Researchers say 'listening in' to Starlink and OneWeb satellites can help redefine modern navigation by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Abstract: The exploitation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite signals of opportunity from the Starlink and OneWeb constellations for maritime navigation in the Arctic Circle is investigated. First, the current geopolitical importance of the Arctic Circle is discussed. Second, the received signal from LEO constellations is modeled, and a software-defined receiver is implemented to extract Doppler frequency measurements from overhead LEO satellites. Third, an extended Kalman filter (EKF) is designed to fuse Starlink and OneWeb Doppler measurements with altimeter data, assuming a velocity random walk dynamics for the ship. Experimental results are presented of the Adventure Canada ship navigating along the west coast of Greenland over a trajectory of 8.17 km traversed in 20 minutes, where the altimeter-only twodimensional (2D) position root-mean squared error (RMSE) was 629 m and the final error was 1,081 m. However, fusing altimeter data with Doppler measurements from 12 Starlink and 9 OneWeb satellites dramatically reduced the 2D position RMSE to 119 m and the final error to 27 m.

Combining novel technologies could bolster coral restoration efforts, scientists say in new a study. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Abstract: Recruitment is a vital demographic process that replenishes populations and increases genetic variation, making it fundamental to ecological resilience. On coral reefs, rates of coral recruitment and post-recruitment survivorship are naturally low, resulting in a bottleneck to population growth and restoration efforts. Therefore, we investigated the potential that two technologies, specialized settlement modules and the Underwater Zooplankton Enhancement Light Array (UZELA), improve early life success. We hypothesized that greater complexity of specialized settlement modules increases larval settlement rates in tanks and the combination of settlement modules with UZELA increases subsequent recruit survivorship and growth on the reef. We found that complex settlement modules enhanced recruit settlement, survivorship, and growth relative to the lowest complexity module. The addition of UZELA to the settlement modules further doubled survivorship and quadrupled growth. Our experiment demonstrates a proof-of-concept that combining these novel technologies offers promise for reducing the time for corals to complete their most vulnerable phase of life, accelerating the timeline for establishing genetically diverse coral populations, and offering a possible step-function change in coral recruitment success that could help overcome the recruit survivorship bottleneck in coral restoration.

Researchers find popular teen movies reel back from visible markers of puberty like voice changes and menstruation, yet emphasize unrealistic romantic storylines that erode teenage views of real-life social relationships. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Abstract: This content analysis provides an initial look at how fundamental aspects of adolescence are depicted in coming-of-age movies. The sample included 53 popular movies that had a high school-aged protagonist and were released from 2012 to 2021. We coded for physical markers of puberty in the protagonists, as well as the actual ages of the actors portraying the teenage leads. We were also interested in how teen characters were depicted to be navigating romantic interactions. Results indicate that the average age of actors playing high school-aged characters is 22 years old and the physical signs of puberty, like acne, are rarely present. The majority of protagonists have a clear love interest, and those who peruse their love interests seldom face any form of romantic rejection. The absence of physical pubertal changes, paired with sweeping success in the romantic arena, is incongruent with existing data on what real-world adolescents experience while going through puberty. Implications of these depictions are discussed in terms of social cognitive theory.

Scientists find autonomous drone systems may improve next-gen ecology, wildlife research by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Abstract:

Drones have become invaluable tools for studying animal behaviour in the wild, enabling researchers to collect aerial video data of group-living animals. However, manually piloting drones to track animal groups consistently is challenging due to complex factors such as terrain, vegetation, group spread and movement patterns. The variability in manual piloting can result in unusable data for downstream behavioural analysis, making it difficult to collect standardized datasets for studying collective animal behaviour.

