Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
February 2020
From ACM TechNews
Study Allows Brain, Artificial Neurons to Link Up Over the Web
Researchers have developed a system that brain neurons and artificial neurons to communicate with each other over the Internet.
From ACM TechNews
Datacenters Use Less Energy Than You Think
Researchers have determined that global datacenter energy consumption remained relatively flat across the last decade.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Tackle the Flu with Virus Simulations
Researchers have developed new molecular virus simulations to help fight influenza.
From ACM TechNews
'Surfing Attack' Hacks Siri, Google with Ultrasonic Waves
A multi-institutional collaboration has demonstrated a "surfing attack" that uses ultrasonic waves to hijack voice-recognition systems on cellphones, including those used by Siri and Google.
From ACM TechNews
Employers Adding High-Tech Solutions to Solve Low-Tech Problem: Getting More Sleep
Employers are providing workers with high-tech tools to help them get more sleep, in the hope of improving productivity and reducing healthcare costs.
From ACM News
Cloud Computing Is Not the Energy Hog That Had Been Feared
The digital services churned out by the world's computer centers are multiplying, but their energy use is not, thanks to cloud computing, a new study says.
From ACM News
Should Robots Have a Face?
As automation comes to retail industries, companies are giving machines more humanlike features in order to make them liked, not feared.
From ACM TechNews
UCLA Researchers Track, Predict Cancer Evolution with Software
An international study used statistical software to estimate the rate at which cancers evolve.
From ACM TechNews
Rutgers Robotic Study Finds Way to Measure Contaminants in Paint
Researchers at Rutgers University and ExxonMobil have developed a robotic system that can identify potentially harmful contaminants in paint.
From ACM TechNews
Hackers Can Trick a Tesla into Accelerating By 50 Miles Per Hour
Researchers at McAfee have demonstrated that adversarial machine learning can thwart autonomous driving systems.
From ACM TechNews
AI Helps Predict Heart Attacks, Stroke
A study led by researchers in the U.K. used artificial intelligence to measure blood flow in order to forecast death, heart attack, and stroke.
From ACM News
Hacking Bluetooth
Bluetooth device users seldom suspect they are opening themselves to man-in-the-middle hacker attacks.
From ACM News
DOD Adopts Ethical Principles for Artificial Intelligence
The recommendations came after 15 months of consultation with experts on artificial intelligence from industry, government, academia, and the American public.
From ACM TechNews
UCI, Disney Research Scientists Develop AI-Enhanced Video Compression Model
An AI-enhanced video compression model has shown that deep learning can provide results comparable to established video compression technology.
From ACM TechNews
Protecting Sensitive Metadata So It Can't be Used for Surveillance
MIT researchers have developed a scalable metadata-protection scheme to shield the information of millions of users.
From ACM TechNews
Reliability of Pricey New Voting Machines Questioned
Computer security experts continue to express doubts that expensive new voting machines are reliable, considering them almost as risky as earlier discredited electronic systems.
From ACM TechNews
Sandboxing Approach Increases Browser Security
A new Web browser security scheme accelerates Web apps that run within a browser, while keeping those apps within "secure sandboxes" to prevent hijacking by malware.
From ACM TechNews
A Fur-Friendly 'Wearable for Pets'
Researchers at Imperial College London in the U.K. have created a wearable health-tracking sensor for pets and people that can monitor vital signs through apparel, or fur.
From ACM TechNews
Swarming Robots Avoid Collisions, Traffic Jams
Northwestern University researchers have developed a decentralized algorithm that guarantees collision and congestion avoidance, a key step toward controlling fleets of driverless vehicles.
From ACM News
U.S. Energy Department Appoints AI Leader
Cheryl Ingstad, the department's first director of its Artificial Intelligence and Technology Office, will oversee the DOE's AI activities
From ACM News
New California Law Creates Complications for Connected Cars
The California Consumer Privacy Act is one of the most stringent and sweeping privacy laws in the country, but may create complications for carmakers and dealerships.
From ACM TechNews
New Yorkers Face Training Gap for Tech Jobs, but Study Finds Hope
A study by the nonprofit research group Center for an Urban Future offers hope for New York City employees who lack the training to qualify for upcoming technology jobs.
From ACM TechNews
U.S. Military Facial Recognition System Could Work From 1 Kilometer Away
The U.S. Special Operations Command is developing a portable facial recognition system that can identify individuals from 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) off.
From ACM TechNews
Automated System Can Rewrite Outdated Sentences in Wikipedia Articles
A new system can automatically update factual inconsistencies in Wikipedia articles.
From ACM News
Futurists Get 15 Minutes Every 4 Years
Zoltan Istvan is the latest futurist to run for U.S. president.
From ACM News
Should All Children Learn to Code by the End of High School?
Supporters say coding know-how is good for students in an increasingly digital world. Opponents say public schools shouldn't serve as job-training sites for tech companies.
From ACM News
Pentagon Adopts New Ethical Principles for Using AI in War
The new principles follow recommendations made last year by the Defense Innovation Board, a group led by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
From ACM News
Katherine Johnson Dies at 101; Mathematician Broke Barriers at NASA
She was one of a group of black women mathematicians at NASA and its predecessor who were celebrated in the 2016 movie "Hidden Figures."
From ACM TechNews
Mapping Coronavirus: South Koreans Turn to Online Tracking as Cases Surge
Private software developers have launched websites and apps to help people in South Korea track cases of coronavirus and avoid places where infected people have been.
From ACM TechNews
AI Algorithm Better Predicts Corn Yield
An interdisciplinary research team developed a convolutional neural network that generates crop yield predictions, incorporating information from topographic variables.