News/Science
Study finds current AI systems lack biological cognition despite impressive capabilities
A new analysis from psychiatrist Ralph Lewis explores whether artificial intelligence systems truly qualify as cognitive and conscious agents, concluding that current AI falls short of biological cognition despite impressive capabilities. The examination reveals fundamental gaps between AI's sophisticated pattern matching and the embodied, survival-oriented cognition that characterizes living systems, raising important questions about the nature of machine intelligence. What you should know: Current AI systems qualify as cognitive only under the broadest definitions, lacking the continuous learning and biological grounding that define animal cognition. Most AI systems learn in two distinct phases—intensive pre-training followed by deployment with frozen parameters—contrasting...
read Oct 2, 2025Microsoft study reveals AI can design toxins that bypass biosecurity screening
Microsoft researchers have discovered that artificial intelligence can design toxins that evade biosecurity screening systems used to prevent the misuse of DNA sequences. The team, led by Microsoft's chief scientist Eric Horvitz, successfully used generative AI to bypass protections designed to stop people from purchasing genetic sequences that could create deadly toxins or pathogens, revealing what they call a "zero day" vulnerability in current biosafety measures. What you should know: Microsoft conducted a "red-teaming" exercise to test whether AI could help bioterrorists manufacture harmful proteins by circumventing existing safeguards. The researchers used several generative protein models, including Microsoft's own EvoDiff,...
read Sep 30, 2025AI creates frontier careers in security, health and science even as it eliminates traditional jobs
The chief executive of Anthropic, Claude's creator, recently warned that artificial intelligence could automate nearly half of today's work tasks within five years. Meanwhile, J.P. Morgan analysts have raised concerns about a potential "jobless recovery" driven by AI's impact on white-collar positions. These predictions paint a sobering picture of widespread job displacement across industries. However, focusing solely on job losses misses a crucial part of the story. While AI eliminates certain roles, it simultaneously creates entirely new categories of work—what could be called "frontier careers" of the AI era. These emerging fields represent areas where AI advancement generates fresh business...
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“Reverse brain drain” sees 85 US scientists leave for China
At least 85 scientists have left US research institutions to join Chinese universities full-time since early 2024, with more than half making the move in 2025 alone. This "reverse brain drain" threatens America's historic dominance in attracting top global talent—a cornerstone of its post-WWII leadership in science and technology—while potentially accelerating China's rise in critical fields like AI, quantum computing, and biotechnology. The big picture: China is capitalizing on US policy changes that create uncertainty for foreign researchers, particularly those with Chinese heritage, while simultaneously ramping up its own recruitment efforts and research investments. Chinese universities view Trump administration policies...
read Sep 25, 20256-year-old Indian prodigy displays prowess in coding, robotics and more
A 6-year-old Indian prodigy named AgniV has captured the internet's attention with his advanced skills in coding, robotics, and quantum physics discussions. The young boy, dubbed "India's smartest kid," has amassed a million social media followers and recently shared his ambitious dreams of becoming an astronaut and F1 racer in a podcast with Ranveer Allahbadia, a popular Indian podcaster. What makes him unique: AgniV demonstrates technical abilities far beyond his age, confidently discussing complex programming concepts and scientific principles. He codes in Scratch (a visual programming language designed for children) and can program Arduino electronic boards to control lights, sensors,...
read Sep 24, 2025Apple’s SimpleFold AI matches AlphaFold performance with 90% less computing power
Apple researchers have developed SimpleFold, a lightweight AI model for protein folding prediction that achieves comparable performance to Google DeepMind's AlphaFold while requiring significantly less computational power. The breakthrough uses flow matching models instead of the complex architectures employed by existing systems, potentially making protein structure prediction more accessible to researchers with limited computing resources. What you should know: SimpleFold represents a fundamental shift in how AI approaches protein folding by prioritizing simplicity over complex engineering. Rather than relying on multiple sequence alignments, pairwise interaction maps, triangular updates or other specialized modules, Apple's model uses flow matching techniques that were...
