The Research Code

Advancing Knowledge Through Global Research Insights💡#TheResearchCode

[The Research Code @TheResearchCode]

Can two points on a face tell us whether someone is really opening their mouth?

It sounds almost too simple. Yet behind this question lies an interesting intersection of computer vision, mathematics, and biometric security.

In a new article for The Research Code, Hangga explores how facial contours can be converted into coordinates, how a simple Euclidean-distance calculation can turn those coordinates into an observable signal, and how that signal can contribute to a broader face-liveness workflow.

But the mathematics is only part of the story.

A distance measurement is not the same as proof of liveness. The article also examines the effects of face scale, head pose, image quality, individual variation, thresholds, and potential replay or manipulated presentations.

The broader lesson is important: a mathematically correct measurement can still have significant limitations when applied to a real-world security problem.

Read the full article and explore how two points → one distance → one decision can become a useful example of mathematical reasoning in computer vision and security.

#ComputerVision #Mathematics #Biometrics #AI #Cybersecurity #MachineLearning #Research #ScienceCommunication

[The Research Code @TheResearchCode]

Can two points on a face tell us whether someone is really opening their mouth?

It sounds almost too simple. Yet behind this question lies an interesting intersection of computer vision, mathematics, and biometric security.

In a new article for The Research Code, Hangga explores how facial contours can be converted into coordinates, how a simple Euclidean-distance calculation can turn those coordinates into an observable signal, and how that signal can contribute to a broader face-liveness workflow.

But the mathematics is only part of the story.

A distance measurement is not the same as proof of liveness. The article also examines the effects of face scale, head pose, image quality, individual variation, thresholds, and potential replay or manipulated presentations.

The broader lesson is important: a mathematically correct measurement can still have significant limitations when applied to a real-world security problem.

Read the full article and explore how two points → one distance → one decision can become a useful example of mathematical reasoning in computer vision and security.

#ComputerVision #Mathematics #Biometrics #AI #Cybersecurity #MachineLearning #Research #ScienceCommunication

[The Research Code @TheResearchCode]

🔗 Read the full article: https://t.co/0pHuUztiyA

Can Two Points Tell If a Face Is Real? The Mathematics Behind Open-Mouth Detection

What do you think—can simple, interpretable mathematical signals still have an important role alongside modern AI-based biometric systems?

[The Research Code @TheResearchCode]

Can two points on a face tell us whether someone is really opening their mouth?

It sounds almost too simple. Yet behind this question lies an interesting intersection of computer vision, mathematics, and biometric security.

In a new article for The Research Code, Hangga explores how facial contours can be converted into coordinates, how a simple Euclidean-distance calculation can turn those coordinates into an observable signal, and how that signal can contribute to a broader face-liveness workflow.

But the mathematics is only part of the story.

A distance measurement is not the same as proof of liveness. The article also examines the effects of face scale, head pose, image quality, individual variation, thresholds, and potential replay or manipulated presentations.

The broader lesson is important: a mathematically correct measurement can still have significant limitations when applied to a real-world security problem.

Read the full article and explore how two points → one distance → one decision can become a useful example of mathematical reasoning in computer vision and security.

#ComputerVision #Mathematics #Biometrics #AI #Cybersecurity #MachineLearning #Research #ScienceCommunication

[Amazing Physics @amazing_physics]

This is Morse code visualized

[Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM @hyderabaddoctor]

Nuts: How much is healthy? Which ones? Raw, roasted or soaked?

Nuts are among the healthiest foods you can add to your diet. But there is a lot of confusion around them:

❓How many should you eat?
❓Are almonds better than peanuts?
❓Should you soak them overnight?
❓Are roasted nuts unhealthy?
❓Are nuts the same as dry fruits?
Let us separate science from social-media nutrition myths. Bookmark this thread for future reference, and share for wider reach.
1/n

[Aero vance @Aerovances]

Pilot's POV when taking off.

A Reminder that sun is always shining somewhere else.

