𝐁𝐓/ Apple seeks a patent for a way to turn iPhone screens into cameras

Biometrics biweekly vol. 48, 12th September — 26th September

TL;DR
—Apple has applied for a U.S. patent covering a method to turn an iPhone’s screen into a display and a camera, suggesting a possible way to keep Face ID biometrics without a cutout area of the screen to house the camera hardware
—A patent application from Samsung shows an under-display camera (UDC) with biometric capabilities aimed at making facial recognition on phones more accurate and safer
—Fingerprint biometric authentication for incognito browsing is being added to Chrome
—The UK plans the next round of biometrics self-enrollment trials for apps and kiosks
—ThreatFabric develops behavioral analytics to stop social engineering attacks
—Idemia claims fairest facial verification among most accurate algorithms in latest NIST test
—D-ID launches a platform for businesses to generate synthetic video presenters from a photo
—Comments sought on working draft of ISO face biometrics fairness testing standard
—PixLab launches face biometrics authentication framework for web applications
—Facial recognition coming to Lincoln Corsair as partnerships formed for automotive biometrics
—Pulse Security selling IP for multi-biometric doorbell invention with IR thermometer
—Suprema’s latest face biometric access control terminal offers new data security controls
—Identos builds Verifiable Credentials into updated federated digital ID API
—Veriff partners with the mobile developer as selfie biometrics use grow for payments, deliveries
—iProov contributes face biometrics to consortium piloting payments with EU digital ID wallet
—Precision Biometric, Crunchfish to pilot mobile, offline retail payments in a regulatory sandbox
—Clearview facial recognition used to exonerate suspect on trial over traffic fatality
—Daon’s voice biometrics launch on Genesys enterprise cloud marketplace
—IDnow joins IATA accelerator program
—Onfido, ComplyCube upgrade biometric solutions for faster, easier KYC checks
—India turns to fingerprint biometric liveness to stem spoof attacks on Aadhaar payments
—Serpro signs up Persona for the Brazilian biometric ID verification database
—Oz Forensics launches partner program to ease biometric liveness adoption by businesses
—Humanode announced the launch of Humanode testnet 4 ‘Gaghiel’ focused on token claims, vesting, and unlocking systems that the team will use to distribute tokens at TGE
—Alcatraz AI plays on its Bulgarian connections for $25m series A
—Calumino raises over $10M to scale thermal sensor platform, reach new use cases
—Tactile launches new palm biometrics scanner; market forecast above $530M by 2027
—Fast e-commerce settlement play with selfie, behavioral biometrics pulls in $51.5M
—Biometric authentication used by U.S. businesses triples
—TikTok says physical biometrics stay on users’ devices, keystroke logs do not
—Almost a third of UK employers believe loyalty cards are acceptable right-to-work ID
—Colombia’s biometric digital ID surpasses 500K applications as govt pushes the digital version
—India claims to effectively meet SDG16.9 of legal ID for all, expands authentication methods
—Spain deploying biometrics at Morocco land border for EES
—Pakistan disburses over $100M in flood relief via biometric ID
—The Dominican Republic prepares the ground for biometric passport project take-off
—Nigeria reaches 90M digital ID registrations as database capacity issue looms
—New ways to separate noise from signal trim processes to boost image quality
—New research finds that a controversial facial recognition dataset of trans people remained available online for years after the initial controversy of its existence
—Deepfakes detected via reverse modeling of the vocal tract are ‘comically’ non-human
—Biometric industry events. And more!

#BT #Biometrics https://medium.com/paradigm-research/bt-apple-seeks-a-patent-for-a-way-to-turn-iphone-screens-into-cameras-85e1c9a43c65

𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 vol.61

Biweekly update on the Ethereum DeFi ecosystem, 13th September — 27th September

$28 in DeFi, 0x API announces support for Arbitrum, Compound Treasury launches borrowing for institutions, Enzyme User Representatives (EUR) elections are live, The mStableDAO completes its restructuring process, The first Celsius Custody Cover claim has been filed, Loopring L2 DeFi port explained, and more!

TL;DR
—$28B in DeFi this week, currently at ~ $27.58B, with Maker dominance 26.01%.
—The mStableDAO completes its restructuring process to strengthen the foundation for exponential growth with mStable V2.
—Omni <> Yearn integration. YIP-70: ApeWorX <> Yearn Partnership.
—Latest Aave News: stMATIC and MaticX are live on Polygon v3. Plus, Contribute to GR15, rAAVE in Bogota and updates from Gauntlet, Certora, Chaos Labs, iGain Finance & Commonwealth. Two liquid staked MATIC tokens are now live on the Polygon v3 Pool.
—Compound Developer Community Call took place. Compound Treasury Launches Borrowing for Institutions.
—dYdX’s NPM account was recently hacked. Last week, dYdX have 3 grants approved for a total of $56,000 in funding.
—Uniswap’s Austin Adams was speaking at DuneAnalytics DuneCon about data science on Uniswap v3 and their new paper on JIT liquidity.
—Enzyme User Representatives (EUR) elections are now live. The team has shortlisted 3 individuals and only 2 can be elected. Vote now and have your say Liquity is now live on Enzyme.
—The first Celsius Custody Cover claim has been filed. Members can now stake NXM and assess Claim 122 on the Nexus Mutual dApp.
—0x API announces support for Arbitrum. 0x Ecosystem Update #20: Highlights, network insights, and news from across the 0x ecosystem.
—The 1inch Wallet security explained. 1inch Wallet users to be rewarded with OP tokens.
—There is a proposal on the Bancor DAO governance to burn 1m (currently at ~941k) BNT collected by Bancor v3 vortex that is up for voting this week.
—KyberSwap launches a new wave of concentrated liquidity yield farms on Polygon. KyberSwap trading contest on BNB Chain.
—Loopring L2 DeFi port explained. Loopring AMA: Q3 2022.
—Raiden introduced a path to Raiden Community Governance.
—New Synthetix Perp Futures Market: sOP. Synthetix to launch a new perps market available for leverage trading through Synthetix Perps on Kwenta.
—Episode 1 of the Build On Balancer podcast features CowSwap — the MetaDEX Aggregator — and its relationship with Balancer.
—And more!

