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Climate Scientists Aghast at How Bad Things Are Getting, and So Fast
Climate scientists, who have long watched as global warming rears its ugly head, are astonished at accelerating temperatures.
How the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ is — or isn’t — playing out on the campaign trail
WASHINGTON — While this year’s July 4 celebration in Washington, D.C., was highlighted by extreme temperatures and fireworks, last year’s ceremonial focus was President Donald Trump signing into law a
NVIDIA GPU Hotspot Temperature Has Been Unlocked Through Mods, & Shows Widespread Thermal Issues Affecting RTX 50 GPUs That Throttle Gaming Performance
Mods have unlocked NVIDIA's GPU Hotspot measurement, which can give you a clue why your latest card is running at lower performance.
The world's highest-dwelling mammal is smaller than your hand
At the top of a 6,739-metre Andean volcano, where the air is thin, temperatures are almost always below freezing and humans struggle to survive, a tiny leaf-eared mouse has made itself at home — dining on toxic plants.
Physicists finally build a quantum material predicted more than a decade ago
Researchers have achieved a major milestone by creating a long-sought two-dimensional quantum material and confirming its unusual conducting edge states. The ability to control these states through strain could make the material a promising platform for future room-temperature quantum electronics.
NASA is creating a fifth state of matter on the ISS, thanks to an upgrade to a mini-fridge-sized quantum lab
A new set of upgrades to the International Space Station’s Cold Atom Laboratory is allowing NASA to probe quantum mechanics at the coldest possible temperatures while in zero gravity.
UK heatwave: Heat health alerts extended as temperatures expected to peak
Almost all of England is under amber alerts for likely disruption to health services and travel.
Barcelona registers highest temperature in 112 years as UK health service urges children and elderly to ‘take weather seriously’
Some stations in Spain recorded temperatures of up to 44C after western Europe experienced the warmest June on record
UK weather latest: Temperatures above 30C expected again as heatwave continues
Amber and yellow heat health alerts are in place across England, as the UK experiences what could be one of the longest heatwaves since 1976.
Scientists finally solved a 150-year-old gallium mystery
Scientists have rewritten the story of gallium after discovering that its unusual atomic bonds re-form at high temperatures, contradicting decades of accepted theory. The finding changes how researchers explain why the metal melts so easily and behaves unlike almost any other metal. Beyond solving a long-standing scientific mystery, the work could lead to advances in semiconductors, nanotechnology, and liquid metal engineering.
AI helped scientists discover two new superconductors, bringing them closer to a room-temperature breakthrough that could change electronics
Artificial intelligence is now fast becoming an important component in scientific investigations, and its recent achievement may have very significant effects on the advancement of technology. Scientists devised a way to utilise artificial intelligence in scientific research, which has not only resulted in the discovery of two new superconductors, but has also expedited the process of discovering even more superconductors.
Scientists enable DNA synthesis using only temperature instead of chemical reagents
"Complex chemical processes are essential for making DNA." This long-held assumption in the field of biotechnology has been overturned by a Korean research team. A KAIST research team has developed the ...
AI just supercharged the race to find room temperature superconductors
Scientists have combined machine learning with quantum physics to discover two new superconductors and create a much faster way to search for many more. The technique could bring researchers significantly closer to the long-sought goal of a room-temperature superconductor.
Summer barbecues can raise risk of foodborne illness, health expert says
As backyard barbecues and outdoor gatherings become more common during the summer, health experts are reminding people that warmer temperatures can also increas
Amber health alert for South West before further hot weather
The warning is issued for south-west England as temperatures are expected to rise later this week.
Virginia health officials warn that heat is causing medical issues for hundreds
HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — As visitors and locals wrap up the Independence Day holiday weekend, new data reveals the stark reality of how extreme, record-breaking temperatures are impacting health…
Want to leverage wearable tech like a World Cup athlete? Here are the metrics to track
Millions of people around the world wear smart rings and fitness trackers to keep tabs on their sleep, workouts, heart rate and even body temperature, all in the name of better understanding their health. But at the World Cup, that same technology is being pushed to an elite level.
