Science | The Guardian

Dyes based on the fluorescent proteins are also water-soluble and low-toxicity so could replace solventsScientists have developed a forensic spray using a protein found in jellyfish that shows up fingerprints in just 10 seconds.They say that the dye spray could make forensic investigations quicker and more effective. It is also water-soluble and has low toxicity. Traditional forensic methods either use toxic powders that can harm DNA evidence or petrochemical solvents that are bad for the environment, the sale of which is increasingly restricted. Continue reading...

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsIs it possible to think about nothing? Surely our consciousness is always whirring away. Paul Lambert, SouthamptonSend new questions to nq@theguardian.com. Continue reading...

The state is in the grip of a measles outbreak, yet Joseph Ladapo, the surgeon general, continues to ignore medical science to stop itShortly before Joseph Ladapo was sworn in as Florida's surgeon general in 2022, the New Yorker ran a short column welcoming the vaccine-skeptic doctor to his new role, and highlighting his advocacy for the use of leeches in public health.It was satire of course, a teasing of the Harvard-educated physician for his unorthodox medical views, which include a steadfast belief that life-saving Covid shots are the work of the devil, and that opening a window is the preferred treatment for the inhalation of toxic fumes from gas stoves. Continue reading...

Somehow I had felt a tragic sense of foreboding, but nothing could prepare me for the loss of Raphael when it cameAs a young mother, I was haunted by the terror that one day a child of mine would die. It took root after my first son was born, and by the time I was pregnant with my second, it was unbearable. Superstitiously terrified that if I told anyone, it might come true, I kept it secret. But it was killing me. And then one day I cracked.In another place and time, I might have gone to a village wise-woman, or a priest, or a shaman. Instead, I booked an appointment with a therapist. Continue reading...

At a San Diego laboratory, four women do the painstaking work of preserving cells amid a growing extinction crisisIn a basement laboratory abutting an 1,800-acre wildlife park in San Diego, California, Marlys Houck looks up to see a uniformed man holding a blue insulated lunch bag filled with small pieces of eyes, trachea, feet and feathers.Ah," she says, softly. Here are today's samples." Continue reading...

Despite its trials saving thousands during the pandemic, funding is being stopped for the groundbreaking UK Recovery programmeIt changed the treatment of Covid-19 patients across the globe, saved thousands of lives by pinpointing cheap, effective drugs during the pandemic, and earned Britain widespread praise from international groups of scientists.But now government support for the UK Recovery programme is to end. In a few weeks' time, central financing for the programme will halt. The scheme will only be able to continue thanks to funding from a group of US-based philanthropists. Continue reading...

He said it lightly, but I was unsettled. The trust had curdledJust under a decade ago, I began seeing a therapist who, for reasons that will become clear, I will refer to only as James. I was in my late 20s, living in London and more stably employed than many of my friends, but also sleeping on my sister's sofa and eating rice noodles on her floor following a dismantling breakup. Work became my life while the rest of it quietly fell apart. Whenever something major like this happens to me, which is not often, I usually do one of two things: leave the country or return to therapy.I have been in and out of one kind of treatment or another since I was eight: school counselling, grief counselling, cognitive behaviour therapy, various forms of Freudian and Jungian psychotherapy - roughly in that order. I would almost consider myself a veteran. Not that it always works, of course. Of my six therapists - a coterie of old men, young women, and one who had seemed ageless until he died of old age - most were forgettable, their words, pauses and therapy rooms blurred and confined to memory. But I believe in psychotherapy as both a healing tool and an absolute social imperative. When I run out of money, it is one of the last things to go - somewhere between milk and the hairdresser. Continue reading...

When citizen science in school labs ended up in a particle accelerator, the results advanced our understanding of how crystals form - with a positive impact on the future of medicine, materials science and moreGry Christensen was a 15-year-old year 11 student when she took part in a citizen science" project to understand how the different crystals in mussel shells form. But unlike most school experiments, the samples that she and her 1,000 fellow secondary school pupils prepared were then blasted by scientists in a particle accelerator using X-rays 10bn times brighter than the sun.It was a bit of an eye opener," Christensen says of the study, called Project M, involving students from 110 schools. They prepared different samples of calcium carbonate (the main component of mussel shells) that scientists then examined at the UK's national synchrotron (a type of circular particle accelerator), the Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire. The aim was to help scientists better understand how to form different types of crystal structures from the same chemical. I was more interested in chemistry afterwards," says Christensen, who went on to study agricultural science at Grasten Landbrugsskole in Denmark. The chemistry really helped me to have an insight into the natural world." Continue reading...

