Category Archives: Futurism

CERN scientist: "Look, bro..."Please Stop

CERN recently fired upits Large Hadron Collider for the first time in three years, discovering fascinating new particles in the process. At the same time, many conspiracy theoristshave glommed onto the project, dubiouslyalleging that CERN's device is somehow alteringor damaging the very fabric of reality.

The many conspiracies around the particle collider have been,uh, interesting to the degree that it's hard to tell if some are parody (one viral TikTok even alleges that the facility somehow altered the spelling of Oreos' beloved 'Double Stuf' cookies.)

Now, Vice reports that all these bizarre accusations are spurring CERN scientists to try to counter the misinformation.

"Look, bro, just because you misremembered something does not mean CERN is going around changing your Oreos," Clara Nellist, a CERN particle physicist, retorted in a video reply. "There are much higher energy particle collisions happening in our atmosphere all the time. What CERN is doing is tiny in comparison. I can promise you we're not going around changing the labels on your food."

As Vice reports, a lot of these online theorists are fixated on the phenomenon of mass cultural misremembering known as the Mandela effect.

To the credit of CERN conspiracy theorists, the Mandela effect is a documented phenomenon, at least on a psychological level. Though classic Oreos' thicker twin has always been spelled 'Double Stuf,' there are some pretty striking examples of collective false memory.

Still, the Mandela effect is almost certainly caused by the fallacies of memory itself, not the Large Hadron Collider. And to that point, there's zero evidence that CERN's device is opening inter-dimensional portals, nevermind literally unleashing hell on Earth, as some particularly fringe conspiracy theorists have claimed.

But despite the controversy, Nellist appears to be taking the high road.

"I think we should [to some extent] be honored and happy that we're capturing the imagination of people because we're at the forefront of science," the physicist's comments continued. "People are interested in what we're doing."

READ MORE: Is CERN Causing Collective Mass Delusion by Creating Portals to Alternate Dimensions? An Investigation[Vice]

More on the Large Hadron Cylinder: Large Hadron Collider Discovers Strange New Particles

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CERN Scientists Annoyed That People Think They're Ripping a Hole in Reality - Futurism

Incredible.Oldest Galaxy

The data from NASA's groundbreaking James Webb Space Telescope keep pouring in.

According to the latest preliminary analysis, we could soon be looking at images of the oldest galaxy ever identified, New Scientist reports a discovery that could rewrite the way we understand star formation shortly after the birth of the known universe.

And,needless to say, the extraordinary telescope is only getting started.

As detailed in a yet-to-be-peer-reviewed paper shared on Tuesday, a team led by Rohan Naidu from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics outlines two possible candidate galaxies, dubbed GLASS-z11 and GLASS-z13, that likely date back to just 300 million years following the Big Bang

That's some 30 million years earlier than the previous unofficial record holder, a galaxy called HD1, which has been considered the most distant known galaxy since its discovery in April.

"We found two very compelling candidates for extremely distant galaxies," Naidu told New Scientist. "If these galaxies are at the distance we think they are, the universe is only a few hundred million years old at that point."

The two galaxies aretiny compared to the Milky Way's 100,000 light yeardiameter, coming in at just 1,600 and 2,300 light-years across, respectively.

The researchersacknowledge that further analysis is needed before HD1 can be dethroned. The paper will also still need to undergo peer review, of course.

But the team is hopeful.

"Theyre very convincing candidates," Gabriel Brammer, co-author from the Niehls Bohr Institute in Denmark the same researcher behind a terrific new spiral galaxy image told New Scientist.

With scientific operations only underway for a couple of weeks so far, scientists are already astonished at the Webb's capabilities.

"We were pretty confident that JWST would see distant galaxies," Brammer added. "But were a little bit surprised how easy it is to detect them."

READ MORE: JWST has found the oldest galaxy we have ever seen in the universe [New Scientist]

More on James Webb: You'll Never Guess What This Bizarre New James Webb Image Is Actually Showing

Read more:
The James Webb May Have Just Found the Oldest Galaxy Ever Seen - Futurism

Good, but not good enough.Search History

Google has finally released some info about how the company will handle sensitive user data related to abortions.

