d

Do the 2024 Nobel prizes show that AI is the future of science?

Two of the three science Nobel prizes in 2024 have been won by people working in AI, but does this mean that AI models are now vital for science?




d

Fast forward to the fluffy revolution, when robot pets win our hearts

Our Future Chronicles column explores an imagined history of inventions and developments yet to come. We visit 2032 and meet artificial animals that love their owners, without the carbon footprint of biological pets. Rowan Hooper explains how it happened




d

Millions of websites could be impacted by UK deal on Chagos Islands

The UK government's decision to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius surprisingly threatens the extinction of millions of website addresses ending in ".io", and no one is quite sure what will happen next




d

Teaching computers a new way to count could make numbers more accurate

A new way to store numbers in computers can dynamically prioritise accuracy or range, depending on need, allowing software to quickly switch between very large and small numbers




d

6G phone networks could be 9000 times faster than 5G

Next-generation phone networks could dramatically outperform current ones thanks to a new technique for transmitting multiple streams of data over a wide range of frequencies




d

How 'quantum software developer' became a job that actually exists

While quantum computers are still in their infancy, more and more people are training to become quantum software developers




d

Writing backwards can trick an AI into providing a bomb recipe

AI models have safeguards in place to prevent them creating dangerous or illegal output, but a range of jailbreaks have been found to evade them. Now researchers show that writing backwards can trick AI models into revealing bomb-making instructions.




d

I've been boosting my ego with a sycophant AI and it can't be healthy

Google’s NotebookLM tool is billed as an AI-powered research assistant and can even turn your text history into a jovial fake podcast. But it could also tempt you into narcissism and nostalgia, says Jacob Aron




d

Meta AI tackles maths problems that stumped humans for over a century

A type of mathematical problem that was previously impossible to solve can now be successfully analysed with artificial intelligence




d

Google tool makes AI-generated writing easily detectable

Google DeepMind has been using its AI watermarking method on Gemini chatbot responses for months – and now it’s making the tool available to any AI developer




d

Musical AI harmonises with your voice in a transcendent new exhibition

What happens if AI is trained to write choral music by feeding it a specially created vocal dataset? Moving new exhibition The Call tackles some thorny questions about AI and creativity – and stirs the soul with music




d

DNA has been modified to make it store data 350 times faster

Researchers have managed to encode enormous amounts of information, including images, into DNA at a rate hundreds of times faster than was previously possible




d

Battery-like device made from water and clay could be used on Mars

A new supercapacitor design that uses only water, clay and graphene could source material on Mars and be more sustainable and accessible than traditional batteries




d

Tiny battery made from silk hydrogel can run a mouse pacemaker

A lithium-ion battery made from three droplets of hydrogel is the smallest soft battery of its kind – and it could be used in biocompatible and biodegradable implants




d

AI models fall for the same scams that we do

Large language models can be used to scam humans, but AI is also susceptible to being scammed – and some models are more gullible than others




d

AI helps driverless cars predict how unseen pedestrians may move

A specialised algorithm could help autonomous vehicles track hidden objects, such as a pedestrian, a bicycle or another vehicle concealed behind a parked car




d

Simple fix could make US census more accurate but just as private

The US Census Bureau processes data before publishing it in order to keep personal information private – but a new approach could maintain the same privacy while improving accuracy




d

Are we really ready for genuine communication with animals through AI?

Thanks to artificial intelligence, understanding animals may be closer than we think. But we may not like what they are going to tell us, says RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood




d

Mountaineering astronauts and bad spelling? It's advertising's future

Feedback digs into a baffling ad for a mobile game and identifies a new and devilish way to advertise a product online: make it as confusing as possible to encourage people to click (it worked on Feedback)




d

Spies can eavesdrop on phone calls by sensing vibrations with radar

An off-the-shelf millimetre wave sensor can pick out the tiny vibrations made by a smartphone's speaker, enabling an AI model to transcribe the conversation, even at a distance in a noisy room




