DeepMind cracks ‘knot’ conjecture that bedeviled mathematicians for decades

The artificial intelligence (AI) program DeepMind has gotten closer to proving a math conjecture that’s bedeviled mathematicians for decades and revealed another new conjecture that may unravel how mathematicians understand knots.  The two pure math conjectures are the first-ever important advances in pure mathematics (or math not directly linked to any non-math application) generated by artificial intelligence, the researchers reported Dec. 1 in the journal Nature. Conjectures are mathematical ideas that are suspected to be true but have yet to be proven in all circumstances. Machine-learning algorithms have previously been used to generate such theoretical…

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Best beginner drones

Navigating the market to find the best beginner drones available is getting easier all the time. But to give you a head start in your search we’ve compiled a list of best beginner-friendly options that will suit all budgets and requirements. Whether you’re looking for something small and cheap to get started or a more advanced model that will take you from beginner to enthusiast, you’re in the right place. Some models, while sitting firmly in the beginner category, also offer features that make them suitable for even professional use,…

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Astronomers find record-breaking haul of starless ‘rogue’ planets

Astronomers have discovered dozens of new “rogue” planets, roughly doubling the known number of these mysterious free-roaming worlds.  A team of researchers found a collection of at least 70 exoplanets without parent stars — the largest single group of rogue planets ever found — in a patch of space about 420 light-years from Earth, a new study reports. “We did not know how many to expect and are excited to have found so many,” study lead author Núria Miret-Roig, an astronomer at the Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux in France and…

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Venus Farewell, Moonless Skies for the Quadrantids

Venus presents a stunning crescent at dusk before switching over to the morning sky early next month. After dodging the Moon for the Geminids, it’s dark skies all around for the Quadrantid meteor shower. The post Venus Farewell, Moonless Skies for the Quadrantids appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

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Best DSLR cameras

DSLRs are probably the most popular types of digital cameras in the photography industry, taking the lead after analogue SLRs went out of fashion in the early to mid 2000s. Now though, there’s a new paradigm with modern mirrorless cameras pushing technology further and offering some advances over DSLR models.  However, the heritage and well-established builds of DSLRs have led to some of the most reliable and durable imaging cameras in the world. So while they may be slowly surpassed by mirrorless, they’re certainly still a viable option either for…

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