Humans Prefer To Walk Anticlockwise, Scientists Find
fjo3 shares a report from The Guardian: Tests reveal that when people are ambling about, they have a natural tendency to turn to the left and walk in an anticlockwise direction. “If you simply ask someone to start walking, whether they are wandering around a museum, a supermarket, or even an empty room, it is surprisingly likely that they will drift counterclockwise,” … ⌘ Read more

Ende einer Ära: BBC streicht Doctor-Who-Weihnachtsspecial
Doctor Who bekommt kein Weihnachtsspecial. Die BBC bereitet stattdessen einen umfassenden Neustart der Serie vor. ( Science-Fiction, Disney)

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NASA Announces Astronauts For Its Artemis III Mission
NASA has named Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio, and Andre Douglas as the crew for Artemis III, which has been reworked from a moon-landing mission into a roughly two-week Earth-orbit test of lunar landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin. NBC News reports: Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas are expected to launch into Earth … ⌘ Read more

Tests Suggest Russian Satellites Can Jam GPS On a Continental Scale
Researchers say mysterious, seconds-long GPS interference bursts detected across Europe appear to come from Russian EKS early-warning satellites, making this “a rare example of human-made GPS interference coming from space,” reports Ars Technica. The signals may be tests of space-based jamming capability, short satellite communications, … ⌘ Read more

Wie in den 80ern: Science-Fiction-Film erscheint zuerst auf VHS
Ein neuer Science-Fiction-Film setzt auf VHS statt Streaming und will damit ein Zeichen gegen die digitale Filmwelt setzen. ( Science-Fiction, Film)

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Jeff Bezos Is Funding a Wild Hunt for the Brain’s ‘Core Algorithm’
Jeff Bezos is backing Flourish, a new “neuro AI” startup with $500 million in funding and a reported $2.5 billion valuation, that aims to reinvent AI by studying the brain’s architecture and building systems that learn continuously while using far less power than today’s large language models. The company’s long-term bet is that neuroscientis … ⌘ Read more

Sciences Po, Paris-I, Toulouse: les facs confrontées à des répressions «inédites»
Agression, distribution massive d’amendes, contrôles d’identité… Pour enrayer les mobilisations syndicales et étudiantes, les universités ont de plus en plus souvent recours à la police, aux dépôts de plainte et aux sanctions disciplinaires, saccageant le principe du débat d’idées. ⌘ Read more

New drug ‘functionally cures’ many hepatitis B virus infections
Article URL: https://www.science.org/content/article/new-drug-functionally-cures-many-hepatitis-b-virus-infections?user_id=66c4bf745d78644b3aa57b08

Comments URL: [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48440463](https://news.ycombinator … ⌘ Read more

Prada Unveils ‘Liquid Cooling’ Inner-Layer Garment for NASA’s Moon Astronauts with Knitted-In Ventilation Tubes
Italian fashion house Prada “unveiled on Sunday the inner-layer garment set to be worn by NASA astronauts heading to the moon,” reports Reuters.

“The body-hugging suit, created in collaboration with Houston-based space infrastructure developer Axiom Spa … ⌘ Read more

The architecture of the internet creates risks for democracy
Article URL: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aei2409

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48438212

Points: 5

# Comments: 0 ⌘ Read more

One-third of year 12 students have dropped this science subject since 2025
While English saw the largest number of overall drop-outs among the 2026 year 12 cohort, its percentage of deserters was eclipsed by another subject. ⌘ Read more

After Empty Promises, Will String Theory Find New Uses?
Science magazine reports:

For decades, string theory promised a “theory of everything” that described all particles and forces as tiny vibrating strings. Physicists hoped it could also solve one of the field’s deepest problems: reconciling quantum mechanics with gravity. But as string theory grew increasingly elaborate — and experimentally unreachable — many phy … ⌘ Read more

Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints
Article URL: https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/06/scientists-ejected-from-diabetes-conference-for-distributing-journal-reprints/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48433410

Points: 9

… ⌘ Read more

Scientists Edited Human Embryo Genes. But Questions Remain
“A DNA-editing feat involving editing the genes of early stage embryos was announced this week,” reports the Wall Street Journal.

They describe the feat as “a far cry from designer babies, but nevertheless a step in that direction.”

Dieter Egli, an associate professor of developmental cell biology at Columbia University and his co-authors, including Nath … ⌘ Read more

Early Research Suggests a Path to Predict and Prevent Lung Cancer
Scientists “have made a discovery that may help prevent some people from developing lung cancer,” reports the New York Times, noting that lung cancer “kills more people worldwide than any other cancer.”

