Is this the first step to cyborg brains? How drones are reshaping warfare forever; New Vera Rubin observatory goes live

The world, the universe and us

#News #New Scientist #Technology #Space #Physics #Environment #Magazine #Science #Podcasting Education #Health and Well-Being #Math #Biology #Chemistry

35:51

Diego Pavia and Paul Finebaum are this week’s Netflix Sports Club guests. Paul Finebaum, the voice of the SEC, drops a bold national championship prediction that might give the Big Tenners pause, and he reveals which SEC quarterback has him starstruck. Vanderbilt quarterback, Diego Pavia, gives a standout performance on and off the field in SEC Football: Any Given Saturday. He relives that improbable ‘Bama victory, including pre-game routine and why he thinks this victory changed the conversation about Vandy football - sorry Nick Saban. Paul Fineman and Diego Pavia gaze into the crystal ball of the 2025 season, and what do they see? Heisman Trophies, making Auburn pay, and LSU’s chances for glory. In this interview, Vandy QB, Diego Pavia: 🟥 Details the 2024 Vandy vs. ‘Bama Buildup 🟥 Discusses playing for Coach Lea and with his bestie 🟥 Reveals his true height In this interview, SEC Expert, Paul Finebaum answers: 🟥 Why the SEC’s staying power is unrivaled? 🟥 Who’s almost a bigger star than Taylor Swift? 🟥 Which team will win the 2025 National Championship? 00:00 Intro 01:24 Vandy QB Diego Pavia Is a Star 01:37 Beating Bama 03:19 Choosing Vandy And Coach Lea 04:58 Give Me The Ball 06:20 Dude Put In The Work 07:38 Nick Saban Said What?? 08:20 Underdogs 10:22 Watch Out Auburn 12:33 Recruits: Come To Vandy! 13:29 Kay and Dani Talk SEC 15:54 Paul Finebaum’s SEC Picks 16:40 All About Arch Manning 17:23 SEC: The Only Game In Town 18:25 South Carolina Should Be In The Playoffs 19:40 Shane Beamer Bounce Back? 20:14 Arch Manning Is No Taylor Swift 21:42 The Weight of Being a Manning 22:31 Finebaum: “Best Player Since Tim Tebow” 23:20 LSU QB1 + Championship Or Bust 25:39 Post Saban Alabama 27:42 Is Vanderbilt Legit? 28:44 Can Mississippi State Survive? 29:49 The Vols “Will Struggle This Year” 31:44 SEC: Natty. Little Tenners: Nothing 33:09 Outro 34:28 Up Next - America’s Team: The Gambler And His Cowboys 🏈 Diego Pavia Instagram - https://bit.ly/45uLND4 TikTok - http://bit.ly/4fsLY5p X - https://bit.ly/4ldwx2j 🏈 Vanderbilt Instagram - http://bit.ly/4lfo8eu X - http://bit.ly/4mCiaWt YouTube - @vucommodores 🏈 Paul Finebaum Instagram - https://bit.ly/45kVtPv X - https://bit.ly/46JQFWc 🎙️ Kay Adams Instagram - http://bit.ly/3GYp4Go TikTok - http://bit.ly/4m7KmR9 X - http://bit.ly/45nI2Ou 🎙️ Dani Klupenger Instagram - https://bit.ly/3HeGGxx TikTok - https://bit.ly/4lQSBkl X - https://bit.ly/4lWpufr 🟥 Netflix Sports Instagram - http://bit.ly/45CPAhL TikTok - http://bit.ly/4mti6Ia X - http://bit.ly/4mseqGH Facebook - http://bit.ly/45o5xqK YouTube - @NetflixSports We want to hear from you! Leave us a voice message at www.speakpipe.com/NetflixSportsClub Be sure to watch, listen, and subscribe to the Netflix Sports Club Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, Tudum, and wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted by Kay Adams, the Netflix Sports Club Podcast is an all-access deep dive into the Netflix Sports Universe. Join Kay as she speaks with athletes, coaches, and top sports correspondents to break down the latest Netflix Sports series. Expect bold opinions, insightful analysis, and candid conversations you won’t find anywhere else.…

