September 24, 2026

04b Theory and Analysis

The Download: AI-designed viruses, and bad news for the hydrogen industry– www.technologyreview.com

pgnewser September 19, 2025 0

The Download: AI-designed viruses, and bad news for the hydrogen industry– www.technologyreview.com
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Excerpt:

Artificial intelligence can draw cat pictures and write emails. Now the same technology can compose a working genome.

A research team in California says it used AI to propose new genetic codes for viruses—and managed to get several of them to replicate and kill bacteria.

The work, described in a preprint paper, has the potential to create new treatments and accelerate research into artificially engineered cells. But experts believe it is also an “impressive first step” toward AI-designed life forms. Read the full story.

—Antonio Regalado

Clean hydrogen is facing a big reality check

Hydrogen is sometimes held up as a master key for the energy transition. It can be made using several low-emissions methods and could play a role in cleaning up industries ranging from agriculture to aviation to shipping.

This moment is a complicated one for the green fuel, though, as a new report from the International Energy Agency lays out. A number of major projects face cancellations and delays. The US in particular is seeing a slowdown after changes to key tax credits and cuts in support for renewable energy.

Still, there are bright spots for the industry, including in China, and new markets could soon become crucial for growth. Here are three things to know about the state of hydrogen in 2025.

—Casey Crownhart

 

Are GMOs Safe? A Molecular Geneticist Speaks Out– www.truthdig.com

pgnewser September 19, 2025 0

Are GMOs Safe? A Molecular Geneticist Speaks Out– www.truthdig.com
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Excerpt:

 

Are genetically engineered foods safe? In an interview with a leading molecular genetics expert, we discuss the scientific evidence behind health concerns tied to genetically modified corn and pesticides, how genetically modified organisms are changing in ways that increase health risks and how regulatory systems have failed to keep pace with modern genetics.

Professor Michael Antoniou, head of the Gene Expression and Therapy Group at King’s College London, has studied for more than 35 years how genes function and how they are disrupted. His decades of rigorous independent research into the risks of GM foods and glyphosate-based herbicides have raised serious concerns about the safety of these technologies.

In a report he prepared for the Mexican government, as the country attempted to restrict GMO corn imports for health reasons, Antoniou cited “a large body of evidence from well-controlled laboratory animal toxicity studies that show evidence of harm to multiple physiological systems” from toxic agents found in GM corn.

Here’s Another Big Thing That May Have Factored Into the Kimmel Suspension – RedState– redstate.com

pgnewser September 19, 2025 0

Here’s Another Big Thing That May Have Factored Into the Kimmel Suspension – RedState– redstate.com
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Excerpt:

Jimmy Kimmel has said disgraceful things over the years on his show. But he finally appears to have stepped into it big time with his comments about the accused killer of Charlie Kirk, implying he is MAGA.

ABC affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair found that offensive. ABC decided to suspend his show. Sinclair is demanding that Kimmel apologize before they consider lifting any suspension. They want ABC to take more action on professionalism and accountability.

But there’s another problem that may have factored into the network’s calculus: the program’s plummeting ratings. Ultimately, it’s always about the money.

Nielsen data showed sharp summer declines and a year-long slide that leaves him trailing late-night rivals such as Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld and CBS star Stephen Colbert.

According to monthly Nielsen figures, “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” dropped to just 1.1 million total viewers in August 2025, down 43% from January’s 1.95 million. His August household rating of 0.35 marked the weakest showing of the year.

The advertiser-coveted 18–49 demo also cratered. Kimmel averaged only 129,000 viewers in that bracket in August, off from 212,000 in January and less than half his June peak of 284,000.

 

Moral Relativism and the Justification of Political Violence– legalinsurrection.com

pgnewser September 19, 2025 0

Moral Relativism and the Justification of Political Violence– legalinsurrection.com
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The shocking recent wave of politically motivated violence reveals the radicalization of the American Left. The moderates have been displaced by hard-core radicals who would stop at nothing to destroy the system. History helps us understand the rationale behind the radical Left’s justification of violence.

