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Credits:
The Medusa Spaceship Drive.
Episode 476; December 5, 2024
Produced, Narrated \& Written: Isaac Arthur.
Graphics: Bryan Vertseeg, Ken York YD Visual, Rapid Thrash.
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images.
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator.
Brandon Liew, \

Krish, who lives in Hounslow, West London, is not only academically gifted but also excels in music, having won awards as a pianist. The 10-year-old genius has also been inducted into the prestigious Trinity College of Music’s “Hall of Fame” for completing four grades in just six months. He currently holds a grade 7 piano certification, demonstrating his exceptional musical prowess.

Krish’s impressive resume includes winning several musical competitions in West London, where he outshone contestants up to four years his senior. What’s even more impressive is his ability to recite complex instrumentals from memory, without needing sheet music. His parents attest that he can recall entire songs on the piano using only his exceptional memory.

He said, “I don’t get nervous to perform my music at these competitions because I know that I’m not going to mess up.”

Cyanobacteria, an ancient lineage of bacteria that perform photosynthesis, have been found to regulate their genes using the same physics principle used in AM radio transmission.

New research published in Current Biology has found that cyanobacteria use variations in the amplitude (strength) of a pulse to convey information in single cells. The finding sheds light on how biological rhythms work together to regulate cellular processes.

In AM (amplitude modulation) radio, a wave with constant strength and frequency—called a carrier wave—is generated from the oscillation of an electric current. The audio signal, which contains the information (such as music or speech) to transmit, is superimposed onto the carrier wave. This is done by varying the amplitude of the carrier wave in accordance with the frequency of the .

The biggest battleground in the robotaxi race may be winning public trust.


Autonomous vehicles are already clocking up millions of miles on public roads, but they face an uphill battle to convince people to climb in to enjoy the ride.

A few weeks ago, I took a tour of San Francisco in one of Waymo’s self-driving cars. As we drove around the city, one thing that struck me was how comfortable people had become with not seeing a driver. Not only were there multiple driverless vehicles on any given street at any given time, but tourists no longer had their mouths agape as one drove by. The technology has become a familiar sight.

Inside the vehicle itself, there were signs of how Waymo is trying to inspire a similar feeling among their passengers. The all-electric car offers a warm welcome to passengers by name and plays music as they climb inside. A screen positioned in front of the rear seats offers those along for the ride the option of seeing a follow-along map of the route, as well as settings for temperature and music. Another screen beside the steering wheel shows images of what’s around the vehicle. As we drive, I can see people sitting inside buses alongside us, dogs crossing the street ahead and children skipping along the sidewalk.