Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
January 2019
From ACM TechNews
Data Breaches, Cyberattacks Top Global Risks Alongside Natural Disasters, Climate Change
The World Economic Forum has listed large-scale cyberattacks and massive data breaches among the five most probable risks facing the world today.
From ACM TechNews
Democratizing Data Science
Researchers have developed a tool for nonstatisticians that automatically generates models for analyzing raw data. The tool takes in datasets and generates sophisticated statistical models normally used by experts to analyze,…
From ACM News
Hidden History of the Milky Way Revealed by Extensive Star Maps
Last April, Amina Helmi felt goose bumps while driving to work in the northern Netherlands. It had nothing to do with the weather—it was pure anticipation. Just days earlier, a flood of data had been released from Gaia, a European…
From ACM TechNews
Giant Food Stores Will Place Robotic Assistants at 172 Locations
Giant Food Stores will install autonomous assistive robots in 172 stores across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.
From ACM TechNews
Hackers Are Stealing Computer Power to Make Millions in Cryptocurrency
Groups of hackers are stealing millions of dollars through cryptojacking, which works by illicitly harnessing the computing power of thousands to mine cryptocurrency.
From ACM TechNews
UT Austin Researchers Use Supercomputing to Study Turning Animals Monogamous
University of Texas at Austin researchers used the Texas Advanced Computing Center's Wrangler supercomputer to examine gene activity across the genomes of 10 species of vertebrates.
From ACM TechNews
National Health Service Trials AI Software to Diagnose Breast Cancer
Several European companies have trained artificial intelligence to detect signs of breast cancer.
From ACM News
Efficiency, Innovation Mark Research In Future Memories
The U.S. National Science Foundation is exploring multiple approaches.
From ACM Opinion
Have Aliens Found s? A Harvard Astronomer on the Mysterious Interstellar Object 'Oumuamua
On October 19, 2017, astronomers at the University of Hawaii spotted a strange object travelling through our solar system, which they later described as "a red and extremely elongated asteroid."
From ACM TechNews
Trump's Immigration Policy Has Foreign Tech Talent Looking North of the Border
President Trump has promised to reduce the number of H-1B visas granted; Canadian businesses see an opportunity to lure international tech talent north of the border.
From ACM TechNews
Proof-of-Concept Malware Reveals Smart Building Vulnerabilities
Researchers warn smart building-targeting malware is the next step in the rapidly expanding attack surface made vulnerable by automated systems.
From ACM TechNews
Smartphone App to Detect Opioid Overdose and Precursors
University of Washington researchers have developed a smartphone app that can discern when an opioid overdose has occurred.
From ACM TechNews
A Country's Ambitious Plan to Teach Anyone the Basics of AI
Finland has launched an ambitious challenge to teach the basics of artificial intelligence to 1% of its population.
From ACM TechNews
Robotic Milkers and an Automated Greenhouse: Inside a High-Tech Small Farm
Small farms are starting to upgrade to high-tech operations.
From ACM TechNews
3D Technology Revolutionizing Face Transplants
Face transplants are a proving ground for medical applications of three-dimensional printing and imaging.
From ACM News
Imaging Ever Closer to the Event Horizon
While black holes themselves swallow any light beyond their event horizon, the area outside the event horizon tends to emit lots of light.
From ACM News
Mobile Providers at Center of Privacy Storm
Major wireless providers are facing new scrutiny into their privacy practices after a bombshell report sparked a public outcry and questions from lawmakers.
From ACM TechNews
Texas Hospitals Adapt Existing Technology to Tackle Opioid Crisis
The Texas Hospital Association is adapting existing technology to help state hospitals combat the opioid epidemic by supplying them with better information as needed.
From ACM TechNews
A Star Is Born…With C Programming and Robots
The University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering's Robotics and Coding Academy aims to inspires children to pursue careers in science and technology.
From ACM TechNews
A DNS Hijacking Wave Is Targeting Companies at an Almost nprecedented Scale
Federal authorities and private researchers are warning companies about a wave of domain hijacking attacks.
From ACM TechNews
IBM Announces High-Resolution Global Weather Forecast Model
IBM will roll out a high-resolution weather forecast model this year.
From ACM News
Neural Learning on the Edge
The next generation of neural networks will learn from real-time data streamed from smartphones, Internet of Things devices, and machine-to-machine connections.
From ACM News
Robotic Milkers and an Automated Greenhouse: Inside a High-Tech Small Farm
About 150 Jersey cows in the rolling terrain at Rivendale Farms in Bulger, some 25 miles west of Pittsburgh, wear Fitbit-like collars that monitor their movement, eating and rumination patterns. They are milked not by humans …
From ACM TechNews
Your Old Tweets Give Away More Location Data Than You Think
An international team of researchers has developed an algorithm that uses Twitter to automatically predict a user's location within minutes.
From ACM TechNews
Battle for Connected Home Seizes the Stage at CES 2019
Last week's CES 2019 in Las Vegas showcased efforts by Google, Amazon, and Apple to advance connected home technology platforms.
From ACM TechNews
A Fleet of Autonomous Robots Is Making One of the World's Oldest Foods
An autonomous, bread-making robotic oven made by Wilkinson Baking of Walla Walla, WA, can produce 235 loaves daily.
From ACM TechNews
niversity of California Tells Students Not to se WeChat, WhatsApp in China
The University of California has warned students and faculty against using messaging apps and social media while visiting China.
From ACM TechNews
In Fast-Aging Japan, Elder Care Is a High-Tech Pursuit
Startups are putting new innovations to work in Japan's elder-care market.
From ACM TechNews
'ANYmal' Robot Stalks Dark Sewers to Test Its Navigation
Researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland are working to help a seeing, hearing, door-opening robot function in extreme conditions.
From ACM News
The Super-Secure Quantum Cable Hiding in the Holland Tunnel
Commuters inching through rush-hour traffic in the Holland Tunnel between Lower Manhattan and New Jersey don't know it, but a technology likely to be the future of communication is being tested right outside their car windows…