A columnist makes asinine arguments on climate change, prompting scientists to cut their noses, spiting our faces

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

The cure for false speech is more truth telling — not less speech. Here’s what 29 feet of sea level rise would look in New York City. (Source: Courtesy of Climate Central) In his first piece as an op ed columnist for the N.Y. Times, Bret Stephens rightly decries hyperbole in discussion about climate change. Then he makes seemingly reasonable arguments that turn out to be asinine. My reaction? Yawn. It’s quite doubtful that he will move the needle of public ...read more

Any Ban on Killer Robots Faces a Tough Sell

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

The Harpy drone made by Israel Aerospace Industries can autonomously loiter in the air until it detects a radar target below. Credit: Israel Aerospace Industries Fears of a Terminator-style arms race have already prompted leading AI researchers and Silicon Valley leaders to call for a ban on killer robots. The United Nations plans to convene its first formal meeting of experts on lethal autonomous weapons later this summer. But a simulation based on the hypothetical first battlefield ...read more

New Human Rights for the Age of Neuroscience?

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

Do we have a human right to the privacy of our brain activity? Is “cognitive liberty” the foundation of all freedom? An interesting new paper by Swiss researchers Marcello Ienca and Roberto Andorno explores such questions: Towards new human rights in the age of neuroscience and neurotechnology Ienca and Andorno begin by noting that it has long been held that the mind is “a kind of last refuge of personal freedom and self-determination”. In other words, no matter what res ...read more

The Electric Lilium Jet Hints at Future Air Taxis

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

A prototype of the Lilium Jet takes off on a vertical takeoff and landing test flight. Credit: Lilium The old science fiction fantasy of a flying car that both drives on the ground and flies in the air is unlikely to revolutionize daily commutes. Instead, Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs and aerospace companies dream of electric-powered aircraft that can take off vertically like helicopters but have the flight efficiency of airplanes. The German startup Lilium took a very ...read more

The first true-color images of Saturn taken during Cassini's close encounter are coming in — and they're beautiful!

Posted on Categories Discover Magazine

A processed, true-color image of Saturn’s polar vortex based on photos taken by Cassini on April 26, 2017 during the spacecraft’s first dive between the planet and its rings. (Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Sophia Nasr) We’ve already been treated to spectacular black and white closeup images of Saturn, beamed home to Earth by the Cassini spacecraft after it dove between the planet and its rings. Now, we’re getting to see what things look like in true color. Among the ...read more