read Sep 22, 2025Stanford researchers use AI to create viruses that kill bacteria
Scientists from Stanford University and the Arc Institute have successfully created and printed viruses with AI-designed DNA that can target and kill specific bacteria, marking the first time AI has generated functional genome-scale sequences. The breakthrough demonstrates AI's potential for bioengineering applications while raising significant ethical concerns about the technology's potential misuse for creating bioweapons. How it works: Researchers used an AI model called Evo, specifically trained on millions of bacteriophage genomes, to design new virus sequences.• The team chose phiX174, a well-studied virus that infects E. coli bacteria, as their starting point due to its simple structure of around...
read Sep 19, 2025UVA researchers use AI to simulate extreme physics events in seconds
University of Virginia researchers are using artificial intelligence to analyze extreme physics events—from rocket explosions to airbag deployments—that are too rare, dangerous, or fast to study with traditional methods. Led by associate professor Stephen Baek, the research team has developed AI algorithms that can predict these high-stakes phenomena in seconds on a laptop, replacing supercomputer simulations that previously took days to complete. The core challenge: Traditional machine learning excels at finding patterns in large datasets but struggles with rare, extreme events that are statistical outliers yet critical for safety and performance. "If I predict tomorrow will be sunny, I'll be...
read Sep 19, 2025On the run: AI reveals leopards were top predators of early humans 2M years ago
Researchers at Rice University used AI to analyze bite marks on 2-million-year-old fossils of Homo habilis, revealing that leopards were their primary predators. The study challenges assumptions about early human dominance and suggests that despite developing stone tools and eating meat, these early humans hadn't yet reached the top of the food chain. How it works: The research team trained computer vision models to detect patterns in fossil bite marks that are too small for human analysis. Scientists examined fossils showing leopard bite marks embedded in hominin skulls, using AI to identify predator-specific patterns with unprecedented precision. The computer vision...
read Sep 18, 2025AI tool predicts 1,000+ diseases that can afflict one up to 20 years in advance
Scientists have developed Delphi-2M, an AI tool that can predict a person's risk of developing more than 1,000 diseases up to 20 years in advance by analyzing medical records and lifestyle factors. The large language model represents a significant advancement in predictive healthcare, potentially enabling clinicians to identify high-risk patients and implement preventive measures decades before symptoms appear. What you should know: Delphi-2M uses a modified version of the same technology that powers ChatGPT to forecast disease risk across multiple conditions simultaneously. The model analyzes past medical history along with age, sex, body mass index, and health habits like tobacco...
read Sep 17, 2025AI tool identifies 1,000+ predatory journals threatening scientific integrity
Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed an AI tool that can identify predatory scientific journals—fake publications that charge researchers fees but skip the peer review process. The tool successfully identified over 1,000 illegitimate journals out of nearly 15,200 analyzed, addressing a growing threat to scientific integrity that can spread misinformation for decades. The big picture: Predatory journals represent a significant threat to scientific credibility, as demonstrated by the infamous 1998 vaccine-autism study published by British doctor Andrew Wakefield that spread harmful misinformation despite appearing in a reputable journal. How it works: The AI system replicates human analysis...
read Sep 17, 2025Researchers create AI-designed viruses that could take on “cabbage black rot,” among other bads
Stanford University researchers have successfully created functional viruses using AI-designed genomes, marking what they call "the first generative design of complete genomes." The breakthrough demonstrates AI's potential to design biological systems from scratch, opening new possibilities for treatments while raising important biosecurity concerns. How it works: Scientists trained an AI model called Evo on the genomes of about two million bacteriophage viruses to learn genetic patterns. The researchers focused on phiX174, a simple virus with only 11 genes and about 5,000 DNA letters that infects bacteria. They used the same underlying technology as ChatGPT, but instead of training on text,...
