Lifeboat Foundation

Though highly capable – far outperforming humans in big-data pattern recognition tasks in particular – current AI systems are not intelligent in the same way we are. AI systems aren’t structured like our brains and don’t learn the same way.

AI systems also use vast amounts of energy and resources for training (compared to our three-or-so meals a day). Their ability to adapt and function in dynamic, hard-to-predict and noisy environments is poor in comparison to ours, and they lack human-like memory capabilities.

Our research explores non-biological systems that are more like human brains. In a new study published in Science Advances, we found self-organising networks of tiny silver wires appear to learn and remember in much the same way as the thinking hardware in our heads.

Agrovoltaic arrays are strategically arranged to allow for diverse types of farming activities, maximizing land utilization.

With more of us looking for alternatives to eating animals, new research has found a surprising environmentally friendly source of protein – algae.

The University of Exeter study has been published in The Journal of Nutrition and is the first of its kind to demonstrate that the ingestion of two of the most commercially available algal species are rich in protein which supports muscle remodeling in young healthy adults. Their findings suggest that algae may be an interesting and sustainable alternative to animal-derived protein with respect to maintaining and building muscle.

Researcher Ino Van Der Heijden from the University of Exeter said: “Our work has shown algae could become part of a secure and sustainable food future. With more and more people trying to eat less meat because of ethical and environmental reasons, there is growing interest in nonanimal-derived and sustainably produced protein. We believe it’s important and necessary to start looking into these alternatives and we’ve identified algae as a promising novel protein source.”

The firm developed vertical farming and integrated advanced robotics to handle tasks such as planting, harvesting, and ensuring efficient, automated processes.

A cutting-edge technology indoor vertical farm could transform food production. Plenty, a San Francisco-based company, curated a high-tech robot farm.

Vertical farming involves growing crops in stacked towers indoors while advanced robotics handle tasks from seed planting to harvesting, ensuring efficient, automated processes.

Continue reading “Plenty’s high-tech robot farm is transforming traditional agriculture” »

The starting material is generated in excess and available in plenty.

Environmentalists have opposed using crops for jet fuel but there will be no opposition to using a waste that nobody wants.

Scientists looking to tackle our ongoing obesity crisis have made an important discovery: Intermittent fasting leads to significant changes both in the gut and the brain, which may open up new options for maintaining a healthy weight.

Researchers from China studied 25 volunteers classed as obese over a period of 62 days, during which they took part in an intermittent energy restriction (IER) program – a regime that involves careful control of calorie intake and fasting on some days.

Not only did the participants in the study lose weight – 7.6 kilograms (16.8 pounds) or 7.8 percent of their body weight on average – there was also evidence of shifts in the activity of obesity-related regions of the brain, and in the make-up of gut bacteria.

An Indian researcher led a team that developed a rice variety that takes up less arsenic and they’re now working on one that will generate less greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 140 million people in over 70 countries drink water containing the toxic element arsenic at levels above WHO guidelines and in the Indian subcontinent, contaminated water from the Himalayas flow down across multiple countries into farmlands and irrigation reservoirs, which are then absorbed by food crops like rice, the dominant dietary staple in the region.

Jauhar Ali, head of the Hybrid Rice Development Consortium (HRDC), at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) says that in 2012, he and his team identified that arsenic toxicity was a key rice production constraint in India and Bangladesh.

In the realm of culinary innovation, Japan has once again captured the spotlight with a groundbreaking invention. Imagine savoring your favorite low-sodium dishes, but with the rich salty flavor. This is no longer a fantasy, thanks to the ingenious creation of the ’ Electric Salt ’ bowl and spoon by scientists at Kirin Holdings Company and Meiji University in Japan (Figure 1).

Launched this year in Japan, the ‘Electric Salt’ devices are more than just ordinary kitchenware. They employ a subtle electrical stimulation, amplifying the salty taste of foods by an astonishing 1.5 times, all without the health drawbacks of high sodium intake. This revolutionary technology promises a new horizon for those mindful of their salt consumption, without sacrificing flavor.

This ingenious mechanism allows a minuscule electric current to pass through the food, enhancing the sodium ions’ journey to the diner’s taste buds. This process remarkably intensifies the salty flavor without any known impact on human health.

The UK’s supreme court has ruled that AI cannot be named as an inventor and secure patent rights. It follows earlier decisions from lower courts that reached the same conclusions.

On Wednesday, US computer scientist Stephen Thaler lost his attempt to register patents for inventions he says were created by his AI system, DABUS.

Thaler said DABUS autonomously created a light beacon and a container for food and drink, and entitled to rights over the inventions.