about a year ago 31:23

MP3•Episode home

Episode 307

Using new “ultrasoft” electronics, researchers at Harvard have effectively created tadpole cyborgs. A soft bioelectronic device has been implanted into their brains - one which grows with them as they develop into frogs. This neural implant is a first step in helping us better understand the inner workings of the brain. But could this work in mammals…or humans? Discussing just that, the Royal Society held a meeting this week called Cyborg Futures. How soon until humans become one with machines?

A small fleet of cheap drones has been deployed by Ukraine’s security service, causing $7 billion of damage to Russian air power. Just 117 drones were able to take out a third of Russia’s nuclear bomb force. Difficult to catch, hard to jam and nearly impossible to shoot down - are drones a paradigm shift in warfare?

The Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile has just opened, promising to carry out a legacy survey of space and time. US editor Chelsea Whyte visited the newly operational telescope to see how it will map out the night sky in never-before-seen detail. Learn how it hopes to answer some of the biggest mysteries about dark matter and dark energy - and find out about the legacy of Vera Rubin, the astronomer the telescope is named after.

Think net-zero climate action is costing us way too much, driving up living costs and damaging the economy? Think again. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has taken on all of the misinformation circulating about our goal to achieve net zero emissions, showing that raising climate ambition would actually boost the global economy. Find out why.

Chapters:

(00:32) Frogs with cyborg brains…are humans next?

(11:25) How drones are reshaping warfare

(16:16) Vera Rubin observatory opens

(24:59) How net zero will boost the global economy

Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Alexandra Thompson, Chelsea Whyte, Jonathan Rossiter, Tamar Makin, Robert Bunker and Simon Evans.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

383 episodes

The world, the universe and us

Is this the first step to cyborg brains? How drones are reshaping warfare forever; New Vera Rubin observatory goes live

The world, the universe and us

1,074 subscribers

published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

Episode 307

Chapters:

(00:32) Frogs with cyborg brains…are humans next?

(11:25) How drones are reshaping warfare

(16:16) Vera Rubin observatory opens

(24:59) How net zero will boost the global economy

Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Alexandra Thompson, Chelsea Whyte, Jonathan Rossiter, Tamar Makin, Robert Bunker and Simon Evans.

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

383 episodes

#News #New Scientist #Technology #Space #Physics #Environment #Magazine #Science #Podcasting Education #Health and Well-Being #Math #Biology #Chemistry

All episodes

The world, the universe and us

1
Climate special: How to fix the climate crisis with Tim Lenton and Kate Marvel 44:25

19 hours ago44:25

44:25

Episode 316 “All of the other planets out there are just complete garbage. The Earth is the only good place.” – Kate Marvel The climate crisis can leave many of us feeling hopeless and overwhelmed. But, as climate scientists Kate Marvel and Tim Lenton say, there are many reasons to be optimistic.Both have new books out that hope to reframe the way we think about the issue. Kate’s book Human Nature grapples with the complicated emotions that the climate crisis evokes, from anger to hope and love – and explores how we can harness each of them to fight for a better future. Tim’s book Positive Tipping Points looks at the possibility that we may cause irreversible damage to the Earth’s climate system, from Amazon dieback to ice sheet collapse. But as the name suggests, he also examines the opportunities in leveraging global action against climate change to create “positive tipping points”. Chapters: (0:00) Intro (01:26) Why Tim and Kate have dedicated their lives to climate science (3:53) Exploring Kate’s book Human Nature - starting with anger (6:33) How Tim channels his climate anger (10:16) Processing the 9 emotions of Kate’s book (13:10) What are negative tipping points? (15:33) How to use positive tipping points (21:13) Where can we find hope for change right now? (23:16) The positive emotions that inspire climate action (26:50) Kate’s process of writing (29:52) Why non-violent campaigns are so effective (35:19) Have we seen any of these positive tipping points yet? (39:31) How Americans really feel about climate change (40:46) Kate and Tim’s dream outcomes for their books Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Madeleine Cuff, with guests Kate Marvel and Tim Lenton. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
80 years since Hiroshima: Forgotten victims of the atomic bomb 34:06

