Pallab Ghosh

The science of soulmates: is there someone out there exactly right for you? For many, the idea of soulmates still shapes how love is understood.

What does science have to say about soulmates? Is there someone out there just right for you, or is it a Hollywood Rom Con? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The moment the earliest known man-made fire was uncovered - BBC News Archaeologists in the UK have discovered the world's oldest evidence of humans lighting fires

The moment humans first learnt how to make fire has been pushed back hundreds of thousands of years. Read the incredible detective story of how scientists discovered the location this momentous event which changed humanity forever.🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...

Restrictions for scientists' families too. It all introduces so much stress, I honestly don't know how people cope.

bsky.app/profile/dpma...

Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy Prof Sir Paul Nurse says the UK is "shooting itself in the foot" with its visa system for researchers.

Research visa restrictions mean UK is “shooting itself in the foot” says Royal Society’s new President, Sir Paul Nurse in an interview with BBC News. 🧪Top UK scientist says research visa restrictions endanger economy www.bbc.com/news/article...

The @Association of British Science Writers (ABSW) will be travelling to #WCSJ2025

Alex O'Brien, ABSW vice-chair, and Sallie Robins, ABSW Executive Secretary, will attend in person and be available to meet you all in Pretoria, South Africa, 1-5 Dec.

Government sets out plan to phase out animal experiments The plan follows up on a manifesto promise to work towards the phasing out the practice.

The UK government sets out an ambitious plan to eliminate all animal experiments except under exceptional circumstances. Is this a credible plan or one to be seen to meet a hard to deliver manifesto commitment? 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The science of a trustworthy face - and how to spot a liar (or Traitor) - BBC News Scientists suggest that trustworthiness is influenced by facial expressions - and levels of attractiveness.

The science of #CelebrityTraitors : How we think we’re great at spotting a fake, but are actually terrible! 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...

Stone tool discovery suggests very first humans were inventors The find shows that the technology was passed down through thousands of generations.

The discovery of continuous stone tool use for thousands of generations in Kenya 2.75 million years ago suggests not only were the very first humans inventors but that innovation is innate to our genus. 🧪Stone tool discovery suggests very first humans were inventors www.bbc.com/news/article...

Would you really trust a robot to care for you in old age? It sounds like something from a sci-fi film - but some scientists believe this clever new tech could help alleviate strains on the UK care system

The robots are coming. We need to be ready. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Artemis II: astronauts ready to go to Moon Astronauts of Nasa's first crewed mission to the Moon for more than 50 years hope their journey inspires a new generation.

The crew of Artemis II say they are ready to fly to the Moon "for all humanity". All four say they have been inspired by the Apollo Moon missions of the 1960s and early 1970s. 🧪https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg0kv8rq0xo

Gaps in our knowledge of ancient Rome could be filled by AI. 🧪

Animals react to secret sounds from plants, say scientists It opens up the possibility that an invisible ecosystem might exist between plants and animals.

Animals react to secret sounds from plants according to new research. The discovery suggests that there has been a hitherto unkown natural world wide web exchanging infomration between plants and insects for millions of years. 🧪https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8e4860n9rpo

The Wellcome Trust is to fund a controversial project to create artificial human DNA 25 years after the human genome was completed. 🧪

Solar Orbiter spacecraft snaps first images of Sun's south pole Never before seen pictures will help scientists learn how the Sun's activity changes from stormy to quiet periods

See a new video by @esa.int of the Sun's south pole tha thas never been seen before. It is a thing of beauty and will help scientists learn more about the processes that make our closest star cycle between raging storms and quieter periods. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Trump-Musk row has fuelled the biggest crisis ever' at @NASA. The science budget has been cut by half and the agency’s focus is now to send astronauts to the Moon before the Chinese and to plant a US flag on Mars.🧪.

No-one knows exactly how LLMs work. That's worrying Prof ‪@mpshanahan.bsky.social‬ tells BBC News: "Having a better understanding of how they work will enable us to steer them in the direction we want and to ensure that they are safe."🧪
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Prof ‪@lenoreblum.bsky.social tells @BBCNews "AI consciousness is inevitable."
Her husband Manuel says they will be the "next stage in humanity's evolution. They are our progeny and will be on Earth and maybe on other planets when we are no longer around”.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The people who think AI might become conscious With a leap in the evolution of large language models, some leading thinkers are questioning whether AI might become sentient

1/ Great perspective by @pallabg.bsky.social on the prospects for 'conscious AI' - featuring @davidchalmers.bsky.social, Murray Shanahan, @lenoreblum.bsky.social Manuel Blum, Brett Kagan, & me among others. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Dreamachine | A new, one-of-a-kind immersive experience Dreamachine is an experience like no other. Join us on a magical journey through music and light to experience a colourful world unfolding behind your closed eyes, created by your own brain and comple...

3/ @pallabg.bsky.social's piece refers to our "Dreamachine" experiments at @SussexUni. It's worth clarifying that there are not the same as the public Dreamahine programme. I was the lead scientist for the latter, but it was led by Collective Act dreamachine.world

How about we come to a consensus on what the term "conscious" means First?

I have a feeling we're about to have some very serious, very ill-informed conversations about things we cannot comprehend, much less relate to in any meaningful way.

The problem is defining "conscious" and "sentient." Understanding language through pattern recognition, accessing memory w/o considering context/aging relevance, and learning normal human behavior still omits pain/pleasure, risk/reward, and regret. AI mimics conscious behavior but doesn't fear death

It's a good article - but the answer is in the opening paragraph. The author experiences organic fear - AI can't.

I can make AI mimic fear and pain with appropriate responses based on variable sensors, but it doesn't care if I send it into an endless loop, hallucination hell, or turn it off.

Prof Manuel Blum tells BBC News “Conscious robots are our progeny. Down the road, machines like these will be entities that will be on Earth and maybe on other planets when we are no longer around". 🧪
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Could so brain cells grown in a lab, called organoids, become conscious? Brett Kagan of Cortical Labs tells BBCNews that it’s possible, but wannabe organoid overlords could easily be defeated by pouring bleach on them.🧪

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Lovely to be paired up with the legendary @pallabg.bsky.social!

The people who believe that AI might become conscious With a leap in the evolution of large language models, some leading thinkers are questioning whether AI might become sentient

Are AI systems on the verge of becoming conscious? If so, what should we do?🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Scientists in a US-led project, DUNE, are ready to build their underground detector to catch up with a Japanese experiment, Hyper-K, in a race to discover why our Universe exists. 🧪

YouTube video by BBC News Mission to grow food in space to cut astronauts' eating bill | BBC News

Watch the launch of a mission to grow food in space to cut astronauts' food bills on @BBCNews youtu.be/9RCh1cUFf4Q?... via @YouTube 🧪

Trial to boldly grow food in space labs blasts off The mission will explore new ways of reducing the cost of feeding an astronaut.

A mission to boldly grow food from cells in space has been launched today to make astronaut grub not only cheaper, but tastier too! 🧪. Mission to boldly grow food in space labs blasts off www.bbc.com/news/article...