Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
February 2022
From ACM TechNews
High-Speed Drones Revolutionizing How We Watch Winter Sports
Custom-built, high-speed racing drones are being used to film the Natural Selection Tour, the first time such technology has been used in live broadcast.
From ACM TechNews
How Do You Teach a Goldfish to Drive? First, You Need a Vehicle
Researchers are teaching animals how to drive, in order to understand how experience affects learning and how brains adapt to change.
From ACM TechNews
Satellite Images Show Biggest Methane Leaks Come From Russia, U.S.
A multinational team determined that methane "ultra-emitter" sites account for about a tenth of the oil and gas industry's global methane emissions.
From ACM TechNews
Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere
The activities of tens of thousands of bubbles in foamy flows can be simulated computationally.
From ACM News
Nvidia, Arm Call Off $80B Merger; Arm CEO Resigns
Nvidia is the leader in the graphics processing unit and AI processor market. Arm intellectual property powers virtually all smartphones and Internet of Things devices.
From ACM News
Microsoft to (Finally) Block Macros to Stop Malware
Threat groups often hide malware behind macros in innocent-seeming documents, but Microsoft's proposed change should make that route less effective.
From ACM News
Intel Invests in Open-Source RISC-V Processors, Creates Billion-Dollar Fund
Intel and RISC-V working together is a game-changer, and today is the day that RISC-V becomes a chip power.
From ACM News
As Automakers Add Technology to Cars, Software Bugs Follow
As automakers add technology to cars, software bugs follow.
From ACM TechNews
Technique Improves AI Ability to Understand 3D Space Using 2D Images
A new technique uses two-dimensional images to improve the ability of artificial intelligence programs to identify three-dimensional objects.
From ACM TechNews
Birthday Wishes Inadvertently Give Away Private Information Online
Researchers have determined that birthday wishes on Twitter can inadvertently expose private data that could jeopardize recipients' online security.
From ACM TechNews
Forget Zoom School. For Some Students, Class Is in Session in VR
More schools and universities are conducting classes in virtual reality, especially given the availability of better and less expensive VR headsets.
From ACM News
New Database Reveals How Much Humans Are Messing With Evolution
Some animals and plants are rapidly adapting to our warming, polluted world. How alarming that is depends on your perspective.
From ACM News
I.R.S. to End Use of Facial Recognition for Identity Verification
After a bipartisan backlash, the agency will transition away from using a service from ID.me.
From ACM News
Apple Acquires Song-shifting Startup AI Music
AI Music uses artificial intelligence to dynamically create music based on several factors and user interaction.
From ACM News
World's Largest Companies Accused of Greenwashing
Apple, Amazon, and Google were among the companies said to 'lack integrity' when it came to setting, and following, net-zero pledges.
From ACM News
Maybe There's a Use for Crypto After All
Helium, a wireless network powered by cryptocurrency, hints at the practical promise of decentralized services.
From ACM TechNews
Student-Built Robot Rover on Track to Explore the Moon
Iris, a tiny wheeled robot built by students at Carnegie Mellon University, is expected to be the first uncrewed rover from the U.S. to explore the Moon.
From ACM TechNews
Algorithm Amplifies Trustworthy News Content on Social Media Without Shielding Bias
Researchers have developed a method for amplifying trustworthy news on social media.
From ACM TechNews
Tiny Chips, Big Headaches
Concern is growing about larger, more intricate cloud computing networks' fundamental dependence on less reliable and less predictable chips.
From ACM TechNews
Food-Tracking AI System to Reduce Malnutrition in LTC Homes
Researchers have developed a smart system that uses artificial intelligence to track food consumption by residents of long-term care communities.
From ACM News
The New Spy Wars
A tale about Israel, Pegasus, and the world.
From ACM News
DeepMind Says its New AI Coding Engine is As Good As an Average Human Programmer
AlphaCode is good, but not great — not yet.
From ACM TechNews
European Oil Port Terminals Hit by Cyberattack
Major oil terminals at some of Western Europe's biggest ports have been hit by a cyberattack.
From ACM TechNews
VR 'Shopping Task' Could Help Test for Cognitive Decline in Adults
A virtual reality test can be used to assess an individual's functional cognition, and eventually may be used to test for age-related cognitive decline.
From ACM TechNews
Infrared Goggles, Vibrating Armband Help the Blind 'See'
Researchers incorporated a pair of infrared cameras into prototype goggles to help blind and visually impaired people navigate their environment intuitively.
From ACM TechNews
Dairy-Tech Startup Created a Step Counter for Cows
India's Stellapps Technologies has come up with what CEO Ranjith Mukundan describes as "a device which is like a Fitbit for cattle."
From ACM News
Ultrathin Materials Lead to Big Advance in Quantum Computing
Using ultrathin materials to reduce the size of superconducting qubits may pave the way for personal-sized quantum devices.
From ACM News
U.S. Government Releases National Strategic Plan for Quantum Workforce Development
The agencies also announced U.S. plans to participate in World Quantum Day, an international event to be held on April 14.
From ACM TechNews
Weather App Aims to Save Lives, Livelihoods
The free Forecasting African STorms Application (FASTA) enables users to access real-time maps of local storm activity on their mobile phones.
From ACM TechNews
277,000 Routers Exposed to Eternal Silence Attacks via UPnP
Akamai researchers found as many as 277,000 routers capable of the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) connectivity protocol vulnerable to "Eternal Silence" attacks.