METABLOKS / SCIENCE

Futurism

Google-Backed Chatbots Suddenly Start Ranting Incomprehensibly About Dildos

Screenshots shared online by users of the popular AI companion platform Charaacter.AI show conversations with the site's AI-powered chatbot characters devolving into bizarre gibberish, complete with the melding of several different languages — and the occasional mention of sex toys. "So I was talking ...

7 hours ago

Futurism

Google-Backed Chatbots Suddenly Start Ranting Incomprehensibly About Dildos

Futurism

LA Wildfires May Have Contributed to David Lynch’s Death

Beloved "Mulholland Drive" director David Lynch lived just off of that titular Hollywood street — and his death may well have been related to the wildfires that blazed nearby. Sources close to the director told Deadline that Lynch "took a turn for the worse" after being forced to evacuate his house ...

7 hours ago

Futurism

LA Wildfires May Have Contributed to David Lynch’s Death

Science - The Verge

SpaceX’s fiery Starship explosion put on a fantastic show but delayed and diverted flights

The falling debris field from the SpaceX Starship explosion lit up the night sky over the Caribbean, | Screenshot: YouTube Falling debris from the SpaceX Starship explosion yesterday created what looked like a meteor shower, or a colorful fireworks show based on videos shared ...

8 hours ago

Science - The Verge

SpaceX’s fiery Starship explosion put on a fantastic show but delayed and diverted flights

Futurism

NASA Posts Touching Tribute to the Late David Lynch

Dream Weaver In the wake of celebrated surrealist director David Lynch's death at the age of 78, NASA has joined the throngs of mourners celebrating the life of the "Mulholland Drive" and "Blue Velvet" auteur. "Keep your eye on the donut," the space agency wrote in a post on X-formerly-Twitter, "and ...

9 hours ago

Futurism

NASA Posts Touching Tribute to the Late David Lynch

Futurism

Americans Flood Chinese App RedNote, Discover Its Users Are Obsessed With Luigi Mangione

Pitch Perfect On China's RedNote social network, alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione is striking a chord. As folks on X-formerly-Twitter have documented, the so-called "TikTok refugees" preemptively rushing to Chinese social media ahead of the slated banning of the video app in the states are discovering ...

9 hours ago

Futurism

Americans Flood Chinese App RedNote, Discover Its Users Are Obsessed With Luigi Mangione

Futurism

Greedy Landlords Are Massively Price-Gouging Rents After LA Wildfires

No Shame As Angelenos look to rebuild and recoup in the wake of the region's devastating wildfires, landlords are taking advantage of their misery. As the Los Angeles Times and other outlets report, landlords are, in some cases, hiking prices tens of thousands of dollars or 100 percent more than what ...

11 hours ago

Futurism

Greedy Landlords Are Massively Price-Gouging Rents After LA Wildfires

Science - The Verge

A giant battery power plant is on fire in California

MOSS LANDING, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 17: A fire erupted at Moss Landing Power Plant on Thursday. | Photo: Getty Images A fire broke out at the Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility in Central California Thursday. The battery power plant is the largest in the world according to the ...

12 hours ago

Science - The Verge

A giant battery power plant is on fire in California

Futurism

Zuckerberg’s Instagram Is Hosting AI Fetish Videos of "Asian Amputees"

On Mark Zuckerberg's Instagram, a thinly-veiled AI fetish account called "Asian Amputees" has more than 100,000 followers — and under Meta's new content rules, that's A-OK. Using hashtags like amputeegirl, the self-described "Asian amputee beauty ai" account posts under the name Nok. The account's ...

12 hours ago

Futurism

Zuckerberg’s Instagram Is Hosting AI Fetish Videos of "Asian Amputees"

New York Times Science

Rain-Collecting Rattlesnakes Give New Meaning to ‘Thirst Trap’

A new study reveals the surprising ways rattlesnakes have evolved to collect water in the desert.

13 hours ago

New York Times Science

Rain-Collecting Rattlesnakes Give New Meaning to ‘Thirst Trap’

WIRED Science

Can You Get Rich Using a Raspberry Pi to Mine Cryptocurrency?

The profit margin on crypto mining is all about the physics of computers and energy conversion.

14 hours ago

WIRED Science

Can You Get Rich Using a Raspberry Pi to Mine Cryptocurrency?

WIRED Science

See 6 Planets Align on January 21

Alignments of five or more planets are rare—there will be two more featuring five or more planets this year, but after that the next won’t happen until 2040.

