can benefit from AI. It added that it builds on previous chip controls by thwarting smuggling, closing other loopholes, and raising AI security standards.The new rule is necessary, it maintained, [t]o enhance U.S. national security and economic strength.[I]t is essential that we do not offshore this critical technology and that the worlds AI runs on American rails, it asserted. It is important to work with AI companies and foreign governments to put in place critical security and trust standards as they build out their AI ecosystems.Stephen Kowski, field CTO of SlashNext, a computer and network security company in Pleasanton, Calif., explained that the rule attempts to strike an essential balance between protecting advanced AI capabilities and maintaining technological leadership.Given the increasing sophistication of cyberthreats and potential misuse of AI systems, securing AI infrastructure and computing resources is crucial, he told TechNewsWorld. Strong controls on AI chip exports can help prevent advanced capabilities from being used in ways that could compromise security or enable malicious activities.Fundamentally, economic innovation and national security are intertwined, added Jeff Le, VP for global government affairs and public policy at SecurityScorecard, a cybersecurity ratings company in New York City.The global competition on sourcing and compute is key for sustained progress in the AI race and pivotal to surpassing Chinas ambitions, he told TechNewsWorld. There have been linkages with concerns about the Chinese backend and digital vulnerabilities that exist for American data and IP. Reducing the interdependence serves as a vital national security imperative and also allows us to bolster our supply chains, which represent significant vulnerability, as seen by Chinas saber-rattling on Taiwan.Derailing Economic GrowthCritics of the rule, which is set to take effect in 120 days, contend it will do more harm than good.Today, companies, startups, and universities around the world are tapping mainstream AI to advance health care, agriculture, manufacturing, education, and countless other fields, driving economic growth and unlocking the potential of nations, Ned Finkle, VP of government affairs at Nvidia, a major maker of chips used for AI applications, wrote in a company blog.Built on American technology, the adoption of AI around the world fuels growth and opportunity for industries at home and abroad, he continued. That global progress is now in jeopardy. The Biden Administration now seeks to restrict access to mainstream computing applications with its unprecedented and misguided AI Diffusion rule, which threatens to derail innovation and economic growth worldwide. In its last days in office, the Biden Administration seeks to undermine Americas leadership with a 200-plus page regulatory morass, drafted in secret and without proper legislative review, he contended. This sweeping overreach would impose bureaucratic control over how Americas leading semiconductors, computers, systems, and even software are designed and marketed globally.And by attempting to rig market outcomes and stifle competition the lifeblood of innovation the Biden Administrations new rule threatens to squander Americas hard-won technological advantage, he argued.While cloaked in the guise of an anti-China measure, these rules would do nothing to enhance U.S. security, he added. The new rules would control technology worldwide, including technology already widely available in mainstream gaming PCs and consumer hardware. Rather than mitigate any threat, the new Biden rules would only weaken Americas global competitiveness, undermining the innovation that has kept the U.S. ahead.Policy Gaps May Undermine US AI LeadershipDaniel Castro, vice president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a research and public policy organization in Washington, D.C., argued that the IFR raises serious concerns about its potential impact on U.S. competitiveness, global AI leadership, and international alliances.By pressuring other nations to choose between the United States and China, the administration risks alienating key partners and inadvertently strengthening Chinas position in the global AI ecosystem, he said in a statement.Confronted with such an ultimatum, many countries may opt for the side offering them uninterrupted access to the AI technologies vital for their economic growth and digital futures and currently, only one country is threatening to cut them off from these technologies.Moreover, Castro added, the IFRs narrow focus on regulating closed-weight AI models while leaving open-weight equivalents unaddressed creates a glaring and counterproductive imbalance.U.S. companies developing proprietary AI models will face stringent regulatory burdens that foreign competitors can evade by leveraging open-source alternatives, he explained. This policy undercuts American firms in the global market and fails to meaningfully mitigate the risks the regulation purports to address.Instead of bolstering national security or safeguarding U.S. technological leadership, the administrations approach risks enabling rivals to accelerate their advancements and surpass the United States in this crucial domain, he contended.The administrations initial restrictions on chip exports were misguided, and the IFR compounds this misstep, he added. Instead of correcting course, the administration persists with counterproductive policies that undermine U.S. leadership in AI while granting rivals a clearer path to dominance. The United States should be working to solidify its position as the global leader in AI by fostering innovation, strengthening alliances, and ensuring the broad availability of U.S. technology to legitimate users worldwide.A strategy rooted in competitiveness not containment will best serve Americas interests in the digital economy of