Algorithms

The chances are incredibly small that Earth is the only planet with life. A new AI system has scoured millions of radio signals from space to identify any with potential artificial origins – and discovered eight signals that look intriguingly alien.

A team of researchers in the UK has developed a fully automated artificial intelligence-enabled system that can scan retinal images for vascular health, helping identify those at high risk of heart disease and stroke.

X-ray vision has long been a superpower, but soon mere mortals could see hidden objects with help from AI. A new “ghost imaging” system reads the brainwaves of a person looking at light scattered off a wall to identify an object around a corner.

Algorithms have helped uncover a new antibiotic that shows promise against some nasty bacteria, using a novel mode of attack that should be hard for them to develop resistance to. Most importantly it could unlock a whole new arsenal of antibiotics.

A new AI tool can accurately measure plaque deposits in arteries and predict a patient’s risk of suffering a heart attack within five years. The tool promises to achieve in seconds what has previously taken trained experts up to 30 minutes to deliver.

Random numbers are crucial for computing, but our current algorithms aren’t truly random. Researchers at Brown University have now found a way to tap into the fluctuations of skyrmions to generate millions of truly random numbers per second.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are poised to become a major health threat in the coming decades – but new antibiotics may have been inside us all along. A search algorithm has discovered dozens of potential antimicrobial peptides in the human body.

Accumulation of fat around the heart has long been linked to cardiovascular and metabolic disease but until now there hasn’t been a simple way to measure this. A new AI tool has been developed that can quantify these fat deposits from regular MRI images.

Machine learning has been used to develop algorithms that can analyze driving data and detect dementia in a driver. The researchers say it could be possible in the future to detect early signs of dementia using devices incorporated into car systems.

A new algorithm has been developed to detect coronary artery disease solely from patient facial photos. The algorithm needs more refinement but experts suggest there are ethical considerations to resolve before a system like this can be deployed.

A new study has validated the efficacy of a novel AI algorithm designed to deliver accurate MRI results using a quarter of the data of current systems. This innovation promises to speed up MRI scans without upgrades to pre-existing imaging hardware.

Researchers at MIT have developed a new algorithm that takes stock of ocean conditions to determine in real-time where stranded items and people are likely to appear, which could give the efficiency of search and rescue operations a big boost.