Following the controversial overturn of Roe v. Wade which has already caused at least one 10-year-old child to take a risky trip across state lines to seek care the tech giant said on Friday it will delete user data that confirms a person traveled to an abortion center.

"Today, were announcing that if our systems identify that someone has visited one of these places, we will delete these entries from Location History soon after they visit," Googles senior vice president Jen Fitzpatrick wrote in a company blog post. "This change will take effect in the coming weeks."

Activists have said decisions like these could be important if the government begins seeking personal information in order to charge people who've had, sought or facilitated abortions.

In at least two states, authorities have already used search history information to prosecute women.

Just today the Washington Post said police found the phrase "buy Misopristol Abortion Pill Online" in one woman's search history after they found a deceased and possibly stillborn child in her toilet.

It's good to know Google is planning to delete location and search history data, but it's not clear what "soon" after a patient's visit means exactly, nor how many weeks it will take for the change to go into effect.

No matter what, though, it's clear online searches are no longer protected if you're pregnant. Let's hope more than a singular tech company is willing to protect citizens from a watchful government eye.

More on reproductive healthcare: People Are Stockpiling Abortion Pills and Emergency Contraceptives After Roe Reversal

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Google Says It Will Automatically Delete Abortion Clinic Visits From Users' History - Futurism

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The legal definition of death is ever-evolving.

Yesterday's Daily Beast report detailed just how hard it is to legally define death, which before 1959 was defined simply as the heart and lungs ceasing to function. But after French physicians discovered "coma dpass," which means "beyond a coma," legal clarification was written allowing doctors and hospitals to complete organ donations from these types of patients in order to save other patients' lives.

But what if brain death is reversible, or not 100 percent complete? Thaddeus Pope of the Mitchell Hamline School of Law says these conversations start to revolve around which lives are most valuable and that gets into stick territory.

"We're literally legislating what states of life are worth protecting, which is very, very similar to the abortion debate," Pope told the Beast.

Other doctors point out cases like that of a 4-year-old boy who went through a stunted kind of puberty even though he was on life support for 20 years. Puberty is a hormonal process controlled by the brain, giving credence to the idea that the person is still somewhat alive or mostly dead, depending on how you look at it.

Not all cases are created equal, though, and our legal definitions may need to expand further as we learn more about what makes a life, a life. For example, surely the creator who worked on Google's new "sentient" AI would feel significant amounts of grief if the program he believes is having a valuable personal experience were to be shut down or destroyed. But it's not clear what sorts of internal experiences make a consciousness.

Many times death is defined because hospitals and doctors need to work, whether through life-saving care or providing vital organ transplants to patients in need.

Although the legal terminology may change over time as medical advances mean more lives can be saved despite heavy brain damage or even brain death, the current standards are mostly just practical an example of the healthcare industry doing its best.

More on controversial medicine: 10-Year Old Forced to Cross State Lines By Disgusting Abortion Ban

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Lawyers and Doctors Struggle to Figure Out Who's Actually Dead - Futurism

"What I have seen moved me, as a scientist, as an engineer, and as a human being."First Light

While we await the ceremonial release of the first official images taken by NASA's uber-expensive James Webb Space Telescope, early reactions to the long-awaited shots are already sounding pretty promising.

"The images are being taken right now," NASA's scientific missions lead Thomas Zurbuchen told reporters on Wednesday. "There is already some amazing science in the can, and some others are yet to be taken as we go forward. We are in the middle of getting the history-making data down."

NASA plans to release several images on July 12, the inaugural "first light" observations from the space telescopeand a potentially groundbreaking moment for the field of astronomy.

Do you already have access to the upcoming James Webb images? If so, feel free to send them to tips@futurism.com.

It's a momentous occasion and emotions are already running high.

"What I have seen moved me, as a scientist, as an engineer, and as a human being," NASA's deputy administrator Pam Melroy told reporters.

Zurbuchen also admitted he was in his feelings over the new images.

"It's really hard to not look at the universe in a new light and not just have a moment that is deeply personal," he said at the press conference. "It's an emotional moment when you see nature suddenly releasing some of its secrets. and I would like you to imagine and look forward to that."