the future, Castro maintained.Short-Term Gains, Long-Term LossesWhile agreeing with the underlying objectives of the IFR, University of Pennsylvania Professor of Engineering Benjamin Lee disagrees with the approach taken to pursue those objectives. Sustaining U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence both the hardware architectures and the software models is essential for national security and economic strength, he told TechNewsWorld.However, Lee pointed out that U.S. leadership means that its companies build a hardware and software ecosystem that forms the foundation for global AI computation. Although administration rulings and export controls produce a narrow, short-term advantage, they may produce a broader, long-term loss to American technological leadership, he said. In the short-term, export controls will slow some countries deployment of the most advanced GPUs and the largest AI data centers, he explained. But in the long-term, export controls will cause other countries to develop their own hardware architectures or software models.Much of this technology rests on openly published resources or code, lowering barriers to building alternatives to the American technology, if needed, he continued. Export controls may also give the United States less visibility into the technological state-of-the-art in other countries.Ten years ago, similar export controls on Intel CPUs that aimed to slow Chinese growth in high-performance scientific computing led to a burst of computer engineering within China, he added. U.S. experts now have less visibility into the state of Chinese supercomputing.Unintended Consequences of AI Lock-In PoliciesThe IFR is trying to establish lock-in at the national level, asserted Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst of the Enderle Group, an advisory services firm in Bend, Ore.While lock-in the practice of forcing customers to use only your technology can work over a short period, as IBM showcased for several decades, it can also create a trend away from your technology, which is also what happened to IBM and could now happen to the U.S., he told TechNewsWorld. This move, while tactically sound, is strategically suicidal for AI technology in the U.S. long term.I think the rule was well-meaning but poorly thought through by people who either dont understand the technology or the market in which the technology operates, he added. It will likely hurt U.S. AI interests and safety in the long term in exchange for questionable short-term benefits, making U.S. companies unable to compete with their foreign counterparts during a time when U.S. tech is superior and assure it wont be that way long-term.Chinas capabilities are increasing faster than the U.S.s largely due to Chinas government taking a far more aggressive stance on assisting with tech advancements, Enderle said. If the U.S. doesnt respond appropriately, the tech market will follow oil, trains, electronics, and automobiles to other countries, most likely China.Kris Bondi, CEO and co-founder of Mimoto, a threat detection and response company in San Francisco, added that one of the most frustrating things about decrees from any administration is that they tend to be all or nothing. Regulations are needed, but they should be on access, monitoring, and the usage of AI, she told TechNewsWorld.While I agree that the use and protection of AI is critical for U.S. national security and economic strength, this form of isolationism will undermine innovation, she said. Not every advancement is produced on U.S. soil. Instead of protecting, the bubble this rule will create will limit the ability of the U.S. to evolve and compete on a global scale.John P. Mello Jr. has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2003. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, IT issues, privacy, e-commerce, social media, artificial intelligence, big data and consumer electronics. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including the Boston Business Journal, the Boston Phoenix, Megapixel.Net and Government Security News. Email John.Leave a CommentClick here to cancel reply. Please sign in to post or reply to a comment. New users create a free account.Related StoriesMore by John P. 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Course: https://www.vfx.cgmasteracademy.com/courses/25-houdini-production-studio-destruction-fx Houdini Production Studio: Destruction FXAn 8-week course on creating feature-film quality destruction effects for filmThis intensive course is for students who already have a good knowledge of Houdini and how the data flows. Students will learn how to evaluate a scene and its structure to develop a smart and efficient workflow. They will learn the different ways to fracture assets, procedurally and art directed, then use those assets in rigid body simulations, working with different methods of activation and scale of effects, from small gravel on the ground to large buildings. We will add some secondary debris, along with some dust and smoke, for a complete and realistic looking effect. This course covers almost every possible case that is found in production. By the end of the course, students will have all the knowledge required to destroy any given asset of any type of material, and in any way that can be asked in production. They will also have a solid understanding of workflow, fracturing, art direction, simulation and attention to detail.This intensive course will require a lot of spare time in order to complete the assignments on time. Expect to spend 15-25 hours a week working on the assignments and reviewing lecture videos. This course is best taken by itself for complete dedication. If you are working on a production, it is recommended you wait to take this course the following term.Music Credits Jetfire - Jeff The Second Jeff The Second - Waves Creative Commons Attribution Free Download / Stream: https://www.audiolibrary.com.co/jeff-... Music promoted by Audio Library Jetfire Jeff The Second (No Copyrig... Track Info: Title: Jetfire by Jeff The Second Genre and Mood: Rock + Angry Available on: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2G6qkaL iTunes: https://apple.co/3ovxgQh Deezer: https://deezer.com/us/track/841847852 YouTube: Jeff The Second - Jetfire SoundCloud: / jetfire YouTube Music: Jetfire Contact the Artist: Jeff The Second / @jeffthesecond_ https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ej2b... / artist https://play.google.com/store/music/a... https://deezer.com/us/artist/61996262 / jeff2music / jeff2music

