In the wild west world of human-AI relationships, the lonely and vulnerable are most at risk

Chris excitedly posts family pictures from his trip to France. Brimming with joy, he starts gushing about his wife: “A bonus picture of my cutie … I’m so happy to see mother and children together. Ruby dressed them so cute too.” He continues: “Ruby and I visited the pumpkin patch with the babies. I know […]

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The ‘bully cats’ bred to resemble American bully dogs and how fashion is creating mutant pet breeds

Pedigree cat breeding has long had its controversies but a new trend for cats bred to look like American bully XL dogs could be one of the most worrying fads yet. So-called “bully cats” originated in the US and are a result of mutant breeding. Unlike pedigree breeding, which focuses on keeping animals purebred, mutant […]

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A new generation of telescopes will probe the ‘unknown unknowns’ that could transform our knowledge of the universe

In recent decades, we’ve learnt huge amounts about the universe and its history. The rapidly developing technology of telescopes – both on Earth and in space – has been a key part of this process, and those that are due to start operating over the next two decades should push the boundaries of our understanding […]

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Robot developers keep making it seem like housebots are imminent when they’re decades away

The walking, talking, dancing Optimus robots at the recent Tesla demonstration generated huge excitement. But this turned to disappointment as it became apparent that much of what was happening was actually being controlled remotely by humans. As much as this might still be a fascinating glimpse of the future, it’s not the first time that […]

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How your online world could change if big tech companies like Google are forced to break up

The US Department of Justice may be on the verge of seeking a break-up of Google in a bid to make it less dominant. If the government goes ahead and is successful in the courts, it could mean the company being split into separate entities – a search engine, an advertising company, a video website, […]

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If your child is watching TV and playing online games, you should do it with them – here’s why

Young children spend a lot of time using screens: watching television, playing on touchscreen apps, or facetiming with grandparents. In fact, research on global screen time guidelines has found that around 75% of children aged up to two years use some form of digital media daily, and 64% of children aged two to five years […]

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Tech bosses think nuclear fusion is the solution to AI’s energy demands – here’s what they’re missing

The artificial intelligence boom has already changed how we understand technology and the world. But developing and updating AI programs requires a lot of computing power. This relies heavily on servers in data centres, at a great cost in terms of carbon emissions and resource use. One particularly energy intensive task is “training”, where generative […]

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study suggests a link to ancient Persia

In the heart of Isalo National Park in central-southern Madagascar, at least 200km from the sea in any direction, is a remote valley with a mysterious past. This place, Teniky, can only be reached on foot, by hiking through a mountainous region dissected by steep canyons. Isalo area. Guido Schreurs, Author provided (no reuse) Part […]

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Why The Rock beats politicians for trust and leadership – and what would-be rulers can learn

Celebrities can have huge influence and reach enormous audiences. That’s why Kamala Harris was happy to recently gain the endorsement of musician Taylor Swift. Due to their media attention and massive fan bases, some Hollywood stars and musicians can appear more powerful than traditional politicians. And these perceptions of influence may also translate into actual […]

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could supermarket loyalty cards nudge us to make healthier choices?

Ken Murphy, CEO of the British multinational supermarket chain Tesco, recently said at a conference that Tesco “could use Clubcard data to nudge customers towards healthier choices”. So how would this work, and do we want it? Our recent study, published in the Scientific Journal of Research and Reviews, provides an answer. Loyalty schemes have […]

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