Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
April 2019
From ACM News
Ethiopian Air Pilots Turned Off 737 MAX Anti-Stall System. Then It Turned On Again
The pilots of Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 apparently followed the proper steps to shut down an errant flight control system as they struggled to regain control of the 737 MAX aircraft shortly after takeoff.
From ACM News
Embedding NEMS Devices Within CMOS
A new process combines combined metal oxide semiconductors and micro-electro-mechanical systems in a single package.
From ACM TechNews
AI Is Flying Drones (Very, Very Slowly)
Researchers have developed an autonomous drone that navigates using artificial intelligence.
From ACM TechNews
Middle East Countries Accelerate Quantum Computing Research
Universities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have launched quantum computing research groups to foster homegrown knowledge of the technology.
From ACM TechNews
Robot Discovers Lying About a Betrayal Helps Rebuild Trust
Researchers have shown that it is relatively easy for robots to regain the trust of humans after lying to them.
From ACM TechNews
Computer Program Predicts Risk of Deadly Irregular Heart Beats
A new computer-based set of rules more accurately predicts when patients with a rare heart condition might benefit from lifesaving implanted defibrillators.
From ACM News
Three Small Stickers in Intersection Can Cause Tesla Autopilot to Swerve Into Wrong Lane
Security researchers from Tencent have demonstrated a way to use physical attacks to spoof Tesla's autopilot.
From ACM News
The Day the Dinosaurs Died
If, on a certain evening about sixty-six million years ago, you had stood somewhere in North America and looked up at the sky, you would have soon made out what appeared to be a star.
From ACM News
GPS Glitch Threatens Thousands of Scientific Instruments
Researchers worldwide are racing to get ahead of a bug in the US Global Positioning System (GPS) that could cause data loggers, including thousands of scientific instruments, to malfunction starting on 6 April.
From ACM News
The Animal-AI Olympics Is Going to Treat AI Like a Lab Rat
In one of Aesop's fables, a thirsty crow finds a pitcher with a small amount of water beyond the reach of its beak.
From ACM TechNews
New Davis Cup Goes Virtual to Increase Sponsorship Revenue
The Davis Cup tennis tournament is being revamped to incorporate virtual replacement advertising during broadcasts at the inaugural game in Madrid, Spain.
From ACM TechNews
Some Startup Founders Leave Silicon Valley 'Bubble' and Head East
Some Silicon Valley technology entrepreneurs are relocating to New York City, lured by increased availability of venture capital, skilled professionals, and affordable office space.
From ACM TechNews
First Bacterial Genome Created Entirely With a Computer
Researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland have developed a technique that significantly streamlines production of large DNA molecules containing hundreds of genes.
From ACM TechNews
Previously nknown Flaw in Intel Chips Could Allow Hackers to Steal Private Data From Your Computer
Security analysts have discovered a previously unknown vulnerability within Intel hardware that could enable the interception of private data inside one's computer.
From ACM TechNews
Tesla Cars Keep More Data Than You Think
Two "white hat hackers" discovered that crashed Tesla vehicles sent to salvage contain unencrypted personal data, including information from drivers' paired mobile devices.
From ACM News
Hospital Viruses: Fake Cancerous Nodes in CT Scans, Created by Malware, Trick Radiologists
When Hillary Clinton stumbled and coughed through public appearances during her 2016 presidential run, she faced critics who said that she might not be well enough to perform the top job in the country.
From ACM News
When Computers Collude
If you shop online, there's a good chance the price you pay for stuff is determined by a computer algorithm.
From ACM News
Europa Clipper High-Gain Antenna ndergoes Testing
It probably goes without saying, but this isn't your everyday satellite dish. In fact, it's not a satellite dish at all.
From ACM News
The Problem with SMS Two-Factor Authentication
SMS two-factor authentication has some security issues that have prompted companies to get creative.
From ACM News
Viruoso of Mobile Sensing Technology Receives ACM Prize in Computing
Shwetak Patel broke new ground in Internet of Things (IoT) research, and brought innovative products to market.
From ACM TechNews
Food Lion, Other Grocers Will se AI for Food Suppliers
Food Lion and five sister U.S. grocery chains will use artificial intelligence to revamp their food-ordering process.
From ACM TechNews
How Can Doctors Be Sure A Self-Taught Computer Is Making The Right Diagnosis?
Researchers at Stanford University have developed an algorithm that can teach itself how to diagnose conditions.
From ACM News
Something on Mars Is Producing Gas sually Made by Living Things on Earth
Methane gas periodically wafts into the atmosphere of Mars; that notion, once considered implausible and perplexing, is now widely accepted by planetary scientists.
From ACM News
Toyota Robot Can't Slam Dunk but Shoots a Mean 3-Pointer
It can't dribble, let alone slam dunk, but Toyota's basketball robot hardly ever misses a free throw or a 3-pointer.
From ACM TechNews
He Helped Create AI. Now, He Worries About 'Killer Robots'
Yoshua Bengio, a co-recipient of the 2018 ACM A.M. Turing Award, is concerned about artificial intelligence being weaponized.
From ACM TechNews
Driverless Car Learns to Perform High-Speed Turns Without Crashing
Researchers at Stanford University have created a system that allowed an autonomous car to learn to make high-speed turns without spinning out.
From ACM TechNews
Banks se AI to Catch Rogue Traders Before the Act
Over the past few years, banks have made significant strides in trader surveillance, embracing communication monitoring tools that look for obvious flash phrases and keywords.
From ACM TechNews
DJs of the Future Don't Spin Records--They Write Code
Artists in the underground electronic music culture are performing live-coding shows or "algoraves," in which they program software algorithms to create new forms of music.
From ACM TechNews
Squishy Robots Now Have Squishy Computers to Control Them
Researchers at Harvard University have developed a rubber computer that runs on "digital logic," which could serve as a software replacement for hard electronic components.
From ACM News
DeepMind and Google: the Battle to Control Artificial Intelligence
Demis Hassabis founded a company to build the world's most powerful AI. Then Google bought him out. Hal Hodson asks who is in charge.