Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
January 2020
From ACM TechNews
How Well Can Computers Connect Symptoms to Diseases?
A new study found that health knowledge graphs perform poorly for diseases with high percentages of very old or young patients, or high percentages of male or female patients.
From ACM TechNews
Wall Street Banks Ramp Up Research Into Quantum Finance
Wall Street banks are accelerating their research into quantum computing.
From ACM TechNews
Scientists Improve Yield Predictions Based on Seedling Data
Scientists have computationally improved the accuracy of crop yield forecasts according to genetic data from corn seedlings.
From ACM News
Exploring the Theory of Computing
In his new book, Avi Wigderson argues for computing’s central role in human thought.
From ACM News
Facebook Will Now Remind You When It's Not the Only One Looking at Your Data
Facebook users will now receive notifications reminding them that third parties have a glimpse into their information, and that controls are available to restrict how much personal data they can collect.
From ACM TechNews
Scientists at UVM, Tufts Create 'Living Robots'
Researchers have created tiny living robots made of frog cells using a supercomputer, an achievement with implications for regenerative medicine.
From ACM TechNews
Tech Industry Rallies Behind Google in Supreme Court Fight
Some of Google's biggest rivals filed amicus briefs on its behalf Monday in a copyright battle with Oracle.
From ACM TechNews
How to Beat South Korea's AI Hiring Bots and Land a Job
Major South Korean companies are using artificial intelligence (AI) to screen job applicants, giving rise to an industry to help job-seekers beat these systems.
From ACM TechNews
Memory Storage for Super-Cold Computing
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a cryogenic memory cell circuit incorporating three inductively coupled Josephson junctions that can harness magnetic flux to store data.
From ACM TechNews
Grindr, OkCupid Spread Personal Details, Study Says
Online dating services are spreading personal user information in ways that may violate privacy laws in Europe and elsewhere.
From ACM TechNews
As Justice Department Pressures Apple, Investigators Say iPhone is Easier to Crack
The U.S. Department of Justice ia pressuring Apple to unlock two iPhones owned by a Saudi student who allegedly killed three people on a U.S. Naval base in Florida last month.
From ACM TechNews
Neural Networks Can Drive Virtual Racecars Without Learning
A study found artificial neural networks can evolve to perform tasks without learning.
From ACM TechNews
Why the Quantum Internet Should Be Built in Space
Louisiana State University researchers have proposed a satellite array for building a global quantum Internet to broadcast entangled photon pairs to two different terrestrial base stations.
From ACM TechNews
Samsung's Neon 'Artificial Humans' Look Like Super-Realistic Video Chatbots
At CES 2020, Samsung's STAR Labs research group unveiled Neon, a simulated human assistant.
From ACM News
Just When You Thought Your Smart Bulbs Were Secure, Think Again.
Light can “jump the air gap.”
From ACM News
Researchers: Are We on the Cusp of an 'AI Winter'?
There are signs that the hype over artificial intelligence might be about to start cooling off.
From ACM TechNews
Paralyzed Man Breaks World Record for Finishing a Marathon in an Exoskeleton Suit
A man paralyzed from the waist down has broken the world record for finishing a marathon in an exoskeleton suit.
From ACM TechNews
From Surgery Simulators to Medical Mishaps in Space, Video Game Tech Is Helping Doctors at Work
Video game developers are creating technologies to support the training of doctors performing surgery and other medical procedures.
From ACM TechNews
Bosch Deploys AI to Prevent Attacks on Car Electronics
Engineering company Robert Bosch is deploying artificial intelligence to fortify cars' electronic systems against hackers who attempt to feed the systems intentionally incorrect road-sign information.
From ACM TechNews
'Holy Grail' Digital Effects Rewinding the Clock for Actors
Recent movies have made extensive use of digital visual effects to make performers appear younger.
From ACM TechNews
Using a Robot to Deploy Robots in Remote Oceans
Researchers designed an unmanned surface vessel to deploy research equipment in remote and inaccessible ocean locations.
From ACM TechNews
Hundreds of Millions of Cable Modems Vulnerable to Cable Haunt Vulnerability
Danish researchers reported a security vulnerability affecting cable modems that use Broadcom chips, which is believed to impact about 200 million cable modems in Europe alone.
From ACM TechNews
AI for #MeToo: Training Algorithms to Spot Online Trolls
Researchers have demonstrated that machine learning algorithms can track evolving online social media conversations, which could eventually yield an automated method to detect trolling.
From ACM TechNews
Trump Signs Law to Boost Girls' Access to STEM Education
Late last month, U.S. President Donald J. Trump signed into law the Building Blocks of STEM Act to boost young girls' access to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
From ACM TechNews
AI Comes to the Operating Room
Surgeons are utilizing artificial intelligence and new imaging methods to diagnose brain tumors faster than pathologists, and with similar accuracy.
From ACM TechNews
Voting Machines Touted as Secure Option Are Actually Vulnerable to Hacking, Study Finds
Researchers found that ballot-marking devices, which will be used in at least 18% of U.S. districts in November’s presidential election, lack sufficient safeguards from hacking.
From ACM TechNews
Kaiser Permanente Bets on Smartwatches to Lower Costs
Kaiser Permanente is expanding a program in which patients recovering from a cardiac event wear smartwatches to confirm their adherence to prescribed exercise and medication regimens.
From ACM News
U.K. Digital Health Infrastructure Is Stepping Up
Developments in the public and private sectors put the U.K. on the cusp of critical advances in helping people get healthier through digital tools.
From ACM TechNews
Tech Chiefs Plan to Boost Cybersecurity Spending
Companies are dedicating increasing amounts of money to digital defenses in an effort to stop the spread of malware.
From ACM TechNews
A Virtual Version of da Vinci's Mystery Glass Orb Has Helped Explain Its Weirdness
Researchers used computer graphics software to reproduce Leonardo da Vinci's painting Salvator Mundi in order to study how light refracts through glass orbs.