There has been immense growth in artificial intelligence in the decades that have gone by. It has grown to a point where it could beat us at our own games. Literally! Now, it seems that AI has developed even further.

Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov was beaten by an AI called Deep Blue. In 2015, the AI called AlphaGo defeated 9-dan Go master Lee Sedol. This time around, it's different, as Meta AI recently announced Cicero, claiming that this is the first "to achieve human-level performance in the strategic board game Diplomacy."

While Diplomacy is also a board game similar to chess and Go, Diplomacy has something more than a set of rules. In this game, players need to talk with each other. In other words, playing this game requires good communication skills. And according to Meta, Cicero has those.

Meta trained Cicero using an online version of the board game via webDiplomacy.net. Over time, Meta reported that Cicero have achieved "more than double the average score" of the top 10 percent of human players.

But why is Cicero successful in the game? The answer lies in its programming. Meta combined AI models for strategic reasoning (like AlphaGo) and natural language processing (like GPT-3) to create the AI. Using these models, Cicero can coordinate with other players.

Meta notes that this technology could be a way to "ease communication barriers" between us and AI. However, the same technology could also be used for harm by impersonating people to manipulate individuals. And so, Meta hopes that other programmers build their codes "in a responsible manner."

More about this over at Ars Technica.

(Image Credit: Meta AI/ Ars Technica)

You've probably heard people say that you need to drink at least 8 glasses of water daily. But while there is clearly a benefit to keeping yourself hydrated, there is, unfortunately, no definitive rule on how much the recommended daily water intake is.

In an attempt to shed light on how much water the average person needs, researchers conducted a metabolism experiment on over 5,600 people from 23 countries. These participants were given a 5% "doubly labeled water" — a type of water with an unusual isotope of hydrogen called deuterium. This water, which is 10% heavier than regular water, is used in experiments to determine how fast chemicals move through the body.

The study found that water turnover (the total amount of water input and output) varied depending on factors such as age, sex, and body size, to name a few. Men aged 20-30 had the highest water turnover level, and this decreased after age 40. On the other hand, women aged 20-55 had the highest water turnover levels, and levels decreased after 65. The study noted that newborns had the highest water turnover, which is 28% daily.

To sum things up, the research states that "one size does not fit all for drinking water guidelines."

More about this study over at ScienceAlert.

(Image Credit: congerdesign/ Pixabay)

This is Golfi. As you can see, it is a robot, and as you can infer from its name, it is something related to golf. Golfi is, indeed, a robot designed for golf. Well, currently, only for mini-golf.

From its features, like its wheels and the putter that sticks out from its side, one could tell that this robot is made to try and putt a golf ball into a golf hole. So, can it putt? The answer is yes. Yes, it can. And like a professional, even.

With a Microsoft Kinect 3D camera, Golfi can create a depth map of the putting field. This depth map is then sent to a physics-based model. The model then calculates the factors involved in the swing, such as the turf's rolling resistance, the ball's weight, and its initial velocity. Based on the calculations, some 3,000 random shots are then simulated. These make Golfi swing like a professional golfer.

(Image Credit: IEEE Spectrum/ YouTube)

Some 270,000 miles from Earth, NASA's Orion — the spacecraft currently used in the Artemis moon-orbiting mission—quietly observes the Moon. Of course, our planet can also be seen from the spacecraft's point of view. As it flies in a path opposite the Moon's (called a retrograde lunar orbit), Orion sees both heavenly bodies glide. And Orion's not the only one who can see this happen. We can see it, too, because NASA is streaming live footage captured from the Orion cameras. The live views of the moon mission can be seen in real-time through this link. 

This is not the first time a spacecraft has broadcast from that region in space. The Apollo missions also did that decades ago, like the special Christmas broadcast from Apollo 8 on Dec. 24, 1968. This recent broadcast, however, is said to be the highest-definition live view to date.

