In the winter of 2016, the Google Nest home automation manager made a software update to its thermostats that caused battery damage . A large number of users were left disconnected, though many were able to change batteries, buy a new thermostat, or wait for Google to fix it. The company indicated that the failure would have been caused by the artificial intelligence […] … learn more→

Last Saturday night, a young woman out on the town in Brisbane saw a dog-shaped robot trotting towards her and did what many of us might have felt an urge to do: she gave it a solid kick in the head. After all, who hasn’t thought about lashing out at “intelligent” technologies that frustrate us as […] … learn more→

It’s been an eventful year for space exploration, with successes including the completion of Nasa’s Artemis 1 mission (finally), the inauguration of the James Webb Space Telescope, and the completion of China’s Tiangong space station. 2023 is set to be another busy year. Here are five of the most exciting missions to watch out for. 1. Jupiter Icy Moons […] … learn more→

If the debate about Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter tells us anything, it’s that people – including those in governments – don’t understand how the World Wide Web works. We know that the algorithms Twitter uses to recommend content can guide people to develop more extreme views, but what is considered extreme has changed since […] … learn more→

The scientific method is rigorous. Claims and premises are supported with evidence. The peer review system is designed to ensure that research is scrutinised by experts before publication. And whenever researchers lack certainty, they’ll emphasise that “further research is necessary” to land on the truth. Unfortunately, fake science websites are learning to appear equally rigorous in order […] … learn more→

The COVID-19 pandemic since the beginning of 2020 has increasingly made scientists have an important role in science communication to explain scientific problems accurately. Their role is getting bigger in dealing with global health issues. However, science communication by scientists often triggers public controversy. In fact, not a few leave information that is not correct ( misleading ) for […] … learn more→

We often come across advertisements for products labeled “with artificial intelligence”. But very rarely, if ever, is the user informed of more details. Who guarantees us that, effectively, this product works based on artificial intelligence (AI)? Who certifies that the answers it offers us are the correct ones? What code of ethics does it obey? Without knowing anything about it, when for […] … learn more→

Atomic clocks combined with precise astronomical measurements have recently revealed that the length of a day on Earth is suddenly getting longer . This phenomenon has critical implications not only for our measurement of time, but also for things like GPS and other technologies that govern our modern lives. In recent decades, the rotation of […] … learn more→

Society is constantly changing, which means there’s always going to be new ways to do things. The innovations of technology have made things that were once considered impossible possible. In fact, not only has technology made life easier in general, it’s also one of the most bustling careers to date. There’s always going to be […] … learn more→

This past June, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a probe into Tesla’s autopilot software. Data gathered from 16 crashes raised concerns over the possibility that Tesla’s AI may be programmed to quit when a crash is imminent. This way, the car’s driver, not the manufacturer, would be legally liable at the moment of […] … learn more→