These 10 Medications May Raise Your Risk of Heat-Related Illness
As summer temperatures climb, so do the risks of heat-related illnesses, particularly for those who take certain medications, such as GLP-1s, diuretics, antidepressants, and beta-blockers. Here's what you need to know to stay safe.
Can we finally wear shorts to the office this summer?
The resistance to shorts in formal offices is powerful, but rising temperatures have renewed the debate about their place in offices.
Monmouth Cancels Second Straight Card Due To Heat
Monmouth Park has canceled live racing for Saturday, July 4, due to excessive heat. The day's scheduled races will appear as extras for the card on Friday, July 10. The Oceanport, N.J. track also canceled its Friday, July 3 card because of the extremely hot weather. Temperatures for Saturday are ...
Heatwave conditions forecast in Somerset as health alert issued
Just weeks after a June temperature record was set in Merryfield, Somerset, the hot weather is set to return.
Heart health and heat: How hot is too much?
As temperatures rise, so does the risk of dangerous outcomes
What we know about Trump’s July Fourth fireworks event
President Donald Trump’s celebration for America’s 250th anniversary will culminate Saturday with a record-breaking fireworks show on the National Mall amid scorching temperatures and controversy over his efforts to put himself at the center of the commemoration.
Health Alert in effect until 10am for potential smoke and haze, Red Flag Warnings continue in Southern Colorado
Hotter temperatures expected over the next couple afternoons, heat should back off slightly by Sunday
Holiday weekend heat slows business downtown
As temperatures climb past 100 degrees, vendors and restaurants are adapting while hoping customers continue to show up.
Taking the world’s temperature: WHO chief spotlights global health emergencies
The hantavirus global outbreak is officially over, Ebola outbreaks are growing in Africa and responders are helping recovery efforts in quake-hit Venezuela, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief said on Thursday, announcing updates on global health emergencies.
Global ocean temperatures are entering “uncharted territory,” climate scientists say
Sea surface temperatures in late June reached nearly 70 degrees Fahrenheit on average, shattering records
CHAMP Initiative Combines Climate Science and Storytelling to Address Urban Heat
As summer temperatures climb, so does the risk of extreme heat—now recognized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States. In cities such as Camden, where buildings, pavement, and other infrastructure trap heat and create higher temperatures than surrounding areas, understanding the impacts of urban […]
Crunchtime in the Air-Conditioning Business: Long Days and Hot Work
With Chicago and much of the country in the grips of a heat wave, air-conditioning technicians are enduring sweltering temperatures to keep systems working.
Baton Rouge General’s Health Tip of the Week: Man, it’s hot in here!
Sponsored by Baton Rouge General Night sweats affect nearly 45% of adults at some point, and while it might not be talked about as much as it is with women and menopause, men do experience those middle-of-the-night wakeups drenched in sweat. Low testosterone disrupting the body’s temperature regulation system is a big culprit, but there […]
Columbia health expert gives Fourth of July heat safety tips
With temperatures in the 90s this Fourth of July weekend, health officials urge people to take precautions while enjoying the holiday.
France’s Far Right Joins the Fray of Air Conditioning Politics
France’s far right is promising air conditioners now, rather than climate solutions for later, to try and sway voters as Europe bakes under record temperatures.
iPhone 18e Won't Get ProMotion Display, Says Leaker
Apple's upcoming iPhone 18e will have the same display refresh rate as the existing iPhone 17e, according to a prominent Chinese leaker. Discussing Apple's product plans for 2027 in a Weibo post, Digital Chat Station claimed that the next generation of Apple's low-cost iPhone will feature the same 60Hz low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) TFT panel as the current model.