d

How a ride in a friendly Waymo saw me fall for robotaxis

I have a confession to make. After taking a handful of autonomous taxi rides, I have gone from a hater to a friend of robot cars in just a few weeks, says Annalee Newitz




d

One in 20 new Wikipedia pages seem to be written with the help of AI

Just under 5 per cent of the Wikipedia pages in English that have been published since ChatGPT's release seem to include AI-written content




d

3D printing with light and sound could let us copy human organs

One day, doctors might be able to 3D print copies of your organs in order to test a variety of drugs, thanks to a new technique that uses light and sound for rapid printing




d

Slick trick separates oil and water with 99.9 per cent purity

Oil and water can be separated efficiently by pumping the mixture through thin channels between two semipermeable membranes




d

AI helps robot dogs navigate the real world

Four-legged robot dogs learned to perform new tricks by practising in a virtual platform that mimics real-world obstacles – a possible shortcut for training robots faster and more accurately




d

The sci-fi films and TV that explore AI in eerily prescient ways

Hollywood has been imagining the impact AI might have on our lives for decades, but how accurate are these portrayals?




d

The real reason VAR infuriates football fans and how to fix it

The controversies surrounding football’s video assistant referee (VAR) system highlight our troubled relationship with uncertainty – and point to potential solutions




d

Audio AIs are trained on data full of bias and offensive language

Seven major datasets used to train audio-generating AI models are three times more likely to use the words "man" or "men" than "woman" or "women", raising fears of bias




d

This robot can build anything you ask for out of blocks

An AI-assisted robot can listen to spoken commands and assemble 3D objects such as chairs and tables out of reusable building blocks




d

Google Street View helps map how 600,000 trees grow down to the limb

AI and Google Street View have created 'digital twins' of living trees in North American cities – part of a huge simulation that could help make urban tree planting and trimming decisions




d

Bali chaos as Tiger row deepens

Tigerair has again cancelled flights in and out of Denpasar, and there is no sign of the dispute being resolved.




d

Pair found after month at sea

A yachtsman who went missing at sea with his six-year-old daughter has revealed details of their ordeal.




d

Deep in space, a flicker of life

Scientists have found a new building block of life deep in the cold darkness of interstellar space.




d

Commissions driving unit sales

We seem to be in the final stage of the apartment bubble, with developers offering huge inventives to Chinese agents.




d

Alba Rohrwacher Unearths the Mystery of My Brilliant Friend

After seven years of voicing Elena Ferrante’s ambitious heroine, the Italian actress brings Lenù Greco home.





d

Vulture Festival to Feature Cristin Milioti and a Brief Escape From This

Treat yourself to a Becky Lynch book signing, games with the Dropout stars, Kevin Smith’s Dogma, and so much more!




d

The Rock Hall Was Cold As Ice to Foreigner

“Somehow, I couldn’t sing a rock song at the Rock Hall of Fame when I’m being inducted? It doesn’t make any sense to me, and it sticks in my craw.”




d

Below Deck Sailing Yacht Recap: To Plate or Not to Plate

Gary is up to his usual schtick with Dani. Will he or the new stews ever learn? (Don’t answer that.)





d

Warn Your Children: Deadpool & Wolverine Is Now on Disney+

Just in time to watch with the whole family over Thanksgiving.




d

When Robots Meet Cute: Maybe Happy Ending

“It might feel like 2064 on the surface, but in its nostalgic, rechargeable heart, the show parties like it’s 1999.”





d

Amazon Prime Video Lets Freevee Go

Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to watch Jury Duty for freevee.




d

What We Do in the Shadows Recap: Like Father, Like Son

Ghost dads are so embarrassing.





d

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez Finale Recap: Absolute Freedom

The finale doesn’t look to provide a definitive answer to what drove Aaron’s actions, much to the show’s credit.





d

Gary Lineker replacement decided as BBC tipped for rogue MOTD appointment



Express Sport writers have decided who should replace Gary Lineker




d

Gary Lineker releases statement as BBC confirm Match of the Day exit



Gary Lineker is the longest-serving Match of the Day host since the BBC first aired the show in 1964.