In the initial two billion years of Earth’s existence, our planet was dominated by a combination of bacteria and their relatives, the Archaea. This period can be described as “slimeball Earth,” marked by a critical merger that shaped the future of life on our planet.
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One of these ancient cells engulfed a bacterial cell, and remarkably, the bacterium survived. Together, they replicated, leading the engulfed bacteria to evolve into mitochondria, which serve as the energy source for these early cells.
Nick Lane from University College London discovered that mitochondria enabled these cells to express an extraordinary 200,000 times more genes, fostering growth and the emergence of varied life forms. This new combination eventually evolved into complex eukaryotic cells, resulting in nearly every organism observable without a microscope, including humans.
Coexistence is fundamental to our existence, a factor that continues to sustain us today. Over 80% of terrestrial plant species engage in symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi, which provide essential nutrients while plants supply the fungi with carbohydrates. Without this interaction, oxygen as we know it would be nonexistent. The soil itself is a product of symbiosis among fungi, bacteria, and plants—an ecological partnership that took root when life transitioned from sea to land roughly 500 million years ago.
When many think of “symbiosis,” they often envision entities coexisting peacefully, like the clownfish and anemone or the vibrant ecosystems of coral reefs. Lichens, too, symbolize the intimate connections among distinct life kingdoms. Generally, we perceive symbiosis as a benevolent arrangement characterized by mutual benefit.
However, experts suggest viewing symbiotic relationships on a spectrum, ranging from parasitism to mutualism. Katie Field from the University of Sheffield, UK, points out that reciprocity isn’t always altruistic; partners often give in hopes of future benefits.
To illustrate this spectrum, consider the diverse strategies employed by orchids. Their minuscule seeds contain very few resources and must parasitize mycorrhizal fungi to access the sugars and nutrients needed for germination. As they develop leaves, some species begin to establish a more reciprocal relationship with the fungus, shifting from parasitism to mutual benefit.
Conversely, older orchids might provide sustenance for younger ones, while certain species may remain parasitic indefinitely, never developing photosynthetic leaves. “There’s a whole cycle of different stages of symbiotic interactions,” Field remarks.
Another significant perspective on symbiosis is its potential as a key to a sustainable future. Leguminous plants such as pulses, beans, and lentils utilize symbiotic bacteria to convert atmospheric nitrogen into fertilizer. Recent studies indicate that these plants have adapted mechanisms from existing cellular structures for this purpose.
This revelation could pave the way for other crops, notably grains like wheat and corn—staples that account for half of human caloric intake—to produce their fertilizers. Giles Oldroyd from the Crop Science Center at Cambridge University is exploring this avenue, with hopes of significantly reducing the reliance on chemical fertilizers in agriculture.
Oldroyd is conducting field trials using modified crops to harness the power of symbiosis, with a clear mission to minimize the use of chemical fertilizers. “I’m committed to this goal,” he states.
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Helgoland Island occupies a nearly mythical position in quantum mechanics history
Shutterstock/Markus Stappen
Having attended numerous scientific conferences, the recent one on Helgoland Island, marking a century of quantum mechanics, stands out as one of the most peculiar, in a positive sense.
This tiny German island, stretching less than a kilometer in the North Sea, exudes the ambiance of a coastal resort. Even during summer, its charm wanes, giving way to the scent of quaint streets filled with souvenir shops, fish eateries, and ice cream stalls. Picture cutting-edge experimenters in Quantum Technologies casually mingling after discussions at the town hall beside a miniature golf course—it’s quite an experience.
Our purpose here becomes evident as we stroll along the cliffside road, where a bronze plaque commemorates physicist Werner Heisenberg’s purported invention of quantum mechanics in 1925. While it sounds intriguing, it’s an embellishment; Heisenberg merely outlined some concepts here. The more recognized formulation came from Erwin Schrödinger in early 1926, who introduced wave functions to predict quantum system evolutions.
Nonetheless, this year clearly holds significance as we commemorate a century of quantum mechanics. Regardless of how much of Helgoland’s narrative stems from Heisenberg’s own embellishments—he recounted his breakthrough there several years later—this “Remote Control Island” serves as a unique venue for celebratory gatherings.
And what a celebration it is! It’s almost surreal to witness such a congregation of renowned quantum physicists. Among them are four Nobel laureates: Alain Aspect, David Wineland, Anton Zeilinger, and Serge Haroche. Collectively, they’ve validated the bizarre aspects of quantum mechanics, showcasing how the characteristics of one particle can instantaneously influence another, no matter the distance. They’ve also developed techniques to manipulate individual quantum particles, crucial for quantum computing.
In my view, these distinguished individuals would concur that the younger generation is poised to delve deeper into the implications of quantum mechanics, transforming its notoriously counterintuitive essence into new technologies and a better understanding of nature. Quantum mechanics is renowned for encompassing multiple interpretations of its mathematical framework concerning reality, with many seasoned experts firmly entrenched in their perspectives.
Helgoland’s plaque honors Werner Heisenberg’s role in quantum mechanics
Philip Ball
This divisive sentiment was noticeable during Zeilinger and Aspect’s evening panel discussion. Jill’s Brothers pioneered quantum cryptography at the University of Montreal.
In fairness to the veterans, their theories emerged under considerable skepticism from their peers, particularly regarding the significance of examining such foundational concerns. They navigated an era where “silent calculations” were prevalent—a term coined by American physicist David Mermin to describe how it was frowned upon to ponder the implications of quantum mechanics beyond merely solving the Schrödinger equation. It’s no wonder they developed thick skins.
In contrast, younger researchers seem more pragmatic in their approach to quantum theories, often adopting various interpretations as tools to address specific challenges. Elements of the Copenhagen interpretation and the multiverse theory are intertwined, not as definitive claims about reality, but as frameworks for analysis.
The new wave of researchers, such as Vedika Khemani from Stanford University, are actively bridging condensed matter physics and quantum information. I heard her highlight the evolution from storing information on magnetic tapes in the 1950s to the crucial error correction techniques in today’s quantum computing.
Quantum mechanics applications are on the rise, with theorists also stepping up their game. For instance, Flaminia Giacomini at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich spoke about her pursuit of reconciling the granular quantum realm with the smooth continuous world required for quantum gravity, offering profound insights into the essence of quantum mechanics.
While some may consider this exploration to be veering into the realm of speculation, as seen in string theory attempts, Giacomini asserted, “There is no experimental evidence that gravity should be quantized.” Hence, empirical validation remains elusive, despite a wealth of theoretical discourse.
Excitingly, there are plans to test hypotheses in the not-so-distant future. For instance, examining whether two objects can entangle purely through gravitational interactions is a goal. The difficulty is ensuring the objects are substantial enough to exert meaningful gravitational pull while being sufficiently small to demonstrate quantum characteristics. Several speakers expressed confidence in overcoming this hurdle within the next decade.
The conference revealed the interconnectedness of quantum theories and experiments: perturbing one aspect inevitably influences others. Gaining a nuanced understanding of quantum gravity through delicate experiments involving trapped particles could shed light on black hole information paradoxes and inspire innovative ideas for quantum computing and the nature of quantum states.
Ultimately, achieving progress in any of these areas appears promising for uncovering the enduring questions that have fascinated Heisenberg and his contemporaries. What occurs when we measure quantum particles? However, rather than perceiving it as a repetitive struggle, it’s clear that quantum mechanics is much more sophisticated and intriguing than the founders ever envisaged.
TThis resembles a sphere like Redrock, an open-world variant of Las Vegas Mind-Yay. It’s nearly directly the original concept: a massive bubble of bubbles partly embedded in the desert ground, with its exterior acting as a gigantic screen. Occasionally, cars halt beside this sphere while traveling in an electric vehicle designed by Silva, the global megascope controlling entity. They pause just as advertisements on the Silva EV unfold dramatically overhead, resulting in a slight disorienting effect.
In these instances, I truly grasp what Mind-eye aims to convey. You find yourself ensnared in the ultimate company town ruled by oligarchs and con artists who have no desire to escape the ecosystem they’ve constructed. Mindseye infiltrates this reality through serendipitous interactions with a blend of wit and lightness. While much of the game skews towards heavy-handedness and dullness, it’s refreshing to experience moments of clarity where everything falls into place.
With its sphere and ever-present EV, Mindseye embodies a futuristic vibe. It connects with themes surrounding AI, the Tech elite, and the creeping menace of corporate dystopia. You take on the role of a former priest grappling with amnesia who must confront the precise harm that technology has inflicted on his humanity, engaging in combat against people, robots, and drones. Beyond the main story, Mindseye also offers a toolkit for creating your own games and levels to share with fellow players. This all comes from a studio co-founded by Leslie Benzies, known for his work on GTA 5 and more.
AI overlords…Mindseye. Photo: IO Interactive
Strangely, the gameplay often feels reminiscent of the past. When I move my finger through the air, I sense a breeze from around 2012. Heartfelt, it’s a somewhat clunky cover shooter set in an open world experienced primarily during travel between missions. The narrative exists mainly to justify betrayals, car chases, and shootouts, while explaining why you enter battles accompanied by personal drones that can open doors and stun nearby foes.
It can be a peculiar affair, evoking memories of a time when many third-person games included cutscenes and cover mechanics that hadn’t yet reached necessity. It’s worth noting that there are frequent reports of crashes, technical glitches, and NPCs appearing without faces. My playthrough on a relatively older PC encountered just one crash and a handful of amusing bugs, but overall, I faced minimal issues. I engage with games that feel similarly dated.
This might attract less criticism than anticipated. A straightforward run-and-gun mission lets you repeatedly photograph individuals who share a striking resemblance while choosing routes between waypoints. Shooting mechanics often provide enjoyment, so it feels somewhat disappointing to drive for each mission, though the vehicle conveys a satisfying sense of freedom, reminiscent of classic driving games. (Air travel lacks excitement due to its lack of character.)
Drive between missions…mindeye. Photo: Build Robot Boy/IO Interactive
In a world where many games contemplate AI dominance, the in-game AI around me seemed far from a takeover. When I relinquished control of the vehicle to the game while tailing an enemy, I was advised to avoid detection, leading to our bumpers colliding at each intersection. This particular open-world town is inhabited by amusingly unskilled AI drivers. I’ve frequently arrived at traffic lights only to be greeted by their reckless antics. Consequently, I often appreciated the off-screen collisions involving road cones and dumpsters that I consistently found amusing.
I even enjoyed the plot’s quirks, featuring lines like “My DNA has changed since we last met!” But do you feel it? Nevertheless, I’ve become increasingly aware that intelligent individuals devoted a considerable amount of effort to creating this game. I don’t think they aimed to disappoint. Or to place me in an open world that feels sparse, not due to a lack of mission icons or fishing mini-games, but because it lacks convincing human elements.
This issue appears to resonate thematically. It embodies a reckless ambition. When I explored the level editor, I discovered impressively rich and complex tools, but creating something truly exceptional on this platform demands significant time and dedication. This is undoubtedly aimed at mega fans with niche interests. Completing everything in the campaign (even those sections that attempt variation with stealth, tracking, and sniping segments) is an endeavor that requires a real mega-corporation’s backing.
Mindseye is peculiar. Despite its flaws, I seldom found it unenjoyable, but I still find it challenging to give an unreserved recommendation. The concepts, immediate actions, and narratives are so vaguely developed that they nearly vanish. Still, I’m somewhat glad it exists.
Is this the future in a world where the oceans are rising?
Deep R&D Ltd
The Bajau are indigenous marine people of Southeast Asia, often referred to as sea nomads. For millennia, they have thrived along coastlines, relying on foraging underwater without the aid of diving gear, holding their breath for astonishing durations. Yet, the early 21st century introduced multiple crises that jeopardized their way of life—industrial overfishing, pollution, coral bleaching diminished food sources, and rising sea levels consumed coastal dwellings.
In 2035, a Bajau community near Saba, North Borneo, initiated fundraising for a contemporary floating and underwater settlement. They collaborated with deep, a manufacturer of submarine habitats, to create interconnected rafts and underwater homes, developing business models that could be emulated by other maritime communities facing similar threats from rising seas. Revenue streams included extreme adventure tourism, scientific research facilities, and longevity clinics.
The first habitat comprised a network of platforms and rafts, with tunnels leading to underwater levels. While residents occupied surface structures, they increasingly utilized submerged areas for storage, sustenance, and sleep. This habitat was constructed using a 3D printing technique known as Wire arc additive manufacturing, which allowed the most effective pressure distribution in areas experiencing strain.
The deeper sections were maintained at both ambient water pressure and the corresponding atmospheric pressure from the surface. In modules situated less than 20 meters deep, occupants, referred to as Aquanauts, inhaled a unique gas mixture to prevent nitrogen narcosis. Those exiting deep modules required decompression when returning to normal atmospheric conditions. An advantage of these surrounding modules was the incorporation of a moon door, enabling Aquanauts to swim directly into the deep sea for leisure, research, and farming activities.
Undersea hotels catering to extreme tourism have surged in popularity. In the Galapagos, tourists reside in submerged hydroelectric hotels, exploring hot springs and observing some of the planet’s rarest life forms. Simultaneously, scientists harness these modules to investigate deep-sea ecosystems. Undersea mapping technologies have evolved, enabling researchers to explore vast ocean territories that were previously unreachable, fostering understanding and interactions with whales and other deep-sea creatures, leading to significant advancements in marine biology.
Aquanauts can swim directly into the deep sea for recreational, research, and agricultural activities
The Bajau have long been adapted to marine environments. With thousands of years at sea, they possess enlarged spleens that provide a higher quantity of oxygen-retaining red blood cells compared to typical humans. Some Bajau divers can spend five hours underwater, diving freely to depths of 70 meters without oxygen tanks, holding their breath for up to 15 minutes. After transitioning to seabed habitats, many Bajau began to leave behind surface living, opting instead to spend more time submerged, even resorting to gene editing to enhance their aquatic capabilities, including intentional eardrum puncturing to facilitate deeper dives, and utilizing surfactants in their lungs to aid their decompression, akin to adaptations found in diving marine mammals.
Bajau’s Diver
Marco Rayman/Alamie
Numerous communities have established depth clinical treatments. Previous research has demonstrated that exposure to intermittent daily sessions of pressurized oxygen therapy can alleviate various medical conditions and age-related diseases. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, for instance, has proven beneficial, leading individuals who underwent consistent high-pressure sessions to possess longer telomeres and enhanced clearance of senescent cells, both of which are linked to increased longevity. The deep habitat has attracted affluent seniors looking to extend their lives, simultaneously providing a lucrative income source.
The majority of marine communities have become self-sufficient, cultivating their own food through aquaculture of fish, mollusks, and seaweed, while also growing other crops on the surface. Energy sources include a combination of solar, wind, wave, and geothermal energy, tailored to local conditions. Some communities focus on tourism, whereas others specialize in carbon capture within medical facilities. A significant amount of seaweed is harvested, sunk into the ocean depths, and sold as carbon credits.
Living beneath the waves isn’t for everyone. Nonetheless, these habitats empower those most vulnerable to climate change, giving them the tools to redefine their livelihoods and lifestyles, even in the face of rising sea levels that threaten their homes.