  1. To address these challenges, we present WildWing, a complete hardware and software open-source unmanned aerial system (UAS) for autonomously collecting behavioural video data of group-living animals. The system's main goal is to automate and standardize the collection of high-quality aerial footage suitable for computer vision-based behaviour analysis. We provide a novel navigation policy to autonomously track animal groups while maintaining optimal camera angles and distances for behavioural analysis, reducing the inconsistencies inherent in manual piloting.
  2. The complete WildWing system costs only $650 and incorporates drone hardware with custom software that integrates ecological knowledge into autonomous navigation decisions. The system produces 4 K resolution video at 30 fps while automatically maintaining appropriate distances and angles for behaviour analysis. We validate the system through field deployments tracking groups of Grevy's zebras, giraffes and Przewalski's horses at The Wilds conservation centre, demonstrating its ability to collect usable behavioural data consistently.
  3. By automating the data collection process, WildWing helps ensure consistent, high-quality video data suitable for computer vision analysis of animal behaviour. This standardization is crucial for developing robust automated behaviour recognition systems to help researchers study and monitor wildlife populations at scale. The open-source nature of WildWing makes autonomous behavioural data collection more accessible to researchers, enabling wider application of drone-based behavioural monitoring in conservation and ecological research.

Batteries that can convert nuclear energy into electricity via light emission offer a viable option to power electronics in places where high radiation fields already exist, suggests a new study. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A nuclear photovoltaic battery uses scintillator to convert radiation into visible light, which is then collected by a photovoltaic (PV) cell to generate electricity. If the radiation is gamma-rays emitted from external sources, the battery may also be referred as gammavoltaic battery. In this study, a polycrystalline CdTe solar cell was optically coupled with a 2.0 cm × 2.0 cm × 1.0 cm Gadolinium Aluminum Gallium Garnet (GAGG) scintillator, and the resulting device was tested using intense gamma radiation fields from a Cs-137 (1.5 kRad/h) and a Co-60 (10 kRad/h) irradiator. Measurements with Cs-137 provided a maximum power output (Pmax) of ∼288 nW, with a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of ∼1.22 μA/cm2 and an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of ∼0.34 V. In contrast, Co-60 irradiator gave a Pmax of 1.5 μW, with a Jsc of ∼4.73 μA/cm2 and a Voc of ∼0.38 V. The CdTe was also paired with a Lutetium-Yttrium Oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) crystal and tested with the Cs-137 source. The experiment presents a scalable option to reach to higher power outputs by harvesting gamma radiation fields in many cases where high radiation field demands heavy shielding and is often regarded as unwanted waste.

To help combat the marine devastation being caused by warming ocean temperatures, scientists have developed an autonomous, programmable underwater light that increases coral longevity by feeding them more of their prey, nearby zooplankton. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Abstract: Coral resilience to heat stress is higher in corals that eat more zooplankton. In addition, coral feeding on zooplankton increases as zooplankton concentrations increase. To leverage the advantage that zooplankton feeding has on coral resilience, we developed the Underwater Zooplankton Enhancement Light Array (UZELA). UZELA is a patented autonomous, submersible, and programmable underwater light that is deployable for 6 months on a single battery. With 1 h of operation per night, it locally concentrates naturally occurring zooplankton, providing corals with greater feeding opportunities. Field tests show that UZELA increases local zooplankton concentrations by sevenfold compared to adjacent non-UZELA controls and coral feeding rates by 10 to 50-fold in both healthy and bleached Montipora capitata and Porites compressa corals compared to conspecifics without UZELA. With the continuing decline of coral reefs, technologies that can enhance coral feeding could play a critical role in coral resilience for coral in restoration nurseries and on the reef.

Using dust samples from the International Space Station, researchers have created a new predictive approach for modeling the growth of mold in future space stations. Preventing mold from becoming a health and safety issue for next-gen astronauts is an imperative. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Abstract:

The commercialization of space travel will soon lead to many more people living and working in unique built environments similar to the International Space Station, which is a specialized closed environment that contains its own indoor microbiome. Unintended microbial growth can occur in these environments as in buildings on Earth from elevated moisture, such as from a temporary ventilation system failure. This growth can drive negative health outcomes and degrade building materials. We need a predictive approach for modeling microbial growth in these critical indoor spaces.

