Scientists have just resurrected “ELIZA,” the world’s first chatbot, from long-lost computer code — and it still works extremely well. Using dusty printouts from MIT archives, these “software archaeologists” discovered defunct code that had been lost for 60 years and brought it back to life. ELIZA was developed in the 1960s by MIT professor Joseph … Read more
Engineers have showcased a prototype electric vehicle (EV) that can drive for up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) per day using just solar power. The new solar-powered car, called the Aptera Launch Edition, also offers up to 400 miles (640 km) of range from a single charge via an electrical output, company representatives said in … Read more
Chinese scientists have announced a plan to build an enormous, 0.6 mile (1 kilometer) wide solar power station in space that will beam continuous energy back to Earth via microwaves. The project, which will see its components lofted to a geostationary orbit above Earth using super-heavy rockets, has been dubbed “another Three Gorges Dam project … Read more
How fast do humans think? According to a new study, it’s slower than you might expect. The peripheral nervous system — the network of nerves that deliver information between the brain and the body — takes in environmental information at over a billion bits per second, a speed comparable to a lightning-fast internet connection. But … Read more
A set of 16th-century royal burial regalia concealed in a niche under a staircase for nearly a century has been recovered from the Vilnius Cathedral in Lithuania. The gold crowns, rings and other accessories have been missing since 1939, when they were hidden at the start of World War II. A team of experts found … Read more
Time travel has long been dismissed as impossible due in part to the infamous “grandfather paradox.” This conundrum asks what would happen if someone traveled back in time and prevented their grandfather from having children, thus erasing the traveler’s existence. However, a new study may have resolved this issue. By combining general relativity, quantum mechanics, … Read more
The innermost Earth-like planet in the famous TRAPPIST-1 system might be capable of supporting a thick atmosphere after all, according to new research. Since the system of seven tightly-packed, Earth-sized worlds was discovered in 2017, huddled in remarkable harmony just 40 light-years from Earth, astronomers have tried to determine whether any support atmosphere, which is … Read more
All over the world, frogs are being wiped out by the chytrid fungus. At least 500 species have declined, including as many as 90 species now presumed extinct. This catastrophic and ongoing biodiversity loss surpasses the devastation wrought by other notorious invasive species such as cats, rats and even cane toads. Short of removing species … Read more
Earth has existed for 4.54 billion years, and during that time, our planet has undergone a number of violent transitions. This makes it difficult for researchers to find out what happened during Earth’s early history, as most of the evidence was destroyed eons ago. However, scientists have discovered ancient rocks scattered throughout the globe. These … Read more
If you’re worried about humanoid robots taking your job in 2025, rest easy. The few commercially available models are slow, ponderous and best suited to menial jobs that humans hate — think lifting a 20-pound (9 kilograms) object onto a conveyor belt. But things are set to change. By the end of this decade, many … Read more
