An unexpectedly heavy cardboard box, filled with flat-packed formations. Seemingly superfluous pieces of particle board. A madness-inducing number of screws, nails, and washers, plus the lingering fear that one might be left over.   Even if you like putting together IKEA furniture, you’ve gotta admit that it’s no walk in the park. It’s the ultimate

A realistic-looking video that seemed to show former President Barack Obama cussing and calling President Donald Trump a “total and complete dips—,” went viral on Tuesday, bringing attention to the dangers of a controversial video-editing technology that many have called “the future of fake news.”   About halfway through the video, originally published by BuzzFeed,

The US and British governments on Monday accused Russia of conducting a massive campaign to compromise computer routers and firewalls around the world – from home offices to Internet providers – for espionage and possibly sabotage purposes.   The unusual public warning from the White House, US agencies and Britain’s National Cyber Security Center follows a years-long

Everyone had died – not that you’d know it, from how they were laughing about their poor choices and bad rolls of the dice. As a social anthropologist, I study how people understand artificial intelligence (AI) and our efforts towards attaining it; I’m also a life-long fan of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), the inventive fantasy

The United States, Britain, and France, conducted “precision strikes” on Syria on Friday, in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack that reportedly killed dozens in the rebel-held town of Douma.   The Pentagon said the strikes hit three targets believed to have been involved in creating chemical weapons. The sites included the Barzah Research

Facebook’s founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg faced two days of grilling before US politicians this week, following concerns over how his company deals with people’s data.   But the data Facebook has on people who are not signed up to the social media giant also came under scrutiny. During Zuckerberg’s congressional testimony he claimed

The US Army recently announced that it is developing the first drones that can spot and target vehicles and people using artificial intelligence (AI). This is a big step forward.   Whereas current military drones are still controlled by people, this new technology will decide who to kill with almost no human involvement. Once complete,

Like peanut butter and jelly, like salt and pepper, like that seemingly perfect couple you love (to hate), the two dominant types of computer memory truly complete one another.   Read-only memory (ROM) makes sure our computers and smartphones know how to boot up. Random access memory (RAM), lets us run programs on those computers.

On Tuesday, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg took hours of questions from senators about his platform, in a hearing that was mostly about the Cambridge Analytica revelations, and the wider privacy concerns that have plunged the company into a major crisis of trust with the public.   Not all of the questions were on topic. Sen. Gary

To better understand how a nuclear blast would devastate major urban centres, researchers have created the ultimate equivalent of The Sims – a detailed computer model of Washington D.C. complete with its own personalised citizens.   We’ve all been there, creating digital cities that we joyfully smash apart. This one is less about entertaining our

In September of 2016, Elon Musk announced the latest addition to the SpaceX rocket family. Known then as the Interplanetary Transport System (ITS) – now know as the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) – this massive launch vehicle is central to Musk’s vision of sending astronauts and colonists to Mars someday.   Since that time, the

For years, countries have worried that a hostile foreign power might cut the undersea cables that supply the world with internet service. Late last month, we got a taste of what that might be like. An entire country, Mauritania, was taken offline for two days because an undersea cable was cut.   The 17,000-kilometer African

Sometimes our phones end up in the toilet bowl, or laptops end up covered in tea. It happens. But if they were coated with an ‘omniphobic’ material, like the one created by a team of University of Michigan researchers, your devices would be a lot more likely to come out unscathed.   “I have a 2-year-old

Good news – virtually all traditional types of malware declined in the last few months. Not so good – mainly because hackers are more interested in using your computer to help them mine cryptocurrencies.   It’s likely you, or your employer, aren’t even aware it’s happening. Malware miners latch onto your PC and add its

Between building electric cars and sending rockets into space, Elon Musk has plenty to keep him busy. But the tech mogul also wants to reinvent public transportation with the Loop and Hyperloop high-speed transit systems.   On Saturday, he said on Twitter that he plans to test a Tesla and SpaceX-branded Hyperloop pod at half

In recent weeks, self-driving cars have raised a lot of concerns. In March, an Uber self-driving car killed a pedestrian in what has been reported as the first ever self-driving car fatality in history. And a Tesla vehicle operating in semi-autonomous Autopilot mode was also involved in a fatal crash that month.   This chart by Statista compares the data taken

