In this episode:
Researchers at Google Deepmind have developed an AI that can solve International Mathematical Olympiad-level geometry problems, something previous AIs have struggled with. They provided the system with a huge number of random mathematical theorems and proofs, which it used to approximate general rules of geometry. The AI then applied these rules to solve the Olympiad problems and show its workings for humans to check. The researchers hope their system shows that it is possible for AIs to ‘learn’ basic principles from large amounts of data and use them to tackle complex logical challenges, which could prove useful in fields outside mathematics.
Research article: Trinh et al.
A stiff and squishy ‘hydrospongel’ — part sponge, part hydrogel — that could find use in soft robotics, and how the spread of rice paddies in sub-Saharan Africa helps to drive up atmospheric methane levels.
Research Highlight: Stiff gel as squishable as a sponge takes its cue from cartilage
Research Highlight: A bounty of rice comes at a price: soaring methane emissions
Mass Mortality Events, sometimes called mass die-offs, can result in huge numbers of a single species perishing in a short period of time. But there’s not a huge amount known about the effects that events like these might be having on wider ecosystems. Now, a team of researchers have built a model ecosystem to observe the impact of mass die-offs on the delicate balance of populations within it.
Research article: Tye et al.
An update on efforts to remove the stuck screws on OSIRIS-REx’s sample container, the ancient, fossilized skin that was preserved in petroleum, and a radical suggestion to save the Caribbean’s coral reefs.
OSIRIS-REx Mission Blog: NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Team Clears Hurdle to Access Remaining Bennu Sample
Nature News: This is the oldest fossilized reptile skin ever found — it pre-dates the dinosaurs
Nature News: Can foreign coral save a dying reef? Radical idea sparks debate
Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Coronapod: COVID and pregnancy - what do we know?
The smallest measurement of gravity ever recorded
Coronapod: COVID's origins and the 'lab leak' theory
COVID, 2020 and a year of lost research
Coronapod: Google-backed database could help answer big COVID questions
The quark of the matter: what's really inside a proton?
Audio long-read: Thundercloud Project tackles a gamma-ray mystery
Coronapod: our future with an ever-present coronavirus
A mammoth discovery: oldest DNA on record from million-year-old teeth
Coronapod: Is mixing COVID vaccines a good idea?
Human Genome Project - Nature’s editor-in-chief reflects 20 years on
Coronapod: Variants – what you need to know
Mysterious einsteinium spills its secrets
Coronapod: Fixing the world’s pandemic alarm
Audio long-read: Push, pull and squeeze – the hidden forces that shape life
How a spinal device could relieve a neglected effect of cord injury
Hiring discrimination laid bare by mountain of data
Coronapod: The rise of RNA vaccines
The mysterious extinction of the dire wolf
Audio long-read: Controlling COVID with science - Iceland's story
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free