Communications of the ACM
An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
From ACM TechNews
AI Agent Helps Identify Material Properties Faster
Researchers have demonstrated that artificial intelligence can speed up X-ray diffraction data analysis and improve accuracy in searches for new materials.
From ACM TechNews
Google Play Apps Steal Texts, Pepper You With Unauthorized Purchases
McAfee mobile researchers have discovered malware hidden in eight Google Play apps that steals users' text messages and makes unauthorized purchases.
From ACM TechNews
Coding to Hide Health Prices From Web Searches Is Barred by Regulators
Federal regulators now require hospitals and insurers to disclose long-confidential pricing data, including rates that insurers pay for services.
From ACM News
Still Getting Your Head Around Digital Currency? So Are Central Bankers.
If you are trying to grasp Bitcoin and understand what China's digital yuan means, America's Federal Reserve is right there with you.
From ACM TechNews
Chemical Code Used to Store Jane Austen Quote in Plastic Molecules
University of Texas at Austin researchers encoded a quote from Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park in software-readable plastic molecules.
From ACM News
Quantum Sensing Takes Shape
Opening up the world around us by detecting changes in quantum states.
From ACM TechNews
Newer Planes Providing Airlines a Trove of Useful Data
The retirement of older aircraft during the pandemic has resulted in a fleet increasingly equipped with digital technologies.
From ACM TechNews
AI's Carbon Footprint Is Big, But Easy to Reduce, Google Researchers Say
Researchers have released the most accurate estimates to date for the carbon footprint of large artificial intelligence systems.
From ACM TechNews
Robot Taught Table Etiquette Can Explain Why It Won't Follow the Rules
Researchers programmed a humanoid robot with software that models human cognitive processes.
From Communications of the ACM
Catching the Fakes
Applying neural networks to images helps identify counterfeit goods.
From Communications of the ACM
A Traffic Cop for Low Earth Orbit
Who will be the space traffic controller for orbiting objects?
From ACM TechNews
Computer Modeling Suggests That T. Rex Was Slow Walker
Computer models created by researchers suggest the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex had a slow walking speed.
From ACM TechNews
Amazon Bringing Palm-Scanning Payment System to Whole Foods Stores
Amazon's palm-scanning payment system will be rolled out to a Whole Foods store in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.
From ACM TechNews
New Rules Allowing Small Drones to Fly Over People in U.S. Take Effect
Final rules from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration that permit small drones to fly over people and to fly at night took effect April 21.
From ACM TechNews
AI Shows 2 Scribes Wrote One of the Dead Sea Scrolls
One of the Dead Sea Scrolls was written by two scribes with very similar handwriting, according to researchers at the Netherlands' University of Groningen.
From ACM News
Facebook's Ad Algorithms Still Excluding Women from Seeing Jobs
Its ad-delivery system is excluding women from opportunities without regard to their qualifications. That would be illegal under U.S. employment law.
From ACM News
Will Quantum Computing Ever Live Up to Its Hype?
One expert warns that the field is overpromising, while another says his firm is on the verge of building "useful" machines.
From ACM TechNews
Facebook Dataset Addresses Algorithmic Bias
Facebook has made public its Casual Conversations dataset, comprised of more than 45,000 videos of 3,000 individuals of different skin tones sharing their age and...
From ACM TechNews
A Molecule That Responds to Light
Researchers have advanced the development of molecule-based materials that can serve as light-addressable fundamental quantum bits.
From ACM News