Many people are concerned about the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, and Stephen Hawking is one of them. He is afraid that we might soon be able to create a really advanced AI system, capable of performing better than humans. This might lead to the apparition of a new life form, which might come to replace humans.

The AI technology might easily become smarter than humans

Hawking is really afraid of the turn AI development might take. Since humans are already able to design viruses which corrupt computers, he thinks it’s not long until they create an AI capable of replicating itself. From there, it’s a small step until these machines become intelligent enough to surpass humans.

This is not the first time when Hawking is extremely concerned about the future of AI. During a conference on the future of intelligence at Cambridge University, he said the evolution of these machines will turn either into the best thing that ever happened to humanity, or into the worst.

The signs are already there, and AI won’t cease to progress

He thinks human brains are extremely similar to computers. This means that the machines should be able to imitate the functions of a real brain, and maybe outperform them. One alternative would be to use AIs to fight climate change and incurable diseases. However, if they are so powerful, then they might soon develop their own volition and use it in malicious ways.

Hawking things the signs are already there. Now, cars are capable of driving themselves, and a computer can outsmart a human at a game of Go. Also, researchers continue to invest a lot of time and resources into this technology, and the results won’t hesitate to come. This means that, in a couple of years, the AI achievements will seem both grand and maybe a bit disturbing, showing they should really be feared.
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A team of researchers managed to find out the date of the first solar eclipse ever recorded, which also brought some valuable information on the chronology of several pharaoh reigns. They managed to do it by studying several passaged taken from the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament, as well as some carvings from Ancient Egypt.

The mystery of the biblical text has been revealed

Researchers compared the writings in the Old Testament with the engravings which dated back from antiquity, and managed to identify some similarities between them. By establishing the connections between them, they came up with a date for the first solar eclipse which was ever recorded – October 30^th, 1207 BC.

For several centuries, scientists and men of culture had been puzzled by a certain passage in the Bible. The English translation is quite obscure, claiming that the sun stood still and the moon stopped at the moment when Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan. Researchers knew the key lay in the original Hebrew text, so they revised it and decided the passage talked about an eclipse.

Researchers established the date of eclipses, as well as of several pharaoh reigns

The next step was find out when this eclipse actually occurred. For this, researchers needed to look at an old Egyptian carved text dating back to the reign of Ramesses the Great’s son, Merneptah. Thanks to this text, researchers could tell that the Israelites entered Canaan sometime between 1500 and 1050 BC.

Then, they used their own scientific measurements to establish when all solar phenomena occurred. Apart from total eclipses, they could also determine the date when annual eclipses took place, when the sun got obscured by the moon only partially. After accounting for possible fluctuations in the orbit of our planet, they decided the year when this event took place was 1207 BC.

This way, researchers could not only date eclipses. This information allowed them to find out when the reigns of different pharaohs took place. Ramesses the Great, for instance, must have ruled between 1276 and 1210 BC, give or take a year, while his son’s reign should have started in 1210 or 1209. All the details of the study have been published in the journal Astronomy & Geophysics.
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The gene-editing technology CRISPR puts a bright future ahead of science, as it might be used to edit certain DNA sequences and alleviate diseases which otherwise couldn’t have any cure. Now, researchers have decided to revise the techniques behind this editing mechanism, hoping they might find ways to treat diseases without having to make permanent changes in DNA.

RNA editing can lead to temporary changes in the genes

Their attempts were successful, and they found out what it needs to be done so that DNA doesn’t stay permanently altered. The key lies in RNA, which acts as a messenger for DNA and carries around genetic instructions. Therefore, by editing RNA, the effect can be reversible.

If you put it easily, what CRISPR does is to spot a malfunctioning gene in DNA, and act upon it. With the technology, researchers can either edit it so that it works again, replace it with a normal gene, or even remove it completely. However, this might not always work so swiftly. Blood cells, for instance, are easier to fix, but those which make up muscles or complex organs like the brain are harder to handle. Therefore, opting for the RNA alternative might make these processes easier.

Researchers got inspired from a natural mechanism of gene editing

RNA helps DNA start synthesizing proteins, and it carries the genetic instruction the latter needs for the process. If researchers edit these instructions that RNA carries, they can temporarily edit DNA and the proteins it produces. RNA gradually degrades, so the changes enforced by CRISPR would only last as long as researchers apply this therapy.

Researchers got their inspiration from nature. They looked at a natural system of gene-cutting present in bacteria, which uses the enzyme Cas9 to edit other molecules. They explored the Cas enzyme family and discovered one which can act upon RNA, Cas13. Then, they genetically engineered this Cas13 so that, instead of breaking down the RNA molecules, it attaches to them.

A more detailed explanation of this process has been published in the journal Science.
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If you thought Saudi Arabia was only a barren desert, think again. A team of researchers used Google Earth’s help to uncover some huge stone gates on the territory of the country, suggesting the landscape was not as deserted as they used to think. Now, they think the area hosted an unknown ancient civilization, and that many other sites await their discovery.

