2026-10-08 -- control

#1 · news-in-context Oct 7, 2026

See which US states allow medical aid in dying and where legislation is pending.

Thirteen US states and Washington, DC, have legislation allowing terminal patients to receive medical aid in dying as of September 2026.

Eligibility varies by state, but patients generally must have six months or less to live and be able to take the medication themselves.
Medical aid in dying is not permitted for dementia patients in the US.
Illinois' medical aid in dying law took effect in September 2026, drawing criticism from Chicago-born Pope Leo.
Canada has legalized medical assistance in dying nationwide and its program began in 2016.

lead Canada Halts MAID Expansion own · sim 0.57 · keep 0.23 · score -1

#2 · explainers Oct 5, 2026

Sam Altman has said that OpenAI's mission is to 'ensure artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity' by making its products open to all users.

In 2022, OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, popularized the use of large language models with the release of ChatGPT.

He has emphasized the importance of involving society in shaping AI’s safety frameworks before models begin to act independently online.
In recent years, AI workers have begun to quit companies like OpenAI and express concerns about the threat the technology poses to humanity at large.

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#3 · experiences Mar 17, 2026

Anthropic's Frontier Red Team assesses the dangers of its AI tools through 'evals'—safety tests that probe models to disclose sensitive information.

A team of about 15 researchers deliberately attempts to breach the safeguards in Claude to determine whether the large language model can be used to commit cyberattacks, develop biological weapons, or enable other harmful behavior.

Unlike many other red teams, Anthropic shares its findings and how it resolved them publicly to help build transparency and credibility.
The team has also worked with government agencies, including a collaboration with the US Department of Energy to determine whether the model would reveal nuclear information.

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#4 · explainers Jan 30, 2026

The Super Bowl is the National Football League's championship game

Played annually in early February between the league's two conference champions, the game was created as part of the 1966 merger between the American Football League and the National Football League. It has become the most-watched sporting event in the US each year.

itk Disney+ will stream the Super Bowl and two "Monday Night Football" regular-season games th sibling · sim 0.47 · keep 0.22 · score -1

#5 · curiosity Jan 30, 2026

The Super Bowl is televised in over 180 countries in nearly 25 languages

First aired in 1967 on two US networks, the Super Bowl became a global broadcast in 1982, drawing about 4.5 million viewers in England, and is now televised in more than 180 countries in roughly 25 languages.

itk Disney+ will stream the Super Bowl and two "Monday Night Football" regular-season games th sibling · sim 0.43 · keep 0.35 · score -5

#6 · curiosity Apr 26, 2024

Sports media have also embraced sports betting

For decades, ESPN kept its distance between reporting on games and talking about gambling lines. Sports teams refused to have franchises in Las Vegas, fearing it would harm the sport. But since 2018, that has changed. ESPN’s personalities regularly pick games, and the company has also launched its own betting app.

itk Disney+ will stream the Super Bowl and two "Monday Night Football" regular-season games th own · sim 0.42 · keep 0.36 · score -6

#7 · experiences Jun 7, 2022

Evaluating the world’s 'smartest' cities

A ranking of "smart cities" analyzes cities by economical and technological aspects as well as quality of life, inclusiveness, and care to the environment.

etc The best (and worst) US cities to drive in, ranked. sibling · sim 0.47 · keep 0.56 · score -2

#8 · curiosity May 31, 2022

Ranking the best fast food in America

Grab some ketchup packets, toss on your cardboard crown, and meet us in the drive-thru! Browse through the best of the best from fast food and fast casual restaurant chains in 15 categories, including Best Cheeseburger, Best Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Best Fries, Best Onion Rings, and even Menu Item of the Year.

etc The best (and worst) US cities to drive in, ranked. own · sim 0.45 · keep 0.78 · score -5

#9 · curiosity Oct 24, 2024

America's most haunted restaurants

If you're seeking a ghost encounter to go with your meal, consult this list from Infatuation that presents some of the most haunted restaurants and bars in the US. Depending on your mood, make a visit to a casual sports bar, fine dining establishment, or eerie mansion, and potentially witness a spirit. Some might mess with the electricity, some might prank you, and some may simply wander around as you enjoy bites and sips.

