Latest news with #CL1
Business Times
05-07-2025
- Science
- Business Times
Brain cells on silicon chips: The rise of ‘biological computers'
[SINGAPORE] The brain is full of unsolved mysteries. One startup thinks that it can crack these puzzles – and even open up new possibilities in computing – by fusing brain cells with silicon. In March, Australian startup Cortical Labs unveiled what it says is the first commercial 'biological computer'. Called the CL1, the device integrates lab-grown brain cells – derived from human stem cells – with hard silicon. The CL1 can be used for drug discovery, disease modelling and research into neuroscience and information systems, Cortical Labs' chief scientific officer, Dr Brett Kagan, told me over a Zoom call. The CL1 fuses lab-grown brain cells with hard silicon. PHOTO: CORTICAL LABS With its combination of brain cells and silicon, the CL1 is meant to be able to adapt and learn faster than purely silicon-based artificial intelligence (AI). Dr Kagan said: 'Cortical Labs was started with the question in mind: 'What if we use the most powerful information processor that we currently know of?' And that, ultimately, is brain cells. Whether it's flies, cats or us, we all can do amazing things – with very little power, very little data – using brain cells.' Indeed, I was surprised to learn that the brain uses just 20 watts of power, equivalent to what a light bulb would require. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up In contrast, training an AI model, such as the GPT-3 large language model, guzzles as much as 1,300 megawatt hours of electricity – enough to power about 130 homes in the US for a year. The CL1's launch follows a widely publicised paper published in the journal Neuron in 2022, which gave an account of the Cortical Labs team's efforts to train brain cells in a dish to play the arcade game Pong. 'That paper was a proof of concept to see if you could get brain cells in a dish… to process information and do something in a goal-orientated way – in this case, control a paddle to 'hit' a ball,' said Dr Kagan. 'While we weren't that surprised to see that cells could learn and respond… the speed at which they learnt and responded was surprising. We expected it would take much longer to see some meaningful learning, but in fact, it was within minutes.' Untangling a paradox Dr Kagan is excited, not just about the current applications of the CL1, but what breakthroughs it could lead to. In the near future, applications could include personalised medicine – through which scientists could grow a person's cells in a lab and test drugs on them while measuring the cells' response, enabling the treatment to be tailored to that individual. Dr Kagan believes the use of biological computers for personalised medicine could be just a few years away with proper investment, given that the technical barriers are not high. In the long term, a biological computer could be used in fields such as robotics, cybersecurity or even systems with 'generalised intelligence', or in the human-like ability to solve general problems, surpassing current AI systems. 'I think the most exciting applications may be ones that I'm not even going to be able to tell you today,' the chief scientific officer said. Of course, there are a host of ethical issues that come with such work. For instance, some would be concerned if a biological computer would be able to feel pain. 'No, the system can't feel pain – it doesn't have pain receptors (and) it's not set up to feel pain,' Dr Kagan said, adding that the company has been working with bioethicists on how such technology should move forward. He noted that scientists have grown brain cells in labs for decades, but previously had no means to test the information-processing ability of these cells. What devices like the CL1 do is introduce new possibilities. Dr Kagan references a famous quote by the American scientist Emerson Pugh: 'If the brain was so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn't.' Pointing to Cortical Labs' work, he added: 'What we're building here might be a way to overcome that paradox.' The rise of biological computers is just one of many weird and wonderful phenomena out there. This column routes signals away from the motherboard of regular news and into peripheral curiosities, whether in finance, economics, science, psychology, or even beyond.
