Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
September 2014
From ACM Careers
Plate Tectonics Found on Europa
If you have got an idea for how to study Europa, then NASA wants to hear from you.
From ACM News
Earth's New Address: 'solar System, Milky Way, Laniakea'
The supercluster of galaxies that includes the Milky Way is 100 times bigger in volume and mass than previously thought, a team of astronomers says.
From ACM News
Nato Agrees Cyber Attack Could Trigger Military Response
NATO leaders agreed on Friday that a large-scale cyber attack on a member country could be considered an attack on the entire U.S.-led alliance, potentially triggering a military response.
From ACM Opinion
The Hazards of Going on Autopilot
At 9:18 P.M. on February 12, 2009, Continental Connection Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air, took off from Newark International Airport.
From ACM TechNews
Ride-Sharing Could Cut Cabs' Road Time By 30 Percent
Researchers analyzing taxi trip data found about 95% of trips could have been shared, and an optimal combination of trips would have cut travel time by 40%.
From ACM TechNews
NASA Mars App Redefines 'Mission Creep'
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Analyst's Notebook app has grown to handle the volume of information collected by the Mars rovers.
From ACM TechNews
Socially-Assistive Robots Help Children With Autism Learn Imitative Behavior by Providing Personalized Encouragement
A pilot study examined using humanoid robots to help children with Autism Spectrum Disorders practice imitation behavior to encourage their autonomy.
From ACM TechNews
Drone Developers Consider Obstacles That Cannot Be Flown Around
Drone makers are eager for a new age of drone ubiquity, but several issues remain to be resolved.
From ACM TechNews
Ieee Predicts Top Technologies For 2022
A new Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers report describes 23 technologies that it says could change the world by 2022.
From ACM News
Earthquake Alert? An App For That Is On the Way
Saving your life when the Big One finally rocks California? Yeah, there's an app for that.
From ACM News
Andrew Kay, Pioneer in Computing, Dies at 95
Andrew Kay, designer of the Kaypro II, died Aug. 28 in Vista, CA. He was 95.
From ACM News
E-Sports Set Video Gamers Fighting For Real Money in Virtual Contests
A bewitching creature—half woman, half deer—battles a shaman and a sentient tree.
From ACM News
Brain-to-Brain Verbal Communication in Humans Achieved For the First Time
Humans just got a step closer to being able to think a message into someone else's brain on the other side of the world.
From ACM TechNews
Carnegie Mellon Receives $5.6m Nsf Grant For Cybersecurity Education
The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded Carnegie Mellon University a $5.6-million grant through the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS) program.
From ACM News
Study: Swedish Boys Are Learning English From World of Warcraft
Swedish children, especially boys, may be learning more English during a late-night Minecraft session than from struggling through hours of homework.
From ACM TechNews
Light Particles May Hold the Keys to a Revolution in Encryption
A new device harnesses the random spin of light particles to produce a random number for use in a cryptographic key.
From ACM TechNews
Programmers Could Get Repl in Official Java
Proponents of open source Java are formally considering adding a Read Evaluate Print Loop tool to the programming language.
From ACM TechNews
Materials Other Than Silicon For Next Generation Electronic Devices
Researchers say they have developed a novel transistor prototype designed to test nanowires made of compound semiconductors.
From ACM News
Internet Routing Failures Bring Architecture Changes Back to the Table
Significant reductions in the space needed for IPv4 routes could be made if service providers aggregated more of their routes.
From ACM News
Time Travel Simulation Resolves 'grandfather Paradox'
On June 28, 2009, the world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking threw a party at the University of Cambridge, complete with balloons, hors d'oeuvres and iced champagne.
From ACM Opinion
The Defenders of Anonymity on the Internet
You may not realise it, but every time you open up your laptop or switch on your phone, you are at the heart of one of the greatest battles now taking place in our midst—what shape will the internet take in the future, and what…
From ACM TechNews
Real Tremors, or Drug-Seeking Patient? New App Can Tell
A new app is designed to measure the strength of patients' tremors, providing objective guidance to direct treatment decisions.
From ACM TechNews
New Degree Program Is Big Test For Mooc-Style Higher Ed
An online masters degree program at the Georgia Institute of Technology shows potential for success with a massively open online course (MOOC) curriculum.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Get $1.5 Million to Develop Solar Astronomy Data on Larger Scale
Researchers have been awarded a $1.5-million U.S. National Science Foundation grant to develop software tools that can process large sets of solar astronomy data.
From ACM TechNews
New Smartphone App Can Detect Newborn Jaundice in Minutes
BiliCam is a new smartphone application that checks for jaundice in newborns and can deliver results to parents and doctors within minutes.
From ACM TechNews
Chinese Scientists Create Robot Arm Powered By Thought That Can Play Rock-Paper-Scissors
Zhejiang University researchers have equipped a patient with a special robotic arm that she can control with the power of her thoughts.
From ACM News
Google Backs Second Quantum Computing Effort
Scientists can't seem to agree on what a quantum computer is. But the uncertainty hasn't deterred Google from backing a second major effort in the field.
From ACM TechNews
Brainy, Yes, but Far From Handy
Robots can outperform humans in areas such as strength and precision, but humans still are ahead of robots in the use of the senses, especially that of touch.
From ACM News
Brainy, Yes, but Far From Handy
In factories and warehouses, robots routinely outdo humans in strength and precision.
From ACM News
Multiple Standards Hinder Growth of Wireless Charging
Three standards organizations promote two core technologies for charging mobile devices (and even electric cars) without plugging them in.