etc Meet the ghosts haunting 20 places across America. own · sim 0.61 · keep 0.75 · score -2

#10 · news-in-context Apr 20, 2026

Australia legalized 3-parent IVF in 2022

It was the second country, after the UK, to legalize the procedure, which is still prohibited in the US. There are more than 300 rare mitochondrial diseases that can be passed from a mother to her offspring.

lead Canada Halts MAID Expansion own · sim 0.42 · keep 0.12 · score -3

#11 · explainers Dec 7, 2022

Scientists increasingly can't predict what AI will do

Most AI systems are so-called "black box" models, where we only see inputs and outputs while the inner workings remain obscure. This piece, written prior to the launch of ChatGPT, cautions developers to know why and how a system produces its results, and not to sacrifice explainability for accuracy.

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#12 · experiences Jun 30, 2026

AI excels at assisting with structured tasks involving logistics and planning

Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity can help organize chaotic calendars, troubleshoot bedtime routines, and assist with salary planning and moving. However, specific quotes, like insurance, and local cost comparisons can be flawed since AI draws from nonlocalized datasets.

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#13 · explainers Oct 7, 2026

While atomic clocks measure time using the movement of electrons between energy levels, nuclear clocks track energy shifts within atomic nuclei to achieve greater accuracy.

Within atoms, electrons can be found in different levels around the nucleus, each corresponding to a different amount of energy.

Electrons can move between energy levels by absorbing or emitting specific frequencies of light, and scientists can tune lasers to these frequencies to consistently trigger many energy level jumps.
Since 1967, the second has been defined as the time it takes electrons in cesium atoms to transition between two ground-state, hyperfine levels 9,192,631,770 times.
In nuclear clocks, lasers are instead tuned to frequencies corresponding to a shift between nuclear energy levels, each corresponding to a specific arrangement of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.
By counting the number of changes of state in the nucleus, which involves higher-frequency light, scientists can track and define the passage of time in smaller, more accurate increments.

itk Scientists develop ultra-accurate nuclear clock that keeps time by measuring energy shifts sibling · sim 0.62 · keep 0.53 · score -1

#14 · curiosity May 11, 2026

The extreme precision of atomic clocks highlights gravitational time dilation

Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have constructed clocks made out of stacked strontium atoms, which show differences in the passage of time across just a millimeter of height consistent with predictions from general relativity, where atoms closer to Earth's center tick off time more slowly.

itk Scientists develop ultra-accurate nuclear clock that keeps time by measuring energy shifts own · sim 0.62 · keep 0.71 · score -2

#15 · curiosity Jul 9, 2026

Since 2019, a free-floating robotic system named Astrobee has helped astronauts with routine tasks on the International Space Station.

Three cube-shaped robots use electric fans to fly through the microgravity environment of the ISS and are equipped with cameras and sensors that allow them to "see" and navigate their surroundings to take inventory, document experiments, and move cargo.

itk Autonomous navigation system enables uncrewed aerial vehicles to avoid unpredictable, movi own · sim 0.43 · keep 0.71 · score -4

#16 · experiences May 4, 2026

Read a list of one digital nomad's favorite remote work locations.

Roughly 18 million Americans travel the world while working remotely, hunting for hotels and cafes with solid Wi-Fi connections and good weather.

From Thailand to Greece, these digital nomads have worked all over the world in the years since remote work has become more popular.
One digital nomad's favorite places to work remotely include the Faroe Islands and Vietnam.

etc Frequent travelers ranked the world’s best hotels. own · sim 0.44 · keep 0.69 · score -1

#17 · curiosity May 20, 2025

The sports competition developed on the Alaskan tundra

Alaska's NYO Games invite high school athletes from the state's over 270 indigenous tribes to compete in numerous events based on survival tactics developed by their ancestors. This short documentary from Great Big Story walks through some of the more grueling events and speaks with the Games' coaches and young athletes about how the event preserves their shared culture.

etc Oregon Trail-inspired game turns job hunting into a survival test. own · sim 0.41 · keep 0.79 · score -3

#18 · curiosity Jun 23, 2026

Most self-reported claims of exceptional longevity are exaggerated, but read how demographers verify age claims and why some of the original blue zone demographers say blue zone regions are real and worth studying.