A team of more than 80 researchers working across four continents have identified a set of proteins in the blood that accurately predict lu … ⌘ Read more

Scientists Find Wind Blowing From Our Milky Way’s Black Hole
After 50 years of searching, astronomers say they have finally found evidence of a long-sought “wind” blowing from Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. “Unless a black hole exists in a perfect vacuum, it must blow a wind somehow. And there is no perfect vacuum in the universe,” team co-leader and Northwestern Uni … ⌘ Read more

How a Citizen Science Organization Aims to Preserve the Places It Brings Tourists to Study
The actual eco-friendliness of ecotourism varies considerably. One research station in the Peruvian Amazon is out to prove it can bring visitors to the area without disrupting the environment. ⌘ Read more

ISS Astronauts Told To Prepare For Possible Evacuation Over Air Leak
NASA ordered astronauts on the International Space Station to shelter in their spacecraft and prepare for possible evacuation after a worsening air leak in the Russian Zvezda service module’s transfer tunnel. The Guardian reports: The four astronauts of NASA’s Crew-12 mission on the station – two US astronauts, a French astronaut and … ⌘ Read more

Therabody Promo Codes: 15% Off June 2026
Save on the science-backed devices you’ve been eyeing with 15% off Theragun discount code and 30% off other great deals. ⌘ Read more

Bees Can Use Tools To Solve Problems, Study Finds
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Bumblebees can use tools to solve a problem, according to experiments that demonstrate their remarkably advanced cognitive abilities. The bees were given an adapted version of an experiment that, 100 years ago, first demonstrated chimpanzees could work out how to retrieve an out-of-reach banana by stacking boxes. Since … ⌘ Read more

The Causes of Long Covid
Article URL: https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/causes-long-covid

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48407451

Points: 3

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NASA Says Goodbye to Its Longtime Mars MAVEN Mission
NASA has officially ended the MAVEN mission after the Mars orbiter stopped responding in December, apparently after an unexpected spin drained its batteries and knocked out communications. Launched in 2013 and orbiting Mars since 2014, MAVEN spent more than a decade studying how the planet lost its atmosphere and helped explain how Mars transformed from a potentially … ⌘ Read more

New science priorities will give more bang for buck: PM science adviser
New Zealand needs to get more impact out of its science research system ahead of any major funding increases, says Government science leader John Roche.

Roche is the Prime Minister’s chief science adviser and is deputy chair of the PM’s science, innovation and technology advisory council. The council has driven a programme to [reprioritise](https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/opinion/b … ⌘ Read more

Trump Administration to Dismantle Ocean Monitoring System
The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Science Foundation’s $368 million Ocean Observatories Initiative, a network of more than 900 deep-sea instruments used to monitor ocean currents, marine ecosystems, carbon absorption, heat waves, fisheries, coastal flooding, and climate change. The NSF said it would send ships in June to begin the re … ⌘ Read more

Microsoft Doubles Down on Controversial Quantum Computing Claims
Article URL: https://www.science.org/content/article/doubling-down-controversial-claims-microsoft-accelerates-quantum-computing-plans

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48380516

Points: 3

# Comm … ⌘ Read more

Mathematicians Warn of AI Threats to Profession As Industry Encroaches
A new Leiden Declaration, endorsed by the International Mathematical Union and published on June 2, 2026, warns that AI could undermine mathematics by flooding the field with plausible but flawed proofs, weakening attribution, shifting incentives, and giving tech companies too much influence over research priorities. “Mathematicians … ⌘ Read more

New Desalination System Turns Seawater Into Drinking Water and Useful Salts - Including Lithium
“Scientists have developed a solar desalination system that turns seawater into drinking water without creating environmentally damaging brine,” reports ScienceDaily.

“Special laser-textured metal panels use sunlight to evaporate water while automatically moving salt deposits away … ⌘ Read more

Alors que s’ouvre son congrès, la CGT «doit travailler à l’intégration des nouveaux syndiqués»
Le 54e congrès de la CGT démarre à Tours le 1er juin. Le syndicat fait face à plusieurs défis, dont celui d’intégrer celles et ceux qu’elle a récemment attirés, selon Pierre Rouxel, maître de conférences en science politique, qui a codirigé une enquête sur le sujet. ⌘ Read more

Republicans are trying to kill science in this country
Article URL: https://www.npr.org/2026/05/21/nx-s1-5828768/science-funding-cuts-nih-trump-administration