England players use new sports drink to help beat extreme heat at World Cup
The Football Association placed a large order for a sports drink produced by a company owned by the double Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee which helps to control body temperature
Air-conditioning becomes political amid sweltering Europe heatwave
Much of western Europe baked under a “heat dome” as temperatures soar. Authorities warn that the extreme conditions could endanger lives across countries, many of which have limited air conditioning, a topic of which has left the people of Paris divided.
Impact of European heat wave on transportation, businesses, tourism
A heat wave across Europe caused record-breaking temperatures, affecting businesses, infrastructure, and daily life.
Europe heatwave breaks records as UN agencies ramp up health warnings
As a record-breaking heatwave grips large parts of Europe, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), national weather services and partners are mobilising heat-health action plans for millions of people facing dangerous temperatures.
Extreme heat and health: Policy guide reveals what communities need to know
Blistering temperatures exacerbated by high humidity are not just uncomfortable but dangerous. Across Canada, and in communities throughout southwestern Ontario, rising temperatures are affecting people's ...
Europe's heatwave shifts east as as France raises health alert to highest level
Temperatures in Germany could hit 40C in some areas while French officials say deaths linked to the heat are being seen among young people.
Highest June minimum temperature record broken in Cardiff as ‘savage’ heatwave continues
Thermometer only drops to 23.5C overnight in Welsh capital as climate crisis makes such extreme temperatures more severe and more likely
Europe heatwave: Air conditioning creates political divide as France records hottest day
France is being forced to re-think its longstanding reservations about air-conditioning as temperatures soar.
Explainer: The health risks of extreme heat
The world is baking under extreme heat, with Europe, Asia and parts of the U.S. all dealing with scorching temperatures.
France restricts public alcohol consumption and outdoor sports as heat wave bakes parts of Europe
France banned public alcohol consumption in some areas, closed hundreds of schools and canceled events as an extreme heat wave sent temperatures soaring across Europe.
Long Marches, Heat Struggles for Houston’s World Cup Visitors
“We are not used to these temperatures,” one Dutch fan told FOS.
As temperatures climb, Health officials urges parents to sharpen water safety habits
Dr.Emanuele Maccalli fromKaweah Health shares important information with the community about water safety.As the temperature rises, the concern of drowning al
Metro Health reports 94 heat-related illnesses in San Antonio since May
Metro Health has reported 94 heat-related illnesses from May through this Saturday, a reminder that dangerous temperatures can quickly become a medical emergency.
The Medical Minute: Sweltering summer? Avoid heat-related illness
As temperatures soar this summer, the risk of heat-related illness does, too. Recognizing the symptoms of this preventable illness and getting swift treatment are critically important.
FSU scientists uncover differences in drivers of long-term temperature changes in Atlantic, Pacific oceans
Florida State University researchers have identified key differences in the root causes of long-term sea-surface temperature changes across the Atlantic
Superconductivity breakthrough could unlock ultra-efficient electronics
A clever nanoscale redesign may have solved one of superconductivity’s biggest problems. Researchers in Sweden discovered that by subtly sculpting the surface beneath an ultrathin superconducting material, they could make it stay superconducting at higher temperatures and under much stronger magnetic fields.
More Coral Reefs May Survive Climate Change Than Scientists Once Thought
A new global analysis maps reefs with the greatest potential to withstand warmer temperatures, strengthening calls for their protection.
NASA spots giant ocean swell that could signal El Niño’s return
NASA satellites have detected a vast pulse of warm water reaching the coast of South America, signaling that El Niño is likely developing. The warm water is being carried eastward by massive ocean waves known as Kelvin waves, which also cause sea levels to rise. El Niño can reshape weather patterns worldwide, bringing floods, droughts, and temperature extremes.
Scientists Horrified as Huge Heatwave Hits Antarctica
Record-breaking temperatures are hitting Antarctica, which is extremely bad news for the planet's delicate climate.