10 days ago34:06

34:06

Episode 315 It’s been 80 years since the first and only use of nuclear weapons in war - events that altered the course of history. The consequences of the widespread destruction, deaths and nuclear fallout are still being dealt with today. On 6th August 1945, a bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in Japan, and three days later Nagasaki was also bombed. Tens of thousands of people were killed. Since then, many nuclear tests have been carried out. Despite efforts to clean up the fallout, a big threat looms… climate change. Not only does the changing climate risk dredging up old nuclear waste, worsening extreme weather events could even damage current nuclear facilities too. There’s also a lasting legacy felt by those who survived the bombs and their descendants, not just in Japan, but South Korea, too. The human cost doesn’t stop there. We hear about the communities who first mined the uranium needed for the bombs in the 1920s and 30s - as well as the health consequences for those living near nuclear test sites. Annie Jacobsen, author of Nuclear War: A Scenario , adds her thoughts on the current threat of nuclear war - and how nuclear technology has become even more destructive. It wasn’t just people who survived the bombs - there are trees that made it through too. Seeds have been gathered from these survivor trees and we learn how one of them is being grown in the Wakehurst botanical garden. Chapters: (01:32) Nuclear waste and the threat of rising seas (11:31) Atomic bomb survivors (24:35) Annie Jacobsen on the knife-edge of danger (27:40) The trees that survived the bombs Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Madeleine Cuff, with guests Jeremy Hsu, Michael Gerrard, MG Sheftall, Annie Jacobsen and Elinor Breman. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
Ozempic and Wegovy slow down biological ageing; creation of synthetic bacterium; geology of the Russian earthquake 28:24

14 days ago28:24

28:24

Episode 314 Weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy have been shown to slow down - or even reverse - the ageing process. In a trial of 84 people taking semaglutide, their biological age dropped by 3.1 years on average, with some organs becoming almost 5 years younger. Based on this new research, this finding could make these some of the most impactful anti-ageing drugs on the market. So how are they doing it? Scientists have very nearly created a new lifeform. A synthetic bacterium has been created with 101,000 changes to its genome - clearing up redundant code in its DNA. By freeing up codons in its genetic code, this bacteria could make new kinds of proteins unlike anything that exists naturally - and pave the way for creating virus resistance bacteria. The recent earthquake off the coast of east Russia was the sixth biggest ever recorded. Thankfully the ensuing tsunami has been manageable - unlike previous record-setting quakes. With two large “foreshocks” before the big one, we ask a professor of tectonics about the geology of the region. Chapters: (00:34) Weight-loss drugs slow down ageing (10:59) Creation of a new synthetic bacterium (21:52) Geology of the Russian earthquake Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Sam Wong, with guests Alexandra Thompson, Michael Le Page, Andrew Steele, Wes Robertson and Lisa Mcneill. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
AI wins first gold at maths Olympic games; How mitochondria are linked to sleep; Famous psychology trick works on octopuses too 28:48

