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'Dune' tried to warn us against AI

Popular Science

Technology Internet Social Media'Dune' tried to warn us against AI'Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.' AI is illegal in the'Dune' universe, but not for the reasons you may think. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Even the biggest fans of know that Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi epic quickly veers into the fantastical. Giant subterranean sandworms measuring 1,500 feet long; a narcotic that fuels interstellar travel and bends a user's perception of space-time; a mystical cabal of eugenicist witches--the list goes on.


Inventor Beulah Louise Henry's unstoppable rise to becoming 'Lady Edison'

Popular Science

With 49 patents and over 100 inventions, Henry built an empire catering to women and children. Beulah Louise Henry invented everything from ice cream makers to radio dolls--despite a world that didn't take her seriously. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Beulah Louise Henry was just nine years old when she came up with her first invention in 1896, a device that allowed a man to tip his hat without ever putting down his newspaper. By her death in 1973, at the age of 85, she'd come up with so many more--a doll with eyes that changed color with the press of a button, a sewing machine without a bobbin (a threaded spool that slowed down work because it had to be frequently refilled), a clock designed to help kids learn to tell time, and others--that the press even dubbed Henry "Lady Edison."


AI pilot program in L.A. County courts will help judges craft rulings in some cases

Los Angeles Times

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. AI pilot program in L.A. County courts will help judges craft rulings in some cases This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . A select panel of L.A. County judges now have access to an artificial intelligence tool that can help them summarize motions and draft rulings in civil court. The tool, Learned Hand, is already in use by judges in 10 states, according to the company's CEO.


Blue crabs have a serious cannibalism problem

Popular Science

But growing up can help these famed Chesapeake crustaceans. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Cannibalism is the number one killer of the crustaceans that congregate in mid-salinity waters like coastal estuaries. As a result, the blue crabs are relying on the safety of some threatened shallow water habitats, according to a study published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (). The lives of blue crabs are anything but boring.


How Doodles Became the Dog du Jour

The New Yorker

Poodle crossbreeds have grown overwhelmingly popular, sparking controversy in dog parks and kennel clubs alike. The features of doodles such as Peaches (above), a goldendoodle, have become the canine equivalent of Instagram face. Meet the Breeds, the American Kennel Club's annual showcase of purebred dogs, took place over two eye-wateringly cold days in early February at the Javits Center, in Manhattan. About a hundred and fifty of the two hundred and five varieties recognized as official breeds by the A.K.C., the long-standing authority in the U.S. dog world, were in attendance for the public to ogle, fondle, and coo "So cute!" to, including the basset fauve de Bretagne, a hunting hound from France that's one of three newly recognized breeds recently allowed into the purebred pantheon. Some of the dogs had competed in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show earlier in the week, and past champions had their ribbons on display. In spite of the frigid weather, pavilions hosting the more popular breeds--the pug, the Doberman pinscher, the Great Dane, the St. Bernard--were packed. Lesser-known varieties, such as the saluki, the Löwchen, and the Lapponian herder, drew sparser crowds. There were exhibition spaces for each breed, and on the back walls were three adjectives supposedly describing that particular type of dog's temperament. There is, in fact, no evidence that temperament is consistent within a breed, but the idea is deeply rooted in dogdom. I stopped to caress the velvety ear leather of a pharaoh hound ("Friendly, Smart, Noble"), a sprinting breed once used to hunt rabbits in Malta; accept kisses from a Portuguese water dog, bred to assist with retrieving tackle ("Affectionate, Adventurous, Athletic"); and have my photograph taken with a Leonberger, a German breed from the town of Leonberg, in southwest Germany ("Friendly, Gentle, Playful"). No one was supposed to be openly selling dogs, but, if you asked, the breeders would share their information. Excluding what are known as companion dogs, like the Leonberger, most of the animals at the show were designed for a purpose that is no longer required of them. In Great Britain, foxhounds are legally barred from chasing foxes. Consider the fate of the otterhound, an ancient variety with a noble heritage which was once used in the U.K. to hunt river otters, which were prized for their thick fur and disliked by wealthy landowners because they ate fish in their stocked ponds.


Marine biologists spot rare blue whales off Massachusetts coast

Popular Science

The team observed the gentle giants two days in a row. Blue whales can be found in every ocean except the Arctic. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. As if soaring above the brilliant blue ocean isn't spectacular enough, the New England Aquarium's aerial survey team recently experienced two back-two-back sightings of blue whales --a little déjà blue, per the aquarium's clever social media post. The first sighting occurred on February 27, when scientists from the Aquarium's Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life spotted a blue whale ().


The world's oldest wild bird has a new grandchick

Popular Science

Environment Animals Wildlife Birds The world's oldest wild bird has a new grandchick Biologists have been tracking Wisdom, the roughly 75-year-old Laysan albatross, since the 1950s. Albatross chicks are getting stronger. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is shining a light on a new member of a famous feathered family--that of the world's oldest known breeding bird, a Laysan albatross called Wisdom. The agency posted a video on social media featuring a scruffy looking hatchling seemingly yawning as it hangs out in the sand in close contact with a giant bird --presumably one of its parents.


Scammers use AI-generated images of lost dogs to target pet owners

Popular Science

A scammer took a real image of a this German shepherd and used AI to make it seem like it was injured. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Increasingly realistic, easy-to-make AI-generated images are a major asset for online scammers looking to trick unsuspecting victims. While past AI-generated scams have tried to deceive people with fake celebrities or potential love interests, attackers increasingly have a new target: distraught pet owners searching for their lost companions . Over the past few months, numerous reports have surfaced following a similar pattern.


Yellowstone's ravens may memorize wolf hunting hotspots--to feast

Popular Science

Yellowstone's ravens may memorize wolf hunting hotspots--to feast The birds will fly over 90 miles to dine where wolves have drawn blood. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. When wolves are on the hunt, a kill rarely goes unnoticed for long. In the elk-and deer-rich areas of northern Yellowstone National Park, ravens are often among the first scavengers to arrive on the scene, swooping down to feast on scraps left behind by the howling canines. Field biologists have long assumed that the birds simply follow wolves as they track and take down their prey.


Civil War shipwreck remains in 'fantastic' shape on ocean floor

Popular Science

Science Archaeology Civil War shipwreck remains in'fantastic' shape on ocean floor The USS Monitor was an ironclad ship nicknamed a'Yankee cheesebox.' A bathymetric view of USS Monitor, looking at the stern of the wreck with the boilers and inner framework of the armor belt captured by Northrop Grumman using μSAS . Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. One of the most famous shipwrecks in United States history has received a glow-up, courtesy of stunningly detailed, underwater 3D scanning technology. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently released highlights from its 2025 survey of the USS Monitor, the iconic prototype ironclad warship that sank during the Civil War .