Long-term sexual dysfunction is a recognised side-effect for some patients who take these widely prescribed antidepressants, and can leave sufferers devastated. So why is there so little help available?During Melbourne's strict lockdown of 2020, Rosie Tilli, a then 20-year-old nurse living and working in the city, began to experience growing anxiety and depression.Visiting her GP, she was quickly prescribed escitalopram, a commonly used drug from a class known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These medicines attempt to treat depressive symptoms by boosting the levels of the hormone serotonin in the brain and rank among the most widely prescribed drugs. In the first 11 months of 2023 alone, more than 80m prescriptions for antidepressants were issued by the NHS. Continue reading...

Team at Imperial College London say techniques could be used to flag warning signs during surgeryIt is a high-stakes scenario for any surgeon: a 65-year-old male patient with a high BMI and a heart condition is undergoing emergency surgery for a perforated appendix.An internal bleed has been detected, an anaesthetics monitor is malfunctioning and various bleepers are sounding - before an urgent call comes in about an ectopic pregnancy on another ward. Continue reading...

We wanted to bring you this episode from our new series, Black Box. In it, Michael Safi explores seven stories and the thread that ties them together: artificial intelligence. In this prologue, Hannah (not her real name) has met Noah and he has changed her life for the better. So why does she have concerns about him?If you like what you hear, make sure to search and subscribe to Black Box, with new episodes every Monday and Thursday. Continue reading...

Attack on juvenile is thought to be first known time a lone orca has hunted down a great whiteIt is a smash and grab that has stunned scientists: in less than two minutes, a killer whale attacked and consumed a great white shark before swimming off with the victim's liver in its mouth.Experts say the event off the coast of Mossel Bay in South Africa offers new insights into the predatory behaviour of orcas. Continue reading...

Phrixus and Helle are depicted in vibrant colours with exquisite artistry in remarkable discoveryIn a remarkable discovery at the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, archaeologists have unearthed a fresco depicting the Greek mythological siblings Phrixus and Helle.Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii Archaeological Park, described the find as a poignant reflection of history unfolding once more. Continue reading...

My wife, Marion Ecob-Prince, who has died aged 74, was a scientist who spent her career studying the neuromuscular junction, where nerves and muscle fibres meet. Working in laboratories in New York, Newcastle and Glasgow, she developed tissue culture techniques to study the progression of a range of neuromuscular diseases that can cause severe pain, muscle atrophy and numbness.Born in Heanor, in Derbyshire, to Anne (nee Ford), an assistant in a post office, and John Ecob, a delivery driver, Marion attended Spondon Park grammar school in Derby, where she was an excellent fencer, captain of the netball team and head girl. In 1968 she went to Bristol University to study microbiology, and in her fresher year won the British universities ladies fencing championship (foil). Continue reading...

A surge of interest' is helping scientists understand and normalize the change'When Lisa Mosconi started studying the impact of menopause on the brain, she realized two important facts.First, very few brain studies looked at menopause at all. Second, the few that did looked at older women who were well past menopause. Continue reading...

The secrets of highly persuasive people, from a hostage negotiator to a TV producerSome people are just charmers. They can sweet-talk an otherwise immovable doorman, cajole asmall child into picking uptheir toys without protest, and smile their way to a freebie. But being ablagger isn't the preserve of aselect few loudmouths and self-aggrandising entrepreneurs; highly persuasive people walk among us. Iknow, Imarried one.Lost the receipt? No matter; my nice, softly spokenhusband somehow gets the item returned. Acomplimentary upgrade to business class? It has been known. He's particularly astute atgetting let off the hook - having a missed appointment fee waived, say. There was even the incident where he smashed a bus window (an accident, he maintains) and the bus company sent him a letter to apologise. Continue reading...

