Nations realise they need to take risks or lose the race to the Moon

There’s intense competition between the US and China to establish bases on the Moon.

Jacco van Loon, Reader in Astrophysics, Keele University • conversation
June 17, 2024 • ~8 min

Apple insists its ChatGPT tie-up will protect users’ privacy: here are the questions it must answer first

When Apple finally unveiled its AI strategy at its developers’ conference, Elon Musk and privacy activists began raising alarm bells.

Jide Edu, Lecturer in Computer and Information Sciences, University of Strathclyde • conversation
June 14, 2024 • ~5 min

Welcome to the age of space scepticism – and a growing revolt against elites

Billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are among those most vocal about the benefits of exploring, mining and colonising space.

Tony Milligan, Research Fellow in the Philosophy of Ethics, Cosmological Visionaries project, King's College London • conversation
June 5, 2024 • ~8 min

What is ‘techno-optimism’? 2 technology scholars explain the ideology that says technology is the answer to every problem

Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen is one of this concept’s biggest enthusiasts.

Jean Hardy, Assistant Professor of Media & Information, Michigan State University • conversation
April 24, 2024 • ~6 min

Elon Musk’s brain implant company offers an intriguing glimpse of an internet connecting human minds

Could the technology move beyond medical applications and into wide use?

Allan McCay, Academic Fellow, University of Sydney Law School, University of Sydney • conversation
March 15, 2024 • ~7 min

Spacesuits need a major upgrade for the next phase of exploration

The next generation of spacesuit needs to do more than simply protect an astronaut from the vacuum of space.

Yang Gao, Professor of Robotics, Head of Centre for Robotics Research, King's College London • conversation
March 6, 2024 • ~7 min

The brain is the most complicated object in the universe. This is the story of scientists’ quest to decode it – and read people’s minds

As Elon Musk’s Neuralink begins inserting chips into human brains, we trace the history of ‘mind reading’ technology and assess the potential risks and rewards

Timo Istace, PhD Researcher in Neurotechnology and the Law, University of Antwerp • conversation
Feb. 7, 2024 • ~30 min

China's WeChat is all-encompassing but low-key − a Chinese media scholar explains the Taoist philosophy behind the everything app's design

The design philosophy of the everything app WeChat may seem paradoxical, being simultaneously pervasive and inconspicuous. But this idea of “everythingness” goes back to ancient Taoist philosophy.

Jianqing Chen, Assistant Professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures and of Film and Media Studies, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis • conversation
Oct. 4, 2023 • ~8 min

In future, we'll see fewer generic AI chatbots like ChatGPT and more specialised ones that are tailored to our needs

Training AI systems with more focused data sets can target them to a specific use.

Stuart Mills, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Leeds • conversation
Sept. 20, 2023 • ~8 min

X users will need protection after the 'block' feature is removed – here's why businesses are better than people at moderating negative comments

Some users fear an uptick in hostile content following the removal of the feature.

Denitsa Dineva, Lecturer in Marketing and Strategy, Cardiff University • conversation
Aug. 29, 2023 • ~8 min

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