As early as the 19th century, radical leftist ideologues indoctrinated their followers that violence was unavoidable to destroy traditional society and achieve their utopian vision. They believed in moral relativism and repudiated Judeo-Christian ethics and objective morality. They did not perceive human life as unique and inherently valuable and did not consider murder wrong.

One hundred years ago, radical leftist violence resulted in one of the bloodiest terrorist acts in the world, which happened in my native city of Sofia. Members of the communist party received funding from the Soviet Union to assassinate the Bulgarian government and political elite. The first step was to murder a famous general to ensure a large gathering of prominent figures for his funeral in the church of St. Sunday.

The assassins planted a bomb under the roof of the church and placed it in such a way as to target primarily the government officials present at the ceremony. It so happened that the general’s casket needed to be moved from its original location to accommodate the multitude of attendants. This managed to partially block the blast and spare most of the government members. Unfortunately, hundreds of others were killed or severely wounded.

Colorado - Government, Society, Politics | Britannica

Colorado Government Forcing Social Media Warning Messages to Minors

pgnewser September 18, 2025 0

Colorado - Government, Society, Politics | Britannica

Sending Government-Mandated Messages to Minors on Social Media Platforms: Colorado’s Unconstitutional Experiment | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
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Excerpt:

“Attention youth: We interrupt your social media experience to bring you this government-compelled, state-sanctioned message to help you ‘understand the impact of social media on the developing brain and the mental and physical health of youth users.’ This message will be repeated.’”

That sounds like a far-fetched way to educate minors about alleged and vehemently contested problems with using social media, but something similar might soon become reality in Colorado unless a judge issues an injunction in NetChoice v. Weiser. Compelling private entities to host disputed messages they disagree with––NetChoice calls Colorado’s statements “state-compelled opinions”––raises profound First Amendment problems, but that’s what the statute in Weiser seemingly does.

Via Adobe Stock.

The US Supreme Court has “held time and again that freedom of speech ‘includes both the right to speak freely and the right to refrain from speaking at all.’” It recently added that the government generally “may not compel a person to speak its own preferred messages.” Given this principle against government-compelled expression, the better––and constitutional––method for addressing Colorado’s frets about minors’ social media usage is for the state to run its own educational and advertising campaigns––ones that don’t co-opt platforms to do the hard work for it.

Leftism (album) - Wikipedia

Stop Asking Me To ‘Unify’ With The Violent Left– thefederalist.com

pgnewser September 18, 2025 0

Stop Asking Me To ‘Unify’ With The Violent Left– thefederalist.com
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Excerpt:

We’ve entered a very dangerous time in our country. That should be clear to everyone — political violence is a sign of a deep and corrosive sickness in any society.

In America today, the problem is not political violence in the abstract. It is a specific kind of political violence which is overwhelmingly driven by a specific set of actors and groups. None of this emerged out of thin air.

Over the past week, leaders from across the political spectrum have come out and forcefully condemned Charlie Kirk’s murder and political violence more broadly. For that, we’re all very grateful. We should be grateful. There have been calls to unite and come together in the wake of Charlie’s murder, and I want to do that. I do.

Someday, I pray that we can be united as a country again and go forward together as one people, under one flag. But we are not united.

Upstream from the dehumanization and demonizing, political violence and rhetoric tearing apart our country, there is a divide on how we view America and Americans. Is America good? Is America evil? Is there something inherently special about Western civilization, or is this 2,000-year project rotten to the core?

Gerrymandering saps faith in democracy– www.futurity.org

pgnewser September 18, 2025 0

Gerrymandering saps faith in democracy– www.futurity.org
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Excerpt:

When politicians redraw congressional district maps to favor their party, they may secure short-term victories. But those wins can come at a steep price—a loss of public faith in elections and, ultimately, in democracy itself.