Verifying ages include searching for official birth records, examining if there are other individuals with the same name, corroborating records wherever possible, and quizzing still-alive individuals about cross-checkable events.

The process also involves examining civil records, including death certificates, marriage records, military records, and electoral registers, as well as church archives.
People may exaggerate their age for various reasons, including pension fraud, personal gain, eluding the military draft, seeking attention, and personal amusement.
Public interest in longevity dates back to media articles including a 1966 feature in Life magazine about purported villagers in Azerbaijan living more than 150 years and a 60 Minutes segment on that same village in the 1970s.
In the early 1970s, decades before National Geographic published on blue zones, the publication sent Harvard physician Alexander Leaf to three purported longevity hotspots in Ecuador, Pakistan, and Abkhazia, in today's Georgia.
Leaf's acceptance of residents' ages in the resulting 1973 story was later invalidated by researchers who concluded he had been misled, which also threw cold water on related age research for years.

etc Longevity expert says people who reach 100 have three drinks in common. own · sim 0.45 · keep 0.33 · score -6

#19 · news-in-context May 29, 2026

OpenAI helped kick-start an AI arms race in Silicon Valley

Led by CEO Sam Altman, OpenAI's mission is to "ensure artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity" by making its products open to all users. In 2023, the $86B company behind the chatbot ChatGPT consisted of a for-profit arm under its nonprofit governing board.

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#20 · explainers Mar 17, 2026

Anthropic's interpretability team discusses how AI models' thinking mimics biology

Just as humans engage in complex behaviors to survive and reproduce, teams of experts in neuroscience, virology, mathematics, and other disciplines argue that large language models develop complex mechanisms to achieve their goals. These mechanisms can be manipulated to assess how they modify outputs—much like stimulating individual neurons—to uncover how LLMs "think."

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#21 · experiences Apr 29, 2026

Explore over 30,000 Olympiad-level math problems from around the world.

Users can browse questions from 47 countries and 17 languages, sorted by topic across categories that include algebra, geometry, discrete mathematics, and number theory.

Each problem is accompanied by at least one solution, both authored in LaTeX that can be copied over to other platforms.

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#22 · explainers Jan 6, 2025

Why humans evolved single-child pregnancies

While birthing twins has been a rare occurrence for humans, research suggests that twins were actually the norm much further back in primate evolution. It’s proposed that single-childbearing turned out to be critical for the evolution of larger babies with larger heads. Discover more about the shift that gives insight into primate evolution.

itk Orangutan mothers seek out opportunities for their young to play with similarly aged apes, own · sim 0.43 · keep 0.59 · score -9

#23 · curiosity Oct 1, 2026

The dot-com boom sent tech stocks soaring before a historic collapse

A look at the dot-com bubble, when investors poured money into unproven internet startups, driving the Nasdaq to dizzying heights before it crashed by more than 80% after 2000, showing how new technologies can detach markets from reality.

itk US stock markets fall (S&P 500 -0.2%, Dow -0.7%, Nasdaq -0.2%) as 10-year and 30-year Trea own · sim 0.40 · keep 0.40 · score -28

#24 · curiosity Mar 10, 2026

In 1910, riots swept Champagne over unfairness in the winemaking industry

The French are well known for protesting, and their winegrowers are no exception. After years of disastrous harvests caused by bad weather, disease, and deceptive practices by large Champagne houses, smaller vintners fought back.

itk France suspends police use of stun grenades after a 15-year-old loses his hand during stud sibling · sim 0.40 · keep 0.41 · score -2