The Age
01-06-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Race-by-race preview and tips for Monday meeting at Warren
Track Soft 5 and rail True Race 1 3. Wolf Club draws the inside and can go back to back, stepping up in trip from a tough CL1 win 13 days ago. Hard fit for this, gets a soft run on or near the speed and further boosted with the early favourite being preferred at Sunday's Muswellbrook meeting. 4. Sian is over the odds coming off a dominant and last-start BM 58 win well into the prep. 7. Hideyo was given little or no chance last start, held up and shuffled back behind the former, but did finish off well when clear late. 1. Yak another last start winner in BM 58 grade over a similar trip, and 6. Instead, who has been in and around the money all prep can both figure in the money. How to play it: Wolf Club to win Race 2 13. Spring Prospect is a lightly raced filly drawn to get the right run inside, and strike at just her third start. Was backed from $3.50 to $3.20 ahead of a solid effort at Parkes, and extra fitness can get her home. 14. Sneaky Pee Cee is a two-year-old debutante by Winning Rupert, and a big market watch behind a steady trial. 4. London Boy is an improver back on firmer ground, and also draws to get a sound run just off the speed. At bigger odds, keep safe 12. Saint Philomena getting on to a much preferred bigger track second-up. 11. Miss Rovilea is a four-year-old mare by Kobayashi also having her first start off a quiet trial. How to play it: Spring Prospect to win Race 3 14. The Git Up is an underrated and still improving mare who can launch third-up over 100m further at good odds after being given a torrid run at Wellington three weeks back. Drawn to get a lovely camp behind the speed in what is an open and wide race, and a superior and stronger jockey takes over. 10. Matilda Of Tuscany is also well-placed, improving into her third start over more ground. Must include 8. Down The Kooka, who can figure getting back on to better ground second-up, also from a handy trailing draw. 12. Fetes Des Meres has to tuck in from a wide barrier, but she gets the blinkers back on a month between runs, and having her first start in NSW. 7. Twining Class and 13. I Don't Think So can both add value into trifecta and first four plays. How to play it: The Git Up to win Race 4 5. Miss You So is a lightly raced and improving three-year-old in the Rodney Northam stable at Scone who is searching for further second-up. Will ultimately be better over a longer trip, but will relish getting back onto a much bigger track, and with decent speed on, only needs a clear crack at them from the 350m mark. 17. Matilda Of Tuscany is first reserve here, and likely to start in the previous race, although is suited up in trip third-up. 1. Carrick draws to get a soft run over a furlong further, but still needs to improve. 9. Bold Bender is very fit deep into the prep, while 14. Withania has beaten all but the winner in her last two, but more depth in this. 13. Winning Reign heads the rest. How to play it: Miss You So win
Sydney Morning Herald
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Race-by-race preview and tips for Monday meeting at Warren
Track Soft 5 and rail True Race 1 3. Wolf Club draws the inside and can go back to back, stepping up in trip from a tough CL1 win 13 days ago. Hard fit for this, gets a soft run on or near the speed and further boosted with the early favourite being preferred at Sunday's Muswellbrook meeting. 4. Sian is over the odds coming off a dominant and last-start BM 58 win well into the prep. 7. Hideyo was given little or no chance last start, held up and shuffled back behind the former, but did finish off well when clear late. 1. Yak another last start winner in BM 58 grade over a similar trip, and 6. Instead, who has been in and around the money all prep can both figure in the money. How to play it: Wolf Club to win Race 2 13. Spring Prospect is a lightly raced filly drawn to get the right run inside, and strike at just her third start. Was backed from $3.50 to $3.20 ahead of a solid effort at Parkes, and extra fitness can get her home. 14. Sneaky Pee Cee is a two-year-old debutante by Winning Rupert, and a big market watch behind a steady trial. 4. London Boy is an improver back on firmer ground, and also draws to get a sound run just off the speed. At bigger odds, keep safe 12. Saint Philomena getting on to a much preferred bigger track second-up. 11. Miss Rovilea is a four-year-old mare by Kobayashi also having her first start off a quiet trial. How to play it: Spring Prospect to win Race 3 14. The Git Up is an underrated and still improving mare who can launch third-up over 100m further at good odds after being given a torrid run at Wellington three weeks back. Drawn to get a lovely camp behind the speed in what is an open and wide race, and a superior and stronger jockey takes over. 10. Matilda Of Tuscany is also well-placed, improving into her third start over more ground. Must include 8. Down The Kooka, who can figure getting back on to better ground second-up, also from a handy trailing draw. 12. Fetes Des Meres has to tuck in from a wide barrier, but she gets the blinkers back on a month between runs, and having her first start in NSW. 7. Twining Class and 13. I Don't Think So can both add value into trifecta and first four plays. How to play it: The Git Up to win Race 4 5. Miss You So is a lightly raced and improving three-year-old in the Rodney Northam stable at Scone who is searching for further second-up. Will ultimately be better over a longer trip, but will relish getting back onto a much bigger track, and with decent speed on, only needs a clear crack at them from the 350m mark. 17. Matilda Of Tuscany is first reserve here, and likely to start in the previous race, although is suited up in trip third-up. 1. Carrick draws to get a soft run over a furlong further, but still needs to improve. 9. Bold Bender is very fit deep into the prep, while 14. Withania has beaten all but the winner in her last two, but more depth in this. 13. Winning Reign heads the rest. How to play it: Miss You So win