Over the past year, our work on AutoGen has highlighted the transformative potential of agentic AI and multi-agent applications. Today, we are excited to announce AutoGen v0.4, a significant milestone informed by insights from our community of users and developers. This update represents a complete redesign of the AutoGen library, developed to improve code quality, robustness, generality, and scalability in agentic workflows.The initial release of AutoGen generated widespread interest in agentic technologies. At the same time, users struggled with architectural constraints, an inefficient API compounded by rapid growth, and limited debugging and intervention functionality. Feedback highlighted the need for stronger observability and control, more flexible multi-agent collaboration patterns, and reusable components. AutoGen v0.4 addresses these issues with its asynchronous, event-driven architecture.This update makes AutoGen more robust and extensible, enabling a broader range of agentic scenarios. The new framework includes the following features, inspired by feedback from both within and outside Microsoft.Asynchronous messaging: Agents communicate through asynchronous messages, supporting both event-driven and request/response interaction patterns.Modular and extensible: Users can easily customize systems with pluggable components, including custom agents, tools, memory, and models. They can also build proactive and long-running agents using event-driven patterns.Observability and debugging: Built-in metric tracking, message tracing, and debugging tools provide monitoring and control over agent interactions and workflows, with support for OpenTelemetry for industry-standard observability.Scalable and distributed: Users can design complex, distributed agent networks that operate seamlessly across organizational boundaries.Built-in and community extensions: The extensions module enhances the frameworks functionality with advanced model clients, agents, multi-agent teams, and tools for agentic workflows. Community support allows open-source developers to manage their own extensions.Cross-language support: This update enables interoperability between agents built in different programming languages, with current support for Python and .NET and additional languages in development.Full type support: Interfaces enforce type checks at build time, improving robustness and maintaining code quality.Spotlight: blog postGraphRAG auto-tuning provides rapid adaptation to new domainsGraphRAG uses LLM-generated knowledge graphs to substantially improve complex Q&A over retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). Discover automatic tuning of GraphRAG for new datasets, making it more accurate and relevant.Read moreOpens in a new tab New AutoGen frameworkAs shown in Figure 1, the AutoGen framework features a layered architecture with clearly defined responsibilities across the framework, developer tools, and applications. The framework comprises three layers: core, agent chat, and first-party extensions.Core: The foundational building blocks for an event-driven agentic system.AgentChat:A task-driven, high-level API built on the core layer, featuring group chat, code execution, pre-built agents, and more. This layer is most similar to AutoGen v0.2 (opens in new tab), making it the easiest API to migrate to.Extensions: Implementations of core interfaces and third-party integrations, such as the Azure code executor and OpenAI model client.Figure 1. The v0.4 update introduces a cohesive AutoGen ecosystem that includes the framework, developer tools, and applications. The frameworks layered architecture clearly defines each layers functionality. It supports both first-party and third-party applications and extensions.In addition to the framework, AutoGen 0.4 includes upgraded programming tools and applications, designed to support developers in building and experimenting with AutoGen.AutoGen Bench: Enables developers to benchmark their agents by measuring and comparing performance across tasks and environments.AutoGen Studio: Rebuilt on the v0.4 AgentChat API, this low-code interface enables rapid prototyping of AI agents. It introduces several new capabilities:Real-time agent updates: View agent action streams in real time with asynchronous, event-driven messages.Mid-execution control: Pause conversations, redirect agent actions, and adjust team composition. Then seamlessly resume tasks.Interactive feedback through the UI: Add a UserProxyAgent to enable user input and guidance during team runs in real time.Message flow visualization: Understand agent communication through an intuitive visual interface that maps message paths and dependencies.Drag-and-drop team builder: Design agent teams visually using an interface for dragging components into place and configuring their relationships and properties.Third-party component galleries: Import and use custom agents, tools, and workflows from external galleries to extend functionality.Magentic-One: A new generalist multi-agent application to solve open-ended web and file-based tasks across various domains. This tool marks a significant step toward creating agents capable of completing tasks commonly