Opinion – Why HS2 may be a huge infrastructural failure
The new high-speed railway will connect Manchester, Birmingham, and London as part of government efforts to ‘level-up’ the North. But with numerous contingencies, mounting costs, and environmental damages, HS2 might be the biggest major infrastructure failure in recent memory. HS2 was first proposed by Labour government in 2009. A massive...
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Scientists say the ozone may be fully healed within 50 years
Before climate change dominated headlines globally, our deteriorating ozone was the prime ecological concern. Decades later, scientists now claim a full recovery could be on the cards before the century’s end. There’s belief bubbling that in the foreseeable future we may actually save ourselves… from ourselves. Amid the constant, demoralising talk...
Virtual rapper FN Meka dropped from Capitol Records
FN Meka is an AI rapper that was signed to Capitol Records two weeks ago. After racist lyrics and depictions of police brutality were discovered the bot was quickly dropped. Are computer-generated artists set to become an industry staple? You may remember we wrote about AI voice technology that...
Researchers are using AI to predict criminal activity
AI is reportedly capable of predicting where crimes will take place up to a week ahead of time. The tech’s accuracy is around 90%, but there are concerns about its potential to perpetuate biases. It may sound like something straight from the Bat Cave, but this tech exists for real...
NASA’s planetary defence mission was a success
Testing humanity’s ability to prevent the kind of disaster that wiped out the dinosaurs, NASA intentionally crashed its DART probe into an asteroid. The threat of a devastating asteroid may seem fanciful, but scientists understandably want to prepare for a dinosaur-esque situation. It’s for this reason that, last November, NASA launched...
Kenya introduces coding to school curriculum
Kenya is the first African country to introduce coding as a subject in both primary and secondary schools curricula. The new initiative focuses on redefining education through tech employment. Kenya plans to empower Gen Zers and future generation through tech-focused employment programs. East Africa’s economic powerhouse is already a spot...
Instagram’s new tool allows users to block weight loss ads
The option for Instagram users to customise their targeted ads was introduced in early June, with a ‘body weight control’ category only added this week. Is this enough to stifle the toxic culture that festers within the appearance-obsessed platform? Amidst the rise of body positive values in marketing tactics and amongst the general public, you’d think we’d no longer have to deal with inadvertently being shown weight loss adverts on...
Electric planes may be closer to reality than we thought
Determined to ensure that the world’s emission-free future can take flight, a Swedish start-up is in the midst of putting a battery-powered 30-seat passenger aircraft into service by 2028. Unless you’re a member of the Kardashian family, you’ll be well aware that flying is terrible for the environment. In fact, although it would be unrealistic to assume we may eventually give it up altogether, foregoing this mode of transport – which...
Why are all AI assistants feminised?
Ever wondered why Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant all answer our beck and call in sweet dulcet tones? The female gendering of AI technology is pervasive and largely unquestioned – but does it enforce damaging stereotypes? Rather disconcertingly, AI assistants are now an omnipotent presence in day-to-day life. Whether you use them for weather updates, fun-facts, or quick math equations (guilty), most of us interact with AI on a regular...
Misinformation about psychedelic therapy threatens its future
Ever since hallucinogenic drugs started being reconsidered as a potential treatment for mental illness, hype surrounding their integration into modern medicine has been rife. A new paper argues that this excitement could send us back to square one. For the last two years, I’ve written extensively about hallucinogenic drugs. Namely their widely recognised potential to treat the 1 in 7 people globally who suffer from mental illness. During this time,...
