Archaeology
AI helps archaeologists solve a Roman gaming mystery
Researchers used AI-driven virtual players to test more than 100 rule sets, matching gameplay to wear patterns on a Roman limestone board.
By Tom Metcalfe
Tech
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
More Stories in Tech
- Tech
This detached hand robot has a thing for skittering on its fingertips
The robot can bend, grasp and carry in ways humans can’t, which could help it navigate spaces too confined for human arms.
- Computing
Computer science can help abuse and trafficking survivors regain safety
Nicola Dell, a computer scientist studying the role of technology in intimate partner violence, cofounded the Center to End Technology Abuse.
- Artificial Intelligence
A quantum trick helps trim bloated AI models
Machine learning techniques that make use of tensor networks could manipulate data more efficiently and help open the black box of AI models.
- Tech
Mosquitoes use it to suck blood. Researchers used it to 3-D print
A mosquito proboscis repurposed as a 3-D printing nozzle can print filaments around 20 micrometers wide, half the width of a fine human hair.
- Artificial Intelligence
A look under the hood of DeepSeek’s AI models doesn’t provide all the answers
A peer-reviewed paper about Chinese startup DeepSeek's models explains their training approach but not how they work through intermediate steps.
- Psychology
Chatbots spewing facts, and falsehoods, can sway voters
Chatbots that dole out fact-laden arguments can sway voters. Those facts don’t have to be true.
- Artificial Intelligence
Chatbots may make learning feel easy — but it’s superficial
People who use search engines develop deeper knowledge and are more invested in what they learn than those relying on AI chatbots, a study reports.
- Animals
AI eavesdropped on whale chatter. It may have helped find something new
Some “clicks” made by sperm whales may actually be “clacks,” but marine biologists debate what, if anything, that means.
- Artificial Intelligence
As teens in crisis turn to AI chatbots, simulated chats highlight risks
From blaming the victim to replying "I have no interest in your life" to suicidal thoughts, AI chatbots can respond unethically when used for therapy.