Rowan Hooper is the podcast editor for New Scientist and author of *How to Spend $1 Trillion: These are 10 Global Issues That Can Be Actually Fixed*. Follow him on Bluesky @rowhoop.bsky.social
In the afternoon, we gathered four people at Perich, a family-owned café on Besnard Green Road, London, which has been part of the East End for 125 years. The lively and renowned owners, British-Italian brothers Nevio and Anna, have been delighting patrons with fry-ups, soups, pasta, and jam rolly-polly since 8 am. Although the café is currently closed, Anna and Nevio are embarking on their second venture as hosts of a podcast series. The show features interviews exploring food and lifestyle, focusing on guests’ favorite meals. The discussions are fascinating, chaotic, and filled with surprises.
So far, they’ve welcomed the likes of actor Ray Winstone, Dexis’ Kevin Rowland, rapper Haku Baker, and 86-year-old YouTuber Marge Keefe, also known as Grime Gran. Today’s guests include TikTok star John Fisher, aka Big John, and his son, boxer Johnny Fisher. When I mention to Anna that she must be exhausted, she laughs and replies, “Tell me about it. Actually, tell him!” Their long-time producer, George Sexton Kerr, notes that he has been busy rearranging the Formica table for the film crew.
You might wonder why a film crew is involved. Podcasts are typically for the ears, not the eyes, right? However, recent trends have changed the way podcasts are consumed, with many shows now incorporating video. In February, YouTube reported that 1 billion users watch podcast content monthly, positioning the platform ahead of Spotify (which noted 100 million podcast listeners in 2023) and Apple in the podcasting space. With leading podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience and The Mel Robbins Podcast, it’s no surprise that Spotify is working hard to catch up.
This year, the BBC launched visual adaptations of shows such as The Traitors: Uncloaked and Uncanny: Mortem in both video and audio formats. Business Insider reports that Netflix is also preparing to embrace visualized podcasts. To reflect this evolution, the British Podcast Awards introduced a new Visual Innovation Award to honor “Outstanding Visual Podcasts.” This indicates that whether one likes it or not, visualized podcasts, often referred to as “board casts,” are on the rise.
Conversations with both listeners and creators about this new audiovisual landscape reveal differing opinions. Dedicated audio enthusiasts reasonably question the need to watch a podcast when their TV watchlist is already overwhelming. Conversely, others delight in seeing familiar hosts in person. Independent audio producers, seeking anonymity, express concerns about YouTube’s dominance in the industry and worry that audio content might become “Crap Telly.”
It’s important to note that visualized podcasts aren’t necessarily competing with mainstream television. Just as celebrity interviewer Amelia Dimoldenberg, host of YouTube’s Chicken Shop Date, can coexist alongside BBC’s Graham Norton, visualized podcasts can exist beside high-quality television programming. Nonetheless, as a podcast enthusiast and critic, I admit I have my doubts. For me, the beauty of podcasts lies in the intimate experience of voice and soundscapes directly engaging my imagination. I often listen while multitasking, whether cooking or walking my dog. I don’t need yet another screen-based distraction.
That said, I’m excited about podcasts where the visuals serve a distinct purpose, such as the series launched by CAFF last year. Producer Sexton Kerr, who took two years to craft the series with Anna and Nevio, envisioned it as a comprehensive audiovisual experience. “I always wanted it to be multifaceted; it’s about food and this wonderful dynamic between Anna and Nevio. But it’s also about the beauty of sharing a conversation over tea.”
In the early episodes, Nevio admits, “There were moments of chaos because Anna and I were figuring it out, but mostly because George was guiding us,” [in both audio and visual formats].
When my producer friend discusses the pod, “Crunch Terry,” they refer to interview podcasts as ideal for visual mediums. Productions like Davina McCall’s Begin, Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud, and Call Her Daddy illustrate how hosts and interviewees can thrive in visually engaging settings, complete with stylish decor and ambient lighting.
However, many productions fall short, either restricting camera angles to sound booths or presenting awkward Zoom calls. A prime example is The Rest Is Politics, a chart-topping series hosted by Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell. Since the hosts rarely appear together, viewers see them on split screens, each illuminated from their respective homes. YouTube executive Pedlopina recently stated that the show “feels like high school” due to its lack of production quality, noting that “viewers will ultimately determine the production value they are willing to accept.”
Matt Deegan, partner at Podcast Discovery, a marketing firm for podcasts, remarked, “For some viewers, they may not frequently consume podcasts and instead watch shows. There is a younger audience that navigates YouTube without engaging with audio podcasts.”
Regardless of production quality, the video format is easily shareable on social media, enhancing the show’s visibility. Deegan states, “Repetitive exposure to engaging, informative, or entertaining content makes it much more likely for someone to engage with the podcast app.” Sexton Kerr adds, “We’ve been steadily posting clips on Instagram and TikTok, amassing over 400,000 views on some. We couldn’t afford such advertising.”
For interview podcasts, the advantages of video content are clear and straightforward. Transforming a narrative podcast into an appealing visual format is a more considerable challenge, but podcasters are starting to explore this. George Mpanga (aka poet George) and Bembrick, creator of Have You Heard of George’s Podcast?, a Peabody Award-winning series on race, history, and culture, are currently reworking their audio episodes for a video audience.
“You have to go where the audience is,” explains Bembrick. “Even if your primary focus is audio, it would be unwise to exclude platforms like YouTube. If you venture there, you increase your chances of resonating with that content. We feel ready to experiment, and we’re curious about how it will turn out. I don’t believe we’ve reached the final form yet.”
Does all of this spell doom for audio? While some industry insiders worry that the rise of video podcasts may sideline indie podcasters in an increasingly competitive market, Bembrick is optimistic that it will create space for productions that truly prioritize audio.
Back at Perich, Nevio brings two jam tarts on giant plates to our table, and Sexton Kerr remarks that everything is interwoven. “It’s like the video of that song killed the radio star. But we still have radio stars. I still have podcasts I cherish listening to, so I believe there’s room for both.”
fOr, for the second time last month, Microsoft employees disrupted high-level executives speaking at an event celebrating the 50th anniversary on April 4. They were protesting the company’s role in Israel’s ongoing siege in Gaza.
AI executive Mustafasleiman was suspended by employees Ibtihal Aboussad and Vaniya Agrawal. The two were fired within a few days. Microsoft president Brad Smith and former CEO Steve Ballmer were yelled at in Great Hall in Seattle on March 20 by current and former employees.
Before the April event, there was an outside gathering that also included current and former Tech Giant employees. Protesters projected a sign onto the wall of the hall called “Microsoft Powers Genocide,” showing that since October 7, 2023, Israel has been extensively using its AI and cloud computing services.
The rally and confusion were the latest in the employee protests at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, urging the company to cut ties with Israel. This comes after years of simmering tensions on the company’s message boards and a recent workplace dispute.
Taken together, the protests indicate that more people have decided to leave the company for good, according to current and past employees who spoke with the Guardian. Microsoft did not respond to requests for comment.
The recent events at Microsoft reflect similar incidents at other tech companies, such as Google, where employees were fired as they protested their ties with Israel. In February, Google adjusted its AI guidelines, removing the commitment to not use artificial intelligence for surveillance or weapons.
Anxiety about the increase in Redmond
Former Microsoft software engineer Hossam Nasr described the situation at the company as being close to a turning point. He highlighted the events in February as an example of growing frustration among employees.
The firing of employees who raised concerns has galvanized others in the company who are worried about the issue, along with recent media coverage of Microsoft’s role in the siege of Gaza in Israel.
Aboussad told the Guardian that she had been increasingly at odds over the last few months as a software engineer working for AI. She expressed concerns about Microsoft’s deep ties with the Israeli government. AP Report
Within days of speaking with the Guardian, Aboussad was terminated. Several colleagues mentioned they were considering leaving the company, she stated.
From Viva to IRL
Before the recent direct protest, Microsoft employees were mainly discussing the Hamas attacks and Israel’s continued retaliation online. Several conversations on Microsoft’s Viva Engage company’s message board sparked controversy. One employee posted about the lack of symmetry in the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, which led to heated debates.
Employees critical of Israel’s actions have been vocal about what they perceive as a double standard within the company, especially following events from October 7th. They have accused Microsoft of censoring viewpoints on internal forums while treating Israeli supporters differently. From immediately after October 7th. One employee shared an email from the company’s Global Employee Relations Team emphasizing the need for respectful discussions on the topic of Israel and Gaza. There were restrictions on postings related to these topics on the company message board.
Online discussions among employees have evolved throughout 2024, according to Nasr. Many employees initially focused on petitions urging the company to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, but the attention gradually shifted to Microsoft’s business practices. By the end of the year, Nasr and others began a campaign to boycott Microsoft’s cloud computing services, cancel contracts with the Israeli military, and gather signatures from colleagues in protest of the company’s ties with the Israeli government.
Reporting Microsoft’s role in Gaza Roil employee discussion
Documents obtained by Drop site, an independent news outlet, revealed that high-tech companies, including Microsoft, are actively seeking to serve the Israeli military. This discovery fueled concerns among some Microsoft employees, leading to internal discussions about the company’s ethics and practices.
Anna Hutt, a long-time employee at Microsoft, highlighted the importance of sharing information about the company’s actions within the organization. She emphasized the need for open conversations and offline organizing efforts to raise awareness among employees.
Nasr mentioned that Apartheid’s Azure has partnered with Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) in adding Microsoft to their boycott campaign list. This move reflects growing discontent among employees regarding the company’s involvement with the Israeli military.
One Microsoft employee expressed frustration over what they perceived as a betrayal of the company’s stated values in its contract with Israel. They cited examples of events where critical perspectives were silenced and called for a boycott of Microsoft’s products that enable military actions.
Using advanced statistical modeling, a team of researchers from ETH Zurich, Seti Institute, and University ‘Tor Vergata’ Yonversity investigated how many exoplanets should be observed and understood before declaring that life beyond Earth is common or rare.
Future telescopes will investigate mild terrestrial exoplanets to estimate the frequency of habitable or inhabited worlds. Angerhausen et al. It aims to determine the minimum number of exoplanets required to draw statistically significant conclusions. Particularly for null results (i.e., no detection). Image credit: Sci.News.
In science, not being able to find anything can bring important insights.
When scientists look for life on exoplanets, they often focus on certain characteristics, such as water, gases like oxygen and methane, which may exhibit biological activity.
But what if scientists can’t find these features? Can we learn meaningful things about how ordinary life exists in the universe?
“Even one positive detection changes everything, but up until then we need to make sure we are learning as much as possible from what we can’t find,” said Dr. Daniel Angerhausen, researcher at ETH Zurich and SETI Institute.
New research shows that if scientists look at 40-80 planets and can’t find any signs of life, they can confidently conclude that less than 10-20% of similar planets have life.
However, this depends heavily on how certain we are for each observation.
These discoveries allow scientists to set meaningful caps on the prevalence of living in the universe.
Furthermore, if there is only 10% of planets in the Milky Way alone that have some form of life, it could still be more than 10 billion planets.
“This kind of outcome would be a turning point,” Dr. Angerhausen said.
“Even if life is not found, ultimately we can quantify planets that are truly rare or common with planets with detectable biosignatures.”
The findings will have a direct impact on future missions such as NASA’s Habitable World Observatory (HWO) and European-led large-scale interferometers on exoplanets searching for life.
These missions will study dozens of Earth-like planets by analyzing the planet’s atmosphere for water, oxygen, and even more complex biosignature signs.
Research shows that the number of observed planets is large enough to draw critical conclusions about the likelihood and prevalence of life in the galaxy.
However, this study points out that even with advanced equipment, these studies should carefully account for uncertainty and bias, and develop frameworks to ensure statistically meaningful results.
One important insight from this study is that uncertainty in individual observations, such as false negatives, can significantly impact conclusions.
“It’s not just the number of planets we observe. It’s about how confident we are to see what we’re looking for or not,” Dr. Angerhausen said.
“If we are not careful and confident in our ability to identify life, even large-scale research can lead to misleading consequences.”
The study will be published in today’s Astronomy Journal.
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Daniel Engerhausen et al. 2025. What if nothing is found? Bayesian analysis of null statistics in future exoplanet habitability and biosignature investigations. AJ 169, 238; doi:10.3847/1538-3881/adb96d
Donald Trump is getting ready to review a final proposal that will determine the fate of TikTok before the app either gets acquired by non-Chinese buyers or faces a ban in the US.
US Vice President J.D. Vance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and National Intelligence Director Tarsi Gabbard will convene in the oval office on Wednesday to discuss the matter, as reported by Reuters.
In the closely watched sale of TikTok, the White House is acting as an investment bank with Vance leading an auction.
Private equity firm Blackstone is in talks regarding the involvement of current non-Chinese shareholders of Baitedan, spearheaded by Susquehanna International Group and Atlantic General.
Trump stated that a deal with ByteDance to sell the video-sharing app used by 170 million Americans will be finalized before the deadline on Saturday.
Trump is gearing up to announce global tariffs on what he’s calling “liberation day” on Wednesday. He expressed willingness to reduce China’s tariffs to seal the TikTok deal last week.
Trump had set a deadline for TikTok to secure non-Chinese buyers by January or face a US ban on national security grounds, as per the law enacted in 2024.
US venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is reportedly discussing an investment in TikTok as part of an effort led by Trump to gain control of the app, according to the Financial Times.
Mark Andreessen, a Silicon Valley luminary and co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, is in talks to bring in new external investments to acquire TikTok’s Chinese investors alongside Oracle and other American investors in a bid to separate it from its parent company, as per the FT report.
Blackstone is said to value TikTok’s US business as a small minority investment.
Discussions about TikTok’s future involve plans to raise stakes and acquire clauses to outbid the major Chinese investors to secure the US business for short video apps, as reported by Reuters.
Last month, Trump mentioned that his administration is in talks with four different groups regarding potential deals with TikTok in the future.
TikTok and Andreessen Horowitz have yet to respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
President Trump is set to meet with top White House officials on Wednesday to discuss proposals aimed at securing the future of Tiktok in the United States, according to two sources familiar with the plan.
Trump will be considering suggesting a new ownership structure for the popular video app, which is owned by the Chinese internet giant ByteDance. Lawmakers and other US officials have raised concerns about the app’s ties to China, citing national security issues. A federal law passed last year requires Tiktok to change its ownership or face a ban in the US. The most recent deadline for this ban is Saturday.
The meeting will be attended by Vice President JD Vance, who was appointed by Trump in early February to find a solution to save popular apps, along with two other individuals who requested anonymity. They mentioned that the new ownership structure could involve private equity firm Blackstone and tech company Oracle.
This meeting is just the latest development in Tiktok’s ongoing national saga, as the app has gained immense popularity in the US despite facing intense scrutiny in Washington. Trump has expressed his desire to save the app and previously extended the deadline for a potential transaction in January. He has hinted that he may do so again if a suitable plan is not reached by the beginning of this month.
Tiktok has not responded immediately to a request for comment.
It remains to be seen whether the potential deal being discussed will adhere to the law. The law stipulates that less than 20% of Tiktok or its parent company can be owned by individuals or entities from countries considered “foreign enemies,” including China.
Furthermore, the law prohibits new entities from collaborating with ByteDance to operate video recommendation technologies or establish data sharing agreements.
Last week, Trump suggested that he could potentially ease tariffs on China in exchange for support for the deal.
Tiktok has stated that it is not up for sale, as the Chinese government is blocking any potential deal.
University of Leicester paleontologists Sarah Gabot and Jan Zarashivich have published a new book on how different types of so-called technolosils collapse in the past, including plastic bottles, patios, cell phones, old socks, spherical pens and many other hosts.
Wind turbine blades made from recycled materials may be one of the most surprising fossils discovered by future paleontologists. Image credit: Gemini AI.
