It's exhilarating to think that, with the help of generative AI, anyone who can write can also write programs. It's not so simple. Michael L. Littman reflects on the indispensable role of humans in defining computing objectives. Read by Mark Deakins.

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Will AI render programming obsolete?

The next time you catch yourself doomscrolling, take it as an invitation to own your horror. Erik Davis reflects on the philosophy surrounding the new age phenomenon, describing it as a dark, addictive habit of consuming distressing news that transforms mundane information into a surreal, captivating horror narrative. Read by Gary Furlong.

An apocalyptic meditation on doomscrolling

The term “hallucination,” which has been widely adopted to describe large language models outputting false information, is misleading. Its application to creativity risks compounding, argues Oliver Brown. Read by Jonathan Booth.

“Hallucinating” AIs sound creative, but let’s not celebrate being wrong

Some human social constructs like gender are viewed erroneously in an evolutionary context. Is it time for our understanding of a person’s self-identity to evolve? Prosanta Chakrabarty argues that we have historically pigeonholed the spectrum of sex into discrete categories that don’t actually fit reality. Read by Karl Miller.

What evolutionary biology can and can't tell us about sex, gender, and sexuality

Could roboplants be the key to life on Mars? Dario Floreano and Nicola Nosengo discuss this new and growing trend in robotics that could help us colonise hostile planetary environments such as on Mars.

The plant-inspired robots that could colonize Mars  

Espionage: A brief history of covert communication methods

Secret communication is at the heart of espionage operations and essential for successful spy work. In this extract from Kristie Macrakis's book "Espionage: A Concise History", discover the ancient communication techniques still employed by agents today.

A brief history of secret communication methods, from invisible ink to tattooed heads

The list of restrictions for expectant and new mothers is endless, but are they all necessary? Jessica Clements and Kari Nixon discuss our hypervigilant, risk-averse culture has made mothers miserable.

The tyranny of science over mothers

Could we be on the cusp of discovering the "ultimate superfood"? Although the "meal in a pill" remains purely in science fiction, Zane Cerpina and Stahl Stenslie bring you the increasingly wild scientific studies behind the food of the future.

Superfoods of the future, from cockroach milk to DNA-personalized meals

From fortuitous circumstances to oversights, architect Paolo Belardi explores the various ways that inspire the extraordinary across the arts and sciences.

How new ideas arise

For as long as humans have existed, we have sought actionable advice. So, where did we get our recommendations from before influencers, Netflix and Tiktok?

Michael Schrage looks back on our remarkable technological past to break down five innovations which have shaped our influencer present.

History's great recommenders: from ancient times to tomorrow

Robots aren't set to take over in all fields... yet. 

Society's changing fast but, for literature, the writing process has remained unchanged for centuries. Cognitive psychologist and poet Keith Holyoak explores whether artificial intelligence could ever achieve the poetic authenticity of a human writer.

Can AI write authentic poetry?

Insight into the evolving field of neurolinguistics, where neuroscience and linguistics meet.

It is known that mathematical systems are helpful for understanding language, but language itself could also be seen as a system for computation. Giosuè Baggio reflects on this idea and argues that language is the "software" being run by the human "hardware" of the brain.

Finding language in the brain

How did American cities transform for modern transport?

To many urban Americans in the 1920s, the car and its driver were tyrants that deprived others of their freedom. Peter Norton explores the origins of the modern road and the fight between pedestrians, street railways and the car salesmen of the early 1900s.

When cities treated cars as dangerous intruders

New research on magical thinking challenges many traditional views of cognition.

The idea that you would believe something that you know to be impossible is only one of our mind's strange and counterintuitive properties. Gustav Kuhn reflects on why magical thinking is deeply ingrained in our daily thoughts and behaviours, and supernatural and scientific beliefs can happily coexist inside our minds.

The powerful role of magical beliefs in our everyday thinking

It's time to embrace the idea of living forever. 

Most people accept that death is a part of life, and a vast majority seem content with a natural lifespan. But for Ingemar Patrick Linden, dying is a gruesome prospect. Here he examines the works of great philosophers, including Plato and Marcus Aurelius, to discuss ideas about human mortality and why a rebellion against death is brewing. 

A philosopher's case against death

In praise of truly interdisciplinary thinking.

Do flesh-coloured prosthetics and 'invisible' hearing aids send out signals that impairment is something to hide? In this reflection on the challenges in designing objects that help disabled people, he reflects on the group's vast and mostly untapped potential for tech-based innovation.

The brilliant objects embodying the meeting of disability and design

Exploring the captivating, almost mythological, relationship between the organic and the inorganic.

Scientists have tried to understand the characteristics that a chemical system must possess to be considered living throughout history. In this excerpt from Laura Tripaldi's book "Parallel Minds: Discovering the Intelligence of Materials", we discover and study the value of such pursuit in a completely different light and why it continues to fascinate alchemists.

On the occult origins of chemistry and the stuff of life

Inputting personal information into a website is like taking a leap of faith. 

The internet was not designed with security in mind. Many breaches are due to attacks on known vulnerabilities in online systems, and a 2019 study showed that 95% could have been prevented. Through social engineering, a lack of resources, and cybersecurity economics, Michael Kende explains how we can reduce data breaches and increase digital trust.

How secure is our data, really?

Whatever the speed at which it appears to flow, time always passes. 

Since even before Homer wrote the Odyssey, humans have witnessed and documented the passing of time. But what does it mean? The way we experience time seems to depend mainly on mood. It feels like it's dragging on if you're bored, and if you're excited, it flies. Philosophy researcher Michael Marder explores this phenomenon as he explains how you can get into a temporal mindset and discover what it means to be a passenger of time.

Philosophy for passengers: reflections on 'passenger time'

How did the genre become so cinematic and thought-provoking?

Gone are the days of the classic shoot 'em-up. Instead, many of the gaming world’s most popular current games are heartfelt and philosophic epics that take their players on emotional journeys of self-discovery and learning. Influential game designer Richard Lemarchand reflects on his path to creating many of the favourite fictional worlds of video games and the importance and joy of playful storytelling in the industry.