It’s not literal liquid, of course, it’s an algorithm! MIT researchers have successfully created a neural network that adjusts to changes experienced by real-world systems. This network could improve decision-making in self-driving cars and medical diagnosis. Ramin Hasani, the study paper’s lead author, said that it is a way forward: 

Hasani said the system is inspired by a tiny worm — the C. elegans:

It only has 302 neurons in its nervous system yet it can generate unexpectedly complex dynamics.

The code was influenced by the way the C. elegans’ neurons activate and communicate with each other through electrical impulses.

Hasani structed his neural network so that the parameters can change over time based on the results of a nested set of differential equations.

This allows it to continue learning after the training phase, making it more resilient to unexpected situations, like heavy rain covering a camera on a self-driving car.

Image via The Next Web 

An Aztec sculpture depicting a golden eagle has been discovered in Mexico. The 600-year-old sculpture, which measures 41.7 inches by 27.6 inches (106 by 70 centimeters), was carved into the floor of a structure at the foot of Templo Mayor, the temple that was built at the heart of Tenochtitlán, as Live Science detailed: 

Artists created the bas-relief — a type of sculpture with raised images carved out of a stone background — in the mid-15th century during the reign of Moctezuma I. 

Archaeologists from INAH discovered the carving in February 2020 as a part of the ninth season of the Templo Mayor Project, an ongoing excavation of the sacred site. 

"It is a very beautiful piece that shows the great secrets that the Templo Mayor of Mexico Tenochtitlán has yet to reveal to us," Alejandra Frausto Guerrero, Mexico's secretary of culture, said in a statement. "Thanks to their [the archaeologists'] effort and dedication, we can continue to recover our history and our memory." 

Image via Live Science

Avian enthusiasts were excited to hear that a magnificent snowy owl has visited Central Park in Manhattan. Spectators flocked to the park to catch a glimpse of a rare bird that has not been seen in the area since 1890. This is because snowy owls prefer colder and more rural environments, such as upstate New York and Long Island, as My Modern Met details: 

Thanks to a long history of birding in Central Park, records of avian encounters could be consulted to date the last known sighting to 130 years ago exactly. Supposedly, 1890 was a banner year for sightings of this member of the raptor family all along the east coast.

Experts identified the snowy owl as a young female based on her black markings. The species hunts small rodents, but can also prey on larger mammals such as rabbits. Although the young owl appears to have just stayed briefly in the park, she was never lacking for company. Excited New Yorkers observed her from a distance, kept back by the winter fencing around the baseball field. According to the The New York Times, the Parks Department only had to interfere once to prevent the owl being disrupted.

The elegant owl had no such luck with her fellow birds. A territorial red-tailed hawk flew close to attempt to chase off the arctic intruder, but her feathers were only a little bit ruffled. She had to flap her wings to shoo away a group of crows who similarly took exception with her presence. Raptors such as snowy owls sometimes hunt crows, leading to a natural animosity.

Image via My Modern Met 

Who doesn’t want a remake of older Pokemon games? I would! Some accurate predictions from a huge Pokemon rumor from 2019 came true. The rumor accurately predicted the existence of Galarian Mr. Mime and how fossils would work in the franchise’s latest game, Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield. The last of the predictions from the rumor is that after the latest mainline games, the next would be a remake of Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl: 

That's not all the rumor said about the next mainline games. It also mentions it will have Pokemon Let's Go's catching mechanics, which would prove to be controversial if true.

It's worth noting the short-and-sweet rumor mentions that these remakes would be out in 2020, which would normally be a red flag, because obviously, this didn't happen, however, this being wrong doesn't automatically mean the whole thing is wrong. Further, for all we know, that could have been the plan until the pandemic hit and disrupted everything.

Image via IGN 

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra has been getting a lot of attention for its very detailed moon photos thanks to its 100x ‘space zoom’ feature. While some are impressed, some are also skeptical as to the authenticity of the photos taken with the phone. Comparing the phone’s performance with the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the Galaxy S21 Ultra got the details of the moon’s surface, while the iPhone produced a blown-out orb. The stark difference in quality makes people question the authenticity of the photos taken with the Samsung model. Input magazine’s Raymond Wong investigates whether or not Samsung was faking the 100x Moon photos from the S21 Ultra. 