But one technical oil that may really turn your head among paleontologists in distant environments in exploring the extraordinary layers of human epoch is the relic of wind turbines.
“The fossils are not from row towers. They are made of metal and made of recycled metal,” Professor Zalasiewicz said.
“But the giant wind turbine blades are made from materials such as fiberglass, epoxy resin, and carbon fiber. These are extremely difficult to recycle, but they make fossils easier.”
“As wind turbines reach their end of life and are removed, huge 50m-long bladed landfills are growing, sliced into truck-length segments and appearing to be neatly stacked together.”
“Some of them have been buried for millions of years, and if you ultimately stumble upon an inquisitive, distant paleontologist, a massive, hollow, sawbone cemetery,” he said.
“Some are crushed and dulled by the movement of the earth, while others are full of mineral growth, but their impressive shape and enormous size shine through the layers.”
“For our distant explorers, they become a huge puzzle. Can they tell us that they were built to grab the wind, providing clean, renewable energy?”
“Perhaps if they can connect them together — just like we're reconstructing the skeletons of today's giant dinosaurs — we can see their aerodynamic shapes.”
“They become one puzzle among the millions we leave behind in our daily lives (and I think they'll also find more ominous fossils left behind by fossil fuel burning).
“There was nothing like this new fossil cornea in the 400 million years of history on Earth.”
“And now we should begin to understand this amazing, surprising, often toxic, what we leave on the planet.”
“To know how our countless discarded objects become fossilized in the distant future will help us deal with the growing mountains that we live in today.”
The author also explains the types of science that appear to show the footprints of distant humans on Earth for the average reader.
It offers a different perspective on fossils and fossils. It expands the ideas of what people think of as fossils and what they can convey to us.
“It was a real adventure to use an understanding of how fossils are formed in the past and apply it to the very new world of what we now call Technofossils,” Professor Gabbott said.
“But then, we were asked a really tough question. Will the most amazing technolosil we're leaving behind will be millions (or billions) now?”
“There are so many candidates comparable to wind turbines because of the 'the strangest human fossil of all time.' ”
“For example, there are countless different shapes that a pair of Y fronts can take when pressed within a layer (and explores a very specific question in the book).”
“There are some very distinctive, and very hard fossil smoke particles that come out of our power plants.”
“There are strange stories of tea bags, chicken feathers, non-stick frying pans, instantaneous patterns of silicon chips, copper wire that wraps around the world.”
____
Sarah Gabot and Jan Zarashivich. 2025. How Technorosil becomes our ultimate legacy. OUP Oxford
Oliver Fiegel, a 47-year-old Munich-based photographer, was reading a newspaper on Germany’s National Sunday when he saw a strange look on the top page image. The images showed the boy chasing soccer on the pitch. However, some of the wild flowers on the grass floated without stems. Half of the goal net was missing. The boy’s hands were shaped.
Photographer Oliver Fiegel, 47, said he would no longer be able to make a living from his trading alone in the industry in 18 years. Photo: Oliver Fiegel/Guardian Community
Over the past few years, many of Fiegel’s photography clients have been newspapers and magazines. However, the job has recently dried up. The image he felt showed one reason for “generic illustrations,” the provided caption said.
Fiegel was irritated. The use of artificial intelligence rather than human creatively represented the crafts that he spent years training and was tainted and erased by the emergence of cheaper and faster generative AI tools.
“AI has had the most devastating impact on the industry.” observer How is the rise of generative AI tools changing their working lives, for better or worse, amidst the economic changes of earthquakes? “It’s happening very quickly.”
Fiegel, a photographer for almost 18 years, said he was no longer able to make a living and was forced to fundamentally diversify his income streams. Now he is considering opening a natural wine bar instead.
In advanced economies such as the UK, Germany and the US, about 60% of jobs are exposed to AI, according to AI, a survey conducted by the International Monetary Fund last year, with about half of them potentially negatively affected. In the UK alone, AI can drive down private sector jobs up to 3M, according to the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, but some unemployment could be offset by a new role in economic change.
“I still only know a few photographers who can live out of this deal,” Fiegel said. “It’s not easy. I’ve identified it as being creative for the rest of my life.”
Longtime translator Karl Kerner said the AI tools had a negative impact on him. Photo: Karl Kerner/Guardian Community
Since 1994, Karl Kerner has focused on non-fiction scientific texts as a translator among English, German and Norwegians. This type of translation requires expert knowledge and careful terminology, he said.
“I’m basically out of business now,” Kerner said. “This AI has become like a tsunami.” In the past few years of AI-driven translation and editing tools, the number of “[work] Requests have just diminished,” he added.
His loss of identity had a major impact, said Kerner, who is born in New York and now lives in Tonsburg, Norway. “All night, everything about this linguistic culture is worthless. It does something for you, because you were professional. [It’s like] Someone takes the rug from under you.”
Kerner, 64, began working for an agricultural consultant. “It’s not a good age to join the job market. It wasn’t easy,” he said.
But technology is also helping him with some translation work he still gets. Instead of translating words by word, he can send the text to automated translation software, and use his knowledge to eliminate inaccuracies and mistranslations, significantly reducing working hours. “I’m not a Techno Forbe, I think it’s attractive,” he said.
Other workers have more positive experiences as they integrate AI into their daily work.
Alexander Calvey, a self-employed Locum GP in Surrey, said he used AI Scribe to write down his notes, saving him time and improving quality. The results mean he can “focus more on the patient than on the notes.”
Calvey, who also works for a private GP provider, added that he managed to increase The number of patients he sees is sometimes 4-5 per hour. In the future, as technology improves, Calvey feels that AI will have more use to guide questions and treatments.
ChatGpt Chatbot has become the sounding album of Paul, a 44-year-old university researcher on mathematics and philosophy based in Stockholm. He said the tool would help summarize the literature and brainstorm research questions.
“It knows a lot, I know other things that I don’t want to be challenging,” he said, allowing me to study those topics more deeply.
However, Paul’s use ChatGpt is not just his professional job. He also uses it for personal tasks, such as providing analysis if he experiences strange dreams.
A mother’s pencil portrait by freelance illustrator Jenny Turner. Illustrations: Jenny Turner/Jeturnarath/Guardian Community
Despite this feature, he is concerned about the amount of information that companies that control generative AI tools learn about their users. He said he is “very worried” about the “power of a small number of companies’ high-tech giants.”
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer said he hopes that AI will be “mainlined to the vein” of the nation to promote productivity and economic growth. But this month, the TUC is calling for urgent government action to protect workers in the creative industry amidst the risk of disruption and unemployment.
For Jenny Turner, a 33-year-old freelance illustrator in the northeastern England, the decline in fee demand was “very sudden” and coincided with the spread of AI imaging tools. Turner previously sold his work on Etsy. For example, she charges about £100 for a portrait drawn by a colored pencil. However, in the last few years she has begun to see AI-generated images beneath her work in the “You Like too” section.
“I can’t compete any more…it’s on sale at a price I could never drop,” she said. “It really hit me hard and made me feel empty like you were wasting everything. It just gets upset and makes you mad.”
Turner said after drawing from a young age and studying at university, she was now forced to abolish her illustrations on Etsy and consider other jobs. “If that’s what happens in everything,” she said, “How many people aren’t going to do their job?”
Have you ever measured your hip to hip ratio? Chances are, you probably haven’t. However, there is an important reason why you should start.
Recent research published in Nutrition, obesity, exercise suggests that these measurements may be linked to cognitive decline. The study found that individuals with smaller hips have a significantly lower risk compared to those with larger hips.
Feeling concerned about your numbers? Don’t worry too much just yet – researchers emphasize that your risk is not set in stone. Making healthier dietary choices can actively reduce the risk of cognitive decline and support long-term brain health.
BMI and Waist-to-Hip Ratio
While most scientists use Body Mass Index (BMI) to measure body size by comparing weight to height, this system has faced criticism for its inaccuracies. For instance, muscular individuals may be categorized as overweight even if they are not at risk for diseases like type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
Therefore, researchers are increasingly turning to alternative measurements such as waist-to-hip ratios as a more accurate indicator of health risks related to size than BMI. According to the authors of the study, this measurement is more reliable.
“We found a connection between healthier waist-to-hip ratios and better cognitive function scores,” stated Dr. Dahlia Y Jensen in an interview with BBC Science Focus.
The study, which was published recently, examined the relationship between diet, body size, and brain health over several decades. 664 British civil servants had their waists and hips measured multiple times between the 1950s and 1960s over approximately 21 years.
Comparing waist and hip sizes indicates the amount of central fat accumulation, which is associated with a higher risk of diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. – Credit: FluxFactory via Getty
Diet Evaluation and Brain Health Measurement
A group of 512 civil servants completed three dietary surveys between the ages of 48 and 60. Scientists assessed dietary quality based on various components including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fats, sugary drinks, meat, salt, and alcohol.
When participants reached about 70 years of age, brain scans were conducted to measure cognitive performance. The findings revealed that middle-aged individuals with healthier diets and slimmer hips had better brain health later in life.
Brain imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were used to analyze the brain structure of the participants, with a particular focus on the hippocampus.
“The hippocampus is crucial in dementia research, and numerous studies have highlighted its importance in memory and learning,” explained Jensen. While previous studies emphasized the significance of hippocampal volume, this study explored its associations with other brain regions.
“We observed a strong link between better diet, functional connectivity of the hippocampus with other brain regions, and waist-to-hip ratio,” Jensen added. Improved white matter connections associated with a slim waist indicated better communication between brain regions.
This suggests that individuals who follow healthier diets and maintain slimmer waists in middle age are at a reduced risk of cognitive decline and diseases like dementia later in life.
“If you’re looking to improve your brain health, it’s never too late to start, but the earlier, the better,” Jensen advised.
The study had some limitations, with only 20% of female participants as they were civil servants recruited in the 1980s. However, Jensen deemed the study “exciting” and believes it will aid in understanding the link between mid-age dietary health and future brain health.
Alzheimer’s Disease Association estimates that 982,000 people in the UK currently live with dementia. Jensen hopes the study will encourage a shift towards preventive healthcare.
About our experts:
Dr. Dahlia Y Jensen is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Cognitive Neuropathy Clinic, University Medical Center Leipzig, and the Department of Neurology at Max Planck Human Brain Science Institute in Germany. She also serves as a visiting researcher at the Oxford University School of Psychiatry and is a corresponding author of the study.
Envision the future of HR. Picture receiving a notification on your phone informing you that due to recent organizational changes, new personnel need to be recruited. The message includes a list of six well-qualified candidates who align with the organizational culture and are available to start within a month. Your task is simply to choose the best candidate to interview.
Much of this future scenario is already a reality. Platforms like Employment Heroes offer advanced AI tools to assist small businesses in managing HR and recruitment. These tools can even predict future needs and suggest potential candidates proactively.
Utilizing AI tools, Employment Heroes analyzes clients’ businesses, including organizational structure, turnover rates, and hiring timelines, making it easier for small businesses to operate. This global employment management platform uses AI to provide insights and recommendations, such as identifying when a position needs to be filled.
This workforce planning capability has traditionally been inaccessible to small and medium-sized businesses, placing them at a disadvantage in recruitment and staffing. Now, they have access to expertise and support equivalent to that of large corporations.
The right candidates can already line up as soon as a vacancy occurs. Photo: Maria Corniva/Getty Images
This type of predictive HR is particularly beneficial for high-growth SMEs. By providing insights into future staffing needs, it enables strategic planning that ensures the right talent is in place at the right time.
Looking ahead, AI-enabled HR platforms will automate various employment management processes, from employment terms to bonus structures, streamlining operations for small businesses and ensuring fairness and transparency.
Baillie, the Head of People at Mobile Marketing Agency ConsultmyApp, highlights the impact of the Employment Hero platform on recruitment processes, emphasizing its role in enhancing inclusivity and ensuring competitive pay packages.
SmartMatch enables SMEs to deliver competitive packages by analyzing industry trends. Photo: FG Trade/Getty Images
Employment Heroes’ SmartMatch feature offers real-time data insights on industry trends, helping small businesses set competitive pay ranges and attract top talent.
By leveraging data-driven benchmarks, small businesses can align their compensation packages with market standards and ensure they remain competitive in attracting and retaining the best employees.
Let’s reimagine the possibilities. Discover how Employment Hero can revolutionize your work processes.
Nintendo has officially unveiled the Nintendo Switch 2, the highly anticipated successor to the popular Switch console that has sold 150 million units. The release date is set for the second half of 2025.
The original Nintendo Switch made its debut on March 3, 2017, introducing hybrid gaming consoles to the market. Players could enjoy gaming on the go with the detachable controllers or connect to their TV at home. The Switch 2 follows a similar concept, featuring a larger screen and a redesigned controller that attaches magnetically to the side. The versatile controller can be used like a mouse or held in hand like a traditional joystick, and also offers motion control capabilities.
A brief trailer showcases the new Mario Kart iteration running on the console.
This release marks a significant evolution for Nintendo, known for its history of innovation in the video game industry over the past 40 years. The Nintendo 64, released in 1997, introduced analog sticks for 3D character movement control, while the Wii in 2006 revolutionized home gaming with motion control games like Wii Sports. The Virtual Boy in 1995 dabbled in early VR technology, and the Wii U was the first console with a screen in the controller. Nintendo’s consoles have always been distinct in design, name, and features with each new generation.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will be compatible with all existing Nintendo Switch games, allowing players to carry over their Marketplace purchases to the new console upon launch later this year.
The gaming industry has faced challenges recently, with layoffs, longer development cycles, and uncertainty over business models. Analysts and commentators anticipate that the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 will reinvigorate sales and excitement in the sector.
More details will be revealed on April 2nd, with Nintendo hosting events worldwide later in the month for fans to experience the new console. A lottery will open on January 17th at 2pm for the chance to win tickets to attend.
In a life-size model of a house, a 50,000-pound mannequin capable of breathing, blinking, and coughing awaits a replica ambulance.
The remarkably lifelike technology developed by the model-makers who created the ‘bodies’ for the BBC’s Silent Witness integrates real-world training with simulated environments, including virtual reality, to enhance medical training and address the shortage of student lab time.
Kevin Reilly, technical services manager at the National Healthcare Innovation Center (NHIC), explains the capabilities of human patient simulation: “If you inject them, they’ll react. If they collapse your lungs and intubate you, your lips will become cyanotic. Even in worsening scenarios, we can resuscitate them exactly as we would a real patient.”
Yorkshire and the Humber region has the highest level of overweight individuals, the second highest infant mortality rate, and the third lowest life expectancy in the UK. NHIC, located at the University of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, aims to alleviate NHS staffing shortages, address inequality, and promote regeneration.
NHIC, spanning seven buildings upon completion, plans to serve a population of 7 million people from South Yorkshire to Greater Manchester, offering state-of-the-art facilities and innovative healthcare solutions.
The NHIC celebrates the history of the NHS while looking towards the future, honoring individuals like Daphne Steele, the first black hostel director in Britain, through the newly opened simulation facility.
The center’s innovative approach to medical training includes a ‘community house’ within the Daphne Steele building, allowing trainees to practice in realistic scenarios with a range of mannequins.
NHIC also addresses the need for healthcare workers, including nurses, paramedics, and podiatrists, in the face of NHS staffing challenges.
Local connections and a focus on skill development relevant to the region distinguish Huddersfield as a prime location for medical training, with the NHIC viewed as a groundbreaking project in the North of England.
Robert Steele, son of NHS worker Daphne Steele, praises NHIC’s tribute to his mother’s legacy, recalling her impactful career in healthcare that garnered global recognition.
