The ‘best comet of the year’ is finally here – here’s everything you need to know
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) is expected to be the brightest spectacle of 2024. Our charts will help you find it in the night sky. …
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Science/Technology
What are ‘rent tech’ platforms? Action on reining in these exploitative tools is long overdue
Rental technology platforms force renters to pay for costly background checks, collect too much personal data and use opaque algorithms to ‘score’ applicants. …
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Octopuses work together with fish to hunt – and the way they share decisions is surprisingly complex
Scientists thought fish might simply be freeloading off the hard work of a hunting octopus. Now, it looks like it’s a true team effort. …
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Humanity needs more rare earth elements. Extinct volcanoes could be a rich new source
Rare earth elements aren’t necessarily rare – they’re just difficult to find in economically viable deposits. …
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The internet can be toxic. But there are also online oases where mutual care flourishes
The rest of the internet can learn a lot from online ‘informal networks’. …
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How did they get my data? I uncovered the hidden web of networks behind telemarketers
After receiving dozens of unwanted calls from telemarketers, I started to investigate. …
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OpenAI’s data hunger raises privacy concerns
A string of recent deals by the cutting-edge AI company suggest an interest in large amounts of behavioural, health and biometric data. …
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‘Side job, self-employed, high-paid’: behind the AI slop flooding TikTok and Facebook
In places like India, Vietnam and China, churning out weird AI videos is the latest side hustle for students and stay-at-home mothers. …
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Astronomers just detected the biggest black hole jets ever seen – and named them Porphyrion
Astronomers have found a true colossus of a jet in the night sky, over 100 times larger than our galaxy. It’s almost perfectly straight, which presents a puzzle. …
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How do ecosystems collapse? Our study shows evolution plays a role – and can delay a disaster
It’s not easy to tell when a dynamic system, filled with life, might reach a point of no return. …
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