Thursday, January 22, 2026

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When generative AI was left to its own devices, its outputs landed on a set of generic images – what researchers called ‘visual elevator music.’ Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images

Tech

AI-induced cultural stagnation is no longer speculation − it’s already happening

Staff Writer - January 22, 2026

Using multiple digital devices at once can be highly distracting and overstimulating. Riska/E+ via Getty Images

Tech

Why ‘unwinding’ with screens may be making us more stressed – here’s what to try instead

Tiny insulating layers inside electronics help store charge so computers can run smoothly. bee32/iStock via Getty Images

Tech

An ultrathin coating for electronics looked like a miracle insulator − but a hidden leak fooled researchers for over a decade

AI image and video generators now produce fully lifelike content. AI-generated image by Siwei Lyu using Google Gemini 3

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Deepfakes leveled up in 2025 – here’s what’s coming next

AI agents have emerged from the lab, bringing promise and peril. tadamichi/iStock via Getty Images

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AI agents arrived in 2025 – here’s what happened and the challenges ahead in 2026

How people behave is a critical element of how cities function. Ahmed Deeb/picture alliance via Getty Images

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From concrete to community: How synthetic data can make urban digital...

Staff Writer - November 30, 2025

ChatGPT has become the go-to app for hundreds of millions of people. AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato

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The ChatGPT effect: In 3 years the AI chatbot has changed...

Staff Writer - November 25, 2025

Colorado was first to pass comprehensive AI legislation in the U.S. wildpixel/Getty Images

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Colorado is pumping the brakes on first-of-its-kind AI regulation to find...

Staff Writer - November 21, 2025

Caveat emptor. Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

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$2B Counter-Strike 2 crash exposes a legal black hole: Your digital...

Staff Writer - November 21, 2025

These faces are fake – generated by artificial intelligence – but useful for training other AI systems about human faces. David Beniaguev

Tech

When fake data is a good thing – how synthetic data...

Staff Writer - November 18, 2025

A wider look at ethical questions around generative AI brings in much more than academic integrity. Huaxia Zhou via Getty Images

Tech

Student cheating dominates talk of generative AI in higher ed, but...

Staff Writer - November 17, 2025

The icon has various iterations, but all convey the same meaning: an image should be here. Christopher Schaberg, CC BY-SA

Tech

Why two tiny mountain peaks became one of the internet’s most...

Staff Writer - November 15, 2025

Closely examining the claims companies make about a product can help you separate hype from reality. Flavio Coelho/Moment via Getty Images

Tech

New technologies like AI come with big claims – borrowing the...

Staff Writer - November 12, 2025

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EXPLORING NATURE

SpaceX’s Starship rocket launches in August 2025. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images

Business

Superheavy-lift rockets like SpaceX’s Starship could transform astronomy by making space...

Staff Writer - January 11, 2026

Martin Elvis, Smithsonian Institution After a string of dramatic failures, the huge Starship rocket from SpaceX had a fully...

Skiers and snowboarders walk across dry ground to reach a slope at Bear Mountain ski resort on Dec. 21, 2025, in California. Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The western US is in a snow drought, and storms have...

January 8, 2026

Solar power has been expanding quickly, but natural gas is also booming. Gerard Julien/AFP via Getty Images

The battle over a global energy transition is on between petro-states...

January 6, 2026

Why did this community burn one woman’s remains in such a visible, spectacular way? Patrick Fahey

Oldest known cremation in Africa poses 9,500-year-old mystery about Stone Age...

January 3, 2026

Eaton fire survivors gather in Altadena, Calif., to talk about recovery six months after the LA fires. Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

LA fires showed how much neighborliness matters for wildfire safety –...

December 31, 2025