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For over a decade, from the late ’80s to the early 21st century, Sega was one of the coolest video game companies on the planet. The company’s arcade games, from Golden Ax to Virtua Fighter, were huge hits. The Mega Drive brought a punk rock attitude to the console scene, challenging Nintendo’s family-friendly approach with eye-popping TV commercials and censorship-aiming games like Mortal Kombat and Night Trap.
But perhaps it wasn’t until the Dreamcast era that Sega studios produced some of their most innovative and extravagant work. Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Space Channel 5, and more were colorful celebrations of Tokyo pop culture. Now, Shuji Utsumi, who at the time managed developers at Sega Japan, is CEO of Sega America & Europe and plans to return the company to creative heights.
Hyper colorful…Crazy taxi. Photo: Sega
Mr. Utsumi has had a long and varied career in gaming, joining Sony with the launch of the PlayStation in 1993, before moving on to Sega, Q Entertainment, Warner Music, and Disney Interactive. He returned to Sega in 2019 and eventually became co-chief operating officer during a difficult period for Sega Europe. “European studios have some really great IP, but they also have their challenges,” he says. “We had to work on rebuilding the group.” This process meant the cancellation of Creative Assembly’s multi-million dollar online shooter Hyenas, the first of many live service game closures across the industry. It became the property of
Since taking over as CEO of Sega America and Europe in April of this year, Utsumi’s approach has been to further strengthen Sega’s heritage. Last December, the company announced new titles in its classic franchise treasure trove of Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, Golden Ax, and Shinobi. At the Game Awards in Los Angeles last week, Sega also announced the return of Virtua Fighter. “We have some great pillars like Sonic, Persona, and Yakuza. But at the same time, we also have other properties that really show the style, attitude, and background of Sega. If we do this right, gamers will love it. There are high expectations, and if we can meet them, we will be able to return to Sega.”
Attracting attention to the Japanese RPG scene… Metaphor: ReFantazio. Photo: Associated Press
in recent interviews
Speaking to Eurogamer, Utsumi said he wants Sega to be the rock’n’roll of Nintendo’s pop music again. But while little has been revealed about the nature of these returning series (will they be reboots of the original or all-new adventures?), he says they won’t be nostalgia exercises for nostalgia’s sake. Make a firm statement. “Gamers loved Sega because we showed gamers a new style, attitude and lifestyle,” he says. “We want to bring back that feeling. But we need to be innovative, not just a nostalgic company. We need to appeal to modern gamers as well. We respect our old IP, but we don’t want to We also ask them to think about innovation in each project.
“Our studio is really capable, very technologically advanced, and we have the drive to make it happen. The time has come when we have to challenge ourselves as much as we have in the past. We want to come back with a ‘n’ roll mindset. We can’t just be rock ‘n’ roll right now. Maybe we need hip-hop too!”
This sounds more like Dreamcast-era Sega attitude than Mega Drive-era teen brat iconography. Utsumi not only ushered in the birth of music-obsessed Jet Set Radio and Space Channel 5, but also co-founded Q Entertainment with Tetsuya Mizuguchi, a studio that put dance music at the heart of its design philosophy through titles like Rez and Lumines. Co-founded. How was this kind of creativity fostered in Tokyo in the late 1990s and early 2000s, especially in game development at Sega?
“SEGA was a challenger at the time,” says Utsumi. “The PlayStation was so successful that when the Dreamcast was released, the PlayStation 2 was the target. It was such a cool machine that young developers had to get creative. I think the product was very impressive, but you know, the PlayStation 2 beat us, so I can’t really say much about its success.”
Great success…like a dragon: infinite wealth. Photo: Sega
The past five years have seen a resurgence of interest in a very Japan-centric game design concept at Sega and other companies. The worldwide success of role-playing adventures such as Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and most recently Metaphor: ReFantazio has led to the long-standing success of Western series such as Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty. After its dominance, Japan’s RPG scene has regained mainstream attention. Duty and Grand Theft Auto. Why did that happen? “Everyone else was doing first-person shooters. We’re not very good at that, let’s be honest,” he jokes. . “But we can offer something else that we believe in. Of course we will listen to Western audiences, but we have a great opportunity to be unique in a Japanese way.” I think a lot of people became interested in Japanese anime and Korean dramas and music during the coronavirus pandemic…I think that audience is still there. , that’s really lucky.”
Another change since COVID-19 is the increased presence of video game properties in other media. The third Sonic the Hedgehog movie is currently in theaters, and the crime TV series Like a Dragon: Yakuza began streaming on Amazon earlier this year. It’s not just about the commercial potential of extending Sega’s brand. Utsumi believes there are also important creative reasons. “Nowadays, you might be watching a movie on your phone, playing a game seconds later, and then on TikTok…Users are used to that behavior, and in response, creators are We have to think in a new way about that audience. To capture these trends, we need to combine our creative talents by working with animation and film talent. , we can be inspired.”
Blue Movie: Jim Carrey as Ivo Robotnik and Sonic (Ben Schwartz) in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Photo: Paramount Pictures and Sega of America, Inc.
Sega in 2025 and beyond will be reinvesting in classic titles, introducing Golden Axe, Virtua Fighter, and Jet Set Radio to new audiences rather than simply excavating them as museum pieces. When asked about the possibility of a new mini-console based on the Saturn or Dreamcast, he was dismissive. “I’m not going in the Mini direction. That’s not me. I want to embrace the modern gamer.” Sega later clarified that it had no plans to make more Minis.
This is a theme he repeats over and over again. Sega’s legacy exists, but it must be brought forward. “We are not a retro company,” Utsumi concluded. “We really appreciate our heritage and cherish it, but at the same time we want to deliver something new. Otherwise we will become history. . That’s not what we’re aiming for.
Welcome back. This week in tech: General Motors announces the end of robotaxis but not self-driving cars. One woman’s battle against AI in her housing application. Salt Typhoon and tech companies donating to Donald Trump. Thank you for your engagement.
GM discontinues Cruise robotaxi. Uber resumes robotaxi service in Abu Dhabi
Despite the shut down of one robotaxi business, another will emerge. General Motors recently revealed its decision to cease funding Cruise, its subsidiary responsible for self-driving car software and robotaxi services. Cruise faced challenges after a serious accident in 2023, leading to regulatory restrictions on its operations. GM has invested significantly in Cruise but has not seen profits. This move aligns with Apple’s discontinuation of its self-driving car project.
Former Cruise CEO’s revenue projections fell short, leading to GM’s decision. Cruise’s closure mirrors Uber’s shift away from robotaxis to a distribution model in the self-driving sector. Meanwhile, Waymo continues to expand its robotaxi services.
Woman’s fight against AI in housing
AI is infiltrating various aspects of life, including housing. One US woman faced discrimination based on AI screening in her apartment application. After legal action, the responsible company settled and pledged to avoid AI screening for future tenants.
What’s new: Tech CEOs and Trump. Salt Typhoon
Technology CEOs and Trump: Silicon Valley leaders publicly align with Trump through donations and engagements. Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI among those contributing to Trump’s fund. Google and Microsoft also show signs of collaboration with Trump.
Salt Typhoon: Following the Salt Typhoon cyber attack, cell phone companies are under scrutiny for lack of notification to affected individuals. FBI only alerted high-profile targets, leaving many uninformed.
Sex in the future is expected to evolve due to technological advancements. While people will continue to engage in sexual activities, the reasons for doing so may change. The focus may shift from procreation through sex to other methods of reproduction, supported by emerging technologies.
In the past, reproduction mainly relied on natural processes like sexual intercourse. However, with the advent of artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization, the landscape of reproduction started changing. Now, with the development of in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) which involves creating eggs and sperm from skin cells, the possibilities are expanding further.
The idea of creating genetic parents from people of any age, including deceased individuals, raises ethical questions. The potential to generate eggs from male skin cells and vice versa could revolutionize reproduction. With advancements like creating embryos from the same person’s eggs and sperm, the concept of multi-parenting emerges, where genetic contributions come from multiple individuals.
Furthermore, the ability to modify fetal DNA through technologies like CRISPR opens up possibilities to prevent genetic diseases in offspring, although concerns about its misuse for enhancing abilities remain.
Technology Development
Artificial wombs are another field of research that could redefine reproduction. The concept of growing fetuses outside the human body challenges traditional pregnancy norms. While advancements in creating artificial wombs could benefit premature babies, the implications for society are vast. From potentially eliminating the need for pregnancy to growing organs like the uterus, the future of reproduction is full of possibilities.
The evolving landscape of reproductive technologies requires careful consideration of ethical implications and safety concerns. While these advancements offer exciting prospects, ensuring the well-being of babies and embryos remains a top priority in utilizing these technologies responsibly.
TThe history of video games is, in some ways, a history of subtle iterations of other people’s ideas. The interstellar success of Taito’s Space Invaders spawned an entire shooter genre, with titles like Galaxian, Phoenix, and Golf taking the basic idea and adding new features. Then in 1984, Karate Champ started the fighting game craze, and Tetris gave us the falling object puzzle game. This is how things have always worked. Adapt, expand, and pass the baton. However, there is a subtle but deep gulf between imitation and inspiration, and not every title can cross it.
Chinese mega-publisher NetEase’s latest live service game, Marvel Rivals, is an Overwatch featuring Marvel characters. It’s more than just an elevator pitch. that’s right What is it? Colorful cartoon characters with varying skills gather in a series of sci-fi arenas for team-based combat in a handful of play modes. The Punisher, a vanilla guy with a machine gun, is Soldier 76 from Overwatch with a Bastion flavor. God-like healer Adam Warlock is a male Mercy. And the Hulk, as a fist-thumping tank, is just rampaging through Winston, the hairless gorilla. Also provides gaming site GamesRadar handy guide Show players which Marvel cast members most resemble their Overwatch favorites.
Marvel’s rival. Photo: Game Press
Many of the genre’s well-worn tropes and abilities have at least been remixed to suit the Marvel universe, and playing as these familiar legends adds an undeniable charm. From bludgeoning enemies with Thor’s hammer to sending exploding acorns flying as Squirrel Girl to slamming Captain America’s shield into Black Panther’s body armor, Rivals captures the comic dynamics of this famous cast perfectly. so much so that the large-scale skirmish seems like the most exciting scene in the movie. X-Men ’97 cartoon. It’s also great that all 33 heroes are available for free from the beginning. Of course, there’s also the Store and Battle Pass, but for now these only give you alternative costumes, emotes, and other accessories. And completing daily missions and seasonal story objectives will give you currency to buy this kind of stuff without paying a penny.
Additionally, the game has a big new feature, Team-Ups, which unlock additional hero abilities when at least two players on the same side select complementary characters. There’s a symbiote bond between Venom, Spider-Man, and Peni Parker that allows the latter two to channel the former’s alien powers, and allows Hela to heal and resurrect Thor and Loki in Ragnarok: Rebirth. I can do that. Kinship can greatly facilitate tactical play.
Marvel’s rival. Photo: NetEase Games
But Rivals in many ways reflects key tenets of the bible of hero shooter design. In other words, for every positive there is always a negative. The sheer number of Marvel’s super freaks and their team-up powers make the game feel very unbalanced at times. Characters like Storm and Iron Man are difficult to counter when they can stay in the air for the entire match, picking off enemies from a distance and avoiding most of the incoming gunfire. Big guys like Venom and Moon Knight tend to completely dominate the area they’re fighting, often at the expense of melee-based combatants who need to get close to deal significant damage. I never expected Wolverine to become one of the most nuanced and sophisticated characters in Marvel’s cast, but here we are.
This game is definitely luxurious in both look and feel. The user interface design regarding the menu system and information screens is excellent. Destructible locations shine in detail. And the characters are also beautifully reproduced. However, here too there are drawbacks. Amidst the chaos of a superhero riot, with explosions, magical attacks, and “hilarious” banter all at the same time, figure out what you’re hurting and what you’re hurting instead. It’s difficult. you Until it’s too late.
These characters will definitely receive buffs and nerfs in time to even out the balance, and players will begin to learn how to combine team members more strategically. But even if the balance issue were resolved, what we’re left with is the equivalent of a changeling in video game folklore, designed to trap those who loved the original. A supernaturally accurate replacement. The question is, can you really blame Rivals for getting too close to Overwatch and potentially getting a restraining order? As the failed hero shooters Hyena, Concord, and xDefiant recently demonstrated, the brutal economics of the live service market demand absolute loyalty to established norms. It’s also fine to tag large global licenses.
Rivals, like many other highly polished and highly focused franchise expansions, is entertaining, gorgeous, and well-made. However, its presence bodes ill for the mainstream gaming industry and the people who work in it. To be successful, especially in the live services sector (where there is a lot of investment), he says, there is no need to expand or challenge other genres. All you have to do is flip a few low denomination coins based on your innovation concept, replicate it and refranchise it. On the other hand, studios that launch new ideas and original characters are doomed to failure. Millions of dollars are lost, jobs are lost, and the game is over.
Rivals is packed with Stan Lee superheroes, but its message about the game’s all-out Funko Pop-ification is as dark as a Charles Burns graphic novel.
Elon Musk seems to have many preferences. The world’s richest man is evangelical about electric cars, space travel, and Donald Trump. Another of his interests could have a significant impact on British politics.
The billionaire is reportedly considering paying a rumored £80m to Nigel Farage’s British Reform Party, becoming its biggest donor in history.
Musk watchers say that, like many who supported Trump’s militant brand of right-wing populism, he became radicalized by frustration with the lockdowns.
Frustrated by the damage to manufacturing at Tesla car factories, he began spending more time online and testing the limits of the misinformation rules set by Twitter, as it was then known. Ta.
Now that he helped propel Trump to the White House, he is reportedly turning his attention to Britain.
Reform officials say they have no knowledge of Mr. Musk’s spending plans, which Mr. Musk also denies. But if the Tesla and X owners back up their online criticism of Keir Starmer’s government with huge donations to the Labor opposition, it could be one of the most significant political moves of this parliament.
Within two years of acquiring Company X (formerly Twitter) in October 2022, Mr. Musk has already become a darling of the international far-right, and under the banner of free speech has previously suspended his account. Thank you for reviving it. But Musk went further, using his account to amplify the messages of far-right activist and convicted criminal Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson.
By the time riots erupted in British cities this year, Mr Musk had engaged in a full-scale onslaught against the Labor government, claiming “a civil war is inevitable” and echoing that position, calling the prime minister “two-tiered”. Police reportedly treated white far-right “protesters” more harshly than minorities.
But over the weekend there were hints that Mr Musk might trade words and actions regarding the UK when the Sunday Times reported: He may be about to donate £80m He was a supporter of Nigel Farage’s British Reform Party and believed that the MP would be the next British Prime Minister.
Mr Musk denied the claims on Thursday, but Reform UK has remained noticeably silent on the matter, while Mr Farage boasted last month that he was counting on the support of his “new friend Elon” in the next general election. I was doing it. A major donor to his party even said quite bullishly to the Guardian this week: “Keep an eye on this area.”
Mr Musk’s wealth has increased by $133bn (£104.4bn) so far this year, reaching $362bn from his roughly 13% stake in Tesla and ownership in a number of companies.
The reasons behind Mr Musk’s apparent hostility towards Starmer and interest in Britain may be more complex.
Various theories about why the UK has been targeted by Mr Musk include the idea that he has come to view the UK as the epicenter of what he calls the ‘waking mind virus’. , blames Musk for his estranged daughter’s gender change. .