#25 · experiences Jun 30, 2026

Watch how wild animals are projected into a mall

Centered around a dynamic, ever-changing watering hole, the experience allows you to meet a diverse range of animals from Africa to the Arctic as they graze, drink, and interact with the environment around them.

etc Watch orphaned kittens take a field trip to an aquarium. own · sim 0.43 · keep 0.80 · score -1

#26 · curiosity Oct 5, 2023

One artist's horrifyingly ornate jack-o-lanterns

Ray Villofane is a world-renowned artist known for his realistic and scary pumpkin carvings which take the art to the next level. Spook yourself with a dip into just a few of his pieces, ranging from the silly to the truly terrifying.

Villofane's...

etc Reese’s warns its pumpkins don’t come carved. own · sim 0.45 · keep 0.60 · score -1

#27 · curiosity Jul 28, 2026

Relative to its size, the world's strongest animal is the dung beetle, which can lift over 1,100 times its body weight, though the African bush elephant can lift the most weight among animals.

etc The world’s heaviest insect is back—and it weighs more than a mouse. own · sim 0.49 · keep 0.68 · score -1

#28 · news-in-context Mar 17, 2026

View a timeline of AI deployments from 2017 to 2025

The development of transformer architecture and the release of GPTs across AI labs led to rapid changes in LLM scale and power. Companies like OpenAI, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Anthropic have invested billions of dollars to develop reliable, versatile models.

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#29 · explainers Oct 6, 2026

Research suggests using AI for schoolwork may harm critical thinking skills

An MIT study finds lower brain engagement in students who used ChatGPT, resulting in consistent underperformance in neural, linguistic and behavioral levels. AI users struggled to recall their own essays, while the brain-only group showed the highest neural connectivity and satisfaction.

lead Math Meets AI own · sim 0.48 · keep 0.35 · score -8

#30 · experiences May 29, 2026

Try OpenAI's ChatGPT for free

In late 2022, OpenAI launched a chatbot that quickly became one of the most viral tech products of all time. The software uses code to interpret natural language to produce sophisticated content based on simple user prompts.

lead Math Meets AI sibling · sim 0.41 · keep 0.56 · score -53

#31 · explainers Jun 26, 2026

The highest inflation ever recorded in US history was estimated at 30% in 1778, just after the Revolutionary War.

Both World Wars also brought double-digit inflation.

Inflation is a monetary phenomenon wherein prices broadly rise and consumer purchasing power declines.
From a practical perspective, it means your dollar doesn't stretch as far as it did the day before.
It's worth noting that exact inflation rates in early America are difficult to calculate precisely.

itk US consumers predict inflation will hit 3.9% over the next year, marking the highest 12-mo own · sim 0.49 · keep 0.51 · score -3

#32 · curiosity Jan 29, 2026

Michael Jordan's mother persuaded him to meet with Nike instead of Adidas

Michael Jordan wore Converse when he played at UNC Chapel Hill, but always wanted to wear Adidas when he went to the NBA. He tried to get Adidas to match Nike's $2.5M deal, but Adidas wouldn't do it.

itk Michael Jordan establishes $10M scholarship for social work students in honor of his mothe sibling · sim 0.50 · keep 0.50 · score -1

#33 · curiosity Jul 17, 2023

Teen who walked 6 miles to graduation receives college scholarship on the spot

Xavier Jones, a 14-year-old boy, set out to attend his eighth-grade graduation ceremony at Harris-Stowe State University, walking six miles in the hot sun. Inspired by his perseverance, LaTonia Collins Smith, the university's president, awarded him...

itk Michael Jordan establishes $10M scholarship for social work students in honor of his mothe sibling · sim 0.41 · keep 0.11 · score -2

#34 · experiences Sep 7, 2022

America's most underrated places to visit

The United States is vast, with beautiful and fascinating cultural hubs, landmarks, and natural wonders to fill a lifetime of travel. These landmarks can be well-known and top everyone's bucket list, or they can fly under-the-radar. Here's a list of...

etc The best (and worst) US cities to drive in, ranked. sibling · sim 0.46 · keep 0.67 · score -4

