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A Historic First: Russian Cosmonaut Defends Thesis from Space
For the first time in history, a Russian cosmonaut has successfully defended a scientific thesis from aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Hero of Russia Ivan Vagner presented his master’s dissertation remotely, with a live video feed shared by Alexey Komissarov, the rector of RANEPA. His research focused on improving the efficiency of government organizations, offering practical recommendations for optimization.
Watch Earth Live from the ISS – Now in 4K! 🌍🚀
The International Space Station (ISS) now offers a live 4K stream of breathtaking views of Earth! Perfect for a moment of meditation, the feed provides a stunning perspective from space.
The system includes three cameras:
🔹 A wide-angle view capturing Earth’s vast horizon.
🔹 A detailed view covering an area of 240×180 km.
🔹 A docking camera that monitors spacecraft arrivals and departures.
Since the ISS orbits Earth every 90 minutes, the stream goes dark every 45 minutes when night falls. During these gaps or signal losses, previously recorded footage is played.
Tune in and experience our planet like never before! 🌌📡
Researchers at EvolutionaryScale have utilized an advanced AI model, ESM3, to design a novel green fluorescent protein named esmGFP. This protein’s genetic sequence is only 58% similar to its closest known counterpart, indicating a significant divergence that would have taken over 500 million years to evolve naturally. This breakthrough not only showcases the potential of AI in accelerating molecular design but also opens avenues for advancements in medical research and biotechnology.
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⭐ Happy Chinese New Year!
Following the success of the Chinese startup DeepSeek, many are surprised at how quickly China has caught up with the US in AI. However, China’s progress in algorithmic efficiency hasn't come out of nothing. Chinese students have long outperformed others in math and programming at international olympiads 🏆
When it comes to producing outstanding performers in math and science, China's secondary education system is superior to that of the West. It fosters fierce competition among students, a principle borrowed from the highly efficient Soviet model 🎖
In contrast, most Western schools discourage competition, prohibiting public announcements of students' grades and rankings. The rationale is understandable — to protect students from pressure or ridicule. However, such measures also predictably demotivate the best students. Victory and defeat are two sides of the same coin. Eliminate the losers — and you eliminate the winners ☯️
For many students, motivation to excel in high school comes from treating it as a competitive game, striving to rank first against strong opponents. Removing transparency in student performance can make school feel meaningless for ambitious teenagers. It’s not surprising that many gifted kids now find competitive gaming more exciting than academics — at least in video games, they can see how each player ranks 😵
Telling all students they are champions, regardless of performance, may seem kind — until you consider how quickly reality will shatter this illusion after graduation. Reality, unlike well-meaning school policies, does have public grades and rankings — whether in sports, business, science, or technology. AI benchmarks that demonstrate DeepSeek's superiority are one of such public rankings. And more are coming. Unless the US secondary education system undergoes radical reform, China’s growing dominance in technology seems inevitable 🇨🇳
The reaction time of a cat is approximately 20–70 milliseconds, while that of a snake ranges between 44–70 milliseconds.
For comparison, the reaction time of a human is around 250 milliseconds.
Scientists Capture Rare Footage of “Black Ejections” on the Sun
Researchers have shared remarkable footage of rare “black ejections” on the Sun, captured by the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the Space Research Institute (IKI) and the Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISZF) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The video reveals a “ghostly structure of an intense black color,” part of which is ejected into space while the rest dissipates in the solar corona.
This black plasma cloud is associated with a cold prominence containing large amounts of neutral hydrogen. This hydrogen can almost completely absorb the short-wavelength radiation falling on it from behind. The entire process lasted about three hours.
Stay tuned for more fascinating discoveries!
The image doesn’t show a mission control center for space exploration; instead, it’s the control room of the EAST experimental fusion reactor. Located at the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, EAST has set a new record for plasma confinement—1,066 seconds. The previous record of 403 seconds was also achieved there in 2023. This is a major breakthrough.
The key takeaway is that physicists have developed a way to sustain plasma for over 1,000 seconds. ITER, the world’s largest fusion reactor under construction in France, is expected to operate using similarly long pulses. Chinese experts are actively contributing to the ITER project, making this achievement a win for the global scientific community.
Unfortunately, as is often the case with updates from Chinese research centers, the information provided is incomplete. For example, there is no mention of the plasma’s temperature. In previous EAST experiments, it reached 120 million degrees Celsius, whereas ITER’s plasma is expected to exceed 150 million degrees (and up to 300 million degrees at its core).