Artificial intelligence could spur the creation of a robot dictator that could rule mankind forever, the billionaire Elon Musk says in a new documentary. “If one company or small group of people manages to develop god-like superintelligence, they could take over the world,” Musk said in the film.   He continued: “At least when there’s

Artificial intelligence could spur the creation of a robot dictator that could rule mankind forever, the billionaire Elon Musk says in a new documentary. “If one company or small group of people manages to develop god-like superintelligence, they could take over the world,” Musk said in the film.   He continued: “At least when there’s

For nearly a century, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has relied on the country’s expansive oil reserves to power its economy. But in recent years, oil prices have rapidly decreased, and Saudi Arabia is now looking to diversify its economy and rely less on oil.   The royal family has created a new plan called

Anyone who’s ever bought a new electronic device or a pair of shoes will be all too familiar with those little “DO NOT EAT” sachets that come in the box. Most of us have a vague idea that they’re somehow keeping our products fresh, but we toss them as soon as the box is open

Even if you have no idea how it works or what the letters stand for, chances are you’ve at least heard of the revolutionary technology dubbed CRISPR. Cheaper and far more precise than previous gene-editing processes, the CRISPR/Cas9 molecular toolkit continues to see new applications across the scientific world.   Here are a few ways

MIT researchers have invented a new computer interface that’s totally hands-free and voice-free, but it doesn’t read your brain waves either. Instead it relies on something called subvocalisation, or silent speech – the name for what you’re doing when you say words in your head.   It’s called AlterEgo, and it consists of a wearable

While the thought of having robot companions to take out the rubbish and cut the grass is an appealing one, the same bots could also be used for more violent purposes – and an argument over where to draw that line is causing a huge schism in the AI community.   Now, more than 50

A new method of using photons to carry information might provide a new wireless solution for communication. A collaborative team of researchers developed a way to ‘twist’ photons to improve on open-area quantum information transfer.   Using particles of light, i.e. photons, to transmit information isn’t exactly new. Photons have seen use in a number of tests

Back in June, an image generator that could turn even the crudest doodle of a face into a more realistic looking image made the rounds online. That system used a fairly new type of algorithm called a generative adversarial network (GAN) for its AI-created faces, and now, chipmaker NVIDIA has developed a system that employs

One of the most widespread security systems used on the internet to prevent non-humans from accessing websites has been defeated by a powerful new kind of artificial intelligence (AI). CAPTCHAs are those frustrating online tests that challenge you to identify fuzzy-looking letters and numbers – which automated bots supposedly can’t recognise. Only now they can,

It’s hard coming up with clever new Halloween costume ideas, so why do all the work yourself? Research scientist Janelle Shane decided to enlist her computer to help with the annual task, and she’s built a first-of-its-kind neural network that can spit out brand-new Halloween costume ideas.   First, she fed her computer data on

Scientists have revealed new atomic-level images of the finger-like growths called dendrites that can breach battery compartment barriers, and go on to cause short circuits or even fires. Understanding more about these tiny protrusions is not only going to lead to safer smartphones, it’s going to help us develop stable batteries for our cars, our

Consciousness is a slippery concept to pin down, but a small group of neuroscientists just made a solid attempt at doing just that. Their goal was to determine if we’re anywhere near the holy grail of AI – artificial self-awareness.   Now, the short answer is no. Sorry. But before you weep for a bleak

An empty-eyed humanoid named Sophia has become the first robot in the world to be granted a citizenship. Saudi Arabia bestowed citizenship on Sophia ahead of the Future Investment Initiative, held in the kingdom’s capital city of Riyadh on Wednesday.   “I am very honoured and proud of this unique distinction,” Sophia told the audience, speaking

Our culture has changed immensely as a result of the smartphone. We can get reassurance for every doubt just by texting our friends. We can feel approval by getting “likes” on our Instagram post or Facebook status. But heavy reliance on devices is responsible for a shift in how we regulate our emotions. A by-product

It’s obnoxious enough when strangers tell you to smile, but now a smart mirror is doing the same thing – specifically designed for cancer patients, it won’t reflect unless it detects that the person is smiling. It’s called the Smile Mirror, and it’s a screen with a camera in the frame. Facial recognition software gauges

Our culture has changed immensely as a result of the smartphone. We can get reassurance for every doubt just by texting our friends. We can feel approval by getting “likes” on our Instagram post or Facebook status. But heavy reliance on devices is responsible for a shift in how we regulate our emotions. A by-product