#Defi_in_Ether #Ethereum #DeFi https://medium.com/paradigm-research/defi-in-ether-28-in-defi-0x-api-announces-support-for-arbitrum-compound-treasury-launches-c0654f7c1b4b

𝐐𝐓/ Next-gen quantum communication

Quantum news biweekly vol.36, 13th September — 27th September

TL;DR
— Quantum researchers have demonstrated a method for encoding vastly more information into a single photon, opening the door to even faster and more powerful quantum communication tools.
— A new study describes how machine learning tools, run on classical computers, can be used to make predictions about quantum systems and thus help researchers solve some of the trickiest physics and chemistry problems.
— Millions of quantum bits are required for quantum computers to prove useful in practical applications. But this is still a long way off. One problem is that the qubits have to be very close to each other on the chip. Researchers have now come a significant step closer to solving the problem. They succeeded in transferring electrons over several micrometers on a quantum chip.
— An ultrathin invention could make future computing, sensing and encryption technologies remarkably smaller and more powerful by helping scientists control a strange but useful phenomenon of quantum mechanics, according to new research.
— Cooling materials to extremely low temperatures is important for basic physics research as well as for technological applications. By improving a special refrigerator and a low-temperature thermometer, scientists have now managed to cool an electric circuit on a chip down to 220 microkelvin — close to absolute zero.
— Researchers demonstrated a topological insulator device that opens the way towards observing the quantum anomalous Hall effect. Because the currents generated are resistant to scattering, but very sensitive to applied magnetic fields, they may be used for reducing power consumption in computing applications.
— A new type of magnetic quasiparticle has been created by coupling light to a stack of ultrathin two-dimensional magnets. This achievement lays the foundation for an emergent strategy to artificially design materials by ensuring their strong interaction with light.
— Researchers present the most precise test yet of the weak equivalence principle, a key component of the theory of general relativity. The report describes the final results from the MICROSCOPE mission, which tested the principle by measuring accelerations of free-falling objects in a satellite orbiting Earth.
— Physicists have demonstrated a design principle for predicting whether metallic compounds are likely to host topological states that arise from strong electron interactions. The method cross-references theoretical models for ‘Weyl-Kondo semimetals’ that are based on realistic crystal structures with information from a materials database.
— Recently it has been discovered that silicon can host sources of single-photons with properties suitable for quantum communication. So far, however, no-one has known how to integrate the sources into modern photonic circuits. Scientists have now presented an appropriate production technology using silicon nanopillars: a chemical etching method followed by ion bombardment.
— And more!

#QT #Quantum https://medium.com/paradigm-research/qt-next-gen-quantum-communication-da739a6eaf2a

𝐒𝐓/ Newly formed craters located on Mars

Space biweekly vol.61, 14th September — 28th September

TL;DR
— An international team of researchers with NASA’s InSight mission located four new craters created by impacts on the surface of Mars. Using data from a seismometer and visuals acquired from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the team successfully calculated and confirmed the impact locations. Researchers have now captured the dynamics of an impact on Mars.
— Astronomers have developed a new technique to identify small planets hidden in protoplanetary disks.
— Using data from the Gaia space telescope, a team has shown that large parts of the Milky Way’s outer disk vibrate. The ripples are caused by a dwarf galaxy, now seen in the constellation Sagittarius, that shook our galaxy as it passed by hundreds of millions of years ago.
— Scientists propose a lost moon of Saturn, which they call Chrysalis, pulled on the planet until it ripped apart, forming rings and contributing to Saturn’s tilt.
— Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have spotted signs of a ‘hot spot’ orbiting Sagittarius A, the black hole at the centre of our galaxy. The finding helps us better understand the enigmatic and dynamic environment of our supermassive black hole.
— Astronomers risk misinterpreting planetary signals in James Webb data if models to interpret the data don’t improve, a new study finds.
— Astrophysicists show how and when specific particles form and offers clues to questions that have troubled scientists since the 1940s.
— The search for extraterrestrial life just got more interesting as a team of scientists has discovered new evidence for a key building block for life in the subsurface ocean of Saturn’s moon Enceladus. New modeling indicates that Enceladus’s ocean should be relatively rich in dissolved phosphorus, an essential ingredient for life.
— Astronomical observations from ground-based telescopes are sensitive to local atmospheric conditions. Anthropogenic climate change will negatively affect some of these conditions at observation sites around the globe.
— Upcoming industry events. And more!

#ST #Space https://medium.com/paradigm-research/st-newly-formed-craters-located-on-mars-c2ae017b3dcb

𝗡𝗦/ How mice decide to make love or war

Neuroscience biweekly vol. 67, 14th September — 28th September

TL;DR
—Dog owners whose pets meet during a walk are familiar with the immediate sniffing investigation that typically ensues. Initially, the owners cannot tell whether their dogs will wind up fighting, playing, or trying to mount each other. Something is clearly happening in the dog’s brain to make it decide how to behave toward the other dog — but what is going on? A new study from Caltech examines this question in mice: namely, how does a male mouse sniffing a newly encountered fellow mouse decide whether to make love or war — or to do neither and just mind its own business? The research reveals the neural circuitry that connects olfactory information about another mouse’s sex to decision-making points in the mouse brain that determine its behavior.
—Scientists have identified a previously unknown barrier that separates the bloodstream from smelling cells in the upper airway of mice. But this barrier ends up keeping some of the larger molecules of the body’s immune system out, and that may be hindering the effectiveness of vaccines. The barrier, named the BOB, Blood-Olfactory Barrier, like Blood-Brain Barrier, might partially explain the prevalence of breakthrough COVID infections and why they are often associated with smell loss.
—Researchers have discovered a biological mechanism that increases the strength with which fear memories are stored in the brain. The study, done in rats, provides new knowledge on the mechanisms behind anxiety-related disorders and identifies shared mechanisms behind anxiety and alcohol dependence.
—A study by the Human Brain Project (HBP), led by scientists from the University of Liège (Belgium), has explored new techniques that may help distinguish between two different neurological conditions in patients with severe brain damage and or in a coma.
—While not all impulsive behavior speaks of mental illness, a wide range of mental health disorders that often emerge in adolescence, including depression and substance abuse, have been linked to impulsivity. —So, finding a way to identify and treat those who may be particularly vulnerable to impulsivity early in life is especially important. Researchers have developed a genetically based score that could help identify, with a high degree of accuracy (greater than that of any impulsivity scores currently in use), the young children who are most at risk of impulsive behavior.
—Aggregates of the protein alpha-synuclein spread in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease through a cellular waste-ejection process, suggests a new study led by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.
—Our ability to think, decide, remember recent events, and more, comes from our brain’s neocortex. Now University of California, Irvine neuroscientists have discovered key aspects of the mechanisms behind these functions.
—A study has found an association, in children aged 9–12, between exposure to air pollutants in the womb and during the first 8.5 years of life and alterations in white matter structural connectivity in the brain. The greater the child’s exposure before age 5, the greater the brain structure alteration observed in preadolescence.
—Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) is a rare disorder that causes neurocognitive and developmental deficits. However, musical and auditory abilities are preserved or even enhanced in WBS patients. Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have identified the mechanism responsible for this ability in models of the disease.
—Special blood vessels in whale brains may protect them from pulses, caused by swimming, in their blood that would damage the brain, new UBC research has suggested.
—And more!

#NS #Neuroscience
https://medium.com/paradigm-research/ns-how-mice-decide-to-make-love-or-war-511c92b9c67e

🎙 METACAST: Top Crypto Podcasts of September 2022

Here is a quick overview of what we’ve been listening to last month!

