Humans

As generative AI (and access to AI tools) continues to grow, expect to see more things like the tumult over “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead.” Released on (then pulled from) YouTube, it’s framed as an hour of new “material” by the comedian, who died in 2008. Of course, it's not that. It isn't based on old notes or lost routines, either, like recent releases from the Beatles, and George Carlin’s estate has filed a lawsuit against the makers.Initial reports from NPR said the AI was trained on thousands of hours of Carlin…

Sperm whales live in structured clans similar to early humans, according to new research. Hal Whitehead, the sole author of the study and a professor at Dalhousie University, said the clan systems are matrilineal and average roughly 20,000 females per clan.The discovery will help understand the marine mammals' cultural system and non-vocal behaviour, he said."We often, as biologists, try to make sense of what we see by comparing species. And as we looked for parallels with the clans, the closest thing we could find was…

Groundwater is an essential but underappreciated resource worldwide. Credit: World Bank, CC BY-ND If you stand at practically any point on Earth, there is water moving through the ground beneath your feet. Groundwater provides about half of the world's population with drinking water and nearly half of all water used to irrigate crops. It sustains rivers, lakes and wetlands during droughts. …

January 26, 20243 min readAncient DNA recovered from Brazilian remains shows that syphilis and other treponemal diseases originated some 10,000 years earlier than previously thoughtBy Ewen Callaway & Nature magazineThe spiral-shaped bacterium Treponema pallidum (artificially coloured) causes not only venereal syphilis but also the infectious diseases yaws and bejel. Remains of people who lived on the eastern coast of South America nearly 2,000 years ago have yielded the oldest known evidence for the family of…

Princess_Prompt is making a comeback on Bored Panda, and this time, they're bringing the laughs with a hilarious cat series. Get ready to find out what these naughty felines do when their owners are not around!In a recent interview, the digital creator revealed their take on AI, considering it more of a creative tool than an artistic pursuit. "I see AI as a new tool, like photography was at one time and Photoshop was at another. That's why I am training in it, hoping to one day arrive at a point of junction between…

Artificial intelligence can't replace the majority of jobs right now in cost-effective ways, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found in a study that sought to address fears about AI replacing humans in a swath of industries.In one of the first in-depth probes of the viability of AI displacing labor, researchers modeled the cost attractiveness of automating various tasks in the US, concentrating on jobs where computer vision was employed — for instance, teachers and property appraisers. They found only 23% of…

Helen Oyeyemi, 39, was born in Nigeria and raised in London. One of Granta’s best young British novelists in 2013, she’s the author of 10 books, including Mr Fox, Gingerbread and Peaces, which was shortlisted for the Goldsmiths prize for experimental fiction. Her new novel, Parasol Against the Axe – her first to be set in Prague, her home since 2014 – takes place during a weekend hen party involving a book whose text changes every time it’s opened. The Australian critic Beejay Silcox has called Oyeyemi “a bamboozler, a…

A new study suggests a more efficient ocean protection strategy, using a cross-sectoral approach to marine protection areas (MPAs). This method reduces the spatial and economic impact on fishing, shipping, and mining sectors, achieving conservation targets more effectively and aligning with the United Nations High Seas Treaty’s objectives. Credit: The University of QueenslandNew research indicates that protecting the world’s oceans from escalating harm due to human activities might be more cost-effective and require less…

January 17, 20244min readA genetically modified pig liver successfully filtered the blood of a human who had completely lost brain activity and did so for three days. The achievement offers a potential temporary treatment for people with acute liver failureBy Sara Reardon For the first time, researchers have successfully connected a functioning liver from a pig to a human body. In a step toward testing the procedure in living people, a team at the University of Pennsylvania externally connected the liver to the body of a…

An Instagram profile by the name of "Daily Furry Tales", has quickly garnered a large following, touching the hearts of over 19K followers with its charming narratives centered around our cherished pets, or more specifically—dogs.This account has risen to prominence as a cute gathering spot for pet lovers globally, allowing them to see short comics about what its like to live with a dog.An Instagram profile by the name of "Daily Furry Tales", has quickly garnered a large following, touching the hearts of over 19K…