AI Dolphin | Space Plankton | Printing Chicken

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AI Dolphin

You can speak with dolphins, if you have the right phone. Google DeepMind used Pixel phones to study dolphin chats as part of Project CETI.

• CETI = Cetacean Translation Initiative

• Pixel phones w/ DolphinGemma AI sorted sounds into groups

• Some groups likely represent “words” for specific interactions

DolphinGemma is built on the same foundation as Google’s Gemini AI. While far from full translation or communication, deciphering some clicks and whistles can lead to future AI developments. Studio Ghibli dolphins??

What does the dolphin say!?

Space Plankton

Our first alien contact could be plankton-like. The James Webb Space Telescope detected possible signs of life from an exoplanet far far away.

• Exoplanet: K2-18b, 120 light-years from Earth

• Spectral data shows possible signs of life in atmosphere

• Evidence: dimethyl sulfide, methane, and CO₂

Methane and CO₂ are commonly linked to biological processes, but dimethyl sulfide is only known to be produced by life, specifically marine plankton. More observations are needed to confirm this evidence and rule out alternative explanations. Such as shenanigans from SpongeBob’s nemesis.

Whoooo lives on an exoplanet covered in seeeeaaa?!?

Printing Chicken

Your next nuggets may come from the lab. Researchers grew thick cuts of lab-grown chicken using 3D printing.

• 3D bio-printing stacked layers of muscle and fat cells

• Plant-based scaffolding kept cells aligned

• Specifically designed to mimic real meat texture

The nugget-sized samples closely matched the juiciness and mouthfeel of slaughtered chicken meat. Next up: scaling sample size and production automation to provide a traditional meat alternative. Sadly, lab-grown chicken cannot lay eggs.

Eggflation continues

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Last week: “Which House are you?”

A song of ice and fire plays softly in the background…if you Snow, you know.

st3v on site

Exoplankton

Ever the astro-journalist, st3v was quick to get out to K2-18b to ask our alien friends the important questions.

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