DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF by Edward Kane, Journalist

DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF

By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane

A NEW LAW OF NATURE IDENTIFIED?

Source: NASA Deep Space & Stock

A team of scientists and philosophers say they have identified a new law of nature that may have ramifications for our understanding of how things in the universe work. Here's what we know:

The team is composed of experts from top universities and institutes in the US, including Cornell University and Carnegie Institution of Science
Their findings have just been published in the PNAS journal
Their key challenge: No physical law can describe the workings of many complex systems in the universe, such as thermodynamics and gravity
The New Law answer: Darwin's law of evolution is not limited to the human body and life on Earth, but also to many complex systems that are living and non-living in the universe
Put simply: Everything evolves and evolution is a common factor in the universe's complex processes from atoms to planets
According to the researchers: "Natural processes cause countless different configurations to be formed" and from these configurations "a selection for function takes place"
This "New Law of Nature" has a number of exciting implications, including a deeper understanding of how the universe came to exist.

AUTONOMOUS FORMULA 1 RACING CARS

Source: Dallara

For the 1st time, an autonomous F1 race car, along with perhaps as many as10 more self-driving F1 cars, will take to the track in an official race. Could this lead to autonomous F1 racing competitions going forward? Here's what we know:

The self-driving race cars will go into official F1 competition in Abu Dhabi in 2024
The first one revealed is called Dallara Super Formula SF23
Relies on AI to accelerate and overtake other race cars
Technologies in the car are awesome, like onboard cameras for 360-degree views while racing, GPS to know its position on the track, radar and lidar to avoid collisions, observe surrounding cars and calculate distances
Everything is controlled by a computer secured in the driver's seat
Onboard monitor to watch fuel levels, tire pressure and wear on the vehicle
Speeds up to 185 mph
Reaction time is said to be much faster than that of a human driver
Built by an Italian automaker
Upcoming Dubai race could lead the way to a new field of autonomous race car competitions depending on how the AI-powered vehicles perform
Many of these new technologies could empower new cars for consumers.

HOW OLD IS YOUR DOG?

Source: UCal; Brewster Kane; Winnie Kane

University of California scientists have found that multiplying your dog's chronological age by 7x doesn't give you their true age; in fact, many times, it's not even close. They offer a new, biological calculator. Here's what we know:

Multiplying your dog's age by 7 doesn't work because of the vast aging differentials among dog breeds, genders, weights, size and other factors
UCal scientists offer a new bio-calculator alternative to get a good fix on their actual human age
Bio-calculator is based on the rate that molecules are added to dogs' DNA, as they age much more rapidly than humans
The formula: multiple the natural algorithm of your dog's years since born by 16 then add 31
Some results: a 2-year-old dog is 42 in human years and 18-year-old dog is 77 years old
Surprising new findings: dogs are adults at 9 months and no longer puppies, and they are teens at 6 months
For many of our beloved pets like Brewster Kane, this may mean the "he's just a puppy excuses" are over.

Important Innovations Collection