16 hours ago

WIRED Science

See 6 Planets Align on January 21

New York Times Science

SpaceX Starship Rocket Is Lost During 7th Test Launch, Causing Debris to Fall

While Elon Musk’s spaceflight company repeated a spectacular catch of its powerful booster stage, the upper stage experienced a catastrophic malfunction.

24 hours ago

New York Times Science

SpaceX Starship Rocket Is Lost During 7th Test Launch, Causing Debris to Fall

Science - The Verge

SpaceX catches Starship booster for a second time but loses the spacecraft

Screenshot: SpaceX SpaceX successfully caught its Super Heavy booster for the second time. During Starship’s 7th test flight from Boca Chica, Texas, Super Heavy descended into the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms, allowing it to grab the booster. Despite the successful ...

1 day ago

Science - The Verge

SpaceX catches Starship booster for a second time but loses the spacecraft

WIRED Science

An Entire Book Was Written in DNA—and You Can Buy It for $60

What may be the first commercially available book saved in DNA is the latest example of how consumers might use molecular data storage.

1 day ago

WIRED Science

An Entire Book Was Written in DNA—and You Can Buy It for $60

New York Times Science

Jeff Bezos’ Successful Blue Origin Launch Silences Skeptics

The successful flight to orbit of the Amazon founder’s powerful rocket suggests it could grow into a credible competitor with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

1 day ago

New York Times Science

Jeff Bezos’ Successful Blue Origin Launch Silences Skeptics

Science - The Verge

FDA bans use of Red Dye No. 3 in foods

Red Dye No. 3 is used in certain candy, desserts, frostings, and other treats. | Photo by Lisa Wiltse/Corbis via Getty Images The US Food and Drug Administration is banning the use of Red Dye No. 3 in food, drinks, and medication, the agency announced Wednesday. The dye, which ...

1 day ago

Science - The Verge

FDA bans use of Red Dye No. 3 in foods

WIRED Science

Check Out These Extraordinary New Images of Mercury

New photos of Mercury taken during the joint European and Japanese BepiColombo mission reveal fascinating details of the small rocky planet.

1 day ago

WIRED Science

Check Out These Extraordinary New Images of Mercury

New York Times Science

Extinct Human Species Lived in a Brutal Desert, Study Finds

A million years ago, a species known as Homo erectus most likely survived in an arid desert with no trees.

1 day ago

New York Times Science

Extinct Human Species Lived in a Brutal Desert, Study Finds

WIRED Science

Why It’s So Confusing to Determine Air Quality in Los Angeles Right Now

Calculating air pollution from wildfires and other events has become more complicated. That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily more accurate.

1 day ago

WIRED Science

Why It’s So Confusing to Determine Air Quality in Los Angeles Right Now

Science - The Verge

Bezos’ Blue Origin successfully launches SpaceX rival

New Glenn launching from Cape Canaveralthis morning. | Image: Blue Origin The billionaire space race entered a new phase today when Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin successfully launched its 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. At 2:03AM ET this morning, New ...

1 day ago

Science - The Verge

Bezos’ Blue Origin successfully launches SpaceX rival

Science - The Verge

Blue Origin prepares for a high-stakes New Glenn launch

Image: Blue Origin Following a scrubbed launch attempt and weather-related delays, Blue Origin will once again try to send its New Glenn rocket into space for the first time. During the attempt, the Jeff Bezos-owned space company aims to reach orbit, helping to further its goals ...

2 days ago

Science - The Verge

Blue Origin prepares for a high-stakes New Glenn launch

WIRED Science

Los Angeles Needs to Fireproof Communities, Not Just Houses

After the devastation of the Los Angeles fires, officials are ready to rebuild. But defending against future fires requires thinking about more than buildings.

2 days ago

WIRED Science

Los Angeles Needs to Fireproof Communities, Not Just Houses

New York Times Science

Monterey Bay Aquarium Director Julie Packard to Retire

Julie Packard discusses highlights of her four decades with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which she has led since it opened. She’s now stepping back from the role.

2 days ago

New York Times Science

Monterey Bay Aquarium Director Julie Packard to Retire

New York Times Science

Celtic Women Held Sway in ‘Matrilocal’ Societies

An ancient cemetery reveals a Celtic tribe that lived in England 2,000 years ago and that was organized around maternal lineages, according to a DNA analysis.

2 days ago

New York Times Science

Celtic Women Held Sway in ‘Matrilocal’ Societies