Taylor Swift is just one of countless victims of deepfake videos. Firms feeding off this abuse should pay for the harm they causeImagine finding that someone has taken a picture of you from the internet and superimposed it on a sexually explicit image available online. Or that a video appears showing you having sex with someone you have never met.Imagine worrying that your children, partner, parents or colleagues might see this and believe it is really you. And that your frantic attempts to take it off social media keep failing, and the fake you" keeps reappearing and multiplying. Imagine realising that these images could remain online for ever and discovering that no laws exist to prosecute the people who created it. Continue reading...

Report says Xiangguo Qiu secretly worked with Wuhan Institute for Virology and posed a threat to Canada's economic security'A leading research scientist at Canada's highest-security laboratory provided confidential scientific information to Chinese institutions, met secretly with officials and posed a realistic and credible threat to Canada's economic security" according to newly released intelligence reports.The dismissal of Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Cheng, has been shrouded in mystery ever since the couple were escorted from Winnipeg's National Microbiology Laboratory in 2019 and formally fired two years later. Continue reading...

Researchers find way to classify prostate cancer that might help identify 15% of men with more aggressive typeThe most common type of prostate cancer has two distinct ways of developing in the body, researchers have found, opening up new possibilities for identifying which patients need treatment.Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, with one in eight diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime. Most prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas - a type of cancer that forms in the glandular tissue that lines certain internal organs. But while the disease can kill, for many patients the risk is low. Continue reading...

The beginning of a new series that explores seven stories and the thread that ties them together: artificial intelligence. In this prologue, Hannah (not her real name) has met Noah and he has changed her life for the better. So why does she have concerns about him? Continue reading...

It's thought that about 15% of us are affected by tinnitus, and despite its potentially debilitating impact on mental health and quality of life, there isn't any cure for the condition. Madeleine Finlay speaks to John, who has used CBT techniques to learn to live well with his tinnitus, and Dr Lucy Handscomb, a tinnitus researcher who is involved in trialling a new app that could hold promise for sufferers. In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393 and Childline on 0800 1111. In the US, call or text Mental Health America at 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and at MensLine on 1300 789 978Find out more about the support available via Tinnitus UK Continue reading...

Changes in orbit of Malligyong-1 suggest Pyongyang is successfully maneuvering the satelliteNorth Korea's first spy satellite is alive", space experts have said, after detecting changes in its orbit that suggested Pyongyang was successfully controlling the spacecraft - although its capabilities remain unknown.After two fiery failures, North Korea successfully launched the Malligyong-1 satellite into orbit in November. Pyongyang's state media claimed it has photographed sensitive military and political sites in South Korea, the US and elsewhere, but has not released any imagery. Independent radio trackers have not detected signals from the satellite. Continue reading...

World's largest review finds direct associations with higher risks of cancer, heart disease and early deathUltra-processed food (UPF) is directly linked to 32 harmful effects to health, including a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health and early death, according to the world's largest review of its kind.The findings from the first comprehensive umbrella review of evidence come amid rapidly rising global consumption of UPF such as cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks, ready meals and fast food. Continue reading...

Roscosmos says specialists are monitoring leak, which poses no danger to crew or stationRussian space officials have acknowledged a continuing air leak from the Russian segment of the International Space Station, but said it poses no danger to its crew.The Roscosmos state corporation said that specialists were monitoring the leak and the crew regularly conducts work to locate and fix possible spots of the leak". Continue reading...

Researchers found that deficits equivalent to six IQ points were detectable a year or more after infectionPeople experiencing long Covid have measurable memory and cognitive deficits equivalent to a difference of about six IQ points, a study suggests.The study, which assessed more than 140,000 people in summer 2022, revealed that Covid-19 may have an impact on cognitive and memory abilities that lasts a year or more after infection. People with unresolved symptoms that had persisted for more than 12 weeks had more significant deficits in performance on tasks involving memory, reasoning and executive function. Scientist said this showed that brain fog" had a quantifiable impact. Continue reading...

Company that made Odysseus, which is carrying Nasa equipment, plan to resurrect lander once sunlight returnsOdysseus, the first US-built spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years, could outperform expectations and still be sending back crucial scientific data weeks beyond its initial planned seven- to 10-day period of operation, mission managers said on Wednesday.The lander, carrying Nasa equipment analyzing the lunar surface, will be put into sleep mode in the coming hours when its solar panels no longer receive sunlight at the beginning of a weeks-long lunar night", they said at an afternoon press conference in Houston. Continue reading...

