George Dvorsky

How Artificial Superintelligence Will Give Birth To Itself

There’s a saying among futurists that a human-equivalent artificial intelligence will be our last invention. After that, AIs will be capable of designing virtually anything on their own — including themselves. Here’s how a recursively self-improving AI could transform itself into a superintelligent machine. When it comes to understanding the potential for artificial intelligence, it’s…

Oceans May Be Critical For Life To Arise In Habitable Zones

It’s generally agreed that liquid water and a stable atmosphere are the minimal requirements for life. But new research shows that oceans play a vital role in stabilizing and moderating climates on Earth-like planets. Mars is a good example of what the astrobiologists from the University of East Anglia are talking about. It’s a planet…

British Inventor To Aim The World’s Largest ‘Fart Machine’ At France

Colin Furze is building the biggest fart machine ever — a valveless engine that will be housed in a specially constructed pair of buttocks. His ultimate goal is to place it on top of the cliffs of Dover and aim it across the Channel towards France. If all goes well — and why wouldn’t it…

World’s Largest Aquatic Insect Found In China

No, this isn’t a prop from a King Kong movie — it’s a newly discovered member of the Megaloptera family that could very well be the largest aquatic insect in the world. Images of the grotesquely huge bug recently appeared on China’s ECNS website. The specimen was discovered in a mountain of Chengdu, Sichuan province.…

Sixth-Grader May Have Stolen Credit For Marine Biologist’s Lionfish Research

There’s a new development in the story about 12-year-old Lauren Arrington’s remarkable science fair project about the invasive potential of lionfish. A marine biologist is now claiming that the project was based on published work he did back in 2011 — and that the girl is the daughter of his former supervisor’s best friend. https://gizmodo.com/sixth-graders-science-fair-project-rattles-ecologists-1608333632…

This Gorgeous Ballet Sequence Was Shot Entirely By A Robot

By programming a robotic camera to follow a 3D representation of a ballet sequence, director Tarik Abdel-Gawad managed to capture a stunning performance that could scarcely be called mechanical. Abdel-Gawad created the 3D model by recording the dancers’ performance with motion-capture technology. The data was then used to program a robotic camera that followed a…

This Comic Reveals The Terrifying Futility Of The First World War

There’s a graphic novel anthology called To End All Wars that’s worth checking out. Featuring more than 50 contributors from 13 different countries, the book will be a series of graphic narratives on the topic of the First World War. We have a sneak preview of it right here. The anthology is being released in…

China Seals Off City Of 30,000 People After Man Dies Of Bubonic Plague

The Chinese city of Yumen in the northwestern province of Gansu has been sealed off and 151 people placed in quarantine after a man died of the bubonic plague — the bacterium responsible for some of the worst blights in human history. China Central Television (CCTV) is reporting that the 30,000 people of Yumen are…

For the First Time, We’ve Found an Exoplanet at the “Frost Line”

Astronomers have documented thousands of exoplanets to date, but they have yet to find one near the “frost line” — an important boundary in understanding how planets form. The discovery of Kepler-421b now changes that. The planet is located about 110 million miles (177 million km) from its sun, a type K star that’s dimmer…

Sixth Grader’s Science Fair Project Rattles Ecologists

By showing that lionfish can live in fresh water, 12 year-old Lauren Arrington has alerted ecologists to the potential for these fish to migrate upstream in rivers where they would pose a threat to the ecosystem. The invasive species, which can be found along the Florida coast, has only been studied in saline, ocean-like conditions.…

It’s Time to Destroy Corporate Personhood

The United States is one of only a few countries in the world that recognizes corporations as persons. It’s a so-called “legal fiction” that’s meant to uphold the rights of groups and to smooth business processes. But it’s a dangerous concept that’s gone too far — and could endanger social freedoms in the future. Illustration…

Geologists finally understand how sandstone arches get their shape. By studying cubes of sand, researchers showed that areas squeezed by vertical stress are strengthened and protected from erosion. This means that it’s gravity — and not erosion — that gives rise to elegant sandstone arches, pillars, and alcoves. Image: Doug Meek/Shutterstock.

New ‘Quantum Bounce’ Theory Explains How Black Holes Become White

Some cosmologists speculate that black holes end their lives by transforming into their exact opposite — so-called ‘white holes‘ that pour all the material they gobbled up back into space. A new theory based on quantum gravity could explain how this is possible. https://gizmodo.com/what-are-white-holes-5545135 Black holes form when a dying star collapses under its own…

Could This Lunar Cave Provide Shelter for a Future Moon Colony?

What you’re looking at here is not an impact crater. It’s a large hole on the Moon’s surface that formed when the ground above a lava tube collapsed. NASA believes these pits widen underground and contain tunnels — which would be very handy for the first wave of lunar colonists. https://gizmodo.com/behold-the-incredible-places-where-well-build-cities-in-884807373 Since 2009, NASA’s Lunar…

Should We Deliberately Edit The Genes Of Wild Animals?

A powerful new technique called a “gene drive” is opening up incredible possibilities for the control and manipulation of wildlife. Leading researchers say we need to have a debate now about whether we should be shaping the genetics of whole populations of wild animals. A number of technologies have come together in recent years that…

Bioethicists Defend Facebook’s Controversial Mood Study

Saying it could have “a chilling effect on valuable research,” over 30 ethicists have put their signatures on a column claiming that Facebook’s clandestine and manipulative mood study was not inappropriate. As you’ll recall, the Cornell University study made adjustments to the Facebook algorithm that determines what content appears in a user’s timeline. The experiment…

Genetic analysis shows that Ötzi the Iceman suffered from periodontitis. The discovery of non-human DNA in samples taken from the 5,300 year old mummy’s hipbone revealed the presence of a bacterium responsible for the gum disease. We can now add this to his many other ailments, including lactose intolerance and an intestinal parasite.

Dozens Of AIDS Researchers Killed In Malaysian Flight MH17 Crash

It’s being reported today that nearly 100 of the 298 people killed in the Malaysia Airlines crash were headed to Australia for a major AIDS conference. Among them was Joep Lange, a leading researcher and the former International AIDS Society president. It’s going to very somber at this year’s International AIDS Conference which is scheduled…

This Creepy Invasive Plant Is Wreaking Havoc In North America

The Giant hogweed, a long-stemmed plant originally from Central Asia, is currently spreading like wildfire around certain parts of the United States and Canada. Not only is it drowning out the local flora, it’s also a noxious weed that, when touched, can cause blisters, long-lasting scars — and even blindness. Southern Ontario is being hit…

The Rosetta Spacecraft Is Headed for This Giant, Whirling Rubber Ducky

Well this is…unexpected. You know that comet the Rosetta spacecraft is headed towards? Turns out it’s a two-fold comet — one that looks like a two-mile-wide rubber ducky tumbling through the depths of space. Landing the probe on this thing is going to be difficult, to say the least. Images sent back by OSIRIS, the…