Technosignatures are markers, like atmospheric pollution and radio waves, indicating a planet has or had a technologically advanced society—much like how the Earth has humans. Scientists are now starting to seriously consider hunting for technosignatures as a viable method for searching for extraterrestrial life because these signs don’t naturally occur. These won’t replace biosignatures (evidence of life, like fossils) in the search for extraterrestrial life, just another set of signs to look for that we might have been missing over the years. Read full article here
Societal Issues
AI Predicts Crime A Week In Advance With 90 Per Cent Accuracy
An artificial intelligence model built by Ishanu Chattopadhyay and his colleagues analysed crime data in Chicago from 2014 to 2016 and managed to predict future levels of crime down to the nearest 300 metres, a week before they actually happened. While extremely useful, this artificial intelligence has been shown to expose racial prejudice in law enforcement. Hopefully, as the study’s data and methodology have been made available for others to evaluate, these prejudices can be avoided in the next iteration. Read full article here
Merv
August 15, 2022
