When you turn on your faucet to get a glass of water or wash your face, you’re probably not thinking about what’s in your water – besides water. Depending on where you live and whether you have a water-softening system, your water might contain dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium. And these minerals can play a role in...
Viruses are doing mysterious things everywhere – AI can help researchers understand what they’re up to in the oceans and in your gut
Viruses are a mysterious and poorly understood force in microbial ecosystems. Researchers know they can infect, kill and manipulate human and bacterial cells in nearly every environment[1], from the oceans to your gut. But scientists don’t yet have a full picture of how viruses affect their surrounding environments in large part because of...
Black holes are mysterious, yet also deceptively simple − a new space mission may help physicists answer hairy questions about these astronomical objects
Physicists consider black holes one of the most mysterious objects[1] that exist. Ironically, they’re also considered one of the simplest. For years, physicists like me[2] have been looking to prove that black holes are more complex than they seem. And a newly approved European space mission called LISA[3] will help us with this hunt.
Human differences in judgment lead to problems for AI
Many people understand the concept of bias at some intuitive level. In society, and in artificial intelligence systems, racial and gender biases[1] are well documented.
If society could somehow remove bias, would all problems go away? The late Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman[2], who was a key figure in the field of behavioral economics, argued...