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48340944

Points: 13

# Comments: 0 ⌘ Read more

Mars Minerals Reveals an Ancient Ocean’s Potential For Life - and a Possible Way to Make Oxygen
Researchers have identified a ring of minerals around the largest basin in the northern hemisphere of Mars (which past research suggests held a large body of water). Phys.org says the research provides new clues on when life may have been possible on Mars — and how future astronauts … ⌘ Read more

Ozempic May Be Reshaping the Brain, Scientists Say
A research team found “extensive changes” on brain scans of 13 young women taking
GLP-1 drugs, reports the Washington Post:

Within only a few months, the brain connections in the salience network, which helps target attention, had multiplied… [“We didn’t expect to see this effect, and we really don’t know what it means,” said an assistant professor assisting the resea … ⌘ Read more

Substances toxiques: les molécules se multiplient, la science fait ce qu’elle peut
PFAS, bisphénol A, dioxines… Alors que le nombre de substances explose, les scientifiques décryptent de mieux en mieux les mécanismes de toxicité à l’œuvre. Mais le combat face à l’industrie est inégal, tant les objets d’études sont nombreux. ⌘ Read more

@bender@twtxt.net Fine, Let me answer properly and concretely 😅

Would you want your children not to learn anything, because “they have AI”?

No, children still need to learn. That will never change. What they learn however will over time.

Are you OK with your children using the AI for all of their homework?

Yes, frankly I am. Why? Because much of what we teach them in school is utterly pointless.
For example, learning to read Shakespear never taught me anything useful in my life. I regret much of my school years to be honest.
I leanred to read and write, sure. But I learned Math, Science, Computing and how things work on my own by being very curious.

What sense will it make?

That assumes I answered “no”, which I did not. So it all makes perfect sense :D

What kind of future would that bring for them?

This assumes I said “Yes”, which I did :D It will be an itneresting future that’s for sure. I don’t think we can just bury our heads in teh sand and pretend it’s all going to go away, It will not. It will make things very interesting for sure, as we’re already starting to see what’s possible and what’s changeing. For example; ordinary people are using these LLM(s) to write their legal suit and defense in courts with varying levels of success.

Even if AI were to become omniscient, what will it be of the human race then?

I’m not convinced it ever will. In fact, I am not convinced we know how to create true intellience at all.

What would we do?

What would be so different from say an Alien invasion from far superious beings?
What would we do that? Band together and defend humanity?

Serve the AI? Maintain the AI?

That assumes that “AI” will become intelligent and omniscient, which I don’t believe it ever will.

Would we have found the true meaning of life then?

If the meaning of life is to create our own sub-species liken to ourselves, sure, maybe. But is that even a reality? not sure, I doubt it. We barely understand ourselves at the best of times, let alone how our minds works.

To care for AI, Is that it?

How would this be different to caring for a friend, a family member If we could ever truly reate an actual sentient being with real feelings and intelligenace, is there any reason to worry? Could we not be freinds and have mutual goals and form relationships?

Blue Origin Rocket Exploded Thursday Night During Hot-Fire Test
Spaceflight Now shared their video of the explosion, which the Orlando Sentinel describes as showing Blue Origin’s rocket “become engulfed in flames. The fireball expands out and covers the entire launch pad as the fuselage of the rocket can be seen crumbling into the flames.”

Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos said on X.com “It’s too early to know … ⌘ Read more

NASA Details Its Plan to Build a Lunar Base At the Moon’s South Pole
NASA has outlined a three-phase plan to build a lunar base at the moon’s south pole. The first phase, from 2026 to 2029, will focus on robotic missions, landers, rovers, reactors, satellites, and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 Endurance test. Later phases will add habitats, power systems, communications, cargo logistics, and rotating cr … ⌘ Read more

MIT Researchers Develop a Low-Cost Technique To Get Lithium Out of Rocks
An anonymous reader quotes a report from MIT News: Currently, lithium hard rock extraction involves baking the rock at over 1,000 Celsius and chemically leaching it to extract lithium. The rest of the rock is discarded. Now, a team of researchers from MIT and elsewhere has developed a low-temperature process for extracting batt … ⌘ Read more

Startups win, science funding static in Budget 2026
Startup entrepreneurs had some good news in Budget 2026, while scientists were largely treading water amid major sector reforms.

