New Atlas

Biology Audio available

Biologist locates piranhas by listening for them barking

Ben Coxworth November 6, 2018

Amazonian lakes and rivers don't always have the clearest of water, so how do biologists know if piranhas are present? They can always try fishing for the things, although according to new research, listening for their "barks" may be a better way to go.

Different types of piranhas make different sounds – a fact which could be used to detect ...

Environment

Electronic tags could keep fishing nets from becoming ghosts

Ben Coxworth October 17, 2018

So-called "ghost" fishing nets are awful things. Lost or forgotten during commercial fishing operations, they can drift in the ocean for years, indiscriminately catching marine life as they do. A newly-invented tag, however, may help keep that from happening.

A sea turtle caught in a ghost net outside Curacao

3D Printing

Internal QR codes could thwart counterfeiting of 3D-printed objects

Ben Coxworth August 21, 2018

As more and more products are manufactured via 3D printing, the potential for 3D-printed counterfeit versions rises accordingly. With that in mind, scientists have devised a method of ensuring that a printed item is the real thing, by building an "exploded" QR code into it.

The system incorporates hundreds of tiny elements, inserted at various levels within 3D-printed items

Good Thinking

Duelling AIs defeat facial recognition tech

Ben Coxworth June 1, 2018

Don't like the idea of a stranger finding out who you are, based on a photo? Thanks to the facial recognition systems used by social media sites, it's becoming increasingly possible. Scientists decided to do something about it, by turning a couple of AI systems against one another.

Before and after images of facial photos altered by the system, along with the differences between ...

Science

System identifies people by their footsteps

Ben Coxworth May 28, 2018

Have you ever said of a person, "You can see it in the way they walk"? Well, if it was their identity that you were referring to, then you were right. To that end, scientists have now created an artificial intelligence-based system that identifies people via their footsteps.

Biology

Scientists set to search Loch Ness for monster DNA

Ben Coxworth May 22, 2018

There's a relatively new way of determining what types of animals are present in an area – check the environment for their cast-off DNA, known as environmental DNA (eDNA). Next month, scientists will be using the technique in an effort to prove or disprove the existence of the Loch Ness monster.

The researchers hope to find environmental DNA in Loch Ness, that can't be matched to species ...

Science

Web tool squeezes more info out of DNA samples

Ben Coxworth May 14, 2018

When it comes to determining a person's eye, hair and skin color based on a DNA sample, scientists typically need to compare that evidence sample to an existing reference sample. That's reportedly no longer the case, however, if they're using the new HIrisPlex-S DNA test system.

HIrisPlex-S is reportedly the first system that can determine the color of a person's eye, hair ...

Science

AI-based system designed to spot poachers

Ben Coxworth February 9, 2018

Poachers typically hunt at night, which is why drone-mounted infrared cameras are being used to spot them. The problem is, it can be difficult to tell humans from animals in the videos. Scientists from USC are making the job easier, using artificial intelligence.

A still from some of the video used to train SPOT

Automotive

Digital driving license begins limited Finnish trial

Paul Ridden February 5, 2018

Smartphones are everywhere these days, packed with apps designed to make everyday life plain easier. Finland's Trafi is looking to tap into this ubiquitous nature so that drivers no longer need to carry a plastic driving permit, instead using a digital version accessed from within an app.

The Trafi Digital Driving License app is currently undergoing a limited beta trial in Finland

Mobile Technology

Your smartphone's sensors can reveal your PIN

Ben Coxworth December 27, 2017

Even if some shady character were to get hold of your smartphone, it wouldn't do them much good if they didn't know your PIN … right? Well, researchers have created a system that correctly guesses a phone's PIN, based solely on information provided by its sensors.