—‘What’s Next?’ with Vitalik Buterin on Bankless. This is a two-part episode. Part one is all about what’s next for Ethereum. And part two covers more of the social/philosophical realm of holistically, what is Ethereum. Further, Vitalik explores his thoughts on artificial intelligence and its relationship to crypto.
—Reviewing Ethereum 2.0 after The Merge with Ben Edgington.
—A livestream with Ethereum researcher Justin Drake, debunked some myths and bad takes about ETH.
—Tim Beiko and Danny Ryan, two of Ethereum’s lead coordinators discuss how they are feeling on the other side of the Merge and what this means for Ethereum.
—Preston Van Loon, cofounder and Ethereum core developer at Prysmatic Labs, talks about the Merge, its impact on an environmental level, and why he is a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Treasury Department over Tornado Cash.
—The Evolution of Chainlink with Sergey Nazarov.
—Pat Toomey, U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania, talks about legislation in the crypto industry, how to determine if something is a security, the future of CBDCs, and much more.
—Around the Block Host Viktor Bunin, Coinbase’s Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad, CEO of the Crypto Council for Innovation Sheila Warren and Head of Policy for the Blockchain Association, Jake Chervinsky, discuss Tornado Cash.
—Zack Guzman, journalist and Coinage host, and Jongbaek Park, a partner specializing in blockchain and crypto assets at Bae, Kim & Lee, discuss how the case in South Korea against Do Kwon and TerraForm Labs will likely go.
—This month on the Defiant Podcast Camila spoke to Stany Kulechov, founder & CEO of Aave.
—Kevin Zhou, co-founder of Galois Capital, and Evgeny Gaevoy, founder and CEO of Wintermute, discuss how to trade the Ethereum Proof of Work fork, what the market is telling about the Merge, and whether the Merge affects Bitcoin.
—Founder and CEO of Helium, Amir Haleem, shares the vision behind Helium, the key moments and decisions that shaped the network, and why the move to Solana could be the project’s best bet.
—Arthur Hayes, a co-founder of BitMex, discusses how he’s trading the Merge, the impact of macroeconomic policy in the markets, his career as a writer, and much more.
—Anna and Tarun of Zero Knowledge revisit the topic of MEV with Chris Hager from Flashbots & Alex Stokes from the EF.
—Miles Jennings, general counsel at a16z crypto, talks about its new “can’t be evil” NFT licenses and how they help to solve many problems within the NFT industry.
—Arbitrum Nitro launch with Steven Goldfederand Harry Kalodner.
—Filecoin with Alan Ransil on Green Pill.
—Building a better Ponzi with Ameen Soleimani, the Founder and CEO of SpankChain, the co-creator of MolochDAO, and the co-founder of Reflexer Labs, which created RAI.
—The Epicenter hosts were joined by the founder of Crescent Network.
—Is there still a bull case for privacy? with Joe and Jon from Aztec Network.
—The Unstoppable Podcast hosts talked to Marc Boiron, Chief Legal Officer at Polygon Technology.
—Anthony Pompliano and ARK’s David Puell sit down to discuss the new report, the state of the crypto market, potential risks from the ETH merge, the marco economy, and more.
—Gitcoin Grants Round 15 with GitcoinDAO.
—ETH SEOUL 2022 and BUIDL ASIA 2022 videos are out.
—And much more!

#METACAST https://medium.com/paradigm-research/%EF%B8%8F-metacast-top-crypto-podcasts-of-september-2022-2946ddf08fa2

DAOs biweekly vol.34

16th September — 30th September

CFTC files a complaint against Ooki DAO, Aragon votes on key parts of shift to new DAO structure, SafeDAO goes live, Gauntlet <> Compound renewal, Llama <> Aave, Cosmos proposes a new whitepaper, mStableDAO completes its restructuring process, PoolTogether’s PTIP 82 approved, and more!

TL;DR
— CFTC filed a complaint against Ooki DAO, alleging that it has been illegally running a futures exchange. Furthermore, CFTC penalizes Blockchain Protocol
— Cosmos network introduced a 27-page whitepaper that outlines a number of improvements to the network
— Aragon community voting to transfer treasury funds after dissolving old DAO. Two votes are live, and will determine what happens to the AN DAO Charter and remaining balances
— Aave’s AIP 101 re-enabled ETH borrowing to revert the market back to normal conditions. Llama <> Aave proposal outlines a 12-month work agreement. Furthermore, BGD Labs will propose to adjust the governance requirements for Level 2 proposals
— Compound’s Gauntlet <> Compound renewal proposal looks to renew agreement for an additional 12 months. While, Compound Treasury launches borrowing for institutions. Proposals 125 executed, 126 queued, 127 failed
— Maker Governance votes on updating parameters to potentially onboard rETH as a collateral asset in the Maker Protocol. October Governance Cycle opens on October 3
— Gitcoin’s GR15 closed, GR16 scheduled for December
— PoolTogether’s PTIP 82 A foundation for protocol owned liquidity approved
— GnosisDAO’s GIP 63 & 65 failed. GIP-66 is under discussion. Furthermore, Gnosis guild will host DAOs & Dragons series
— Balancer’s BIPs 66–77 closed
— Bancor’s proposal: Burning BNT collected by the Bancor Vortex in the v3 vault when it reaches 1m approved
— IdleDAO’s [IIP-26] Add senior tranche of cpWIN-USDC PYT as new yield source for idleUSDC Best Yield passed. Quarterly performance report for Idle DAO is out
— The Kleros Fellowship of Justice welcomes its 6th batch
— LidoDAO voted to approve 2 new Node Operators for onboarding onto Lido on Solana
— mStableDAO completes its restructuring process to strengthen the foundation for exponential growth with mStable V2. The TreasuryDAO Charter is up as a RFC on the forum
— The Nexus Mutual’s Buyback wNXM with LDO GAL vote & Bootnode covered vaults vote are live
— Synthetix’s proposal for New Asset Request: Add Synth TRY is live
— Uniswap’s consensus check vote passed to deploy Uniswap V3 to zkSync
— Yam’s YIP-116 closed. Proposal to remove 0xE from all YAM related multisigs and all YAM accounts is live
— Yearn’s YIP-70: ApeWorX <> Yearn Partnership approved
— Index Coop has adopted an owl
— Badger vault deposits have been migrated to the new gauges on behalf of users. Badger refocuses its voting strategy
— Report from MessariCrypto about API3 is out
— Nestr collaborative workspaces can now connect directly to DAOhaus DAO
— KyberSwap CEO predicts DeFi will overtake TradFi in 10 years
— Safe token airdrop goes live with 43,000 users eligible for reward
— Ribbon’s RGP-23 Lend First Borrower Cohort proposal
— BanklessDAO Constitution & bDIP Standard proposal
— Sushi Head Chef Election — Final Vote proposal
— Deprecate the Fuse Protocol proposal
— BendDAO proposes 80 million dollars treasury investment fund
— Helium Foundation announces migration to Solana following community vote
— Metaplex Foundation to airdrop governance tokens to early adopters
— BNB Chain start AvengerDAO to protect users
— Harvard Law School published a primer on DAOs
— Active proposals: Nexus Mutual, MakerDAO, Yam Finance, Synthetix
— New & ongoing discussions: Aave, Balancer, GitcoinDAO, Index Coop, PieDAO, Uniswap, Compound, mStable, Curve, Yearn Finance, LidoDAO, BancorDAO, Akropolis, GnosisDAO, PoolTogether, API3, Idle, KyberDAO, Kleros, Badger DAO
— Podcasts on DAOs
— And more!