US heat wave doesn’t have to derail summer fun or fitness. Here are hydration tips, what to eat and when to exercise
A widespread heat wave is building across the United States, and when the temperature is rising, how you eat, drink and exercise can all have an effect on your health.
Birmingham restaurant reopens after failing health inspection with 53
Hotspot on Dennison Avenue SW in Birmingham temporarily closed after scoring a 53 on its health inspection due to mold, expired milk and temperature violations, but has since reopened after scoring a 97 on its fourth inspection.
This evolutionary biologist fuses art into her science
Victoria Glynn is studying how high temperatures are affecting ocean plankton. She also makes art to help communicate science to the public.
Why India’s deadly dengue crisis is now no longer confined to the monsoons
Experts warn that rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and rapid urbanisation have transformed the seasonal disease.
Eugene braces for 90-degree heat as Lane County health officials urge residents to prepare
With temperatures in Eugene expected to spike into the 90s Sunday and Monday, health officials and HVAC experts are urging residents to prepare now to stay safe
Board of Health warns about extreme heat during World Cup
Due to humidity, temperatures will feel warmer than they show.
Extreme heat health alert issued in Chester County amid high temperatures
The alert, effective from June 10 through June 13, marks the first extreme heat health alert issued by the Chester County Health Department in 2026.
NSF to remove four measurement arrays in the deep ocean
The National Science Foundation will remove four ocean monitoring stations used to collect measurements of ocean temperature, currents and more.
Scientists Say All Life on Earth May Follow the Same Temperature Rule
Despite its incredible diversity, there is a universal tie between all life on Earth, regardless of species. This unifying trend is found throughout different species and even across kingdoms, whether...
A Hoopaholic’s Monday Fret
Saturday was the first of many to come when the warm joy of early spring morphs to unbearable humidity. Really humid. One didn’t need a Temperature Humidity Index to know. Air that inquires, like what am I doing wandering outside when my shirt feels like dank dishrag? The calendar said early June. The weather read […]
Butte County Public Health urges heat safety as triple-digit temperatures near Northstate
As parts of the Northstate are expected to see triple-digit temperatures later this week, Butte County Public Health (BCPH) officials are emphasizing the import
Protecting Heart Health in an Era of Temperature Extremes
Extreme heat and cold are growing cardiovascular risks that can trigger heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and sudden cardiac death, according to a recent scientific statement by experts at Weill Cornell Medicine and other leading institutions.
These 5 Places Are So Hot Scientists Still Can’t Explain Their Temperatures - Futura-Sciences
Where the Heat Breaks All the Rules There are places around the world where temperatures can spike to absolutely mind-boggling levels. In these isolated regions, air temperatures can hit and even exceed 122°F (50°C). It’s not just a dry heat—it’s the kind of sizzle that keeps meteorologists on alert. Here’s...
Stupid hot: Heat waves cause cognitive changes in animals, making them more aggressive and unable to complete basic tasks
As temperatures rise, some creatures pick fights while others struggle to learn. The consequences of these behavioral changes may ripple through ecosystems.
Scientists identify the origin of noise in spin qubit quantum processors
Charge noise arising from two-level fluctuators is considered to play a key role in causing qubit frequency shifts in silicon spin qubits, resulting in deteriorated gate fidelity. Higher temperatures can improve gate fidelity, but the microscopic origins of this effect and of qubit frequency shift have not yet been established. Now, using statistical simulations, researchers have clarified the parameter regimes under which gate fidelity can be improved and the potential origin of qubit frequency shifts.
Scientists discover a quantum effect that could eliminate batteries
Researchers have discovered how microscopic imperfections and atomic vibrations can be used to control a powerful quantum effect in an advanced material. The effect can turn alternating electrical signals from the environment directly into the kind of current electronic devices need, without traditional components. As temperature changes, the signal can even flip direction, giving scientists a new way to tune device performance.
