Writing is Thinking
This week, researchers at the University of Florida found that while AI can be a valuable assistant, it falls short of replacing human scientists in many critical areas.The researchers tested how well popular generative AI models including OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft’s Copilot and Google’s Gemini could handle various stages of the research process. They put these AI systems through six stages of academic research – ideation, literature review, research design, documenting results, extending the research and final manuscript production – while limiting any human
Golden Software updates Surfer Mapping Tech
Golden Software added the ability to download georeferenced Google aerial and satellite images to map projects in the latest version of its Surfer mapping and 3D visualization package. Other new features focus on faster and simpler creation of 3D visualizations that are easier to interpret and understand.Surfer enables users to model data sets, apply an array of advanced analytics tools, and visually communicate the results in a way that even the non-technical stakeholders can understand. Surfer is used by more than 100,000 people worldwide, many involved in environmental consulting, water resources
Schmidt Sciences Fosters AI Research
household chores - all with an emphasis on the safety and effectiveness of AI systems.“The AI2050 program gathers experts across disciplines, continents and career stages to imagine a future that is brighter because of AI,” said James Manyika, co-chair of AI2050 and a senior vice president at Google. “I am excited about the work these fellows will undertake, motivated by our AI2050 challenge to tackle the hard problems associated with achieving beneficial outcomes for society from AI.”The senior fellows are selected based on existing contributions to the field, and early career fellows
Google to Build Subsea Cable for Christmas Island
Australia's Indian Ocean territory of Christmas Island will be connected by subsea cable to the northern garrison city of Darwin, a project backed by Alphabet's Google that Australia says will boost its digital resilience.Christmas Island is 1,500 km (930 miles) west of the Australian mainland, with a small population of 1,250, but strategically located in the Indian Ocean, 350 km (215 miles) from Jakarta.The cable announcement comes as the Australian and U.S. militaries upgrade airfields in Australia's north, where a rotating force of U.S. Marines will be joined by Japanese troops next
Lending Oceans a Robotic Hand
and hovers above the seabed, picking individual nodules with robotic arms. There is no sediment release mid-water and no noise from pumps or the DP system of vessels.It is an example of how hopeful industry players are that they can counter environmental concerns. Over 20 countries and companies such as Google, BMW, Volvo and Samsung have indicated their opposition to seabed mining. They prefer to protect the unique and largely unknown ecology of the seafloor.Will the human and robotic helping hands being developed be enough to protect the beauty and mystery of the deep for future generations? Time will tell
Underwater Power Grids Could Revolutionize How the US East Coast Gets Its Electricity
of power grids and reduce the need for new transmission lines over land, which have been notoriously difficult to gain approval for, especially on the East Coast.Coordinated offshore transmission was part of early U.S. discussions on offshore wind planning and development. In the late 2000s when Google and partners first proposed the Atlantic Wind Connection, an offshore transmission project, the benefits in both offshore renewables and the entire energy system were intriguing. At the time, the U.S. had just one utility-scale offshore wind project in the pipeline, and it ultimately failed.Today
Breathing New Life Into Fight to Save the Seas with Artificial Intelligence
called machine learning. Here algorithms are trained on big sets of data or images to quickly recognise the presence of a whale in a shipping lane, for example, or a fishing vessel in a marine protected area. The tools have become more powerful in recent years, with some of the biggest companies, like Google and IBM, using their software to map coastal blue carbon.“It’s not really possible for a human to look at all of the data that's available and interpret it and draw out what really matters in any reasonable length of time, particularly given that fishing activities and other maritime
MTR100: Underwater Cameras, Lights and Ocean Landers
devised, from acrylic flat plates to clear silicone rubber sheets. Some cast the LEDs in a block of clear acrylic. Heat is the principal enemy of LEDs. Much has been written about topside luminaire design, including the use of heat transfer material behind the PCB to carry the heat away from the LEDs (google “CREE LED Luminaire Design Guide”). LEDs are completely pressure tolerant as they have no compressible volume. A pressure compensating fluid, such as mineral oil may be used. Avoid silicone oil has the cast dome on an LED is often silicone, and may be affected by immersion in a fluid
Indian Fishermen Use Smartphones to Map a Vanishing Way of Life
always owned the land. But the government keeps changing the rules not realising that our customs and our livelihood here is older than their rules,” said Raji, a 33-year-old father of two.Raji and his fellow fishermen of Gunankuppam have captured the co-ordinates of hundreds of special places on Google Maps and other apps, none of them designated as landmarks in official government maps.Industrial proposals to develop the creek around Gunankuppam label the places the fishermen most cherish as “wastelands”, Raji said, fearing the rapid industrialisation that is tranforming much of India
February 2025