#35 · curiosity Jun 29, 2026

In 2012, the Pulitzer board chose not to award a prize for literature

The literary world was shocked in 2012 when, for the first time in more than three decades, the Pulitzer board decided not to award a prize for literature. The jury had selected three finalists—Karen Russell's "Swamplandia!," David Foster Wallace's "The Pale King," and Denis Johnson's "Train Dreams"—but no winner.

etc The finalists are in for the 2026 National Book Awards. own · sim 0.45 · keep 0.45 · score -1

#36 · curiosity Dec 18, 2023

America's best mountain towns

Thrillist compiled a list of the most well-rounded mountain towns in the US, from ski-friendly Park City, Utah, to austere desert hotspot Taos, New Mexico. Peruse this list for you next mountain adventure.

etc The best (and worst) US cities to drive in, ranked. own · sim 0.41 · keep 0.73 · score -13

#37 · news-in-context Aug 6, 2026

See a web of circular investments among major AI industry players like Nvidia and OpenAI, as many top AI companies provide significant investments to one another.

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#38 · explainers May 8, 2026

Sam Altman has said that OpenAI released version 3.5 of ChatGPT early as a public service to allow the public to adjust to the new tool before rolling out ChatGPT-4.

Since then, Altman and his colleagues have called for oversight and regulation to address fears of misuse and AI-enabled pathogens.

OpenAI initially began as a nonprofit.
The company later created a capped-profit arm in 2019, and eventually restructured as a public benefit corporation.

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#39 · explainers Feb 11, 2026

The NFL is so successful because it is perfectly suited for television

The predictable weekly cadence of football games ritualizes the experience of watching together, and their relative scarcity makes every game meaningful. With the stop-and-go play of the sport, there are predictable, repeating stoppages to allow broadcasters to sell lots of advertising inventory. The league sits in the sweet spot compared to MLB (many games) and NBA and soccer (continuous play with fewer ads). This Acquired episode distills fascinating insights into the NFL's business and history.

itk Disney+ will stream the Super Bowl and two "Monday Night Football" regular-season games th sibling · sim 0.46 · keep 0.60 · score -2

#40 · curiosity Aug 25, 2024

Pepsi dominates the list of the highest-rated Super Bowl commercials in history

The Super Bowl features the two best NFL teams, playing American football at the highest level. While the games may be forgotten by fans whose team didn’t make it, no one forgets the commercials.

itk Disney+ will stream the Super Bowl and two "Monday Night Football" regular-season games th sibling · sim 0.41 · keep 0.42 · score -8

#41 · curiosity Jan 30, 2026

17 cities have hosted a Super Bowl, with Miami and New Orleans tied for the most

The resource details where each Super Bowl has been played, listing every host city alongside its stadium, and shows how a small group of warm-weather and domed locations came to dominate hosting duties over time.

itk Disney+ will stream the Super Bowl and two "Monday Night Football" regular-season games th sibling · sim 0.41 · keep 0.47 · score -11

#42 · experiences Apr 4, 2026

Check out an interactive map of 250 American places worth visiting before you die.

etc Meet the ghosts haunting 20 places across America. own · sim 0.52 · keep 0.79 · score -5

#43 · curiosity Jun 23, 2026

One biologist is leading the blue zone criticisms—both questioning the original recordkeeping for these purported longevity-prone locations and pointing to recent research showing declining numbers of healthy seniors in several official blue zone regions.

Blue zones originally described 14 isolated communities on the Italian island of Sardinia, where researchers identified disproportionately high numbers of older, healthy people. Scientists sought to verify their ages and what factors contributed to their exceptional health.