Nevertheless, this is excellent news. Now we wait to see how Japan responds. Over a year ago, experiments began at JT-60SA, currently the largest tokamak in operation. It is designed to confine plasma at temperatures of up to 200 million degrees.
#Physics #Energy #Fusion #science
Incredible Results of AI in Education: Transforming Learning Outcomes
In a groundbreaking experiment, Nigerian schoolchildren used Microsoft Co-pilot Tutor for six weeks (two sessions per week). The results were staggering: their academic progress was equivalent to two additional years of schooling. This approach proved to be 80% more effective than any other pedagogical intervention to date.
Why AI is a Game-Changer in Education:
• Unmatched Impact: The educational benefits of AI are among the most significant across any field today.
• Ready-to-Deploy Technology: Unlike other sectors where reliability or safety concerns exist, AI in education is robust and scalable (up to at least the PhD level).
• Efficiency: Accelerated learning at a fraction of the time and cost.
The Opportunity:
This success story highlights the immense potential for AI-powered educational solutions. With the technology already mature, it’s only a matter of time before someone (for now, Microsoft) builds a multi-billion-dollar business in this space.
Education is being revolutionized—and it’s only the beginning.
Which Side of the Singularity Are We On?
The surge of optimism surrounding our approach to AGI might not be unwarranted. On January 4, Sam Altman (regardless of your opinion of him, he is currently the most influential figure in AI) described his current status as: “near the singularity; unclear on which side.” Two days later, in an interview, he clarified that AGI would be created during Trump’s presidency—by 2029. On the same day, he elaborated in his “Reflections”:
“We are now confident that we know how to build AGI in the traditional sense. We believe that by 2025, we could see the first AI agents integrated into the workforce, fundamentally transforming company outcomes. […] We are beginning to target […] true superintelligence.”
If Altman’s prediction proves accurate, the implications for humanity will be monumental. In comparison, any events we currently consider critical—such as tomorrow’s inauguration of Trump—will pale into insignificance against the backdrop of the world being drawn into the black hole of the singularity.
So, what happened that brought us so close to the singularity, with AGI predictions suddenly accelerating? What caused timelines to plummet so drastically (as seen in the Exponential View chart referenced)?
Only Sam himself knows for sure. However, a compelling and straightforward explanation was offered by Gwern Branwen in a comment on Ryan Kidd’s post about the new paradigm of scaling outputs:
“I think what’s missing in the discussion of the scaling paradigm is the self-play feedback loop: much of the value of a model like o1 isn’t in its deployment, but in generating training data for the next model. Every problem solved by o1 now serves as a training data point for o3 (e.g., any o1 session that eventually stumbles upon the correct answer can be refined to eliminate dead ends and produce a clean walkthrough to train more nuanced intuition).”
You can test this hypothesis yourself with a simple four-step experiment:
1. Take a transcript of your conversation with ChatGPT on a problem it failed to solve satisfactorily.
2. Submit this transcript to Claude, asking it to solve the problem.
3. Review Claude’s response, which, even if not a perfect solution, will likely be significantly better than ChatGPT’s initial attempt.
4. Now reverse the roles: for another problem, give Claude’s unsatisfactory response to ChatGPT. Most likely, the same pattern will repeat—the second model will outperform the first by leveraging its output as training data.
This aligns with the historical development of AlphaGo versions: AlphaGo Fan, AlphaGo Lee, AlphaGo Master, and AlphaGo Zero. The last version trained entirely on self-play without human data. In just two years, the Elo rating of new versions skyrocketed from 3300 (already above most world champions) to an unimaginable 5185. After 2018, DeepMind ceased developing AlphaGo or participating in official matches, as it had become both uninteresting and meaningless—humans couldn’t come close to competing.
If Gwern Branwen is correct, this reflects the powerful effect of a “data flywheel,” where each new model generates data to train an even better one.
And if that’s the case, then Sam Altman is also right. Tomorrow’s inauguration of Trump, an event considered globally significant today, will fade into a trivial footnote as Earth enters the era of the singularity.
#AGI #AI #science
Fresh Evidence of Quark-Gluon Plasma Droplets
Quark-gluon plasma, the primordial state of matter that filled the universe just moments after the Big Bang, has been directly observed in a groundbreaking discovery. Previously, physicists believed that colliding large ions with smaller ones couldn’t produce this exotic state of matter, the building blocks of protons and neutrons.
However, new data from the PHENIX experiment challenges this assumption. The findings provide the first direct evidence that high-energy particles created in a collider can lose energy and momentum, forming tiny droplets of quark-gluon plasma.
Dive deeper into this fascinating discovery here: Phys.org.
Stay curious!