read Sep 11, 2025Water in a dust bowl: Tulsa teachers build underwater robots for Navy-aligned STEM program
The Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance hosted professional development training for 20 teachers to launch underwater robotics programs at their schools through the SeaPerch Challenge. The initiative aims to expand access to hands-on STEM education while preparing students for real-world careers in fields like naval operations and engineering. What you should know: The SeaPerch program teaches students to build and operate remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs), developing skills directly applicable to military and civilian careers. Teachers learn comprehensive technical skills including cutting pipe, soldering, and drilling to construct the underwater robots. The program is partnered with the Naval League, which helps...
read Sep 10, 2025Scientists map quantum landscapes that could unlock room-temperature superconductors
Researchers are now mapping the hidden quantum landscape inside materials, a breakthrough that could lead to revolutionary discoveries comparable to the transistor's development in the late 1920s. This quantum topography may determine material properties and could unlock room-temperature superconductors or entirely new classes of materials with transformative applications. The big picture: Despite our increasingly digital world, materials science remains fundamental to modern life, from steel in construction to lithium in batteries, and this new quantum understanding could dramatically expand what's possible. Why this matters: The last major breakthrough in materials science—understanding electron energy bands in the 1920s—led directly to the...
read Sep 10, 2025Chemistry-focused CuspAI raises $100M to accelerate AI-designed materials discovery
CuspAI, an artificial intelligence startup developing models for chemistry discovery, has raised $100 million in Series A funding led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), a prominent venture capital firm, and Temasek, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund. The round, which values the company at $520 million, positions CuspAI to accelerate the development of AI-designed materials ranging from carbon capture substances to advanced semiconductors, targeting markets that could reshape manufacturing and sustainability efforts. What you should know: CuspAI has assembled an impressive roster of AI luminaries and industry veterans to guide its mission of using AI to discover new materials. The company's advisory...
read Sep 9, 2025Heads up! NASA’s AI gives satellite operators 24-hour warning for solar storms
NASA's Frontier Development Lab has successfully used artificial intelligence to predict disruptive solar events up to 24 hours in advance, working with commercial partner KX Systems to adapt financial market analytics software for space weather forecasting. This breakthrough could help satellite operators prepare for solar activity that causes both stunning auroras and potentially damaging disruptions to GPS and other space-based infrastructure. How it works: The collaboration leveraged KX Systems' kdb+, a data analytics software typically used to track rapid financial market shifts, to analyze space weather patterns. Researchers imported multiple datasets monitoring the ionosphere (the upper layer of Earth's atmosphere),...
read Sep 8, 2025AI erupts with revelation of 54,000 hidden earthquakes in Italy’s volcanic region
Researchers at Stanford University have used artificial intelligence to uncover four times as many earthquakes in Italy's Campi Flegrei volcanic region than previously detected, revealing critical seismic data for an area home to 500,000 people. The AI-powered analysis identified over 54,000 earthquakes from January 2022 to March 2024—compared to the 12,000 previously tracked—and revealed two major fault lines converging beneath the town of Pozzuoli, suggesting the potential for magnitude 5 earthquakes. Why this matters: The enhanced earthquake detection capabilities could fundamentally change how officials prepare for and respond to seismic threats in one of Europe's most densely populated volcanic regions....
read Sep 5, 2025GPUs overtake CPUs as the dominant force in modern computing
GPUs have officially overtaken CPUs as the dominant force in modern computing, driven by their superior parallel processing architecture that excels at handling today's most demanding computational workloads. This shift represents a fundamental change in how we approach computing power, with GPUs now leading in artificial intelligence, scientific research, and high-performance computing applications that define the future of technology. The big picture: The transition from CPU to GPU dominance stems from architectural differences that favor modern computing needs, where thousands of smaller GPU cores outperform fewer, more powerful CPU cores for parallel processing tasks. Training complex neural networks on CPUs...