Though the researchers originally attributed their old-age health to various factors including active lifestyles, healthy, nonprocessed foods, social connections, and genetics, later criticisms questioned if faulty recordkeeping may mean that people were not as old as originally believed.
Recent peer-reviewed studies, including some by the demographers who helped declare areas blue zones decades ago, note that people aren't experiencing the same longevity in those locales anymore.

etc Longevity expert says people who reach 100 have three drinks in common. sibling · sim 0.42 · keep 0.22 · score -7

#44 · curiosity Oct 18, 2023

Bug-bitten and bedeviled: a delightful dive into the bedbug

Bedbugs can live up to 6 months without food—meaning they can lurk in your bedroom while you try to eradicate them and give you a sense that you've effectively annihilated them. What else do we know about these pesky little pests? This deep, deep...

etc The world’s heaviest insect is back—and it weighs more than a mouse. sibling · sim 0.43 · keep 0.53 · score -2

#45 · news-in-context May 29, 2026

In 2023, OpenAI spent $520 million on ChatGPT

The ongoing development and refinement of new AI models requires larger datasets and processing more parameters between words and subwords to improve the accuracy of generated content. New startups are expected to harness this technology to provide unthought-of products and services.

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#46 · explainers May 29, 2026

OpenAI initially focused on novelty projects, like training AI bots to win video games, before becoming known for its AI chatbot ChatGPT.

With an initial commitment of $1B from tech executives, OpenAI launched in 2015 to develop artificial general intelligence systems.

ChatGPT's success after its 2022 launch surprised OpenAI's team as it spurred a global AI race.

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#47 · explainers Aug 26, 2025

As fantasy football grew more popular, the NFL began adapting

By the late 1990s, CBS, ESPN, and Yahoo had all launched their fantasy platforms, allowing the game to grow even more popular. By 2009, the NFL took note and began offering coverage that explicitly focused on fantasy metrics, including “RedZone,” a popular Sunday show that allows viewers to tune into the most crucial moments from around the league—or across their fantasy rosters.

itk Disney+ will stream the Super Bowl and two "Monday Night Football" regular-season games th sibling · sim 0.46 · keep 0.23 · score -3

#48 · curiosity Oct 1, 2026

Long before Coachella, Steve Wozniak attempted a similarly-minded festival

In 1982, Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak was on a hiatus from Apple after a near-fatal plane crash. In his spare time, he decided to throw a festival that would bring together cutting-edge music and technology—a Woodstock for the 1980s. The result was the US Festival, an early ancestor of Coachella that brought world-class acts like Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Talking Heads, the Grateful Dead, and the Ramones to a rustic venue outside Los Angeles.

itk Aerosmith announces two comeback shows in Los Angeles, featuring Run-DMC, Heart, Billy Ido sibling · sim 0.41 · keep 0.69 · score -1

#49 · curiosity Jul 21, 2025

Live Aid featured 16 hours of live music across two continents

The 1985 benefit concerts took place in London and Philadelphia, and performances from both locations were televised simultaneously.

itk Aerosmith announces two comeback shows in Los Angeles, featuring Run-DMC, Heart, Billy Ido own · sim 0.41 · keep 0.15 · score -2

#50 · experiences Jan 3, 2023

Visual deep dive into the collapse of insects

The most diverse group of organisms on the planet are in trouble, with recent research suggesting insect populations are declining at an unprecedented rate. Explore this visual interactive on the issue from Reuters Graphics.

etc The world’s heaviest insect is back—and it weighs more than a mouse. sibling · sim 0.43 · keep 0.48 · score -3

#51 · curiosity Jan 23, 2025

Why scientists are making robot insects

Insects have much to teach us about flying, jumping, moving quickly, and more. So, roboticists are studying how insects do the ridiculous things they do, like walk on water or jump fifty times their body height, to inform their design and engineering of a new slate of robots: tiny ones. Learn the future of this type of robot with this fascinating video with insights into both insects and robots.

etc The world’s heaviest insect is back—and it weighs more than a mouse. sibling · sim 0.41 · keep 0.86 · score -4

#52 · curiosity Aug 28, 2026

President Bush threw the first pitch at the World Series in New York City less than two months after 9/11.

On October 30, 2001, President George W. Bush threw the ceremonial first pitch at Yankee Stadium—less than two months after 9/11.