21 days ago28:48

28:48

Episode 313 AI has won gold at the world’s hardest maths event. For the first time, AI programs that use entirely natural language like ChatGPT, have used general reasoning to solve incredibly difficult tests at the International Maths Olympiad in Australia. Humans are still in the lead…for now. But could this be a big leap forward in the quest for artificial general intelligence? Mitochondria - famously the powerhouses of our cells - are linked to sleep in ways we never realised. In a study on fruit flies, researchers discovered that the longer they stay awake, the more damage is caused to their mitochondria. This pressure increasingly pushes the flies to go to sleep - to begin the repair cycle. They also showed ways of engineering and altering fruit fly mitochondria that could impact their sleep duration. Given how mitochondria is essential in all complex life forms - like us - could it one day lead to sleep treatments? An iconic psychology experiment has been used to trick octopuses. The rubber hand illusion has been used on people - and some other mammals - to fool them into thinking a fake hand is their own. And now it turns out octopuses are fooled just as easily. Researchers used a fake tentacle to recreate the trick - giving us a deeper insight into how octopus brains work. Chapters: (00:33) AI wins gold at maths Olympics (12:24) How mitochondria are linked to sleep (22:13) Octopus rubber hand illusion Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Alex Wilkins and Alexandra Thompson. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
Scientists test engineered microbes to fight disease; Has 1.5 degrees failed?; New theory why we’ve not found aliens 30:23

28 days ago30:23

30:23

Episode 312 People have been given genetically engineered microbes to prevent a common health condition - and it worked. The gut microbiome is now known to be associated with many health conditions - and in this case, the team managed to treat 9 people who get recurring kidney stones. With the gut’s links to mental health, cancer and more, could engineered microbes be used to treat more conditions in the future? Is 1.5C dead? It’s looking increasingly likely that we’re going to breach 1.5C of global warming - the goal set out in the Paris agreement. So do we need to set a new goal now? As scientists come up with alternative numbers to aim for, many are worried that moving the goalposts will kill climate ambition. But is there a middle ground that keeps everyone happy? Where are all the aliens? We may now have a solution to the famous Fermi paradox, which questions why we’ve never met anyone else in the universe, despite the existence of many Earth-like planets. And it’s all to do with tectonic plates - a geological phenomenon that may be rare outside of Earth, helping complex life to emerge on our planet. Chapters: (00:39) Genetically modified gut microbes (07:03) Setting a new goal for global warming (17:20) Solving the Fermi paradox Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Grace Wade, Madeleine Cuff, Alex Wilkins, Ilana Seid, Robert Stern and Taras Gerya. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
How geoengineering could save us from climate disaster; Have we broken mathematics?; Why exercise reduces cancer risk 33:02

5 weeks ago33:02

33:02

Episode 311 Geoengineering could be the best way to avoid catastrophic climate disaster - but there’s a big catch. In the recent Global Tipping Points Conference in the UK, scientists discussed growing concerns that the AMOC may be on the verge of collapsing. This is a system of ocean currents that plays a crucial role in regulating global climate. With the window of action rapidly closing, one climate model suggests geoengineering is the fastest way to stop this from happening. But without global consensus, the team explains how geoengineering could also damage the climate further or even lead to a new kind of warfare. We’re brushing up against the edge of mathematics with the uncovering of a number so large it’s hard to even describe. Busy Beaver numbers are used to describe the longest possible run-times of ‘Turing machines’ - a theoretical model of computation conceived by Alan Turing. These numbers are surprisingly hard to figure out. But after uncovering the fifth Busy Beaver number in 2021, an online community of mathematicians now thinks they’ve figured out the sixth number - and it’s beyond massive. What does this mean for the nature of mathematics? We’ve known for a long time that exercise is a great way of reducing cancer risk - and now we finally know why. A new study suggests changes in the microbiome caused by exercise can reduce tumour growth - and there appears to be one particular molecule that’s doing this good work. Does this mean we could one day use poop transplants as a cancer treatment? Chapters: (00:22) Can geoengineering save us from climate disaster? (16:59) Have we broken mathematics? (25:42) Why exercise reduces cancer risk Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Michael Le Page, Jacob Aron, Claudia Wieners and Marlies Meisel. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
First full genome of Ancient Egyptian sequenced; Wild killer whales offer gifts to humans; First demonstration of interstellar navigation 29:31