According to the NZ Association of Scientists (NZAS), funding for NZ’s science and innovation system was about $30 million higher in 2026 than last year and was tracking slightly below inflation. ⌘ Read more

Perfect Randomness Realized For the First Time
ETH Zurich researchers say they have generated certified “perfect randomness” for the first time by using a quantum Bell-test setup with two entangled superconducting chips connected by a 30-meter cooled link. “In the long term, this work could play a similar role in digital security as atomic clocks do for timekeeping: a physically certified source of randomness that other syst … ⌘ Read more

A Fundamental Principle of Aeronautical Engineering Has Been Overturned
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: Aerodynamic drag is a major “barrier” in high-speed airplanes, automobiles, and bullet trains. This is because a design with less aerodynamic drag allows the aircraft to move at higher speeds with less energy. When an aircraft or car body moves at high speed, a thin layer of air cal … ⌘ Read more

Chemistry behind the Garden Grove chemical tank
Article URL: https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/methyl-methacrylate-tank

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48284712

Points: 9

# Comments: 0 ⌘ Read more

GenomNZ win Science NZ top prize for decades of genetic livestock improvement
GenomNZ has picked up the supreme award at this year’s Science New Zealand Awards, as well as the success in innovation/commercialisation award.

The commercial animal DNA genotyping laboratory is part of the Crown Research Institute (CRiI) AgResearch, which has now been merged into the new Bioeconomy Science Institute (BSI). ⌘ Read more

SpaceX Launches 29 Starlink Satellites on Memorial Day
“The expansion of SpaceX’s Starlink network of internet relay satellites continued Monday with a Memorial Day launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station,” reports Spaceflight Now.

The mission added another 29 Starlink satellites to more than 10,000 already in low Earth orbit:

This was SpaceX’s 60th orbital flight of the year, consisting of 59 Falcon 9 rocket … ⌘ Read more

Sponsored: Science Working for New Zealand
This year marks 100 years since the establishment of the DSIR, a milestone in the history of publicly funded science organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand. We’re marking the centenary by sharing stories of science working for New Zealand: research that has supported our economy, protected people and cared for the environment for 100 years and counting.

Today, the Public Research Organisations - the Bioeconomy Science Institute, Earth Sciences New Zealand, … ⌘ Read more

It’s Like the Olympics - But Steroids Are Allowed
“Think Olympics on steroids. Literally,” quips the BBC, describing Sunday’s controversial Enhanced Games event in Las Vegas featuring dozens of athletes “using performance-enhancing drugs to try and break world records in track, weightlifting and swimming.

Some $25m (£18.6m) in prize money is up for grabs — with cash prizes for winners… The drugs they use must be legal, … ⌘ Read more

Caltech Could Lose Control of JPL For First Time In Decades
NASA plans to open competition for the contract to operate JPL for the first time in nearly a century, meaning Caltech’s historic role managing the iconic deep-space lab could come to an end when its current agreement expires in 2028. According to JPL, Caltech has managed the lab since the its inception in the 1930s, and has done so for NASA since the ag … ⌘ Read more

SpaceX’s Upgraded Starship V3 Launches For First Time
SpaceX’s upgraded Starship V3 launched today from Starbase, Texas for the first time, successfully deploying 22 dummy Starlink satellites and completing a planned fiery splashdown in the Indian Ocean. Reuters reports: The towering vehicle, consisting of the upper-stage Starship astronaut vessel stacked atop a Super Heavy booster rocket, blasted off at about 5:30 p.m … ⌘ Read more

All the Fancy Measuring Devices Used in Science Rely on Two Stone-Age Techniques
The multifarious methods we use to gather experimental data ultimately boil down to counting or comparing. ⌘ Read more

At Least 80% Responsibility For Ill Health In Old Age Down to Individual, Study Says
A new Oxford Longevity Project report argues that individuals bear at least 80% of the responsibility for ill health in old age. “The report (PDF), launched at the Smart Ageing Summit in Oxford last week, argues that individuals have far greater control over their longevity than is commonly understood,” re … ⌘ Read more

OpenAI Claims It Solved an 80-Year-Old Math Problem
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: OpenAI claims its new reasoning model has produced an original mathematical proof disproving a famous unsolved conjecture in geometry, which was first posed by Paul Erdos in 1946. If this sounds familiar to you, it’s because this isn’t the first time OpenAI has made such a bold claim. Seven months ago, the AI giant’s … ⌘ Read more

NASA Expects Chinese Crewed Mission Around the Moon In 2027
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman says he expects China to fly taikonauts around the moon in 2027, “ratcheting up perceptions of a space race between China and the United States,” reports SpaceNews. He is using that prospect to argue for a revamped Artemis strategy and an accelerated path toward a U.S. lunar return. From the report: “The next time the w … ⌘ Read more