Rabies Makes Its Return to Wyoming - Wyoming Department of Health
As summer approaches and temperatures rise, the Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is warning residents about wild animals that may carry rabies. The most common carriers of rabies in our state are bats and skunks, but any mammal can be infected with rabies, including humans. The first confirmed case of rabies for 2026 occurred […]
Health and Safety Impacts of Aircraft Cabin Temperatures
Excessively hot or cold temperatures in commercial aircraft may affect the health and safety of passengers and flight attendants. A new National Academies report surveys the evidence on the influence of cabin temperature and humidity on safety and recommends strategies to improve monitoring and risk management.
The cult of objectivity has broken consciousness science
With 22 competing theories and no consensus in sight, the science of consciousness is lost. In this exclusive IAI interview, Berkeley psychedelics researcher and bestselling author of a new book on consciousness Michael Pollan insists that even though consciousness lies beyond traditional forms of scientific investigation, we should resist becoming dualists who see it as something radically different from ordinary stuff in the world. Instead, he makes the case for reimagining science itself: it must stop reaching for objective descriptions of physical reality, and instead embrace subjectivity as the indispensable core of all inquiry. Alasdair Craig: How did your experiences with psychedelics get you interested in consciousness?Michael Pollan: One of the things that happens on psychedelics is that they foreground consciousness. What formerly seemed perfectly transparent and ever present—and yet, non-existent, as water is to fish—suddenly you see it. The metaphor I use in the book is that psychedelics sponge the windscreen. Suddenly you realize: wow, there’s a windscreen, there is this phenomenon that’s mediating my relationship to reality. This is not an unusual realization on psychedelics. I think a lot of people are called to think about consciousness after psychedelic experiences. So that was the proximate inspiration for A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness (2026).And then there was a more specific way in which psychedelics influence the book. That was a particular experience I had on psilocybin. I had the sensation that the plants in my garden were conscious and returning my gaze, with their own point of view and agency, and I got curious as to how to evaluate an insight like that. I mean, what’s the truth quotient of insights you have on psychedelics? And I was reading William James—who, of course, wrote beautifully about mystical experience—and he said, we can’t judge the metaphysics here, but we should pay attention to two criteria: (1) How useful is it to think this is true? He was a pragmatist, of course. And (2) can we subject it to other ways of knowing to validate it? Because maybe we should treat these insights as hypotheses. And that’s kind of how I approach psychedelics, as a great generator of hypotheses, but they need to be tested against other ways of knowing. And so that led me down this long path exploring the science of plant intelligence and plant sentience.AC: I love your phrase, “smudging the windowpane of conscious experience.” So do you now start to think, actually, even when I’m not on psychedelics, I’m just seeing a screen all the time, which is not reality, but rather is my conscious experience, behind which reality is hidden?MP: Well, you know, not when I’m brushing my teeth and making breakfast! But yes, in meditation, certainly. I mean, one of the things you realize is that my experience happens to be this way now, but it could be another way. And many things can affect it. My morning coffee changes the screen in various ways, sharpens certain things.___The only tool we have to understand consciousness is consciousness.___There’s this wonderful metaphor in Aldous Huxley’s book, The Doors of Perception, where he thinks we channel consciousness, and that what the brain does is edit it, and there’s a reducing valve. And psychedelics open the reducing valve wider. I don’t know that I’m ready to buy into the idea that consciousness exists outside brains, but I do love that metaphor because there are times when you are more conscious than others. I know I’ve switched from window pane to valve, but you know, a camera aperture can open wider or narrower. And I do have a sense of that. I have a sense of when I’m being less conscious, and when I’m being more conscious, by which I mean, you know, more present, taking in more sensory information. So when you start thinking about consciousness as a matter of degree, that changes things also.I think when we scroll on social media, obviously, we’re conscious. But minimally so, because we don’t have to generate our own thoughts. We’re basically taking these little hits from other people and thinking their thoughts.The process of writing this book made me kind of