Deepfake Algorithms Just Got Even Smarter, And a Whole Lot Creepier
The reminder to not believe everything we see has never been more relevant than now. In the latest video manipulation advance, researchers have worked out how to turn written text…
Scientists Are Scared a ‘Rogue’ Country Could Start a Geoengineering War
Earth’s temperatures are on track to blow past the objectives set in the Paris climate agreement. Last year was the fourth warmest on record for surface temperatures and the hottest…
There’s a Major Flaw in How We Look at Smartphone “Addiction”, Says New Study
Smartphone addiction does not seem like a questionable thing to believe in. It exists. Surely it does, doesn’t it? After all, there’s a Wikipedia page on it. The New York…
Watch as This Lightweight Foam Material Stops Bullets as Effectively as Steel
Scientists have demonstrated a lightweight type of foam made of hollow metallic spheres that can withstand the incredible impact of .50 calibre rounds: the kinds of bullets fired by heavy…
China Could Restrict Export of Crucial Rare-Earth Elements as The Trade-War Escalates
Electric car motors, iPhones, military jet engines, batteries, and satellites all have something in common: They require rare-earth elements to function. Rare-earth elements are a group of 17 metals that…
This Crazy Fuel Efficient Plane Design Has Passengers Sitting in Its Wings
The Dutch airline KLM is funding the development of a V-shaped aeroplane designed to seat passengers in its wings to make it more fuel-efficient, the company announced Monday. Its futuristic…
After 40 Years of Searching, Scientists Identify The Key Flaw in Solar Panel Efficiency
Solar panels are fantastic pieces of technology, but we need to work out how to make them even more efficient – and scientists just solved a 40-year-old mystery around one…
Twitter Use Decreases Students’ Test Scores, So What’s It Doing to The Rest of Us?
Twitter, used by 126 million people daily and now ubiquitous in some industries, has vowed to reform itself after being enlisted as a tool of misinformation and hate. But new…
This Creepy AI Predicts What You Look Like Based on Your Voice
A new artificial intelligence created by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology pulls off a staggering feat: by analyzing only a short audio clip of a person’s voice, it…
Laptop Infected With 6 of History’s Most Dangerous Viruses Just Sold For $1.3 Million
You wouldn’t ordinarily want to seek out a computer with viruses installed, but that’s exactly what the winner of a US$1.345 million auction just did – picking up a laptop…
Newly Released Amazon Patent Shows Just How Much Creepier Alexa Can Get
A newly revealed patent application filed by Amazon is raising privacy concerns over an envisaged upgrade to the company’s smart speaker systems. This change would mean that, by default, the…
Apple Fanboy Says He Hacked The Tech Giant’s Server Twice Because He Wanted a Job
An Australian teenager and self-proclaimed Apple fanboy – who can’t be identified for legal reasons – has been found guilty of hacking into Apple’s systems in 2015 and 2017. The…
Samsung’s Creepy New AI Can Generate Talking Deepfakes From a Single Image
Our deepfake problem is about to get worse: Samsung engineers have now developed realistic talking heads that can be generated from a single image, so AI can even put words…
New Artificial Photosynthesis Breakthrough Uses Gold to Turn CO2 Into Liquid Fuel
Scientists have developed a new way of achieving artificial photosynthesis, producing high-energy hydrocarbons by leveraging electron-rich gold nanoparticles as a catalyst. In photosynthesis, plants convert energy from sunlight into glucose…
An Entire US City Is Being Held Hostage by Cybercriminals
The city of Baltimore is under attack, but not by someone armed with guns or bombs. Two weeks ago, cybercriminals used ransomware known as RobinHood to seize control of about…
These Mind-Boggling Images Are a Reminder of How Far Technology Has Come
Sometimes, while waiting for quantum computers to become a thing, or complaining that your stupid laptop keeps dying on 5 percent battery, it’s easy to forget just how far technology…
Scientists Just Built a Laser From Sound Waves That Can Help Us Detect Weak Forces
Most people are familiar with optical lasers through their experience with laser pointers. But what about a laser made from sound waves? What makes optical laser light different from a…