Earthquakes could be an overlooked source of underground hydrogen fuel 28. April 2025 (15:00) Laboratory measurements of crushed quartz suggest earthquakes generate huge volumes of hydrogen underground, a potential source of energy for life below the surface – and people above it(New Scientist)
Humans evolved to survive mild burns at the expense of severe ones 28. April 2025 (14:29) Early humans had almost no hope of surviving severe burns, so evolution may have prioritised the selection of genes that heal mild ones, which could be affecting modern medicine(New Scientist)
Is Keir Starmer being advised by AI? The UK government won’t tell us 28. April 2025 (13:32) The UK government's Redbox AI chatbot is being used by thousands of civil servants, but a lack of transparency about exactly how they are using it has experts concerned(New Scientist)
US government defunds research on misinformation 25. April 2025 (22:29) The US National Science Foundation cancelled funding for research on misinformation, disinformation and AI-generated deepfakes, even as misleading information runs rampant on social media(New Scientist)
Chatbots can hide secret messages in seemingly normal conversations 25. April 2025 (18:00) Text-generating AIs such as ChatGPT can be used to hide encrypted messages inside fake conversations, which could help people living under oppressive regimes communicate secretly(New Scientist)
Hackers could 'vandalise' quantum computers without people noticing 25. April 2025 (15:00) Hackers may be able to garble the output of programs running on quantum computers, leaving other people with unknowingly incorrect results - but thankfully, there is a fix(New Scientist)
First ever 'black hole bomb' created in the lab 25. April 2025 (12:00) A black hole bomb - an idea first proposed in 1969 - has now been realised in the lab as a toy model made from a rotating cylinder and magnetic coils. Studying the bomb could help us better understand real black holes.(New Scientist)
Ancient camp shows how humans adapted to extreme cold in Europe 25. April 2025 (10:00) An Austrian site occupied by humans from around 24,000 to 20,000 years ago documents a switch towards hunting reindeer for their fur, which may have helped people to endure harsh winters during the last glacial period(New Scientist)