The images are expected to include unprecedented views of the depths of the universe and the atmosphere surrounding a distant exoplanet, potentially giving us glimpses of a habitable world other than our own.

It's the culmination of over a decade of research,and a $10 billion investment that could soon pay off in a big way.

No wonder the scientists working on the project are feeling a little sentimental.

READ MORE: NASA scientists say images from the Webb telescope nearly brought them to tears [Ars Technica]

More on the telescope: The James Webb Was Struck by a Small Meteoroid, NASA Says

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Scientists Say New James Webb Images Are So Powerful That It Was Emotional Just Looking at Them - Futurism

Ever wondered what it feels like to get shot in VR?Pain Suit

Last summer, VR social platform startup Somnium and VR suit maker Teslasuit unveiled a "human-to-digital interface designed in the form of a full-body XR suit" a suit that can literally electrocute you all over the body.

And according to a recent review by TechRadar, the experience sounds absolutely wild.

The haptic suit's 90 electrodes are designed to fool its wearer into thinking they're being shot at or feeling raindrops hitting their body because,at the end of the day, who hasn't wondered what it would feel like to get blown up in combat?

According to TechRadar, the company was even able to simulate the G forces experienced by an F1 racecar driver using the suit.

"Electrical pulses fired into my arms and core, making my muscles feel heavier and I believed my body was actually being thrown around by the acceleration and deceleration caused by a moving racecar," TechRadar staff writer Hamish Hector recalls.

Hector also admitted he understandably "was terrified at the VR shooting range," but fortunately, even a virtual grenade exploding at his feet hurt "way less than you're expecting it to."

And that's probably a good thing, considering we play video games for fun and not to hurt ourselves.

Besides, the suit isn't exactly designed to be sold to the masses. At an eye-watering $20,000, it's more meant for medical rehabilitation or for training high-performance athletes.

It's not the only gadget meant to mimic the sensation of pain. There's Japanese developer and startup founder Emi Tamaki, for instance, who is working on wearables that stimulate pain "to turn the metaverse world into a real world," as she told the Financial Times back in March.

Aiming to inflict just the right amount of pain via electrodes is a fascinating frontier for VR. But whether electrical currents will really prove to be the missing puzzle piece in the hunt to make experiences more immersive than ever remains to be seen.

READ MORE: This full-body haptic suit has ruined the Oculus Quest 2 for me [TechRadar]

More on VR: Zuckerberg Shows Off VR Headsets Designed to Be "Indistinguishable From Reality"

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VR Company Shows Off Full-Body Suit That Electrocutes You Everywhere - Futurism

Incredible.Totally Made Up

A mysterious Chinese Wikipedia contributor who goes by the alias "Zhemao" spent ten years making up fictional accounts of Russian history, writing over 200 articles, and contributing to hundreds of others, Chinese English-language publication Sixth Tone reports.

Wikipedia editors have since noticed the falsified accounts after ten years of unknowingly hosting their contributions and promptly bannedthem from the online encyclopedia.

The web of lies Zhemao created is an astonishing body of work in and of itself, albeit entirely made up. Their contributions range from fictional accounts about Slavic rivalries to stories about Qing Dynasty officials a dizzying mishmash of fantastical fiction and history worthy of a series of fantasy novels. At the end of the day, you gotta respect the hustle.

It's also a colorful reminder of the fact that we can't take everything we read online for granted, particularly when it comes to often dubiously sourced Wikipedia entries.

And that's particularly relevant, given China's problematic history with controlling the historical narrative using propaganda (in fact, Sixth Tone itself is overseen by the Chinese government).

"Chinese Wikipedia entries that are more detailed than English Wikipedia and even Russian Wikipedia are all over the place," fantasy novelist Yifan, who stumbled upon Zhemao's fictional Wikipedia contributions, wrote in a Q&A online, as translated by Sixth Tone.

"Characters that dont exist in the English-Russian Wiki appear in the Chinese Wiki, and these characters are mixed together with real historical figures so that theres no telling the real from the fake," he added.

After Wikipedia noticed the ruse, Zhemao published a public apology.