#DAO https://medium.com/paradigm-research/daos-cftc-files-a-complaint-against-ooki-dao-aragon-votes-on-key-parts-of-shift-to-new-dao-f60ed67dc8b6

State of Stake vol. 76

A biweekly update on the Proof-of-Stake ecosystem, 20th September — 3rd October

TL;DR
—Vitalik’s ‘Proof of Stake’ book released
—Polkadot Roadmap Roundup is out
—Congratulations to OAK network on winning Polkadot’s 28th parachain auction
—Native USDC is coming to the Interchain in January 2023, leveraging Cosmos hub’s Interchain Security
—Boba launches the first L2 on Avalanche. Banff will activate on the Fuji Testnet today. It unlocks the ability for Subnet creators to activate PoS validation and uptime-based rewards using their own token on their own Subnet
—FIFA makes digital history with the launch of FIFAPlusCollect powered by Algorand
—BNB Chain Advocates Program is here. Utilize the all-new Dapp Rankings feature on DappBay, and explore the key metrics relating to your favorite platforms on BNB Chain
—The Cardano Foundation strengthens ties with the University of Zurich
—Dfinity announces the HTTPS outcalls feature on the Internet Computer. HTTPS outcalls replace blockchain oracles
—Solana’s Energy Use Report: September 2022 is out
—Kathmandu, the 11th protocol upgrade has been successfully implemented on Tezos
—Dock anonymous credentials protocol update integrates Circom to enable developers to specify zero-knowledge “predicates” on credential attributes.
—Opera to integrate Elrond and enable access for +300M users to Elrond ecosystem tokens & dApps. X Day ticket sale has begun
—The mStableDAO completes its restructuring process to strengthen the foundation for exponential growth with mStable V2
—Latest Aave News: Receive upfront yields with Flashstake, explore ten Aave hackathon winners, and delegate your AAVE to help reach the largest quorum required in Aave governance
—1M BNT has been burned. Per the recent governance proposal, the one-time BNT burn has been performed and around 0.5% of the circulating supply was destroyed
—Filecoin sees significant growth as it builds towards the FVM launch
—The Graph protocol has reached 10,000 total Delegators
—Band’s VRF has launched. Also, Band Protocol integrates with Nervos’ Godwoken
—Immutable X is partnering with StarHeroes to bring the top-quality, skill-based space shooter game into the Immutable ecosystem and to accelerate the adoption of web3 games further
—The Shockwave Delta mainnet upgrade for SCRT has successfully completed
—KyberSwap launches a new wave of concentrated liquidity yield farms on Polygon
—Sushi completes deployment to the Kava blockchain with a liquidity pool eligible for KAVA and SUSHI token rewards
—Kava 11 testnet is live
—ICON has partnered with FYEO to perform a security audit for the soon-to-launch ICON Bridge
—Orbs announced a fully decentralized, DEX-compatible, time-weighted average price protocol (TWAP). Huobi Global lists Orbs token. OKX announces ORBS Staking
—Persistence Core-1 Chain has been successfully upgraded to v3 with CosmWasm integration
—Polygon has integrated Push protocol, previously known as Ethereum Push Notification Service (EPNS)
—The rETH V2 after The Ethereum Merge has been introduced
—Edge Wallet has integrated THORChain as a swap provider
—The current 1inch Wallet version isn’t fully compatible with iOS16
—0x Governance Update #2 is out with highlights, metrics, and insights
—And much more!

#State_of_Stake https://medium.com/paradigm-research/state-of-stake-vol-76-c2571d14472b

𝗖𝗿𝘆𝗽𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 vol. 102

19th September — 3d October

International CBDC test deemed success, Kazakhstan ready to legalize crypto, Japan preparing amendment to enforce FATF travel rules on crypto, Australia’s CBDC pilot to be completed in 2023, Ooki DAO explore options in response to CFTC lawsuit, Coinbase enters the Netherlands, and more!

TL;DR
— Landmark international CBDC test deemed success, BIS says. Israel, Norway and Sweden central banks partner with BIS to explore CBDC payments
— US Digital Trading Clarity Act of 2022 seeks to cushion crypto exchanges from SEC enforcement actions
— CFTC takes legal action against Digitex futures exchange and CEO. While CFTC commissioner proposes office focused on retail crypto investors
— Judge orders SEC to turn Hinman documents over to Ripple Labs after months of dispute
— SEC accuses 2 firms of crypto pump-and-dump scheme
— IRS to summon users who don’t report and pay tax on crypto transactions
— Draft US stablecoin bill would ban new algo stablecoins for 2 years
— US lawmakers propose amending cybersecurity bill to include crypto firms reporting potential threats
— DeFi needs appropriate regulation before expanding to retail, says Fed Chair Powell
— Digital euro could be more popular beyond EU’s borders, says Lagarde
— ECB should have DLT wholesale settlements when the market wants it, official says
— Cryptocom scores fresh regulatory approval in France
— UK gov’t introduces bill aimed at empowering authorities’ to ‘seize, freeze and recover’ crypto. Crypto remains a priority for UK under new leader,drawing industry excitement
— FCA green lights Revolut, making no UK crypto firms operating under temporary status
— Coinbase enters the Netherlands with central bank approval
— Japan preparing amendment to enforce FATF travel rules on crypto by May 2023
— South Korean gov has confiscated 260B won in crypto for non-payment of taxes since 2021. Furthermore, Korean authorities order freeze of 67M of Bitcoin tied to Do Kwon
— Crypto exchange Bitkub targeted by Thai SEC with wash trading claims
— Kazakhstan ready to legalize crypto as Russians flock to the country
— Russia aims to use CBDC for international settlements with China. Russian officials approve use of crypto for cross-border payments
— Moscow Exchange drafting bill on digital financial assets and securities trading
— Australia’s CBDC pilot to be completed in 2023
— Indonesia has global plans for local crypto Tokens
— UAE Ministry of Economy opens up new headquarters in the Metaverse
— Binance receives green light for crypto services in Dubai
— Bank of Ghana to foster financial inclusion through CBDC project
— Singapore strives to remain relevant amid regulatory tightening for retail investors
— Uzbekistan Introduces monthly fees for crypto companies effective immediately
— Israeli crypto exchange receives capital markets license in country first
— Binance registers in New Zealand and opens local office
— Ooki DAO members explore options in response to CFTC lawsuit
— JPMorgan’s CEO feels threatened by disruption in payment systems
— 45% of ETH validators now complying with US sanctions, says Labrys CEO
— Crypto Lender Celsius shouldn’t reopen custody withdrawals, US trustee says. Washington State joins Celsius bankruptcy case as interested party. Texas, Vermont regulators object to Celsius stablecoin sale plan
— California Gov. Newsom vetoes crypto licensing and regulatory framework. Furthermore, California files order against Nexo interest account
— Crypto and decentralization could influence voters in 2022 US midterm elections
— And more!

