The promise of artificial intelligence is that it will make decisions faster. But what happens if it makes bad decisions faster? We are trying to replicate human skills that have evolved for millions of years, and yet we cannot predict accurately what decisions AI will come up with. Just say AI progresses to a point where …
What is it about Greta Thunberg that makes people so angry?. How can a 16-year-old in plaits, who has dedicated herself to the not unreasonable cause of saving the planet, inspire such incandescent rage? Following her recent speech to the UN, in which she excoriated world leaders for their lack of action, her critics were …
We concentrate on the obvious places where dictators thrive and warfare kills thousands, but tend not to note the stress experienced by the people of Greenland, who are struggling to cope with global warming, which is totally altering their way of life. More than 90% of Greenlanders accept that the climate is changing, while 76% are …
From Tony Dale, Oxford, UK, in reply to a letter in New Scientist dated May 25 Contrary to what Graham Lawton seems to suggest, population isn’t a fringe or a taboo issue, at least not in schools in England. Geography deals with it in depth. It is discussed as “population change” rather than “population growth”. …
Continue reading ‘Geography teachers do deal with population’ »
Walter Isaacson, biographer ofAlbert Einstein, writes the following (page 550): Perhaps the most important aspect of his personality was his willingness to be non- conformist. “The theme I recognise in Galileo’s work” , he said, “ is the passionate fight against any kind of dogma based on authority”. Plank, Poincare and Lorentz all came close …
