The furore over Grok’s sexualised images has begun an AI reckoning
Controversy over the chatbot Grok escalated rapidly through the early weeks of 2026. The cause…
No animal alive today is ‘primitive’ – why are so many still labeled that way?
We humans have long viewed ourselves as the pinnacle of evolution. People label other species…
Probability underlies much of the modern world – an engineering professor explains how it actually works
Probability underpins AI, cryptography and statistics. However, as the philosopher Bertrand Russell said, “Probability is…
SpaceX rocket left behind a plume of chemical pollution as it burnt up in the atmosphere
Space junk returning to the Earth is introducing metal pollution to the pristine upper atmosphere…
Humanoid home robots are on the market – but do we really want them?
Last year, Norwegian-US tech company 1X announced a strange new product: “the world’s first consumer-ready…
Robot clean-up crews tackle litter on Europe’s seabed
A ship with a crane floats in the Mediterranean sun at a marina in Marseille,…
Infusing asphalt with plastic could help roads last longer and resist cracking under heat
Globally, more than 400 million tons of plastic are produced each year, and less than…
What dating apps are really optimizing. Hint: it isn’t love
In the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, dating apps typically see a spike in…
Age verification online can be done safely and privately. Here’s how
Online chat service Discord has announced it will begin testing age verification for some users,…
Can psychopaths change?
Psychopaths might account for only about 1% of the general population, but they account for…