The photos and videos captured by Orion will be used as a knowledge base for the Artemis programs that will follow the current one (Artemis I). As in NASA's timeline, Artemis 2 is expected to launch and loop around the Moon in 2024. Artemis 3, on the other hand, is expected to land people on the Moon's surface in 2025 or 2026.

(Image Credit: NASA)

When the time comes when we are alerted of an asteroid approaching our planet, what can we do to defend Earth? Is it possible to alter the course of that celestial body? It may very well be possible, it turns out.

NASA has been thinking of methods to defend against near-Earth objects (NEOs) for a long time. Recently, the agency sent one of its missions to space. The mission, called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), had a straightforward objective: to crash into Dimorphos (the minor-planet moon of the asteroid Didymos) in hopes of altering its course.

On September 27, 2022, the DART spacecraft successfully collided with Dimorphos. The spacecraft wasn't even able to send its last photo completely back to NASA. But did the attempt work? Yes, it did. It was a smashing success.

A few days ago, on October 11, NASA announced that they were able to shorten the orbit of the Dimorphos asteroid by 32 minutes, which surpassed NASA's humble goal of only 72 seconds.

Should an asteroid be reported to be approaching Earth, humanity may have a chance of deflecting it.

(Image Credit: NASA/ Johns Hopkins APL)

It's October again, which means the time for spooks is here. Spooky, weird, and bizarre stories. Spooky-themed events. You name it. And if you want to read strange stories, let me introduce you to the Cult of Weird Twitter account.

As its name suggests, this account is for the weird, and you should always expect that in the account's tweets — to be weird. Some can give chills. Some are humorous. And there are some that are straight-up horrifying.

Bored Panda has compiled 30 of "uneasy but captivating pics" from the Cult of Weird, but if you want to satisfy your appetite for the spooky, you can always visit the Twitter account on your own.

(Image Credit: Cult of Weird via Bored Panda)

Recently, the home security company Ring (owned by retail giant Amazon) gave law enforcement access to real-time home surveillance footage through the numerous Ring products installed in homes. While this might be good for monitoring neighborhood activities and potential crimes, this is privacy abuse.

This is not the first time the company disregarded the safety and privacy of its customers. And some have already grown tired of Ring's antics that they began building alternatives to the brand. And it seems these perform better than this mainstream home surveillance system.

Of course, doing the alternative may require "a little extra work," but it is worth the trouble to those who value their privacy.

The alternatives require third-party cameras, NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices, or dedicated NVRs (Network Video Recorders).

And, if you want to take things up a notch, you can embed AI technologies into the NVRs, making your DIY surveillance system on par with Amazon's human detection features. These DIY systems may also outperform Ring, apparently. One user reported having 10 false positive notifications with Ring cameras to only having around 2 or 3 when he decided to go DIY.

But the best thing about creating a homegrown system is that all footage is recorded locally on one's own hardware.

While doing this requires some technical skills, there are helpful resources out there in the form of subreddits (like r/selfhosted or r/homesecurity) and tutorials.

(Image Credit: Frigate)

If you grew up or currently living in Canada or the northern part of America, you've probably heard of the giant monster of the pine forests that "eats people, especially children" — the terrifying Wendigo. Over the centuries, there have been multiple versions of the Wendigo. But how did the legend begin?

According to the Ojibwe People's Dictionary, the Wendigo legend began as a towering "winter cannibal monster" who was always hungry for human flesh. The creature was a metaphor for ice, hunger, cold, death, despondence, and desperation.

The Wendigo went beyond metaphor, however. It became an idea. It is believed that those who put their survival needs over others, and are tempted to, or even do, eat human flesh, can "go wendigo." They will be possessed by the monster's spirit, and their hearts and spines will be encased in ice. The idea of "going wendigo" probably warned people not to be selfish and to consider others, especially in a community located in a harsh environment.

Today, pop culture depicts the Wendigo as this ghostly winter spirit who appears as a humanoid deer with a deer or elk skull as its head. While the scare factor of the Wendigo is significantly toned down, it still is a frightening sight to encounter at night.

