“What a robot looks like really matters — it’s not just window dressing.” A recent study reveals why we treat humanoid robots terribly; people expect human-like robots to possess human characteristics such as warmth, politeness, and sincerity. When the robots don’t exhibit these traits, we’re less likely to forgive them compared to their non-human-looking counterparts, who may be perceived as incapable of warmth and feeling.
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Science
An Eerie Poisonous Fog
If you’re visiting a farm, keep an eye out for an ominous-looking bronze fog. Nitrogen tetroxide, a red-orange gas, is made by certain bacteria during fermentation when oxygen is lacking in the crop. The lack of oxygen causes the bacteria to use the nitrate within the crops, which then produces nitrogen tetroxide. Inhalation of the gas is known to cause permanent lung damage or kill people and livestock. To prevent this, farmers have started performing nitrate tests after four weeks of fermentation. Read full article here
Merv
November 30, 2022
