Rapid tech innovation brings AI closer to consciousness

The latest large language models appear to question, display emotion, convey preference, possess independent thought, and even offer wisdom. Is this still algorithms, or something deeper?

Marco Mossad

Reviving the Great Barrier Reef

"I recommend getting inside the net. It's very good for you," jokes marine ecologist Peter Harrison. "It's good for your skin, it's good for your clothes." The net in question is a giant, slimy…

Donna Lu

The Year That Changed the Internet

For years, social-media platforms had held firm: Just because a post was false didn’t mean it was their place to do anything about it. But 2020 changed their minds. At the end of May, Twitter…

Evelyn Douek

Vaccine Nationalism Reigns Supreme

At this historic moment in time, the COVID-19 global pandemic has already caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives and disrupted the lives of billions more. Introduction of a vaccine is…

Al Majalla - London

Moral Virtue in the Time of Cholera

In April, British Prime MinisterBoris Johnsonbecame one of the first high-profile world leaders to contract the novel coronavirus. He was hospitalized for about a week, including several nervous days…

David Rosner

The End of the Pandemic Is Now in Sight

For all that scientists have done to tame the biological world, there are still things that lie outside the realm of human knowledge. The coronavirus was one such alarming reminder, when it emerged…

Sarah Zhang