ONe novae stellar explosion may be source of our phosphorus

An artist’s impression of this research. (Credit: NAOJ) 

Astronomers have proposed a new theory to explain the origin of phosphorus, one of the elements important for life on Earth. The theory suggests a type of stellar explosion known as ONe novae as a major source of phosphorus.

After the Big Bang, almost all of the matter in the Universe was comprised of hydrogen.

Other elements were formed later, by nuclear reactions inside stars or when stars exploded in events known as novae or supernovae.

But there are a variety of stars and a variety of ways they can explode.

Astronomers are still trying to figure out which processes were important in creating the abundances of elements we see in the Universe.

In this study, Kenji Bekki, at The University of Western Australia, an...

Read More

Robotic System Feeds People with Severe Mobility Limitations

A robotic system developed by Cornell researchers feeds a student participant during a lab demonstration.
A robotic system developed by Cornell researchers feeds a student participant during a lab demonstration.

Cornell researchers have developed a robotic feeding system that uses computer vision, machine learning and multimodal sensing to safely feed people with severe mobility limitations, including those with spinal cord injuries, cerebralpalsy and multiple sclerosis.

“Feeding individuals with severe mobility limitations with a robot is difficult, as many cannot lean forward and require food to be placed directly inside their mouths,” said Tapomayukh “Tapo” Bhattacharjee, assistant professor of computer science in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science and senior developer behind the system...

Read More

New Machine Learning Algorithm Promises Advances in Computing

Scientists are working toward deploying a new of edge computing  hardware.
Scientists are working toward deploying a new class of edge computing hardware.
Photo: Getty Images

Digital twin models may enhance future autonomous systems

Systems controlled by next-generation computing algorithms could give rise to better and more efficient machine learning products, a new study suggests.

Using machine learning tools to create a digital twin, or a virtual copy, of an electronic circuit that exhibits chaotic behavior, researchers found that they were successful at predicting how it would behave and using that information to control it.

Many everyday devices, like thermostats and cruise control, utilize linear controllers — which use simple rules to direct a system to a desired value...

Read More

Squeezed by Neighbors, Planet Glows with Molten Lava

Volcanic exoplanet illustration. (Arkadiusz Warguła/iStock/Getty)

Extreme conditions on rocky planet surprise scientists. UC Riverside astrophysicist Stephen Kane had to double check his calculations. He wasn’t sure the planet he was studying could be as extreme as it seemed.

Kane never expected to learn that a planet in this faraway star system is covered with so many active volcanoes that seen from a distance it would take on a fiery, glowing-red hue.

“It was one of those discovery moments that you think, ‘wow, it’s amazing this can actually exist,” Kane said. A paper detailing the discovery has been published in The Astronomical Journal.

Launched in 2018, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, searches for exoplanets — planets outside our solar system — tha...

Read More