Science and Technolgy blog
Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory have released the largest infrared map of the Milky Way ever. The enormous dataset contains millions of new objects, and the researchers expect to scour it for discoveries for years to come.
Active social contact can reduce the increased risk of dementia associated with high neuroticism, according to a new study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. Neuroticism, a personality trait characterized by emotional instability and a heightened stress response, is…
Meteorologist Thea Sandmael watched the storm close in. It was near enough for her to spot a rotating dome of clouds emerging from the storm’s dark underbelly. By the time the spinning mass was 10 minutes away, Sandmael and her…
While exploring the Tonga Trench in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean, researchers captured extremely rare footage of a Magnapinna squid with arms several times the length of its body.
Can brain activity predict voting behavior? A new study in Scientific Reports suggests that the answer is more complicated than expected. By measuring the N400 brainwave during exposure to political statements, researchers found differences in how Democratic and Republican voters…
Saul Newman’s research suggests that we’re completely mistaken about how long humans live for.
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the federal body that sets technology standards for governmental agencies, standards organizations, and private companies, has proposed barring some of the most vexing and nonsensical password requirements. Chief…
Enlarge / The dual protagonists of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. (credit: Ubisoft) Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the long-anticipated next major edition in the popular historical, open-world game franchise, has been moved back from its previously announced November 15, 2024 release date. The…
Enlarge / Mira Murati, Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, speaks during The Wall Street Journal’s WSJ Tech Live Conference in Laguna Beach, California on October 17, 2023. (credit: PATRICK T. FALLON via Getty Images) On Wednesday, OpenAI Chief Technical Officer…
Enlarge / An entomologist for the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness in a swampland area on August 25, 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky collecting various mosquito species, and testing the samples for mosquito-borne diseases, such as EEE. (credit:…
Amazon corporate office building in Sunnyvale, California. (credit: Getty Images) An overwhelming majority of Amazon employees are “dissatisfied” with Amazon killing remote work and requiring them to be in the office five days a week next year. That’s according to…
Here’s one reason why the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has had such few storms.
A powerful burst of X-rays from a nuclear explosion could be used to stop Armageddon just in the nick of time, a new experiment suggests.
There’s a new way to screen for high-risk HPV, a viral infection that can lead to cervical cancer. This alternative method of collecting samples for cervical cancer screening doesn’t require a speculum.
Enlarge (credit: style-photography | iStock / Getty Images Plus) Among the first AI companies that the Federal Trade Commission has exposed as deceiving consumers is DoNotPay—which initially was advertised as “the world’s first robot lawyer” with the ability to “sue…
Enlarge / Putting the “chat” in ChatGPT (credit: Getty Images) In May, when OpenAI first demonstrated ChatGPT-4o’s coming audio conversation capabilities, I wrote that it felt like we were “on the verge of something… like a sea change in how…
Enlarge / The future’s so bright, Mark Zuckerberg’s gotta wear shades. (credit: Meta) Thus far, Meta’s heavily money-losing Reality Labs division has been primarily focused on bulky virtual reality headsets (and some odd, display-free Ray-Ban branded sunglasses). So when Meta…
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Adrienne Bresnahan) Cox Communications asked a court to block Rhode Island’s plan for distributing $108.7 million in federal funding for broadband deployment. If successful, Cox’s lawsuit could prevent other Internet service providers from obtaining grants…
A new study published in the Journal of Health Psychology has found that exposure to sunlight in the morning may improve sleep quality later that night. Individuals who spent time in the sun during the morning reported better sleep quality,…
An Asus Zenbook UX5406S with a Lunar Lake-based Core Ultra 7 258V inside. [credit: Andrew Cunningham ] Two things can be true for Intel’s new Core Ultra 200-series processors, codenamed Lunar Lake: They can be both impressive and embarrassing. Impressive…
Enlarge / Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg announces the Meta Quest 3 headset. (credit: Meta) At a Connect conference keynote today, Meta officially unveiled the Quest 3S headset, a cheaper version of last year’s Quest 3. The new spin-off device will be…
Enlarge (credit: Anadolu / Contributor | Anadolu) OpenAI hopes to convince the White House to approve a sprawling plan that would place 5-gigawatt AI data centers in different US cities, Bloomberg reports. The AI company’s CEO, Sam Altman, supposedly pitched…
Enlarge / LG’s 2024 G4 OLED TV. (credit: LG) Last month, Ars Technica went on a deep dive into the rapid growth of ads in TV software. Less than three weeks later, LG announced that it was adding advertisements to…
The finding suggests that a drug to ease swelling can speed recovery and stop cell death.
