Annalee Newitz
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10 Most Important Science Fiction Books About Superintelligence
The idea that humans might one day become superintelligent — or invent a superintelligent computer — is a staple of science fiction. It’s also taken seriously by scientists and engineers as a plausible outcome of today’s technologies. Here are ten key books you should read to understand brains of the future.
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Are Cities Evolving Into Hive Organisms?
Today, more than half of the human population lives in hive-like warrens called cities. Does this mean we are on the tipping point of becoming colony animals the way bees and ants did? It’s not entirely impossible. We talked to scientists to find out whether urban humans are evolving into superorganisms.
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10 Scientific Ideas That Scientists Wish You Would Stop Misusing
Many ideas have left the world of science and made their way into everyday language — and unfortunately, they are almost always used incorrectly. We asked a group of scientists to tell us which scientific terms they believe are the most widely misunderstood. Here are ten of them.
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15 Books That Will Change The Way You Look At Robots
What will robots really be like when they finally achieve a human level of intelligence and autonomy? No one knows for sure, but we’ve put together a list of books that will challenge and disturb your preconceptions about what robots might become.