Science & Technology

A collection of 475 posts

US Senate Hearings Seek Solutions to AI Dangers

Congress is this week holding three hearings on the regulation of artificial intelligence, with top industry executives and experts set to attend....

Science & Technology

Google Antitrust Trial Begins

The landmark antitrust trial against Google opened Tuesday in Washington, DC — the largest US antitrust trial in decades....

Science & Technology

Whistleblower Claims CIA Bribed COVID Team to Reject Lab-Leak Theory

An anonymous senior-level CIA whistleblower, who testified Tuesday before the US House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic and Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, has claimed that the agency bribed analysts to cover up their findings that COVID originated in a lab in Wuhan, Ch...

Social issues

Antitrust Lawsuit Against Google to Begin

As the US Justice Dept. (DOJ) is set to bring its antitrust lawsuit against Google on Tuesday, rivals of the tech giant — such as search engine DuckDuckGo — will be watching as the US government argues that Google uses unfair tactics to dominate internet searches. The case will be held before...

Money

Apple Will Switch to USB-C Charging

Apple is expected to comply with a European Union law that requires the company to shift its iPhone charging port from Lightning to USB-C, despite the company’s objections to the change.

World

Japan Launches 'Moon Sniper' Lunar Mission

On Thursday, Japan launched a lunar exploration spacecraft in hopes of becoming the fifth country in the world to land on the moon....

Japan

Apple Shares Slide After China's iPhone Ban

Apple shares have fallen by over 6% since Wednesday following reports that the PRC has prohibited government employees from using iPhones....

United States

New Zealand to Produce Lab-Grown Fruit

Amid a changing climate that could cause food insecurity, scientists at New Zealand's Plant and Food Research are attempting to grow fruit tissues inside a lab....

Science & Technology

Musk Under Fire for Stifling Ukrainian Attack on Crimea

Elon Musk — the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and owner of the X social media platform previously known as Twitter — has this week come under fire for stifling a Ukrainian attack on Russia's Black Sea fleet in the peninsula of Crimea....

Metaculus

Scientists Grow Embryo Model Without Sperm or Egg

Israeli scientists at the Weizmann Institute say they've used stem cells to make an "embryo model" that mimics a 14-day-old embryo without using sperm, an egg, or a womb.

Health

US Investing $22M in Surveillance Clothing

According to a report published by The Intercept — which sites an Aug. 22 press release from the US office of the Director of National Intelligence’s Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the agency's research and development arm — the federal government is investing $22...

Social issues

US to Probe Chips Used in Huawei's New Smartphone

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that the US is trying to obtain details about the computer chip powering Huawei's newly-released Mate 60 Pro smartphone, which has been touted as a PRC chip breakthrough despite US restrictions....

Science & Technology

Web Summit Founder: PRC Could Dominate Tech Sector

Paddy Cosgrave, the founder of the Web Summit, said the West has lost its lead on tech and innovation after being in the top position for half a century. He predicts that China will dominate the world of technology in the coming decade.

China

Pentagon Launches Website for Declassified UFO Data

The US Defense Department announced Thursday that its designated office for addressing unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), the All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), launched a new website for declassified information about UFOs.

United States

China’s Baidu Rolls Out AI "ERNIE Bot"

The Chinese search giant Baidu rolled out its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot "ERNIE bot" on Thursday. The release is a major development for China's technology sector as AI booms within the tech sector.

China

Meta Modifies Its 'Dangerous Organizations' Moderation Policy

According to a report published by The Intercept on Wednesday, social media giant Meta has admitted that its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals (DOI) moderation policy was too strict, stating it would loosen its ban on controversial topics.

Social issues

Google Tests Watermarks to Identify AI Images

Google's DeepMind is testing out its new artificial intelligence (AI) technology, dubbed SynthID, which it says will be able to label images that have been generated by AI. The labels, however, will be invisible to the human eye to not ruin the picture.

Social issues

Study: Mozart May Be a Painkiller for Newborns

According to a study published in Pediatric Research, playing a Mozart lullaby may help reduce pain in infants receiving routine heel prick blood tests.

United States

Meta Deletes Over 7.7K Accounts Linked to PRC Influence Campaign

Facebook's parent company Meta announced Tuesday that it had removed 7,704 Facebook accounts, 954 Facebook pages, 15 Facebook groups, and 15 Instagram accounts linked to a Chinese influence campaign targeting the US, Taiwan, the UK, and other countries.

Politics

Study: Air Pollution is the Greatest External Threat to Global Health

According to a study published by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago on Tuesday, air pollution is the world's greatest external risk to human health.

United States

SpaceX Sued Over Hiring Discrimination Against Refugees

In a lawsuit filed Thursday, the US Justice Department (DOJ) accused Elon Musk's SpaceX of violating federal law by refusing to hire foreign nationals who were granted work permits as refugees or asylum seekers.

Social issues

Study: Metabolic Syndrome Increases Risk of Premature Death

A study presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s annual meeting found that overweight individuals with even slightly raised blood pressure, cholesterol, or glucose levels are close to a third more likely to die early.

Health

US Looks to Extend Scientific Research Agreement with China

On Wednesday, the US State Dept. announced its intention to pursue a six-month extension of a longstanding science and technology agreement with China that would allow for negotiations with Beijing to "strengthen" the deal.

Politics

Tech Industry Readies for EU Digital Services Act

Starting Friday, 19 of the largest digital platforms in Europe will face further legal scrutiny following the EU's implementation of the Digital Services Act, which imposes regulations concerning moderation, user privacy, and transparency.

World

Nvidia Sales Surge as AI Boom Lifts Earnings

Nvidia shares rose in after-hours trading on Wednesday after the company surpassed estimates in both earnings and revenue for the second quarter of 2023 ending July 30.

United States