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ChatGPT is mediocre at diagnosing medical conditions, getting it right only 49% of the time, according to a new study. The researchers say their findings show that AI shouldn’t be the sole source of medical information and highlight the importance of maintaining the human element in healthcare. The convenience of access to online technology has meant that some people bypass seeing a medical professional, choosing to google their symptoms…

Transitioning to 100% renewable energy globally would be cheaper and simpler using firebricks, a form of thermal energy storage with roots in the Bronze Age, to produce most of the heat needed for industrial processes, according to a new Stanford study. Today’s industries require high temperatures for manufacturing, which are achieved largely by continuously burning coal, oil, fossil gas, or biomass. With much of the world focused on reducing…

Following Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race, Kamala Harris is poised to become the first woman of colour to run as presidential candidate of a major political party in the US. As the youngest presidential nominee since Barack Obama, Harris, 59, is comparatively youthful compared with Biden, 81, and Donald Trump, 78. Her age is likely to make her more appealing and relatable for younger Americans. Polling has already found that…

Being immunised against shingles has been linked to a reduced dementia risk before and now a study suggests that the newer vaccine wards off the condition more effectively than an older one The latest shingles vaccine may delay or possibly even prevent the onset of dementia more effectively than an older version. Being vaccinated against shingles has been linked to dementia protection before. Now, it seems that a vaccine called Shingrix,…

Since 1896, the modern Olympic Games has been one of the globe’s most coveted and beloved sporting mega-events. During the 20th century, the games were used as a stepping stone for a nation, to assert its collective ambition to the world. A catalyst for change, catapulting cities such as Seoul and Barcelona into the collective conscious, the games were also hijacked as a way to project distorted visions of humanity from the Nazi Olympics of…

The cynicism of modern-day youth presents us with a great teachable moment. We must tell history as a great myth, for myths are often the best way of expressing truths. They are also the lifeblood of civilizations. “History is marble, and remains forever cold, even under the most artistic hand, unless life is breathed into it by the imagination. Then the marble becomes flesh and blood—then it feels, it thinks, it moves, and is…

As the world recovers from Friday's massive IT outage, who will pick up the bill for the damage? From airlines to financial services, a huge number of industries were affected. After the chaos of Friday's global IT outage - without doubt the worst the world has seen - questions are starting to be asked about who, if anyone, will pick up the bill. Somewhat surprisingly, particularly given its share price has doubled during the year and was…

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded on April 4, 1949, with the signing of the Washington Treaty by 12 countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.  It has since grown to 32 members, recently adding Finland and Sweden. But this expansion has led to tensions with Russia, particularly over the inclusion of former Soviet…

The European Parliament is one of the three institutions that govern the 27-nation European Union. Alongside EU governments, it enacts laws proposed by the European Commission, overseeing policies and the EU market, which serves almost 450 million people. The June 2024 elections, which shaped the new Parliament, have been described as the most crucial in the continent’s history, primarily due to the complex geopolitical landscape both within…

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War, famine, and poverty are on the rise. Hearing about it every single day at home, online and on your phone is enough to make you want to hide. And many have. The rate of people actively avoiding the news at least part of the time is skyrocketing. A report by the Reuters institute found around 36 percent of people believed that interacting with the news lowered their mood. Cost of living, dangerous diets, a climate crisis, generational…

Rishi Sunak left the D-Day celebrations early, got caught in the rain and came under fire for some Treasury forecasts of tax rises. The Labour Party droned on about “change” while endlessly repeating some imaginary numbers about “investing” in the NHS and creating “green jobs”. Meanwhile, the Lib Dems sailed through the past six weeks with fun days out at CenterParcs. Over the course of the election campaign, the main parties have argued…

The Matariki public holiday, a significant event in the New Zealand calendar, is set to unfold this month on Friday, June 28th, 2024. Established in 2022 to commemorate the Māori new year and recognize the cultural heritage surrounding Matariki, this special day is strategically positioned on the Friday closest to the new moon following the rising of the Matariki star cluster. The decision to institute the Matariki public holiday stemmed from…

Karl Barkley from Operation Good Oil has raised serious concerns regarding New Zealand’s energy security. The recent closure of the Marsden Point Oil Refinery, the only oil refinery in the country, by the previous Labour Government under Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, has sparked a debate about its far-reaching implications. The closure happened without public consultation, raising alarms about the nation’s future energy stability and economic…

More than 50 countries are holding national elections this year, making 2024 the biggest year for democratic voting in history. By year’s end, around 2 billion people will have had the chance to go to the polls, including in eight of the ten largest nations. Democracies are made up of many moving parts, arranged in various formations, but they all start with one essential component: popular elections. The simple fact that so many people now…

With the promise of unlimited energy, Xcimer has raised over US$100 million from investors and the US Department of Energy to develop a high-energy laser system that intended for use in a practical fusion power plant. For over 75 years, scientists and engineers have been pursuing the dream of harnessing fusion energy as a practical power source. Though there have been remarkable achievements, the goal has remained elusive. However, the…

SpaceX's cellular Starlink system is thus far a “massive success, meeting or exceeding testing objectives," the company tells the FCC in a Thursday letter. The letter details SpaceX's progress on testing its “Direct to Cell” Starlink technology, which uses orbiting satellites to beam internet data to phones on the ground. The company previously took to Twitter to tout some of its successful tests, which recently included delivering downloads…

As some 500,000 Left-wingers marched in France’s cities yesterday, shouting anti-Fascist slogans, never had Lenin’s phrase seemed more apposite: “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” Upended by Emmanuel Macron’s decision last week to call a snap election after the hard-Right National Rally won over a third of the vote in the European elections, French politics is now in a state of chaos.…

Inspired by the shiny lining of mollusk shells, researchers created a cement composite 19 times more flexible and 17 times more crack-resistant than regular cement. Its properties could be applied to brittle ceramic materials like porcelain and concrete. Nature is known for developing lightweight yet tough materials using limited, modest materials arranged into ingenious architecture. Take nacre, for example. More commonly known as mother of…

The universe is awash with strange radio signals, but astronomers have now detected a really bizarre one that repeats every hour, cycling through three different states. While they have some ideas about its origin it can’t be explained by our current understanding of physics. The signal first appeared in data gathered by the ASKAP radio telescope in Australia, which watches a big swath of sky at once for transient pulses. Officially designated…