encountered in both work and personal contexts.Migrating to AutoGen v0.4We implemented several measures to facilitate a smooth upgrade from the previous v0.2 API, addressing core differences in the underlying architecture.First, the AgentChat API maintains the same level of abstraction as v0.2, making it easy to migrate existing code to v0.4. For example, AgentChat offers an AssistantAgent and UserProxy agent with similar behaviors to those in v0.2. It also provides a team interface with implementations like RoundRobinGroupChat and SelectorGroupChat, which cover all the capabilities of the GroupChat class in v0.2. Additionally, v0.4 introduces many new functionalities, such as streaming messages, improved observability, saving and restoring task progress, and resuming paused actions where they left off. For detailed guidance, refer to the migration guide (opens in new tab).Looking forwardThis new release sets the stage for a robust ecosystem and strong foundation to drive advances in agentic AI application and research. Our roadmap includes releasing .NET support, introducing built-in, well-designed applications and extensions for challenging domains, and fostering a community-driven ecosystem. We remain committed to the responsible development of AutoGen and its evolving capabilities.We encourage you to engage with us on AutoGens Discord server (opens in new tab) and share feedback on the official AutoGen repository (opens in new tab) via GitHub Issues. Stay up to date with frequent AutoGen updates via X.AcknowledgmentsWe would like to thank the many individuals whose ideas and insights helped formalize the concepts introduced in this release, including Rajan Chari, Ece Kamar, John Langford, Ching-An Chen, Bob West, Paul Minero, Safoora Yousefi, Will Epperson, Grace Proebsting, Enhao Zhang, and Andrew Ng.Opens in a new tab

When your dog perks up at the sight of their leash or the rustle of their treat bag, its easy to wonder whats going on in their mind? Do they store memories of those sights and sounds, or are their reactions purely instinctive? While much of a dogs behavior is undoubtedly shaped by instinct and training, recent research reveals that some special dogs can recall the names of specific objects for years, adding yet another layer to our understanding of canine cognition.How Dogs RememberMemory in dogs can be divided into two broad categories: short-term memory and long-term memory. Short-term memory is rather limited, lasting only a few minutes. This explains why your pup might seem to forget theyve already greeted you and excitedly return for another round of attention moments later.Long-term memory, on the other hand, involves storing information over extended periods. And although some studies suggest dogs can form and hold onto long-term memories for over a decade, the mechanisms behind this ability remain a topic of research. Researchers generally believe that dogs rely heavily on associative memory, which links events, sounds, or sights with positive or negative outcomes. For instance, your dog might associate the sound of a treat bag with a tasty reward or remember a command like sit due to repeated practice. However, additional research suggests that dogs also have episodic memories, which are memories of previous experiences (the what and where). Read More: How Does Your Dog Understand You?A New Data PointA study recently published in Biology Letters explores whether dogs can retain object-label associations over long periods of time. Researchers previously tested five dogs Max, Rico, Squall, Whisky, and Gaia on their ability to recognize the names of 12 labeled toys taught to them during a one-week training session carried out by the dogs owners. After the initial study, which documented the dogs performance at one, and two months post-introduction, the toys were then removed from their environment for two years.When the toys were reintroduced for the 2024 study, the dogs still demonstrated an impressive ability to recall the objects names, correctly identifying them 44 percent of the time (group average). This performance was significantly above the 20.4 percent chance level expected if the dogs were simply guessing. Furthermore, four of the five dogs recalled and successfully retrieved between three and nine of the toys at least once. These results suggest that at least some dogs can form long-term memories, particularly when it comes to object recognition. Our research has found that even though dogs don't have language, some of them can still remember words, says Shany Dror, lead author of the new study. However, the researchers also caution against generalizing their results to all dogs, as the subjects for the study were specifically chosen based on their reported aptitude for learning the names of objects. As the majority of family dogs do not show behavioral evidence of learning object labels, the study said, the findings presented here cannot be generalized to other dog populations or other cognitive domains.How Does This Compare to Human Memory?While its tempting to project human traits onto our furry companions, its important to remember that their memory functions significantly differently from ours. Humans rely heavily on declarative memory, allowing us to recall explicit facts and events. But, as previously mentioned, much of a dogs memory seems to be more associative they excel at remembering actions and their consequences rather than abstract details.For example, your dog might remember that a certain park is associated with fun walks and interesting smells, but they may not recall the specific day you last visited. This type of memory aligns with their evolutionary history, where survival largely hinged on learning patterns and associations rather than retaining abstract facts.We know that other animals don't share our linguistic abilities, but they do share some