That’s the conclusion of a peer-reviewed study led by University of California, Riverside political scientist Shaun Bowler in Political Research Quarterly.

The research finds that partisan gerrymandering—the manipulation of district boundaries to lock in political advantage—does more than distort representation in Congress. It undermines the belief that elections are fair, a cornerstone of democratic legitimacy.

Bowler, a professor of political science, says survey data from tens of thousands of voters in the 2020 and 2022 elections show that Americans view gerrymandering with the same disdain they reserve for bribery and other blatant forms of political corruption. The difference, he says, is that gerrymandering is carried out in full public view, cloaked in arguable legality.

Consider the current push in Texas, where Republican legislators and Governor Greg Abbott, encouraged by President Donald Trump, are working to redraw congressional districts to add five GOP seats as part a Republican effort to retain control of Congress after next year’s midterm election.

“It’s out in the open,” Bowler says. “They’re saying, ‘We’re rigging the midterm election to produce an outcome.’”

 

‘I will not pull back from CELEBRATING’: Law professor’s Charlie Kirk comments lead to calls for her termination– www.thecollegefix.com

pgnewser September 18, 2025 0

‘I will not pull back from CELEBRATING’: Law professor’s Charlie Kirk comments lead to calls for her termination– www.thecollegefix.com
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Excerpt:

Key Takeaways

  • Arkansas state officials are calling for the termination of law professor Felicia Branch after she made controversial comments celebrating the death of political commentator Charlie Kirk.
  • Branch, who recently joined the University of Arkansas Little Rock, was suspended after posting on Facebook that she would not pull back from ‘CELEBRATING’ Kirk’s death, calling him ‘an evil man.
  • Attorney General Tim Griffin and Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders condemned Branch’s remarks as unacceptable, with Griffin stating that her comments justify political violence and do not align with the standards expected of educators.
  • The Chancellor of U. Arkansas Little Rock emphasized the need for educators to maintain higher conduct standards and condemned Branch’s remarks as contrary to fostering a civil and rigorous academic environment.

When a Generation Stays Inside: Civic Consequences of Our Digital World | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org

pgnewser September 18, 2025 0

When a Generation Stays Inside: Civic Consequences of Our Digital World | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
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Excerpt:

A new survey reveals that Gen Z spends, on average, less than an hour outdoors on weekdays and many can go days without leaving their homes. By contrast, members of Gen X average more than an hour outside, with time outdoors still part of daily life. Nearly 70 percent of young adults say they regularly spend multiple days entirely indoors, citing bad weather, lack of time, and discomfort with being alone.

At first glance, this might seem like a lifestyle quirk. In reality, it signals how profoundly our patterns of movement, socialization, and engagement with the world have changed with serious implications for civic life.

Time outdoors has always been about more than exercise or fresh air. Parks, sidewalks, and playgrounds have historically been places where neighbors meet, children play, and civic bonds form. Athletic fields and the front porch were once shared spaces where democratic habits were practiced. When younger generations spend less time in these settings, we lose more than recreation. We lose arenas where trust, norms, and community are built.

The new report highlights that this disconnect is felt culturally as well as physically. Nearly half of respondents say there is a “nature deficit” in the media and entertainment they consume. People may stream endless content about the natural world, yet rarely experience it firsthand. Gen Z, in particular, reports a desire to disconnect from screens, but their actual time in nature is lower than previous generations. This gap between aspiration and behavior shows that younger adults are not rejecting nature outright, but face barriers—social, physical, and cultural—that make engagement harder.

This Gigantic Chinese Mothership Can Launch 100 Drones Over 4,500 ...

US drone dilemma: Why the most advanced military in the world is playing catchup on the modern battlefield – CNN

pgnewser September 17, 2025 0

This Gigantic Chinese Mothership Can Launch 100 Drones Over 4,500 ...

US drone dilemma: Why the most advanced military in the world is playing catchup on the modern battlefield – CNN
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Defense officials are now rushing to catch up.