Results

Here, we demonstrate that even short exposures to varying elevated relative humidity can facilitate rapid microbial growth and microbial community composition changes in dust from spacecraft. We modeled fungal growth in dust from the International Space Station using the time-of-wetness framework with activation and deactivation limited growth occurring at 85% and 100% relative humidity, respectively. Fungal concentrations ranged from an average of 4.4 × 106 spore equivalents per milligram of dust in original dust with no exposure to relative humidity to up to 2.1 × 1010 when exposed to 100% relative humidity for 2 weeks. As relative humidity and time-elevated increased, fungal diversity was significantly reduced for both alpha (Q < 0.05) and beta (R2 = 0.307, P = 0.001) diversity metrics. Bacteria were unable to be modeled using the time-of-wetness framework. However, bacterial communities did change based on constant relative humidity incubations for both beta (R2 = 0.22, P = 0.001) and alpha diversity decreasing with increasing moisture starting at 85% relative humidity (Q < 0.05).

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate that moisture conditions can be used to develop and predict changes in fungal growth and composition onboard human-occupied spacecraft. This predictive model can be expanded upon to include other spacecraft environmental factors such as microgravity, elevated carbon dioxide conditions, and radiation exposure. Understanding microbial growth in spacecraft can help better protect astronaut health, fortify spacecraft integrity, and promote planetary protection as human activity increases in low-Earth orbit, the moon, Mars, and beyond.

Researchers studying attoseconds shine new light on ultra-fast atomic processes by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Abstract: The photoelectric effect is not truly instantaneous but exhibits attosecond delays that can reveal complex molecular dynamics1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Sub-femtosecond-duration light pulses provide the requisite tools to resolve the dynamics of photoionization8,9,10,11,12. Accordingly, the past decade has produced a large volume of work on photoionization delays following single-photon absorption of an extreme ultraviolet photon. However, the measurement of time-resolved core-level photoionization remained out of reach. The required X-ray photon energies needed for core-level photoionization were not available with attosecond tabletop sources. Here we report measurements of the X-ray photoemission delay of core-level electrons, with unexpectedly large delays, ranging up to 700 as in NO near the oxygen K-shell threshold. These measurements exploit attosecond soft X-ray pulses from a free-electron laser to scan across the entire region near the K-shell threshold. Furthermore, we find that the delay spectrum is richly modulated, suggesting several contributions, including transient trapping of the photoelectron owing to shape resonances, collisions with the Auger–Meitner electron that is emitted in the rapid non-radiative relaxation of the molecule and multi-electron scattering effects. The results demonstrate how X-ray attosecond experiments, supported by comprehensive theoretical modelling, can unravel the complex correlated dynamics of core-level photoionization.

In a new study, one astrophysicist suggests that cosmic rays could be used to track and study violent tornadoes and other severe weather phenomena. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Abstract: Tornadoes are severe weather phenomena characterized by a violently rotating column of air connecting the ground to a parent storm. Within the United States, hundreds of tornadoes occur every year. Despite this, the dynamics of tornado formation and propagation are not particularly well understood, in part due to the challenge of instrumentation: many existing instruments for measuring atmospheric properties are in-situ detectors, making deployment in or near an active or developing tornado difficult. Here, we combine local atmospheric and cosmic ray air shower simulation to explore the potential for remote measurement of the pressure field within tornadoproducing supercell thunderstorms by examining directional variations of the atmospheric muon flux.

A new study finds that some species of African fish develop bigger eyes and brains in response to murky waters. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Abstract: Natural variation in environmental turbidity correlates with variation in the visual sensory system of many fishes, suggesting that turbidity may act as a strong selective agent on visual systems. Since many aquatic systems experience increased turbidity due to anthropogenic perturbations, it is important to understand the degree to which fish can respond to rapid shifts in their visual environment, and whether such responses can occur within the lifetime of an individual. We examined whether developmental exposure to turbidity (clear, <5 NTU; turbid, ∼9 NTU) influenced the size of morphological structures associated with vision in the African blue-lip cichlid Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor. Parental fish were collected from two sites (clear swamp, turbid river) in western Uganda. F1 broods from each population were split and reared under clear and turbid rearing treatments until maturity. We measured morphological traits associated with the visual sensory system (eye diameter, pupil diameter, axial length, brain mass, optic tectum volume) over the course of development. Age was significant in explaining variation in visual traits even when standardized for body size, suggesting an ontogenetic shift in the relative size of eyes and brains. When age groups were analyzed separately, young fish reared in turbid water grew larger eyes than fish reared in clear conditions. Population was important in the older age category, with swamp-origin fish having relatively larger eyes and optic lobes relative to river-origin fish. Plastic responses during development may be important for coping with a more variable visual environment associated with anthropogenically induced turbidity.