Researchers in Adelaide are at the forefront of finding new fungal pathogens, which are spreading more because of climate change and can be deadly without effective drugsThe first tray of yellow-lidded specimen jars holds chunks of flesh - lung, perhaps, or muscle - some cerebrospinal fluid and another liquid, possibly from a brain abscess. The second holds a rainbow of colourful fungi, cultivated from those specimens.One growth is green and fluffy, like something you would find in a sharehouse fridge - penicillium, maybe. Another is a dark grey or brown, like animal fur. There are bright white fuzzballs and blackish blobs. One growth leaches red into the medium it sits in. Continue reading...

Paul Edmonds of California is fifth-known person in world confirmed to be in remission from both, says cancer instituteDoctors say a man in California who contracted blood cancer while living with HIV is in remission from both potentially fatal illnesses thanks to a treatment they are hailing as remarkable and encouraging.Paul Edmonds is only the fifth-known person in the world confirmed to be in remission for both acute myelogenous leukemia and HIV, according to a recent news release from City of Hope, the national cancer institute that provided his medical care. Continue reading...

Modern imaging techniques reveal item thought to be well preserved lizard-like fossil is painted carvingGenerations of palaeontologists have marvelled over a 280m-year-old fossilised lizard-like reptile, Tridentinosaurus antiquus, discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931.Thought to be one of the best-preserved specimens of the species, palaeontologists believed there were even traces of carbonised skin on the surface. Now modern imaging techniques have revealed that this treasured fossil is, in fact, a carving covered in black paint. Continue reading...

One of the world's smallest fish, measuring about the width of an adult human fingernail, can make a sound as loud as a gunshot, scientists have found. The male Danionella cerebrum, a fish of about 12mm found in the streams of Myanmar, produces sounds that exceed 140 decibels, according to a study published in the PNAS journal, equivalent to an ambulance siren or a pneumatic drill

Scientists express concern over health impacts, with another study finding particles in arteriesMicroplastics have been found in every human placenta tested in a study, leaving the researchers worried about the potential health impacts on developing foetuses.The scientists analysed 62 placental tissue samples and found the most common plastic detected was polyethylene, which is used to make plastic bags and bottles. A second study revealed microplastics in all 17 human arteries tested and suggested the particles may be linked to clogging of the blood vessels. Continue reading...

Scientists discover how Danionella cerebrum, measuring width of adult human fingernail, can create noises exceeding 140 decibelsOne of the world's smallest fish, measuring about the width of an adult human fingernail, can make a sound as loud as a gunshot, scientists have said.The male Danionella cerebrum, a fish of about 12mm found in the streams of Myanmar, produces sounds that exceed 140 decibels, according to the study published in the PNAS journal, equal to an ambulance siren or jackhammer. Continue reading...

Four-minute video features drag queens, twerking, ballerinas, a classical Indian dancer and a bunch of friends from Canberra

Electric cars might seem like a no-brainer on a warming planet, but there are plenty of people who remain sceptical about everything from their battery life to their carbon impact and the environmental and human rights costs of their parts. Madeleine Finlay consults Auke Hoekstra, known as the internet's EV debunker in chief', to unpick the myths, realities and grey areas surrounding electric carsClips: Joe Rogan, Global RadioRead Jasper Jolly's EV mythbusters series here Continue reading...

Intuitive Machines, private company behind lander, says mission will end after five days rather than the expected seven to 10Flight control engineers expect to lose contact with the private US moon lander Odysseus on Tuesday, cutting short the mission five days after its sideways touchdown, the company behind the spacecraft, Intuitive Machines, said.It remained to be seen how much scientific data might be lost as a result of the shortened life of Odysseus, which, according to previous estimates from the company and its biggest customer, Nasa, would have otherwise operated on the moon for seven to 10 days. Continue reading...

Research compared access to radiotherapy and chemotherapy in Australia, Canada, Norway and UKCancer patients in the UK wait up to seven weeks longer to begin radiotherapy or chemotherapy than people in comparable countries, research has revealed.The stark findings are yet more damning evidence of the extent to which the UK lags behind other nations, as experts warn that people's chances of survival are being affected by long waits for treatment. Continue reading...