Image via Input Magazine 

It’s less of the death of the Internet in general, but the death of the Internet as we know it. States are now weaponizing information to gain advantage against other countries and seed misinformation to disrupt another country’s peace or structure. So what’s the connection with the Internet that we know and love? Well, for starters, these countries will develop standards and technology that will separate their nations from the general or globally-used technology: 

This will be more than the different “flavours” of the internet we are already seeing emerge. It will be a fundamental shift in how technology is developed, owned, accessed and leveraged by nation states and companies.

In 2021, new alliances will form around the creation of indigenous and sovereign versions of the technology we use to communicate and manage modern life. We will see standards bodies fragment and supply chains and infrastructure redesigned to align with these new realities.

States will start to take more drastic action to ensure that their supply chains are protected, and that their sovereign “silicon-to-service” technology stacks are insulated from the actions of others and enforce their national values.

The global debate around 5G security has led to a position where we will likely see two independent camps moving forward, ostensibly led by the US and China. They are likely to develop the standard in slightly different ways, driven by national requirements and values. China will accelerate its “Made in China 2025” strategy to ensure it owns and builds critical technologies. As a result, other nations will have to decide which camp better serves their national interest, since the only companies that produce this technology are bound to those countries. This will establish a pattern which will be repeated across other critical technologies.

Image via Wired

The Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, also known as the Sagano Bamboo Forest, is located in Kyoto, Japan. This is Japan’s most famous bamboo forest, and one of the most popular tourist spots in the country. The forest has also been displayed in different merchandise, such as  planners, shower curtains, tote bags, maxi dresses, neck gaiters and ruffled bathing suits . But does the actual location hold up to what can be seen in photos? CNBC found out: 

Though reviews are positive — the forest gets 4.5 out of five stars on TripAdvisor’s traveler ratings — Arashiyama Bamboo Grove is rarely as quiet as photos suggest.

“Although it was raining and there were a lot of people,” said a recent TripAdvisor review, which added that “the whole experience was very enjoyable.”

Another was more blunt, stating: “Let’s be clear, it’s a nice place. But most of the time, you will not enjoy a peaceful stroll in a bamboo grove, feeling like you traveled the old days of the samurai. Instead, you will be surrounded by Instagram photo-snapping tourists … and most yukata-wearing girls you’ll see will be tourists.”

Image via CNBC 

Hopefully the world doesn’t burn before the house finally gives up, right? The family home was a collaboration between Walton Architecture + Engineering, Crestwood Construction and interior designer Denise Kuriger. Located in Truckee, Nevada, the house is quite big, to say the least, with a large floor plan, from cozy window nooks to several outdoor areas:  

The large floor-to-ceiling windows create a strong connection between the interior and the surroundings, allowing natural light to fill every single room. The entrance is marked by a wooden pivot door and reveals an open and airy social area with lots of comfortable seating, a big dining table and a stylish kitchen.

A big pine tree had to be removed from the plot during construction is order for the garage to be built. However, it didn’t go to waste and it was never forgotten. It became a 30′ long picnic table which is now in the backyard, a place for everyone to gather around and enjoy beautiful moments together. Because the house occupies the back corner of the plot, that made it possible to remain very open to the outdoors while also being a private and intimate retreat. This along with the way in which the house is structured turn it into a timeless and ideal family home truly built to last for generations. 

Image via Homedit 

Enjoying live music is rare or nonexistent these days, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. This new startup, called the Vertical Theater Group,  hopes to let people experience live performances, and save the industry behind it as well. The company aims to launch touring performances by bringing a pop-up, prefabricated theater, which mandates social distancing by design: 

The building itself is designed by Stufish Entertainment Architects, which has crafted tour stages for everyone from Monty Python to Beyoncé. Its core premise is to turn nearly every seat into a private balcony, squeezing groups of 4 to 12 people into each pod, adding up to a max capacity of 2,400. The floor level could be seated with six feet of social distance, or packed tighter if and when a pandemic isn’t our chief concern. The structure is made to adapt to acceptable densities over time.

