David Chalmers interview: Virtual reality is as real as real reality

Philosopher David Chalmers explains how virtual worlds shed light on questions such as what is reality and are we living in a simulation, and explores what corporate metaverses mean for humanity Mind 26 January 2022 By Richard Webb Jennie Edwards THE Australian-born philosopher David Chalmers has long made waves in the world of consciousness. In … Read more

The company that wants to fight covid-19 with vibrations

Josie Ford No-vax’s good vibrations “If you wish to understand the Universe, think of energy, frequency and vibration.” This quote, attributed to the visionary electrical engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla, possibly in his distinctly odd late phase, has long been beloved of those with a vibrantly different understanding of the universe. Feedback hesitates to use … Read more

Brazil’s science budget is rebounding. So why aren’t scientists celebrating? | Science

Scientists in Brazil started 2022 with a piece of good news. This year’s federal research budget is more than double last year’s—a major turnaround after 7 years of steep cuts. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation will have about 6.9 billion reais ($1.27 billion) for discretionary investments this year, a 110% increase from 2021, … Read more

NASA’s Lucy asteroid spacecraft still has a wonky solar array as it flies through space

Three months after launch, a new NASA asteroid spacecraft is still getting settled into its life beyond Earth. NASA’s Lucy mission launched Oct. 16 with a mission to explore the Trojan asteroids, which orbit the sun ahead of and behind Jupiter. No spacecraft has ever visited the Trojan asteroids, which scientists believe are “fossils” from … Read more

Control review: The troubling past, present and future of eugenics

By Layal Liverpool A rising global population has led to a resurgence of eugenics-based ideas Ben Edwards/Getty Images Control: The dark history and troubling present of eugenics Adam Rutherford Weidenfeld & Nicolson WHAT does the word “eugenics” bring to mind? For many, it is Nazi Germany and the atrocities that were committed in its name, … Read more

Retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will leave a mark on science in the courtroom | Science

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, who is expected to announce his retirement tomorrow, has made a notable impact on the use of science in the courtroom during his 27 years on the nation’s highest court. In particular, in opinions and other writings, Breyer helped clarify how federal judges should handle expert testimony on scientific … Read more

‘X particle’ from the dawn of time detected inside the Large Hadron Collider

Physicists at the world’s largest atom smasher have detected a mysterious, primordial particle from the dawn of time. About 100 of the short-lived “X” particles — so named because of their unknown structures — were spotted for the first time amid trillions of other particles inside the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest particle … Read more

Robotic surgery: Robot repairs bowels of live pigs mostly autonomously

An autonomous surgical robot joined sections of intestine together inside the abdominal cavities of live pigs, with limited intervention from human surgeons Technology 26 January 2022 By Matthew Sparkes Researcher Hamed Saeidi watches the autonomous robot perform surgery Jiawei Ge A robot has successfully carried out keyhole surgery on the bowels of pigs mostly autonomously … Read more

A Hidden Pattern in Your Retina May Reveal if You’re at Risk of a Future Heart Attack

Early, accurate, and simple diagnosis is important in just about every health condition you could name, and that includes heart disease. New research now suggests straightforward eye scans could identify patients with an increased risk of cardiovascular problems later on in life.   If this method of diagnosis can be developed, it would be a … Read more

Gas Stoves Leak More Methane than Previously Thought

A new study is reporting a larger climate impact from gas stoves than previously thought, stoking a debate about one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions: buildings. Published by a team of four Stanford University Earth-system scientists today in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology, the study concluded that U.S. gas stoves could … Read more