An even more outlandish theory, based partly on Musk’s time with X, is that Musk’s tweets in response to breaking news in the UK are a result of his tendency to stay up late in the US is.
“I don’t think you should tweet after 3am,” Musk told the BBC last year.
But one of the most obvious explanations is Musk’s own liberal, ultra-free speech vision that X is the true “town square” of the internet, and Labor’s mission to crack down on online hate speech. It is related to a clear conflict between
Mr Musk is “not accountable to anyone”, Peter Kyle, the UK science and technology secretary who is directly responsible for the government’s engagement with social media companies, complained in August. Also irritating Mr. Musk, Mr. Starmer’s current chief of staff has been involved in the creation of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), which criticizes Mr. Musk for stripping away guardrails against hate speech on Twitter. This is likely a role played by Labor Party officials, including Morgan McSweeney, who is the head of the party. . In October, Musk issued a “declaration of war” on CCDH, calling it a “criminal organization” and saying he would “go after” it.
But there is no sign that holding Mr Musk to account will stop Britain’s move into right-wing politics. Beyond the near-relentless torrent of tweets, it’s even more uncertain how Mr Musk will expand his footprint in British public life.
Mr. Musk could avoid strict regulations on overseas donations by providing the funds through Company X’s British arm or by securing British citizenship. Her father, Errol, claims he is eligible because his grandmother is British.
Mr Musk may also be tempted to take further discussions with British industry and engage further with Starmer’s government.
Mr Musk was last in the spotlight in the UK last November when he attended the first AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, home of the Enigma codebreakers. People who encountered him at the Bletchley summit said he was polite, talkative, surrounded by a surprisingly minimal entourage, and appeared to handle much of the official email about the event himself.
This convinced one former government adviser that discussing AI policy was probably the best way for Labor to forge a beneficial relationship with Mr Musk. The tech mogul, who founded his own AI company xAI, has consistently warned about the dangers of unchecked technology development. Speaking at the summit, he said, “There is a greater than zero chance that AI will kill us all.”
The former adviser said the creation of the UK AI Safety Institute by Rishi Sunak’s government, then the world’s first, could carry some weight for Mr Musk.
“He cares about the safety of AI, and has done so for years. A grown-up conversation with him about the UK’s world-leading work on national security risks from AI is a good place to start.” “I think Rishi Sunak will be a good ambassador even if Starmer finds out next,” the former adviser said. Politically undesirable. “Musk doesn’t suffer fools and Sunak really knows what he knows about AI.”
Another option would be to send Mr. Kyle and National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, who were impressed with their understanding of the brief. “It would show seriousness,” the former adviser said.
WWhen contemporary Chinese artist Cao Fei was negotiating a solo show at Nara Badu, the contemporary art department of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, she said it would be a traditional “white rectangular box illuminated.” He firmly insisted that there would be no such attempt.
The Guangzhou-born artist has strong ties to Sydney (the vast Chinese port city’s sister city) and wanted to capture the sass and hustle and bustle of bustling malls and markets in her show.
As a result, in “Cao Fei: My City is Yours”, gallery walls are abandoned for scaffolding, and music and sound effects from her various installations, including theaters, restaurants, and factories, play into each other. They blend together and compete for the viewer’s charm. Note.
Cao Fei’s My City is Yours includes key works from her 20-year career. Photo: Diana Panuccio
“This is not a criticism of European countries.” [style]But usually I watch a lot of video shows. [installed] Inside the white cube…you’ll see the curator turn down the volume. Quieter or cleaner,” Mr Cao told Guardian Australia.
“But I want my exhibition to reflect my personality and experience. There is always a lot of construction, demolition and reconstruction going on in my city. This is my material.”
‘My City is Yours’ is the Beijing-based artist’s first major solo exhibition in Australia, featuring major works from his 20-year career including film, photography, metaverse experiments and large-scale interactive installations at AGNSW and Sydney It is on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Much of Cao’s career has been spent investigating the incredible technological and social transformations that have taken place in China over the past quarter century. She has held solo exhibitions in Beijing, London, Paris, and New York, and last year was in the world’s top 10. ArtReview’s Power 100 listwhere she was described as “a key figure in envisioning our metaverse-colored future.”
“Konatsu Foyer” is a reproduction of the foyer of the currently demolished Hong Summer Theater, which was used by artists as a studio space for six years before it was demolished. Photo: Cao Fei
As natural disasters increase in frequency and severity, FEMA and NOAA are becoming politicized. Their future hangs in the balance of elections.
Project 2025, a conservative policy roadmap, recommends “breaking up and downsizing” NOAA and shifting much of the burden of disaster recovery from FEMA.
Experts and current and former officials said the changes could make the U.S. more vulnerable to extreme weather events.
With the close 2024 election just days away, the future of federal agencies responsible for weather forecasting, climate change research and disaster recovery is at stake.
These agencies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), have become increasingly politicized in recent years, despite a history of conflict. But natural disasters caused by climate change are now hitting the United States on a regular basis, with 24 weather events already occurring this year. Each caused at least $1 billion in damage — Government agencies are taking on a bigger role. As a result, it has become a target for some conservatives who are skeptical about climate change and want to cut government spending.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has promised deep cuts to the federal budget, and one of his most vocal allies, Elon Musk, said last week: He will cut at least $2 trillion Those who served in the second Trump administration will be exempt from the budget. project 2025A 922-page conservative policy roadmap compiled by the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank, recommends “dismantling and downsizing” NOAA and zeroing in on FEMA, which would shoulder much of the financial burden of disaster recovery. This suggests that the transfer will be made. to state and local governments;
If that happens, it could dramatically change the way disaster relief is provided in the United States.
Craig Fugate, who served as FEMA administrator under the Obama administration, said it has become “almost inconceivable that states will be able to recover without a lengthy and costly recovery period drawn from state and local budgets.” .
It's not entirely clear what a second Trump administration means for FEMA and NOAA. President Trump has publicly distanced himself from Project 2025, even though many of its authors were his advisers. “Project 2025 has nothing to do with President Trump or the Trump campaign,” Trump campaign officials said in an email to NBC News. “It's not the organization or its former staff.” The campaign did not respond to additional questions about the plan from NOAA and FEMA.
FEMA has already come under scrutiny and criticism from some Republican leaders in the wake of Hurricanes Helen and Milton. Mr. Trump and several other prominent Republicans even pushed false claims that FEMA funds were illegally flowing to U.S. immigrants. At the same time, rampant misinformation about the two storms made meteorologists the target of threats, even though their predictions were surprisingly accurate.
Because NOAA oversees the National Weather Service, these forecasts may no longer be freely available to the public or state governments if the Project 2025 recommendations are implemented.
Academics and current and former officials said in interviews that even an agenda based in part on a conservative roadmap would make the U.S. an outlier in a world where large-scale disasters are already intensifying and becoming more serious. He said it could make them more vulnerable to weather. frequently.
Currently, FEMA aid covers at least 75% of the cost of major disasters, but Project 2025's proposal would reduce that percentage to just 25%.
Restrictions on relief supplies could turn some communities into ghost towns, said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (Fla.), who served as Florida Emergency Management Director from 2019 to 2021 under Gov. Ron DeSantis. He said that there is a sex. He cited Hurricane Michael, which hit Florida as a Category 5 storm in 2018.
“These areas would not have recovered without the federal government stepping in and paying for the response and recovery efforts,” Moskowitz said.
He added that the hardest-hit areas that benefited the most from federal aid “voted for Donald Trump, voted for Rick Scott, voted for Ron DeSantis.”
Since Hurricanes Helen and Milton, the federal government has approved more than $1.2 billion in aid for recovery efforts. According to FEMA. This includes more than $185 million in assistance to 116,000 households in North Carolina and more than $413 million in assistance to more than 125,000 households in Florida, where both storms made landfall.
A home destroyed by Hurricane Milton on Thursday, October 10, 2024, in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg – Getty Images File
If Project 2025's proposals had been implemented during Helen's time frame, “more lives would have been lost, the response would have been much slower, and there would have been little financial assistance to help communities rebuild.” '' Fugate said.
Project 2025 recommends that NOAA be “disbanded, many of its functions eliminated, transferred to other agencies, privatized, or placed under state and territory control.”
Matthew Saunders, acting deputy director of Stanford University's Environmental Law Clinic, said privatizing weather forecasting could lead to a decline in the quality of forecasts by putting corporate profits ahead of providing robust public services. He said there is.
“A neutral, centralized government agency has an important role to play here that private industry cannot or will not play,” Sanders said.
Matthew Burgess, an assistant professor at the University of Wyoming's School of Business, said privatizing weather forecasting gives states and local governments with more resources access to higher quality forecasts, while leaving municipalities with fewer resources left behind. He said that a situation could arise. dark. Or areas with a higher risk of hurricanes or tornadoes may have to pay more for their predictions, he said.
“Right now, the state of Florida gets hurricane forecasts free of charge from the federal government,” Burgess said. “If you privatize it, the private sector will probably operate more efficiently on average, but will that be offset by price gouging incentives? Because basically, when a hurricane hits, , because we really need that forecast and will pay whatever they charge.”
The Heritage Foundation said in a statement: “Project 2025 is not calling for the abolition of NOAA or NWS. That claim is false and ridiculous.”
“There is a difference between privatization and commercialization,” the statement added. “Using commercially available products to provide better outcomes for taxpayers at a lower cost is nothing new.”
In addition to proposals for specific agencies, Project 2025 also calls for disbanding federal climate change research. But understanding the effects of climate change is an essential part of predicting storms in particular. That's because as the ocean warms, hurricanes strengthen more quickly, and as the atmosphere warms, they can produce more rain.
“That's why everyone wakes up every day to come out here and do research and prepare people to make decisions that matter to them and their families,” said Dena Karlis, NOAA's National Severe Storm Preparedness Director. he said. Laboratory.
Fugate said ending climate research would make the United States even more vulnerable to its effects.
“Just because you don't like the answer doesn't mean the information isn't important,” he says. “If we ignore what's coming, how can we prepare for it?”
Sanders said deep cuts to research, weather and disaster agencies could further erode trust at a time when trust in government agencies is growing.
“Climate change, like most environmental issues, is a very unique problem in that it does not respect our political boundaries or our state boundaries,” he said. “We need a centralized federal agency to respond to climate change, an agency that can respond at scale to large and significant multi-state disasters.”
Feedback is often confused or intrigued by the tricks advertisers use to try to sell things, but more recent strategies have been tricking them in the wrong direction, such as intentionally weird capitalization or bad grammar. It seems that it is designed to.
While we were fiddling with our smartphones, Feedback kept coming across ads for mobile games that promised “the most difficult levels ever.” We spent several days trying to figure out why it looks that way.
The name of the game in question is Climb! It's a puzzle game in which a group of climbers climbs to the top of a mountain, tangles safety lines, and the player must untie them. So it's essentially the flip side of Feedback TV, except it's gamified and at least somewhat solvable.
Feedback initially wondered if this was a non-English speaking developer skimping on translation costs. There is precedent for this. Dating back to 1991, it's a Japanese space shooter. zero wing It was released in Europe with a notorious translation. As a result, in the introductory cutscene, the alien invaders announced:all your bases are ours” After it was rediscovered in the late 1990s, it became one of the most widely shared internet memes of the time.
However, if you look closely, Climb! It suggests something else is going on. It's made by a company called FOMO Games. Although the company is based in Turkey, its staff clearly have good English skills, as evidenced by the information provided for all of the company's other games. Not to mention, as the company's brilliant corporate text on its website explains, “FOMO stands for Fear Of Missing Out.” This defines our product vision and culture. ”
Rather, the feedback makes me suspect that the poor English is intentionally designed to get our attention. In line with this, the ad also has other strange features that add to its strangeness. What's notable is that the game's title makes no sense at all, as the game's mountaineers have been replaced by spacesuit-clad astronauts floating against a starry sky. It wasn't until I saw the game in the app store that the mountaineering theme was revealed and things became clear.
This seems like a new and devilish way to promote products online. They intentionally create a perfect hash of their ad, hoping that this will pique people's interest and make them click through.
And on some level it worked. Because we are here. But the feedback is not downloading the game. As a general rule, we do not believe in rewarding intentionally incorrect spellings.
monkey in politics
At the time of this writing, the US presidential election is imminent, and the feedback has fallen into a never-ending cycle of news articles reporting polls, experts endlessly reinterpreting that poll, and then doing more polls. I am. This is a very long-winded way of saying, “I don't know what's going to happen.”
Now, our colleague Alexandra Thompson has highlighted an important new contribution to the field of mimetic prediction: a paper titled “Monkey predicts US election”.
Unfortunately, this doesn't require having countless monkeys in the voting booth. Instead, the researchers showed the monkeys pairs of photos of candidates for the Senate and gubernatorial races.
Monkeys spent more time looking at the losers than the winners. This seems like a unique form of torture for politicians. It says that not only did you lose, but the monkey looked at you with critical eyes.
This study extended previous research showing that children can identify election winners and losers purely based on pictures of candidates. Both children and monkeys made choices based on face shape, and a square jawline was a key indicator of increased chances of victory.
Who would do such research? Three of the researchers are affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, while the fourth is affiliated with a research institution in Portugal. Champalimaud Unknown Center. I don't really know what to make of the feedback.
Unconscious factors seem to influence our voting decisions. It's often said that taller candidates tend to win in American elections, and there appears to be some truth to this.
A 2013 study extracted data on every U.S. presidential election to date and found: tall candidate Although they received more votes in the popular vote, this did not actually make them more likely to be elected. It can only be described as double subject determinism, and one of the authors is a social psychologist. Abraham Bunck.
Readers interested in the outcome of the US election are advised: Whatever you do, don't look up the respective heights of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
One more for the road
In these stressful times, like many people, your feedback is directed toward comforting alternative realities such as: great british bake off (great british baking showif you live in North America).
There are lots of all kinds of fascinating and delicious things to learn about the ingredient science of bread, cakes and biscuits, but the show's home production of all sample biscuits, tarts and desserts to meet the technical challenges economists are called hattie baker.
Have a story for feedback?
You can email your article to Feedback at feedback@newscientist.com. Please enter your home address. This week's and past feedback can be found on our website
Future astronauts may be able to eat a nutritionally complete meal made from bacteria grown on crushed asteroids, creating a type of milkshake or yogurt.
Astronauts on the International Space Station are experimenting with growing salad leaves, but most of the food consumed in space comes from Earth. This will not be possible for more distant and longer duration space missions. joshua pierce and his colleagues at Western University in Ontario, Canada, decided to study the use of bacteria to convert carbon-containing compounds from asteroids into edible food.
Although they have not yet performed this process using real asteroids, Pearce and his team performed a similar experiment using bacteria that breaks down plastic from leftover military ration packets. To do this, they heated the plastic in the absence of oxygen, a process called pyrolysis, and fed this to a mixture of carbon-eating bacteria.
“If you look at the pyrolysis products that bacteria are known to eat and the materials found in asteroids, there's actually a pretty reasonable match,” Pearce said. “So I think this really works.”
The bacterial aggregates end up being “something like a caramel milkshake,” Pearce said, and the team is also experimenting with drying the material to make something like yogurt or powder.
Although it may not be very appetizing, Pearce says this bacteria is highly suited for human needs. “We did a nutritional analysis and found it to be a nearly perfect food,” he says. “We found that the bacterial consortium we were using was more or less allocating a third each to protein, carbohydrates, and fat.”