Patch on Earth-sized remnant of star covers larger fraction of pole than equivalent of Antarctica on EarthAstronomers have spotted a star with a dark metallic scar" on its surface, thought to be the imprint of a doomed planetary fragment that came too close to its host.The white dwarf star, called WD 0816-310, is a dense, Earth-sized remnant of a star about 63 light years away that would have been similar to our sun in its lifetime. Observations revealed a concentrated patch of metals on its surface, which appear to be the remnants of an ingested chunk of planet or an asteroid. Continue reading...

Dr Clive Boddy says assessment skews towards obvious male traits but female psychopathy is more subtleWhen it comes to a typical psychopath, the suited and booted Patrick Bateman from the novel American Psycho might spring to mind, but, according to one expert, the number of women with the neuropsychiatric disorder could be far greater than previously thought.Psychopaths are generally considered to lack empathy and guilt, exhibit antisocial behaviour, lie frequently and be ruthless, narcissistic and manipulative. Continue reading...

Writer and dementia campaigner who believed that people should have the right to choose their own deathThe writer-activist Wendy Mitchell, who has died aged 68, won hearts and minds by advocating for living positively with dementia. She was determined to remind people that those living with the disease are not sufferers" and that there is a beginning, a middle and an end to the disease - with so much life to be lived in between". She held strong beliefs that people should have the right to choose their own death, and campaigned for assisted dying laws in Britain - one of the subjects of her final book.Wendy wrote three bestsellers, Somebody I Used to Know (2018), What I Wish People Knew About Dementia (2022) and One Last Thing: How to Live with the End in Mind (2023) - I was fortunate enough to be her ghostwriter on all of them. They were translated into dozens of languages, and her advocacy work won her honorary doctorates from Bradford and Hull Universities, and a British Empire Medal last year. Continue reading...

People with aphantasia can't mentally visualize things. Mental imagery is a spectrum, and we lie outside it, in the darkI discovered I had aphantasia by accident. When you live your entire life without a mind's eye", it seems completely normal to visualize nothing when remembering people and places, or imagining the future.Two years ago, I wrote an article about pupillometry, or the measurement of a person's pupils to infer their cognitive state. Joel Pearson, a psychologist and neuroscientist at the University of New South Wales, was trying to use pupils as a biomarker to assess aphantasia, a condition thought to affect about 3.9% of people. Continue reading...

Unmanned Slim spacecraft responds to signal from Earth after touching down at awkward angle in JanuaryJapan's moon lander has responded to a signal from Earth, suggesting it survived the two-week lunar night, the country's space agency has said.The unmanned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim) touched down last month at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way. But as the sun's angle shifted, it powered up for two days and carried out scientific observations of a crater with a hi-spec camera. Continue reading...

As vets turn away from the profession citing poor mental health and high costs, experts say public health is at riskA longstanding shortage of veterinarians in areas across the US has caused crises for some pet owners; contributed to mental health issues among veterinary staff; and could leave the country at risk in terms of food safety and public health, experts have warned.The lack of veterinarians and veterinary professionals has been attributed to the high cost of entry, long hours and the stress of dealing with animal owners in life and death situations. Continue reading...

Exclusive: cytosponge detects precursor to oesophageal cancer, slashing NHS waiting times for endoscopiesA sponge on a string" used to identify a precursor to one of Britain's deadliest cancers is helping to reduce the long delays faced by patients who need a vital diagnostic test.An NHS trial of the innovative cytosponge" has found that almost eight out of 10 people who are assessed using the method do not then need to join the waiting list for an endoscopy. Continue reading...

Blue giant in Virgo constellation pumps out almost 21,000 times the light of the sunOnce again the moon is our guide this week, passing within about 1.5 of Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, the virgin. The full circle of the moon presents an angular diameter of about 0.5, so it will approach Spica to about six lunar widths.The chart shows the view looking south-east from London at 23.00 GMT on 28 February, shortly after the pair have risen. Having passed full moon, the waning moon will now rise later and later, with less and less of its visible surface illuminated. On 28 February, 83% of its Earth-facing hemisphere will be illuminated. By next week, it will be a thin crescent rising in the morning sky before the sun. Continue reading...

