Experimental results of the miniaturized DN2s integrated at the distal facet of a MMF using the 3D GS-TPN fabrication method, showing SEM and white-light microscopy images. Credit: USSTShareFiber optic cables have a bottleneck problem. Although theyre capable of transporting encoded data at the speed of light, translating the encoded data into understandable information often requires slower, much more energy-hungry equipment. Building off of previous innovations in a field known as passive neural networks, however, a team at Chinas University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST) is developing a microscopic workaround: A new artificial intelligence chip that utilizes light physics to analyze data using only a fraction of the energy. Whats more, each chip is barely the size of a grain of salt.The recent advances, detailed in a study published in the journal Nature Photonics rely on a form of neural networking first developed by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2018. Known as an all-optical diffractive deep neural network, this method uses patterned, 3D-printed layers of passive components that are precisely stacked together. The system is then trained to complete complex computations utilizing photons of light.The system was tested using images of numerals transferred through fiber optic wires. Credit: USSTAs New ScientistResearchers relied on three-dimensional two-photon nanolithography to construct each miniscule chip using ultrathin polymer layers. They then attached a chip to the end of a fiber optic wire, where it processed data as it passed through the cables at the speed of light. To test the invention, the team encoded images of numerals into light photons, then sent them through the fiber optic wires. The AI chips then successfully read the data and recreated each number image with minimal fuzziness. This kind of image recognition is now a rudimentary function in many AI systems, the salt-sized chips managed to do so in trillionths of a second. They also do so using only a few thousandths of the amount of energy as todays AI-based image recognition technology.A graph showing the phases of data as it is processed through the optical AI chip. Credit: USST The system is by no means perfect just yet. The slightest chip imperfections can degrade the overall system, and each chip must be specifically customized depending on the job needed. Still, the inventors believe the technology could eventually provide unprecedented functionalities. These might include situations such as endoscopic imaging and potentially even for quantum computing.

In a state known for its alligators, theme parks, and sun-seeking tourists of all stripes, Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) are one unwelcome visitor. Thousands of these roughly 13-foot-long snakes usually found in Southeast Asia have been slithering around parts of Florida for about the last 40 years, wreaking havoc on native species and harming the ecosystem. While the exact number is unknown, some scientists estimate that there could be as many as 100,000 to 300,000 pythons in the Sunshine State. Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.To combat this invasive species, the state sponsors a popular annual hunting contest in an effort to cull the population and works with various groups to catch the snakes. Scientists are also experimenting with finding the snakes with the environmental DNA that they leave behind. Now, University of Florida scientists have statistically analyzed data collected Burmese python contractors to figure out the most efficient way to remove the reptiles. The findings are detailed in a study recently published in the journal Scientific Reports.Burmese pythons are considered generalist predators. They can eat pretty much anything and numerous speciesincluding large deerhave been found in their gut during necropsies. They also eat protected and threatened Florida species including the wood stork and Key Largo woodrat. They can consume meals equivalent to 100 percent of their body mass. However, there have been no reported human deaths from wild-living Burmese pythons in Florida.A sample diet for an average Burmese python. CREDIT:SFWMD Python Elimination Program/Skip Snow/Stephan Secor. Pythons disrupt food webs, altering predator-prey dynamics and reducing populations of key native species, Alex Romer, a study co-author and a quantitative ecologist at UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, said in a statement. By refining removal strategies, were working to give native wildlife a chance to adapt and persist.The data was collected between May 2020 and April 2022 and the team analyzed a total of 4,092 surveys from python contractors totaling over 16,000 hours of effort in finding and containing the snakes. They looked through the data to see if factors like time of day or temperature impacted the chance of successfully removing a python. The team also analyzed whether the most surveyed areas in the state aligned with the highest python removals. This way, state officials can pinpoint regions where few contractors are catching a lot of pythons, indicating that more contractors should be working in these spots to remove more snakes.The analysis indicated two regions where efforts to remove pythons could be bolstered with more surveying. The western edge of Big Cypress National Preserve in the south central portion of the state and a stormwater treatment area in Palm Beach County to the east.The team also identified the optimal conditions that appear to improve survey outcomes.Python surveys are most successful and efficient from May through OctoberFloridas wet season. A drop of barometric pressure the day before also increases the likelihood of a successful python survey.The most efficient time to look for pythons is between the hours of 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. Surveying overnight generally yielded better results, except during periods of extreme cold. In Florida, this occurs when daily air temperatures reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.[ Related: Burmese pythons stretch their mouths even wider than we thought possible. ]Boats, canoes, kayaks, and airboats can also enhance survey effectiveness.According to the team, this data can inform new guidelines for state and local governments for successful detection and removal efforts. It also highlights the importance in citizen science, the data was collected as part of the SFWMD Python Elimination Program. The project trains individuals from all backgrounds to safely locate and contain pythons.Managing pythons is an enormous effort, undertaken by Floridians deeply invested in restoring the intricate ecological processes that define the Everglades, said Romer. This work is about safeguarding one of the worlds most unique ecosystemsnot just for today, but for generations to come.