In July, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth circulated a memo to senior leaders aimed at accelerating the US military’s adoption of drones. In recent months, US troops began building and 3-D printing drones and training on simulators reminiscent of video games to learn how to guide small systems through windows, around corners or into an enemy tank’s hatch.

“This is not tomorrow’s problem. This is today’s problem,” Maj. Gen. Curt Taylor, commander of the US Army’s 1st Armored Division, told CNN at an Army conference in Germany in July. “And the first fight of the next war is going to involve more drones than any of us have ever seen.”

The Media’s Duty After Charlie Kirk: Help Rebuild Civil Society | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org

pgnewser September 17, 2025 0

The Media’s Duty After Charlie Kirk: Help Rebuild Civil Society | American Enterprise Institute– www.aei.org
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Excerpt:

National traumas can reveal our best instincts—and our worst. The assassination of Charlie Kirk, who was gunned down while engaging in political debate on a college campus, has done both. Many responded with compassion for his family and calls for greater civility. Others, disturbingly, cheered his murder.

As Matthew Continetti of the American Enterprise Institute observed, the shooting “struck at the ties that hold a free society together,” for it was an assault not just on a man but on the practice of open and civil discourse. The Free Press put it bluntly: “The principles we once took for granted in this country…feel endangered in a way they didn’t a decade ago.”

Via Associated Press.

What explains the acceptance and celebration of political violence? It would be easy to blame overheated political rhetoric. But something deeper is at work. Surveys show that one in three college students today expresses some support for the use of violence to silence a campus speaker—a 50 percent increase from just a decade ago. This shift reflects more than partisan anger: It signals a corrosive set of ideas, nurtured in classrooms and amplified in public forums, that reject the foundations of Western civilization.

These corrosive doctrines—rooted in postmodernism and critical theory—deny any source of morality outside the self, dismiss the intrinsic worth of every human, and reduce politics and law to raw quests for power. In such a worldview, silencing an opponent—even through violence—can seem not only permissible, but virtuous.

JD Foster: Trump Is Right In Calling For The End To Quarterly Reporting– dailycaller.com

pgnewser September 17, 2025 0

JD Foster: Trump Is Right In Calling For The End To Quarterly Reporting– dailycaller.com
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Excerpt:

Sometimes, it’s the little things. Sometimes, it’s bigger things. This time it’s the quarterly earnings report required by law of America’s publicly traded companies. And it’s President Trump suggesting on Truth Social that we should do away with quarterly earnings statements in favor of bi-annual statements. He’s right.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires publicly traded companies to report their earnings quarterly. In contrast, the hyper-regulative European Union and United Kingdom require six-month reporting, though corporations are allowed to make quarterly statements if they want.

Quarterly reporting is just one of the hundreds of rules U.S. publicly traded companies face that privately held companies don’t. Nearly all of these rules make some sense in isolation, but collectively they represent an enormous burden, one effect of which is that even as the American economy has grown steadily over the years, the number of publicly traded companies had fallen by half. Houston, we have a problem.

Quarterly reporting is expensive to the corporation and a major time burden for senior management. These are relative nuisances.

Ghost Guns: What They Are, and Why They Are an Issue Now - The New ...

Material with Digital “Fingerprints” Could Help unghost “Ghost Guns”

pgnewser September 16, 2025 0

Ghost Guns: What They Are, and Why They Are an Issue Now - The New ...

Researchers embed digital ‘fingerprints’ into 3D printed parts — tech may make future ghost guns more traceable – Tom’s Hardware
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Netanel Raviv and a team at the McKelvey School of Engineering (part of Washington University in St. Louis) are continuing to develop a way to embed traceable digital ‘fingerprints’ into 3D-printed objects.

Initially reported by 3D Printing Industry, the markers are designed in a way to be detectable, even if the printed object has been broken, because they can be identified with just a fragment of the object. Depending on the fingerprint, information such as what printer was used and when the object was created can be embedded in the print.