"As the saying goes, in order to tell a lie, you must tell more lies," the apology reads, as translated by Sixth Tone. "I was reluctant to delete the hundreds of thousands of words I wrote, but as a result, I wound up losing millions of words, and a circle of academic friends collapsed."

The story leaves us plenty of questions: what were Zhemao's actual motives? Did the fictional narratives ever have any actual real-world consequences?

Perhaps, had Zhemao chosen a different way to disseminate their work, we'd be reading their historical fiction novels by now rather than an apology to Wikipedia.

READ MORE: She Spent a Decade Writing Fake Russian History. Wikipedia Just Noticed. [Sixth Tone]

More on Wikipedia: Russia Reportedly Arrests Man for Editing Wikipedia About Ukraine

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Someone Slipped Hundreds of Fake Articles About Things That Never Happened Onto Wikipedia - Futurism

"Any reports that the Celsius CEO has attempted to leave the US are false."No Worries!

In news that we definitely, one hundred percent believe, with absolutely no hesitation: Alex Mashinsky, CEO of anguished crypto lending firm Celsius, did NOT attempt to flee the US amid the ongoing bitcoin crash, as a Celsius spokesperson has clarified to Cointelegraph.

The company was moved tospeak out after widely-followed crypto analyst and investor Mike Alfred alleged, in a Sunday tweet, that Mashinsky had tried to board an international flight at the New Jersey's Morristown airport, but was barred from exit by authorities.

"All Celsius employees including our CEO are focused and hard at work in an effort to stabilize liquidity and operations," said the representative, in response to the claim. "To that end, any reports that the Celsius CEO has attempted to leave the US are false."

Alfred clarified that his intel came from an anonymous source, who claimed that the besieged CEO was en route to Israel.

The situation is very he-said, she-said, and some Celsius loyalists were quick to note that the allegation suspiciously comes on the heels of last week's short squeeze, in which holders of Celsius' native coin, called CEL, were briefly able to boost the price of the asset.

But honestly, if Mashinsky was attempting to skedaddle, it wouldn't be that surprising. His trading enterprise halted all withdrawals and exchanges earlier this month, placing it near the center of the ongoing crypto crisis. A lot of folks are unable to access the resources they put into the platform, and the company is currently under investigation by several state regulators.

And at the end of the day, whether Mashinsky was actually trying to escape the country and with it, perhaps, billions of dollars of responsibilities the fact that the accusation is believable enough for the company to feel the need to issue a response isn't exactly a promising sign for any organization.

More on the bitcoin crisis: Financial Planner Desperately Explains to Clients Why the Bitcoin Crash Is Good, Actually

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Crypto Startup in Crisis Insists That Its CEO Isn't Trying to Flee the Country - Futurism

Far too many home cooks are more obsessed with hardware than they are about software. What good is a $700 knife if your ingredients are sub-par? Half the battle of making your meals taste good has to do with how you flavor everything from skinless chicken breasts to chopped dinosaur kale. Im willing to bet that the spices and seasonings in your pantry havent been replaced since the tail end of the Obama administration. Plus, there are likely some untapped flavor profiles you havent even considered adding to your repertoire. Here are five secret ingredients that will breathe new life into whatevers for dinner.

Key Selling Point: New twist on a classic treat.

One of the easiest ways to improve a classic brownie recipe is to not try and reinvent the wheel. Instead, tap into subtle but surprising flavors. Chocolate is an art form in Mexico, where artisans still mill cacao beans by hand over centuries-old lava rock. Spice experts Occo have curated five spices to add to a bag of Renewal Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix. Once baked, these brownies will have a warm, satisfying finish, with a crackly churro crust to boot. Let's see a box of Betty Crocker pull that off.

Key Selling Point: An affordable splurge on the worlds most coveted spice.

What does luxury taste like? Oysters, caviar, and wild truffles have their fans, but pound for pound, saffron is one of the priciest foods on the planet. Luckily, a little goes a long way and gives everything from rice pilaf to ice cream base a summery yellow hue and unique floral fragrance and taste. While lesser brands cut the real stuff with fillers and colors, Moonflowers doesnt settle for anything less than deep red threads in its hand-picked offerings. If youve never tried saffron, dip your toes with Moonflowers, which packages its threads almost like jewelry.