The first of Elon Musk’s solar energy-Powerwall projects has successfully restored power to a local hospital in Puerto Rico, according to a tweet from Tesla earlier today. Hospital del Niño, a children’s hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is among those working with Musk. The Tesla CEO and founder offered to provide a few hundred

It’s obnoxious enough when strangers tell you to smile, but now a smart mirror is doing the same thing – specifically designed for cancer patients, it won’t reflect unless it detects that the person is smiling. It’s called the Smile Mirror, and it’s a screen with a camera in the frame. Facial recognition software gauges

The first of Elon Musk’s solar energy-Powerwall projects has successfully restored power to a local hospital in Puerto Rico, according to a tweet from Tesla earlier today.  Hospital del Niño, a children’s hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is among those working with Musk.   The Tesla CEO and founder offered to provide a few

Solar energy is off the charts. Not only is uptake skyrocketing, but solar is now the cheapest form of new energy in dozens of countries, with record-setting solar farms being built all around the world. One even looks like a giant panda. But amidst the surge in all things solar, there’s something we’ve been missing.

Solar energy is off the charts. Not only is uptake skyrocketing, but solar is now the cheapest form of new energy in dozens of countries, with record-setting solar farms being built all around the world. One even looks like a giant panda. But amidst the surge in all things solar, there’s something we’ve been missing.

Plenty of misconceptions and conspiracy theories surround this topic. Internet searches for ‘iPhone slow’ spike after the release of a new-generation model, but there’s no evidence to suggest that manufacturers deliberately degrade the performance of older devices with software updates. Computer hardware does not typically slow down over its useful life. Instead, there are several

Plenty of misconceptions and conspiracy theories surround this topic. Internet searches for ‘iPhone slow’ spike after the release of a new-generation model, but there’s no evidence to suggest that manufacturers deliberately degrade the performance of older devices with software updates. Computer hardware does not typically slow down over its useful life. Instead, there are several other reasons

An AI that vanquished humanity at perhaps the most complex traditional game on Earth was inconceivably smart. But not smart enough to survive its own replacement by an even more awesome, alien intelligence. Google’s DeepMind researchers have just announced the next evolution of their seemingly indomitable artificial intelligence – AlphaGo Zero – which has dispensed

An AI that vanquished humanity at perhaps the most complex traditional game on Earth was inconceivably smart. But not smart enough to survive its own replacement by an even more awesome, alien intelligence. Google’s DeepMind researchers have just announced the next evolution of their seemingly indomitable artificial intelligence – AlphaGo Zero – which has dispensed

If you ask any residents living in Australia’s capital city, the small town of Queanbeyan on the city’s outskirts isn’t exactly how they pictured the future. But a handful of alpaca farmers, artists, and other rural folk are getting a taste of tomorrow by trialling a drone delivery service that will drop off a few

A $US2 million upgrade could soon see the world’s most intense laser crank it up a notch. The laser they call HERCULES (because of course it is) is already currently capable of emitting a terrifying 300 terawatts of power. Clearly in a case of laser envy, a few new parts could see it spit out

If you ask any residents living in Australia’s capital city, the small town of Queanbeyan on the city’s outskirts isn’t exactly how they pictured the future. But a handful of alpaca farmers, artists, and other rural folk are getting a taste of tomorrow by trialling a drone delivery service that will drop off a few

Back in May, Google revealed its AutoML project; artificial intelligence (AI) designed to help them create other AIs. Now, Google has announced that AutoML has beaten the human AI engineers at their own game by building machine-learning software that’s more efficient and powerful than the best human-designed systems. An AutoML system recently broke a record

A huge vulnerability in Wi-Fi that fundamentally breaks the security we use to protect our wireless networks has just been exposed. The exploit, revealed on Monday, breaches a newly found vulnerability in WPA2, the security protocol used to safeguard all modern Wi-Fi networks, and researchers say it could violate virtually any Wi-Fi network previously thought

As the unofficial world’s most futuristic city, Dubai sure loves the attention it gets from employing cutting-edge tech such as 3D-printed buildings, hovertaxis, or this incredible Mars simulation city. Now Dubai’s police force, already equipped with little autonomous robocops, is getting another leg up in the law enforcement race with incredibly cool, and somewhat dangerous-looking