If this idea is correct, a 500-meter-wide asteroid similar to Bennu, which NASA visited in 2020, could feed between 600 and 17,000 astronauts for a year, Pierce said. say. The exact amount depends on how efficiently the bacteria can digest the asteroid's carbon compounds.
A fully operational asteroid food project would require an “industrial-sized supermachine” in space, but researchers will begin testing the idea on a small scale next year, starting with coal. He says he wants to move on to meteorites next. They are currently working on the proposal. “It's very expensive, so we have to destroy it.” [the meteorites]So when we made these proposals, the stone collectors were not happy,” Pearce says.
“There's definitely potential there, but it's still a very futuristic and exploratory idea,” he says. Annemiek Wargen At the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. “It's good to think about these things, but in terms of technology, there's still quite a bit of development to be done before we can use these methods.”
The success of this process depends on how much of the carbon compounds in the asteroid are suitable food for bacteria, Wagen said. Based on the composition of meteorites on Earth, it's likely somewhere in the middle of the range the researchers calculated, she says.
debtOr for a few hours a week, I write for a tech company worth billions of dollars. Joining me are published novelists, budding academics, and other freelance journalists. The workload is flexible, the pay is higher than we’re used to, and there’s no shortage of work. But what we write is never read by anyone outside our companies.
That’s because we’re not writing for humans, we’re writing for AI.
Large-scale language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT have made it possible to automate huge parts of our linguistic lives, from summarizing any amount of text to drafting emails, essays, and even entire novels. These tools have become so good at writing that they have become synonymous with the very idea of artificial intelligence.
But before we risk god-like superintelligence or catastrophic mass unemployment, we first need training. Rather than automating our lives with these fancy chatbots, tech companies are contracting us to help train their models.
The core of the job is writing fictitious responses to questions for a hypothetical chatbot. This is the training data that needs to be fed into the model. Before the “AI” can even try to generate “good” sentences, it needs examples of what “good” sentences look like.
In addition to providing our models with this “gold standard” material, we also help them avoid “hallucinations” (a poetic way of saying lies) by using search engines to give them examples of citing sources – without seeing such texts, the models cannot teach themselves.
Without better language data, these language models simply cannot be improved: their world is our language.
But wait a minute: haven’t these machines learned billions of words and sentences? Why do they need physical scribes like us?
First, the internet is finite. And so is the sum of all the words on every page of every book ever written. So what happens when the last pamphlet, papyrus, and prolegomenon is digitized and the model still isn’t perfect? What happens when there are no more words?
The date for the end of language has already been determined. Researchers Announced in June “If current trends in LLM development continue,” this is expected to happen between 2026 and 2032, at which point “models will be trained on datasets roughly the same size as the available stock of publicly available human text data.”
Focus on the words humanLarge-scale language models do little more than generate prose, and many of them are already publicly available on the Internet. So why not train these models on their output (so-called synthetic data)? The cyborg Internet, jointly created by us and our language machines, could expand infinitely. But no such luck. Training current large-scale language models on their output won’t work. “Learning indiscriminately from data generated by other models leads to ‘model collapse’, a degeneration process in which a model forgets the true underlying data distribution over time,” Ilya Shumailov and colleagues write in the paper. NatureIn other words, they tend to go off the rails and produce nonsense. Giving something its own stench leads to debilitation. Who would have thought?
Shumailov explained that whenever a model is trained on synthetic data, it loses awareness of the long tail of “minority data” (rare words, unusual facts, etc.) that it was originally trained on. The breadth of knowledge is lost and replaced with only the most likely data points. LLM is essentially a sophisticated text prediction machine, so if the original digital data was already biased (mostly English-language, mostly US-centric, full of unreliable forum posts), this bias is only repeated.
When AI-generated synthetic data isn’t enough to improve models, something else is needed. This is especially true for Concerns grow The much-praised model will likely be unable to be improved upon before it becomes useful in practice. Sequoia is AI companies need to close a $500 billion revenue gap by the end of this year to keep investors happy. AI machines may be hungry, but so is the capital to back them.
OpenAI, the trillion-dollar Microsoft protectorate behind ChatGPT, recently signed a licensing agreement with the company. Hundreds of millions of dollars From News Corp Financial Times.
But it’s not just a matter of accumulating original words: these companies need the kind of writing that their models try to emulate, not simply absorb.
This is where human annotators come in handy.
IFritz Lang’s 1927 classic film Big citiesThe ancient Canaanite god Moloch is reincarnated as an insatiable industrial machine: technology that works us, not for us. Factory workers meet its ever-increasing demands by charging at dials and pulling levers. But they cannot keep up. The machines hiss and explode. And we see workers abandon the act of feeding and walk straight into the mouth of Moloch’s furnace.
When I first took on the role of AI annotator, or more precisely, “Senior Data Quality Specialist,” I was very conscious of the irony of my situation. Large language models were supposed to automate the work of writers. The more the models improved through our work, the faster our careers would decline. And I was, feeding our own Moloch.
In fact, if there’s anything that this model accomplishes quite well, it’s the kind of digital copywriting that many freelance writers do to earn a living. Writing an SEO blog about the “Internet of Things” might not require a lot of research, pride, or skill, but it usually pays a lot more than writing poetry.
Working as a writer at an AI company is like being told Dracula is coming to visit and instead of running away you stay home and set the table. But our destroyers are generous, and the pay is big enough to justify the alienation. If our division goes up in smoke, we’ll just go up in smoke.
The workers are held captive by Moloch the machine in Fritz Lang’s 1927 sci-fi classic Metropolis. Photo: UFA/Album/Alamy
Therein lies the ultimate irony: we have a new economic phenomenon that rewards, encourages, and truly values writing. And yet, at the same time, it is seen as an obstacle, a problem to be solved, an inefficiency to be automated. It’s as if we’re being paid to write in sand, to whisper secrets into a block of butter. Even if our words could cause harm, we wouldn’t realize it.
But maybe it’s folly to treasure such mundane technology: After all, how many people are actually worth impacting?
Francois CholetThe author of a best-selling computer science textbook and creator of the Keras training library (which provides the building blocks for researchers to create their own deep learning models), said he estimates that “it’s probably about 20,000 people employed full time” just to create the annotated data to train large-scale language models. Without human input, he says, the model output would be “really terrible.”
The goal of the annotation work I and other researchers are doing is to provide gold-standard examples for models to learn from and imitate. This goes a step beyond the annotation work we’ve done unconsciously so far. If you’ve ever faced a “Captcha” problem that asks you to prove you’re not a robot (e.g., “select all tiles with a picture of a traffic light on them”), you’ve actually just been doing Unpaid labor for machinesHelp teach them to “see.”
As a student, I remember repeating words like “left” and “right” at a laptop for hours on end to help develop self-driving cars. I was paid a few hours’ worth of money for each satisfying utterance, not even close to minimum wage, so I gave up.
The role today is different and a key part of the LLM’s development. Alex Manthey, head of data at Context AI, is one of the people hiring writers to improve the models. She says: observer This practice is “mission-critical” and “requires human intervention to review,” [the model’s output] The human touch that “makes sense to the end user” works: “There’s a reason why every company spends so much time and incredible amounts of money trying to make this happen,” she says.
According to Sholet and Manthey, employment in this field has recently shifted from controversial, low-paid jobs in developing countries to more specialized, higher-paid roles. As models improve their ability to produce text, the quality of training data required also improves, and wages rise accordingly; some remote annotation jobs pay writers more than £30 per hour. Third-party annotation vendors such as Scale AI (valued at $14 billion) are also capitalizing on this shortage of high-quality training data.
A selection of current job adverts for AI annotation roles in the UK involve a variety of tasks, including: “Create responses that will serve as the ‘voice’ of the future AI,” “Provide feedback to help AI models become more useful, accurate, and safe,” “Write clear, concise, factually and grammatically correct responses,” and “Coach the AI model by assessing the quality of AI-generated writing, reviewing the work of peer writing raters, and creating unique responses to prompts.” If chatbots can write like humans, so can we.
Alzheimer’s disease is, understandably, one of the most feared diseases of old age. It robs people of their memories, places a tremendous strain on caregivers, and imposes a huge economic burden on both individuals and society. Tens of millions of people have already been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and if predictions are correct, that number will more than double by 2050.
Until recently, it seemed there was no hope of averting this catastrophe, but rapid advances in medical science have made it realistic prospects that Alzheimer’s may be treatable and eventually eradicated (see “A new kind of vaccine could lead to Alzheimer’s eradication”).
The first of a new class of drugs is already creating buzz, but not necessarily for the right reasons. Last week, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved the drug, called lecanemab. But NICE, the body that advises on whether new treatments are cost-effective, has made a provisional decision that taxpayers will not fund the drug in England. No decision has yet been made in the rest of the UK.
This is obviously a tough pill to swallow for Alzheimer’s patients and their families. But in the grand scheme of things, this is good news. Lecanemab is not a particularly effective drug. Its effects are modest, it has serious side effects, and it is expensive. But it does show that the causes of Alzheimer’s are now understood and treatable. This is further reinforced by the fact that the drug is also approved in the United States and Japan, but the European Medicines Agency has refused to approve it.
So the way is almost paved for the next wave of drugs to target the causes of Alzheimer’s, which could be ready around 2030. These are vaccines, not in the traditional sense of conferring immunity against an infection, but they work in essentially the same way, by stimulating an immune response against the misfolded proteins that cause the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. The first vaccines will be therapeutic, slowing or stopping the progression of Alzheimer’s, but the next generation will be preventative, preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s. Eventually, the only memory that will fade will be Alzheimer’s itself.
More than a quarter of the world’s women, which is over one billion women, are in need of contraception, as reported by a 2021 global organization report. Source.
Thankfully, there are numerous options available for women seeking contraception. With over 13 different methods of birth control and more than 200 different brands of birth control pills worldwide, women have a variety of choices. The majority of birth control methods in use today are hormonal, including birth control pills, implants, and intrauterine devices.
Women use contraception for various reasons beyond preventing pregnancy. Some reasons include managing painful or heavy periods, irregular periods, and acne.
Each woman’s contraceptive needs are unique, and variables such as ethnicity, postpartum status, menopausal stage, or other medications can further complicate the selection process.
On average, women try 3.4 different contraceptive methods during their lifetime, according to a US study. Study reference.
The most common issue faced by women using hormonal contraceptives is the side effects, which can be severe and lead to discontinuation of the pills. Side effects may include migraines, blood clots, irregular bleeding, nausea, and mood changes.
Choosing the right birth control method can take years due to the changing hormonal states in a woman’s body throughout life stages. Personalized medicine could provide a solution by customizing contraceptives to individual needs based on genetics and other factors.
read more:
In a groundbreaking study, researchers at the Yale School of Medicine identified genetic variations that affect the efficacy and side effects of hormonal contraception. Genetic mutations, such as the CYP3A7 gene mutation, can impact the metabolism of contraceptive hormones, leading to contraceptive failure in some women.
Another study by the same research team found that genetic mutations in the ESR1 gene may contribute to weight gain associated with using contraceptive implants.
Understanding these genetic factors could pave the way for personalized medicine in women’s health, reducing side effects and enhancing satisfaction with contraception.
Further research and large-scale studies are needed to unlock the full potential of personalized medicine in women’s health and ensure optimal healthcare delivery to women.
IIt was a project that promised the Sun: researchers would use some of the most cutting-edge technology in the world to design machines capable of generating atomic fusion, the process that powers stars, to create a cheap, non-polluting source of electricity.
This was originally the purpose of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter). Thirty-five countries, including European countries, China, Russia and the United States, agreed to build the reactor in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance in the south of France at an initial cost of $6 billion. Work began in 2010, with the promise of producing an energy-producing reaction by 2020.
Then reality set in: Cost overruns, the coronavirus, corrosion of key components, last-minute redesigns, and disputes with nuclear safety regulators have caused delays, and it was just announced that ITER won’t be ready for another decade. To make matters worse, the energy-producing fusion reaction won’t occur until 2039, adding another $5 billion to ITER’s already ballooning $20 billion budget.
Other estimates put the final cost much higher, the magazine said, potentially making ITER “the most delayed and costly scientific project in history.” Scientific American On the other hand, the journal Science It said only that ITER was currently facing “major problems”. Nature It noted that the project “has been plagued by a series of delays, cost overruns and management problems.”
Scientists warn that dozens of private companies are now threatening to develop fusion reactors on a shorter timeline, including Oxford-based Tokamak Energy and the US company Commonwealth Fusion Systems.
“The problem is that ITER has been going for so long and suffered so many delays that the rest of the world has moved on,” said Robbie Scott, a nuclear fusion expert at the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council. “A lot of new technology has come along since ITER was planned, and that has left the project with serious problems.”
The Iter plant, under construction in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance in the south of France, opened in June. Photo: EJF Riche/Iter Organization
Question marks now hang over the world’s most ambitious technological project, which seeks to understand the process that powers stars, in which two light atomic nuclei combine to form one heavy one, releasing a huge amount of energy – nuclear fusion, which only occurs at very high temperatures.
To generate this heat, doughnut-shaped reactors called tokamaks use magnetic fields to confine a plasma of hydrogen nuclei, then bombard it with particle beams and microwaves. When temperatures reach millions of degrees Celsius, a mixture of two hydrogen isotopes (deuterium and tritium) fuses to form helium, neutrons, and a huge amount of excess energy.
Containing plasma at such high temperatures is extremely difficult. “The original plan was to line the tokamak reactor with beryllium as a protective covering, but this proved extremely difficult and because beryllium is toxic, they ultimately decided to replace it with tungsten,” says David Armstrong, professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Oxford. “This was a major late design change.”
Then, after it was discovered that huge parts of the South Korean-made tokamak had not been fitted together properly, threatening to leak radioactive material, French nuclear regulators ordered construction of the plant halted. Further delays were announced as problems mounted.
Then came COVID-19. “The pandemic caused factories supplying components to close, resulting in related workforce cuts, backlogs in shipments and difficulties in carrying out quality-control inspections,” ITER Secretary General Pietro Barabaschi acknowledged.
So ITER has once again delayed completion until another decade. At the same time, researchers using other approaches to nuclear fusion are making breakthroughs. In 2022, the US National Ignition Facility in California announced that it had used a laser to superheat deuterium and tritium and fuse them to produce helium and surplus energy, which is ITER’s goal.
Other fusion projects also claim they too could soon achieve breakthroughs. “The past decade has seen a proliferation of private fusion companies promising to do things differently from ITER – faster, cheaper – and, to be fair, some of them have likely overpromised,” said Brian Aperbe, a research physicist at Imperial College London.
It remains to be seen whether ITER will weather these crises and whether backers will continue to fund it. Observer He argued that there was still promising work left to be done.
One example is research into how to produce tritium, a rare hydrogen isotope essential for fusion reactors. It can be made by bombarding lithium samples with neutrons produced in a fusion reactor, producing helium and tritium in the process. “That’s a worthwhile experiment in itself,” Aperbe said.
But it rejected claims ITER was “hugely problematic” and dismissed the notion it was a record-breaking science project in terms of cost overruns and delays – just look at the International Space Station or Britain’s HS2 rail link, a spokesman said.
Some have pointed out that fusion power’s limited carbon emissions could help the fight against climate change. “But fusion will be too slow to reduce carbon emissions in the short term,” says Aneeka Khan, a fusion researcher at the University of Manchester. “Only once fusion power plants are producing significant amounts of electricity later in the century will they help curb carbon emissions, which will be crucial in the fight against climate change.”