Meanwhile, fresh air constantly flows in through its open-walled design (the structure can be wrapped during winter, but it’s more of a three-seasons design at heart), and a simple roof protects from rain. None of these eliminate the risk of contracting COVID-19, of course.

Image via Fast Company 

This dog just saved an infant’s life! Junrell Fuentes Revilla was chased by a dog trying to get his attention while he was riding through the mountains of Cebu in the Philippines. Revilla’s curiosity won over and he followed the dog as it led Revilla to the top of the mountain. It’s a good thing that he followed the dog, or else he would have failed to find an abandoned infant at the dump site on top of the mountain! 

Revilla immediately lent his assistance to the newborn and got it to the local police station. From there, the Department of Social Welfare got involved.

The local news story soon spread and caught the attention of Hope For Strays volunteers who were touched by the heroic dog’s actions in saving the abandoned newborn. They sent a group of searchers to the site in order to see if they could find the dog. And they did.

But what they weren’t expecting, was that the dog, named Blacky, wasn’t a stray at all. He actually lived with a family who loved him. Their family even had three other dogs.

Image via The Animal Rescue Site 

There are games that make players want to replay all over again because it’s just that good (for them). Besides personal preferences, games also incentivize its players to replay the game by adding benefits, new features, or new gameplay mechanics as the player starts all over again. From easing the difficulty of the game, to adding a new higher difficulty mode, to giving bonus levels or experience points, there are multiple ways to encourage players to replay their favorite games. Design Doc delves deeper into what criterias make a good new game plus. 

Ever wondered what the interior of a military submarine looks like? Well, wonder no more! The Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN) has provided a drone tour inside their Walrus-class diesel electric submarine. Walrus-class submarines are one of the most effective non-nuclear powered submarines used for intelligence collection : 

The drone video shows off a number of important spaces in the sub, starting with the torpedo room. Each submarine has four 533-millimeter torpedo tubes. A typical load of ammunition includes 20 torpedoes and missiles, including American-made Mk. 48 heavyweight general purpose torpedoes and Sub-Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

In this video, the weapon storage racks are empty, and the missiles and torpedoes have been offloaded while the boat is in port, but the drone does give a closeup of the hatches leading to the torpedo tubes themselves.

Image via Popular Mechanics

Remember the viral Bernie meme from a few days ago? Well, a crochet doll version of the politician sitting during inauguration day sold for a whopping $20,000. Texas resident Tobey King turned the meme into a crochet doll for about seven hours of non-stop crocheting. The doll captured the exact look, including the mittens that stole the show during the inauguration. 

Image via The Guardian 

Thanks to global warming, archaeologists were able to obtain hundreds of Viking artifacts from the ice. Well, at least the phenomenon brought something good for us, right? Archaeologists from the Secret of the Ice project discovered 68 arrows from an ancient Viking hunting ground. The Langfonne ice patch, where the arrows were found, was once part of a Viking trade route. Artnet lists the top six discoveries from ice patches in the recent years, and how the Vikings used them. Check the full list here. 

Image via Artnet 

The owner of most Ikea stores recently purchased a property in the state of Georgia to protect it from development. Ingka Group worked with nonprofit organization The Conservation Fund to save the 10, 840-acre land from destruction. This is not the first property that the company has bought, as it has over 613,000 acres of forest land across Europe and the U.S.: 

Ikea’s mission has long included looking out for the well-being of the environment, but buying land is still relatively new for the company. That investment will pay off in spades toward Ikea’s goal of becoming entirely carbon-neutral by 2030.

It’s easy to buy up carbon offsets on the internet — it’s another level of commitment entirely to buy full-on forests. And Ikea’s only getting started.

Ikea said this week that its 2020 operations used fewer fossil fuels than ever before and that it expects that trend to continue moving forward. Last year, the company sourced more than 98 percent of wood for its products from responsibly managed forests — and announced that, by 2030, at least a third of its wood will be recycled.

Ikea also made other big sustainability moves last year, like discontinuing the sale of non-rechargeable batteries, ending the print version of its catalog, and launching its own secondhand store.

What do you think about the company’s movements against deforestation? 

Image via Wikimedia Commons