Elon Musk Elon Musk's Neuralink can 'read' a rat's brainTNW - Ivan MehtaElon Musk‘s ambitious brain-computer interface company, Neuralink, finally told us today what it’s been up to. It’s building a device that’ll let you control computers and phones with your brain. As per
CRISPR CRISPR is less like molecular scissors and more like molecular malwareTNW - The ConversationLast week I read an article about CRISPR, the latest tool scientists are using to edit DNA. It was a great piece – well researched, beautifully written, factually accurate. It covered some of the amazing
Play buttonDeepfakes Here's how algorithms can protect us against deepfakesTNW - The ConversationDeepfake videos are hard for untrained eyes to detect because they can be quite realistic. Whether used as personal weapons of revenge, to manipulate financial markets or to destabilize international videos
NASA We can thank the Apollo moon missions for these widely used technologiesTNW - Henry SungNASA’s Apollo programme was one of the most challenging technological achievements in the 20th century. Beyond the space race and exploration, it contributed to several inventions and innovations that
Singularity The Pentagon's new heartbeat detection laser could save us from our surveillance horrorTNW - Tristan GreeneThe Pentagon last week unveiled a long-range laser device capable of detecting a person’s unique heart-signature. It was designed to thwart terrorism, but could lead to the Holy Grail of civilian surveillance:
GEDmatch A public DNA database led to a murder conviction, but innocent people may pay the priceTNW - Bryan ClarkTo date, public DNA databases have been used to identify more than 40 rape and murder suspects, some from cases dating back a half-century. Yesterday, for the first time, evidence from one such database
Tetris Researchers invent multiplayer Tetris game controlled by brainwavesTNW - Tristan GreeneA team of scientists from the University of Washington and Carnegie Mellon University have developed a method by which three people can play a Tetris-like multiplayer decision-making game together using
Play buttonAristotle Waterfall illusion: the science behind why still objects sometime appear to moveTNW - The ConversationHumans are fascinated by visual illusions, which occur when there is a mismatch between the pattern of light that falls on the retina, and what we perceive. Before books, films, and the internet allowed
Diamonds Scientists teleported quantum data into the flawed heart of a diamondTNW - Tristan GreeneA team of scientists from Yokohama National University recently became the first researchers to teleport a photon into the vacuous space inside of a flaw within a diamond. In other words: physicists just
Peter Thiel Here’s how billionaires are planning their immortalityTNW - ABC FinanceWhile we all know that billionaires control a substantial amount of the world’s wealth – in fact, current projections see the richest 1% controlling 2/3 of it by 2030 – what they use their vast fortunes
Radicalization Neuroscientists scanned radicals' brains to determine what makes them turn violentTNW - The ConversationThe young man sitting in the waiting room of our neuroimaging facility wearing skinny jeans and trainers looked like a typical Spanish 20-year-old of Moroccan origin. Yassine* was bouncy, chatting up research
Singularity The first AI capable of simulating the universe works so well it's scaryTNW - Tristan GreeneA team of researchers recently pioneered the world’s first AI universe simulator. It’s fast; it’s accurate; and its creators are baffled by its ability to understand things about the cosmos that it shouldn’t.
Carbon We can't recycle black plastic, but now we can use its carbon for renewable energyTNW - The ConversationThe big problem with plastics is that though they last for a very long time, most are thrown away after only one use. Since plastics were invented in the 1950s, about 8,300m metric tonnes (Mt) have been
UC Davis Life can theoretically exist in a 2D universeTNW - Tristan GreeneThe wild and wacky world of physics just keeps getting stranger. A UC Davis physicist recently published research demonstrating the possibility for complex lifeforms to exist in a two-dimensional universe.
Clinical Trials Patients' social media use can threaten the reliability of clinical trialsTNW - The ConversationTesting new pharmaceutical treatments is a complicated process. Very often, participants have preferences or hopes, either about what the test should measure or about what the outcome should be. Patients
Bees New syllabuzz: scientists taught bees to understand numbersTNW - The ConversationMost children learn that written numbers represent quantities in pre-school or junior primary school. Now our new study shows that honeybees too can learn to match symbols and numerosities, much like humans
Mosquitoes Malaria won't be solved by feeding mosquitos sugar, researchers concludeTNW - The ConversationThe teasing temptation of a sugary treat can often get the better of us. But don’t worry, we’re not the only ones. The saccharine substance that our sweet tooth finds so hard to resist is also powerfully
Play buttonTeeth Studying naked mole-rats could be the key to breakthroughs in treating pain and cancerTNW - The ConversationThe naked mole-rat is perhaps one of the most bizarre beasts on the planet. At first glance, it looks like little more than a cocktail sausage with legs and teeth. But beneath its wrinkly pink skin, this
Oceans Scientists discovered table salt on Jupiter's moon, EuropaTNW - The ConversationEuropa, a frozen moon around Jupiter, is believed to be one of the most habitable worlds in the solar system. It was first imaged in detail by the Voyager 1 probe in 1979, revealing a surface almost devoid
University of Glasgow How 3D spintronics will take hard drive performance to the next levelTNW - The ConversationSpintronics might not be the sort of word that comes up in everyday discussions, but it has been revolutionising computer technology for years. It’s the branch of physics that involves manipulating the
Particles Scientists discover infinite decay and rebirth in quantum particlesTNW - Tristan GreeneA team of scientists recently determined certain quantum particles can regenerate after they’ve decayed. This has grand implications for the future of humanity, quantum computing, and intergalactic graffiti.
Research How to read a scientific research paperTNW - Tristan GreeneWelcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and other stuff. One of the most important skills any discerning media consumer
Psychosis Breakthrough research demonstrates AI can predict a psychotic breakTNW - Tristan GreeneA trio of researchers have developed an experimental machine learning method that allows AI to listen for the early whispers of psychotic break that humans can’t hear. The team, consisting of Neguine of
NASA research shows alien life is far less likely than previously thoughtTNW - Tristan GreeneScientists just threw a monkey wrench in the search for intelligent extraterrestrial life by redefining what a “habitable planet” is. A team of researchers led by NASA astrobiologist Edward Schwieterman
Stanford's new AI can help doctors spot brain aneurysmsTNW - Ravie LakshmananStanford researchers have developed a new AI tool that can help detect aneurysms, a condition that causes blood vessels in the brain to bulge, potentially causing stroke, brain damage or death. The tool,
Coroner claims woman overdosed on cannabis, scientists call bullshitTNW - Tristan GreeneIn the history of human existence there isn’t a single scrap of peer-reviewed, verified evidence supporting the idea that it’s possible to overdose on cannabis. Yet, somehow, a coroner from Louisiana to
AI model exposes Hollywood's bias against actressesTNW - Tristan GreeneWhile the technology world and the US political institution grapple with how to deal with incumbent gender discrimination, Hollywood’s seemingly gotten a pass on the matter. But a new study out of London
Birds Tracking technology gives new insights into the behavior of migrating birdsTNW - The ConversationThough much is known about where and when birds travel, a lot less is known about the composition of flocks and how long they stay together. Do birds come together in flocks by chance? Do they actively
Qubits Physics breakthrough should solve quantum computing's dead cat problemTNW - Tristan GreeneA team of Yale researchers just blew the lid off one of quantum computing’s biggest problems: the unpredictability of qubits. In what’s being dubbed “a beautiful experiment,” the team discovered how to
