Electric sparks are used for welding, powering electronics, killing germs or for igniting the fuel in some car engines. Despite their usefulness, they are hard to control in open space, they split into chaotic branches that tend to go towards the closest metallic objects. A recent study uncovers a way of transporting electricity through air by ultrasonic waves. The level of control of the electric sparks allows to guide the spark around obstacles, or to make it hit specific spots, even into non-conductive materials.

The SETI Institute announced the Davie Postdoctoral Fellowship in Artificial Intelligence for Astronomy, inviting researchers to refine and expand ML-driven pipelines for exoplanet discovery. The successful candidate will join the SETI Institute researcher Dr. Vishal Gajjar and his team and collaborators at the SETI Institute and IIT Tirupati in India. This project will focus on enhancing supervised CNN architectures and integrating anomaly-detection techniques to uncover subtle or unconventional signals hidden within massive datasets. The application deadline is March 15, 2025. Information about how to apply is here.

“Machine learning is transforming the way we search for exoplanets, allowing us to uncover hidden patterns in vast datasets,” said Gajjar. “This fellowship will accelerate the development of advanced AI tools to detect not just conventional planets, but also exotic and unconventional transit signatures including potential technosignatures.”

The SETI Institute is grateful to John Davie, who supports the Davie Postdoctoral Fellowship. Davie reached out to the SETI Institute out of curiosity about its research. Through discussions with Gajjar, he wanted to be part of creating a meaningful impact.

Earliest inner solar system planetesimals shaped the inventory of moderately volatile elements in terrestrial planets.