Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
September 2023
From ACM TechNews
How Scientists Are Cracking Historical Codes to Reveal Lost Secrets
The DECRYPT project, a collaboration of linguists and computer scientists, aims to automate the process of cracking historical ciphers.
From ACM TechNews
Study Decodes Surprising Approach Mice Take in Learning
Neuroscientists studied the behavior of mice in a learn-reward situation, with the aim of teaching the mice to turn a wheel left or right to receive a reward.
From ACM TechNews
Asian Games Landmark for eSports Fires Olympic Dreams
At the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, eSports players will have the opportunity to medal for the first time.
The event, which begins Sept. 23, will see eSports players compete in seven games: EA Sports FC, PUBG Mobile, Arena…From ACM News
How to Tell if Your A.I. Is Conscious
In a new report, scientists offer a list of measurable qualities that might indicate the presence of some presence in a machine.
From ACM TechNews
Israel Builds Airspace Network of Drones
Autonomous air taxis were demonstrated in Jerusalem, Israel, last week, taking off from Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital and flying over the city before landing back at the medical center.
From ACM TechNews
Breakthrough Way to Train Neuromorphic Chips
A research team has developed a neuromorphic chip that does not require training via external software.
From ACM TechNews
See-Through Sensors Hide Eye-Tracking in Plain Sight
Semi-transparent image sensors could be incorporated into eyeglasses or curved windshields in front of a user's eyes, with their readout electronics positioned on the side.
From ACM TechNews
Brain Surgery Visualization using NavTech from Self-Driving Cars
Scientists created a real-time endoscopic neurosurgery guidance method similar to the navigational technologies used in autonomous cars.
From ACM TechNews
Drones Tackle Shark Safety on New York's Beaches
Safety officials at New York's Jones Beach are using drones to monitor for potential human-shark interactions.
From ACM TechNews
Japan's SLIM Moon Lander Is Carrying a Transforming Ball Robot
Last week, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched the Smart Lander for Investigation Moon probe with a small, spherical lunar explorer aboard.
From ACM News
AI Regulation Takes Baby Steps on Capitol Hill
The meeting came amidst a week of frenetic activity on AI legislation.
From ACM TechNews
Helping Computer Vision, Language Models Understand What They See
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other researchers developed a technique that uses computer-generated data to help vision and language models better understand concepts.
From ACM TechNews
Private Equity Recruits Data-Science Talent as Industry Tackles Machine Learning
Private equity firms integrating machine learning and data analytics into their investment processes increasingly are turning to data-science experts to interpret data for investors.
From ACM TechNews
Study Explains Role of Certain Types of Oxide in Structure, Development of Specialty Glass
Researchers used nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and computational modeling to demonstrate silica network polymerization.
From ACM News
The U.S. Challenges Google's Search Dominance
From ACM News
A Case That Rhymes With Microsoft
The prevailing lesson of the Microsoft case, antitrust lawyers say, is that scrutiny from Washington can slow down a company, even when there are no grievous penalties.
From ACM TechNews
AI Project Imagines Adult Faces of Children Who Disappeared During Argentina's Military Dictatorship
Argentine publicist Santiago Barros uses an app to produce images of what children taken from their parents during Argentina's military dictatorship might look like today.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Discover Thousands of Transformable Knots
Researchers discovered thousands of new transformable knots via a computational pipeline combining randomized spatial sampling and physics modeling.
From ACM TechNews
3D-Printed 'Living Material' Could Clean Up Contaminated Water
Scientists at the University of California, San Diego created an "engineered living material" for clearing water of contaminants.
From ACM News
A Softer Approach to Robotics
Soft robots are moving from the research lab to the real world.
From ACM News
Microsoft to Shield Paid-Up Copilot Customers From Any AI Copyright Brawls It Starts
Tough luck, freeloaders: you're on your own.
From ACM TechNews
Flaw Found in Apple Devices Led to Spyware Infection: Researchers
Researchers at Canada-based Citizen Lab found a vulnerability in Apple devices was used to spread spyware from Israeli cyber-intelligence group NSO.
From ACM TechNews
What Do Neurons, Fireflies, and Dancing the Nutbush Have in Common?
Computer scientists and mathematicians have designed a framework for evaluating synchronized phenomena.
From ACM TechNews
Mathematicians Find 12,000 Solutions for Three-Body Problem
Mathematicians have identified 12,392 new stable orbital arrangements for three objects as allowed by Isaac Newton's laws of motion, also known as the three-body problem.
From ACM TechNews
First Human-Derived Body Part 3D-Printed in Space
U.S. aerospace company Redwire said it has three-dimensionally-printed a human body part in space for the first time.
From ACM TechNews
Dependence on Tech Caused 'Staggering' Education Inequality: U.N.
A study by UNESCO found "staggering" global education inequity due to overreliance on remote learning technology during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From ACM TechNews
As AI Grows, Las Vegas Workers Brace for Change
Workers in Las Vegas are closely watching employers' adoption of artificial intelligence and other technologies rise as they strive to cut labor costs.
From ACM News
2 Senators Propose Bipartisan Framework for A.I. Laws
The effort by Senators Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley is the latest move by lawmakers to catch up with the rapidly evolving technology.
From ACM News
How To Talk To An AI
An ordinary human's guide to getting extraordinary results from a chatbot like ChatGPT.
From ACM News
Douglas Lenat, Who Tried to Make A.I. More Human, Dies at 72
He spent decades working on artificial intelligence, striving to create computers that could replicate common sense.