Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
June 2015
From ACM TechNews
Meraculous: Deciphering the 'book of Life' With Supercomputers
A team of researchers has streamlined and accelerated genome assembly from a months-long process to minutes via the development of a new tool.
From ACM TechNews
Quest For Buried Knowledge Continues With New Computer Software Tool
A new computer software tool will enable scholars to read the writings of ancient scrolls without having to unroll or open them.
From ACM TechNews
Penn Engineers Show How 'perfect' Materials Begin to Fail
A new project describes the cause of defect-free material breakage, which can cascade into failure.
From ACM News
Korean robot Makers Walk Off With $2 Million Prize
A team of roboticists from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology claimed a $2 million prize on Saturday that was offered by a Pentagon research agency for developing a mobile robot capable of operating in hazardous…
From ACM News
Computer Invents New Scientific Theory Without Human Help For the First Time
The mystery of how flatworms regenerate has been solved independently by a computer.
From ACM Careers
Can the Swiss Watchmaker Survive the Digital Age?
Pim Koeslag designs and fabricates some of the world's most complicated mechanical timepieces.
From ACM TechNews
New Website Can Identify Birds Using Photos
The Merlin Bird Photo ID is a bird photo identifier program that can recognize 400 of the most commonly seen birds in the United States and Canada.
From ACM TechNews
MIT Cheetah Robot Lands the Running Jump
A robotic cheetah built by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers is now the first four-legged robot to run and jump over obstacles autonomously.
From ACM Opinion
Google on Eu Troubles: 'we Don't Always Get It Right'
Google is in hot water in Europe, and its head of European operations is trying to cool things off.
From ACM TechNews
Developer Tracks Real-Time Locations of Facebook Messenger sers
Marauders Map is a browser extension that allows users to discover the identity of Facebook Messenger users, their location, and previous movements.
From ACM TechNews
The Emerging Science of Human Computation
A group of computer scientists, crowdsourcing pioneers, and visionaries has created a roadmap for research into human computation.
From ACM TechNews
Rat Brain Cells Power a Computer
Researchers have shown cultured rat brain cells can read signals from a robot, process the problem of obstacles, and give an appropriate, accurate solution.
From ACM TechNews
Self-Programming Machines Next Phase of Computer Science: Wozniak
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak said computers that learn in unsupervised ways and do not need to be told what to do in advance is the next phase of computer science.
From ACM News
Charting the Milky Way From the Inside Out
Imagine trying to create a map of your house while confined to only the living room.
From ACM News
Computer Scientists Are Astir After Baidu Team Is Barred From A.i. Competition
A group of researchers at the Chinese web services company Baidu have been barred from participating in an international competition for artificial intelligence technology after organizers discovered that the Baidu scientists…
From ACM TechNews
Rumor-Detector Software Ids Disputed Claims on Twitter
University of Michigan professor Qiaozhu Mei and colleagues recently unveiled software that can quickly detect rumors on Twitter.
From ACM News
Disaster Droids Face Off in the DARPA Robotics Challenge
Final preparations are being made by 24 robotics teams about to compete for $3.5m (£2.3m) worth of prizes in a Pentagon-backed competition.
From ACM TechNews
Qosmos: Cognitive Radio Technology Optimises se of Scarce Spectrum
The European QoSMOS project addresses the problems of scarcity and cost commonly associated with the need for more radio spectrum.
From ACM TechNews
Global Climate Model Helps Untangle Complex Webs of Cause and Effect
The U.S. Department of Energy is pushing climate researchers to integrate observational science and scientific models.
From ACM TechNews
Smart Microgrids to Help Data Centers, Farm Communities se Locally Produced Power
A team of researchers and students are working to develop smart power management technologies.
From ACM News
The Potential to Provide More Power For Portables
Graphene may hold the key to creating a power source for portable electronics that charges in seconds.
From ACM News
Meet the New Generation of Robots For Manufacturing
A new generation of robots is on the way—smarter, more mobile, more collaborative and more adaptable.
From ACM News
Nasa's Hubble Finds Pluto's Moons Tumbling in Absolute Chaos
If you lived on one of Pluto's moons, you might have a hard time determining when, or from which direction, the sun will rise each day.
From ACM Careers
Crispr, the Disruptor
Three years ago, Bruce Conklin came across a method that made him change the course of his lab.
From ACM News
How the End of Patriot Act Provisions Changes Nsa Surveillance
Thanks to resistance from Senator Rand Paul and other members of the Senate, the provisions of the USA Patriot Act that were used to justify the National Security Administration's broad collection of phone call metadata have…
From ACM TechNews
Improving the Experience of the Audience With Digital Instruments
A new augmented reality display could give music fans a better appreciation of what musicians are doing with digital instruments.
From ACM TechNews
Stanford Breakthrough Heralds Super-Efficient Light-Based Computers
Stanford University researchers have developed a process that could make it practical to use light instead of electricity to carry data inside computers.
From ACM TechNews
Staring Pain in the Face--Software 'reads' Kids' Expressions to Measure Pain Levels
A new method of measuring the pain experienced by pediatric patients utilizes facial pattern recognition software.
From ACM TechNews
Fly-Catching Robot Developed By Stanford Scientists Speeds Biomedical Research
Researchers at Stanford University have developed a robotic system that can inspect fruit flies and carry out previously impossible behavioral experiments.
From ACM TechNews
Emtech Digital: Project Loon Head Details How the Balloons Interact
Google's Project Loon intends to use interconnected balloons to bring Internet service to parts of the world that remain largely disconnected.