Saturday 4 May 2019

Should we turn the Sahara Desert into a huge solar farm?

Whenever I visit the Sahara I am struck by how sunny and hot it is and how clear the sky can be. Aside from a few oases there is little vegetation, and most of the world's largest desert is covered with rocks, sand and sand dunes. The Saharan sun is powerful enough to provide Earth with significant solar energy.

* This article was originally published here

Heart damage from preterm birth may be corrected with exercise in young adulthood

Heart abnormalities caused by premature birth may be corrected with exercise in young adulthood, according to research presented today at EuroCMR 2019, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1

* This article was originally published here

Novel device promises lower operating costs for rail sector

Maintenance work on rail infrastructure costs the rail sector close to EUR 40 000 per kilometre of railway track. In fact, rail companies spend substantial amounts on repairing tracks and keeping them in good operating condition, accounting for 38 % of their total operating expenses. To become more competitive, the rail sector therefore needs to find ways to reduce these costs.

* This article was originally published here

Sorry, Facebook and Google, Ellen Pao says startups will fix Silicon Valley's diversity problem

In 2013, Harry Glaser and Tom O'Neill started hiring for their new company Periscope Data from their professional networks. They knew they had a problem when "we got up to be four or five white men" in the company, said Glaser, CEO of the data analytics and visualization software firm.

* This article was originally published here

Portrait of a Google AI art project as a poetic you

Roses are red violets are blue, AI writing poems? Can't be true. Or can it? And if so, how low can we go in expectations? Brush low expectations aside for now, as Google is on to something special, and that is, AI for self-portrait poetry.

* This article was originally published here

DNA test is an effective cervical cancer screening tool for women in low-income countries

Cervical cancer is a major issue in low- and middle-income countries due to the lack of adequate screening such as routine Pap smear testing. These countries have high incidences of cervical cancer linked to human papillomavirus (HPV). Due to lack of resources for cancer screenings, these countries account for 85% of all cervical cancer cases.

* This article was originally published here

Next-gen software aims to lift personal computer into Aware state

What do you think about if someone asks you to reel off examples of smart tech? You probably list smartphones, tablets, TVs, cars, speakers, watches, doorbells, light-bulbs, refrigerators, microwaves… and you are right. "Smart is artificial intuition. Smart is knowing what we are going to do before we get there, and adapting behavior, insights and interactions to meet the need." That is from a company blog.

* This article was originally published here