Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
July 2018
From ACM News
The Big Problem with Big Data? Without Theory, It's Just Garbage
"The idea that big data will enable more control of behavior may be a lot of hype."
From ACM News
IBM Researchers Train AI to Follow Code of Ethics
The new artificial intelligence recommendation technique optimizes results to user preferences and also conforms to other constraints, like ethical and behavioral guidelines.
From ACM News
3D Image Reveals Hidden Neurons in Fruit-Fly Brain
Scientists have produced a 3D image of a fruit fly's brain that's so detailed, researchers can trace connections between neurons across the entire organ.
From ACM News
Chinese Researchers Achieve Stunning Quantum-Entanglement Record
Scientists have just packed 18 qubits—the most basic units of quantum computing—into just six weirdly connected photons.
From ACM Careers
Shadow Politics: Meet the Digital Sleuth Exposing Fake News
When we met in early March, Jonathan Albright was still shrugging off a sleepless weekend.
From ACM TechNews
Yihong Wu Creates New Tools for Digging Into Data
Yale University's Yihong Wu is part of a wave of new faculty participating in a university-wide initiative to integrate data science and mathematical modeling research across campus.
From ACM TechNews
AI Helps Design an ltra-Aerodynamic Bike
A spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne has developed software that rapidly calculates the most aerodynamic shape for a bicycle.
From ACM TechNews
W Professor Receives Highest .S. Award for STEM Mentors
University of Washington professor Daniel Schwartz recently received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring,.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Mount Successful GPS Spoofing Attack Against Road Navigation Systems
Researchers have demonstrated an effective global-positioning system spoofing hack against road navigation systems.
From ACM News
The Emergence of Cyberpsychology
Studying why, and how, people interact online.
From ACM News
CRISPR Gene Editing Produces nwanted DNA Deletions
Researchers have embraced CRISPR gene-editing as a method for altering genomes, but some are cautioning that unwanted DNA changes may slip by undetected.
From ACM News
Dusk for Dawn: Mission of Many Firsts to Gather More Data in Home Stretch
As NASA's Dawn spacecraft prepares to wrap up its groundbreaking 11-year mission, which has included two successful extended missions at Ceres, it will continue to explore -- collecting images and other data.
From ACM TechNews
Why Kotlin Is Exploding in Popularity Among Young Developers
Kotlin is the second-most-popular coding language among software developers after Rust, according to a Stack Overflow survey.
From ACM TechNews
Robot Prototype Will Let You Feel How It's 'Feeling'
Researchers have developed a prototype robot capable of expressing "emotions" by reshaping the texture of its outer surface.
From ACM TechNews
Electrical Contact to Molecules in Semiconductor Structures Established for the First Time
Researchers have developed a technique that enables electrical contact to be established with simple molecules in a conventional silicon chip.
From ACM TechNews
Think Your Surfing Is Secret in Private Browsing Mode? Think Again
Many computer users incorrectly believe private browsing protects them against computer viruses, targeted ads, geolocation, and tracking by employers and governments.
From ACM TechNews
ACM Affirms Obligation of Computing Professionals to se Skills for Benefit of Society
ACM has completed a two-year process to update its Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct to address advances in computing technology and the growing pervasiveness of computing.
From ACM TechNews
Tech Leaders Sign Global Pledge Against Autonomous Weapons
A coalition of technology industry leaders signed a global pledge to neither participate in nor support the development, manufacture, trade, or use of lethal autonomous weapons.
From ACM News
The Cameras that Know If You're Happy, or a Threat
Facial recognition tech has been around for decades, but it has been progressing in leaps and bounds in recent years due to advances in computing vision and artificial intelligence (AI), tech experts say.
From ACM News
Hijacking the CryptoMine
The lure of easy money leads to explosive growth in cryptojacking.
From ACM TechNews
Drones Survey African Wildlife
Scientists are using drone flights and automated image analysis to develop a new approach to counting animals in the wild.
From ACM TechNews
MIT Researchers Automate Drug Design With Machine Learning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers are using machine learning to automate the process of developing and improving drugs.
From ACM TechNews
Rose-Hulman Professor Hopes to Get More Girls in STEM by Studying the Irish
A Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology researcher is studying how Ireland's University of Limerick has attracted and retained female computer science students and faculty.
From ACM News
To Make Curiosity (Et Al.) More Curious, NASA and ESA Smarten p AI in Space
NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has done many great things in its decade-plus of service—but initially, it rolled 600 feet past one of the initiative's biggest discoveries: the Block Island meteorite.
From ACM News
South Africa Celebrates Completion of Gigantic, Super-Sensitive Telescop
Scientists and politicians in South Africa are together celebrating the official opening of a gigantic telescope that is already transforming astronomy research in the nation.
From ACM News
Color X-Ray Scanner ses CERN Tech to See All Your Innards
The familiar black-and-white X-ray could soon be replaced with detailed 3D color scans that show everything from fat and bone to metal and soft tissue.
From ACM Opinion
Looking Through the Eyes of China's Surveillance State
They perch on poles and glare from streetlamps. Some hang barely visible in the ceiling of the subway, and others seem to stretch out on braced necks and peer into your eyes.
From ACM TechNews
West Point Promotes STEM Learning in South Africa
Representatives of the U.S. Military Academy last month promoted science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education to 70 gifted students in South Africa.
From ACM TechNews
New Model for Large-Scale 3D Facial Recognition
University of Western Australia researchers have developed a three-dimensional facial recognition system.
From ACM TechNews
Delivery Drones Can Learn to See, Dodge Obstacles In-Flight
The University of Zurich in Switzerland and Intel jointly developed a method to enable aerial drones to learn to avoid in-flight collisions.