One of the biggest practical use cases for this development is, of course, forensics. Traceable fingerprints are crucial for helping law enforcement track ghost gun manufacturing operations. We reported on a similar approach just a few months ago in which police were able to identify markers left behind when printing.

Risks and Benefits of AI for Businesses and Cybersecurity | SBS

Columbian Presidential Candidate Promises to us AI to Write New Constitution

pgnewser September 16, 2025 0

Risks and Benefits of AI for Businesses and Cybersecurity | SBS

New AI-Shaped Constitution for Colombia: Presidential Hopeful’s Bold Proposal – ColombiaOne.com
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Colombia’s presidential hopeful and Senator Clara Lopez is calling for a new constitution that would be designed with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI), to modernize governance structures.

A veteran of leftist politics and a prominent voice within the Pacto Historico coalition (President Petro’s coalition), Lopez addressed President Gustavo Petro in an open letter where she urges the government to seize the opportunity of a constituent assembly to create what she described as the world’s first “nation of direct democracy.”

Her vision would allow citizens to design a new social contract using digital platforms powered by AI. In her words, young people, women, Indigenous communities, Afro-Colombians, farmers, entrepreneurs, migrants, scientists, and artists would all have the chance to co-create a constitutional model where every voice counts.

For Britain, independence is its only hope of survival– www.americanthinker.com

pgnewser September 16, 2025 0

For Britain, independence is its only hope of survival– www.americanthinker.com
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Excerpt:

Irony of ironies, the British government, which oppressed its American colonists to the point of revolt, is now doing the same on its own island.  English law, which provided the foundation for our own laws, and for our own freedoms, including freedom of speech, is now being used to suppress and silence British patriots.

Britons are now literally put in prison for expressing opinions that in America are taken for granted as a protected right.  Offending a sex pervert in Britain is a serious crime.

The oppression stems from unrestricted immigration, especially of Muslims, who share nothing in common with Classic British liberal values, neither in language nor culture nor common law.  Worse yet, while Britons remain underserved in return for the excessive taxation and regulation which Parliament imposes on them, their Muslim guests receive luxurious accommodations at taxpayer expense.

Muslim law, which blames non-Muslim women if they are raped by Muslim men, has found its way into British courts, where the rapes of small children and British women are treated as a minor misbehavior—and the rapes are reaching near epidemic proportions.  Bear in mind that Muslim law, as practiced by Muslims, does not recognize any rights of any non-Muslim.

Charlie Kirk, George Floyd, and EVERYTHING Different About the Left and the Right – PJ Media– pjmedia.com

pgnewser September 15, 2025 0

Charlie Kirk, George Floyd, and EVERYTHING Different About the Left and the Right – PJ Media– pjmedia.com
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A large part of me feels filthy comparing the two because Charlie Kirk doesn’t deserve for anyone to lump him into the same category as George Floyd. Even if we accept the central thesis of the Black Lives Matter movement — that George Floyd was murdered in a senseless act of police violence — the circumstances between the two were extraordinarily different, and no one should lose sight of why:

George Floyd was convicted of eight separate crimes between 1997 and 2005 alone. (It’s unclear how many times he was arrested.) In 2007, he was sentenced to four years in prison for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. On May 25, 2020 — the day he lost his life while police officer Derek Chauvin handcuffed him — he was in the process of being arrested (yet again) for ripping off a convenience store with counterfeit money.

Chauvin was found guilty of three murder and manslaughter charges on April 20, 2021. He was sentenced to over 22 years in prison.

In stark contrast, Charlie Kirk didn’t have a criminal record or a violent past. He dedicated himself to promoting his political beliefs and testifying about his faith in Christ, traveling throughout the U.S. heartland, having civil, peaceful discussions with Americans of every walk of life. Conservative or liberal, Christian or atheist, straight or gay, white or black, he was willing to speak with anyone and everyone.

