Holographic Displays offer a Glimpse into an Immersive Future

A figure wearing holographic displays glasses, a chip on the leg of the eyeglasses beaming colored light onto the inside of the lens of the glasses.

Researchers at Princeton and Meta have created a tiny optical device that makes holographic images larger and clearer. Small enough to fit on a pair of eyeglasses, the device could enable a new kind of immersive virtual reality display. Illustration by Liz Sabol, photo by Nathan Matsuda

Researchers have invented a new optical element that brings us one step closer to mixing the real and virtual worlds in an ordinary pair of eyeglasses using high-definition 3D holographic images.

Holographic images have real depth because they are three dimensional, whereas monitors merely simulate depth on a 2D screen. Because we see in three dimensions, holographic images could be integrated seamlessly into our normal view of the everyday world.

The result is a virtual and augmented reality disp...

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Lunar Landforms indicate Geologically Recent Seismic Activity on the Moon

Lunar landforms indicate geologically recent seismic activity on the Moon
Global random spatial age distribution (0–250 million years) of 34 lunar lobate scarps in this study. Credit: Credit: Earth and Planetary Science Letters (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118636

The moon’s steadfast illumination of our night sky has been a source of wonder and inspiration for millennia. Since the first satellite images of its surface were taken in the 1960s, our understanding of Earth’s companion through time has developed immeasurably. A complex interplay of cosmic interactions and planetary systems, the moon’s surface displays a plethora of landforms evidencing its history.

One such feature is lunar lobate scarps, long (<10 km) curvilinear landforms resulting from thrust fault movement, where older rocks are pushed above younger units leading to crustal shorten...

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New AI Technology estimates Brain Age using Low-Cost EEG Device

Man faces a computer screen wearing an EEG headset
Drexel University postdoctoral researcher Yongtaek Oh wearing EEG device in Drexel University’s Creativity Research Laboratory.

As people age, their brains do, too. But if a brain ages prematurely, there is potential for age-related diseases such as mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or Parkinson’s disease. If “brain age” could be easily calculated, then premature brain aging could be addressed before serious health problems occur.

Researchers from Drexel University’s Creativity Research Lab have developed an artificial intelligence technique that can effectively estimate an individual’s brain age based on electroencephalogram (EEG) brain scans. The technology could help to make early, regular screening for degenerative brain diseases more accessible...

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NASA’s Chandra Releases Doubleheader of Blockbuster Hits

Visual Description: Cassiopeia A & Crab Nebula Timelapses This is a still image from a split-screen video showing the change of two objects in space over time. The Cassiopeia A supernova remnant is on the left and the Crab Nebula is on the right, divided by a white vertical line. Cassiopeia A resembles a disk of electric blue light with glowing white streaks. X-rays from Chandra reveal hot gas, mostly from supernova debris from the destroyed star, and include elements like silicon and iron. Brilliant stars in white and gold, seen in optical light from Hubble, permeate the field of view. The Crab Nebula resembles the shape of a spinning toy top, made of white wispy clouds, resting on its side. The top-like shape is outlined by feathery shrouds of electric blue light...
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