Sean Dreilinger

How a radical experiment to bring a forest into a preschool transformed children’s health In Finland, kindergartens are exposing children to more mud, wild plants and moss - and finding changes to their health that show how crucial biodiversity is to wellbeing

"Previous research found that early exposure to green space was linked to a healthy immune system, but it was unclear if this was causation or correlation. The Finland study suggests it could be causal."

Ken Thompson Recalls Unix's Rowdy, Lock-Picking Origins Ken Thompson's vivid recollection of the rowdy roomful of geeks at Bell Labs who built the digital world in a spirit of open play.

"Thompson wondered if it took so long to recognize its potential because he’d been specifically told not to work on operating systems...But now Unix had its first user community — future legends...“All the user IDs were one digit. That definitely put a limit on it.”"

Detection firm finds 82% of herbal remedy books on Amazon ‘likely written’ by AI Originality.ai scans 558 titles in herbal remedies section between January and September

"...part of a larger trend of unverified AI content being sold on Amazon. Last year, amateur mushroom pickers were warned to avoid foraging books sold on the platform...written by chatbots & containing questionable advice on how to discern a lethal fungus from an edible one."

Meet the scientists sounding the alarm about the doomsday risks of mirror life | CNN Kate Adamala started work on a cell in which the natural molecular structure is reversed. Then a possible doomsday scenario became clear.

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could be the Dr. Ian Malcolm of ‘Jurassic Park’?” “We scientists … think about whether we should, not whether we could.”

Meet the scientists sounding the alarm about the doomsday risks of mirror life | CNN Kate Adamala started work on a cell in which the natural molecular structure is reversed. Then a possible doomsday scenario became clear.

“Wouldn’t it be great if we could be the Dr. Ian Malcolm of ‘Jurassic Park’?...We scientists … think about whether we should, not whether we could.”

US Passport Power Falls to Historic Low For the first time since the Henley Passport Index was created 20 years ago, the United States is no longer ranked amongst the world’s Top 10 most powerful passports.

“The declining strength of the US passport over the past decade...signals a fundamental shift in global mobility and soft power dynamics. Nations that embrace openness and cooperation are surging ahead, while those resting on past privilege are being left behind.”

China Has Overtaken America And Trump’s policies guarantee that we will never catch up

"Rather than acknowledging that the US is in danger of being permanently overtaken by China’s technological and economic prowess, the Trump administration...is actively opposing progress in critical sectors while giving grifters like the crypto industry everything that they want."

‘I realised I’d been ChatGPT-ed into bed’: how ‘Chatfishing’ made finding love on dating apps even weirder Where once people were duped by soft-focus photos and borrowed chat-up lines, now they have to watch out for computer-generated charm. But it’s one thing to use a witty phrase – another thing…

"Rachel gave her date the benefit of the doubt...she’d been “Chatfished” before, so when the gap between his real and digital selves failed to close on their second date, she called it off. “I’d already been ChatGPT-ed into bed at least once. I didn’t want it to happen again.”"

Meta AI adviser spreads disinformation about shootings, vaccines and trans people Critics condemn Robby Starbuck, appointed in lawsuit settlement, for ‘peddling lies and pushing extremism’

"Starbuck’s online posts have not changed in tenor since the “anti-DEI agitator” was brought into the Meta fold, and his Trump administration connections raise broader questions about the extent to which corporate America has capitulated to the Maga movement."

An AI became a crypto millionaire. Now it's fighting to become a person In the past year, an AI made millions in cryptocurrency. It's written the gospel of its own pseudo-religion and counts tech billionaires among its devotees. Now it wants legal rights.

"The question of Truth Terminal's autonomy is another story. "The interest around Truth Terminal is a bit like an audience wanting to suspend their disbelief," says Fabian Stelzer, a cognitive scientist, AI researcher and founder of Glif..."

MSN Here’s what you should do to actually get a good deal on Amazon.

"I would have saved, on average, almost nothing during Amazon’s recent fall “Prime Big Deal Days” — and for some big-ticket purchases, I would have actually paid more..."

How ultrasound is ushering a new era of surgery-free cancer treatment Ultrasound has long been used for helping doctors see inside the body, but focused high frequency sound waves are offering new ways of targeting cancer.

"...ultrasound approaches already in use are ushering in a new era in oncology – one that aims to replace, or at least improve, effective-yet-devastating therapies like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. "Cancer is awful...What's making it even worse is cancer treatment.""

