Tech journalist Karen Hao’s debut book, “Empire of AI,” sheds light on the cutthroat world of artificial intelligence, where companies like OpenAI prioritize profit over transparency and ethics. Hao argues that AI itself isn’t the problem, but rather the culture of developing new capabilities at all costs, which has led to the exploitation of marginalized…
Science on The Soothsayer / page 5
Astronomers at the University of Hawai’i’s Institute for Astronomy have made a groundbreaking discovery, detecting the most energetic cosmic explosions known to have occurred since the universe began. These extreme nuclear transients (ENTs) emit at least 10 times as much energy as the previous record holders and could open a new window into physical processes…
A recent collision of two massive black holes has left scientists stunned, as the event challenges current theories of how large black holes form and merge. The two black holes, each with masses over 100 times that of the sun, spiraled around each other before coalescing into a single black hole with a mass of…
Researchers at Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) have successfully created the acoustic equivalent of a rainbow, a structure that spatially decomposes sound into its component frequencies in free space. This breakthrough was made possible by an advanced structural design technique and could lead to the development of devices tailored to emit or receive specific frequencies of…
Astronomers have discovered a rare interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, which may be 3 billion years older than the sun and its planets. The object, first spotted on July 1, is believed to have originated from the Milky Way’s thick disk, with a two-thirds chance of being a 7 billion-year-old comet. While more data is required to…
Scientists at the University of Oxford and Sorbonne University have proposed a groundbreaking theory that black holes could be used as cosmic particle accelerators, producing energies hundreds of times higher than those reached in existing colliders. This phenomenon could lead to the detection of gamma rays and ultrahigh-energy neutrinos, offering a new approach to observations…
A recent experiment at the University of Twente in the Netherlands has sparked debate among physicists regarding the interpretation of quantum mechanics. The study, which measured the quantum tunnelling of photons between two waveguides, produced results that are hard to reconcile with certain deterministic interpretations of quantum mechanics. The findings have reignited the discussion on…
Researchers have discovered that sewage contamination in water absorbs certain wavelengths of light, making it visible from space. This breakthrough could revolutionize the way we monitor water quality, allowing for more efficient and effective testing of swimming spots. With the help of space-based instruments, authorities may soon be able to identify areas with high levels…
Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have made a significant breakthrough in the development of smart optical metasurfaces. By fine-tuning the spacing between arrays of nanoantennae on a polymer metasurface, they have generated nonlocal electromagnetic coupling, vastly strengthening the metasurface’s optical responses. This achievement has the potential to revolutionize the field of smart optical devices,…
Scientists have successfully 3D printed objects within living cells, including a 10-micrometer long elephant, using a technique called two-photon polymerization. This breakthrough opens up new possibilities for cell research, allowing scientists to interact with cells without genetically modifying them. The technique has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of cellular biology and may lead to…