Science and Technology Briefs: AI Viruses, Contagious Cancer, and Space Sugar
Recent scientific discoveries and technological developments ranging from AI-generated viruses to space sugar and medical tech.
L'essentiel
Recent developments highlight scientific and technological advances, including researchers using AI to create new viruses, the discovery of contagious cancer in freshwater fish, and a new device easing nasal swabs.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
A collection of short summaries highlighting recent breakthroughs and events in science, technology, and health.
Scientists Used AI to Create 16 New Viruses
The use of AI systems to create viruses opens up new possibilities for combating bacterial resistance. It also raises concerns about the pace at welchen technology is outstripping regulation.
Contagious Cancer Found in North American Catfish
Scientists identified the first known cancer transmissible among freshwater fish in a lake that spans the US and Canada.
Astronomers Have Found a Sugar Molecule in Deep Space for the First Time Ever
Researchers identified traces of erythrulose, a monosaccharide, thousands of light-years away.
A New Device Eases One of the Most Annoying Parts of Routine Physicals
Nobody likes getting a swab shoved up their nose. A startup in Japan has developed a much less intrusive system.
Prompt Injection Attacks Are Thwarting AI Hacking Agents
“Context bombing” tricks malicious AI agents into shutting down before they can do harm.
An Extreme Solar Storm May Be Even More Devastating Than Previously Imagined
Scientists have long assumed that there’s an upper limit to the intensity of the solar winds that reach Earth. New research suggests there’s not—and the implications are alarming.
A Sneaky Hacking Tool Targeting AI Infrastructure Is Lurking in Victims’ Blind Spots
A new type of malware can worm deep into AI coding systems to steal data and logins—and can flip a “death switch” to destroy files and keep out real users.
Measles Is Becoming So Common That Treatments May Soon Be Needed
As the US sees its highest number of measles cases in decades and vaccination rates fall, researchers are developing drugs to help those who contract the virus or who are particularly vulnerable.
Scientists’ Side Hustle? Using AI and Quantum Computing to Generate New Peptides
Researchers cobbled together funding and time to show how quantum computing could aid in the development of drugs to help underserved populations and combat rare diseases.
AI Scammers Are Better at Building Trust Than Humans
Researchers pitted a person against a Claude agent and found that, after a week of texting, the AI chatbot was more effective at creating “exploitable trust” with others.
An Inventor of Apple’s FaceID Wants to Analyze Your Brain’s Health With AI
Gidi Littwin’s new AI startup, Hemispheric, makes diagnostic brain scans for conditions like depression, PTSD, and Parkinson’s. He wants the technology to be as cheap and easy as for a blood test.
Questions ouvertes
- What regulations will be implemented for AI-generated viruses?
- How will the new brain-scanning startup perform in clinical settings?