A critique of pure stupidity: understanding Trump 2.0 If the first term of Donald Trump provoked anxiety over the fate of objective knowledge, the second has led to claims we live in a world-historical age of stupid, accelerated by big tech. But might…

A critique of pure stupidity: understanding Trump 2.0

AI-Generated “Workslop” Is Destroying Productivity Despite a surge in generative AI use across workplaces, most companies are seeing little measurable ROI. One possible reason is because AI tools are being used to produce “workslop”—content that…

"Employees are using AI tools to create low-effort, passable looking work that ends up creating more work for their coworkers."

My 18 year old son Sequoia has been working on a huge personal project for the last few years. He has written a full feature length animated film screenplay and musical score called, "The Unlikely Pairing of Fowl and Cheese."

Check out the work on his website:
sequoia.dreilinger.com/writing-coll...

Sperm racing is all the rage among the tech bros. Why am I not surprised? | Arwa Mahdawi It started as a gag, but Eric Zhu’s sperm races are doing good work in putting male fertility under the microscope – literally, writes Guardian columnist Arwa Mahdawi

Sperm racing is all the rage among the tech bros. Why am I not surprised? | Arwa Mahdawi

They’re Narcissists, and They’re Proud Diagnosed narcissists are discovering how to thrive — by doling out advice to other narcissists.

They’re Narcissists, and They’re Proud

The Newest Face of Long-Term Unemployment? The College Educated. For years, only a small portion of the people experiencing long spells of joblessness were college graduates. That’s starting to change.

The Newest Face of Long-Term Unemployment? The College Educated.

In the race to attract the world’s smartest minds, China is gaining on the US | CNN A Princeton nuclear physicist. A mechanical engineer who helped NASA explore manufacturing in space. A US National Institutes of Health neurobiologist. Celebrated mathematicians. And over half a…

"85+ rising and established scientists working in the US have joined Chinese research institutions...since the start of last year...a so-called reverse brain drain that is raising questions about the US’ long-term ability to attract and keep top-tier foreign scientists..."

The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers WIRED spoke with more than 200 federal workers in dozens of agencies to learn what happened as the Department of Government Efficiency tore through their offices.

The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers

"1st, AI is almost certainly in what economists call an asset bubble or a speculative bubble...2nd, AI is also arguably in what we might call an infrastructure bubble...3rd, AI is certainly in a hype bubble, which is where the promise claimed for a new technology exceeds reality..."

Why parents need to talk to their teens about AI — and how to start the conversation Many teens are using artificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT for everything from homework to relationship advice. Experts say parents must lead the way in helping them understand the technology.

"...the technology is still evolving...parents can use this as an opportunity to explore it together. For example, the next time your child asks you a question, type it into an AI chatbot and discuss the response"

Coffee prices haven’t surged this much in decades | CNN Business Coffee drinkers are in for a jolt long before their first sip.

"KPMG, predicts coffee prices “will easily exceed the record as the full effects of the 50% tariffs levied on Brazil last month work their way onto store shelves...” Big brands and small shops have been trying to absorb the costs, but consumers’ luck...appears to have run out."

The Storm Hits the Art Market | Artnet News In the cover story for the biannual Intelligence Report, Katya Kazakina documents the burnout within the art market.

"The art world is in a precarious state as it heads into the second half of 2025. Not a week goes by, it seems, without a major gallery closing...Smaller galleries are exiting and downsizing...Overheads are killing businesses. Sales are down. It’s no longer fun."

As artificial intelligence got smarter, it was supposed to become too cheap to meter. It’s proving to be anything but. Developers...are discovering their bills are higher than expected—and growing."

‘It happened so fast’: the shocking reality of indoor heat deaths in Arizona Heat deaths could surge in the state as energy poverty linked to Trump’s energy and trade policies burns

"As the planet heats up, experts warn that indoor heat deaths among elderly, sick and low-income people could surge amid deepening financial hardship driven by Donald Trump’s energy policies, trade wars and his administration’s dismantling of the social safety net."

Humans inhale as much as 68,000 microplastic particles daily, study finds Particles are small enough to burrow into lungs, says report, with health impacts ‘more substantial than we realize’

"The concentrations in indoor air are far higher than outdoor air...worrying because humans spend about 90% of the day indoors...higher because it is an enclosed environment with high levels of plastic in a small area, and there is generally poor ventilation." buff.ly/fe1rihQ

New Zealand’s house prices are finally falling. Could this happen elsewhere? Prices have dropped by up to 30% in some parts of the country – but experts say obstacles to home ownership remain

"...national averages have fallen 13% since 2021, while Auckland has dropped nearly 20% and Wellington 30% - prompting questions about whether New Zealand has finally managed to turn around its housing crisis, and what it could mean for other overheated markets around the world." buff.ly/P7CDvVo