Autonomous University of Madrid

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 to researchers John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton for discovering the foundations that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks. Hinton for discovering the foundational basis that enables machine learning with artificial neural networks. This technology, inspired by the structure of the brain, is behind what we now call ‘artificial intelligence’. 

The Karolinska Institute has awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNAs, small RNA fragments that do not contain instructions for making proteins but instead participate in the regulation of gene expression. Their role is fundamental in processes such as cell differentiation, and their alteration can influence diseases like cancer.

Large language models - Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems based on deep learning, such as the generative AI that is ChatGPT - are not as reliable as users expect. This is one of the conclusions of international research published in Nature involving researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. According to the authors, in comparison with the first models and taking into account certain aspects, reliability has worsened in the most recent models, such as GPT-4 with respect to GPT-3.

Eating a vegan diet for eight weeks is associated with reductions in biological age estimates based on levels of DNA methylation, a type of chemical modification of DNA that alters the expression of genes, but not the DNA itself. This is the main conclusion of a study published in BMC Medicine in which 21 pairs of twins participated in a clinical trial. Of each pair, one person followed an omnivorous diet and the other a vegan - and lower calorie - diet during that period.

Using artificial intelligence (AI)-generated datasets to train future generations of machine learning models can contaminate their results, a concept known as ‘model collapse’, according to a paper published in Nature. The research shows that, within a few generations, original content is replaced by unrelated nonsense, demonstrating the importance of using reliable data to train AI models.

A team of physicists led by Harvard University (USA) has succeeded in linking two quantum memory nodes 35 kilometres apart using existing fibre optics in the Boston area (USA). This is the longest distance achieved to date. According to the authors, who publish their results in the journal Nature, ‘demonstrating that quantum network nodes can intertwine in the real-world environment of a busy urban area is an important step towards practical networking between quantum computers’. 

Smaller classroom sizes in schools are failing to increase the resilience of children from low-income families, according to a study published in the International Journal of Science Education. Data from more than 2,700 disadvantaged secondary school students in Japan and China show that minimising class sizes does not lead to better grades. The authors of the study claim that reducing classroom size may even decrease the likelihood of children achieving the best results.

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced last night at the welcome dinner of the GSMA Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2024, the construction of a foundational model of artificial intelligence language, trained in Spanish and co-official languages, in open and transparent code, and with the intention of incorporating Latin American countries. For its development, the Government will work with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and the Spanish Supercomputing Network, together with the Spanish Academy of Language and the Association of Spanish Language Academies.

A dietary shift from animal-based foods, such as red or processed meat and eggs, to plant-based foods, such as nuts, pulses and whole grains, is associated with a reduced risk of death and diabetes or cardiovascular disease. For example, replacing 50 grams of processed meat per day with 28-50 grams of nuts is associated with a 27% decrease in cardiovascular risk. These are the conclusions of a systematic review of 37 studies published in the journal BMC Medicine.

A review of more than 100 meta-analyses and nearly 2500 studies has analysed the use of screens by children and young people and the consequences for their learning and health. Their conclusions are that, in general, the effects are small and vary according to the type of use and context. The results are published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.