Some good reasons to unleash the power of AI
Matthew Sparkes rightly urges governments to speed up putting detail on legislation and regulation to ensure the safe and responsible development of AI. But we shouldn’t only worry about this aspect (11 November, p 11).
Where AI is already safe and responsible, we need to speed up its deployment and impact, as it is proving to be an “intelligence multiplier” in efforts to tackle climate change and the biodiversity crisis. At Arup, the sustainable development firm where I work, we already use AI to help cities cope better with rising rainfall and extreme heat, to avoid carbon emissions and to help track and improve biodiversity.
The destruction of climate and nature is happening now, and we need to harness the power of safe AI if we are to going to stop it.
Sperm oddity won't derail the order of the universe
Last time I checked, our theories of the universe would be down the tubes if anything could truly break Newton’s third law of motion, aka the conservation of momentum (28 October, p 14).
The idea that sperm can do so reminds me of . Upon detailed analysis, the flight mechanism is clear. And, in my view, so is the fluid dynamics involved in sperm propulsion. I don’t believe either involve violations of physical principles as we understand them.
Chatbots may render critical thinking extinct
We know that large language model chatbots can’t be trusted to always tell us the truth. We now find that it is hard to get them to “unlearn” concepts and facts without retraining on “cleaned” data, a wholly impractical task (4 November, p 40).
One wonders what the next problem could be. I suggest it will be a growing realisation that human critical thinking is in decline, as the need to ponder an issue fades. Why bother thinking it through and writing it up if you can just ask a chatbot to do it?
Language's power to shape our mindset is writ large
A novel by Jack Vance pre-empts, to some extent, the language-shapes-mindset view of Caleb Everett in his book A Myriad of Tongues. Vance’s The Languages of Pao tells the story of the placid people of the planet Pao (4 November, p 29).
These people have been invaded, so they adopt three new languages to reform their society and repel the aggressors. One is scientific and leads to more innovation, one is orderly and encourages a strong work ethic, while the third promotes war and violence. This linguistic overhaul allows Pao’s people to oust the invaders and improve their planet’s economy.
Ditch the spritz and keep plants in good health
Previous research I was involved in showed that aerosol sprays don’t linger, as James Wong found with water sprayed on plants. I don’t spray my water-loving plants and haven’t done for years. A stack of Maranta, moth orchids, Nepenthes and Venus flytraps are kept damp with regular light watering at a north facing window and thrive. Slow diffusion of water from a sufficient area of compost and the neighbouring pots is enough to stop even the dangling pitchers from drying out (4 November, p 44).
This history of pathogens holds lessons for today
Researcher Eske Willerslev found Borrelia recurrentis to be the second-most widespread of human zoonotic pathogens during millennia of our history, behind only the plague bacterium. This sets a concerning precedent for other pathogens that originate in animals (28 October, p 8).
In 1982, when Lyme disease was found to be caused by another such species, Borrelia burgdorferi, it demonstrated that a tick-borne illness could infect many humans in modern times.
The existence of Lyme disease shows us that arthropod-spread zoonoses have few natural barriers to prevent their transmission into people if the circumstances are right. There is no reason why another one can’t make a similar move into humans now. In spite of some of today’s mystery illnesses bearing a striking resemblance to Lyme disease, no thought seems to be given to this possibility.
Death of motor industry giant probably helped
I loved Alice Klein’s piece about South Australia’s transition to renewables. I would say it had a bit of unexpected help. South Australia formerly had a major automotive industry. Holden, once Australia’s largest car-maker, ran a huge factory in the Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth. From 2013, it started ramping down production, finally shutting in 2017. This must have removed a substantial load from the state’s electricity grid (28 October, p 36).
Open debate leaves us exposed in modern world
Robert Peck writes that “the fundamental truth is that open, uncensored debate is still the best way to expose and defeat falsehoods”. This only holds true when those debating are truly rational. With 8 billion of us, there are now many who have low levels of rationality and high levels of bias. There are also many people working to exploit this for their own advantage (Letters, 7 October).
Add into the mix a networked world that connects these groups and it becomes clear we live in interesting times.
I'm going to process my cake and eat (most of) it
When it comes to ultra-processed foods, I find myself cooked into a corner. I have made my grandson’s birthday cake using the finest ingredients: dark chocolate, butter, cream, organic flour and so on, but it required a lot of processing by me. Am I condemning him to a life of health misery? I think the answer is to consume most of it myself, as my few remaining years are going to be racked by ill health anyway (28 October, p 40).
For the record
For the solution to puzzle #243 (21 October, p 47), fewer than 31 customers at a time means there won’t be a clash.