relativize everyday consciousness as just one type, which is exactly what William James said. Normal consciousness is one type, separated by the flimsiest of screens from the other types.AC: If we stick with the metaphor of the smudge on the window that you get when you take psychedelics, it seems like we’re saying that consciousness has become like an object that you’re looking at, right? You’re looking at the smudge and that just is consciousness. But sometimes we’ll talk about consciousness as a state that you’re in, rather than an object you can perceive. You’re either conscious or you’re not conscious. So it’s difficult to really know what sort of thing we’re talking about when we talk about consciousness, right?MP: Yeah. When you say that consciousness is an object, what’s the subject? Consciousness also? The only tool we have to understand consciousness is consciousness. So we’re in a closed loop and when we get a perspective on consciousness, we’re not achieving any distance from it. That’s one of the problems with studying consciousness. Science is predicated on an objective, God’s eye view of things, and you never get that. There’s no such thing. SUGGESTED VIEWING The brain filters consciousness With Àlex Gómez-Marín But, yeah, there is this sense, I think, that consciousness is something you can approach. Certainly, when you’re writing and trying to recreate a conscious experience, it’s a fiction, but you’re standing back from it, and looking at it. But there’s no real subject-object distinction.AC: That’s so interesting, because when philosophers start talking about consciousness, they often talk about what they call “qualia”, which is their word for the felt experience of, say, the color red. And I think that way of speaking often makes us think of the qualia as an object, which you can see out there: the redness of red. But, as you say, we also want to collapse the subject-object distinction when we talk about consciousness. So there’s something strange going on here…MP: Oh, yeah, there are many strange things going on! *AC: Let’s talk about the varieties of consciousness. Apart from perceptions, there are, pains, emotions, thoughts, and so on. What is it that holds all this diversity together so that they all count as instances of consciousness? What is it that they all have in common?MP: Yeah, that’s a really good question. I mean, there is sensory information, right? Which we perceive coming from the world outside ourselves. And then there’s internal information, which is what’s called interoception. And this is very important too. This is where feelings come from—what are sometimes called homeostatic feelings—that are intended to get the brain to keep us in these narrow ranges of temperature and glucose and so on. That’s a very important part of consciousness. And according to some researchers, who I think are probably right, this is where consciousness begins, with these very primal feelings, like hunger and thirst and warmth and itch, and things like that. And then there’s this third thing, which is our thinking about thinking.And what holds all this together is, I think, the sense of self. Consciousness generates a self: it is probably an organizing principle. All this stuff is happening to the self. It’s a construct, I think, but it is very useful. It can connect all these different streams of consciousness to a single being or a place, metaphorically speaking.* AC: The first half of your book is about the science of consciousness. Is consciousness just another thing, like black holes or the origin of life, which we don’t yet understand, but which we should have every hope that science will one day get to the bottom of, or is there something special about consciousness that makes this unlikely?MP: It depends how you define science. As we define science now, it’s going be very difficult. Science since Galileo has had a set of rules or assumptions, which is that the proper remit of science is to deal with the objective, quantifiable, third-person world. And the physical sciences have done amazing work under that set of limitations. Galileo—for tactical reasons, not for philosophical reasons—said science should not deal with the soul, which at the time was what consciousness was considered to be. So what is subjective, what is qualitative, what is first person, we’re going to leave to the church, he said. And this was a good agreement, and it probably kept many scientists from getting burned at the stake. But it leaves science in an awkward spot, now that it wants to venture into that territory of qualities, of first-person experience. And I don’t think it has the proper tools. I think it will have to add to its toolkit in some way, and find a way to bring in phenomenology, or lived experience and introspection, which science is usually dismissive of.The challenge—we alluded to it earlier—is that the only tool you have to study consciousness with is consciousness. And what I mean by that is, the whole scientific enterprise is a manifestation of consciousness. As much as scientists like to flatter themselves with this idea that they attain a godlike perspective on what they study, when it comes to consciousness, there’s no such thing. And it’s fine for all the things you can step outside of and study from that perspective. But two areas it won’t work are consciousness and cosmology.