Saba Yemen
29-05-2025
- Science
- Saba Yemen
Warnings of Destructive Asteroids Threatening Earth
Paris - (Saba): A new astronomical study has warned of invisible space threats that could strike Earth and destroy entire cities. Dangerous asteroids are hiding behind the glare of the sun near Venus. The British newspaper "Daily Mail" reported that an international team of scientists from universities in Brazil, France, and Italy has discovered the presence of at least three asteroids: "CL1 2020," "524522," and "2020 CB." They are close to Earth and dangerous enough to cause widespread destruction. These asteroids move in orbits synchronous with Venus, making them difficult to observe due to their proximity to the sun. Each of these asteroids is estimated to be between 100 and 400 meters in diameter, a size sufficient to cause massive explosions equivalent to a million times the power of the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima if one of them were to impact Earth. This could cause large craters, fires, and catastrophic tsunamis. Although these asteroids' orbit with Venus prevents them from colliding with it, it does not protect Earth from their danger. Their unstable orbits also make them vulnerable to any gravitational shift that could direct them toward our planet. Scientists have indicated that the Rubin Observatory in Chile may be able to detect these dangerous asteroids, but the observation window will be extremely short, ranging from only two to four weeks per year, due to the asteroids' proximity to the Sun's glare. For this reason, the research team recommends launching a space probe toward Venus as the only way to detect these "hidden asteroids" and accurately map their locations. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Economic Times
28-05-2025
- Science
- Economic Times
Three 'invisible' city-killer asteroids could strike earth within weeks, scientists warn- here's all about them
Three huge asteroids could hit Earth, and a group of astronomers is sounding the alarm. They could cause destruction on a scale never seen before. These asteroids are almost invisible because of the sun's glare. Scientists say that three asteroids are orbiting Venus and could hit Earth in a matter of weeks because their paths are unstable. The three city-killer asteroids that Venus is hiding could cause catastrophic damage before we can respond, as per a report by The NY Post. The authors of the arockcalyptic study, which was published in the journal "Astronomy & Astrophysics," cautioned that there are currently 20 co-orbital asteroids of to the Daily Mail, at least three of the asteroids that orbit the sun in tandem with our twin planet, 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1, have unstable orbits that bring them dangerously close to Earth, according to the international research team headed by Valerio Carruba of São Paulo University in to the study, the asteroids might be put on a collision course with Earth if this unstable trajectory is only marginally altered by a slight change in gravity or another force. A collision with one of these intergalactic gravelstones would be bad. They could release energy millions of times stronger than the Hiroshima bomb and would produce a crater more than two miles in diameterWith diameters ranging from 330 to 1,300 feet, asteroids 2020 SB, 524522, and 2020 CL1 have the potential to completely destroy cities and trigger devastating fires and tsunamis, according to the Daily to the Daily Galaxy, the researchers cautioned that while co-orbital status shields these asteroids from near-close encounters with Venus, it does not shield them from coming into contact with simulating a variety of potential outcomes over 36,000 years using imitation space rocks, Carruba & Co. arrived at this conclusion. They discovered that a significant population of low-eccentricity asteroids, which were previously believed to be harmless, could be driven toward Earth by gravitational shifts and other orbits of the cosmic rocks make them nearly invisible to Earthly detection equipment, which exacerbates the sun's glare acts as a cosmic cloaking device, preventing the telescopes from detecting rocks in a suborbital path with Venus, even though NASA and other space agencies regularly track potentially dangerous near-Earth asteroids, according to WION. ALSO READ: Kylie Jenner feels jealous and insecure about her Kardashian sisters, fears they might snatch away boyfriend Timothée The Chilean Rubin Observatory would only have two to four weeks to detect deadly asteroids because of this interstellar blind spot, which would leave us little time if they were headed straight for typically takes years to plan a mission to engineer something that could deflect a killer space authors concluded that "Low-e Venus co-orbitals pose a unique challenge because of the difficulties in detecting and following these objects from Earth." The authors stated that they thought that the only way to map and find all of the still "invisible" PHAs (potentially hazardous asteroids) among Venus' co-orbital asteroids would be to conduct a focused observational campaign from a space-based mission close to the planet. Will these asteroids actually hit Earth soon? Yes, scientists believe three Venus-orbiting asteroids could strike Earth in weeks due to their unstable orbits. Why don't we see them coming? The sun's glare obscures them from Earth-based telescopes, making early detection difficult.