The European Space Agency has shared three stunning images of Mercury captured by the BepiColombo spacecraft.
The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo probe completed its sixth flyby of Mercury, successfully performing its final “gravity assist maneuver” required to enter orbit around the planet by late 2026.
During the flyby, the spacecraft passed just a few hundred kilometers above Mercury’s north pole. The close-up images reveal icy craters with permanently shadowed floors and vast sunlit northern plains.
These breathtaking views bring us closer to understanding the mysteries of the smallest planet in our solar system.
Starlink Disrupts Africa’s Internet Market: Satellite Internet Cheaper Than Telecom in 5 out of 16 Countries
Starlink has shaken up Africa’s internet provider market, offering satellite internet that is already more affordable than traditional telecom services in 5 of the 16 countries it operates in.
In Kenya, Elon Musk’s company provides internet at just $10 per month for 50GB, delivering higher speeds and coverage even in remote areas. Demand has surged so dramatically that Starlink had to temporarily halt new connections due to network overload.
Local providers are scrambling to respond—slashing prices, boosting speeds, and rushing to develop their own satellite solutions. For example, Vodacom recently announced a partnership with AST SpaceMobile to compete in the evolving market.
On one hand, this competition is driving progress, pushing local companies to innovate. But on the other hand, internet access, much like water, gas, and electricity, is a critical infrastructure tied to sovereignty. Handing it over to an eccentric billionaire might not be the wisest strategy.
Nonetheless, this could be a catalyst for Africa’s technological leap forward. Let’s hope the continent seizes this opportunity to transform its digital landscape.
#science #starlink
Soviet-era giant telescopes already resemble remnants of a powerful ancient civilization in a post-apocalyptic world. In some cases, their real history aligns with this impression. The Kalyazin RT-64 radio telescope, for instance, was designed to support communication with robotic missions to Venus and Mars, as well as to prepare for potential manned expeditions to these planets. Remarkably, it is still operational today, contributing to deep space communication and astrophysical research. Located near the town of Kalyazin, about 200 km north of Moscow, this engineering marvel continues to play a vital role in exploring the cosmos.
#science #space
Third Neuralink Chip Successfully Implanted
A third person has received a brain chip from Neuralink. The first patient is now using the implant to communicate on social media through thought alone, while the second has managed to play Counter-Strike 2.
These devices are designed to help people with spinal cord injuries, enabling them to control computers or smartphones using their minds. According to Bloomberg, all the chips are reported to be “working well,” and Neuralink plans to implant another 20–30 brain chips in 2025.
The first person in the world to receive such an implant was 29-year-old Nolan Arbo, who is completely paralyzed. The device translates brain signals into computer commands, offering groundbreaking possibilities for those with severe disabilities.
@science
A study conducted by the University of Central Florida has revealed that symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) manifest more prominently when watching videos that require the brain’s executive functions to engage actively.
Researchers observed college students with ADHD as they watched two types of videos. When viewing the high-action podracing scene from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the students displayed relatively minimal body movement. However, while watching an educational math video, the participants began to fidget noticeably—shifting in their chairs, tapping their feet, and squirming.
This research highlights how different types of content can influence physical restlessness in individuals with ADHD.
#science
At this very moment, somewhere in the world, robots are being trained to replace athletes. Their training is based on datasets from Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant. 🚀🤖 #FutureOfSports #AI
@science
Otter Gang Wars in Singapore
In Singapore, rival otter clans are battling for territory in the city’s waterways. These intelligent animals form tight family groups, defending prime locations through dramatic chases and skirmishes. As their numbers grow, so does the competition. Who will dominate the otter underworld?
🚗 History in Motion: The Birth of the First Gasoline-Powered Car
On January 29, 1886, Carl Benz made history by receiving a patent for what is widely regarded as the first commercially viable gasoline-powered car—the Benz Patent-Motorwagen. This groundbreaking invention marked the beginning of the automotive era and set the foundation for modern motoring.
Benz's Motorwagen was a marvel of its time, featuring elements that are still synonymous with today's vehicles. It boasted a robust chassis, an internal combustion engine, electric ignition, a carburetor, a cooling system, transmission, and brakes—precursors to the sophisticated systems in modern cars.
However, one notable omission was a reliable steering mechanism. This challenge led to the Motorwagen's unique three-wheeled design, sacrificing a second wheel for better maneuverability—a clever workaround that highlights Benz's resourcefulness.
Over five years, approximately 25 units of this pioneering vehicle were produced and sold. Unfortunately, none have survived, leaving us with only historical accounts and a replica at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. This reproduction stands as a testament to Benz's legacy and the ingenuity of early automotive pioneers.