An analysis of 24 conversational large language models (LLMs) has revealed that many of these AI tools tend to generate responses to politically charged questions that reflect left-of-center political viewpoints. However, this tendency was not observed in all models, and…
Evolving techniques and data indicate some ancient giants like Dunkleosteus and Megalodon may have been smaller than initial estimates suggested.
The record-breaking crystal will act as a DNA time capsule that could be used to bring back humanity after our extinction, researchers say. But not everyone is convinced.
Enlarge / An independent automotive testing company has evaluated Tesla FSD, and it found some concerning results. (credit: PonyWang/Getty Images) Tesla’s controversial “Full Self Driving” is now capable of some quite advanced driving. But that can breed undeserved complacency, according…
Enlarge / Physicist Martin Bier in an aerodynamic tuck, a cycling position that reduces wind resistance. (credit: Martin Bier) Many avid bicyclists these days have hopped onto the “everesting” bandwagon, in which one rides up and down the same mountain…
A boom in vegetation at the end of the last ice age may have created so much pollen, it blocked mammoths’ sense of smell. A new study suggests this drove the beasts to extinction, but not everyone agrees.
A recent study published in Simulation & Gaming explores the mental health effects of playing Fantasy Football, with mixed results. The researchers found that higher levels of engagement, frequent team comparisons, and constant performance monitoring were linked to increased mental…
A study of people with type 2 diabetes and opioid use disorder suggests that the key ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy shows promise against addiction.
Plants found to photosynthesize 160 feet beneath the surface of the Arctic Ocean offer tantalizing prospects for the future.
“The Secret History of Sharks” author John Long met with Live Science to discuss his new book, recent revelations about megalodons, and how he got over his fear of great whites.
Though measuring animal intelligence is tricky, some animals show remarkable cognitive abilities that may rival our own.
When researchers tested a mysterious substance on the heads and necks of ancient mummies found in China’s Tarim Basin, they discovered that it was the world’s oldest cheese.
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images | Justin Sullivan) Google has filed an antitrust complaint in Brussels against Microsoft, alleging its Big Tech rival engages in unfair cloud computing practices that has led to a reduction in choice and an increase in…
A recent study published in Journal of Psychoactive Drugs found that while psychedelic experiences increased mind perception across various entities, they did not significantly change individuals’ Atheist-Believer status. The relationship between psychedelics and belief systems has long fascinated researchers, particularly…
Brain scans revealed that teenagers with larger attention-driving networks were more likely to develop depression.
A new study published in Scientific Reports sheds light on long-term neurological consequences of COVID-19. Researchers found that individuals who had anosmia (the loss of smell) during COVID-19 showed alterations in brain functionality and even physical structure during recovery. This…
Along the southern coasts of Australia, flashy fish called seadragons sport leaflike lobes that help them blend into kelp and seagrass. Seadragons “are like the marine version of a koala or kangaroo,” says Nerida Wilson. “They’re just that iconic.” Wilson…
A new study published in BMC Psychiatry provides insights into how adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) process tactile information differently from neurotypical adults. Researchers found that adults with ADHD were more sensitive to touch stimuli, both in self-reports…
Sony’s <em>Ghost of Yotei</em> trailer. If you’ve been sleeping on the Akira Kurosawa-inspired, Assassin’s Creed-esque samurai game Ghost of Tsushima, you’ve been missing out. Given that it recently got a PC release, this is a great time to catch up…
Enlarge / Caroline Ellison, former chief executive officer of Alameda Research LLC, was sentenced Tuesday for helping Sam Bankman-Fried cover up FTX’s fraudulent misuse of customer funds. (credit: Bloomberg / Contributor | Bloomberg) Caroline Ellison was sentenced Tuesday to 24…
Enlarge (credit: Getty Images) When security researcher Johann Rehberger recently reported a vulnerability in ChatGPT that allowed attackers to store false information and malicious instructions in a user’s long-term memory settings, OpenAI summarily closed the inquiry, labeling the flaw a…
The centuries-old remains at Notre Dame have been identified as Joachim du Bellay, a French Renaissance poet who died at age 37.
People could previously get the nasal spray flu vaccine, called FluMist, from a health care provider, but now they can administer it themselves.
Enlarge / Filmmaker James Cameron. (credit: James Cameron / Stability AI) On Tuesday, Stability AI announced that renowned filmmaker James Cameron—of Terminator and Skynet fame—has joined its board of directors. Stability is best known for its pioneering but highly controversial…
Enlarge (credit: Alex Schmidt / Getty Images) Oran Routh has had an eventful few weeks. In August, he moved into a two-bed, two-bath rental unit on the second floor of a building in Greensboro, North Carolina. On September 15, his…
Enlarge / Sandia National Labs’ Z machine in action. (credit: Randy Montoya) The old joke about the dinosaurs going extinct because they didn’t have a space program may be overselling the need for one. It turns out you can probably…
