Features
In-depth analysis and opinion from the worlds of science and emerging technology.
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'Spark of Life' demo puts quantum chips in control of AI robot
April 27, 2025 | Loz BlainUltra-deep tech startup Nirvanic put on a fairly humble-looking robotics demo at Jeff Bezos's private MARS 2025 conference – but it may go down as a landmark moment both in AI robotics, and in our understanding of consciousness itself. -
Facebook isn’t eavesdropping, but the truth is more disturbing
April 24, 2025 | Rich HaridyLast year a longstanding conspiracy was reignited, telling the tale of how your smartphone is listening to your conversations and delivering targeted ads, but it still isn't true and the way you actually get your ads is much more unsettling. -
LSD microdosing for ADHD: Does it work?
April 03, 2025 | Rich HaridyA landmark clinical trial testing the effect of microdosing LSD on symptoms of ADHD recently delivered its first data readout and the results have been surprising, to say the least, raising questions over the efficacy of this popular trend. -
The fascinating story behind one of the internet's most beguiling "weird videos"
March 14, 2025 | Ben CoxworthSome of the most intriguing videos on the internet aren't "viral sensations" … instead, they lurk deep beneath YouTube's placid surface. A wonderfully weird little film known as Mary Worth – the Movie definitely fits in the latter category. -
Ghost in the machine: The race toward conscious, sentient AI
January 22, 2025 | Loz BlainAs science wrestles with the thorny job of proving, defining and understanding human consciousness, one pioneering startup aims to apply cutting-edge theories of consciousness to AI models – and create the first sentient AI. This is wild stuff. -
Brilliantly innovative on-demand transit system set to open in 2026
January 15, 2025 | Loz BlainThis is not your grandad's cable car gondola. Born of an amusement ride and opening to the public in 2026, this remarkably clever kiwi idea offers quick, cheap, on-demand urban transit – that's much more direct and private than public transport. -
Nuclear waste: What is it and how do we dispose of it?
December 28, 2024 | David SzondyNuclear waste. We've all heard about it but what exactly is it and why is it so important? How big is the problem and is it a problem without a solution? New Atlas takes a look at the basics. -
Holodeck watch: Real-time volumetric video takes a giant leap
December 16, 2024 | Loz BlainImagine a next-gen VR experience that lets you speak realistic scenes, intelligent characters and complex situations into being, then interact with them in real time. It's coming, due to a convergence of tech like this advance in real-time 3D video. -
'Self-assembling' electronics: A wild new manufacturing process
December 03, 2024 | Loz BlainA remarkable proof-of-concept project has successfully manufactured nanoscale diodes and transistors using a fast, cheap new production technique in which liquid metal is directed to self-assemble into precise 3D structures. -
Uncanny: AI video conversation agents can now look back at you
November 30, 2024 | Loz BlainEvery facet of AI feels like it's advanced by a decade in the last year, and in the whirlwind of new releases and capabilities, you may have missed something important: interactive video chatbots that can see, hear and converse with you in real time. -
Manufacturing leap: Dirtbikes are about to get super weird
November 19, 2024 | Loz BlainPrepare to start seeing unprecedented shapes and designs in the motocross world. Spanish company Stark Future is taking titanium 3D printing out of the prototyping lab, and into mass production of its insane electric dirtbikes. -
Review: Fender's ultra-modern American Ultra II Telecaster
October 15, 2024 | Loz BlainYou could argue that the American Ultra II is a blasphemy against the purity of Leo Fender's first masterpiece – or you could evaluate this guitar without the baggage of its heritage. Either way, it's certainly a fascinating and inspiring instrument.
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