The spectre of the mob' has long been summoned to limit freedom. There's just one problem: protests almost never lead to violenceA spectre is haunting Westminster - the spectre of collective violence against MPs. Large crowds chant noisily outside parliament during debates on Palestine; protesters surround Tobias Ellwood's house; Jo Stevens' constituency office is vandalised - and all this against the backdrop of the murders of David Amess and Jo Cox. The parties are united in seeking to exorcise this spectre. It has already led to parliamentary procedure being changed in a way that made a mockery of the debate over violence in Gaza. It has also led to calls for new police powers to curb protests outside parliament. But is collective violence the problem here, and is the introduction of yet more curbs on protest the answer?Certainly, acts of vandalism and of violence against MPs cast a chill over our democracy and have no justification. But over the past months, a few individual acts have become conflated with the collective protests - and in turn, protest has been equated with violence, or the threat of it.Stephen Reicher is a professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews and a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the British AcademyDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsIs it possible to think about nothing? Surely our consciousness is always whirring away. Paul Lambert, SouthamptonPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday. Continue reading...

Lab-grown meat could become a mainstay in restaurants if products win regulatory approval. Biologists and chefs share menu ideasWhether roasted, grilled, fried or stewed, the combination of fat, umami and texture in a premium cut of meat is difficult to recreate. With sales of plant-based meat stagnating, the hunt for cruelty-free, sustainable and meaty-tasting alternatives continues. Enter lab-grown meat. Fermented in tanks, using cells from long-dead donors, it promises a more climate- and animal-friendly form of meat for the carnivore with a conscience.Last week, researchers announced that they had created beef-cultured rice", which, while not exactly replicating the taste of a pan-fried steak, offers a pleasant and novel flavour experience" that could improve emergency food supplies or provide rations for astronauts and the military. At the opposite end of the spectrum, gourmet restaurants in the US and Singapore are already serving up cultured chicken to adventurous diners, while regulators in Singapore, Switzerland and Israel are considering whether to approve further products. Continue reading...

Studies suggest the BCG jab discovered a century ago could provide a cheap and effective way of boosting the immune system to protect people from developing the conditionScientific discoveries can emerge from the strangest places. In early 1900s France, the doctor Albert Calmette and the veterinarian Camille Guerin aimed to discover how bovine tuberculosis was transmitted. To do so, they first had to find a way of cultivating the bacteria. Sliced potatoes - cooked with ox bile and glycerine - proved to be the perfect medium.As the bacteria grew, however, Calmette and Guerin were surprised to find that each generation lost some of its virulence. Animals infected with the microbe (grown through many generations of their culture) no longer became sick but were protected from wild TB. In 1921, the pair tested this potential vaccine on their first human patient - a baby whose mother had just died of the disease. It worked, and the result was the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine that has saved millions of lives. Continue reading...

Some projects to save species just don't work. Now, a Cambridge University team is amassing hard scientific evidence of best practiceIt seemed like a good idea at the time: build metal bridges over busy roads and bats would confuse them with trees, it was argued. They would then try to soar over the pylons and, having been tricked into flying higher than normal, would avoid being struck by lorries and buses travelling on the road below. A widespread wildlife problem for the UK would be solved at a stroke.It was a persuasive vision, and to realise it, a total of 2m was spent on building 15 bat bridges across Britain, from Cumbria to Cornwall. However, there was one problem," said Professor William Sutherland of the Conservation Science Group at Cambridge University. The bridges didn't work." Continue reading...

The footage put together by Sora looks swish, but closer examination reveals its doesn't understand physical realityFirst text, then images, now OpenAI has a model for generating videos," screamed Mashable the other day. The makers of ChatGPT and Dall-E had just announced Sora, a text-to-video diffusion model. Cue excited commentary all over the web about what will doubtless become known as T2V, covering the usual spectrum - from Does this mark the end of [insert threatened activity here]?" to meh" and everything in between.Sora (the name is Japanese for sky") is not the first T2V tool, but it looks more sophisticated than earlier efforts like Meta's Make-a-Video AI. It can turn a brief text description into a detailed, high-definition film clip up to a minute long. For example, the prompt A cat waking up its sleeping owner, demanding breakfast. The owner tries to ignore the cat, but the cat tries new tactics, and finally, the owner pulls out his secret stash of treats from underneath the pillow to hold off the cat a little longer," produces a slick video clip that would go viral on any social network. Continue reading...