The stone gates are not visible from ground level

Researchers explored Saudi Arabia with the help of a series of images displayed on Google Earth, and spotted a series of stone walls which haven’t been discovered before. These walls are actually 400 gates which are hard to spot at ground level, but become visible as soon as you go up several hundreds of feet.

In fact, from the ground level, they look like some simple flat gates, connected between one another by several bars. Therefore, researchers decided to call them like that instead of walls. Even if they are now uncovered, their secrets remain hidden. Judging from their looks, these formations couldn’t have housed humans neither when they were alive nor when they were dead.

The formations might indicate the presence of older civilizations in Saudi Arabia

However, they could estimate an age when these were built, even if the period was quite vague. Therefore, the gates should have come into being sometime between 2,000 and 9,000 years ago. Also, the builders must have been the ancestors of today’s Beduins which live in the area. They call other similar stone formations ‘The Works of Old Men’.

David Kennedy, the researcher responsible with finding the gates, spotted them in the most interesting of ways. He has never been to Saudi Arabia, but the formations would have been difficult to spot anyway at ground level. Therefore, he used Google Earth imagery to make the amazing discovery. The study on the stone gates is scheduled for publication next month in the journal Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy.
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Scientists are already making all kinds of preparations for a manned mission on Mars, and are even hoping that, one day, we would be able to establish a human colony on the Red Planet. One big challenge astronauts need to overcome is to find a stable oxygen source, but a recent discovery might solve this problem. It seems the Martian conditions are suitable for producing the gas necessary to maintain life.

There lies a bright future ahead for the next manned mission on Mars

Scientists are actively looking for ways to make it easy for astronauts to go on Mars and establish colonies there. Now, they made another step forward by discovering the Martian conditions are nearly perfect for obtaining oxygen. This would be possible via a process called decomposition, which only requires carbon dioxide.

Usually, the decomposition of carbon dioxide is facilitated by plasmas which reach low temperatures, as the electrons in its composition make the process possible. In a new study, published in the journal Plasma Sources Science and Technology, researchers studied the temperature and pressure present in the atmosphere of Mars.

Mars houses the perfect conditions to obtain oxygen

The results showed Mars has the optimal conditions which allow the production of oxygen from a non-thermal plasma. By combining the atmosphere made up of 96 percent carbon dioxide and the low temperature, the electrons might read a higher vibration than they do on Earth. This way, the molecules of carbon dioxide have enough time to split into oxygen and carbon monoxide.

By embracing such a technology for the next mission to Mars, astronauts will be able to get a stable source of oxygen which can last for a longer period. However, this is not the only useful product of the decomposition process. The resulting carbon monoxide can work perfectly as rocket fuel.
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Researchers have hoped for quite a long time that the surface of the Moon is hiding caverns which can shelter possible colonists. Now, a team of researchers from the United States and Japan managed to find evidence that lava actually carved such formations, highlighting a great future for the next exploration missions.

Lava formed caverns beneath the Moon’s surface

While studying the surface of the Moon, scientists uncovered some elaborate caverns close to Marius Hill. It turns out these formations used to be lava tubes and, besides offering great resources of study and the perfect place to study the composition of the surface, they can be perfect for sheltering future colonists.

The Moon is surrounded by no atmosphere. This means that its surface and everything standing on it remains exposed to the harsh rays of the Sun, as well as other extreme conditions. However, the elaborate caverns provide instant protection against all these factors.

For quite a long time, researchers have been studying these formations. They have always assumed they were created by lava, but had no solid proof in favor of the hypothesis. The Moon used to have an intense volcanic activity and, when the lava dried, it left these formations under its surface. Now, the new research reveals that the caverns not only exist, but they can also provide stable shelter.

The caverns can offer shelter to future colonists

With the help of radar observation, researchers detected the hollow tubes under the lunar surface. The radar rays were launched by SELENE, a lunar observation spacecraft launched by JAXA, and, after bouncing on the surface, they returned with information on the composition and geological history of the Moon.

As soon as the radar bursts met the entrance to the caverns, they issued an echo. Then, judging from the pitch and the tone of the echo, they could tell the formations had a volcanic origin. All these caverns are located in areas where NASA had previously identified missing masses of land. Therefore, they are real, and might offer a much more welcoming shelter than we would have thought.

The study has been published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
Image Source: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio

NASA has recently released another set of data coming from Cassini’s observations. The information is more than interesting, as it reveals a new purpose of the moons which surround Saturn. It seems that these natural satellites don’t just orbit around the planet, but also work together to hold the outermost visible ring, called the A ring.

Saturn’s A ring is kept in place by an unusual cooperation

The A ring is the largest of the visible rings, and stands the furthest from Saturn. However, it accumulates to much material that, without an external support to keep it in place, the ring would start shattering and, gradually, disappear.

Researchers were aware the A ring needed a support. However, for about thirty years, they thought this role only belonged to Janus. However, Cassini kept a close observation on the other moons, and revealed new information about them.

