The ghost in the AI machine

The question of machine consciousness is suddenly everywhere, driven by models that are getting better at doing things that look an awful lot like thinking [...]

US to pay TotalEnergies $1 billion to stop developing offshore wind in US

Payment reimburses the company for two leases, one for a massive 3 GW wind farm. [...]

Following 35% growth, solar has passed hydro on US grid

Coal makes a bit of a comeback, if only by accident. [...]

New study maps how AI models think and where their reasoning breaks down

A large analysis of more than 170,000 reasoning traces from open-source reasoning models shows that large language models rely heavily on simple, default strategies when tasks get harder. A new cognit [...]

A Computer Science Professor Invented the Emoticon After a Joke Went Wrong

In 1982, Carnegie Mellon University professor Scott Fahlman suggested using :-) for humorous comments after his colleagues took a joke about mercury seriously. [...]

How Genes Have Harnessed Physics to Grow Living Things

The same pulling force that causes “tears” in a glass of wine also shapes embryos. It’s another example of how genes exploit mechanical forces for growth and development. [...]

The evolution of rationality: How chimps process conflicting evidence

Chimps can take in new evidence, evaluate its strength, and change their minds. [...]

The OnePlus 15 Is One of the Best Mainstream Phones for Gamers

How does a phone with a battery nearly 50% larger than other high-end phones work for gaming? We do the gamer science. [...]

This Lunar Resource Is So Valuable It Could Spark a New Gold Rush

Interlune has a plan to extract Helium-3, a substance worth a reported $20,000,000 per kilogram, from the moon. Here's how. [...]