MI weekly selection #349
AI outplays most humans in StarCraft II video game
An artificial intelligence developed by tech firm DeepMind is better at playing the strategic video game StarCraft II than most human players, and its prowess is detailed in a study published in Nature. “Ever since computers cracked Go, chess, and poker, StarCraft has emerged by consensus as the next grand challenge,” said study co-author David Silver.
Saharan silver ants leg it faster than others
Saharan silver ants have been clocked as the fastest ants in the world, despite having relatively short legs. Researchers say the ants’ speed can reach as much as 855 millimeters per second.
Tiny black holes may exist in universe
A new class of tiny black holes might be scattered around the universe. “We’re showing this hint that there is another population out there that we have yet to really probe in the search for black holes,” says Todd Thompson, author of the study.
Racial, gender, age gaps in heart failure treatment
A study showed black and Latino patients with heart failure were 9% and 17% less likely to be admitted to specialized cardiac units, respectively, than their white counterparts. The findings, based on analysis of 10 years of medical records at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, also showed female patients and those older than 75 were less likely to be admitted to cardiac units compared to their male and younger peers.
Predictors of cognition in older age
A study in Neurology found that people who scored highest in cognitive tests at age 8, went to college and had white-collar jobs had better cognitive test scores at age 70. Researchers also found better cognition among older adults whose PET scans showed no amyloid-beta plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease in their brains.