I Recently, I bought an iPhone 15 to replace my 5-year-old iPhone 11. The phone has the new A17 Pro chip, a terabyte of data storage, and is accordingly eye-poppingly expensive. Of course, I have carefully considered my reasons for sparing money on such a scale. For example, I have always had a policy of only writing about devices I bought with my own money (no freebies from tech companies). The fancy A17 processor is necessary to run the new “AI” features that Apple promises to launch soon. The phone also has a significantly better camera than my old phone, which is important (to me). My Substack Blog It comes out three times a week and I post new photos in each issue. Finally, a friend whose old iPhone is nearing the end of its lifespan might be happy to have an iPhone 11 in good condition.
But these are more rationalizations than evidence. In fact, my old iPhone was fine for what it did. Sure, it would eventually need a new battery, but otherwise it lasted for years. And if you look objectively at the evolution of the iPhone line, it’s just been a steady series of incremental improvements since the iPhone 4 in 2010. What was so special about that model? Mainly this. Front cameraThe iPhone 11 opened up a world of selfies, video chat, social media, and all the other accoutrements of a networked world. But what followed was only incremental change and rising prices.
This doesn’t just apply to the iPhone, but to smartphones in general; manufacturers like Samsung, Huawei, and Google have all followed the same path. The advent of smartphones, which began with the release of the first iPhone in 2007, marked a major break in the evolution of mobile phone technology (just ask Nokia or BlackBerry if you doubt that). A decade of significant growth followed, but the technology (and market) matured and incremental changes became the norm.
Mathematicians have a name for this process: they call it a sigmoid function, and they depict it as an S-shaped curve. If you apply this to consumer electronics, the curve looks like a slightly flattened “S,” with slow progress on the bottom, then a steep upward curve, and finally a flat line on the top. And smartphones are on that part of the curve right now.
If we look at the history of the technology industry over the past 50 years or so, we see a pattern: first there’s a technological breakthrough: silicon chips, the Internet, the Web, mobile phones, cloud computing, smartphones. Each breakthrough is followed by a period of intense development (often accompanied by an investment bubble) that pushes the technology towards the middle of the “S”. Then, eventually, things settle down as the market becomes saturated and it becomes increasingly difficult to fundamentally improve the technology.
You can probably see where this is going. So-called “AI” Early breakthroughs have already occurred: first, the emergence of “big data” generated by the web, social media and surveillance capitalism, then the rediscovery of powerful algorithms (neural networks), followed in 2017 by the invention of the “Transformer” deep learning architecture, followed by the development of large-scale language models (LLMs) and other generative AI, of which ChatGPT is a prime example.
Now that we’ve passed the period of frenzy of development and huge amounts of corporate investment (with unclear returns on that investment) that has pushed the technology up into the middle of the sigmoid curve, an interesting question arises: how far up the sigmoid curve has the industry climbed, and when will smartphone technology reach the plateau where it is currently stagnating?
In recent weeks, we are starting to see signs that this moment is approaching. The technology is becoming commoditized. AI companies are starting to release smaller and (allegedly) cheaper LLMs. Of course, they won’t admit this, but it’s because the energy costs of the technology are increasing. Swelling Irrational promotion of the industry It’s not much talked about among economists. Millions of people have tried ChatGPT and its ilk, but most of them never showed up. Lasting Interest Nearly every large company on the planet has run an AI “pilot” project or two, but very few have made any real deployments. Today’s Sensation Is it starting to get boring? In fact, it’s a bit like the latest shiny smartphone.
“Demographic composition has changed significantly in recent years,” Li Junhua, the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said in a news release.
The report predicts that the world’s population will continue to grow over the coming decades, from 8.2 billion in 2024 to a peak of nearly 10.3 billion in the next 50 to 60 years. But population won’t keep growing forever: By 2100, the world’s population is expected to return to 10.2 billion, 6% lower than UN experts predicted a decade ago.
The United Nations’ last population assessment, released in 2022, suggested humanity could reach 10.4 billion people by the late 2000s, but falling birth rates in some of the world’s largest countries, including China, are one of the reasons why the population peak will come sooner than expected.
More than half of countries have fertility rates below 2.1 children per woman, or the “replacement rate,” the number of children each woman needs to have to avoid population decline.
An additional 48 countries, including Vietnam, Brazil, Turkey and Iran, are also expected to see their populations peak over the next 30 years.
India’s population is 1.4India’s population is expected to surpass China’s in 2022, surpassing 2 billion and becoming the world’s most populous country. India’s population is also expected to continue growing until the middle of this century, according to the report.
However, China’s population continues to decline.
“China has experienced a rapid and significant decline in births in recent years,” said Patrick Garland, head of the Population Estimates and Projections Division at the United Nations Population Division.
“The changes China has undergone in the past generation are among the fastest in the world,” Garland said.
Without immigration, the United States would also face a population decline. It is one of about 50 countries projected to continue experiencing population growth due to increased immigration. The U.S. population is projected to grow from 345 million in 2024 to 421 million by the end of the century.
People pass through a crowded street in Kampala, Uganda. Since 2013, Uganda’s population has grown by 13 million people, or nearly 40 percent, second only to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Badru Katumba/AFP via Getty Images
A growing country is likely to exacerbate problems related to consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and other drivers of global warming. A growing population also means more people are exposed to climate risks such as droughts, heat waves, and other extreme weather events that are intensified by global warming.
“Just because a challenge might emerge 60 years from now doesn’t mean it’s pointless to talk about it now,” said Dean Spears, an associate professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin.
“Decades from now, people will be talking about these new demographic changes with the same level of academic and societal concern that we are talking about today about climate change,” Spears said.
Countries where population growth is expected to continue through to 2054 include India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Nigeria. In parts of Africa, including Angola, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and Somalia, populations are expected to double dramatically between 2024 and 2054, according to the United Nations.
But a growing population on Earth does not necessarily mean that climate change will occur faster. Most of the world’s fastest growing regions are also countries that have historically contributed the least to global warming. These regions are also typically disproportionately affected by climate change.
The report notes that life expectancy has recovered after the impact of the pandemic. Global life expectancy will be 73.2 years in 2023, up from the pandemic low of 70.9 years in 2021 and higher than the pre-pandemic level of 72.4 years five years ago. Global life expectancy is projected to reach 81.7 years in 2100.
As life expectancy increases and birth rates fall, the world’s population is ageing. Projections show that by 2080, people aged 65 and over will outnumber children under 18. By 2023, there will be almost three times as many children as people aged 65 and over.
No one doubts that Albert Einstein had a brilliant mind, but the Nobel Prize winner famous for his theories of special and general relativity wasn’t blessed with a big brain. “Jeremy DeSilva at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.”
This seems surprising. Big brains are a defining feature of human anatomy, something we are proud of. Other species may be faster or stronger, but we thrive using the ingenuity that comes from our big brains. At least, that’s what we tell ourselves. Einstein’s brain suggests that the story is not so simple. And recent fossil discoveries bear this out. In the past two decades, we’ve learned that small-brained hominin species persisted on Earth long after species with larger brains emerged. Moreover, there is growing evidence that they were behaviorally sophisticated. For example, some of them made complex stone tools that could only have been made by humans with language.
These findings turn questions about the evolution of the human brain upside down: “Why would large brains be selected for when humans with small brains can survive in nature?” says DeSilva. Nervous tissue consumes a lot of energy, so large brains must have undoubtedly provided an advantage to the few species that evolved them. But what was the benefit?
The answer to this mystery is beginning to emerge. It appears that brain expansion began as an evolutionary accident that then led to changes that accelerated brain growth. Amazingly, the changes that drove this expansion also explain the recent 10 percent shrinkage of the human brain. What’s more, this suggests that our brains could shrink even further, potentially causing our demise.
If we think of the universe as a continuous chain of cause and effect and time as the sequence we experience moving forward along that chain, then there is no need for concern.
Under this interpretation, the past, present, and future are all determined by unchangeable physical laws.
Even events that appear random, such as radioactive decay, are predestined and impossible to predict, but should unfold in the same way every time.
Traveling back in time to meet your younger self implies that the event has already occurred in the past.
If you don’t recall, it’s possible you were incognito or had your memory erased afterward, but we have already established how this impacted your future.
Conversely, if you were to journey to the future and encounter your future self, you would need to return to your original time and continue living your life, or else there would be no one to meet in the future.
This means that the future version of you that you meet when traveling forward in time will already have memories of your encounter as a time traveler.
Or, if each cause-and-effect interaction generates parallel universes in an infinite branching series of potential timelines, then every version of reality already exists somewhere, and your actions may not matter in the grand scheme of things.
Fortunately, time travel remains purely theoretical, and all proposed methods require exotic matter or negative energy to operate on a large scale.
This is essentially explaining one impossible concept with another. The only form of time travel we are aware of involves progressing forward at a rate of one second per second.
This article is in response to a question from Andrew Robbins emailed to us: “If time travel were possible, could we actually avoid encountering our past selves?”
If you have any inquiries, please direct them to the email address provided below.For additional information:or send us a messageFacebook,XorInstagramPage (please include your name and location).
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Do you think you understand your pets well? What if they could actually talk to you? Veterinarian Jess French Researchers believe that humans may soon be able to communicate with animals, with potential for it to be a significant technological advancement in the near future.
In an interview with BBC Science Focus at the Cheltenham Science Festival, French explained that while humans primarily rely on visual cues, many animals have stronger senses like smell and hearing. She mentioned that artificial intelligence (AI) could be trained to understand animal communication using data and footage of animal interactions.
French envisions a future where this technology could revolutionize how we interact with our pets, potentially changing the way we take our dogs to the vet. While it may not translate a dog’s thoughts into human language, it could help pick up on signals that humans might miss, acting as a more silent version of Dr. Dolittle.
French believes that AI could help bridge the gap between animals “speaking” and humans understanding them, especially in species like whales, bats, parrots, and elephants. This technology can identify and analyze animal noises faster and more accurately than a human could.
She also mentioned that AI could enhance our ability to detect sounds outside the range of human hearing, like bat calls, and even signals in smells beyond what humans can perceive. This advancement in technology could help us better communicate with various animal species.
French highlighted that cats might already be communicating with humans in subtle ways, and AI could help in deciphering their signals. Cats, like other animals, could benefit from AI-powered communication, enabling humans to understand their behaviors and needs better.
She emphasized the importance of using this technology to learn more about animals worldwide, even if it means hearing messages we may not want to hear, such as the impact of human actions on animal populations.
About our expert: Jess French is a veterinarian, zoologist, and presenter known for her work on children’s television shows like BBC’s CBeebies. In addition to her media work, French has authored educational books for children, with her latest publication being The Animal Body Book: An Inside Guide to the World of Animal Anatomy.
TThe state of the art in AI just got a little bit further along: On Friday, Anthropic, an AI lab founded by a team of disgruntled OpenAI staffers, released the latest version of its Claude LLM. From Bloomberg:
The company announced on Thursday that a new model of the technology behind its popular chatbot, “Claude,” is twice as fast as its most powerful predecessor. In its evaluation, Anthropik said the model outperformed leading competitors such as OpenAI in several key intelligence capabilities, including coding and text-based reasoning.
Anthropik just released the previous version of Claude, 3.0, in March. This latest model is called 3.5, and it’s currently only available on the company’s mid-range model, “Sonnet.” The company says a faster, cheaper, less powerful “Haiku” version is coming soon, as well as a slower, more expensive, but most powerful “Opus.”
But even before Opus arrived, Anthropic claimed to have the best AI on the market. In a series of head-to-head comparisons posted on the company’s blog, 3.5 Sonnet outperformed OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-4o, in tasks like math quizzes, text comprehension, and undergraduate-level knowledge. It wasn’t a clean sweep, with GPT maintaining the lead in several benchmarks, but it was enough to justify the company’s claim that it’s on the cutting edge of what’s possible.
From a more qualitative perspective, AI seems to be a step forward. Anthropic states:
They have a significantly improved ability to understand nuance, humor, and complex instructions, and they excel at writing high-quality content in a natural, relatable tone.
They’re grading their own homework, and their explanation matches the changes I’ve noticed: No matter where the technical benchmarks are, I find talking to the latest version of Claude more enjoyable than any AI system I’ve used before.
But the company isn’t just selling power updates. Instead, in a way favored by smaller competitors around the world, Anthropic is focusing as much on cost as it is on features. The company claims that Claude 3.5 is not only smarter than its predecessor, but also cheaper.
Meme coins and NFTs have outlived their relevance and it is time for crypto investors to focus on RWA projects like DePin and ETFSwap (ETFS).
For the past three years, meme coins and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been one of the major stories in the cryptocurrency space. Thanks to all the hype surrounding these meme coins and NFTs, cryptocurrency investors are making incredible returns on their investments.
However, there is a shift in the tide that it is time to pivot away from these meme coins and NFT projects and focus on new narratives such as RWA and DePin.
Real-world assets (RWA) and decentralized physical infrastructure (DePin) are two areas that are gaining traction and could soon become the center of attention.
RWA and DePin take over meme coins and NFTs
Tokenization of assets continues to be widely discussed, with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink also Mention We see this as the “next generation of the market.” This led to more emphasis on his RWA project to bring this concept to life. Essentially, these projects utilize blockchain technology to tokenize real-world assets such as real estate, royalties, securities, contracts, ETFs, and artwork.
This will change the way investors interact with these assets by making them easier to access and trade. In terms of accessibility, asset tokenization further facilitates fractional ownership. This means that an individual can own a portion of an asset that they would not otherwise have the means to access.
By making it easier to trade these assets, previously illiquid assets will become more liquid. In general, we expect new capital inflows into all asset classes, which will increase liquidity in all asset classes. Therefore, the RWA industry is predicted to become a $1 trillion market by 2030.
On the other hand, it is worth noting that RWA projects are the tunnel through which this liquidity passes. That is why cryptocurrency investors should pay more attention to them and try to position themselves accordingly.
Similar to the RWA industry, the DePin market also boasts great potential. As the name suggests, these projects manage physical infrastructure in a decentralized manner with the help of blockchain technology and tokenization. These physical infrastructures include telecommunications, healthcare systems, power grids, and road networks.
Unlike traditional enterprises, the decentralized mode of operation of these projects helps simplify operations and reduce operating costs. On the other hand, this business model also benefits users, as they are incentivized (in tokens) to contribute to the services provided by these projects.
Given such huge potential, we expect the narrative shift from meme coins and NFTs to these RWA and DePin projects to happen sooner or later. In fact, these projects may already be the dominant story given that they have recently seen greater success than meme coins and NFT projects this cycle.
Cryptocurrency expert Michael van de Poppe correctly called it just like before the Bitcoin halving. mentioned After the halving, there will be a shift in the narrative towards RWA and the DePin project.
ETFSwap (ETFS) Pre-sale increases demand
of ETFS Wap (ETFS) Token pre-sales are already in high demand, with crypto investors turning their attention to RWA and DePin projects. ETFS is the native token of ETFSwap, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform that enables on-chain trading of exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
This explains why investors are rushing to accumulate as many ETFSwap (ETFS) tokens as possible, as this platform is already ranked as one of the most promising RWA projects.
Meanwhile, with RWA and DePin being projected as the next big thing in the cryptocurrency space, ETFSwap (ETFS) has been instantly singled out as one of the tokens likely to move wildly in this market cycle. Experts also predict that the price of crypto tokens in particular will rise significantly, saying that it could rise in price like Shiba Inu (SHIB) in 2021.