[All day Astronomy @forallcurious]

NASA has released one of the most detailed visualizations ever created of Earth’s ocean currents.

Using data from satellites and advanced ocean models, the map reveals massive rivers of moving water, swirling eddies hundreds of miles wide, and the powerful Gulf Stream carrying warm water from the Gulf of Mexico across the Atlantic.

[Oren Gottfried, MD @OGdukeneurosurg]

Bye bye stroke

[Jensen Huang @JensenHuang]

For my first post, I’m sharing a letter @NVIDIA signed on why open models matter.

AI will transform every industry, power every company, and be built by every country.

Open models strengthen safety and cybersecurity, accelerate innovation and diffusion, and enable sovereignty.

The world needs both frontier closed models and frontier open models.

https://t.co/AUKzoQ5Ikb

[BSaffron @BharatonX2]

Superb Development of Cartilage Replacement with a Single Pill and a Honest Doctor accepting the reality 👌

[Night Sky Today @NightSkyToday]

JUST IN🚨: Neuroscience considers metacognition the highest form of Intelligence..... "The ability to think about your own thinking."

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

As temperature decreases, the kinetic energy of molecules decreases.

This is a visualization of the transformation of water into ice, seen at molecular level.

[🎞️ CSIRO’s Data61]

[The Research Code @TheResearchCode]

Value Creation 💐

[The Research Code @TheResearchCode]

🌧️ Why rain feels so good (the science behind it)

Ever stepped outside after rain or stood near a waterfall and felt instantly calmer and happier? There’s real physics (and a bit of biology) behind that feeling.

The Lenard Effect:
When water droplets splash, collide, or break apart — whether it’s rain hitting the ground, waves crashing, or water tumbling down a waterfall — they create "negative ions" in the air.

This is called the "Lenard effect" (discovered in 1892). The splashing separates electrical charges, releasing clusters of negatively charged oxygen molecules into the surrounding air.

These negative ions are naturally abundant near:
- Waterfalls
- Beaches and breaking waves
- Rivers and moving water
- Even regular rainfall (especially when drops hit surfaces)

Do negative ions actually affect mood?
Research suggests they can. A 2013 meta-analysis found that exposure to high levels of negative ions was linked to reduced symptoms of depression — particularly in people with seasonal affective disorder. The effect was stronger with higher concentrations of ions.

While the exact mechanism isn’t fully settled, one popular explanation (popularized in certain health communities) involves the lungs. Negative ions may support the breakdown of serotonin there, which some researchers link to feelings of calm and reduced stress.

Even without perfect consensus on the “why,” people consistently report feeling refreshed in these high-negative-ion environments. Part of it is probably the ions, part is the fresh air, cooler temperatures, and the simple joy of being in nature.

Why do kids (and many adults) love getting caught in the rain?
It’s not just “because negative ions.” Rain is:
- Sensory-rich (sound, touch, smell)
- Novel and playful
- Often cooling on a warm day

The combination of the physical sensation + any mood-lifting effects from the ions can make it genuinely uplifting.

Want to try it?
Next time it rains:
- Step outside for a few minutes
- Feel the drops on your skin or hands
- Or just open a window and breathe the post-rain air

You don’t need to get completely soaked — even brief exposure to natural negative ions can feel surprisingly good.

Nature has been giving us this free “mood boost” for millions of years. Sometimes the simplest things really are backed by science. 🌿

(Pro tip: Waterfalls are basically negative-ion factories — if you ever get the chance to stand near one, do it.)

[Next Science @NextScience]

🚨 Scientists Just Discovered a Hidden Role for Ovaries After Menopause

What if ovaries don't actually "shut down" after menopause?

New research suggests they may switch from reproduction to supporting the immune system. Scientists found that postmenopausal ovaries become active with immune cells and may influence aging, inflammation, and overall health. It's a surprising discovery that's changing how researchers think about menopause.

Source:
Science. After menopause, ovaries may transform into organs with immune powers.

