Latest Articles
RNA: The Text Message System Between Cells?
RNA is a very old way that cells encode information so cells across the domains of life can read messages encoded by other cells in RNA — for good or ill
Silicon Valley’s Trendy Ethic: Effective Altruism
How effective is it really? Does the underlying utilitarianism leave out some important things?
New Atheism Is Shrinking and It’s Not Entirely Clear Why
Now, there is an eerie unfashionable silence that fashionable media are beginning to notice. For one thing, it is affecting Richard Dawkins
Another Autumn Season of Cinematic Remakes
The state of our culture is set on negativity and reruns. Can we shift direction?
Death by Nitrogen: Cruel or Death with Dignity?
We are told that suicide by nitrogen in the suicide pod is peaceful and dignified.
Does Science Show That the Soul Persists After Death?
Gradually, medical findings about what happens to the mind around the time of death are undermining the assumption that the soul dies with the body
Alien: Romulus (2024) Wait! This Movie is Actually Good?
A new character, Rain, tries to escape the Weyland Corporation mine in which her parents were killed but the xenomorphs have infiltrated the space station the escapees must board
Canada’s Residential Schools: A Saga of Journalistic Wrongdoing
Even as the story is collapsing for lack of evidence, there is a move afoot to criminalize doubt about what happened (denialism).
Medical Journal Pushes Conjoining Euthanasia and Organ Harvesting
Conjoining organ harvesting with euthanasia is now deemed so respectable it is even boosted at the highest levels of the medical establishment
Octopus Organizes Packs of Fish to Help It Hunt
Unlike the fish, the octopus can work with stones where prey fish shelter. The fish get whatever the octopus drops — unless they are cheaters
Is Open AI — and Chatbots in General — the Next Train Wreck?
Gary Marcus notes the string of head office departures and both he and Jeffrey Funk look at the history of hype, hope, and long AI winters
Sam Altman Was on My Favorite Writing Podcast. His View on Storytelling Surprised Me.
When we read, we want to hear from a human about what it means to be human.
Computer ‘Creativity’ Is Simply Digital Plagiarism
One outcome is many lawsuits against generative AI companies whose programs snatch and use copyrighted material
The ‘Suicide Capsule’ Claims Its First Victim
A photographer was present to record the death — meaning to create images for suicide proselytizing
COSM 2024: Learn More About the Tech That Will Replace the Chip
Tech philosopher George Gilder predicted the smartphone in the 1990s. His lineup of scitech greats can tell you what comes next
California: The New “Deepfakes” Ban Violates the First Amendment!
Outrage over the AI-generated imitations of Kamala Harris’s voice distracts from the issues around the state’s power grab over media
Is True Artificial Intelligence Possible? A Science Perspective
Many will conclude that true AI — AI that thinks like humans — must be possible because we hear so much about it from so many sources
The Rings of Power Continues to Disappoint
This isn't Tolkien's world
Carver Mead and the Computer That Couldn’t Possibly Work
Mead, who named Moore’s Law and played a key role in developing the computer chip will be honored at COSM November 1
How Will Media Address Growing Doubts About Darwin?
In the water flea study, the doubts sound as if they are coming from inside the house. One news story sheds light on a reporting strategy