On Sept. 10, 2025, an assassin ended Charlie Kirk’s life with a single bullet. Three unfired rounds were engraved with the words: “Hey fascist! Catch!”

Britain’s Spirit of Freedom Is Dying – PJ Media– pjmedia.com

pgnewser September 10, 2025 0

Britain’s Spirit of Freedom Is Dying – PJ Media– pjmedia.com
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Excerpt:

… British politics has gotten frustrating in recent years for true conservatives, and watching Britain slide into authoritarianism on free speech is something even a dyed-in-the-wool Anglophile like me can’t support. And I’m not alone.

Last week, Lee Cohen wrote a column in The Spectator that resonated deeply with me:

Today, for the first time, I find Britain indefensible. The affection and historical respect remains. The confidence is gone.

Britain now prosecutes her own citizens, not for violence or treason, but for words. Lucy Connolly was sentenced to 31 months in prison for a tweet in the wake of the Southport murders last year. Her crime was expression, harsh perhaps, but still speech. This week, Graham Linehan, the award‑winning creator of Father Ted, was arrested at Heathrow Airport by armed officers for online comments defending women’s spaces. Arrested, by police carrying weapons, for his opinions. This is the country that gave the world John Stuart Mill.

“Such cases expose what Britain has become: a two‑tier system of justice. Those branded far‑right, nationalist, or ‘Islamophobic’ are persecuted with zeal,” Cohen added. “Those spreading incendiary rhetoric from Islamist or minority factions are, all too often, met with indulgence.”

Forest City, the case of the ghost town on the Malaysian coast - Domus

The Network State Rises in Forest City, A Chinese-Built Ghost City

pgnewser September 8, 2025 0

Forest City, the case of the ghost town on the Malaysian coast - Domus

Tech investor Balaji Srinivasan has announced plans to move into an abandoned resort city in Malaysia called Forest City where he hopes to build a “network state.”

Tech Utopians Are Using a Chinese-Built ‘Ghost City’ to Trial Their Network State Fantasies – Gizmodo
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Excerpt:

For the better part of a decade, tech investor Balaji Srinivasan has been calling for Silicon Valley to “secede” from the rest of the United States. The free-market tech guru doesn’t just want space from regulators and government officials; he literally wants the industry’s coders and bigwigs to split off and crowdfund their own separate country.

Over the years, Srinivasan has articulated his own political philosophy, which he calls “the network state” movement—an anarcho-capitalist school of thought that envisions the creation of privately run “countries” that are governed by decentralized corporations rather than governments.

Last year, Srinivasan announced the launch of a new school where interested tech denizens could learn how to take part in the Network State movement. The school, which was announced on his blog, was styled as a place where the founder’s followers could go to learn about the tenets of his philosophy, which is, admittedly, pretty weird.

The Third Wave Of AI Is Here: Why Agentic AI Will Transform The ...

AI has no idea what it’s doing, but it’s threatening us all– www.sciencedaily.com

pgnewser September 8, 2025 0

The Third Wave Of AI Is Here: Why Agentic AI Will Transform The ...

AI has no idea what it’s doing, but it’s threatening us all– www.sciencedaily.com
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Excerpt:

The age of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed our interactions, but threatens human dignity on a worldwide scale, according to a study led by Charles Darwin University (CDU).

Study lead author Dr Maria Randazzo, an academic from CDU’s School of Law, found the technology was reshaping Western legal and ethical landscapes at unprecedented speed but was undermining democratic values and deepening systemic biases.

Dr Randazzo said current regulation failed to prioritize fundamental human rights and freedoms such as privacy, anti-discrimination, user autonomy, and intellectual property rights – mainly thanks to the untraceable nature of many algorithmic models.

Calling this lack of transparency a “black box problem,” Dr Randazzo said decisions made by deep-learning or machine-learning processes were impossible for humans to trace, making it difficult for users to determine if and why an AI model has violated their rights and dignity and seek justice where necessary.

“This is a very significant issue that is only going to get worse without adequate regulation,” Dr Randazzo said.

