It’s a Locust-Eat-Locust World (The Guardian)
by Hannah Devlin
Locusts will eat anything—including each other. Now, researchers have found that they keep their cannibalistic tendencies in check with a specific pheromone, suggesting horrific new possibilities for pest control.
Cleaning up Victorian Filth (Undark)
by Richard Conniff
In Victorian England, Edwin Chadwick was widely reviled for his part in promoting devastating poor laws. He also helped institute water and sewage systems that dramatically improved lives in unspeakably dirty and unhealthy urban slums.
Singapore’s Wild Pig Invasion (Hakai Magazine)
by Carin Leong
Singapore’s original native population of wild pigs is long gone. But a new crop of the creatures is recolonizing the island, storming into ecosystems that may no longer be equipped to handle them.
Mind Reading Has—Kind of—Arrived (Vox)
by Sigal Samuel
New combinations of fMRI and AI technology are bringing scientists closer than ever to translating our silent thoughts into language. What are the potential real-world uses of these developments, and how can we prepare for them?
When AI Throws its Hat Into the Ring (The Walrus)
by Colin Horgan
AI tools could transform political dirty tricks, abusing our trust, throwing the entire concept of verifiable facts into chaos, or perhaps creating entirely fictional candidates.
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