Monkey business for the geek in you!
Romance fraud is not limited to online interactions but can also occur in person, as demonstrated by Australian writer Stephanie Wood’s experience. The new television series Fake, based on Wood’s memoir, sheds light on the lies and betrayals of an intimate relationship, providing a glimpse into the world of romance fraud. Offenders use the guise…
In the summer of 1956, a group of young men gathered at a college campus in New England, USA. This gathering, known as the Dartmouth Conference, would become the birthplace of artificial intelligence (AI) as we know it today. The conference brought together some of the brightest minds in computer science, mathematics, and cognitive psychology…
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were scheduled to go to the International Space Station (ISS) for a ten-day mission using the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. However, due to reliability issues, the spacecraft did not meet NASA’s standards for crewed flight. After two months of testing, NASA has decided that Starliner will return to Earth…
Pavel Durov, the founder of messaging platform Telegram, was arrested in France upon his arrival on a private jet last Saturday. He is accused of facilitating crimes committed on the platform. A French judge has extended his detention period, allowing police to detain him for up to 96 hours. Telegram has denied the allegations, stating…
The dangers of “forever chemicals” will be investigated by the Australian parliament in a national inquiry. This decision comes after concerns were raised about the presence of these substances in Sydney’s drinking water. Independent senator Lidia Thorpe compared these chemicals to asbestos, stating that they are more widespread and less understood. Forever chemicals, also known…
Legal language, also known as “legalese,” is notoriously difficult to comprehend. It contains complex linguistic structures and unusual word choices that make it more challenging to understand than other styles of writing, such as non-fiction, news media, and even complex academic texts. The convoluted structure of many legal sentences makes it tough to understand and…
Australian breaker Rachael “Raygun” Gunn faced a wave of online trolling during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Social media platforms were flooded with viral videos, memes, and derogatory comments mocking Gunn’s unconventional style, leading to racist, sexist, and body-shaming attacks. Even after the event, anonymous critics continued to target Gunn’s appearance, talent, and identity. This incident…
The Australian Information Commissioner’s office recently announced that it will not be taking any further action against controversial facial recognition company Clearview AI. This decision has raised questions about the protection of privacy in the era of big tech and the need for stronger regulations. Clearview AI has faced scrutiny for scraping millions of photographs…
The San Francisco City Attorney’s office recently filed a groundbreaking lawsuit against 16 “nudify” websites, accusing them of violating US laws related to non-consensual intimate images and child abuse material. “Nudify” sites and apps are user-friendly platforms that allow anyone to upload a photo of a real person and generate a realistic image of what…
New simulations have provided the most detailed understanding to date of the process of tidal disruption events, in which giant black holes in the centers of galaxies consume nearby stars. Tidal disruption events occur when a star is torn apart and spaghettified as it plunges towards the black hole. Previous theories predicted that the debris…
Artificial intelligence (AI) experts are predicting the end of the generative AI hype and warning of a potential “model collapse.” But how likely are these predictions, and what exactly is model collapse? First discussed in 2023 and gaining popularity recently, “model collapse” refers to a hypothetical scenario where future AI systems become progressively less intelligent…
Meta, the owner of CrowdTangle, a digital tool used to track and combat viral falsehoods online, has shut down the tool and replaced it with its new Content Library. Meta claims that the new tool will serve the same purpose and be more user-friendly. However, long-time users of CrowdTangle, including researchers and journalists, are skeptical…
The concept of a supermoon may seem exciting, but it is actually a rather insignificant occurrence. The distance between the Moon and Earth varies as the Moon orbits around us, ranging from 357,000 to 407,000 kilometers. When the Moon and the Sun are nearly opposite each other from our perspective on Earth, we witness a…
In the popular myth, lemmings are said to run off cliffs to their doom. However, this is not true. Nevertheless, many real-world systems experience critical points and abrupt disasters, such as stock market crashes and power grid failures. Critical points can be values of certain system parameters that mark the transition to instability. A new…
The space sector in New Zealand has experienced significant growth since its first rocket launch in 2017. It currently generates around NZ$1.7 billion in revenue, with plans to reach $10 billion by 2030. New Zealand has become a popular destination for rocket launches, hosting seven last year, all conducted by the local company Rocket Lab….
Governments worldwide are facing the challenge of effectively managing artificial intelligence (AI). While AI has the potential to boost economies and simplify tasks, it also presents risks such as AI-enabled crime, misinformation, increased surveillance, and discrimination. The European Union has taken a leading role in addressing these risks with the implementation of the Artificial Intelligence…
Australia’s government services minister, Bill Shorten, has announced the development of a new digital identity and credential system called the Trust Exchange (TEx). Shorten described the system as “world leading” and a significant step forward for Australia’s digital infrastructure. However, details about the system are limited, and Shorten acknowledged that it is still an abstract…
Skilled seafarers from Asia made significant migrations to the Pacific Islands in the distant past, shaping the distribution of Homo sapiens across the globe. These mariners are the ancestors of present-day inhabitants of the region, from West Papua to Aotearoa New Zealand. However, the exact details of these maritime dispersals have remained unclear for archaeologists….
Humans have been able to see the Milky Way galaxy for over 100,000 years, but now nearly 3 billion people are unable to see it due to light pollution. This issue has arisen in recent times, as a century ago even the largest cities still had dark enough skies to see the Milky Way. Light…
Why do people yawn when they see others yawn? Yawning is an automatic response where you open your mouth, take a deep breath, and breathe in air without consciously thinking about it. People yawn for various reasons, such as being tired, bored, or waking up. Interestingly, animals also yawn! You may have noticed that after…