A robot is chatting to an elderly British man in his bedroom. The robot has a cheery demeanour and a pleasantly high-pitched voice. The robot – perhaps because of the man’s age – starts asking him about his memories of the second world war: “Please tell me what was theContinue Reading
Peter Higgs, who gave his name to the subatomic particle known as the Higgs boson, has died aged 94. He was always a modest man, especially when considering that he was one of the greats of particle physics – the area of science concerned with the building blocks of matter.Continue Reading
Aree_S / Shutterstock We might soon see AI step up to the next level, with impending upgrades to artificial intelligence (AI) systems developed by OpenAI and Meta. OpenAI’s GPT-5 will be the new “engine” within the AI chatbot ChatGPT, while Meta’s upgrade will be named Llama 3. Among other things,Continue Reading
metamorworks/Shutterstock The US and Japan are sponsoring a resolution for debate by the United Nations security council which – if passed – will reaffirm international commitments to the 1967 outer space treaty (OST) forbidding the deployment and use of nuclear weapons in space. The call, headed by US ambassador LindaContinue Reading
There's nothing wrong with a bubble bath but there's more to wellness than pouring a glass of wine and lighting some candles. Chiociolla/Shutterstock The wellness movement appears to have the answers that our burnt-out minds need. However, psychological research and practice suggests that a superficial focus on candles, juice cleanses,Continue Reading
Bernhard Staehli / Shutterstock Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) has been cast as a problem in the urgent, international effort to tackle climate change. As AI plays a greater role in our lives, it will need enormous amounts of computing power and data storage. As such, the carbon footprint of AIContinue Reading
shutterstock Jon Coyle/Shutterstock From the crispy crunch of fresh veggies to the creamy indulgence of decadent desserts, we all have different food preferences. Our palates develop uniquely, shaped by genetics, culture and personal experiences. Food preferences play a significant role in shaping our dietary habits. Highly palatable foods rich inContinue Reading
Cast Of Thousands/Shutterstock Finland steadily ranks as the happiest country in the world. In March 2024 the country was, for the seventh year in a row, ranked as the happiness champion. The ranking is based on one simple question, using a ladder metaphor, that is asked to people across nearlyContinue Reading
Catastrophic collapses of major bridges are thankfully rare. Notable examples in the last couple of decades include the failure of the I35-W in Minneapolis in August 2007, and the collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa 11 years later. When such events do occur, public attention is understandably focused onContinue Reading
If you’ve seen portraits painted by Pablo Picasso or Francis Bacon, you might not be surprised to hear that both men may have suffered from a disorder that affects how faces are perceived. Prosopometamorphopsia (PMO) is a condition where faces appear distorted, and sometimes even demonic. In most cases, theseContinue Reading
