Charles Q. Choi

Thermodynamic Computing Promises Energy-Efficient AI Images What if AI could create stunning images with a fraction of the energy used today?

Thermodynamic Computing Slashes Energy Use For Image Generation -- may be 10 billion times more efficient than AI spectrum.ieee.org/thermodynami... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org

James Webb Space Telescope's mysterious 'little red dots' may be black holes in disguise "If they were purely made up of stars, they would be the densest galaxies in the universe."

James Webb Space Telescope's mysterious 'little red dots' may be black holes in disguise www.space.com/astronomy/bl... by @cqchoi for @space.com

Mars Timekeeping: Why Microseconds Matter Atomic clocks tick faster on Mars than Earth. Find out why this matters for future missions.

We Now Know How Much Faster Clocks Will Run on Mars: the planet’s weaker gravity means time passes faster than here spectrum.ieee.org/time-on-mars... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org

Room-Sized Particle Accelerators Are Here Room-sized particle accelerators are here! Learn how switching from electromagnetic fields to lasers shrinks these devices down from kilometers to meters.

Room-Size Particle Accelerators Go Commercial: new devices to initially be used in radiation testing for space electronics spectrum.ieee.org/plasma-wakef... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org

Gene replacement therapy normalizes some traits in SYNGAP1 model mice The first published virus-based gene therapy for SYNGAP1 deletion yields benefits despite the gene’s long length and complexity.

Boosting SYNGAP1 levels via viral delivery can normalize brain waves in mice.

By @cqchoi.com

www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/gen...

#neuroskyence

Google's New Quantum Algorithm May Actually Be Useful Quantum advantage may not be here yet, but there is hope.

Google’s New Quantum Algorithm May Actually Be Useful: The quantum echoes algorithm shows promise for helping discover better drugs, polymers, catalysts, battery components & more spectrum.ieee.org/quantum-echoes by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org

Boosting SCN2A expression reduces seizures in mice A modified form of CRISPR amps up expression of the gene—a strategy that could apply to other gene variations linked to autism.

A variant of CRISPR amps up expression of SCN2A, rescuing mice from seizures caused by haploinsufficiency.

By @cqchoi.com

www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/boo...

Quantum Sensors Sidestep Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle Can quantum sensors really measure both position and momentum with precision? Find out how scientists are sidestepping Heisenberg's limits.

Quantum Sensors Sidestep the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: new technique could help detect both position and momentum with unprecedented precision spectrum.ieee.org/sidestep-hei... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org

Smartphones Can Now See Beyond RGB With Simple Card Trick Transform your phone into a pocket spectrometer with just a card and an algorithm.

Smartphone Cameras Go Hyperspectral: off-the-shelf smartphone cameras can become advanced sensors spectrum.ieee.org/hyperspectra... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org

@oldgodspod.bsky.social love the show! so apologies if this has already been answered, but do you see vamps as creatures of the Black or Green? I would’ve assumed the former, but then those beneath might already have some.

A Survey of the Kuiper Belt Hints at an Unseen Planet - Eos An analysis of more than 150 objects in the far reaches of the solar system suggests that a planet more massive than Mercury could be lurking beyond the orbit of Pluto.

eos.org/articles/a-s...

I mean, if it was a store for a Vegas-strip club (or a Vegas strip club, YMMV) that’d make sense

Silicon Anodes Promise Longer Smartphone Battery Life Silicon anodes in Enovix's new battery promise longer life for AI-powered smartphones. How does it overcome silicon's swelling issue?

Silicon Is Coming to Smartphone Batteries for a Big Energy Boost: A new silicon-anode battery offers the highest energy density yet spectrum.ieee.org/enovix-silic... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org

Neanderthal genes may explain disorder where brain bulges out of the skull Neanderthal genes may explain why some people have Chiari malformation type I, a condition in which the brain bulges out of the back of the skull.

Neanderthal genes may explain disorder where brain bulges out of the skull www.livescience.com/archaeology/... by @cqchoi.com for @livescience.com

You’re disappointed that he didn’t want to relitigate one of hundreds of stories he wrote more than a decade ago? Or that he didn’t want to get in an argument with a stranger from the Internet?

Thank you for your attention. Am wondering why you haven’t yet also targeted @royalsocietypublishing.org in which the study I wrote about ran, or @edyong209.bsky.social given his NatGeo story, or @rachelnuwer.bsky.social given her Smithsonian piece, or the study’s authors? Why am I so lucky?

Brain-Computer Interface Restores Speech Restoring speech with brain-computer interfaces: How close are we to real-time voice synthesis for those who can't speak?

A New BCI Instantly Synthesizes Speech: a paralyzed patient was able to ask questions, emphasize words, and sing short melodies spectrum.ieee.org/bci-speech-s... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org

In the Disney lawsuit, 10 pages are dedicated to citing the work we did. In pursuit of this evidence, Midjourney banned me 3 times and updated their ToS. The first ban encouraged me to dig a lot deeper, so I'd like to congratulate CEO David Holz on his massive unforced error.

Cyborg Embryos Offer New Insights Into Brain Growth Could soft, stretchable electrodes in embryos lead to new insights into brain development and regeneration?

Scientists have created cyborg embryos by implanting electrode arrays into the developing brains of frogs, mice, and salamanders spectrum.ieee.org/embryo-elect... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org

Innatera's Pulsar Chip Could Be a Game-Changer for Ultra-Low-Power AI Sensors Innatera's Pulsar chip, the first commercial neuromorphic microcontroller, promises ultra-low power AI with 100x lower latency.

Neuromorphic processors mimic the way the brain operates. Now, a Dutch firm has launched what it calls the world’s first commercially available neuromorphic microcontroller. spectrum.ieee.org/innatera-spi... by @cqchoi.com for @spectrum.ieee.org

“Chowchowfun”

Large study links autism to Parkinson’s disease Autistic adults appear to be prone to an early-onset form of Parkinson’s, according to a long-term study that tracked 2.2 million people in Sweden.

Autism linked with a fourfold increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a study of more than 2 million people.

By Charles Q. Choi

www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/lar...

Currently my favorite distraction on TikTok is this man who is CLEARLY in like, THE BEST shape, finding things that other athletes can do (and often the things they're doing are typically femme) and seeing if he also can do that

With the "assistance" of the best dog named Dootie

I love this

Omg, they used AI to write this.

There’s a word on the tip of my tongue: snowbake? Snowrake? Snowcake?

Scientists find rare double-star system where one star orbited inside the other Only 16 to 84 other examples of this exotic system may exist in our entire galaxy.

Astronomers may have discovered a rare type of binary star system, where one star used to orbit inside its partner www.space.com/astronomy/st... by @cqchoi.com for @space.com

Research I wrote about for @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social

Its debut is really confusing, because there’s a long-running Canadian production called MURDER BOOT

I believe the proper term is “bullflighting”

@patrickwyman.bsky.social I had sent you a copy of the Carthage study last week — guess you didn’t see it.