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An AI inspired by the way humans form long-term memories during sleep can learn to perform tasks better than existing models. Plus: a bold new take on quantum theory.

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Sleeping machines

Building AIs that sleep and dream can lead to better results and more reliable models, according to researchers who aim to replicate the architecture and behaviour of the human brain. Concetto Spampinato and his colleagues at the University of Catania, Italy, were looking for ways to avoid a phenomenon known as “catastrophic forgetting”, where an AI model trained to do a new task loses the ability to carry out jobs it previously aced. They developed a new method of training AI that mimics the way human brains reinforce new information. People shuffle short-term memories of experiences and lessons learned throughout the day into long-term memories while sleeping. Read more

Roots of language

Orangutan calls have a complex structure that was thought to be unique to human language. Short sequences are nested inside longer sequences, much like the way we assemble long sentences from shorter phrases. There is no evidence that any complex meanings are encoded in the orangutans’ intricate calls. But the fact that they can do it at all means the calls may be a distant precursor to language. Read more

The breathtaking advances in artificial intelligence and a growing urgency to find climate change solutions are set to dominate headlines in 2024. Stay ahead with New Scientist for just $1.50 a week and let us guide you through the coming year. 

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• The early universe: Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed dim galaxies smashing together, which could solve the mystery of previously unexplained glints of light from early in the history of the cosmos.

   

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• Loneliness: A recent study suggests that reducing social isolation among people with obesity helps them live longer, but it's not easy to prove that's definitely the case

   

• Neuralink: Elon Musk's brain implant company is conducting its first human trials.

   

• DNA traps: Spider webs collect genetic material that reveals the species living nearby.

Yerin Tong

Quantum theory describes the microscopic world with unprecedented accuracy. But its laws are strange: they allow a particle to exist in multiple places at once, for instance. We never see these odd effects in the classical, everyday world. So, what is happening? A new idea uses thermodynamics to explain what is going on during this transition. If it turns out to be right, it will have implications for our idea that particles cannot be seen in two places at once, and might profoundly change our understanding of reality. Read more

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Lori Glaze at NASA’s Planetary Science Division in Maryland on the legacy of NASA’s Mars helicopter.

That's all for today. Thanks for reading.

Sam Wong

Assistant news editor, New Scientist
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