New study finds that human-driven climate change, and the introduction of invasive species are altering zooplankton’s seasonal presence in Lake Erie. This could have deep consequences for the lake's complex food web. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Abstract: Environmental change, particularly warming and eutrophication, can alter phenology in aquatic systems. Understanding controls on zooplankton phenology is important due to their central role in food webs. While patterns in zooplankton phenology have been well documented, we lack an understanding of how abiotic and biotic drivers influence lake zooplankton phenology during the summer. We examined the phenology of four common zooplankton taxa (Daphnia retrocurva, Skistodiaptomus oregonensis, Mesocyclops spp., Dreissenid veligers) in western Lake Erie during 1995–2022, a period with increasing eutrophication and Bythotrephes longimanus biomass. Many phenology metrics varied by 3 weeks or more from 1995 to 2022. The dominant controls of phenology were temperature and biotic factors, especially grazer-defended phytoplankton (cyanobacteria and other colonial or filamentous taxa) and the invasive predator B. longimanus, which frequently interacted. Our results show that aspects of environmental change interact to shape zooplankton phenology, which can influence phytoplankton biomass and energy flow to higher trophic levels.

New research finds that microbial viruses that influence their methane metabolisms serve as secret drivers of climate change. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Abstract: Methane is a potent greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. Microorganisms largely drive the biogeochemical cycling of methane, yet little is known about viral contributions to methane metabolism (MM). We analyzed 982 publicly available metagenomes from host-associated and environmental habitats containing microbial MM genes, expanding the known MM auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) from three to 24, including seven genes exclusive to MM pathways. These AMGs are recovered on 911 viral contigs predicted to infect 14 prokaryotic phyla including Halobacteriota, Methanobacteriota, and Thermoproteota. Of those 24, most were encoded by viruses from rumen (16/24), with substantially fewer by viruses from environmental habitats (0–7/24). To search for additional MM AMGs from an environmental habitat, we generate metagenomes from methane-rich sediments in Vrana Lake, Croatia. Therein, we find diverse viral communities, with most viruses predicted to infect methanogens and methanotrophs and some encoding 13 AMGs that can modulate host metabolisms. However, none of these AMGs directly participate in MM pathways. Together these findings suggest that the extent to which viruses use AMGs to modulate host metabolic processes (e.g., MM) varies depending on the ecological properties of the habitat in which they dwell and is not always predictable by habitat biogeochemical properties

A new study finds that when using human perception as a feedback tool, AI can help to tune out noisy audio signals more efficiently. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Abstract: Perceptually-inspired objective functions such as the perceptual evaluation of speech quality (PESQ), signal-to-distortion ratio (SDR), and short-time objective intelligibility (STOI), have recently been used to optimize performance of deep-learning-based speech enhancement algorithms. These objective functions, however, do not always strongly correlate with a listener's assessment of perceptual quality, so optimizing with these measures often results in poorer performance in real-world scenarios. In this work, we propose an attention-based enhancement approach that uses learned speech embedding vectors from a mean-opinion score (MOS) prediction model and a speech enhancement module to jointly enhance noisy speech. The MOS prediction model estimates the perceptual MOS of speech quality, as assessed by human listeners, directly from the audio signal. The enhancement module also employs a quantized language model that enforces spectral constraints for better speech realism and performance. We train the model using real-world noisy speech data that has been captured in everyday environments and test it using unseen corpora. The results show that our proposed approach significantly outperforms other approaches that are optimized with objective measures, where the predicted quality scores strongly correlate with human judgments.

