New Scientist Space - Space Headlines
One in 20 new Wikipedia pages seem to be written with the help of AI
Just under 5 per cent of the Wikipedia pages in English that have been published since ChatGPT's release seem to include AI-written content
Categories: Astronomy
Cloud-inspired material can bend light around corners
Light can be directed and steered around bends using a method similar to the way clouds scatter photons, which could lead to advances in medical imaging, cooling systems and even nuclear reactors
Categories: Astronomy
The best new science fiction books of November 2024
From Harlan Ellison to Haruki Murakami, via an intergalactic cooking competition, this month has plenty of science fictional treats on offer
Categories: Astronomy
Data centres may soon burn as much extra gas as California uses daily
In support of their AI ambitions, tech companies are rapidly expanding US data centres, and this growth is on track to significantly increase US gas demand by 2030
Categories: Astronomy
War-era sugar rationing boosted health of UK people conceived in 1940s
People conceived during the UK's 1940s and 50s sugar rationing have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure than those conceived after rationing ended
Categories: Astronomy
Lakes are losing winter ice cover at an astonishing rate
Fewer lakes are freezing over each winter compared with past years, posing environmental and economic consequences around the world
Categories: Astronomy
A bizarre skeleton from a Roman grave has bones from eight people
Radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis have revealed that a complete skeleton found in a 2nd-century cemetery is made up of bones from many people spanning thousands of years – but we don’t know who assembled it or why
Categories: Astronomy
A bizarre skeleton from a Roman grave has bones from seven people
Radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis have revealed that a complete skeleton found in a 2nd-century cemetery is made up of bones from many people spanning thousands of years – but we don’t know who assembled it or why
Categories: Astronomy
Spies can eavesdrop on phone calls by sensing vibrations with radar
An off-the-shelf millimetre wave sensor can pick out the tiny vibrations made by a smartphone's speaker, enabling an AI model to transcribe the conversation, even at a distance in a noisy room
Categories: Astronomy
Chimpanzees will never randomly type the complete works of Shakespeare
The infinite monkey theorem states that illiterate primates could write great literature with enough time, but the amount of time needed is much longer than the lifespan of the universe
Categories: Astronomy
Simple fix could make US census more accurate but just as private
The US Census Bureau processes data before publishing it in order to keep personal information private – but a new approach could maintain the same privacy while improving accuracy
Categories: Astronomy
Simple fix could make the census more accurate but just as private
The US Census Bureau processes data before publishing it in order to keep personal information private – but a new approach could maintain the same privacy while improving accuracy
Categories: Astronomy
Michelangelo's 'The Flood' seems to depict a woman with breast cancer
The Renaissance artist Michelangelo had carried out human dissections, which may have led him to include women with breast cancer in some of his pieces
Categories: Astronomy
Is personalised nutrition better than one-size-fits-all diet advice?
Our metabolism's response to food is highly idiosyncratic and there are hints that tailoring our diet to these personal differences can deliver health benefits
Categories: Astronomy
AI can use tourist photos to help track Antarctica’s penguins
Scientists used AI to transform tourist photos into a 3D digital map of Antarctic penguin colonies – even as researchers debate whether to harness or discourage tourism in this remote region
Categories: Astronomy
The science of exercise: Which activity burns the most calories?
Running, swimming, HIIT or walking – what is the best way to work out? The answer is complicated, and depends on the person, finds Grace Wade
Categories: Astronomy
Chilling news adds fresh meaning to 2018 Arctic horror drama
A new study amplifies the horror of an excellent series about the doomed Franklin expedition. The Terror is a worthy tribute to the lost sailors, says Bethan Ackerley
Categories: Astronomy
Striking image shows well-preserved wreck of Shackleton’s doomed ship
Endurance sank beneath the ice during Ernest Shackleton’s legendary Antarctic expedition. More than a hundred years later, researchers document their own saga of how they found the vessel
Categories: Astronomy
Forget Hollywood, science has real plans to defend us from asteroids
Forget Armageddon-sized rocks, just one of 25,000 smaller asteroids could destroy a city on Earth. How to Kill an Asteroid by Robin George Andrew shows how science plans to save the planet
Categories: Astronomy
How a ride in a friendly Waymo saw me fall for robotaxis
I have a confession to make. After taking a handful of autonomous taxi rides, I have gone from a hater to a friend of robot cars in just a few weeks, says Annalee Newitz
Categories: Astronomy