[The Research Code @TheResearchCode]

You’re not separate from everything. You’re just a small, temporary piece of this vast cosmos. Your life is short and you can only be in one place at a time, but you’re still connected to the whole.

A beautiful reminder to zoom out.

[Cosmos Archive @cosmosarcive]

“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us ‘Universe,’ a part limited in time and space."

- Albert Einstein

[The Research Code @TheResearchCode]

The Earth rotation effect is real physics:

The reservoir holds tens of billions of tons of water. This mass redistribution very slightly increased Earth’s moment of inertia, slowing rotation by about 0.06 microseconds per day and shifting the axis by roughly 2 cm.

This is measurable and has been discussed in scientific contexts (similar to how large earthquakes or ice melt affect rotation). It is not meaningful for daily life or any practical purpose — it would take tens of thousands of years to add even one second to the length of a day. It shows humans can influence planetary dynamics at a detectable level, but the effect is trivial.

[The Research Code @TheResearchCode]

The "Three Gorges Dam" is the world’s largest hydropower project — a 2.3 km long, 181 m high concrete gravity dam on China’s Yangtze River. Built between 1994 and 2006 (full power in 2012), it holds back a reservoir stretching ~600+ km. It has 22,500 MW installed capacity and generates roughly 90-100+ TWh of electricity per year on average.

What it actually delivered

- Massive clean electricity that reduced some coal use.
- Improved navigation — big ships can now travel much farther inland, cutting transport costs inside China.
- Flood control that has worked during several major events, protecting downstream areas in those specific cases.
- A huge engineering flex that boosted China’s image and industrial capacity.

These benefits are real. The dam produces renewable power at scale and moves goods more efficiently on the river.

The real costs (the part often downplayed)

Over 1.3 million people were forcibly relocated. Many lost farmland, homes, and communities. Compensation was frequently inadequate or corrupt; plenty ended up worse off economically and socially. This was not a gentle process — it was state-forced displacement on a massive scale.

The local environment took a permanent hit:

- The baiji (Yangtze river dolphin) is functionally extinct.
- Fish stocks collapsed in the affected stretch.
- The reservoir created stagnant water that increased pollution and algae issues in places.
- Landslides increased around the new lake.
- Small earthquakes became more frequent due to the weight of the water (induced seismicity).
- Silt now builds up behind the dam instead of flowing downstream, worsening erosion and riverbed changes further along.

These are documented effects, not speculation. The unique Three Gorges ecosystem was sacrificed.

If the dam had never been built
China would have faced more frequent and severe floods in some years — the Yangtze has a deadly history of them. That’s a legitimate downside.

However:
- Over a million people would have stayed in their homes and kept their land.
- The river would not have been turned into this giant, altered reservoir with its specific ecological damage.
- China would have relied more on coal (or other sources) for power in the early years, increasing local air pollution and global emissions somewhat.
- Inland shipping would have stayed slower and costlier.

The dam was a deliberate choice by Chinese leadership to prioritize rapid development, flood risk reduction, and control over nature. They accepted the human and ecological price tag.

Economy and global supply chains
The dam helped keep some Chinese manufacturing and transport costs lower, which indirectly supported cheaper exports to the rest of the world. Navigation improvements were meaningful for domestic trade.

But this is secondary. China would still dominate global manufacturing without this one project. Worldwide supply chain impacts from the dam’s existence (or absence) are modest compared to trade policies, pandemics, or geopolitics. The main winners were Chinese industry and the state. Global consumers got slightly cheaper goods as a byproduct.

The “shifting/cracking” and Earth rotation claims — fact-checked

The dam is not falling apart or dangerously shifting. There are normal hairline cracks in any structure this size. During extreme 2020 floods, some outer/peripheral parts deformed slightly under pressure — this was publicly acknowledged by operators and is considered within safe limits. It is monitored. Viral videos claiming imminent collapse are exaggerated clickbait.

(Current aerial view of the dam and reservoir + 1987 vs 2006 satellite comparison showing the scale of change.)