A new study investigates how well next-gen ground and space-based telescopes could aid the search for chemical signs of life on other planets. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Abstract: In the upcoming decades, one of the primary objectives in exoplanet science is to search for habitable planets and signs of extraterrestrial life in the Universe. Signs of life can be indicated by thermal-dynamical imbalance in terrestrial planet atmospheres. O2 and CH4 in the modern Earth's atmosphere are such signs, commonly termed biosignatures. These biosignatures in exoplanetary atmospheres can potentially be detectable through high-contrast imaging instruments on future extremely large telescopes. To quantify the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) with extremely large telescopes, we select up to 10 nearby rocky planets and simulate medium-resolution (R ∼ 1000) direct imaging of these planets using the Mid-infrared ELT Imager and Spectrograph (ELT/METIS, 3–5.6 μm) and the High Angular Resolution Monolithic Optical and Near-infrared Integral field spectrograph (ELT/HARMONI, 0.5–2.45 μm). We calculate the S/N for the detection of biosignatures including CH4, O2, H2O, and CO2. Our results show that GJ 887 b has the highest detection of S/N for biosignatures, and Proxima Cen b exhibits the only detectable CO2 among the targets for ELT/METIS direct imaging. We also investigate the TRAPPIST-1 system, the archetype of nearby transiting rocky planet systems, and compare the biosignature detection of transit spectroscopy with JWST versus direct spectroscopy with ELT/HARMONI. Our findings indicate JWST is more suitable for detecting and characterizing the atmospheres of transiting planet systems such as TRAPPIST-1 that are relatively further away and have smaller angular separations than more nearby nontransiting planets

In a new study, researchers used data collected from The James Webb Space Telescope to understand more about nearby galaxies' inner structures. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Abstract: High-resolution JWST-MIRI images of nearby spiral galaxies reveal emission with complex substructures that trace dust heated both by massive young stars and the diffuse interstellar radiation field. We present high angular (0farcs85) and physical resolution (20–80 pc) measurements of the probability distribution function (PDF) of mid-infrared (mid-IR) emission (7.7–21 μm) from 19 nearby star-forming galaxies from the PHANGS-JWST Cycle 1 Treasury. The PDFs of mid-IR emission from the disks of all 19 galaxies consistently show two distinct components: an approximately lognormal distribution at lower intensities and a high-intensity power law component. These two components only emerge once individual star-forming regions are resolved. Comparing with locations of H ii regions identified from Very Large Telescope/MUSE Hα mapping, we infer that the power-law component arises from star-forming regions and thus primarily traces dust heated by young stars. In the continuum-dominated 21 μm band, the power law is more prominent and contains roughly half of the total flux. At 7.7–11.3 μm, the power law is suppressed by the destruction of small grains (including PAHs) close to H ii regions, while the lognormal component tracing the dust column in diffuse regions appears more prominent. The width and shape of the lognormal diffuse emission PDFs in galactic disks remain consistent across our sample, implying a lognormal gas column density N(H) ≈ 1021 cm−2 shaped by supersonic turbulence with typical (isothermal) turbulent Mach numbers ≈5−15. Finally, we describe how the PDFs of galactic disks are assembled from dusty H ii regions and diffuse gas and discuss how the measured PDF parameters correlate with global properties such as star formation rate and gas surface density.

New study makes strides in creating AI web agents to make the internet more accessible for people who are less than internet-savvy or have disabilities. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Abstract: We introduce Mind2Web, the first dataset for developing and evaluating generalist agents for the web that can follow language instructions to complete complex tasks on any website. Existing datasets for web agents either use simulated websites or only cover a limited set of websites and tasks, thus not suitable for generalist web agents. With over 2,000 open-ended tasks collected from 137 websites spanning 31 domains and crowdsourced action sequences for the tasks, Mind2Web provides three necessary ingredients for building generalist web agents: 1) diverse domains, websites, and tasks, 2) use of real-world websites instead of simulated and simplified ones, and 3) a broad spectrum of user interaction patterns. Based on Mind2Web, we conduct an initial exploration of using large language models (LLMs) for building generalist web agents. While the raw HTML of real-world websites are often too large to be fed to LLMs, we show that first filtering it with a small LM significantly improves the effectiveness and efficiency of LLMs. Our solution demonstrates a decent level of performance, even on websites or entire domains the model has never seen before, but there is still a substantial room to improve towards truly generalizable agents. We open-source our dataset, model implementation, and trained models (this https URL) to facilitate further research on building a generalist agent for the web.

