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Swiss Researchers Use AI to Identify Planetary Systems That Could Host Life
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Swiss researchers from the University of Bern and the National Centre of Competence in Research PlanetS (NCCR PlanetS) built an AI model to detect potentially habitable planets and published a paper in the journal Astronomy and & Astrophysics with details of their research this month.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Swiss researchers built a machine learning model to detect Earth-like planets in planetary systems.
- The AI model found 44 planetary systems that host at least one planet with the required conditions.
- This research can accelerate the chances of finding another habitable planet.
According to the paper , the scientists’ goal was to “predict which stars are most likely to host an Earth-like planet (ELP)” using AI. The team trained a Random Forest, a machine learning algorithm, to classify ELPs with a “not hosting” and “hosting” criterion.
The machine learning-powered model was used first in synthetic planetary systems developed with the Bern Model, and then in real systems. The AI model proved 99% accurate, and found 44 planetary systems that could host at least one Earth-like planet.
“The excellent results obtained from the tests conducted on the ML model demonstrate its ability to recognise the typical architectures of systems with or without ELPs within populations derived from the Bern model,” states the document.
According to Forbes , this research could accelerate the chances of finding another habitable planet and revolutionize progress in this search.
“It’s one of the few models worldwide with this level of complexity and depth, enabling predictive studies like ours,” said co-author Dr. Yann Alibert, co-director of the University of Bern’s Centre for Space and Habitability, as reported by Forbes. “This is a significant step in the search for planets with conditions favorable to life and, ultimately, for the search for life in the universe.”
According to Futurism , up until now, scientists have confirmed the existence of 5,800 planets outside our solar system, and exoplanets are extremely difficult to detect. This new research makes major progress in the field, but there is still much to be specified and developed.
Space companies, such as SpaceX, have been studying and developing technologies to take humans to other planets. SpaceX announced last year that it expects to launch uncrewed rockets to Mars in the next two years, followed by crewed models in the next 5 if everything goes according to plan.
Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash
Discord Tests Face Scans And ID Requests For Age Verification
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
The social platform Discord is testing a new age verification system in Australia and the United Kingdom, scanning users’ faces and requesting official government identification to access certain content.
In a rush? Here are the quick facts:
- Discord is testing a new age verification system in Australia and the UK.
- Users are required to provide an official government ID or accept a face scan across all devices.
- The company hasn’t disclosed if it will expand the feature to more countries or for how long it will make this new requirement.
According to GameSpot , the verification process used by the popular platform among gamers includes every device—even PlayStation 5 and Xbox—but the company hasn’t disclosed for how long this methodology will be tested or if it will be expanded to other countries as well.
Users trying to interact with content that Discord has flagged as “harmful” or sensitive through its filters get a pop-up request to verify age with an ID—such as a driver’s license—or a face scan. After receiving the information, within just a few minutes, the user gets a message with an age group category.
After Discord assigns a user to an age group, it doesn’t request the verification again, unless they request a re-verification—probably as they get older.
Discord shared a “ How to verify your Age Group ” in its support section, with more details of this update.
“Some Discord settings and content are designed for certain age groups,” states the document. “We’re experimenting with a streamlined way for you to verify your age group when you try to access those settings or content.”
If the user’s age is below the minimum age required, users could get their accounts banned, but have the right to appeal if they consider it unfair.
Age verification systems for social media platforms have been a heated debate in the past few months. Australia recently became the first country in the world to ban social media platforms for children under 16 officially, but a recent study revealed that children can easily bypass age verification systems used by popular platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snap, Reddit, and Discord. And the UK has been investigating social media platforms over children’s data privacy and recently became the first country to criminalize AI-generated child abuse content .
Discord’s new update could set an example for other platforms and begin a new shift in the industry that complies more with government requirements for child protection.