6 weeks ago29:31

29:31

Episode 310 An ancient Egyptian's complete genome has been read for the first time. The DNA of a man who lived in Egypt over 4500 years ago offers a new window into the ancient society and hints at surprising genetic connections with Mesopotamia. Based on forensic analysis of the man's skeleton and preserved images of different Egyptian occupations, the researchers think his most likely occupation was a potter. The team discusses what the breakthrough means for our understanding of early Egypt and even for the origin of writing. Wild orcas, or killer whales, have been seen giving gifts to humans - things like pieces of liver, rays and dead birds. This is the first time these apparent acts of altruism have been documented. Does this prove whales are capable of showing compassion or kindness? Images beamed back from the New Horizons spacecraft, which has left the solar system, have enabled the first test of interstellar navigation. By measuring the distance between two stars that it snapped images of, astronomers have been able to pinpoint its location in the galaxy. And in other interstellar news, we also just spotted an object hurtling towards our solar system. Recently named ‘Atlas’, this object will be whizzing by in October, close enough for us to study. Chapters: (00:42) Ancient Egyptian genome sequenced (12:33) Killer whales give humans gifts (18:59) First demonstration of interstellar navigation Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Mike Marshall, Alex Wilkins, Joel Irish and Lori Marino. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
Mice with two dads; perfect your sleep with science; how lizards survived dinosaur-killing asteroid 30:17

7 weeks ago30:17

30:17

Ep 309 A groundbreaking experiment in reproductive biology has resulted in mice being born from two biological fathers. By fusing sperm and putting them into an emptied egg cell, researchers in China have produced healthy and fertile offspring from two male mice. While it’s early days and the technique requires hundreds of embryos to get results, it opens up the possibility of same-sex reproduction in mammals, including humans, in the future. New insights into the power of sleep reveal how short naps can boost creativity. A study found that reaching a certain stage of sleep, known as N2, significantly increased people’s chances of having an “aha!” moment. It’s more evidence of how deeply intertwined sleep is with problem-solving and innovation, and why naps might be more productive than we thought. One ancient lizard family managed to survive the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, and they’re still around today! Scientists have traced the lineage of night lizards back to over 90 million years ago. Their ability to shelter underground and survive on little energy may have helped them live through one of Earth’s biggest disasters. Chapters: (00:38) Same-sex reproduction breakthrough (12:09) Power naps and creativity (22:37) Ancient lizard survives dinosaur-killing asteroid Hosted by Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, and Michael Le Page. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
First skull of mysterious human ancestor; Decoding whale language; Heatwaves 20x more likely to happen 36:18

8 weeks ago36:18

36:18

Episode 308 An ancient skull discovered in China has been confirmed to belong to a Denisovan. It’s been tough to study this mysterious human ancestor, as we’ve only ever found a finger and jaw bone - so this new discovery could reshape our understanding of them. After being kept secret for decades, the “dragon man” skull is opening up a new window into our past. We’ve unlocked another clue in our quest to decode whale language. Analysis of 15 sperm whales in the Caribbean suggest their language may contain vowels, used in a similar way to human language. Using their various clicks, researchers have discovered interesting patterns in the way they communicate. Feeling hot and sweaty? Well, strap in - because these heatwaves are set to continue…and get worse. Summers are evolving fast as a result of climate change and weather events that would’ve once been rare are becoming much more common. Find out how the UK could be in for a string of long 40C summers in the very near future. The winner of The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction has been revealed - Dr Rachel Clarke claims the title for her book “The Story of a Heart”. The book explores the history of heart transplants and tells the story of a nine year old girl whose heart saved two other children and two adults. Rachel explains why she chose to write this story and the surprising things she learnt along the way. Chapters: (00:41) Denisovan skull discovery (14:02) Deconding whale language (18:14) Hot summers becoming more common (26:16) Winner of The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Madeleine Cuff, Mike Marshall, Gillian Kay, Alison Flood and Rachel Clarke. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
Is this the first step to cyborg brains? How drones are reshaping warfare forever; New Vera Rubin observatory goes live 31:23

