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Google DeepMind is making its AI text watermark open source

SynthID introduces additional information at the point of generation by changing the probability that tokens will be generated, explains Kohli.  To detect the watermark and determine whether text has been generated by... Read more »

What do jumping spiders find sexy? How DIY tech is offering insights into the animal mind.

The raccoon smart box Why are raccoons so good at city living? One theory is that it’s because they’re flexible thinkers. To test this idea, UC Berkeley cognitive ecologist Lauren Stanton adapted... Read more »

The Download: introducing the Food issue

What are we going to eat? It is the eternal question. We humans have been asking ourselves this for as long as we have been human. The question itself can be tedious,... Read more »

Introducing: The AI Hype Index

There’s no denying that the AI industry moves fast. Each week brings a bold new announcement, product release, or lofty claim that pushes the bounds of what we previously thought was possible.... Read more »

GMOs could reboot chestnut trees

“It’s a hard time to be a tree. But there’s some really interesting promise and hope.” It is this genetically engineered strain of chestnut that American Castanea, too, is now planting and... Read more »

Green Revolution redux

Beyond reducing time to market, modern plant engineering efforts have shifted from yield per plant—a hallmark of the Green Revolution—to yield per acre. Slotkin cites corn: “By removing what’s called shade avoidance... Read more »

A Note from the Editor

This issue is all about food, and more to the point, how we can use technology—high tech and low tech—to feed more people.  Jonathan W. Rosen explores how some in Africa are... Read more »

The algorithms around us

Lofty predictions aside, the book is a useful guide to navigating AI. That includes understanding its downsides. Anyone who’s played around with ChatGPT or its ilk, for instance, knows that these models... Read more »

Why collagen lasts

The most abundant protein in animals, collagen is fibrous, made from long strands of protein that intertwine to form a tough triple helix. “Collagen is the scaffold that holds us together,” says... Read more »

An implantable sensor could prevent opioid deaths

“The most challenging aspect of developing an engineering solution to prevent overdose mortality is simultaneously addressing patient adherence and willingness to adopt new technology, combating stigma, minimizing false positive detections, and ensuring... Read more »