Science News March 29: ATLAS Checks W-Boson Anomaly, New Explanation for 'Oumuamua, Hydrogen Airplane Test Flight & More!

Today we’ll talk a new explanation for the interstellar object Oumuamua, what’s up with the W-boson anomaly, two new institutes founded by NASA, an airplane powered by hydrogen, a gigapixel 3D microscope, vaccinations without the needles, concrete that talks, nano-labels, and of course the telephone will ring.

Transcript, references, and discussion on Patreon.

Collective Stupidity

When we come together in groups we can be so much more than the sum of the parts. But sometimes groups are just much more stupid. Collective stupidity is the flipside of collective intelligence, and we see it a lot on social media. Why are groups sometimes collectively stupid and sometimes not? What can we do to be more intelligent in groups? In this video I explain the most important points.



Transcript, references, and discussion on Patreon.

Science News March 22

Today we’ll talk about a new comet, drone deliveries, how the hydrogen economy could actually make global warming worse, a better way to control spin qubits, modular robots that could work on the moon, soft crystals, how to turn a phone into a fluorescent microscope, and of course, the telephone will ring.

Transcript, references, and discussion on Patreon.

The Race to Nuclear Fustion: Start-up Overview

In this video we survey the biggest and most interesting nuclear fusion startups which want to make nuclear fusion commercially relevant. What are the different approaches, how far along are they, and what are the pros and cons. This video has been in the works for months and it's the longest video we've made so far, almost half an hour, so I hope you have a comfortable seat!



Transcript, references, and discussion on Patreon.

Science News March 15: What's Up With the New Superconductor Breakthrough?

Today we’ll talk about a potential breakthrough in room temperature superconductivity, new clues about the origin of water on Earth, the best ever model of our geological past, a recent report on academic freedom, an image of the moon taken with a meta-lens, hybrid coral reefs, a new institution dedicated to finding the origin of life in the universe, the first cross-country storage for carbon dioxide, and of course, the telephone will ring.

Transcript, references, and discussion on Patreon.

I believe chatbots partly understand what they chat about. Let me explain.

I used to think that today's so-called "artificial intelligences" are actually pretty dumb. But I've recently changed my mind. In this video I want to explain why I think that they do understand some of what they do, if not very much. And since I was already freely speculating, I have added some thoughts about how the situation with AIs is going to develop.



Transcript, references, and discussion on Patreon.

Science News March 8: A new LHC anomaly

Today we’ll talk about a new LHC anomaly, wakefield acceleration, nuclear fusion progress, how to look around corners in augmented reality, the largest magnetic fields we’ve ever seen, engineers who have designed better wood, birds that change their colour, metamaterials that guide robots, and of course, the telephone will ring.

Transcript, references, and discussion on Patreon.

Marijuana: Legalize or not?

In this video we have collected all you need to know about cannabis and marijuana. What are the risks and benefits of marijuana? Is it a good idea to legalize it? We go through the pros and cons.



Transcript, references, and discussion on Patreon.

Webb finds galaxies too big to exist. Science News March 1

Today we’ll talk about computers made of human brain cells, galaxies that are too big to exist, how the Brits prevented a global chocolate disaster, what the Milky Way’s black hole is having for dinner, how to get radioactive compounds out of water, an impossibly efficient light sensor, better lithium-air batteries, Google’s second milestone on the way to quantum computing, and of course, the telephone will ring.

Transcript, references, and discussion on Patreon.