read Sep 4, 2025Google DeepMind AI boosts gravitational wave detection by 100x
Google DeepMind has developed Deep Loop Shaping, a novel AI method that reduces noise in gravitational wave observatories by 30 to 100 times, significantly improving their ability to detect cosmic events. Published in Science and tested at LIGO's Louisiana facility, this breakthrough could help astronomers detect hundreds more black hole mergers and neutron star collisions annually, potentially revealing intermediate-mass black holes that represent the "missing link" in understanding galaxy evolution. Why this matters: LIGO's extraordinary sensitivity—measuring distances 1/10,000th the size of a proton—makes it vulnerable to any vibration, even ocean waves 100 miles away, limiting its ability to peer deeper...
read Sep 3, 2025MIT’s FlowER AI predicts chemical reactions while conserving physics
MIT researchers have developed FlowER (Flow matching for Electron Redistribution), a new generative AI system that predicts chemical reactions while maintaining fundamental physical constraints like conservation of mass and electrons. The breakthrough addresses a critical limitation in existing AI models that often violate basic scientific principles by creating or destroying atoms during reaction predictions, potentially revolutionizing drug discovery and materials science. The big picture: Previous AI attempts at reaction prediction have struggled because they ignore fundamental physics, leading to scientifically impossible outcomes where atoms appear or disappear during reactions. Large language models like ChatGPT use computational "tokens" to represent atoms,...
read Sep 3, 2025OpenAI launches “OpenAI for Science” platform powered by GPT-5
OpenAI is launching "OpenAI for Science," an AI-powered platform designed to accelerate scientific discovery, according to Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil. The initiative will leverage GPT-5 and hire "AI-pilled" academics to build what the company calls "the next great scientific instrument," though the project timeline remains unclear. What you should know: The platform aims to automate key aspects of the scientific research process using OpenAI's latest model capabilities. GPT-5 will play a central role in the effort, with Weil citing its ability to suggest ideas for theoretical physics proofs as evidence of its scientific potential. OpenAI plans to hire a...
read Aug 27, 2025Coast Guard launches $10K AI internship program for STEM students
The U.S. Coast Guard has partnered with NobleReach, a STEM education organization, to launch a 14-week AI and robotics internship program in Washington D.C., supporting the newly established Robotics and Autonomous Systems Program Executive Office. The fall 2025 program represents a strategic effort to integrate emerging technologies into national security operations while developing the next generation of defense-focused STEM talent. What you should know: Five undergraduate and graduate students from AI, engineering, and science programs will work full-time on-site from September through December 2025. Students receive a $10,000 stipend and are eligible for university credit, subject to individual institution approval....
read Aug 25, 2025AI turns Rosetta Stone for animal languages as it helps decode whale, dolphin and bird communication
Scientists are on the verge of deciphering animal communication using artificial intelligence, with recent breakthroughs suggesting we may soon be able to "talk" with other species for the first time. The development represents a fundamental shift from decades of scientific reluctance to acknowledge non-human language, driven by AI's ability to detect patterns in massive datasets of animal sounds and behaviors. The big picture: Multiple research teams are racing to crack interspecies communication, spurred by the new Coller Dolittle Challenge offering $100,000 annually and a $10 million grand prize for breakthrough discoveries. The challenge, established by Tel Aviv University and Jeremy...
read Aug 22, 2025Too school for cool: Runway AI’s entertaining video models accidentally learned physics, now train robots
Runway's AI video models have evolved beyond creating special effects to accidentally learning the laws of physics through video training data. The company's technology now attracts robotics firms seeking realistic simulations for machine training, marking an unexpected shift from entertainment applications to real-world physics modeling. What you should know: Runway's Gen-4 model demonstrates an emerging ability to simulate complex physical phenomena without being explicitly programmed for physics. The models predict realistic movement of light, water, and other physical elements by analyzing patterns in massive video datasets. "The more we put compute and data behind scaling those models, the more capable...
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