A team led by researchers at MIT has discovered that a distant interstellar cloud contains an abundance of pyrene, a type of large, carbon-containing molecule known as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). The discovery of pyrene in this far-off cloud, which is similar to the collection of dust and gas that eventually became our own solar…
Credit: CC0 Public Domain The city of Cali, in Colombia, is hosting the UN’s 16th biodiversity summit, known as COP16. The summit, which runs until Friday, November 1, is focused on how countries will fulfill previous pledges to protect at least 30% of the world’s land and water and restore 30% of degraded ecosystems by…
Though neither of Sony’s previous standalone Venom movies were cinematic gems, their strange blend of Odd Couple humor and bloodless body horror were enough to put them squarely in so-bad-they’re-kinda-fun territory. It was hard to imagine a Venom feature — let alone a franchise — really working without a Spider-Man in the mix. But the…
Credit: ACS Infectious Diseases (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acsinfecdis.4c00433 A new study reveals widespread resistance of a major bacterial pathogen to the active ingredients in cleaning agents commonly used in hospitals and homes. ACS Infectious Diseases published the research led by chemists at Emory University. The work demonstrates the surprising level of resistance to cleaning agents of…
On today’s episode of Decoder, we’re going to try and figure out “digital god.” I figured we’ve been doing this long enough, let’s just get after it. Can we build an artificial intelligence so powerful that it changes the world and answers all of our questions? The AI industry has decided the answer is yes….
In the 1940s, scientists at the recently established National Cancer Institute were trying to breed mice that could inform our understanding of cancer, either because they predictably developed certain cancers or were surprisingly resistant. The team spotted a peculiar litter in which some baby mice had short, kinked tails and misplaced ribs growing out of…
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Introducing: The AI Hype Index There’s no denying that the AI industry moves fast. Each week brings a bold new announcement, product release, or lofty claim that pushes the bounds of what we…
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Rising numbers of houses and flats listed as short-term lets on Airbnb are associated with higher rates of crimes such as burglaries and street robberies right across London, according to the most detailed study of its kind. The latest research has revealed a positive association between the number of properties listed…
It’s a real problem, from a climate perspective at least, that burgers taste good, and so do chicken sandwiches and cheese and just about anything that has butter in it. It can be hard to persuade people to change their eating habits, especially since food is tied up in our social lives and our cultures. …
Google added that part of the problem it faces in generating its AI Overviews is that, for some very specific queries, there’s an absence of high quality information on the web. And there’s little doubt that Lynn’s work is not of high quality. “The science underlying Lynn’s database of ‘national IQs’ is of such poor…