Key Selling Point: Three summery ingredients that work great alone, and amazing together.

Brightland Cellars curates the best extra virgin olive oils, fruity vinegar, and floral-forward honey, and its Luminous Capsule is crafted to perfect for anyone looking to up their flavor game. It includes Awake, a robust extra virgin olive oil thats perfect for grilling meat, sauteeing veggies, or just using it as a dip for warm bread. It pairs well with Parasol, a raw champagne vinegar with a refreshing brightness that will make you forget about crummy old balsamic. The package is topped off with a jar of California Orange Blossom Honey, which packs both floral intensity and a citrusy punch. Use these ingredients separately, or combine them and add a smack of summer to dinnertime year-round.

Key Selling Point: Powdered version of your favorite hot sauce thats made to sprinkle on everything.

Your favorite hot sauce with the rooster on the bottle tastes good on everything from eggs to ramen, but cooking with it can occasionally throw off a recipe. This spice blend by Uncommon Goods comprises six different Sriracha flavor profiles including Black Truffle, Candied Bacon, Honey Garlic, Miso Teriyaki, Thai Lime, and Smoked Maple. Each of these will pack that familiar and satisfying nostril-searing spice thats great for adding to sauteed veggies, marinades, or just sprinkling over popcorn or air-fried potato wedges. Switching out your pepper mill for one of these six spice blends is an easy way to turn the flavor quotient up to 11.

Key Selling Point: Powdered version of your favorite hot sauce thats made to sprinkle on everything.

Theres no cuisine on earth that has umami down pat better than Japanese, and this barbecue sauce is the fifth flavor distilled into a delicious sauce. Bachans Original Japanese BBQ sauce will be familiar if youve enjoyed an omakase sushi platter or bento box lunch. Whats Bachans good on? Pretty much everything. Its versatility makes it play well with hot dogs, burgers, grilled meat, and even homemade California rolls. But considering the savory complexity in this bottle, its also great adding straight to your favorite recipes in place of BBQ sauce or ketchup. Plus, check out that kawaii octopus on the bottle how can you not want to score a bottle?

This post was created by a non-news editorial team at Recurrent Media, Futurisms owner. Futurism may receive a portion of sales on products linked within this post.

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5 Secret Ingredients That Will Seriously Improve Your Cooking Game - Futurism

"Its a Wright Brothers moment."Ticket to Ride

General Motors just started charging for rides in its new fleet of driverless Cruise model robotaxis in San Francisco last week, and next it plans to expand to other cities.

Its a historic moment, and likely a glimpse of things to come. There aren't a lot of companies with fully driverless vehicles on public streets, and even fewer are charging for rides. It was only back in March that federal regulators opened the way for fully driverless vehicles which, to clarify, now dont even need to come equipped with manual controls like a steering wheel.

"Its a Wright Brothers moment," said Cruise Chief Operating Officer Gil West in an interview with Bloomberg. "If you fast forward to next year and beyond, its rapid scaling of business."

Initially proposed in 2020, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officially enacted the ruling just a month after GM requested permission to deploy its driverless Cruise model on public streets. Now its robotaxis prowl the San Francisco streets, open to paying customers.

Many have raised concerns over the safety of deploying driverless cars onto public roads. In 2018, a self-driving car with a human safety driver struck and killed a pedestrian, an incident which was primarily blamed on the inattentive safety driver and catalyzed scrutiny of autonomous vehicles. The premise of self driving cars has long been that they'll make driving safer, but the data remains unclear, and a grisly accident during a trial like GM's could cast a long shadow for public perception of the tech.

And of course, the question of employment cant be overlooked. If autonomous vehiclesdo become ubiquitous, they could easily stamp out countless jobs in taxis, trucking, and beyond, with grim implications for the economy.

As it stands, all eyes are on San Francisco. What happens there with driverless cars may be the future for many American cities.

More on autonomous vehicles: BMW Posts, Deletes Ad About Sex Inside Self-Driving Cars

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GM's Robotaxis Are Now Collecting Fares with No Safety Driver - Futurism