#Regulation https://medium.com/paradigm-research/crypto-regulation-news-international-cbdc-test-deemed-success-kazakhstan-ready-to-legalize-f26f53bc5980

𝐑𝐓/ New process for synthetic material growth, enabling soft robots that grow like plants

Robotics biweekly vol.59, 20th September — 5th October

TL;DR
— Researchers have developed a new, plant-inspired extrusion process that enables synthetic material growth, and the creation of a soft robot that builds its own solid body from liquid to navigate hard-to-reach places and complicated terrain.
— Robotics researchers, engineers and materials scientists showed it is possible to make programmable, nonelectronic circuits that control the actions of soft robots by processing information encoded in bursts of compressed air.
— A team of researchers have developed an ionic circuit comprising hundreds of ionic transistors and performed a core process of neural net computing.
— Physicists are using small wheeled robots to better understand these indirect mechanical interactions, how they play a role in active matter, and how we can control them.
— Researchers have installed electronic ‘brains’ on solar-powered robots that are 100 to 250 micrometers in size — smaller than an ant’s head — so that they can walk autonomously without being externally controlled.
— Engineers have developed a scalable soft surface that can continuously reshape itself to mimic objects in nature. Relying on electromagnetic actuation, mechanical modeling and machine learning to form new configurations, the surface can even learn to adapt to hindrances such as broken elements, unexpected constraints or changing environments.
— Researchers have taken bees as a model to develop a swarm of cooperative, 3D-printing drones. Under human control, these flying robots work as a team to print 3D materials for building or repairing structures while flying.
— Researchers introduce a new neurocomputational model of the human brain that could bridge the gap in understanding AI and the biological mechanisms underlying mental disorders.
— Deep learning models represent ‘an entirely new paradigm for studying dementia.’
— Robotic eyes on autonomous vehicles could improve pedestrian safety, according to a new study. Participants played out scenarios in virtual reality (VR) and had to decide whether to cross a road in front of a moving vehicle or not. When that vehicle was fitted with robotic eyes, which either looked at the pedestrian (registering their presence) or away (not registering them), the participants were able to make safer or more efficient choices.
— Robotics upcoming events. And more!

#Robotics #RT https://medium.com/paradigm-research/rt-new-process-for-synthetic-material-growth-enabling-soft-robots-that-grow-like-plants-43464f1436b0

Biweekly update on @Humanode vol.33

22nd September — 5th October

Wave 1 of the Public sale to go live tomorrow — October 6, Multisig support on Humanode chain, Regular dev updates are here, An interview with the co-founder of AIKON — Humanode’s partner, ‘Humanode’s Got Talent’ deadline is today, and more!

TL;DR
Hey, human nodes! Are you ready for an upcoming public sale? Only a few hours left before the first wave starts. Wave 1 which is dedicated to Humanode validators and researchers is set to go live tomorrow, the 6th of October, at 14:00 UTC. Humanode has reached the quota for it, so Wave 1 whitelist will remain closed and no new submissions will be accepted. If you’re not whitelisted, Waves 2 and 3 for friends and the broader community are still open. DAO participants from LobsterDAO, Aragon, Proof of Humanity, Bankless, and Gitcoin can now claim their respective places in the second wave by submitting the proper required info.
While you are preparing your minds and hearts for the public sale, read our report full of the latest Humanode updates. The last two weeks have been extremely intense and exciting for the Humanode teams.
As for the network development, the team implemented manual signing support for token claims, added multi-sig support, fixed protocol installation at CI, switched pallet-bioauth to BoundedVec, and limited the session validators amount.
Considering the Bio-Auth, they added images to the face recognition datasets and started retraining, improved the accuracy of optical flow visualization-based liveness detection with enhanced datasets, and automated the evaluation process of optical flow visualization-based liveness detection.
Moreover, the Humanode team enabled IP address family preference selection while doing DNS resolution, and updated Humanode docs.
As you all know Humanode and AIKON have partnered recently to make web3 more secure and accessible to a wider range of users. This is a big step forward for projects in web3. Read the freshly-published interview as Marc Blinder, the founder of AIKON, discusses the strategic partnership with Humanode and how it will help projects in Web3.
Humanode will be presenting at The DAOist conference in Bogota, Colombia the day before Devcon. Going to shed light on the real state of decentralization in crypto.
Due to popular demand, the team extended the deadline for entries to our current ‘Humanode’s Got Talent’ contest. The deadline is today, hurry up! If you do magic tricks, play musical instruments, sing, dance, or have any other talent to show it is the time to express yourself and show off and a great chance to win $ 1,000. The team awaits your entries!

#Humanode https://medium.com/paradigm-research/humanode-wave-1-of-public-sale-to-go-live-tomorrow-on-october-6-regular-dev-updates-are-here-8b83b75df0d8

𝗚𝗡/ Structure of wheat immune protein resolved

Genetics biweekly vol.38, 21st September — 6th October

TL;DR
— Scientists have unraveled how wheat protects itself from a deadly pathogen. Their findings could be harnessed to make important crop species more resistant to disease.
— Researchers have cloned mini-pigs with mutations in a gene that has recently been identified as a direct cause of Alzheimer’s disease. The results are particularly interesting for the pharmaceutical industry.
— Scientists have engineered mosquitoes that slow the growth of malaria-causing parasites in their gut, preventing transmission of the disease to humans.
— In a study using lab-grown cells, researchers specializing in aging report they have successfully delivered a common blood pressure drug directly to the inner membrane of mitochondria, the ‘power plants’ in the cells of humans, animals, plants and most other organisms.
— A new study has revealed that certain locations of DNA are copied faster than others, which could also have an effect on mutation rate.
— Tiny nets woven from DNA strands can ensnare the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19, lighting up the virus for a fast-yet-sensitive diagnostic test — and also impeding the virus from infecting cells, opening a new possible route to antiviral treatment, according to a new study.
— Researchers have modified a gene editing tool to serve as a highly sensitive diagnostic test for the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
— Bioscientists turn bacteria into self-assembling building blocks. The macroscale engineered living materials they form could be used to soak up targeted contaminants from the environment or as custom catalysts, among many possible applications.
— A new method allows scientists to determine all the molecules present in the lysosomes — the cell’s recycling centers — of mice. This could bring new understanding and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
— For an adequate immune response, it is essential that T lymphocytes recognize infected or degenerated cells. They do so by means of antigenic peptides, which these cells present with the help of specialized surface molecules (MHC I molecules). Using X-ray structure analysis, a research team has now been able to show how the MHC I molecules are loaded with peptides and how suitable peptides are selected for this purpose.
— And more!