As we reflect on this milestone, it's remarkable to consider how far automotive technology has evolved—from the three-wheeled marvels to the sleek, efficient machines of today. Here's to Carl Benz, the father of the gasoline engine and the man who ignited the spirit of motoring innovation. 🚗💨
#Science #Innovation #CarlBenz #AutomobileHistory #MercedesBenzMuseum
Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt—255 compared to Egypt’s 138!
The pyramids in Sudan, located in the region of Nubia, were built during the Kingdom of Kush, an ancient civilization that ruled along the Nile from the 8th century BCE to the 4th century CE. Geographically, this corresponds to the northern part of modern Sudan.
Kushite pyramids are smaller and more slender in shape compared to their Egyptian counterparts. On average, a Kushite pyramid stands between 6 and 30 meters tall, whereas the iconic Egyptian pyramids, like the Great Pyramid of Giza, reach heights of up to 138 meters.
The Kushites began building pyramids approximately 800 years after the Egyptians stopped constructing theirs. Like the Egyptians, the Kushites used these monuments as royal tombs for kings, queens, and nobles.
One of the largest concentrations of Kushite pyramids is found in the ancient city of Meroë, which is home to around 200 pyramids.
Sadly, in the 1830s, many Sudanese pyramids were severely damaged by an Italian treasure hunter, Giuseppe Ferlini. Seeking quick access to their interiors, he destroyed the tops of around 40 pyramids using explosives, causing irreparable damage to these ancient structures.
Today, Sudan’s pyramids remain in a fragile state, suffering from the effects of wars and a lack of resources for preservation. Meanwhile, Egypt’s pyramids continue to draw millions of tourists each year, overshadowing the lesser-known but equally fascinating legacy of the Kingdom of Kush.
🚨 Environmental Catastrophe in the Black Sea Region
Dear friends, colleagues, and followers,
We are reaching out to you with an urgent matter. A devastating environmental disaster has occurred in the Black Sea region. Two vessels, severely damaged by a recent storm, have spilled significant amounts of fuel oil, threatening the unique ecosystem of the Black Sea.
The flora and fauna of the entire coastline are now in grave danger. This unprecedented situation affects every nation bordering the Black Sea, and it demands immediate action.
We are calling on the scientific community, companies with expertise in environmental restoration, and anyone with innovative technologies or solutions to help mitigate the impact of this disaster.
If you or your organization have knowledge, technologies, or ideas on how to clean up the spill and restore the fragile ecosystem, we urge you to get in touch with us. If you know someone who could assist or provide guidance, please share this post with them.
Let us join forces to help the Black Sea recover as quickly as possible. Together, we can make a difference.
🌊 Let’s protect and restore the unique beauty of the Black Sea for future generations.
__
Please contact @Wmkali
$500B and Trump, Musk, Altman, Nadella—it’s like a kindergarten show.
Every media outlet, blogger, and Telegram channel has been buzzing for the past 24 hours about this so-called Stargate Project.
But when you listen to what the project insiders are saying, it becomes clear: if this isn’t a scam, it’s just a perfectly timed PR stunt conveniently aligned with the whole inauguration buzz.
You’ve all heard of Trump, I assume.
Musk vs. Altman? Check the picture for that drama.
And Nadella playing clueless with his “All I know is I’m worth my $80 billion” act? Here’s the link: YouTube.
So how do we take their statements seriously now?
This is no joke: the future power of the United States will be built on the capabilities of artificial intelligence. Deals will not be offered to states, but directly to individuals—control in exchange for health, education, and more. For example, microchipping in return for a long life with a guaranteed standard of living.
…
Larry Ellison of Oracle predicts that AI will develop mRNA vaccines tailored to each individual, producing them robotically within 48 hours.
#AI
DIY Fusion: How to Build a Nuclear Reactor in Your Kitchen (with AI)
A guy managed to assemble a neutron fusion reactor in his kitchen, using AI as his consultant. 🔬
Technical Specs:
• 30kV/10mA Electrostatic Precipitator
• Vacuum at 3 mTorr (253,333 times deeper than atmospheric pressure!)