(Image Credit: Victoria Ellis/ Atlas Obscura)

Last month, staff from the Millstone Wildlife Center in New Hampshire answered the call of a crying baby bobcat who had been abandoned by its mom. The kitten was assessed to be only about 6 weeks old. Thankfully, she was found to be in good health. Physically, at least. It is without saying that the kitten would be emotionally devastated by its recent experience.

To make things a little better for the bobcat, her rescuers contacted Spicy Cats, a recently established rescue and rehabilitation organization for feral cats. The group gave the bobcat to one of their resident cats named Honeybun, who they describe as "very maternal and patient."

Honeybun has raised several kittens that were not her own. However, this would be her first time raising a wild kitten. The president of Spicy Cats, Caroline, told The Dodo that "it was a bit of a gamble."

Thankfully, their gamble paid off. Honeybun and the bobcat "are doing so great together."

However, as Honeybun is not a bobcat, her role in raising the kitten will only be temporary. The kitten will then be placed under the care of another bobcat back at the Millstone Wildlife Center. 

The center hopes she can be released successfully in spring.

(Image Credit: Spicy Cats via The Dodo)

Back when the camera had no colors, people created illustrations to relay information and their knowledge. These illustrations were vibrant and full of tiny details. These were, in their own right, masterpieces. And because these illustrations were intricate, it was a gold mine of knowledge. Just look at this 1877 illustration of the male sagittal section. The labeled parts are also not to be missed.

We still use illustrations today as much as we used them in the past. And they are still as valuable as they used to be.

In honor of the huge contributions of illustrations to the field of science, the publishing company Taschen compiled over 300 charts, graphs, and modern-day renderings into one book. The book, titled "Science Illustration: A History of Visual Knowledge from the 15th Century to Today", consists of 436 pages, and contains Isaac Newton's law of gravitation, a spectra of stars and nebulae, how anaesthesia was administered before, and many more illustrations.

(Image Credit: US National Library of Medicine/ Taschen)

Artist Tsuyoshi Hisakado just had a new solo exhibition after four long years. His recent event was presented at Ota Fine Arts in Tokyo, and one of the works he showcased is this panel of multiple frames called "River."

From afar, Hisakado's work looks chaotic, with the bunch of lines and the small circle near the center of the work. However, all fall into place once you approach the circle. As you move closer towards the shape, you notice that the lines are paper torn apart. Moving even closer, you notice that the the artwork does not actually have a grey background; the whole work is full of numbers. The numbers of the mathematical constant pi, to be specific. And those numbers begin at the once "small circle," which you realize is just empty space.

Hisakado's works always highlight the laws of nature and the universe — things that we can't wrap our mind with and beyond our understanding.

(Image Credit: Spoon & Tamago)

Can dogs smell when a person is stressed? Turns out they can, and they're pretty accurate with it, too!

What makes dogs effective emotional support animals for those with anxiety, panic attacks, and PTSD? Researchers wondered whether dogs could be sensing chemical signals from their owners, so they put that thought to the test.

To investigate, researchers collected breath and sweat samples from non-smokers who had not recently eaten or drank. The participants were then subjected to a fast-paced arithmetic task, and another sample was taken from participants who reported increased stress levels. Blood pressure and heart rate were also monitored in the study.

The "relaxed" and "stressed" samples were presented to four well-trained dogs of different breeds. Surprisingly, the dogs correctly identified which sample was the "stressed" sample on 675 out of 720 trials — with 93.75% accuracy, a rating greater than expected by chance.

The authors concluded that dogs could detect the odor associated with the change in Volatile Organic Compounds that we produce in response to stress.

What awesome creatures.

(Image Credit: RebeccasPictures/ Pixabay)

Those still in their early years in the scientific field may be the "most innovative and creative," a new study suggested. Compared to previous studies about innovativeness, this research has had the privilege of combing through 5.6 million biomedical science articles published from 1980 to 2009, meaning this could be the best, or even the most objective, research about the topic.

