Chatbots: A long and complicated history
In the 1960s, an unprecedented computer program called Eliza attempted to simulate the experience of speaking to a therapist. In one exchange, captured in a research paper at the time, a person revealed that her boyfriend had described her as "depres.....»»
Climate change is easier to study when it"s presented as a game, says researcher
Climate change is among the more difficult but important topics to teach to young people. It involves complicated science and data, and it can be really depressing, given the bleak picture it paints of Earth's future......»»
Advancing synthetic Ephedra-type alkaloids with a two-step enzymatic approach
Ephedra-type alkaloids, a class of naturally occurring compounds derived from plants in the genus Ephedra, have long held interest in the pharmaceutical industry due to their stimulant and airway widening effects. These alkaloids are used for the tre.....»»
Assassin’s Creed Shadows delayed after poor Star Wars Outlaws reception
It will now launch the same year as another, maybe better, open-world samurai game. Enlarge / The dual protagonists of Assassin's Creed Shadows. (credit: Ubisoft) Assassin's Creed Shadows, the long-anticipated next major.....»»
Ice cores show pollution"s impact on Arctic atmosphere
A Dartmouth-led study on ice cores from Alaska and Greenland found that air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels reaches the remote Arctic in amounts large enough to alter its fundamental atmospheric chemistry. The findings illustrate the long.....»»
What are "rent tech" platforms? Action on reining in these exploitative tools is long overdue
This week the New South Wales government announced it would introduce legislation that ensures renters are offered convenient, fee-free options to pay their rent......»»
How coral and sediments helped to reconstruct 2.6 million years of climate history
Today's climate change is man-made. The consensus in the climate science community is unequivocal, but in order to determine just how exceptional current climate change is, we have had to contextualize the present on a much longer time scale. To do t.....»»
Murine study suggests cosmic radiation in outer space may affect long-term cognition
During missions into outer space, galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) will penetrate current spacecraft shielding and thus pose a significant risk to human health......»»
10 best Doctor Who episodes ever, ranked
We're celebrating the new season of the long-running sci-fi hit by looking back at the 10 best Doctor Who episodes ever!.....»»
Can the "hard steps" in the evolutionary history of human intelligence be recast with geological thresholds?
What took so long for humans to appear on Earth? The Earth is 4.6 billion years old, and life began about 4 billion years ago, yet humans—the only intelligent, technological species we know of in the universe—have existed only for the last 200,0.....»»
Afar mantle plume study offers new insight into deep Earth processes
Sophisticated analysis of tiny bubbles of ancient gas trapped in volcanic rocks, combined with new geophysical modeling, has cast new light on long-held assumptions about the deep Earth......»»
New insights into hot carrier solar cells: Study explores hot electron tunneling and collection to enhance efficiency
Hot carrier solar cells, a concept introduced several decades ago, have long been seen as a potential breakthrough in solar energy technology. These cells could surpass the Shockley–Queisser efficiency limit, which is a theoretical maximum efficien.....»»
Apple TV app adds separate Watchlist in iOS 18.1 beta
Apple appears to be working on a significant change on how users can organize their watch queue in the Apple TV app. In iOS 18.1 the long-standing Up Next queue has been renamed to ‘Continue Watching’, and a new separate Watchlist section can be.....»»
Studying fossil extraction on Native lands and exploring the depths of untold histories
In 2019, historian Lukas Rieppel published a book about the history of dinosaur fossils and their excavation in the late 1800s to create museum displays......»»
3 underrated movies you need to watch in October 2024
From a long-delayed adaptation of a classic Stephen King novel to a comedic origin story about SNL, these three September 2024 movies deserve to be watched......»»
Volunteers help seedlings take root as New Mexico attempts to recover from historic wildfire
A small team of volunteers spent a few hours scrambling across fire-ravaged mountainsides, planting hundreds of seedlings as part of a monumental recovery effort that has been ongoing following the largest wildfire in New Mexico's recorded history......»»
Traces of 10 common pharmaceuticals detected in corals in the Gulf of Eilat
A new study from Tel Aviv University and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History detected traces of 10 common medications in coral samples collected from both shallow and deep sites in the Gulf of Eilat. Sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic used for resp.....»»
10 long years with—and good riddance to—Apple’s iPhone 6 design
Op-ed: On living with the iPhone 6 design—and its flaws—for a full decade. Enlarge / The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, the first iteration of a very, very long-lived phone design. (credit: Andrew Cunningham) This past weekend.....»»
Climate change is a pollution problem, and countries have stopped similar threats before—think DDT and acid rain
Climate change can seem like an insurmountable challenge. However, if you look closely at its causes, you'll realize that history is filled with similar health and environmental threats that humanity has overcome......»»
What happens to a person when they"re stuck in space?
What was supposed to be a weeklong test flight in space has turned into a months-long stay for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. While the unexpected delays from their mission may not have any negative side effects on the future of space ex.....»»
Google TV Streamer review: Chromecast hits the awkward preteen years
Google TV Streamer builds on the long legacy of Chromecast with a device that's set to forge the way for the next several years, at least......»»