Baby-mounted cameras teach AI to ‘see’ through a child’s eyes
An AI has learned to recognise objects using video captured by a head-mounted camera worn by young children for a few hours per week over their first 3 years of life
New Scientist
Is police use of face recognition now illegal in the UK?
The UK Court of Appeal has determined that the use of a face-recognition system by South Wales Police was “unlawful”, which could have ramifications for the widespread use of such technology across the UK
We don’t know how accurate the UK’s new rapid coronavirus tests are
Two new tests that diagnose covid-19 within 90 minutes are being rolled out by the UK government – and while both are promising, neither is supported by publicly available, independent evidence
Menopausal woman gives birth after blood plasma injection in ovaries
Five out of 60 women who were menopausal or transiting into the menopause became pregnant after having their own blood plasma injected into their ovaries, according to results of a pilot study
Vaccine for major common cold virus could be ready for use by 2024
A clinical trial involving 420 people suggests that a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus – a major cause of common colds – is safe and effective
Fatal cardiac arrests could be hiding opioid overdose deaths in the US
A study in San Francisco has found that 17 per cent of deaths ascribed to cardiac arrest were actually caused by drug overdose, most commonly opioids
Covid-19 news: Coronavirus not seasonal and will bounce back, says WHO
The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic
Dwarf planet Ceres may be home to an underground ocean
New analysis of data from the Dawn spacecraft suggests there may be a liquid water ocean beneath the Occator crater on Ceres, the largest asteroid in the solar system
Fabric repels both oil and water thanks to clever silicone coating
By studying a fabric’s weave, it’s possible to design an environmentally friendly silicone coating for the individual fibres that makes the material oil and water-repellent
Eardrum implants made from pig guts could fix chronic glue ear
Glue ear, a condition caused by sticky fluid in the middle part of the ear, can burst the eardrum in severe cases, and tissue taken from pig intestines could be used to patch up the hole
Striking image of oily Amazon water shortlisted for photo prize
BR-319: Highway to the Tipping Point by Evgeny Makarov is shortlisted for the Royal Geographical Society’s Earth Photo 2020 competition in the category A Climate of Change
The Lady Astronaut series tackles historical sexism brilliantly
Two recent books imagine a different history of science, but one handles the prejudices of the time much better than the other, says Jacob Aron