9 weeks ago31:23

31:23

Episode 307 Using new “ultrasoft” electronics, researchers at Harvard have effectively created tadpole cyborgs. A soft bioelectronic device has been implanted into their brains - one which grows with them as they develop into frogs. This neural implant is a first step in helping us better understand the inner workings of the brain. But could this work in mammals…or humans? Discussing just that, the Royal Society held a meeting this week called Cyborg Futures. How soon until humans become one with machines? A small fleet of cheap drones has been deployed by Ukraine’s security service, causing $7 billion of damage to Russian air power. Just 117 drones were able to take out a third of Russia’s nuclear bomb force. Difficult to catch, hard to jam and nearly impossible to shoot down - are drones a paradigm shift in warfare? The Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile has just opened, promising to carry out a legacy survey of space and time. US editor Chelsea Whyte visited the newly operational telescope to see how it will map out the night sky in never-before-seen detail. Learn how it hopes to answer some of the biggest mysteries about dark matter and dark energy - and find out about the legacy of Vera Rubin, the astronomer the telescope is named after. Think net-zero climate action is costing us way too much, driving up living costs and damaging the economy? Think again. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has taken on all of the misinformation circulating about our goal to achieve net zero emissions, showing that raising climate ambition would actually boost the global economy. Find out why. Chapters: (00:32) Frogs with cyborg brains…are humans next? (11:25) How drones are reshaping warfare (16:16) Vera Rubin observatory opens (24:59) How net zero will boost the global economy Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Alexandra Thompson, Chelsea Whyte, Jonathan Rossiter, Tamar Makin, Robert Bunker and Simon Evans. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
$1 trillion of platinum on the moon; how your brain distinguishes between reality and imagination; rise of the hyperworm 25:37

10 weeks ago25:37

25:37

Episode 306 It’s been discovered that the moon is probably home to $1 trillion worth of platinum. Researchers suggest nearly 6500 of the Moon’s craters were made by asteroids containing commercial quantities of platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium. Does that mean space companies are going to head out on mining missions imminently…and should they? Hear the reasons for and against mining on the Moon. When you imagine something in your mind, how does your brain know that it’s not real? Certain brain regions have been identified in a new experiment which help keep reality and make-believe separate. This finding could tell us a lot about conditions like schizophrenia - or what’s going on when we dream. It may even answer that question; are we living in a simulation? Read our imagination special here: https://www.newscientist.com/issue/3545/ A newly discovered emergent behaviour has been found in nematode worms - the world’s commonest animal. These millimetre long worms are able to merge to form superorganisms, creating tentacles or towers that can straddle long distances. Learn about this collective behaviour and how it's coordinated. Chapters: (00:16) Platinum on the moon (08:44) How your brain distinguishes between reality and imagination (18:05) Rise of the hyperworm - nematodes merge to form superorganism Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests Carissa Wong, Jayanth Chennamangalam, Steve Fleming and Serena Ding. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
The real threat of AI - ethics, exploitation and the erosion of truth 34:43

11 weeks ago34:43

34:43

Episode 305 As artificial intelligence grows into more and more aspects of our lives, it seems we’re just at the beginning of the boom. Hundreds of billions of dollars are being pumped into advancing AI capabilities, making it the best funded area in science. But, just like the dot-com revolution, is it a bubble waiting to burst? In this special episode of the podcast, we explore the growing promise of AI - and also the existential threat it poses. Despite the amount of money going into AI, chatbots are still making glaring mistakes, plagued with hallucinations. All the while students are relying on them to do their homework for them, and others are using them to replace very human tasks, like writing wedding speeches. So we hear from two authors who have been thinking hard about AI and machine learning - and what that means for the future. We also get into the idea of AGI, artificial general intelligence - and its cousin, artificial superintelligence, which may already exist in certain areas. With many researchers concerned about AI overthrowing humanity, is it even worth worrying about? We dig into whether AGI is even possible and who would want to develop it. This discussion has to include some mention of the human and environmental costs of these technologies, too. Energy demands are expected to skyrocket over the next few years - can the planet keep up with the demand? And alongside that, there’s a lot of human exploitation going on to help fuel these machines - a little-known fact that has to be tackled. Finally, is superintelligent AI a threat to the existence of humankind - will they want to wipe us out when they get smart enough? Or is the threat more insidious, one where we watch the slow erosion of truth and democracy? Chapters: (02:49) How chatbots and LLMs came to dominate (15:50) Superintelligent AI (18:18) What does $500 billion buy? (19:30) The high energy demand of AI (20:56) The murky ethics of the AI race (25:15) How AI is being thrust upon us (26:48) The existential threat of AI (29:57) Is AI a bubble waiting to burst? Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Sophie Bushwick, with guests Alex Wilkins, Adam Becker and Emily Bender. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
Are smartphones really causing mental illness in teens?; More evidence of alien life; Digital oak trees 23:24

