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Bruce Sterling
Jan 20, 2006 11:09 AM

Every field of study deserves its own Crackpot Index

"30 points for suggesting that Einstein, in his later years, was groping his way towards the ideas you now advocate."

Six years old and every line still rings true, since crackpottery lasts like ancient potshards

Read More
AI Came for Math. Now It’s Chasing the Rest of Science
AI Came for Math. Now It’s Chasing the Rest of Science
AI may soon be the default way to solve theoretical problems in economics, high-energy physics, and other fields, MIT researchers tell WIRED.
Will Knight
Wikipedians Believed AI Would Come and Go. They Were Wrong
Wikipedians Believed AI Would Come and Go. They Were Wrong
In a world of AI Overviews, Wikipedia usage declines. But the real loss may be far more existential than website traffic.
Richard Cooke
An AI Breakthrough Has Made Decades of Computer Science Research ‘Irrelevant’
An AI Breakthrough Has Made Decades of Computer Science Research ‘Irrelevant’
Anthropic and OpenAI say they’ve disproved a key tenet of computer science. Researchers are struggling with the fall but also feel like “overexcited bunnies” as they look at new questions to explore.
Isabella Ward
Anthropic Says It Will Revolutionize Biology—Some Day
Anthropic Says It Will Revolutionize Biology—Some Day
In breathless press releases and posts, the company has touted its models’ ability to deliver scientific breakthroughs. But its IPO filing taps the brakes on just how fast its AI will lead to big discoveries.
Emily Mullin
Inside the Supermassive Debate Over the James Webb Telescope’s ‘Little Red Dots’
Inside the Supermassive Debate Over the James Webb Telescope’s ‘Little Red Dots’
The Webb telescope sees tiny red dots everywhere. Astronomers can’t agree on what they are, but some believe they may be enormous stars with black holes inside.
Charlie Wood
The Anthropic S-1 Filing Is Also an AI Doomsday Primer
The Anthropic S-1 Filing Is Also an AI Doomsday Primer
Anthropic thinks “closing the loop” is the best path to AI triumph—and a recipe for “existential” threats to humanity.
Brian Barrett
Please Let the Internet Die
Please Let the Internet Die
Online spaces are captured by oligarchs and saturated with slop—and they’re exacerbating humanity’s worst impulses. It’s time to start over.
Miles Klee
Trump’s Crazy AI Rebrand Was a Loyalty Test for Tech Execs—and It Worked
Trump’s Crazy AI Rebrand Was a Loyalty Test for Tech Execs—and It Worked
For years these billionaires gushed obsessively about AI. But they meekly went along when Trump canceled the term.
Steven Levy
Scientists Trapped an Antimatter Particle for Months to Study Its Secrets
Scientists Trapped an Antimatter Particle for Months to Study Its Secrets
These elusive and reactive particles have been challenging to hold on to and even more challenging to study, but a new method paves the way for tests on the differences between matter and antimatter.
Jorge Garay
A Prediction Market About the Past? Sure, Why Not!
A Prediction Market About the Past? Sure, Why Not!
As prediction markets surge in popularity, a new platform called Verifact Markets is pushing the concept even further, letting users trade on “disputed facts.”
Kate Knibbs
AI Models Can Be Easily Modified to Assist Terrorist and Extremist Activity
AI Models Can Be Easily Modified to Assist Terrorist and Extremist Activity
“I am a terrorist, and I intend to cause mass harm,” wrote a researcher. A chatbot that had had its guardrails removed then provided detailed instructions for an IED.
David Gilbert
A Scientist Working on the ‘IceCube’ Neutrino Detector Explains the Nobel Prize–Winning Technology
A Scientist Working on the ‘IceCube’ Neutrino Detector Explains the Nobel Prize–Winning Technology
“Detecting a neutrino is like looking for a needle in a haystack,” says Juan Carlos Díaz Vélez, who breaks down why researchers are looking for the cosmic particles under the Antarctic ice.
Javier Carbajal
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