While it often feels like the internet operates in an invisible “cloud” in the sky, it’s actually the opposite — it’s powered within the depths of the oceans. Complex hardware underlies all software, and global networking is no exception. The internet relies on submarine fiber-optic cables on the seafloor that form an interconnected highway system for […]
Nautical networking: Undersea fiber-optic cables Read More »
One bottle of water to generate a 100-word email using GPT-4. This is the hidden cost, on average, of outsourcing our everyday tasks to ChatGPT’s newest large language model. Artificial intelligence (AI) models require immense amounts of water for server cooling and electricity generation, which raises concerns in an era of freshwater scarcity. By 2030,
Getting Pretty Thirsty: ChatGPT’s hidden water footprint Read More »
The tech industry relentlessly innovates through product development, but one key area remains stagnant: its culture. Although women represent almost half of the American workforce, they make up only 20% of U.S. computer science (CS) graduates in recent years. This disparity reveals a deeper, cultural issue extending beyond the industry itself. The entrenched gender imbalance
Opinion: Changing the “tech bro” status quo Read More »
Out of groceries, too tired to cook, or too cold to venture outside and grab dinner? Don’t worry, DoorDash has you covered. Or UberEats. Or GrubHub. The rise of delivery apps has fundamentally changed society’s relationship with food. Now, with some button presses, or even a verbal command to an Amazon Alexa, food can arrive
To dine or to (Door)Dash? Read More »
The pink, squishy organ inside our heads is often considered the ultimate biological control center. There is no doubt that the brain is extraordinary, complex, and great at its difficult job of controlling organisms; however, it is not the only player in cognition. Instead, scientists are now realizing that other types of cells possess forms
Plants and the ‘roots’ of cognition Read More »
While some dangerous creatures opt for a more subtle approach, the poison dart frog is remarkably considerate for letting predators know ahead of time that it is not to be messed with. Its vibrant color is meant to signify its high toxicity, an example of aposematism or an animal advertising to its predators that it
Poison dart frogs: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger Read More »
Former Red Sox player Wade Boggs, known as the “chicken man,” famously ate chicken before every one of his games as a good luck charm. Boggs told MLB.com, “In 1983, we ate chicken every day, and I wound up winning a batting title in ’83. So, the chicken worked.” While this pre-game ritual may have
The science of superstition Read More »
Taylor Swift. Northeastern memes. That concert you went to last weekend. Endless scrolling through countless short videos until you zone back into reality. This is a typical experience on TikTok’s “For You” page. Somehow, the mysterious TikTok algorithm never fails to yield an entertaining assortment of content, stealing hundreds of precious active hours with its
Cracking the code behind TikTok’s ‘For You’ algorithm Read More »
Although mice don’t have Instagram likes or followers to keep track of, social status is still a huge part of their societies. There is a clear hierarchy, with the top mice receiving first pick when it comes to food and mates and subordinate mice scrambling for whatever’s left. As shown by a study at Zhejiang
Of mice and mental health: How loss of social status leads to depression Read More »