Emerging Tech
A zoologist explains why the project to resurrect the woolly mammoth should go extinct
De-extinction, if it is ever possible, will not be simple.
Google’s quantum computer suggests that wormholes are real
Perhaps wormholes will no longer be relegated to the realm of science fiction.
Gallium: The liquid metal that could transform soft electronics
Bend it. Stretch it. Use it to conduct electricity.
Algocracy would replace politicians with algorithms. Should we try it?
Surely they can't be worse...can they?
The metaverse is inevitable, regardless of what happens to Meta
The metaverse is inevitable because it is hardwired into our DNA.
Why don’t robots have rights?
In the future, people may look back with horror at how humans treated AI in the 21st century.
“Playing God”: How the metaverse will challenge our very notion of free will
Inside the metaverse, your emotions and physical responses will be monitored, and AI will use that data to influence you in real time. Is that essentially mind control?
Your next pair of Tweezers might be inspired by a crow’s beak
Inspired by the shape of a New Caledonian crow’s beak, researchers created a new 3D-printed prototype of tweezers.
In Japan, humanoid robots could soon become part of the family
More than any other nation, Japan tends to feel comfortable with the idea of humanoid robots entering the home.
Quantum sensors use “spooky” science to measure the world with unprecedented precision
Quantum entanglement may remain spooky, but it has a very practical side.
Brain cells on a chip learn to play Pong within 5 minutes
The researchers suggest that their results demonstrate intelligence in silico.
Practical physics: How quantum uncertainty will make our communications secure
We are not yet at the point where quantum communications can be deployed to secure the internet, but we might not be far off.
Brain-zapping tech can improve memory by more than 50%
The DARPA-funded memory prosthesis helps the brain retain new information.
Desalinating seawater sounds easy, but there are cheaper, better ways to get fresh water
Flashy desalination technology is more costly and cumbersome than many other solutions.
Deepfake audio has a tell
Researchers use fluid dynamics to spot artificial imposter voices.
How do DALL-E, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and other forms of generative AI work?
Meaningful pictures are assembled from meaningless noise.
Synthetic biology has the power to cure — and kill. How will we use it?
Synthetic biology has the power to cure and kill. Have we learned from our past mistakes?
Expert Roundtable: What should progress look like?
We asked 11 experts about the future of progress for humanity.
The case for demanding “immersive rights” in the metaverse
The Metaverse could be the most dangerous tool of persuasion humanity has ever created.
I used generative AI to create pictures of painting robots, but I’m not the artist — humanity is
Who should be compensated?
We are building a “species-level brain” with big data and ubiquitous sensors
We will become billions of people who share a single vast intellect.
Harvard scientists closer to solving centuries-old heart mystery
Heart muscle is shaped like a spiral, a mystery that has eluded scientists since 1669. New research has recreated the structure.
Russians reportedly building a satellite-blinding laser. How would it work?
As technology advances, the use of laser weapons in space becomes more likely.
Transhumanists want to upload their minds to a computer. They really won’t like the result
Uploading your mind is not a pathway to immortality. Instead, it will create a possibly hostile digital doppelgänger.
Horror stories of cryonics: The gruesome fates of futurists hoping for immortality
For decades people have arranged to freeze their bodies after death, dreaming of resurrection by advanced future medicine. Many met a fate far grislier than death.
Scientists make cold brew coffee in 3 minutes using lasers
This is a great improvement over the typical brew time of 12 to 18 hours.
I’m a chemist, and I’m building a universal robot to make life and find aliens
The emergence of life in the universe is as certain as the emergence of matter, gravity, and the stars. Life is the universe developing a memory, and our chemical detection system could find it.