of the cognitive abilities that enable us to use language, says Dror. Our hope with this line of research was to start understanding which of these cognitive abilities are shared with animals.Read More: How Many Words Can Dogs Learn?What Does the Research Mean?This concept of long-term memory in dogs isnt new. Take Chaser, a Border Collie often called the "world's smartest dog." Over her lifetime, Chaser learned the names of more than 1,000 objects and could follow complex commands involving verbs and prepositions. Her remarkable skills demonstrated that some dogs clearly possess extraordinary memory and cognitive capabilities.Understanding that dogs can form long-term memories also offers valuable insights for pet owners. For instance, its clear that positive reinforcement is key, as dogs are likely to remember and associate positive actions with rewarding results, such as getting a treat for behaving. Ensuring that your dogs environment is safe, and enriching can likewise have lasting effects on their behavior and well-being.Mental stimulation is also vital for maintaining a dogs cognitive health. So be sure to incorporate activities like training sessions, memory-based games (hiding treats or toys), and exposure to new experiences to help keep their minds sharp as they age.Future ResearchAlthough studies show that dogs clearly have impressive memory capabilities, many questions still remain unanswered. Fortunately, ongoing research into canine cognition could provide deeper insights into the minds of our four-legged friends, in turn revealing broader truths about memory across species. But until then, just remember that the next time your dog wags their tail at the sight of an old toy or eagerly greets a familiar face, you might be witnessing the power of long-term canine memory in action. Article SourcesOur writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:Psychology Today. How Permanent Is a Dog's Long-Term Memory?Biology Letters. Dogs with a vocabulary of object labels retain them for at least 2 yearsScientific Reports. Word learning dogs (Canis familiaris) provide an animal model for studying exceptional performanceScience Direct. The role of the hippocampus in recognition memoryAmerican Kennel Club. Remembering Chaser, the Smartest Dog in the World

A purchase at an urban Vietnamese fish market turned out to be a whole new species of giant isopodwith a bit of a dark side. The foot-long crustacean has been named Bathynomus vaderi and sports a head that resembles the iconic helmet of Darth Vader from the Star Wars. It is the first giant sea bug discovered in Vietnamese waters and is described in a study published January 14 in the journal ZooKeys.Isopods are related to pillbugs seen on land and scientists estimate that there are about 10,000 species. Giant isopods of the genus Bathynomus can grow over 11 inches long, with the largest (Bathynomus giganteus) believed to be almost 20 inches long. They are called b bin or sea bugs in Vietnamese.Nguyen Thanh Son holding a giant specimen of another species of giant isopod found in Vietnam (Bathynomus jamesi) that weighed 2.62 kg [5.7 pounds] from a seafood market in Hanoi, October 2024. CREDIT: Peter Ng. In March 2022, a team from Hanoi University purchased four giant isopod individuals from a market in Quy Nhn City. To identify these large crustaceans, the team in Hanoi collaborated with scientists from the National University of Singapore, the National Research and Innovation Agency Indonesia, and the Vietnam National University. By early 2023, the team realized that these giant isopods belonged to a species that had not been described by scientists.Bathynomus vaderi is considered a supergiant isopod, reaching about 12.7 inches long and weighing over 2.2 pounds. Like other giant isopods, B. vaderi is a carnivore and is known to eat crab, shrimp, fish, sponges, squid, and munch on whale carcasses. So far, it has only been found near the Spratly Islands in Vietnam by fishers trawling for isopods. The team believes that additional research will confirm its presence in other parts of the South China Sea.Giant isopods are also considered an expensive delicacy in Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Previously, they had only been sold as a bycatch project at low prices by local fishermen. Since 2017, media attention has put some spotlight on this strange seafood, with some claiming its even tastier than lobster. Their popularity has led to them being commercially fished by trawlers operating in various deep-water parts of the East Seathe Vietnamese part of the South China Seaand offshore of provinces in southcentral coastal Vietnam. They are often sold alive in markets in major cities and some restaurants will advertise the sale of these so-called sea bugs.[ Related: This giant isopod lives in the crater of a dinosaur-killing asteroid. ]The discovery of this strange species also highlights just how little we know about the deep-sea. According to the team, a species this large remaining hidden for so long indicates that a lot of work must be done to fully understand what lives in Southeast Asias waters. A better understanding can help inform fisheries policies, as the potential for exploration for oil, gas, and minerals in the deep ocean continues to grow.The post New foot-long crustacean named after Darth Vader appeared first on Popular Science.

The viruses of cold and flu season are upon us, and in us, where theyre causing misery upon misery. But dont worry. You can hop online, and for a mere $24.95, buy yourself a bottle of Zeebo Relief pills, designed to ease your bothersome symptoms.The key ingredient? Absolutely nothing.Theyre placebos, and as such, they contain no active ingredients, not even sugar. The tagline: You are the active ingredient.Maybe youre rolling your eyes. Is there any reason to think that pills of nothing could work?