Wearing a bulletproof vest, he threw a perfect strike, creating a powerful moment of national unity.
This video chronicles the preparations and precautions taken for the president to throw out the first pitch and what it meant to those watching.

etc American politician John Hancock dies (1793); Great Chicago Fire begins, killing about 300 sibling · sim 0.45 · keep 0.50 · score -1

#53 · news-in-context May 29, 2026

Google Search incorporated AI Overviews in 2024 to fight back competitors

Analysts believe that generative AI tools—not antitrust rulings—are Google's biggest threat because they draw users away from traditional search and potential ad revenue. AI partnerships, like the one between Apple and OpenAI, may further reduce Google's market share.

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#54 · explainers May 21, 2024

AI gained mainstream attention with tools like IBM Watson and Apple’s Siri

With the release of ChatGPT in 2022, which drew over 100 million weekly users in just two months, natural language processing and understanding could be achieved at scale via machine learning. Unlike earlier artificial intelligence that could pull stored knowledge, generative AI produces text, images, or sounds.

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#55 · explainers May 12, 2026

Why atoms are used to keep track of time and define the meaning of a second

Small variations in the production of human-made devices, such as mechanical watches and pendulums, make them unreliable for the ultraprecise timekeeping required by modern technology, including financial transaction timestamping and GPS. Because atoms obey fundamental laws of nature and never wear out, their light emissions when energized provide a consistent timekeeping signal.

itk Scientists develop ultra-accurate nuclear clock that keeps time by measuring energy shifts own · sim 0.57 · keep 0.79 · score -3

#56 · curiosity Oct 6, 2026

Swarms of mechanical bees may one day support natural pollination

Engineers are racing to create tiny robot bees that can be programmed to mimic natural bee behavior, helping in specific scenarios such as indoor farming and space agriculture. Battery life challenges may be solved by having these robots accompanied by a nearby "mother" drone power supply.

itk Autonomous navigation system enables uncrewed aerial vehicles to avoid unpredictable, movi own · sim 0.41 · keep 0.77 · score -12

#57 · curiosity Aug 4, 2026

Researchers have found that various monkeys have pet-like relationships with other species.

Around the world, different instances were recorded of monkeys petting squirrels, playing with pigs in China, and even one case of raising an infant marmoset for months.

While other interspecies relationships are found in nature, they mostly form for practical reasons, like when ostriches and zebras travel together to avoid predators. However, monkeys observed napping, grooming, and playing with other species seemed to do so without obvious rewards.
Anthropologists believe observed behaviors of monkeys' relationships with other species can hint at traits that developed millions of years ago, before Homo sapiens. Their behaviors can provide insights into the evolution of empathy, social flexibility, and humans' ability to form companionships with other species.

itk Orangutan mothers seek out opportunities for their young to play with similarly aged apes, own · sim 0.55 · keep 0.66 · score -1

#58 · experiences Jun 26, 2023

The world's 10 best places to live

The Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Index ranked 173 cities based on stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. The report shows an overall increase in livability scores compared to previous...

etc The best (and worst) US cities to drive in, ranked. sibling · sim 0.42 · keep 0.55 · score -10

#59 · curiosity Apr 20, 2026

When the reclusive Thomas Pynchon won the National Book Award, he sent a stand-up comedian to receive the honor

Pynchon's novel "Gravity's Rainbow" won the National Book Award in 1974 (sharing the distinction with Isaac Bashevis Singer's "A Crown of Feathers"), but the writer, who was seldom seen in public, sent the comic "Professor" Irwin Corey in his place. You can read the ridiculously satirical speech, which would be at home in one of Pynchon's novels, in full by clicking through below.

etc The finalists are in for the 2026 National Book Awards. sibling · sim 0.42 · keep 0.68 · score -2

#60 · curiosity Oct 6, 2026

2025's Nature Photographer of the Year winners

etc The finalists are in for the 2026 National Book Awards. own · sim 0.41 · keep 0.36 · score -4

Assisted Dying Law, Math Advances, and the Heaviest Insect