Important Innovations

  D A ILY INNOVATION BRIEF   By Journalists Edward  Kane & Marya nne Kane COULD CLOUD SEEDING TRIGGER A WEATHER WAR?                                                                                          Source:  Stock Cloud seeding in one country can flood another country.  It is a relatively new and advancing innovative technology that can have unintended consequences if not properly handled. Experts point to recent severe flooding in Dubai as a cause for concern.  Here's what we know: The US, France, Switzerland, China, Australia and other countries utilize the controversial technique of cloud seeding Some experts claims nearby cloud seeding triggered the desert metropolis of Dubai's recent flooding - 2 years worth of rain in 24 hours  Experts warn that cloud seeding can trigger heavy rains and flooding in adjacent countries Cloud seeding is used by 50 nations China is the most prolific advocate of weather modification Weather modification can also include clearing fog

D A ILY INNOVATION BRIEF   By Journalists Edward  Kane & Marya nne Kane ONE OF NASA'S MOST EXCITING SPACE MISSIONS                                                                                         Source:  NASA        NASA just confirmed a multi-billion-dollar space mission to Saturn's largest Moon Titan - the world in space most similar to Earth.  Here are the key facts: Called the Dragonfly mission Involves flying a drone-like spacecraft around Titan Titan has water, an atmosphere, mountains, oceans, valleys and perhaps the building blocks of life Dragonfly is a $3.5 billion mission Will launch July 2028 and reach Titan in 2034 Will explore the surface via a rotorcraft-lander for 2 years Also will search for signs of life, including ancient life and explore Titan's methane cycle NASA considers Dragonfly one of its most exciting and promising missions and adds it will push the boundaries of what rotorcraft can do in space. ARE WE ON THE BRINK OF WEATHER WARS?   

D A ILY INNOVATION BRIEF   By Journalists Edward  Kane & Marya nne Kane MONA LISA:  THE TALENTED RAP SINGER?                                                  Source:  Microsoft Microsoft has launched the VASA-1-AI bot that can make images talk and sing.  Here's what we know: Microsoft's VASA-1 transforms still images into animated clips of talking or singing Movements of the images lips are masterfully synchronized Not yet released to the public, Microsoft claims VASA-1 could be misused to impersonate humans VASA-1 AI is trained with a library of facial expressions, which allow it to animate the still images It then matches audio to the image making the face come to life Microsoft had the Mona Lisa singing a rap song as an example                                                                 Need MP4 to view this Mona rap  - Microsoft overview doc on VASA-1 with Mona Lisa rapping and more videos The precision and quality of VASA-1 is impressive. NEW, RAPID BLOOD TEST FOR

D A ILY INNOVATION BRIEF   By Journalists Edward  Kane & Marya nne Kane MONA LISA:  THE TALENTED RAPPER?                                                  Source:  Microsoft Microsoft has launched the VASA-1-AI bot that can make images talk and sing.  Here's what we know: Microsoft's VASA-1 transforms still images into animated clips of talking or singing Movements of the images lips are masterfully synchronized Not yet released to the public, Microsoft claims VASA-1 could be misused to impersonate humans VASA-1 AI is trained with a library of facial expressions, which allow it to animate the still images It then matches audio to the image making the face come to life Microsoft had the Mona Lisa singing a rap song as an example                                                  Plays with MP4 Mona rap   - Microsoft VASA-1 released, background document with Mona Lisa rapping & other videos created by VASA-1 that you can view The quality and precision of VASA-1-AI creating s

  D A ILY INNOVATION BRIEF   By Journalists Edward  Kane & Marya nne Kane NEW SCIENCE:  RATS CAN COUNT & UNDERSTAND NUMBERS!!!                                                                                          Source:  Stock Turns out arithmetic calculations are not unique to humans. Incredibly, rats understand numbers too and seem to be able to evaluate them, according to new scientific research. Here's what we know: A South Korean research team found that a rat's brain has a specific area to process numbers In their scientific experiment: Researchers used rodents who had no previous counting experience They trained the rodents to recognize sound stimuli that represented 2 or 3 numbers The researchers devised an algorithm to help the rodents focus on numerical values The result:  the small mammals were able to perceive and quantify numbers Wing-Ho Yung, the study's co-author, says the study encourages a reconsideration of the cognitive capabilities of animals

D A ILY INNOVATION BRIEF   By Journalists Edward  Kane & Marya nne Kane LET THE ROBOT DO THE HEAVY LIFTING                                         Source:  Boston Dynamics A number of global companies, including BMW, Amazon and Hyundai are developing humanoid robots to perform heavy duty tasks in their warehouses.  A new example is Boston Dynamics' new robot called Atlas.  Here are some key facts: Atlas is a highly agile and large humanoid robot designed to lift objects in warehouses that are too big for humans to lift and carry It's the replacement for Boston Dynamics famed HD Atlas who loved to dance and is now officially retired Unlike the original, this Atlas can be purchased The robot is a breakthrough - it's all-electric not hydraulic Its flexibility is unprecedented including lifting itself from a collapsed position on the ground, doing 360-degree rotation of its torso and its knees can swivel backwards Boston Dynamics will start testing it in Hyundai factories n

D A ILY INNOVATION BRIEF   By Journalists Edward  Kane & Marya nne Kane WORLD'S FIRST HUMAN-WHALE CONVERSATION                                                                                Source:  Twain & Stock A team of scientists from SETI, University of California Davis and the Alaska Whale Foundation say they've had the world's 1st human conversation with a humpback whale.  Here's what we know: Whales are highly intelligent, huge and very complex animals They make groans, whoops, thrup noises, sing lengthy songs and are rhythmic They speak a complex, elusive language, until now with this new research Scientists recorded humpback whales and played the recordings to other whales with an underwater speaker One female, named Twain, heard the recording, then mimicked it for 20 minutes and kept circling the boat that was the source of the recording Twain also repeatedly responded to the whales' recorded greeting calls & matched the time they took to resp

D A ILY INNOVATION BRIEF   By Journalists Edward  Kane & Marya nne Kane ANCIENT ROMAN   WINE IS BETTER THAN TODAYS                                                                                Source:  Stock A recent scientific study of ancient earthenware vessels used in wine fermentation challenges age-old negative views and makes a case that ancient wines may have rivalled fine wines of today.  Here's what we know: Previous misconceptions about the poor quality of ancient Roman wines developed from the lack of insight into fermentation in clay jars It's been scientifically found that the Roman winemaking procedure and current processes produce comparable aromas and tastes One big difference:  metal and concrete containers are used in modern winemaking; clay jars were used by the Romans, which unlike modern vessels, would expose Roman wine to air during fermentation Another difference:  no anti-insect or preservative chemicals on the grapes The new study concludes that a

NEW SCIENCE: ROMAN WINE FROM 2000 YEARS AGO BETTER THAN TODAYS                                                                                Source:  Stock A recent scientific study of cearthenware vessels used in wine fermentation challenges age-old negative views and makes a case that ancient wines may have rivalled fine wines of today.  Here's what we know: Previous misconceptions about the poor quality of ancient Roman wines developed from the lack of insight into fermentation in clay jars It's been scientifically found that the Roman winemaking procedure and current processes produce comparable aromas and tastes One big difference:  metal and concrete containers are used in modern winemaking; clay jars were used by the Romans, which unlike modern vessels, would expose Roman wine to air during fermentation Another difference:  no anti-insect or preservative chemicals on the grapes The new study concludes that ancient Roman wine may have been equal to or better than current