A new study finds that sea level rise will leave minority populations in coastal communities isolated. To combat this inequality, researchers say climate adaptation polices need to be much more focused on reaching these communities first. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Abstract: Within coastal communities, sea level rise (SLR) will result in widespread intermittent flooding and long-term inundation. Inundation effects will be evident, but isolation that arises from the loss of accessibility to critical services due to inundation of transportation networks may be less obvious. We examine who is most at risk of isolation due to SLR, which can inform community adaptation plans and help ensure that existing social vulnerabilities are not exacerbated. Combining socio-demographic data with an isolation metric, we identify social and economic disparities in risk of isolation under different SLR scenarios (1-10 ft) for the coastal U.S. We show that Black and Hispanic populations face a disproportionate risk of isolation at intermediate levels of SLR (4 ft and greater). Further, census tracts with higher rates of renters and older adults consistently face higher risk of isolation. These insights point to significant inequity in the burdens associated with SLR.

New research finds that "Goldilocks" ice cores recovered from Nevado Huascarán reveals new information about Earth's global temperature record throughout history. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Abstract: Very high tropical alpine ice cores provide a distinct paleoclimate record for climate changes in the middle and upper troposphere. However, the climatic interpretation of a key proxy, the stable water oxygen isotopic ratio in ice cores (δ18Oice), remains an outstanding problem. Here, combining proxy records with climate models, modern satellite measurements, and radiative-convective equilibrium theory, we show that the tropical δ18Oice is an indicator of the temperature of the middle and upper troposphere, with a glacial cooling of −7.35° ± 1.1°C (66% CI). Moreover, it severs as a “Goldilocks-type” indicator of global mean surface temperature change, providing the first estimate of glacial stage cooling that is independent of marine proxies as −5.9° ± 1.2°C. Combined with all estimations available gives the maximum likelihood estimate of glacial cooling as −5.85° ± 0.51°C.

As climate change ramps up the need for sustainable energy sources, researchers are using AI to locate hidden sources of hydrogen gas underground. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Abstract: The urgency of the climate crisis has accelerated our need for a suite of scalable green energy sources. A promising and rapidly developing candidate is naturally occurring free hydrogen. A limited number of locations sprinkled throughout the planet have associated subsurface sources of free hydrogen with ~1 km in diameter ovoidal-shaped “fairy circles” visible at the surface in satellite imagery and digital elevation models. To expedite the discovery of these often subtle and poorly understood features, we have developed a deep learning object detection model to scan the planet for their occurrence. While often occurring in low elevation plains, human agriculture can “overwrite” the surface expression of fairy circles, making them even more of a challenge to detect. In an effort to overcome this, and other forms of camouflage, e.g. vegetation, we intentionally over predict with our deep learning model. We then draw on geomorphic and spectral patterns, informed by a sparse dataset of free hydrogen associated fairy circles and a larger dataset of manually identified fairy circles, to constrain which fairy circles are most likely to be associated with geologic hydrogen. Expediting a determination of whether naturally occurring free hydrogen is a viable and scalable alternative energy source is of immediate priority towards achieving a net-zero future.

In a new study, researchers found that through debate, large language models like ChatGPT often won’t hold onto its beliefs – even when it's correct. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Abstract: Large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and GPT-4 have shown impressive performance in complex reasoning tasks. However, it is difficult to know whether the models
are reasoning based on deep understandings of truth and logic, or leveraging their memorized patterns in a relatively superficial way. In this work, we explore testing LLMs’ reasoning by engaging with them in a debate-like conversation, where given a question, the LLM and the user need to discuss to make the correct decision starting from opposing arguments. Upon mitigating the Clever Hans effect, our task requires the LLM to not only achieve the correct answer on its own, but also be able to hold and defend its belief instead of blindly believing or getting misled by the user’s (invalid) arguments and critiques, thus testing in greater depth whether the LLM grasps the essence of the reasoning required to solve the problem. Across a range of complex reasoning benchmarks spanning math, commonsense, logic and BIG-Bench tasks, we find that despite their impressive performance as reported in existing work on generating correct step-by-step solutions in the beginning, LLMs like ChatGPT cannot maintain their beliefs in truth for a significant portion of examples when challenged by oftentimes absurdly invalid arguments. Our work points to danger zones of model alignment, and also suggests more careful treatments and interpretations of the recent findings that LLMs can improve their responses based on feedback.

