acm-header
Sign In

Communications of the ACM

News


bg-corner

An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.


Galactic Beacons Get Snuffed Out in a Cosmic Eyeblink
From ACM News

Galactic Beacons Get Snuffed Out in a Cosmic Eyeblink

Stephanie LaMassa did a double take. She was staring at two images on her computer screen, both of the same object—except they looked nothing alike.

Is the Artificial Pancreas a Game Changer?
From ACM TechNews

Is the Artificial Pancreas a Game Changer?

Researchers have developed software that automatically the monitors blood glucose levels of patients with Type 1 diabetes.

'Chemputer' Promises App-Controlled Revolution for Drug Production
From ACM TechNews

'Chemputer' Promises App-Controlled Revolution for Drug Production

A new technique for producing drug molecules uses downloadable blueprints to easily, reliably synthesize organic chemicals via a programmable computer.

Cambridge Analytica Knew How You'd Vote If You Wore Wrangler
From ACM News

Cambridge Analytica Knew How You'd Vote If You Wore Wrangler

The whistle-blower behind the Cambridge Analytica revelations said the now-defunct data research firm used the fashion preferences of Facebook Inc. users to help...

Nailing Down the Nature of 'Oumuamua; It's Probably a Comet, but . . .
From ACM Opinion

Nailing Down the Nature of 'Oumuamua; It's Probably a Comet, but . . .

Shortly before Halloween, the chairman of Harvard's astronomy department openly declared that an interstellar object hurtling through our Solar System might just...

A Big Step Toward the Practical Application of 3D Holography With High-Performance Computers
From ACM TechNews

A Big Step Toward the Practical Application of 3D Holography With High-Performance Computers

Researchers in Japan have developed a computer that can project high-quality three-dimensional holography as a video.

How Supercomputers Can Help Fix Our Wildfire Problem
From ACM News

How Supercomputers Can Help Fix Our Wildfire Problem

Fire is chaos. Fire doesn't care what it destroys or who it kills—it spreads without mercy, leaving total destruction in its wake, as California's Camp and Woolsey...

Asteroid-Sampling Mission Zeroes In on Tiny Space Rock
From ACM News

Asteroid-Sampling Mission Zeroes In on Tiny Space Rock

For the second time this year, a spacecraft is about to partner with an asteroid in an intimate dance.

Making AI Algorithms Crazy Fast ­sing Chips Powered by Light
From ACM News

Making AI Algorithms Crazy Fast ­sing Chips Powered by Light

Inside a small laboratory in Boston's seaport district, buried within a jumble of lasers, lenses, mirrors, and a tangle of wiring, is a tiny chip that might be...

China Is Building a $9 Billion Rival to the American-Run GPS
From ACM News

China Is Building a $9 Billion Rival to the American-Run GPS

China is taking its rivalry with the U.S. to the heavens, spending at least $9 billion to build a celestial navigation system and cut its dependence on the American...

­K Police Wants AI to Stop Violent Crime Before It Happens
From ACM News

­K Police Wants AI to Stop Violent Crime Before It Happens

Police in the UK want to predict serious violent crime using artificial intelligence, New Scientist can reveal. The idea is that individuals flagged by the system...

As Immigrant Farmworkers Become More Scarce, Robots Replace Humans
From ACM TechNews

As Immigrant Farmworkers Become More Scarce, Robots Replace Humans

In response to the diminishing supply of immigrant labor, the U.S. agriculture sector is increasingly turning to robots that can do the work traditionally done...

InSight Is Catching Rays on Mars
From ACM News

InSight Is Catching Rays on Mars

NASA's InSight has sent signals to Earth indicating that its solar panels are open and collecting sunlight on the Martian surface.

You Will Be Replaced. Here's How
From ACM News

You Will Be Replaced. Here's How

Route 9 skims by Boston and cuts clear across Massachusetts to Pittsfield, a city of roughly 50,000, the largest in Berkshire County.

NASA’s Mars InSight Mission Lands on Red Planet's Surface
From ACM News

NASA’s Mars InSight Mission Lands on Red Planet's Surface

The InSight lander, NASA's latest foray to the red planet, has landed.

How Cheap Labor Drives China's A.I. Ambitions
From ACM Careers

How Cheap Labor Drives China's A.I. Ambitions

Some of the most critical work in advancing China's technology goals takes place in a former cement factory in the middle of the country's heartland, far from the...

NASA InSight Team on Course for Mars Touchdown
From ACM News

NASA InSight Team on Course for Mars Touchdown

NASA's Mars Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) spacecraft is on track for a soft touchdown on the surface of...

Silent and Simple Ion Engine Powers a Plane with No Moving Parts
From ACM News

Silent and Simple Ion Engine Powers a Plane with No Moving Parts

Behind a thin white veil separating his makeshift lab from joggers at a Massachusetts Institute of Technology indoor track, aerospace engineer Steven Barrett recently...

Beijing to Judge Every Resident Based on Behavior by End of 2020
From ACM News

Beijing to Judge Every Resident Based on Behavior by End of 2020

China's plan to judge each of its 1.3 billion people based on their social behavior is moving a step closer to reality, with Beijing set to adopt a lifelong points...

The Microscope Revolution that's Sweeping Through Materials Science
From ACM News

The Microscope Revolution that's Sweeping Through Materials Science

Scientists can't study what they can't measure, as David Muller knows only too well.
Sign In for Full Access
» Forgot Password? » Create an ACM Web Account