___It could be that we live in this anomaly of not believing nature is conscious. And maybe psychedelics are teaching us something we’ve forgotten.___With cosmology, too, you have to study the universe from inside the universe. It’s not that cosmologists haven’t made progress. We know a lot about the age of the universe and expansion and things like that. But we can’t penetrate what happened before the Big Bang. We just don’t have the tools because we can’t stand outside.The fact that there are 22 full-scale theories of consciousness tells you all you need to know: we’re kind of lost. And I was surprised to find that we are more lost than I thought we were when I started this. I thought that there’d be leading theories, or that we had experiments that we could conduct that would nail some of this down. And the fact is, we don’t.So, I don’t know if science can solve it. But, of course, we can change the rules of science. A really influential book for me was a book called The Blind Spot, by two physicists, Marcello Gleiser and Adam Frank, and a philosopher, Evan Thompson. It’s a reminder that science is a social practice. It’s organized in a certain way and it can be organized in a different way. But it has this huge blind spot at the center of it, which is its failure to recognize that it is a form of consciousness itself, and it doesn’t have a good way of taking account of lived experience.AC: On the one hand, I think you want to resist traditional dualism, which would say that consciousness is something magical, something supernatural, right? But on the other hand, you’re accepting that there is this division in reality between the stuff that you can investigate objectively and measure, and so on—the stuff that science has been good at finding out about—and consciousness, which, for some reason, you can’t objectively measure. Some would take this to suggest that the dualism is actually right. Is there a way of reconciling these two strands of your thinking?MP: To call it magical is full of value judgement. I mean, you could just say immaterial. The interesting thing is, I think, that intuitively we’re all dualists. And I don’t know whether that’s because we’re children of Descartes and other cultures are less dualist than we are. Or it may be because that’s how consciousness feels. It feels different than the body. It feels separate from the body. But I don’t think we should trust that intuition.AC: So let’s think about ways that science might be changed to get at consciousness. I suppose the starting point would be the way that you begin the second half of your book. You have this nice line from William James, where he says, “We now begin our study of the mind from within.” Could you give us some sense of the ways of studying the mind from within? What does this involve?MP: I don’t know what that science looks like. But one of the points I’m making is that it depends on the humanities. I found that I learned as much, if not more, about consciousness, from reading novels and poetry. There is a sense of the fullness and complexity of consciousness that you don’t get in any scientific account. I interviewed this stream-of-consciousness writer and I approached her as an expert on consciousness, and she is. So I think that dialogue is really important.I’m reading Ben Lerner’s new novel, Transcription. Just read the first page of this novel: it’s a man falling asleep on a train, going to conduct an interview, and there is the experience of being in the train, facing backwards, there’s the view outside, but there’s a reflection of himself through which he’s seeing outside. There’s the memory of dropping his kids off at school. All this is going on in one moment of consciousness. Scientists aren’t going anywhere near that. But I think it’s useful for them to think about. That’s where we’re trying to go: like, how does such a layered experience happen? You know, it also makes you wonder, could a computer ever do this? And it gives you some doubt.