#GN #Genetics https://medium.com/paradigm-research/gn-structure-of-wheat-immune-protein-resolved-81509d9b0c01

Biweekly update on the Polkadot ecosystem vol. 47

22nd September — 6th October

Kilt has become the 1st parachain to migrate from Kusama to Polkadot, OAK Network has won the latest parachain lease auction, Crust is in the lead, Polkadot roadmap roundup is out, Polkadot’s Governance v2 is merged into Kusama, The first Polkadot Hackathon LATAM is here, Tether now live on Polkadot, Chainlink & SWIFT announce CCIP PoC, veOCEAN is now live, DPoS is coming to Calamari, Humanode public sale is here, and more!

TL;DR
—A proposed roadmap for upcoming developments on Polkadot is out
—Updates to Polkadot’s staking system for the months of August and September
—Kilt has become the first parachain to migrate from Kusama to Polkadot
—Congratulations to OAK network on winning Polkadot’s 28th parachain auction.
—With the Ending Period beginning today, Crust is in the lead in the current parachain lease auction
—Polkadot’s Governance v2 is merged into Kusama
—Following the USDT by Tether, USDC will go live on Polkadot by the end of this year
—Referendum 74, proposing to open several HRMP channels, is passing unanimously with 8 days left to vote
—Polkadot still has the largest active developer ecosystem outside Ethereum, with almost 3x more weekly commits than the next largest ecosystem according to Messari
—Anonymous parathread ID 2223 has won the most recent parachain lease auction
—The Moonbeam Orbiters Program has been launched. Moonbeam has joined the Chainlink SCALE program to fuel dApp innovation on the network. USDT is now live on Moonbeam
—Humanode public sale is here. Previously, the team announced the launch of testnet 4 ‘Gaghiel’ that is focusing on token claims, vesting, and unlocking systems that the team will use to distribute tokens at TGE
—DPoS is coming to Calamari: use your KMA to vote for the runtime upgrade v3.4.0
—Chainlink and SWIFT announce CCIP Proof Of Concept at SmartCon 2022. Chainlink and CF Benchmarks announce a new interest rate benchmark for Web3
—September Bifrost Ecosystem Report is out. xc-vKSM proposal has passed
—Darwinia 1242 Runtime Upgrade took place. XCM Dashboards for Darwinia parachain/Crab parachain are available now
—Astar became the first Polkadot parachain to launch XCM transfers of USDT
—veOCEAN is launching, data farming is resuming
—Community referendums for Stage 1 and Stage 2 of resuming Acala operations have passed and been executed
—With Parallel Finance’s new feature, you can leverage all the yield opportunities across Parallel and maximize DOT APY with one single click
—Phala’s SubBridge has opened HRMP channels with Moonbeam and Parallel Finance. SubBridge now supports GLMR and PARA. Phat Contract as L3 design draft completed
—Dock anonymous credentials protocol update integrates Circom to enable developers to specify zero-knowledge “predicates” on credential attributes
—The new Zenlink Monthly Updates is out, covering September 2022 of all things Zenlink
—Once implemented, Enjin Wallet v2 will have feature parity with Wallet 1.0, as well as support for extra coins and NFTs
—The 2nd Annual SORA Economic Forum took place
—The Polkadot Hackathon (North America Edition) is finished now
—Interested in building in the Polkadot ecosystem? Take this chance to join the first Polkadot Hackathon LATAM
—Apply for the second intake of the PolkadotDevCamp to learn how to build blockchains using Substrate, dive into Polkadot and parachain development, and hear from Polkadot experts
—Sub0, the Polkadot Developer Conference, is back this year from November 28 to 29 in Lisbon, Portugal, and online
—And more!

#Polkadot https://medium.com/paradigm-research/polkadot-kilt-has-become-the-1st-parachain-to-migrate-from-kusama-to-polkadot-oak-network-has-7cbaf41431e9

NT/ Discovery of a new nanowire assembly process could enable more powerful computer chips

Nanotechnology & nanomaterials biweekly vol.32, 23rd September — 7th October

TL;DR
—Researchers from Oxford University’s Department of Materials have developed a technique to precisely manipulate and place nanowires with sub-micron accuracy. This discovery could accelerate the development of even smaller and more powerful computer chips.
—In a recent study, researchers from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and other universities in China have reported that brain stimulation combined with a nose spray containing nanoparticles can improve recovery after ischemic stroke in an animal model.
—A research team led by Professor Lee Sungwon from DGIST succeeded in developing the world’s first nanomesh-structured electronic skin device (organic field-effect transistor). This electronic skin device, comprising only a nanomesh structure that can measure and process bio-signals for a prolonged period, is a big step toward integrated systems for electronic skin devices.
—Researchers report the development of ultrahigh refractive index metamaterials which are integrated with a low refractive index polymer producing distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). The highest refractive index in the visible and near-infrared regions was reported. The new technology is applicable to precision semiconductor processes and high-resolution display technology.
—University of Central Florida material sciences engineers Melanie Coathup and Sudipta Seal have designed a cerium oxide nanoparticle — an artificial enzyme — that protects bones against damage from radiation. The nanoparticle has also shown abilities to improve bone regeneration, reduce loss of blood cells and help kill cancer cells.
—Researchers at the MIT Media Lab have designed a miniature antenna that can operate wirelessly inside of a living cell, opening up possibilities in medical diagnostics and treatment and other scientific processes because of the antenna’s potential for monitoring and even directing cellular activity in real time.
—Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed microscopic robots, called microrobots, that can swim around in the lungs, deliver medication, and be used to clear up life-threatening cases of bacterial pneumonia.
—New nanophotonic material has broken records for high-temperature stability, potentially ushering in more efficient electricity production and opening a variety of new possibilities in the control and conversion of thermal radiation.
—New technology and approach have allowed researchers to peer within the atomic layers of nanomaterials to better understand the connection between their form and function.
—Researchers develop a technology that produces more than 100 microrobots per minute that can be disintegrated into the body.
—And more!

#NT #Nanotechnology #Nanomaterials https://medium.com/paradigm-research/nt-discovery-of-a-new-nanowire-assembly-process-could-enable-more-powerful-computer-chips-b24defaf6e43

What is Lens Protocol, and how does it work?

Social media could look much different in the next few years, with web3 projects like Lens Protocol leading the way.

In this guide, Paradigm’s @sshshln shares all you need to know about Lens Protocol, a decentralized social graph that simplifies building Web3 social platforms.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/what-is-lens-protocol-and-how-does-it-work

Dear Human nodes and friends,

Wave II will commence on October 12th, 2022 at 14:00 UTC

In order to be prepared for Wave II, we would like to share the guide with you in advance. If you are poised to participate in Wave II, please check out the guide linked below.

Guide - https://gitbook.humanode.io/humanode-public-sale-details/public-sale-guide/welcome-to-the-guide

📢 Submissions to Wave II Whitelist will Close Tomorrow October 11th at 20:00 UTC! 📢

As we have 2 days to go before Wave II, the submission for whitelisting will close soon. Those who aren't whitelisted yet, can reserve their spot before 20:00 UTC tomorrow (Tuesday, 11th October).

