abilities

The Finals is about to get even more chaotic with the launch of Season 2 on March 14, when it will introduce a slew of new hacker-themed abilities that sound like serious game-changers.Season 2 sees the "game show" players participate under siege by a rogue hacker collective called CNS, which are looking to disrupt the show and spread their message. As part of their cyberattacks, players will be able to embrace some new gadgets that have the potential to completely upend the balance of Embark Studio's…

The stone tool was glued into a handle made of liquid bitumen with the addition of 55% ocher. It is no longer sticky and can be handled easily. Credit: Patrick Schmidt Neanderthals created stone tools held together by a multi-component adhesive, a team of scientists has discovered. Its findings, which are the earliest evidence of a complex adhesive in Europe, suggest these predecessors to modern humans had a higher level of…

Recent research challenges the conventional division between ‘thinking’ and ‘doing’ molecules within cells, showing that structural ‘muscle’ molecules can also process information and make decisions through nucleation. This discovery, highlighting a dual role for these molecules, could lead to more efficient cellular processes and has broad implications for understanding computation in biological systems. Credit: Olivier Wyatt, HEADQUARTER, 2023 https://headquarter.paris/We tend to separate the brain and muscle – the…

Research from the University of Bath indicates that excessive optimism, particularly among those with lower cognitive skills, often leads to poor financial decisions. In contrast, individuals with higher cognitive abilities exhibit more realistic expectations, challenging the conventional emphasis on positive thinking.Research highlights adverse effects on financial well-being.Optimistic thinking, often celebrated in self-help literature as a pathway to happiness, health, and longer life, can also lead to poor…

The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is probably the most prestigious competition for preuniversity students. Every year students from all over the world compete for its coveted bronze, silver and gold medals (112 countries took part in 2023). In a new twist, AI programs could soon be competing with them, too.A team led by Trieu H. Trinh of Google DeepMind and New York University unveiled a new AI program called AlphaGeometry in the journal Nature on January 17. The researchers reported that the program was able…

Recent research led by Julia Notar at Duke University reveals that brittle stars, despite lacking brains, can learn through experience. These marine creatures, related to starfish, use their nerve cords to learn by association, a concept demonstrated in classical conditioning. Brainless brittle stars are capable of learning through experience, as demonstrated in new research. They exhibit classical conditioning by associating darkness with feeding, a significant discovery in understanding learning processes in brainless…

Artistic representation of numerical discrimination in Drosophila. Credit: Mercedes Bengochea, Maria Ines OviedoIn a study at the Paris Brain Institute, fruit flies demonstrated numerical sensitivity, preferring larger quantities and distinguishing between quantities based on clear ratios. The crucial role of LC11 neurons in this skill was identified, highlighting the cognitive capabilities of insects and their importance in understanding human brain function.In the animal world, you don’t need to learn a numeral system –…

Sophie Bushwick: Today we're talking Large Language Models. What they are. How they do what they do, and what ghosts may lie within the machine. I’m Sophie Bushwick, tech editor at Scientific American. George Musser: I’m George Musser, contributing editor.  Sophie Bushwick: And you’re listening to Tech Quickly, the AI-obsessed sister of Scientific American’s Science Quickly podcast.  Bushwick: My thoughts about large language models, which are those artificial intelligence programs that analyze and generate text, are…

Roguelike FPS Synapse is now available on PlayStation VR2 and tasks players with fighting off horde after horde of enemies within the mindscape of a rogue agent. The crux of Synapse’s progression comes from challenges players can complete mid-run. After a run ends, players are rewarded with a currency called Insight for each challenge that they completed. This insight can then be spent on upgrades in a skill tree, which make the player more powerful with each subsequent run. That said, the number of options players…

A comprehensive University of Minnesota study, which analyzed over 1,300 previous studies spanning a century, has revealed intricate links between human cognition and personality traits. Among the key findings, the research suggests active individuals have a better command of various cognitive abilities, individuals with higher levels of depression or anxiety may struggle to accumulate knowledge, and those with traits of industriousness and compassion possess better verbal and quantitative skills, while open-mindedness…