GM Grows Crops 20% Larger
One of the criticisms of genetically modified crops is that they haven’t done much to increase yields—the amount of corn or wheat a farmer can grow on an acre of land.
But now scientists tinkering with the process of photosynthesis in tobacco plants say they’ve done exactly that. They’ve created breeds that grow up to 20 percent larger, ending up taller, with bigger leaves and thicker roots.
The study is the first to show a big boost in the basic efficiency of photosynthesis, which predicts plants altered in this way could help meet what the UN projects will be a 70 percent increase in food demand over the next 30 years.
The fast-growing plants were 14 to 20 percent larger after growing for three weeks in Illinois test plots. That’s a huge gain in yield in a single step. By comparison, farmers in the U.S. have succeeded in increasing corn yields steadily, using a variety of methods, but at only about 2 percent a year.
It is hoped that similar yield gains can be achieved in other plant species.
Lip-Reading Computers Arrive – HAL Is Finally Here!
Scientists from Oxford University have described an artificial intelligence system, called LipNet, which can accurately read lips. The system employs deep learning to train itself using 29,000 three-second-long videos labeled with captions.
A previous system read lips on a word-to-word basis where it was taught to associate a phoneme with a certain lip movement. It achieved an accuracy of 79.6 percent. LipNet on the other hand, works on whole sentences at a time, achieving an accuracy of 93.4 percent. When compared against human lip readers who scored an accuracy of 52.3 percent, LipNet was 1.78 times more accurate than them in translating the same sentences.
And, of course, computers can lip-read in all major languages.
The ECB Wants Virtual Currencies Tightly Regulated
The European Central Bank wants EU lawmakers to tighten proposed new rules on digital currencies such as Bitcoin, Zcash and Ether fearing they might one day weaken its own control over money supply in the euro zone.
The European Commission’s draft rules, aimed at fighting terrorism, require currency exchange platforms to increase checks on the identities of people exchanging virtual currencies for real ones and report suspicious transactions.
In a legal opinion published on Tuesday, the ECB said EU institutions should not promote the use of digital currencies and should make clear they lack the legal status of currency or money.
Traditional Car Makers Struggling To Incorporate Smartphones
Traditional auto makers racing against Silicon Valley firms to develop self-driving cars and electric vehicles face more immediate technological challenges with a longstanding mainstay: the dashboard screen.
Customer frustrations are mounting with infotainment systems that fail to seamlessly connect smartphones and suffer a range of glitches including crashing electronic displays and imperfect voice-recognition features, according to dealers and automobile reviewers.
Google Getting Ready To Launch Daydream VR Headset
Google’s plans for a new headset are advancing rapidly. In recent months Google has been actively assigning individuals to work on a high-end standalone headset that doesn’t require a computer or smartphone.
Now people familiar with the matter say that Google’s device will integrate eye tracking and use sensors and algorithms to map out the real-world space in front of a user.
With these two technologies, Google will be able to augment the reality in front of the headset, displaying digital objects alongside environments and objects from the real world.
Industry rumours also indicate that Movidius, an AI company currently being acquired by Intel, is providing chips that will aid in tracking motion and positional awareness. Press sources have previously explained that the headset, which is separate from the company’s Daydream VR platform, will not require a computer or phone to power it.
GM Grows Crops 20% Larger
One of the criticisms of genetically modified crops is that they haven’t done much to increase yields—the amount of corn or wheat a farmer can grow on an acre of land.
But now scientists tinkering with the process of photosynthesis in tobacco plants say they’ve done exactly that. They’ve created breeds that grow up to 20 percent larger, ending up taller, with bigger leaves and thicker roots.
The study is the first to show a big boost in the basic efficiency of photosynthesis, which predicts plants altered in this way could help meet what the UN projects will be a 70 percent increase in food demand over the next 30 years.
The fast-growing plants were 14 to 20 percent larger after growing for three weeks in Illinois test plots. That’s a huge gain in yield in a single step. By comparison, farmers in the U.S. have succeeded in increasing corn yields steadily, using a variety of methods, but at only about 2 percent a year.
It is hoped that similar yield gains can be achieved in other plant species.
Lip-Reading Computers Arrive – HAL Is Finally Here!
Scientists from Oxford University have described an artificial intelligence system, called LipNet, which can accurately read lips. The system employs deep learning to train itself using 29,000 three-second-long videos labeled with captions.
A previous system read lips on a word-to-word basis where it was taught to associate a phoneme with a certain lip movement. It achieved an accuracy of 79.6 percent. LipNet on the other hand, works on whole sentences at a time, achieving an accuracy of 93.4 percent. When compared against human lip readers who scored an accuracy of 52.3 percent, LipNet was 1.78 times more accurate than them in translating the same sentences.
And, of course, computers can lip-read in all major languages.
The ECB Wants Virtual Currencies Tightly Regulated
The European Central Bank wants EU lawmakers to tighten proposed new rules on digital currencies such as Bitcoin, Zcash and Ether fearing they might one day weaken its own control over money supply in the euro zone.
The European Commission’s draft rules, aimed at fighting terrorism, require currency exchange platforms to increase checks on the identities of people exchanging virtual currencies for real ones and report suspicious transactions.
In a legal opinion published on Tuesday, the ECB said EU institutions should not promote the use of digital currencies and should make clear they lack the legal status of currency or money.
Traditional Car Makers Struggling To Incorporate Smartphones
Traditional auto makers racing against Silicon Valley firms to develop self-driving cars and electric vehicles face more immediate technological challenges with a longstanding mainstay: the dashboard screen.
Customer frustrations are mounting with infotainment systems that fail to seamlessly connect smartphones and suffer a range of glitches including crashing electronic displays and imperfect voice-recognition features, according to dealers and automobile reviewers.
Google Getting Ready To Launch Daydream VR Headset
Google’s plans for a new headset are advancing rapidly. In recent months Google has been actively assigning individuals to work on a high-end standalone headset that doesn’t require a computer or smartphone.
Now people familiar with the matter say that Google’s device will integrate eye tracking and use sensors and algorithms to map out the real-world space in front of a user.
With these two technologies, Google will be able to augment the reality in front of the headset, displaying digital objects alongside environments and objects from the real world.
Industry rumours also indicate that Movidius, an AI company currently being acquired by Intel, is providing chips that will aid in tracking motion and positional awareness. Press sources have previously explained that the headset, which is separate from the company’s Daydream VR platform, will not require a computer or phone to power it.