A machine learning model is scouring the cosmos for undiscovered planets. Astronomers from the University of Warwick developed a system that learned to identify faraway worlds in a dataset of thousands of candidates.

Deep learning is coordinating drones so they can flock together without colliding. Caltech researchers Soon-Jo Chung and Yisong Yue developed a pair of models that enables swarms of networked drones to navigate autonomously through cluttered environments.

Neural networks learned to tell one bird from another, enabling scientists to study their behavior in greater detail. Researchers from universities in Europe and Africa trained eural networks to recognize individual birds with up to 90 percent accuracy.

A mechanical lab assistant could accelerate chemistry research.What’s new: Researchers at the University of Liverpool trained a mobile robot arm to navigate a lab, operate equipment, handle samples, and obtain results far faster than a human scientist.

Scientists who study animal behavior spend endless hours observing and taking notes about a creature’s actions and reactions. Computer vision could automate much of that work.

The ocean contains distinct ecosystems, but they’re much harder to see than terrestrial forests or savannas. A new model helps scientists better understand patterns of undersea life, which is threatened by pollution, invasive species, and warming temperatures.

Governments have struggled to find a tax formula that promotes prosperity without creating extremes of wealth and poverty. Can machine learning show the way?

A machine learning model is scanning the oceans for the glint of garbage. Researchers from the UK’s Plymouth Marine Laboratory trained a model to identify ocean-borne refuse.

Israeli and American hospitals are using an algorithm to flag individuals at high risk for Covid-19 complications.

Researchers have rushed out a battery of AI-powered tools to combat the coronavirus, but an assessment of dozens of models is a wake-up call for machine learning engineers.

Machine learning engineers need tools and data to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Here are some that crossed our radar screen last week.

Deep learning research is harvesting better ways to manage farms. A convolutional neural network predicted corn yields in fields across the U.S. Midwest.

Will deep learning discover new medicines? Startups — and big-pharma partners — are betting on it. The problem: In theory, there’s a pharmacological cure for just about any ailment. In practice, discovering those therapies takes years and billions of dollars.

Are your scientist friends intimidated by machine learning? They might be inspired by a primer from one of the world’s premier tech titans. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Cornell PhD candidate Maithra Raghu school scientists in machine learning in a sprawling overview.

Machine learning promises to streamline handling of tomorrow’s bureaucratic drudgery — and, it turns out, that of 2,500 years ago. Computer vision is helping researchers at the University of Chicago translate a massive collection of ancient records inscribed on clay tablets.