Why we shouldn't fill our minds with endless tales of dystopia
10 May 2023
Unrealistic fantasies of the apocalypse are everywhere, but focusing on a potentially disastrous future stops us from making solid plans, says Annalee Newitz
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Premium
How a campaign to keep fossil fuels underground is gaining traction
3 May 2023
A radical new proposal wants the world to sign up to a deal to halt development of new oil, gas and coal fields. It is already backed by thousands of scientists and more than 70 city governments, says Graham Lawton
How can we prove the world is really quantum mechanical?
26 April 2023
A 2021 paper has got physicists discussing whether our inability to use classical physics to describe reality on a quantum scale is a human failing - and what proof is necessary to show that the world really is quantum mechanical, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
What is so special about orchids and why are there so many?
19 April 2023
Orchids seem unique in how they inspire such a devoted following, but why are these much-loved plants so diverse and widespread, wonders Penny Sarchet
How I found a new home online at Mastodon, after giving up on Twitter
12 April 2023
More like a village than a city, Mastodon has less cruelty and bad-faith debates than Twitter, in my experience Could it be a social media platform to trust, asks Annalee Newitz
Europe's first Wild River National Park is great, except for one thing
5 April 2023
The new status of Albania's river Vjosa is a major conservation milestone. But plans to open an airport on the river's delta next year soured the celebrations, says Graham Lawton
Why space scientists need science fiction
29 March 2023
Carl Sagan's novel Contact, in which Ellie Arroway searches for alien intelligence, has been an inspiration and a guide, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Why we need to be wary of anthropomorphising chatbots
22 March 2023
For all their unsettling emergent abilities, chatbots are still just next-word predictors. We need to remember this and avoid seeing human attributes where they don't exist, warns Alex Wilkins
Is the chatbotpocalypse looming? Some people would like us to think so
15 March 2023
AI entrepreneurs like to claim products such as chatbots could become conscious at any minute, causing an 'existential threat'. We need to resist this dystopian marketing hype, says Annalee Newitz
Why uncertainty is part of science - especially quantum mechanics
1 March 2023
Quantum mechanics had a disordered beginning in the 1920s, and is still developing today. Science is rarely a done deal, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
