Feedback is 快猫短视频鈥檚 popular sideways look at the latest science and technology news. You can submit items you believe may amuse readers to Feedback by emailing feedback@newscientist.com
Electric dreams
Recently, Feedback was delighted to peruse the raciest conference invitation we have ever received. We get a lot of conference invites from organisers labouring under the delusion we are doing something akin to science journalism, and they are mostly a little prosaic: what鈥檚 new in G-protein signalling, more findings about the biology of molluscs, that kind of thing. But not this one, about an upcoming event in Shaoxing, China.
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Here is the opening line: 鈥淔rom its groundbreaking inception in London to its spectacular evolution in the vibrant heart of China, the Conference is gearing up for its most thrilling chapters yet: its landmark 12th International edition, scheduled for June 2026.鈥�
Before you start to imagine a sort of cybernetic Sodom and Gomorrah, remember: this is an academic conference, albeit one with TED Talk levels of hype. We are told to 鈥減repare for a dazzling convergence of visionary scientists, renowned researchers, and revolutionary thinkers who are redefining human intimacy through cutting-edge robotics and AI鈥�. Furthermore, 鈥渁ttendees will experience mind-blowing revelations, groundbreaking demonstrations, and provocative discussions that boldly explore the future of love, companionship, and technology鈥�.
Elsewhere, the invite describes the conference as an 鈥渆lectrifying event鈥�: we trust not literally. Then again, it encourages 鈥溾��, so who knows?
Studying the conference website, Feedback learned it has a 鈥淪upreme Council鈥� that 鈥済uides the conference vision and direction鈥�. All five of its members are men: make of that what you will. The 鈥淪upreme Leader鈥� (we promise we aren鈥檛 making this up) is one David Levy, who long-time 快猫短视频 readers may recall as the author of the 2007 book Love and Sex With Robots. Our reviewer said Levy鈥檚 鈥渆nthusiasm for the carnal aspects of robotics leads him so often into the absurd that it鈥檚 hard to take his arguments seriously鈥�.
Still, the conference organisers clearly know what they鈥檙e about. The invite announces that 鈥渢his is the conference the whole world will be talking about鈥�, and here Feedback is, talking about it.
Drone defence
In a recent 快猫短视频, contributor David Hambling asked: 鈥淐an any nation protect against a Ukraine-style drone-smuggling attack?鈥� (21 June, p 8). Hambling discussed building physical barriers like nets or 鈥渉ardened aircraft shelters鈥�, using electronic jamming to disrupt the drones, and 鈥渒inetic measures, otherwise known as shooting down the drones鈥� 鈥� ultimately concluding that it was all a bit difficult.
Which is all very well, but reader Robert Bull points out that the answer was right there in the first expert cited in the story: security and counterterrorism professional Robert Bunker.
Cheesed off
US news editor Sophie Bushwick sent Feedback a truly chilling press release: 鈥溾��. Please, we thought, for the love of all that鈥檚 dairy, let this not be true. We have so few joys in life. Don鈥檛 delete the cheeses.
The press release led us to a study in Frontiers in Psychology, titled 鈥溾��. If you are confused by the reference to rarebit, you may be insufficiently Welsh: rarebit, the authors explain, is 鈥渁 spicy melted cheese toast鈥�.
The authors wanted to know if certain foods really do affect your sleep, as folk mythology would suggest. They surveyed 1082 people online and found that about a fifth believed that certain foods improved or worsened their sleep, and a smaller fraction believed they affected dreams. At this point, Feedback was mildly unimpressed, because all this demonstrates is that some people believe that some foods affect sleep, which, we cannot emphasise strongly enough, isn鈥檛 the same as it being true.
However, the paper goes deeper 鈥� or perhaps off the deep end. The researchers found a strong link between reports of having worse nightmares and reports of lactose intolerance, leading them to suggest that lactose-intolerant people are having more nightmares because of the painful symptoms they experience after eating cheese.
At this point, Feedback facepalmed so hard we left a mark. Lactose is, of course, the sugar found in milk, which, until relatively recently, could only be digested by babies. In the past few millennia, some populations evolved the ability to digest lactose as adults: those without this trait are lactose-intolerant, and drinking milk makes them agonisingly poorly.
The thing is, most cheeses are quite low in lactose. The process of cheese-making removes the lactose, which might be why early pastoralist groups invented it: cheese was a way to guzzle dairy without the subsequent anguish. It therefore seems unlikely that a bit of cheese before bed would cause a lactose-intolerant person to have a terrible night.
What a journey we鈥檝e been on. You thought this was just a funny story about cheese, but it鈥檚 actually a stealth launch for a new recurring item: Feedback鈥檚 Pet Peeves, in which we will outline the many trifling hills upon which we are prepared to die. You have been warned.
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You can send stories to Feedback by email at feedback@newscientist.com. Please include your home address. This week鈥檚 and past Feedbacks can be seen on our website.
