In a recent paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences a group of researchers led by Maria Hjorth and Simon Albrecht from the Stellar Astrophysics Centre, Aarhus University, have published the discovery of a special exoplanetary system in which two exoplanets are orbiting backward around their star. This surprising orbital architecture was caused by the protoplanetary disk in…
Tag: simon
A giant undersea sand worm’s fossilized lair
In 20-million-=year-old rock off the coast of Taiwan, researchers have discovered what they think is the fossilized burrow of a giant, predatory sand worm. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/scientists-find-evidence-of-giant-predatory-sand-worms…
Last and First Men review: An epic 2-billion-year history of humanity
Last and First Men tracks the beginning and end of humanity. It is a film that ranks with Solaris and 2001: A Space Odyssey and it may even break your heart, says Simon Ings Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24933190-600-last-and-first-men-review-an-epic-2-billion-year-history-of-humanity/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Amazon.com and ‘Big Five’ Publishers Accused of eBook Price-Fixing
Amazon.com and the “Big Five” publishers — Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster — have been accused of colluding to fix ebook prices, in a class action filed by the law firm that successfully sued Apple and the Big Five on the same charge 10 years ago. The Guardian reports: The lawsuit, filed in district court in…
iHuman review: Should we be afraid of a world run by AI?
Documentary iHuman is thoroughly committed to an apocalyptic view of society in which we are in thrall to artificially intelligent machines. That is its strength – and its weakness, says Simon Ings Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24933160-600-ihuman-review-should-we-be-afraid-of-a-world-run-by-ai/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
UK Scientists Worry Vaccines May Not Protect Against South African Coronavirus Variant
UK scientists have expressed concern that COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out in Britain may not be able to protect against a new variant of the coronavirus that emerged in South Africa and has spread internationally. From a report: Both Britain and South Africa have detected new, more transmissible variants of the COVID-19-causing virus in recent weeks that have driven a surge…
Dark storm on Neptune changes direction, escapes deadly fate
Astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe unusual weather on the planet Neptune, not observed until now. They saw a large, dark storm on Neptune unexpectedly changing direction, thereby saving itself from looming destruction and possibly producing a smaller companion storm. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/large-dark-storm-change-direction-neptune…
Simon Baron-Cohen: Why autism and invention are intimately related
The prehistoric cognitive revolution that saw an explosion of inventions was driven by a new, pattern-seeking network in the brain – and that’s highly correlated with autism today, says researcher Simon Baron-Cohen Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24833113-700-simon-baron-cohen-why-autism-and-invention-are-intimately-related/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Away review: An exquisite animated film created entirely by one person
Feature-length animation Away was created solely by film-maker Gints Zilbalodis. The writing, animation and soundtrack are all uncomplicated, and the storytelling is all the better for it, says Simon Ings Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24833090-600-away-review-an-exquisite-animated-film-created-entirely-by-one-person/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
The Eerie AI World of Deepfake Music
Artificial intelligence is being used to create new songs seemingly performed by Frank Sinatra and other dead stars. ‘Deepfakes’ are cute tricks — but they could change pop for ever. From a report: “It’s Christmas time! It’s hot tub time!” sings Frank Sinatra. At least, it sounds like him. With an easy swing, cheery bonhomie, and understated brass and string flourishes,…