For submissions to Wave II, check this link: https://link.humanode.io/public-sale-whitelist/wave-2-broader-community

Important - Please don’t forget to go through the KYC on Tokensoft to avoid any inconveniences.

If you haven’t yet, click this link: https://app.tokensoft.io/account

As mentioned before - ETH, USDC and USDT will be available as methods for purchase.

Thank you and have a great rest of the day!

P.S Also check the list of restricted countries and sorry if you find yourself in there.

BT/ Trio of Apple patent filings describe biometrics innovations for various devices

Biometrics biweekly vol. 49, 26th September — 10th October

TL;DR
—Apple has had a trio of patent applications published that describe biometrics applications on a variety of iDevices
—Microsoft’s Horvitz says it will take more than code to deal with the deepfake threat
—NIST IREX 10 scores show the speed and accuracy of Innovatrics’ new iris biometric algorithm
—BixeLab takes the award for biometrics services to the international market
—Cerence develops Knight Rider-style voice biometric interactions for cars
—Clearview was granted patent for building a biometric training dataset by USPTO
—Precise Biometrics extends YOUNiQ contracts in Sweden, unveils Algo division plans
—The final demo of EU’s D4FLY spots ID fraud
—Tascent’s multimodal biometrics contracted for Palau border, Australian prisons
—Speechmatics, Yoti selected for Tech Nation’s Future Fifty accelerator program
—Marston Holdings certified for UK Digital Identity framework by BSI
—Vietnam govt-owned VNPT’s face biometric algorithm debuts in NIST FRVT
—Local NHS unit contract for DBS checks with face biometrics and liveness detection opens
—Precise Biometrics extends YOUNiQ contracts in Sweden, unveils Algo division plans
—Yoti partners with Talent Clouds on DBS checks with a digital ID, receives UK certification
—Dutch Police refine rapid forensic biometrics approach after early testing
—Trust Stamp launches privacy-centric biometric solution for government customers
—Optus hack spurs interest in digital identity within Australian government, banks
—Korea expands airport check-ins with palm vein biometrics, enrollment to bank branches
—Paravision launches biometric search engine and tips expanded focus at Converge
—CyberLink integrates face biometrics in the CAC payment system
—Behavioral analytics from NeuroID integrated by TransUnion to stop fraud and false positives
—Decentralized digital ID suite Oliu launched by ATB Ventures for Canadian enterprises
—Daon adds multi-flight travel capabilities to the digital ID app VeriFLY
—Humanode Public Sale Wave II will commence on October 12
—Gates Foundation commits $200M to digital ID and other public infrastructure
—Data security rules needed for Nepalese digital ID, Nigeria’s World Bank funding
—Kenya to comply with regional bloc directive on biometric passports from the end November
—Ugandan officials emphasize inclusive digital ID plan to enroll 17M unregistered citizens
—Philippines officials want to fight driver’s license fraud with facial recognition
—Twenty20 adds facial recognition capabilities to gunshot detection security solution
—Oosto offers advice on facial recognition implementations for stadium security
—Researchers pitch model law for facial recognition to the Australian government
—Texas university launches lab to investigate AI bias with support from Pangiam
—Private medical record photos spotted in the biometrics training dataset
—Biometric industry events. And more!

#BT #Biometrics https://medium.com/paradigm-research/bt-trio-of-apple-patent-filings-describe-biometrics-innovations-for-various-devices-f9bc228456cd

GT/ Solvent study solves solar cell durability puzzle

Energy & green technology biweekly vol.34, 23d September — 12th October

TL;DR
—The manufacture of high-efficiency solar cells with layers of 2D and 3D perovskites may be simplified by solvents that allow solution deposition of one layer without destroying the other.
—Due to their very high efficiency in transporting electric charges from light, perovskites are known as the next generation material for solar panels and LED displays. A team have now invented a brand-new application of perovskites as optical fibers.
—Electricity-generating rooftop solar cells not only save on planet-warming carbon emissions, they also save a significant amount of water. Water consumption is tightly bound to energy use, because without water we cannot mine, drill, frack, or cool thermoelectric and nuclear plants. A given household may save on average 16,200 gallons of water per year by installing rooftop solar.
—A new study documents how a durable plastic can be perpetually broken down and remade, without sacrificing its desired physical properties.
—An underutilized natural resource could be just what the airline industry needs to curb carbon emissions. Researchers report success in using lignin as a path toward a drop-in 100% sustainable aviation fuel. Lignin makes up the rigid parts of the cell walls of plants. Other parts of plants are used for biofuels, but lignin has been largely overlooked because of the difficulties in breaking it down chemically and converting it into useful products.
—Even small objects, such as dust and leaves, can block sunlight from reaching solar cells, and understanding how the loss of incoming radiation affects power output is essential for optimizing photovoltaic technology. Researchers explore how different shade conditions impact performance of single solar cells and two-cell systems connected in series and parallel. They found that the decrease in output current of a single cell or two cells connected in parallel was nearly identical to the ratio of shade to sunlight. However, for two cells running in series, there was excess power loss.
—A team of scientists has developed a system that uses carbon dioxide, CO2, to produce biodegradable plastics, or bioplastics, that could replace the nondegradable plastics used today. The research addresses two challenges: the accumulation of nondegradable plastics and the remediation of greenhouse gas emissions.
—Researchers have taken a water treatment technology and adapted it for another environmentally important function — selectively separating rare earth elements and transition metals. This chemical process significantly reduces both the energy and product consumption involved with rare earth element recovery.
—The carrier concentration and conductivity in p-type monovalent copper semiconductors can be significantly enhanced by adding alkali metal impurities. Doping with isovalent and larger-sized alkali metal ions effectively increased the free charge carrier concentration, and the mechanism was unraveled by their theoretical calculations. Their carrier doping technology enables high carrier concentration and high mobility p-type thin films to be prepared from the solution process, with photovoltaic device applications.
—With electric vehicles sales soaring worldwide, potential buyers are not just weighing up the price tag, but also the logistics and expense of charging the planet-friendly cars. A new study shows households with solar panels and batteries will be the big winners.
—And more!