They say this is possible because ETFSwap (ETFS) has a lot of bullish stories working in its favor. In addition to the RWA story, ETFSwap offers the following ETFs: Spot Bitcoin ETFSince its inception, it has already attracted a lot of attention in the cryptocurrency field.
Additionally, staking rewards have recently become more attractive to investors seeking passive income. ETFSwap (ETFS) stands out in this regard, as it offers a uniquely attractive yield.
Privacy concerns continue to be raised in the cryptocurrency space, with users complaining that many projects are not truly decentralized and their data is not protected. This plays out in favor of his ETFSwap, as the ETFSwap (ETFS) platform prioritizes user privacy above all else. For example, Know-Your-Customer (KYC) requirements are not mandatory on the platform, so users don’t have to worry about sharing sensitive data or having their information tracked and exposed.
Over 30 million so far ETFS Wap (ETFS) The tokens were sold in Stage 1 of the ongoing presale. This pre-sale phase is still ongoing and each token costs $0.00854. However, due to the increased demand for these tokens, we expect them to sell out before the scheduled end date.
For more information on the ETFS presale, please see below.
T
A few weeks ago, it was quietly announced that the Future of Humanity Institute, a famous interdisciplinary research center in Oxford, no longer has a future. It closed without warning on April 16th. Initially, its website contained only a short statement that it had been closed and that research could continue elsewhere within or outside the university.
The institute, dedicated to the study of humanity’s existential risks, was founded in 2005 by Swedish-born philosopher Nick Bostrom and quickly made a name for itself beyond academia. Many high-tech billionaires praised the institute, especially in Silicon Valley, and provided financial support.
Mr. Bostrom is perhaps best known for his 2014 best-selling book. super intelligence, which warned of the existential dangers of artificial intelligence, but also became widely known for his 2003 academic paper “Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?” The paper argues that over time, humans are likely to develop the ability to create simulations that are indistinguishable from reality, and if this is the case, it has already happened and we may be the simulation. insisted.
I interviewed Bostrom more than a decade ago, and he had one of those elusive and rather abstract personalities that perhaps lends credence to simulation theory. He was pale, had a reputation for working all night, and seemed like the type of person who didn’t go out much. The Institute appears to be aware of this social shortcoming. final reporta long inscription written by Fuji Heavy Industries researcher Anders Sandberg states:
“We have not invested enough in the politics and socialization of the university to build long-term, stable relationships with faculty…When epistemology and communication practices become too disconnected, misunderstandings flourish.”
Nick Bostrom: “Proudly provocative on paper, cautious and defensive in person.” Photo: Washington Post/Getty Images
Like Sandberg, Bostrom is an advocate of transhumanism, the belief in using advanced technology to improve longevity and cognitive abilities, and is said …
“Get ready!” This immortal motto of the Scout movement will come to the mind of many readers who read the paper “Dynamics of bloodstain patterns in microgravity environment: Pilot study observations on the next frontier of forensic medicine.”
Reader Sarah Rosenbaum flagged feedback on the study’s first clearly stated purpose: “Investigating the ultimate violent criminal acts that occur outside of the global environment.”
This is the most futuristic forensic science. “It’s almost here.” The most effective approach is joint criminal investigation between the United Kingdom and the United States. The researchers are from Staffordshire University and Hull University in the UK, and the University of Louisville in Kentucky and Roswell Police in Georgia in the US.
“We hypothesize that the calculated impact angles would be more accurate if gravity were removed as a force acting on the blood droplet in flight,” they write.
They performed tests, or rather flew, aboard a parabolic flight research airplane that took off and landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. (Fort Lauderdale, like many cities in Florida, is no stranger to blood splatter. We see a steady increase in the number of violent crimes According to statistics reported by the local police department’s crime analysis department, it will occur between 2020 and 2023.)
In the experiment, “a 1 cc syringe containing a blood analogue was used to inject the liquid onto a flight path approximately 20 cm long, which was intercepted by a 16.5 cm x 16.5 cm target.” [made of] Fifty pound paper adhered to foam board backing.
The study found that droplets that hit paper at a 90-degree angle behaved as predicted by the traditional forensic blood droplet equation. But while this is a blood-stirring challenge for forensic scientists and true crime enthusiasts alike, someone needs to come up with a better equation for predicting what will happen from the other angle.
Thinking: Inside the box
Seeing sometimes leads to believing. Feeling, hearing, and reasoning are equally powerful when combined.
Shorey Croom, Hanbei Chow, and Chaz Firestone of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, explain this in the magazine. PNAS How did they try to answer the question “?” “Can you tell what another person is trying to learn just by observing their movements?”
They filmed a volunteer shaking an opaque box and attempting to measure i) the number of objects hidden inside, or ii) the shape of the objects inside. He then asked others to watch the video and tried to determine “who is shaking because of the numbers and who is shaking because of the shapes.” Most observers were pretty good at recognizing who was shaking and why.
Back in 2017, Milte Plesier of Delft University in the Netherlands and Jeroen Smeets of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam spoke to attendees of the IEEE World Haptics Conference in Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany, about a project they called “How many objects are in this box?”
Their method was simple. “We investigated how accurately participants could determine the number of wooden balls inside a box by shaking it.” They found that while they were able to perform the task accurately, they systematically underestimated the number of more spheres. The larger numbers they tested were 4 and 5. The situation with larger quantities remains theoretically unknown.
stick to fruit
Many scientists will not be able to determine whether the metal sticks to the fruit.
Generally speaking, if properly persuaded, they will. News about this can be found at “Reversibly attaching metals and graphite to hydrogels and tissues” by Wenhao Xu, Faraz Burni, and Srinivasa Raghavan of the University of Maryland.
writing in diary ACS Central Science “We have discovered that hard conductors (such as metals and graphite) can be bonded to soft aqueous materials (such as hydrogels, fruit, and animal tissue) without the use of adhesives.” The adhesion is caused by a low direct current electric field… [This] It can also be achieved underwater, where normal adhesives cannot be used.
“The experiment is very simple,” the study says, anticipating that many people would be surprised by such a simple, hitherto essentially unknown effect.
Accidental genital glow
Faraz Alam sent us the results of his research with colleagues at Imperial College London, published in the journal 2013. PLoS One “This is the paper on which I accidentally made my genitals glow in the dark.” The title is “Non-invasive monitoring of Streptococcus pyogenes vaccine efficacy using intravital optical imaging”. Those reproductive organs belonged to mice.
This spurred feedback that reminded me of a paper on humans published in 1950 by P. A. MacDonald and M. Sidney Margolese. Obstetrics and gynecology questionnaire. They called it “Luminous phenomenon of female external genitalia”.
These are both examples of how scientists perceive the wonders of biology.
Mark Abrahams hosted the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony and co-founded the magazine Annals of Improbable Research. Previously, he was working on unusual uses of computers.his website is impossible.com.
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At a Dubai press conference, Aethir Edge debuted as a pioneering edge computing device and first licensed mining machine from Aethir, one of the industry's leading distributed cloud computing infrastructure providers alongside Qualcomm. This will allow the user to mine his 23% of Aethir's native token $ATH supply. Integrated with a decentralized cloud network to overcome the barriers of centralization, his Aethir Edge combines unparalleled edge computing capabilities, decentralized access, and exclusive benefits.
The future of distributed edge computing is here. Ethil debut Esil Edge, Token 2049 was supported by Qualcomm technology at an official press conference in Dubai. Aethir Edge spearheads the evolution to decentralized edge computing as the first sanctioned mining device integrated with decentralized cloud infrastructure, delivering elite GPU performance, 23% of Aethir's native token $ATH supply, and equity Access everything on one device.
Enter the multi-trillion computing market
The edge computing sector is rapidly evolving into a multi-trillion dollar industry, but for too long edge capacity has been siled into centralized data centers. Aethir Edge breaks through these barriers with a breakthrough architecture that interconnects high-performance edge AI devices into a distributed cloud network. By pooling localized resources, Aethir Edge brings elite computing power home and makes it accessible to everyone.
Computing power holds immense potential as an energy source for the digital realm. Aethir Edge, with support from Aethir and Qualcomm, leverages this power and takes it to the next level. Aethir Edge's vision is to fundamentally transform how users access, contribute to, and own a future that transcends the constraints of centralized networks and unleashes the full potential of edge AI technologies. Aethir Edge represents the beginning of this user-driven decentralized evolution.
The first and only certified mining device by Aethir
Aethir Edge, Aethir's only whitelisted mining product, allows users around the world to take advantage of exclusive benefits and share their spare bandwidth, IP addresses, and computing power. You can earn income. With its authorized status, Aethir Edge reserves up to 23% of the total supply of its native token $ATH for mining potential.
“We are excited to support this innovative convergence of decentralized cloud, edge infrastructure, and fair incentives,” said Mark Rydon, co-founder of Aethir. “Aethir Edge is pioneering community-powered edge computing technology through rugged hardware, proprietary mining, and Aethir’s decentralized cloud network.”
When unparalleled edge computing power meets open accessibility
Powered by the Qualcomm® SnapdragonTM 865 chip, Aethir Edge delivers superior performance for data-intensive workloads. 12GB LPDDR5 memory and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage ensure ample resources for smooth parallel processing. Distributed architecture ensures reliability and uptime by distributing capacity across peer nodes, overcoming the vulnerabilities of centralized networks.
“I am very pleased to congratulate the Aethir team on the launch of their next-generation products targeted at distributed edge computing use cases and, more importantly, powered by Qualcomm Technologies and Qualcomm processors. ,” said Qualcomm's vice president and head of enterprise development. and industrial automation. “We are very proud to work with partners like Aethir to advance our edge capabilities.”
Aethir Edge seamlessly interoperates with a variety of applications and delivers ultra-low latency through localized processing. Users around the world can access optimized experiences regardless of their location.
The backbone of innovation in the decentralized cloud ecosystem
As a core component of Aethir's decentralized cloud, Aethir Edge powers innovative new products such as the APhone, the first decentralized cloud smartphone. Localized edge capabilities enable implementation and operation across gaming, AI, VR/AR, real-time streaming, and many other applications.
“Aethir Edge perfectly complements APhone's mission to make Web3 available to everyone. APhone brings high-performance gaming, AI, graphics rendering, and more to every smartphone user around the world through a virtual OS. ” – William Peckham, APhone Chief Business Officer.
Democratize access to the future of edge computing
Aethir Edge spearheads a decentralized infrastructure that is owned and managed by users, rather than a centralized organization. This makes high-performance computing available as an elegant, easy-to-use product that is integrated with profitability. Featuring superior enterprise-grade hardware and distributed cloud infrastructure, Aethir Edge leads the transition from centralized data monopoly to the unbiased edge environment of the future.
Aethir Edge is currently actively building partnerships with distributors around the world, including crypto mining companies, hardware vendors, and distributors. If you are interested, please fill out Aethir Edge. Sales agent application form In doing so, teams can explore win-win opportunities to distribute products together and shape tomorrow's landscape through community power.
Users can visit www.myedge.io Be one of the first to unlock distributed edge computing power.
About Ethyl Edge
Esil Edge is an enterprise-grade edge computing device integrated with Aethir's distributed GPU cloud infrastructure, ushering in a new era of edge computing. As Aethir’s first and only licensed mining device, we combine powerful computing, exclusive revenue, and decentralized access into one device, unlocking the true potential of DePIN.
Ethil is a cloud computing infrastructure platform that revolutionizes the ownership, distribution, and usage paradigm of enterprise-grade graphics processing units (GPUs). By moving away from traditional centralized models, Aethir has deployed a scalable and competitive framework for sharing distributed computing resources to serve enterprise applications and customers across various industries and geographies.
Aethir is revolutionizing DePIN with its highly distributed, enterprise-grade, GPU-based computing infrastructure customized for AI and gaming. He has raised over $130 million in funding for the ecosystem, backed by major Web3 investors including Framework Ventures, Merit Circle, Hashkey, Animoca Brands, Sanctor Capital, and Infinity Ventures Crypto (IVC). , Aethir is paving the way for his Web3 future. distributed computing.
Dinosaurs, in the form of birds, continue to exist today. However, traditional dinosaurs like tyrannosaurus, triceratops, and stegosaurus, are unlikely to evolve again if the climate and temperatures return to Cretaceous conditions.
While pondering this idea is entertaining, it is impossible to accurately predict future evolutionary developments. Evolution is largely influenced by chance and natural selection, which occurs in response to immediate needs rather than long-term planning.
The late paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould once contemplated rewinding the tape of life to a past era and playing it again. He theorized that each replay would result in a different world, shaped by random quirks and unpredictable paths.
One thing that becomes clear with fossil record analysis is that once a species goes extinct, it is gone forever. Trilobites, for example, have not reappeared despite similarities in today’s climate to theirs in the past.
Evolution through convergence is a powerful force, leading different species to develop similar traits when faced with similar environmental challenges. Therefore, if Earth were to undergo a Cretaceous-like climate shift, it is possible that new large reptiles may evolve, but not necessarily tyrannosaurus and triceratops.
In response to a reader’s question about the possibility of dinosaurs evolving again under different Earth conditions, this article explores the unpredictable nature of evolution and the potential for new species to emerge under changing circumstances.
If you have any questions, please contact us at: questions@sciencefocus.com or reach out on our Facebook or Instagram pages.
Explore more fascinating science topics on our website and stay curious!
From T-shirts with changing messages to carpets that can detect your position, the future of smart textiles seems to come straight out of a sci-fi novel.
Researchers now claim they have created a smart fiber that can achieve just that, without the need for a battery pack.
A team of Chinese researchers have developed textile-based electronics that utilize the human body as part of a circuit to harness electromagnetic energy from the environment.
This innovation could pave the way for a “body-bound” fiber electronics technology that functions without electronic chips or batteries and could be applied in various scenarios.
Co-author Chengyi Hou from Donghua University in Shanghai explained, “When electromagnetic energy passes through a fiber, it is converted into different forms of energy, including visible light or radio waves. Therefore, the fiber not only emits light but also produces an electrical signal when in contact with the human body.”
Hou highlighted that these radio signals are programmable by manipulating different aspects of the system, such as the fiber’s contact area with the body and its diameter.
The team stated that this method resolves a major challenge in integrating electronic systems into textiles, which is the necessity of rigid components.
Hou mentioned, “We have successfully achieved mass production of this new type of fiber electronics, which is as thin and soft as traditional fibers. The next step is to implement it.”
The team has created prototypes like a wearable cloth display with a cloth keyboard, intended for individuals with hearing impairments to aid in communication, as well as textile controllers for gaming.
Additionally, they developed a wireless tactile carpet that illuminates underfoot, providing emergency lighting at night and wirelessly transmitting signals to control household devices like lights.
Researchers have created a carpet that can glow underfoot and transmit signals that can be used to control switches in appliances such as lights. Photo: Yang Weifeng
Read more about the study here. The team assures that the fiber is constructed from three layers of inexpensive materials, making it durable, washable, and sweat-resistant.
An accompanying article suggests that this technology can also be utilized in robots, robotic prosthetics, and capturing haptic information to enhance human interactions and object recognition.
Dr. Luigi Occhipinti, a research director at the University of Cambridge specializing in smart electronics, biosystems, and AI, acknowledged the potential of this approach.
He stated, “By being constantly surrounded by various electromagnetic fields, we are developing innovative electronic textiles with skin sensors and unconventional electronics, powered uniquely through energy harvesting. This has the potential to unlock a new realm of self-powered wearable electronics for continuous health monitoring.”
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