• Bubble Detector for neutron counting
• Homemade Deuterium extracted from heavy water via electrolysis
The most impressive part? The entire deuterium production process cost just $112:
• $32 for a hydrocar PEM
• $80 for 50g of D₂O (heavy water)
From this, he managed to produce 56 liters of D₂ gas! 🧪
How AI Helped:
The author heavily relied on Claude for:
• Process debugging
• Safety checks
• Following complex instructions
While this isn’t a commercial reactor, as a demonstration of AI-assisted DIY, it’s absolutely mind-blowing. 🔥
The Journey:
The build was live-streamed over 36 hours straight. Remarkably, just months earlier, the same individual assembled a plasma reactor. What’s even more fascinating? He didn’t have deep expertise in nuclear physics—he simply asked Claude the right questions. Independent study would have required thousands (if not tens of thousands) of hours.
The Bigger Picture:
As exciting as this is, it’s also a bit terrifying. If a hobbyist can pull this off in fusion, imagine the possibilities with biology. We might someday look back at bats with nostalgia. 🦇
AI-powered DIY is here, and it’s opening doors to both innovation and ethical challenges.
Smart Waste-Sorting Robot Deployed in Hangzhou
In the innovative city of Qianjiang, Hangzhou, a cutting-edge waste-sorting robot has joined the effort to improve urban sustainability. Equipped with advanced technologies like visual learning, this autonomous robot can patrol the streets for up to 8 hours, efficiently carrying up to 35 kg of waste.
This development showcases how AI-driven solutions are revolutionizing urban waste management, contributing to cleaner and smarter cities.
The future of eco-friendly technology is here—making cities more sustainable, one step at a time!
#SmartCities #WasteManagement #Innovation
Unitree G1 Gets Even More Agile and Dynamic
The Unitree G1 has received an update, making it even more agile and adaptable. It has now mastered running on rough terrain, showcasing its enhanced mobility and balance.
Interestingly, I think I might have figured out why its movements sometimes appear a bit unnatural. My guess is that there’s a gyroscope located in its center of mass, but that’s just a theory for now.
By the way, the Chinese New Year falls on January 29 this year. I have a feeling they’ll roll out even more updates in time for the celebrations. Let’s wait and see!
#Unitree #robots #science
Language shapes thought, and not just for humans.
Why does o1 sometimes think in Chinese?
After the release of o1, some users noticed an intriguing phenomenon: during reasoning, the model occasionally switches to… Chinese (example). The final answer is always provided in the user’s language, but the reasoning process remains a mystery.
Interestingly, o1 isn’t the only reasoning model with this quirk. QwQ also switches to Chinese mid-reasoning. However, QwQ’s behavior is more understandable—it originates from China, and its training data is predominantly in Chinese. But why would o1, developed by OpenAI, do the same?
OpenAI has not commented on this behavior, but experts and researchers have theories. For example, the CEO of Hugging Face suggests (and it’s the most straightforward explanation) that the model was trained on a massive amount of Chinese data. Many companies, possibly including OpenAI, use Chinese annotation services, which could explain this bias.
But this raises another question: why only Chinese? The training data surely included vast amounts of text in Hindi, Thai, or Spanish. Yet, the model never switches to these languages. Why?
Some speculate this might be an intentional OpenAI experiment. Chinese tokens carry more information per token compared to other languages, making reasoning in Chinese potentially shorter and cheaper. If we consider that the model performs a kind of solution space search, reasoning in certain languages may yield correct answers more efficiently (possibly due to data imbalance), leading the model to favor these “branches.”
For now, this behavior remains a mystery. Hopefully, OpenAI will eventually shed some light on it.
#AI
China is Designing a Flag That Can Wave on the Moon
In an innovative project, scientists in China are developing a flag that will appear to wave in the vacuum of the Moon. Surprisingly, the idea for this groundbreaking technology came from elementary school students.
Unlike Earth, the Moon lacks an atmosphere, making it impossible for fabric to flutter naturally in the wind. Inspired by students’ suggestions, researchers at the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL) are working on a solution: integrating a closed circuit into the surface of the flag. This circuit would generate bidirectional electric currents, creating electromagnetic interactions that cause the fabric to move, simulating the effect of waving.
The waving flag is set to be a symbolic and inspiring addition to the upcoming Chang’e-7 lunar mission, scheduled for 2026. While the mission’s primary goal is to search for water or ice at the Moon’s south pole, the inclusion of the innovative flag underscores the creative collaboration between scientists and the next generation of problem-solvers.
Stay tuned for more updates on cutting-edge space exploration and technological ingenuity!
#science #space
A neural network was tasked with generating the process of construction....
Great result :)))
These fascinating stones can be found on the ice of Lake Baikal near the Sarma Gorge.
During the day, the stones absorb sunlight and melt the ice beneath them. As night falls, the water refreezes, and the wind forms a thin pedestal of ice supporting the stone. This phenomenon is often referred to as ‘Baikal Zen.’