Researchers were impressed by the beauty of this discovery

Apart from studying each moon’s surface and physical properties, researchers analyzed their collective action, and their interaction with Saturn’s rings. After some mathematical approximations, the final result was that Janus couldn’t have enough force to hold the entire A ring. Therefore, several other moons joined it in this attempt, namely Pandora, Pan, Prometheus, Epimetheus, Atlas, and Mimas.

The gravitational force of the moon is the one which keeps the A ring in place. They act on its rotation speed and slow it down, and also pull down momentum from it. This way, it cannot ‘split’ all over the solar system.

Researchers are extremely happy they have found out such valuable information, and said this was exactly what they were hoping to get from the Cassini mission. They still cannot tell what process formed the rings, but at least they know what keeps them into place. This process is still new and unique, but also beautiful, as all moons work together to maintain the well-functioning of the Saturn rings.
Image Source: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Scientists have recently made a spine-chilling discovery about Antarctica, and they don’t even know what to do about it. They have spotted a gaping hole in the Antarctic ice, which is about the size of the state of Maine. However, the breach is placed quite randomly, making it extremely difficult for the researchers to find out where it comes from.

The hole is unusually placed

The huge hole amazed everybody with its size and aspect. It is about as big as Maine, or the size of the biggest of all Great Lakes. However, the formation is not mysterious because of its size as it is because of its location. Big holes in the icecap are not unusual in the warmer regions of Antarctica, closer to the coast. However, this one is placed right in the middle of the continent, deep within the ice, making it hard to explain how it came into being.

Usually, ice holes filled by water are called polynyas, and can be the result of two processes. One of them requires heat, and consists of water warmer than usual, which prevents ice from further developing, and leads to the formation of the gaping void. The second possibility involves a type of wind which cuts into ice. This wind is called katabatic, blows hard over the coastline ice, gradually thin it out, and lead to the occurrence of a hole.

Researchers aren’t able to tell where the huge hole comes from

However, this time, researchers cannot tell which of the two phenomena created the gaping hole. All they can tell is the fact that it is located quite far away from the coast and, if it weren’t for satellites, they wouldn’t even have known the polynya was there.

There’s no need to worry, though. Polynyas often form in Antarctica, and one such hole has been recurrently appearing and disappearing on the middle ice layer of the continent. Fortunately, the technology is advanced enough to study the Maine polynya and find out its secret.
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With the help of the Italian Virgo detector, researchers managed to spot the presence of a fourth gravitational wave present in space. They found out the phenomenon resulted after the collision of two black holes. When such events take place, the clash issues some ripples which disturb space and time, and these ripples are known as gravitational waves.

What are gravitational waves?

The most recent ripples were issued on August 14^th, around the hour 10:30 GMT. Then, researchers discovered they were produced by the collision of two black holes situated 1.8 billion light-years away. The holes were massive, as they both were between 25 and 31 times bigger than the Sun. Apart from producing the gravitational waves, the two black holes merged into an even bigger hole, being 53 times bigger than the Sun.

Such an event occurs extremely rarely, but it comes with one more unique thing to it. This was the first phenomenon of the type which was captured with the help of the Virgo detector. It is kept underground and, using laser light, can detect gravitational waves and track their trajectory. The Virgo detector is an Italian instrument and, although it doesn’t have the same precision as the American instruments, it works just fine.

European and US researchers collaborated for the Virgo project

Two weeks after the detector became functional, it managed to spot the gravitational wave. The other waves detected so far have been found by only two instruments coming from the US. This equipment was present in two LIGO unites (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatories). These two units were located in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana.

For the Virgo project, hundreds of researchers, coming from both Europe and the US, worked together. They also started a collaboration with LIGO, and hope to continue this project and spot more unique space phenomena.
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A team of researchers at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina managed to trace back thousands of cosmic rays containing high energy particles, and shed some light on their mysterious origin. It seems these peculiar rays have not been produced within our own Milky Way, and they seem to have traveled far, from other galaxies.

Cosmic rays don’t come from inside the Milky Way

There are plenty of particles traveling through space and around all the cosmic objects, and these particles have different electric charges. Those with lower energy are known to come from the sun, and to be part of solar winds. However, these particles have some high energy siblings, called cosmic rays, whose origin has remained unknown so far.

Researchers analyzed the trajectory these cosmic rays had as they approached Earth, and concluded they are originating in Milky Way. Their direction shows they have traveled quite a lot, as they’ve been produced somewhere outside our galaxy. After twelve years of intense study, the 1,600 particle detectors at Pierre Auger Observatory managed to determine the origin of the high energy particles.

Finding the origin of high energy particles can tell a lot about the origin of the universe

Finding out the secrets of cosmic rays is of crucial importance for revealing how galaxy formation works. Also, it might shed light on a new perspective on the Big Bang. However, telling which is their exact origin remains a difficult task. As they are charged with high levels of energy, the magnetic fields they met on their way could have deviated their trajectory.

The study on the cosmic rays has been published in the journal Science. It reveals how most of the high energy particles which reach Earth are coming from regions opposed to the center of Milky Way. These might be galaxies with black holes in their center, which could have generated the cosmic rays.
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