“AI is not intelligent in any human sense at all. It is a triumph in engineering, not in cognitive behavior.

What is the Universe? - NASA Science

Can Science Justify Existence?

pgnewser September 8, 2025 0

What is the Universe? - NASA Science

Is there a scientific reason why the universe exists?– www.livescience.com
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Is there a scientific reason why the universe exists? In other words, what is the science of why there is anything at all, instead of only nothing?

The answer has to do with opposites. Scientists have found that the universe exists because it began with a slight imbalance between matter and antimatter. Particles of matter — that is, all of the electrons, protons and neutrons in the atoms and molecules of regular stuff — differ from particles of antimatter, which carry the opposite electric charge but are similar in many ways.

Matter and antimatter do not get along. When their particles collide, they annihilate each other in an intense burst of gamma-rays. Fortunately, antimatter is now extremely rare. Although antimatter had a foundational role in the formation of the universe, the fact that there is now so little of it is one of cosmology’s great mysteries.

What are Bacteria? | Microbiology Society

This Bacteria Exhales Electricity and Could One Day Power Your Smartphones

pgnewser September 1, 2025 0

What are Bacteria? | Microbiology SocietyA research paper published in Cell claims to have discovered a form of E. coli that thrives by transferring electrons to conductive surfaces. The end-result of the process is bacteria that exhale electricity, making them potential future bio-batteries. The bacteria can only be grown under certain conditions that, right now, can only be duplicated in a lab. They immediately “die” outside those conditions.

Scientists in shock – discovery of bacteria that literally breathe electricity and could revolutionize energy – El Adelantado de Segovia
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Excerpt:

Scientists just discovered that Escherichia coli (a bacteria best known for occasionally ruining your romaine lettuce) has a hidden superpower. In the absence of oxygen, these tiny microbes can literallysurvive by dumping electrons into their environment, effectively “respiring” electricity. If that sounds like something from a budget Marvel origin story, you’re not wrong…..

Inside the bacteria, a molecule called NADH (which usually helps generate energy) starts shoveling electrons like a caffeine-addicted coal worker. These electrons get passed to HNQ, a weirdly named molecule (it’s called 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, if you want to know how Elon Musk’s next child might be named) that acts like a molecular extension cord.

HNQ then sprints those electrons out of the cell, straight into an electrode. And at the heart of this bizarre process is a little enzyme called NfsB, which basically acts like a bouncer, making sure those electrons head out the door properly.

When researchers deleted the gene for NfsB, the electricity breathing stopped. Add it back in? The bacteria lit up the circuit like Christmas. Eureka!

What is global warming? | New Scientist

UN Issues Another Global Warming Warning, Asserting Temperatures Will Spike in Next 4 Years

pgnewser September 1, 2025 0

What is global warming? | New ScientistUN says strong chance average warming will top 1.5 degrees celsius in next 4 years– timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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The United Nations warned on Wednesday that there is a 70 per cent chance that average warming from 2025 to 2029 would exceed the 1.5 degrees celsius international benchmark.The planet is therefore expected to remain at historic levels of warming after the two hottest years ever recorded in 2023 and 2024, according to an annual climate report published by the World Meteorological Organization, the UN’s weather and climate agency.”We have just experienced the 10 warmest years on record,” said the WMO’s deputy secretary-general Ko Barrett.”Unfortunately, this WMO report provides no sign of respite over the coming years, and this means that there will be a growing negative impact on our economies, our daily lives, our ecosystems and our planet.”The 2015 Paris climate accords aimed to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels — and to pursue efforts to peg it at 1.5 degrees celsius.The targets are calculated relative to the 1850-1900 average, before humanity began industrially burning coal, oil and gas, which emit carbon dioxide — the greenhouse gas largely responsible for climate change.The more optimistic 1.5 degrees celsius target is one that growing numbers of climate scientists now consider impossible to achieve, as CO2 emissions are still increasing.