Thursday, July 3

Science

Reflecting on COP29 and the Need for Radical Collaboration – State of the Planet
Science

Reflecting on COP29 and the Need for Radical Collaboration – State of the Planet

The author, left, and filmmaker Sumit Rezwan Shahriar, at COP29 My journey from New York City to Baku, Azerbaijan, host of this year’s UN climate change conference (COP29), took me over seven thousand miles of earth and sea. I arrived in Baku at night, where colorful, flame-shaped towers define the landscape of this city. Once a Soviet Republic and now an oil rich petrostate, Azerbaijan shares borders with Iran, Armenia and Russia. Over the next two weeks, more than 60,000 world leaders, experts and members of civil society exchanged ideas and information, while high-level negotiations with delegates from nearly 200 countries took place in secured rooms. I serve on the steering committee for UNFCCC Entertainment & Culture for Climate Action Film & TV (ECCA). As an educator...
OpenAI’s o3 model aced a test of AI reasoning – but it’s still not AGI
Science

OpenAI’s o3 model aced a test of AI reasoning – but it’s still not AGI

OpenAI announced a breakthrough achievement for its new o3 AI modelRokas Tenys / Alamy OpenAI’s new o3 artificial intelligence model has achieved a breakthrough high score on a prestigious AI reasoning test called the ARC Challenge, inspiring some AI fans to speculate that o3 has achieved artificial general intelligence (AGI). But even as ARC Challenge organisers described o3’s achievement as a major milestone, they also cautioned that it has not won the competition’s grand prize – and it is only one step on the path towards AGI, a term for hypothetical future AI with human-like intelligence. The o3 model is the latest in a line of AI releases that follow on from the large language models powering ChatGPT. “This is a surprising and important step-function increase in A...
The wild physics that could actually be used to build a time machine
Science

The wild physics that could actually be used to build a time machine

The bartender says: “We don’t serve time travellers in here.” A time traveller walks into a bar. OK, yes, I will almost certainly regret starting this article with such a hoary old joke. At some point, most of us have wished we could travel back in time to repair some misstep or faux pas. But it’s impossible, right? Well, not necessarily. Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity suggests that time travel may indeed be possible. We know that matter can bend space-time, and if you bend it enough, you may be able to create a time loop. Caveats abound, of course, and researchers are yet to announce a working time machine. But that hasn’t put them off exploring the possibilities. Here are five ways that time travel might just be feasible, from science fiction st...
Columbia Climate School Delegates Reflect on COP29 – State of the Planet
Science

Columbia Climate School Delegates Reflect on COP29 – State of the Planet

Last month, more than 50,000 people from 200 countries gathered for the 29th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. For two weeks, global leaders, academics, scientists, public citizens, activists and nonprofit organizations from around the world came together to address the growing challenges and potential solutions to climate change.   Similar to previous years, COP29 and its aftermath were met with mixed reactions. While this year’s convention ultimately reached a finance goal—known formally as the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG)—promising $300 billion in annual funding to developing countries by 2035, many nations say this will be inadequate for climate mitigation and adaptation in the coming decade. Delegates also sig...
What are the mystery drones flying over the US?
Science

What are the mystery drones flying over the US?

Unidentified drones have been flying over US military sitesU.S. Navy/Ensign Drew Verbis Mysterious drones have been swarming the night skies above New Jersey and other nearby states for a month. They have been spotted over several US military sites. They have been videoed over houses and apartment buildings. A swarm was seen following a US Coast Guard rescue boat at the same time that New Jersey police reported 50 drones arriving on land from the ocean. But no one seems to know who is piloting them, or whether it is a coordinated effort. The incidents have drawn the attention of state governors and legislators, as well as members of the US Congress, and the FBI has launched an investigation, asking for the public to report sightings. Witnesses describe the drones ...