The study observed that the least innovative scientists, who were still in their early years, tended to "drop out of the field and quit publishing new research." The most productive, meanwhile, continued to produce research even decades later.

As it turns out, a scientific article produced by the average scientist, who is already in his later years in the field, is only cited one-half to two-thirds less often compared to a paper he produced early in his career.

The study, however, went beyond just citation counts. It also created additional metrics such as the article's impact or whether the article was citing the best and latest research. These added metrics, surprisingly, "also lead to the same conclusion about declining innovativeness," say the authors.

While young scientists tend to be at their best state in terms of innovativeness, there are still some who are much more innovative. Organizations who fund scientists "may not be supporting the very best researchers," says co-author Gerald Marschke. And so, organizations should maintain "a delicate balance between supporting youth and experience."

Supporting experienced scientists also has its own advantage. "You are getting the ones who have stood the test of time." However, they are "not at their best anymore," continues Marschke.

(Image Credit: luvqs/ Pixabay)

Located in Central Belize is a cave known as the Midnight Terror Cave. As its name suggests, the place does hold truly dark secrets — it is believed to be a site of human sacrifice to the Maya rain god, Chaak. The Midnight Terror Cave houses over 10,000 bones, which archaeologists believe to be from at least 118 people, many of which suffered physical trauma at the time of their deaths.

To further investigate what happened to these sacrifice victims, researchers examined the calcified plaque (also called dental calculus) from the teeth of these poor individuals, and what they found were mysterious "blue fibers clinging to the teeth of at least two victims."

Upon further examination, researchers found that the teeth samples contained primarily cotton fibers, several of which were dyed bright blue, an important color in the Maya ritual.

It is worth noting that this pigment is used in Maya ceremonies, particularly in painting the bodies of sacrificial victims.

The archaeologists, led by Amy Chan, theorize that the victims were gagged with cotton cloths, possibly for an extended period of time. This could explain why some blue fibers were left on their dental calculus.

Some archaeologists disagree with the theory that Chan's team offered. However, all of them agree that studying dental calculus is crucial, as it not only reveals the diet of a group of people; it could also tell us how they might have lived... or died.

(Image Credit: Linda Scott Cummings/PaleoResearch Institute)

The year 2021. Berlin. Inside a neuroscience laboratory in the busy German city, a subject was made to sit on a chair with arms up and bare toes pointed down. Behind the first subject is a second subject, with full access to the first subject's soles. The second subject's mission is simple — to tickle the first subject anytime they want to. As Subject 2 tickled Subject 1, the latter couldn't help but laugh. But when Subject 1 was asked to tickle himself, it was uneventful.

So why can't we help but laugh when we get tickled? And why can't we tickle ourselves? Why our some of our body parts more ticklish than others? These are the questions that humanity have had about tickling. Even the great thinkers and scientists pondered a thing or two about tickling and ticklishness.

"If you read the ancient Greeks, Aristotle was wondering about ticklishness. Also Socrates, Galileo Galilei, and Francis Bacon," says cognitive neuroscientist Konstantina Kilteni. "These questions are very old, and... we still really don't have the answer."

So why can't we tickle ourselves? The leading theory is that a tickle attack from another person is unpredictable, which sends our brain into a mini-frenzy. Meanwhile, a tickle attack from ourselves and to ourselves is predictable. This may be the reason why such scenario would be uneventful.

However, Michael Brecht, the mastermind behind the what I call "Tickle Your Partner" study, has a different theory. He thinks that when a person touches themselves, the brain sends a message throughout the body, which inhibits touch sensitivity. This is why we don't tickle ourselves when we scratch our toes or armpits, Brecht argues.

Learn more details about this fascinating study over at Ars Technica.

(Image Credit: erinmilleravonlady/ Pixabay)