When he returned home from a visit to the Soviet Union in 1981, Cato Institute co-founder Ed Crane wrote a classic essay (Fear and Loathing In the Soviet Union) in which he called into question the views of both left and right about the U.S.’s then-foremost enemy: To those on the left who felt communism… Continue reading Critics of ‘Isolationism’ Cherry-Pick the Worst Arguments For It
Scientists Find Optimal Balance of Data Storage and Time
The team built their hash table in two parts. They had a primary data structure, in which the items are stored without any wasted bits at all, and a secondary data structure, which helps a query request find the item it’s looking for. While the group did not invent the notion of a secondary data… Continue reading Scientists Find Optimal Balance of Data Storage and Time
NASA’s Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Ends Mission on the Red Planet after 3 Years
January 25, 2024 4 min read NASA’s enterprising Mars helicopter and its remarkable 72 flights offered a new vision of planetary exploration By Meghan Bartels NASA’s Perseverance rover checks out Ingenuity on August 2, 2023. After nearly three years soaring through the red skies of Mars, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter is permanently grounded. The agency launched… Continue reading NASA’s Mars Helicopter Ingenuity Ends Mission on the Red Planet after 3 Years
To See Black Holes in Detail, She Uses ‘Echoes’ Like a Bat
And on the flip side, which black holes stand out to you as particularly extreme or particularly weird? I like to study the normal guys, and then I like to crank things up and see where things break. What’s also really fun are the oddball systems that just keep you up at night wondering: How… Continue reading To See Black Holes in Detail, She Uses ‘Echoes’ Like a Bat
How Quickly Do Large Language Models Learn Unexpected Skills?
Two years ago, in a project called the Beyond the Imitation Game benchmark, or BIG-bench, 450 researchers compiled a list of 204 tasks designed to test the capabilities of large language models, which power chatbots like ChatGPT. On most tasks, performance improved predictably and smoothly as the models scaled up — the larger the model,… Continue reading How Quickly Do Large Language Models Learn Unexpected Skills?
How Far Away Is the Horizon?
When most of us go to the beach, we like to play in the sand, frolic in the surf and people watch. I like all those things, too. But I am also a massive science nerd, and that means that despite the distractions, I cannot tear my attention away from the horizon. Oh, that line… Continue reading How Far Away Is the Horizon?
Pet Telepathy (Dogs, Cats, Parrots, Jaytee, N’Kisi, Rupert Sheldrake)
Podcast: Download MYS298: Some pet owners feel a special bond with their pets and at times they even seem to know what their owners are thinking. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli examine whether people really can have a telepathic connection to their pets and look at what the scientific evidence says. Get all new episodes… Continue reading Pet Telepathy (Dogs, Cats, Parrots, Jaytee, N’Kisi, Rupert Sheldrake)
A ‘Lobby’ Where a Molecule Mob Tells Genes What to Do
That’s why well-controlled experiments like those of the Stanford team are so useful, Kuhlman added. Usually, when researchers need to measure weak interactions like these, they have two choices: They can make a few very detailed, extremely precise measurements and generalize from them, or they can take a great many quick-and-dirty measurements and use mathematically… Continue reading A ‘Lobby’ Where a Molecule Mob Tells Genes What to Do
It’s Time to Upend the Modern University
University presidents have been in the limelight in recent months, more than at any other time in living memory. The additional scrutiny is amply warranted. They occupy powerful positions at their respective institutions. They formulate and communicate a vision for the university. They handle budgetary priorities. They approve hiring requests and promotions. They oversee the… Continue reading It’s Time to Upend the Modern University
AI Audio Deepfakes Are Quickly Outpacing Detection
Experts have long warned of a future where artificial intelligence makes it impossible to tell digital fact from fiction. Now that future is here. A recent case of a recording that sounds like a high school principal making racist comments shows the risk that widely available generative AI tools can pose and the difficulty of… Continue reading AI Audio Deepfakes Are Quickly Outpacing Detection