#GT #Greentech https://medium.com/paradigm-research/gt-solvent-study-solves-solar-cell-durability-puzzle-c2815c7bb28e

𝗡𝗦/ Biosensor detects brain tumors with less than a drop of blood
Neuroscience biweekly vol. 68, 28th September — 12th October

TL;DR
—Despite significant advances, mortality from brain tumors remains high with five-year survival rates of 36%, according to the National Cancer Institute. More accurate diagnoses might improve the situation, but tissue biopsies are invasive and can miss important information about a tumor’s make-up. Imaging-based methods, meanwhile, do not offer sufficient sensitivity and resolution. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have developed a biosensor that could help physicians precisely diagnose brain cancer from a minute blood sample.
—Since their discovery over 100 years ago, neurons in the brain’s olfactory bulb, called tufted cells, have been difficult to study. By leveraging new technology, neuroscientists were able to precisely dissect the neural activity of these tufted cells for the first time. They discovered the tufted cells were better at recognizing smells than mitral cells, their neighboring neurons in the olfactory bulb. Their findings offer new explanations for how the brain processes sensory information.
—By using stem cells to grow miniature brain-like organs in the lab, scientists have opened a new avenue for studies of neurological development, disease, and therapies that can’t be conducted in living people. But not all mini-brain organoids are created equal and getting them to precisely mimic the human brain tissues they’re modeling has been a persistent challenge.
—People with high blood pressure levels face a faster erosion of their ability to think, make decisions and remember information than those with normal blood pressure levels, a new study finds.
—Higher levels of a key inflammatory marker were related to older breast cancer survivors reporting cognitive problems, researchers found in one of the first long-term efforts to examine the potential link between chronic inflammation and cognition in older breast cancer survivors.
—Neurons in an area of the brain responsible for memory were significantly larger in SuperAgers compared to cognitively average peers, individuals with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, and even individuals 20 to 30 years younger than SuperAgers — who are aged 80 years and older, reports a new study. The study of was the first to show that these individuals carry a unique biological signature that comprises larger and healthier neurons in the entorhinal cortex that are relatively void of tau tangles.
—You may not realize it, but each time you recall a memory — like your first time riding a bike or walking into your high school prom — your brain changes the memory ever so slightly. It’s almost like adding a filter, with details being filled in and information being updated or lost with each recall. —In a new paper, a team of BU neuroscientists maps out the key molecular and genetic differences between positive and negative memories, finding that the two are actually strikingly distinct on multiple levels. It turns out that emotional memories, like positive or negative memory, are physically distinct from other types of brain cells — and distinct from each other.
—‘Junk’ DNA could unlock new treatments for neurological disorders as scientists discover its breaks and repairs affect our protection against neurological disease.
—A new study has found a link between metabolism and dementia-related brain measures, providing valuable insights into the disease.
—And more!

#NS #Neuroscience https://medium.com/paradigm-research/ns-biosensor-detects-brain-tumors-with-less-than-a-drop-of-blood-306365b4a295

QT/ Full control of a six-qubit quantum processor in silicon

Quantum news biweekly vol.37, 26th September — 13th October

TL;DR
—Researchers have engineered a record number of six, silicon-based, spin qubits in a fully interoperable array. Importantly, the qubits can be operated with a low error-rate that is achieved with a new chip design, an automated calibration procedure, and new methods for qubit initialization and readout. These advances will contribute to a scalable quantum computer based on silicon.
—Engineers have substantially extended the time that their quantum computing processors can hold information by more than 100 times compared to previous results.
Researchers trained a machine learning tool to capture the physics of electrons moving on a lattice using far fewer equations than would typically be required, all without sacrificing accuracy.
—Physicists have found an answer to the longstanding physics question: How do interparticle interactions affect dynamical localization?
—Researchers in quantum technology have succeeded in developing a technique to control quantum states of light in a three-dimensional cavity. In addition to creating previously known states, the researchers are the first ever to demonstrate the long-sought cubic phase state. The breakthrough is an important step towards efficient error correction in quantum computers.
—Deep-water wave groups are known to be unstable and become rogue. Such unstable wave groups propagate independently regardless of interference. Results seem to support the concept of an unperturbed nonlinear water wave group focusing in the presence of counter-propagating waves, suggesting wave states are directional.
—Researchers have implemented a ground-breaking algorithm for reconstructing particles at the Large Hadron Collider. The project is part of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment — one of seven installed experiments which uses detectors to analyze the particles produced by collisions in the accelerator.
—Physicists are using small wheeled robots to better understand these indirect mechanical interactions, how they play a role in active matter, and how we can control them.
—Researchers have found that the surface electronic structure of samarium hexaboride originating from the topology of the bulk electronic structure can be controlled by changing the surface condition. Their findings could lead to new technologies for higher speed electronics.
—Researchers have found that molecular qubits are much more stable in an asymmetric environment, expanding the possible applications of such qubits, especially as biological quantum sensors.
—And more!

#Quantum #QT https://medium.com/paradigm-research/qt-full-control-of-a-six-qubit-quantum-processor-in-silicon-9ddf8d26992e?postPublishedType=initial

ST/ Milky Way's graveyard of dead stars found

Space biweekly vol.62, 28th September - 15th October

TL;DR
—The first map of the ‘galactic underworld’ — a chart of the corpses of once massive suns that have since collapsed into black holes and neutron stars — has revealed a graveyard that stretches three times the height of the Milky Way, and that almost a third of the objects have been flung out from the galaxy altogether.
—Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers have identified the most distant globular clusters ever discovered. These dense groups of millions of stars may be relics that contain the first and oldest stars in the universe. The early analysis of Webb’s First Deep Field image depicts some of the universe’s earliest galaxies.
—A research team has found asteroid impacts on the Moon millions of years ago coincided precisely with some of the largest meteorite impacts on Earth, such as the one that wiped out the dinosaurs.
—Astronomers may have discovered the ancient chemical remains of the first stars to light up the Universe. Using an innovative analysis of a distant quasar observed by the 8.1-meter Gemini North telescope on Hawai’i, the scientists found an unusual ratio of elements that, they argue, could only come from the debris produced by the all-consuming explosion of a 300-solar-mass first-generation star.
—An international team of researchers has revealed new evidence for the possible existence of liquid water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars.
—Astronomers believe bright reflections beneath the surface of Mars’ South Pole are not necessarily evidence of liquid water, but instead geological layers.
—Discovered in 1912, cosmic rays have been studied extensively and our current understanding of them is compiled into what is called the Standard Model. Recently, this understanding has been challenged by the detection of unexpected spectral structures in the cosmic ray proton energy spectrum. Now, scientists take this further with high-statistics and low-uncertainty measurement of these protons over a broader energy range using the CALorimetric Electron Telescope, confirming the presence of such structures.
—Astronomers have assembled the largest-ever compilation of high-precision galaxy distances, called Cosmicflows-4.
—In December 2020, a small landing capsule brought rock particles from the asteroid Ryugu to Earth — material from the beginnings of our solar system. The Japanese space probe Hayabusa 2 had collected the samples. Geoscientists have now discovered areas with a massive accumulation of rare earths and unexpected structures.
—Earlier this year a machine learning algorithm identified up to 5,000 potential gravitational lenses that could transform our ability to chart the evolution of galaxies since the Big Bang. Now, astronomers have assessed 77 of the lenses using the Keck Observatory in Hawai’i and Very Large Telescope in Chile. The team confirmed that 68 out of the 77 are strong gravitational lenses spanning vast cosmic distances.
—Upcoming industry events. And more!

#ST #Space
https://medium.com/paradigm-research/st-milky-ways-graveyard-of-dead-stars-found-cfd3c6800b25