Tech: New Mars rover powered by nuclear energy

May 28—This week, what it means when AI perceives optical illusions like humans do, microplastics in testicles, and the threat that energy weapons pose to autonomous systems. That and more below! --Ben Guarino, Associate Editor, Technology

Top Stories

What Does an AI Do When It Sees an Optical Illusion? Experiments with optical illusions have revealed surprising similarities between human and AI perception Lauren Leffer

An Alternative to Conventional Neural Networks Could Help Reveal What AI Is Doing behind the Scenes Despite their performance, current AI models have major weaknesses: they require enormous resources and are indecipherable. Help may be on the way Manon Bischoff

How the Guinness Brewery Invented the Most Important Statistical Method in Science The most common test of statistical significance originated from the Guinness brewery. Here's how it works Jack Murtagh

Cities Are Switching to Electric Vehicles Faster Than Individuals Electric trucks and sedans have proven popular with municipal fleets, but cities have also bought niche vehicles such as an electric Zamboni Mike Lee; E&E News

Europe's Mars Rover Will Use New Nuclear Power Source The radioactive unit will help to deliver Europe's first Mars rover to the planet's surface Elizabeth Gibney; Nature magazine

The Emerging Artificial Intelligence Era Faces a Growing Threat from Directed Energy Weapons Autonomous and AI-enabled systems increasingly rely on optical and radio frequency sensors and significant computer power. They face growing vulnerabilities from directed-energy laser and microwave weapons David C. Stoudt, expert writer

Bilingual AI Brain Implant Helps Stroke Survivor Converse in Both Spanish and English A first-of-a-kind AI system enables a person with paralysis to communicate in two languages Amanda Heidt; Nature magazine

Microplastics Have Now Been Found in Testicles. How Bad Is That? Evidence shows microplastics can end up in many different organs and may harm reproductive health Allison Parshall

This Start-Up Wants You to Put Custom Bacteria on Your Teeth Lumina Probiotic has said a genetically modified microbe could prevent cavities. Experts, though, have safety concerns Christina Szalinski

A Widely Used Criminal Justice Algorithm For Assessing Child Pornography Recidivism Is Flawed The CPORT algorithm, commonly used to estimate the risk that a child pornography offender will offend again, hasn't been validated for use in the U.S. Nicholas Scurich; Daniel Krauss

Follow Us Instagram  |  X/Twitter  |  Threads  |  Facebook  |  YouTube Manage your email preferences  |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us Scientific American One New York Plaza, New York, NY, 10010