An extensive series of computer simulations led by astrophysicists at the Flatiron Institute and their collaborators has revealed that magnetic fields are the missing factor behind the creation of black holes whose masses fall within a range once thought impossible. In 2023, astronomers witnessed a dramatic event: two extraordinarily massive black holes collided roughly 7…
Pore-forming proteins are widespread across living organisms. In humans, they are essential for immune defense, while in bacteria they often act as toxins that puncture cell membranes. These microscopic pores allow ions and molecules to move through membranes, controlling molecular traffic within cells. Because of their precision and control, scientists have adapted them as nanopore…
Researchers have traced long-standing myths about the rapid spread of the Black Death across Asia to a single source from the fourteenth century. For centuries, depictions of the plague racing along the Silk Route, devastating cities and towns in its path, have been based on a misunderstanding of a rhyming story rather than a historical…
Laura KuenssbergPresenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg BBC Warning – this story contains distressing content and discussion of suicide Megan Garcia had no idea her teenage son Sewell, a “bright and beautiful boy”, had started spending hours and hours obsessively talking to an online character on the Character.ai app in late spring 2023. “It’s like having…
AI is changing how we learn, and raising important questions about ensuring learning can be a foundation for a better future. Last week, we published a paper on AI and the Future of Learning, and today in London we’re bringing together experts, academics, thinkers, students, educators and more at our Google AI for Learning Forum,…
AFP via Getty Images The Prince of Wales has described how he and the Princess of Wales approached telling their children about difficult moments they have faced over the past two years, such as Catherine and King Charles’ cancer diagnoses. “We choose to communicate a lot more with our children… most of the time, hiding…
Asteroid 2024 YR4 may hit the moon MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Astronomers are running out of time to decide whether to prevent asteroid 2024 YR4 from hitting the moon in 2032. A small observing window with the James Webb Space Telescope will open in February, and new data could see the chance of an impact…
Getty Images Now the clocks have gone back and the evenings are darker, many of us are trudging to work and back in the dark and sometimes our mood is lower as well. We can feel more tired than normal, lack energy or find it difficult to concentrate. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or “winter depression”…
When the history of AI is written, Steven Adler may just end up being its Paul Revere—or at least, one of them—when it comes to safety. Last month Adler, who spent four years in various safety roles at OpenAI, wrote a piece for The New York Times with a rather alarming title: “I Led Product…
Alison HoltSocial affairs editor, The Old Bailey Family handout Alice Figueiredo’s family hoped lessons would be learned following the 22-year-old’s death James MelleyThe Old Bailey A hospital trust has been fined more than £500,000 and a ward manager given a six-month suspended sentence over the death of a 22-year-old woman on a mental health unit….