A plume of ink can help hide a cuttlefish as it scuttles away from a predator. But that smoke screens stench may also warn sharks to stay away.The inks primary component, melanin, strongly sticks to sharks smell sensors more so than the odorant in mammalian blood, researchers report January 8 in G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics. The finding hints that in the common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), ink evolved to exploit sharks keen sense of smell.Nicknamed swimming noses, some sharks can sniff their way home from almost 10 kilometers away. But that remarkable sense spans a narrow range of scents. Researchers have sequenced the genomes of nearly 40 shark and ray species. On average, the animals possess genes for 43 odor-detecting molecules known as receptors. (Mammals have, on average, around 850 smell receptor genes.)That limits the number of smells sharks can distinguish, although they may be fine-tuned for scents relevant to survival, says sensory biologist Colleen Lawless of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.Past research has shown that after encountering cuttlefish ink, sharks dart away, she says. Its almost like if you walk into a room and someones farted really bad and you just want to completely run the opposite way.But scientists werent sure how the inks chemical compounds interact with sharks smell receptors.So, while at University College Dublin, Lawless and colleagues created 3-D computer models of 146 smell receptors using genetic data from the cloudy catshark (Scyliorhinus torazame), small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) and great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). The modeled shapes revealed that melanin, responsible for the dark color of a common cuttlefishs ink, possesses a molecular structure and other properties that let it strongly stick to all the tested smell receptors. Melanins binding affinity for the receptors surpassed that of the compound responsible for mammal bloods metallic odor.The effect probably extends to all shark species, Lawless says. Sharks generally share the same core set of smell receptors, despite species different lifestyles and ecological niches.Sharks great sense of smell is also their Achilles heel, Lawless says. Cuttlefish ink has found a way to take advantage of their limited number of smell receptors and use it against them.

Nature, Published online: 07 February 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00317-7In episode 2 of What's in a name we look how choosing names can help, or hinder, attempts to communicate important messages.

Nature, Published online: 05 February 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-024-08460-3A hybrid analoguedigital quantum simulator is used to demonstrate beyond-classical performance in benchmarking experiments and to study thermalization phenomena in an XY quantum magnet, including the breakdown of KibbleZurek scaling predictions and signatures of the KosterlitzThouless phase transition.

The adult orcas swam around the ice demonstrating how to pull a seal off by its tail.

Unusual weather patterns and climate change have been driving stark changes in the northwestern state. Now, new satellite images show the extent of this transformation.