12 weeks ago23:24

23:24

Episode 304 It seems the world is on heightened alert about the impact smartphones are having on our children’s brains. But are we right to be worried? Jonathan Haidt’s book the Anxious Generation has played a big role in this debate, with many researchers agreeing smartphones cause harm and action needs to be taken. But is there actually any scientific evidence to back all of these claims up? The “strongest evidence” for alien life was announced just a few weeks ago - but not everyone was happy with this discovery and it came under quite a lot of fire. The team that discovered this alien signal were analysing data from the James Webb Space Telescope. Now other researchers have looked at the same data and have come to different conclusions. But rather than proving critics right, it seems the evidence for aliens just got stronger. A digital oak tree is on display at Kew Gardens in London. Of the Oak is an immersive installation by art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast in collaboration with ecologists, biologists and researchers. The aim is to show the inner workings of the oak, to allow people to connect more deeply with it and to tune into “tree time”. Chapters: (00:32) Are smartphones causing mental illness in teens? (05:58) More evidence for alien life (13:28) Of the Oak display at Kew Hosted by Timothy Revell and Madeleine Cuff, with guests Jacob Aron, Alex Wilkins, Rowan Hooper, Ersin Han Ersin and Ruth Mitchell. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
China’s carbon emissions fall; norovirus vaccine; chaotic breakup of the solar system 27:55

13 weeks ago27:55

27:55

Episode 303 China is becoming a de facto leader in the fight against climate change. Right now it’s the world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, but after years of keeping its emissions steady, they have finally begun to fall. And this is all while China’s power demands have increased - suggesting its efforts to build clean energy are paying off. But is this enough to make a realistic dent on curbing global warming? And how will the uncertainty of President Trump’s administration impact this trend? A vaccine for the dreaded norovirus is in the works - and it’s already proving effective. Known as the winter vomiting bug, this nasty gastrointestinal illness affects 685 million people a year. Thanks to a company in San Francisco and some heroic people who served as test subjects, we may be closer than ever to staving it off. At some point, in a few billion years, our solar system may break up in the most spectacular fashion, simply because of random chaos and instability. But now researchers have found a bigger threat to the survival of our solar system - passing stars. Less random and chaotic, stars actually pass by our sun fairly regularly, and could dislodge planets like Pluto, flinging them out of orbit and impacting the other planets. Do you find yourself teary eyed when cutting onions? Well, you’re in luck. Scientists have found the perfect way to cut an onion without crying. We provide a live demonstration for your amusement. Chapters: (00:47) Decline of China’s carbon emissions (11:05) Norovirus vaccine (17:52) Catastrophic break-up of our solar system (23:26) Scientific way to cut an onion without crying Hosted by Rowan Hooper and Penny Sarchet, with guests James Dinneen, Carissa Wong, Alex Wilkins, Lauri Myllivirta, Chris Packham and Sean Raymond. To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

The world, the universe and us

1
Ocean wonders and the new arguments against deep-sea mining; biophotons emitted from living things; drumming chimps and the origin of religion 28:02

14 weeks ago28:02