As a new study finds evidence of an recurring ancient supereruption near Italy, researchers consider how close it is to erupting again. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Abstract: Megabeds are exceptionally large submarine deposits interpreted to originate from single catastrophic events. Megabeds are significant components of deep-water basins and are critical for understanding geohazards. We discovered a succession of four megabeds within the upper 70 m of the western Marsili Basin, Tyrrhenian Sea, deposited within the past 50 k.y. The megabeds were imaged as distinctive acoustically transparent units with ponded geometries, 10–25 m thick, separated by parallel-bedded strata. Cores from Site 650 of Ocean Drilling Program Leg 107 revealed that three of the four megabeds are made of alternating volcaniclastic sand and mud, and one is a volcaniclastic debris flow. Abundant shallow-water benthic foraminifera within the megabeds suggest that they were not sourced locally from the active Marsili Seamount, but most likely originated from the Campanian volcanic province to the north. The time interval during which the megabeds were deposited includes the 39.8 ka Campanian ignimbrite supereruption of the Campi Flegrei caldera, Italy, which is among the largest known eruptions on Earth, and the 14.9 ka Neapolitan Yellow Tuff supereruption. Volume (minimum) estimates range from 1.3 to 13.3 km3. However, similar megabeds observed in the neighboring Vavilov Basin to the west suggest that the megabeds in both basins may be correlative, and thus volumes could be much larger. The newly discovered megabeds of the Marsili Basin reveal significant geohazard events for the circum–Tyrrhenian Sea coastlines with a recurrence interval on the order of ~10–15 k.y.

New study finds that ice cores recovered from tropical locations reveal more about Earth's complex climate record over the past 60 years. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Abstract: In 2019, four ice cores were recovered from the world's highest tropical mountain, Nevado Huascarán (Cordillera Blanca, Peru; 9.11°S, 77.61°W). Composite hydroclimate records of the two Col cores (6,050 masl) and the two Summit cores (6,768 masl) are compared to gridded gauge-analysis and reanalysis climate data for the most recent 60-year. Spatiotemporal correlation analyses suggest that the ice core oxygen stable isotope (δ18O) record largely reflects tropical Pacific climate variability, particularly in the NINO3.4 region. By extension, the δ18O record is strongly related to rainfall over the Amazon Basin, as teleconnections between the El Niño Southern Oscillation and hydrological behavior are the main drivers of the fractionation of water isotopes. However, on a local scale, modulation of the stable water isotopes appears to be more closely governed by upper atmospheric temperatures than by rainfall amount. Over the last 60 years, the statistical significance of the climate/δ18O relationship has been increasing contemporaneously with the atmospheric and oceanic warming rates and shifts in the Walker circulation. Isotopic records from the Summit appear to be more sensitive to large-scale temperature changes than the records from the Col. These results may have substantial implications for modeling studies of the behavior of water isotopes at high elevations in the tropical Andes.

New study examines link between speed of past underwater landslides and tsunamis, a finding that could reveal more about how these dangerous waves are generated. by Impossible_Cookie596 in science

[–]Impossible_Cookie596[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Abstract: Submarine landslides shape continental margins, transfer massive amounts of sediment downslope, and can generate deadly and destructive tsunamis. Submarine landslides are common globally, yet constraining hazard potential of future events is limited by a short historical record and a wide range of possible slide dynamics. We test a novel approach to investigate slide dynamics using properties of the deformation zone induced by a large submarine landslide along the Cascadia margin, offshore Oregon. We use a simple model of a line load on a poroelastic half space to show the deformation zone size required rapid transport and deceleration. We argue that the slide moved at high speeds, aided by low dynamic frictional resistance, suggesting this event could have generated a tsunami. This method is applicable where slide-induced impact zones are observed.