As so-called “killer whales” have made news over the past few years for violent boat attacks in European waters, marine biologists have noticed a far sweeter behavior in Iceland’s frigid waves: the adoption of a baby whale from an entirely different species. In interviews with Scientific American, scientists described their shock at observing a pilot whale… Continue reading Benevolent Orca Pods Are Adopting Baby Pilot Whales in an Apparent Effort to Clean Up the Species’ Image
Author: Futurism_Magazine Online News
Something Wild Happens When You Try to Take a Video of a Car’s Sensors
Public service announcement: don’t point your phone camera directly at a lidar sensor. A video recently shared on Reddit demonstrates why. As the camera zooms in on the sensor affixed to the top of a Volvo EX90, a whole galaxy of colorful dots is burned into the image, forming over the exact spot that the… Continue reading Something Wild Happens When You Try to Take a Video of a Car’s Sensors
Engineers Reveal Robot That Takes Care of Old People So You Don’t Have to
The United States is not a great place for old people, to put it lightly. Though the elderly population is at its highest number in history, seniors face a myriad of unprecedented crises in the form of AI-powered insurance claims denial, unwalkable communities, and eldercare abuse. That’s not to mention the prospect of growing old… Continue reading Engineers Reveal Robot That Takes Care of Old People So You Don’t Have to
Elon Musk Is Doing Business With Actual Terrorists, Nonprofit Finds
Who’s paying for a blue checkmark on X-formerly-Twitter these days? According to a new report by the big tech accountability nonprofit Tech Transparency Project (TTP), the answer is: a bunch of terrorists. The TTP investigation found that more than 200 X users including individuals who appear to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis,… Continue reading Elon Musk Is Doing Business With Actual Terrorists, Nonprofit Finds
Startup Claims Its “Superwood” Is Stronger Than Steel
A new startup claims it can mass-produce “Superwood,” a material that’s stronger and lighter than steel, with 90 percent lower carbon emissions compared to the widely used alloy. InventWood, the company behind the material, says its new product “has the capacity to substitute up to 80 percent of steel used globally,” and “reduce greenhouse gas… Continue reading Startup Claims Its “Superwood” Is Stronger Than Steel
World Leaders Shown AI Baby Versions of Themselves at European Summit
No notes. Baby Erdoğan’s Mustache It’s called diplomacy, guys. This year’s European Political Community, an annual forum for European leaders founded in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, kicked off on Friday in Tirana, Albania. Europe’s leaders were greeted with a ten-ish minute presentation that celebrated Europe’s commitment to sovereignty and shared triumphs over evil.… Continue reading World Leaders Shown AI Baby Versions of Themselves at European Summit
Star Wars’ Showcase of AI Special Effects Was a Complete Disaster
If Disney leadership has its way, we’ll all be drooling over endless Star Wars reboots, sequels, and spinoffs until the Sun explodes. And what better way to keep the slop machine humming than using good old generative AI? Unfortunately, as highlighted by 404 Media, we just got a preview of what that might look like.… Continue reading Star Wars’ Showcase of AI Special Effects Was a Complete Disaster
The Hot New AI Tool in Law Enforcement Is a Workaround for Places Where Facial Recognition Is Banned
At the end of 2024, fifteen US states had laws banning some version of facial recognition. Usually, these laws were written on the basis that the technology is a nightmare-level privacy invasion that’s also too shoddy to be relied upon. Now, a new company aims to solve that problem — though maybe not in the… Continue reading The Hot New AI Tool in Law Enforcement Is a Workaround for Places Where Facial Recognition Is Banned
Brazilian “Supercows” Reportedly Close to Achieving World Domination
These are no normal bovines. More Cowbell In southeastern Brazil, bovine beauty pageants help determine the most genetically desirable cows in the world — and these “supercows” are changing the meat farming industry as we know it. As The Economist reports, the drapey-necked “zebu” cows who compete in Brazil’s ExpoZebu gala originally hailed from India,… Continue reading Brazilian “Supercows” Reportedly Close to Achieving World Domination
Amazon’s Delivery Drones Are Crashing, and We Finally Know Why
Amazon, the multi-trillion dollar e-commerce monolith, seemingly cheaped out on on a key feature installed on its six-propeller delivery drones. Predictably, this backfired almost immediately. On a (lightly) rainy December day at the company’s testing range in Oregon, not one but two Prime Air drones suddenly stopped spinning their propellers mid-flight and plummeted some 200… Continue reading Amazon’s Delivery Drones Are Crashing, and We Finally Know Why