Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
August 2018
From ACM News
Thousands of exotic 'Topological' Materials Discovered through Sweeping Search
The already buzzing field of topological physics could be about to explode.
From ACM Careers
Quantum Computing Will Create Jobs. But Which Ones?
Chris Monroe's vision for quantum computers is simple: He wants people to use them.
From ACM TechNews
New Genre of AI Programs Take Hacking to Another Level
IBM has identified a variety of artificial intelligence hacking program that could get past top-tier defensive measures.
From ACM TechNews
Computer Simulations Predict the Spread of HIV
Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers have demonstrated computer models that can accurately predict the spread of HIV across populations.
From ACM TechNews
SB Flash Drives for Precise Positioning and Navigation Inside Buildings
Researchers in Germany developed a system for navigating inside buildings that can be implemented in minutes.
From ACM TechNews
'Smart' Machine Components Alert sers to Damage and Wear
Scientists are using three-dimensionally-printed technology to create "smart" machine parts that alert users of damage or wear.
From ACM News
Bespoke Additive Manufacturing
Three-dimensional printing tailors item to order, even body parts.
From ACM News
A Generation Grows p in China Without Google, Facebook or Twitter
Wei Dilong, 18, who lives in the southern Chinese city of Liuzhou, likes basketball, hip-hop music and Hollywood superhero movies. He plans to study chemistry in Canada when he goes to college in 2020.
From ACM Opinion
Programmers Need Ethics When Designing the Technologies that Influence People's Lives
Computing professionals are on the front lines of almost every aspect of the modern world.
From ACM TechNews
On-Chip Optical Filter Processes Wide Range of Light Wavelengths
A new optical filter on a chip can process optical signals from across an extremely wide spectrum of light simultaneously.
From ACM TechNews
'Blurred Face' News Anonymity Gets an AI Spin
Researchers have developed a method of employing artificial intelligence to better obscure the faces of anonymous individuals in news reports.
From ACM TechNews
New Tool Helps sers Control Which Countries Their Internet Traffic Goes Through
A new tool enables users to redirect their Internet traffic to avoid its passage through a particular country.
From ACM TechNews
AI May Put Private Data at Risk
Cornell Tech researchers have determined current models of machine learning are vulnerable to privacy leaks and other attacks.
From ACM TechNews
It's Harder to Turn Off a Robot When It's Begging for Its Life
Researchers have found that people are very susceptible to social cues from machines, to the point that they will refrain from shutting off a robot that begs for its life.
From ACM TechNews
Research Identifies Key Weakness in Modern Computer Vision Systems
Brown University researchers have demonstrated a flaw in modern computer vision algorithms that hinders them in differentiating between two objects in an image.
From ACM News
New Genre of Artificial Intelligence Programs Take Computer Hacking to Another Level
The nightmare scenario for computer security—artificial intelligence programs that can learn how to evade even the best defenses—may already have arrived.
From ACM News
The Defense Department Has Produced the First Tools for Catching Deepfakes
The first forensics tools for catching revenge porn and fake news created with AI have been developed through a program run by the US Defense Department.
From ACM News
Cyber Report Details Tricks sed by Hackers to Target Critical Infrastructure
A cybersecurity firm says it uncovered the methods and tools hackers use to target critical infrastructure organizations, activity it observed by creating a website that masqueraded as a major electricity provider.
From ACM TechNews
AI Camera to Help Spot the Best Grapes for Making Pesticide-Free Wine
Researchers in Germany have developed a mobile laboratory to automate and accelerate the process of checking the wax coverage of grapes, a task prone to human error.
From ACM TechNews
All-Optical Computing Gets Another Arrow in Its Quiver
Researchers have developed all-optical logic gates from nanowires in a novel way, a significant step in the development of on-chip, all-optical logic components for photonic computing.
From ACM News
Adopting a Culture of Transparency
Software is used increasingly to determine the existence of scientific fraud in published studies.
From ACM News
Pentagon Restricts se of Fitness Trackers, Other Devices
Military troops and other defense personnel at sensitive bases or certain high-risk warzone areas won't be allowed to use fitness tracker or cellphone applications that can reveal their location, according to a new Pentagon order…
From ACM News
Run Your Dishwasher When the Sun Shines: Dynamic Power Pricing Grows
One day, the weather could drive your domestic schedule. Your dishwasher springs to life at the windiest time of day. The washing machine starts spinning when the sun beats down.
From ACM Opinion
Brains Keep Temporary Molecular Records Before Making a Lasting Memory
The first dance at my wedding lasted exactly four minutes and 52 seconds, but I'll probably remember it for decades.
From ACM TechNews
CF Professor Discovers First-of-Its-Kind Material for the Quantum Age
A University of Central Florida researcher has discovered a material that could be used as a building block for quantum technology.
From ACM TechNews
of T Launches Canada's First Engineering ndergraduate Program in Machine Intelligence
The University of Toronto has unveiled Canada's first undergraduate engineering science program in machine intelligence.
From ACM TechNews
The 2018 Top Programming Languages
IEEE Spectrum's fifth annual interactive ranking of the top programming languages draws on metrics from multiple sources to rank 47 languages.
From ACM TechNews
Lip-Reading AI Could Help the Deaf—or Spies
An artificial intelligence program from DeepMind can read lips better than professional lip readers.
From ACM TechNews
BMI System Lets sers Control Robotic Arm While Their Hands Are Busy
Researchers in Japan have created a brain-machine interface for manipulating a robotic arm without requiring the use of hands.
From ACM TechNews
Trapping Light That Doesn't Bounce Off Track for Faster Electronics
An international project led by Purdue University researchers has yielded a metamaterial "cladding" to block light leakage from computer chips, in a step toward faster electronics.