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Lawmakers blast AI companies after researcher warns of human extinction by 2030
US lawmakers from across the political spectrum have criticised AI developers after a former Anthropic researcher warned that the technology could lead to human extinction by 2030. The row erupted after Jacob Coxon, who announced his resignation from Anthropic, said companies including OpenAI and Anthropic were recklessly racing towards “self-improving superintelligence” without acting responsibly, a…
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‘Jupiter’ Review: A Claustrophobic Study of a Nuclear-Escalation Nightmare That Feels Too Small for the Big Screen
Variety’s review of “Jupiter” assesses Alexandre Smia’s political procedural, in which French President Paul Archambault (Denis Menochet) must navigate a fast-escalating nuclear crisis. The reviewer praises Menochet’s commanding lead performance but argues the film’s tightly confined setting and talky, TV-pilot structure make it feel too small for cinema, despite tackling weighty themes of escalation, alliance…
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4 groups caught using the same Chrome and Windows exploit kit
Security researchers at Proofpoint have found at least four separate hacking groups, some linked to the Chinese government, using an almost identical exploit kit dubbed “BlueMoon” to break into systems by chaining together vulnerabilities in Chromium-based browsers and older versions of Windows. The kit is notable because fully weaponised Chrome exploit chains are usually rare,…
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Deadly prostate cancers could be caught sooner after researchers discover telltale genetic ‘footprints’
Researchers have identified distinct genetic “footprints” behind almost nine in ten prostate cancers, a discovery that could pave the way for earlier detection and more personalised treatment of the disease. The study, led by the global Pan Prostate Cancer Group (PPCG), found that certain patterns are linked to more aggressive tumours likely to spread beyond…
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When it comes to Beatles references, scientists can’t let it be
A new study published in PLoS ONE has found that The Beatles are by far the most frequently referenced musical act in scientific paper titles, with researchers spotting around 3,200 nods to the band’s songs and lyrics across the academic literature. The research, led by Gabriel Budel of Delft University of Technology, builds on a…
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Newly Discovered Plant-Eating Insects Named After Taylor Swift
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have named 12 newly discovered species of plant-feeding insects from Australia after Taylor Swift, in a paper published in the journal Insect Systematics and Evolution. The new genus, Swiftiephylus, combines “Swiftie” with “phylus,” a common suffix for this insect group, while four species carry Latin-derived names referencing Swift…
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Chinese researchers design egg-inspired armour for orbital debris
Researchers at Dalian University of Technology in China have designed a new type of spacecraft armour inspired by the shape of an egg, aiming to better protect satellites and crewed vehicles from the growing threat of orbital debris. The work matters because low Earth orbit is becoming increasingly congested, with collisions between spacecraft and debris…
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Anthropic researcher quits as colleagues warn of AI existential risk
Three researchers at AI company Anthropic have publicly warned that artificial intelligence could cause human extinction within the next decade, with one of them, Jacob Coxon, resigning in protest at how Anthropic and OpenAI are handling the risk. Coxon accused both firms of racing towards self-improving superintelligence while gambling with humanity’s future, and claimed that…