It's the start of the weekend in Destiny 2, and like clockwork, Xur has set up shop once again in the Tower. With the start of the new Heresy episode, it's a good idea to pay a visit to the arms dealer to see if he has any Exotic or legendary-class gear that can synergize with all of the new weapons that have been introduced. For more on Heresy, you can also check out these tips for the best builds for your Guardian during the new episode and how the new Nether activity works. Here's a closer look at what Xur has for sale this weekend.This week, Xur is offering the Exotic weapon catalysts for Coldheart and Sturm, and for Exotic armor, Hunters can pick up Khepri's Sting; Titans can grab Antaeus Wards; and Warlocks can buy Vesper of Radius. If you're looking for Exotic weapons, Xur has Hawkmoon, Arbalest, Coldheart, and D.A.R.C.I this week. He's also shifting the Exotic vehicle, The Xurfboard, instead of his usual Exotic class item.The Anataeus Wards in particular are worth grabbing for Titans, as they roll at a huge 69 total value, with good values in resilience, strength, and recovery. The Vesper of Radius for Warlocks also has a 30-roll in recovery, meaning healing in the Nether activity is going to be improved with this Exotic equipped.Continue Reading at GameSpot

In just a few weeks, Yu-Gi-Oh fans in the West will finally get to play some of the Game Boy games that were originally exclusive Japan. Konami's highly anticipated Yu-Gi-Oh Early Days Collection releases for Nintendo Switch and PC on February 27. The compilation includes 14 Yu-Gi-Oh games released from 1998-2003 for Game Boy, GBC, and GBA. Nintendo Switch physical edition preorders are available at Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, GameStop, and Target for $50. Inside the box, you'll find a Secret Rare Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card. Yu-Gi-Oh! Early Days Collection $50 Each physical edition includes one of two Quarter Century Secret Rare Harpie's Feather Duster cards.Here's the full list of games, all of which originally released on Game Boy (GB), Game Boy Color (GBC), or Game Boy Advance (GBA). We marked the games that are new to North America.Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters (1998, GB) - NewYu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters 2: Dark Duel Stories (1999, GBC) - NewYu-Gi-Oh Monster Capsule GB (2000, GBC) - NewYu-Gi-Oh Dark Duel Stories (2000, GBC)Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists (2000, GBC) - NewYu-Gi-Oh Dungeon Dice Monsters (2001, GBA)Yu-Gi-Oh The Eternal Duelist Soul (2001, GBA)Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters 6: Expert 2 (2001, GBA) - NewYu-Gi-Oh The Sacred Cards (2002, GBA)Yu-Gi-Oh Reshef of Destruction (2003, GBA)Yu-Gi Oh Worldwide Edition: Stairway to the Destined Duel (2003, GBA)Five of the 14 games in the Early Days Collection are getting North American releases for the first time.Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters was the franchise's first big hit and the only entry to release on original Game Boy. The series really hit its stride on Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance in the early 2000s. Remarkably, all 14 games were released within a five-year window from 1998 to 2003.Even more remarkably, that's not even all of the Yu-Gi-Oh games that released during that time. The Early Days Collection contains the first 14 Yu-Gi-Oh handheld games, but Konami also developed several console for PlayStation, GameCube, and PlayStation 2 in the late '90s and early 2000s. Preorder at Amazon Preorder at Walmart Preorder at Best Buy Yu-Gi-Oh! anime Steelbook EditionsIf you're looking forward to the Early Days Collection, you can bide the time with a couple of recent Yu-Gi-Oh anime Blu-ray releases. The original Yu-Gi-Oh movie received a steelbook edition last September, and Amazon has it marked down from $30 to $25. In December, Yu-Gi-Oh Bonds Beyond Time also received the steelbook treatment. Amazon has an even better deal on this one, as you can grab the $30 release for only $21.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Players with an eye for tightly designed, narrative-driven games may have already clocked Eriksholm: The Stolen Dream, an upcoming stealth title with shockingly impressive visuals. While Eriksholm's use of new gaming technology like Epic's MetaHumans is certainly interesting and worth paying attention to, the game is looking to be far more than just a pretty face, shooting for memorable gameplay and level design as well.