*AC: Before we get to computers, perhaps we could talk briefly about plants. How did you come to feel that they are sentient?MP: Well, it was a psychedelic experience, and it’s not unusual on psychedelics. In fact, there’ve been studies about how people become animists during psychedelic experience. Their belief in animism arises after a single psychedelic experience.You know, most scientists would say this is all a myth. But we have only 400 years of the age of enlightenment and science. Before that, we were animists, and if you go around the world, most indigenous cultures are still animists, and children are animists, by and large, until they go to school. So it could be that we live in this anomaly of not believing nature is conscious. And maybe psychedelics are teaching us something we’ve forgotten.As I said, I wanted to test this idea, and see whether there was conventional scientific evidence for it. And there’s fascinating work going on in a field that calls itself—in a rather cheeky way—plant neurobiology. These are people who fully realize there are no neurons in plants, but they’re trolling conventional botanists! And they’re doing experiments that are demonstrating that plants can learn and remember, which is kind of amazing: how do you store a memory without neurons? They’re finding plants that can solve problems, that can hear and see. In fact, they have 20 senses to our five or six. For example, a bean plant looking for something to twine, and given a pole within eight inches or so of it, knows where that pole is and will aim its spiraling reach at that pole. What is that about? Is it bouncing signals off of it?One of the spookiest things is the fact that the same anesthetics that put us out put plants out. You might think that plants are already out, but they’re not. They’re just slow. If you take a plant with a fast behavior, like a Venus flytrap, and give it an anesthetic, it will stop reacting. So you have to ask yourself, what is lost when the plant is anaesthetized? Some state of alertness, of awareness, of its environment, of reactivity. I’m not prepared to call that consciousness, but maybe it’s sentience—which is a simpler form of consciousness, and involves the ability to sense what’s going on in your environment and assess what’s good and bad for you and act appropriately. That may be a universal quality of life.AC: Let’s turn from plants to AI. You point out that LLMs are trained on the internet rather than direct interactions with reality. You put this really nicely when you say the internet is not the world so much as a shadow cast by the world. So LLMs are living in this kind of shadow world, or in Plato’s cave, as you put it. What’s the significance of this for AI consciousness and moral consideration? And, to recall the beginning of our conversation, if we’re stuck behind a veil or screen of consciousness, are we also stuck in a kind of shadow world?MP: I don’t think they’re the same shadow worlds because our world includes nature and other people. And even if it’s mediated in some ways... There is a reality out there, and we are in relation to it, through consciousness. There’s friction with it. What’s missing from the LLMs is that friction with the real world. There’s more to the world than human representation, which is what they’re dealing with. And that means that so far, AI is a cultural technology for combining thoughts we’ve already had. SUGGESTED VIEWING Cracking the code for thought With Roger Penrose, Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski, Max Tegmark, Güneş Taylor Genuine creativity is more than collage. A lot of what AI does now is tantamount to collage, putting this with that and you know, that’s part of art, certainly. But there are also genuinely new ideas that come into the world that don’t come in through manipulating the representations we already have. So it remains to be seen whether AIs can be truly creative in that more radical sense.But my arguments against AI becoming conscious have to do with the fact that the idea of AI consciousness is based on this faulty metaphor that the brain is a computer. There are dimensions in which the brain is like a computer—it certainly does its share of computation. But computers have this sharp distinction between hardware and software, and brains don’t. In a brain, hardware and software are identical. Every memory is a physical change to the brain. Brains are not interchangeable in the way computers are. So this idea that you could take the consciousness out and somehow run it on another substrate, a silicon substrate, seems foolhardy.Anyway, it’s a more extended argument, and I may be wrong. And when we move to computers that aren’t based on silicon—neuromorphic computers and things like that—all bets may be off.AC: Regarding your point about LLMs being stuck in the world of our representations—the internet or whatever—and not being able to interact with reality, are these representations, the world of the internet, themselves part of reality? We’ve created the internet, but it’s still a real thing that exists. And so while the LLMs may be trapped within that part of reality, they’re nevertheless within reality and interacting with it and so on. So it’s not obvious that there’s a barrier there to them becoming conscious and being creative.MP: Yeah, I mean, if our consciousness is built out of human culture, which is what we’re talking about with all those representations. But I tend to think consciousness comes a bit more out of nature and friction with the natural world, but...AC: So there’s a fundamental divide between the natural world and human artefacts?MP: And we lose track of that, and especially people in this computer world. You know, the people who are creating these AI systems, my guess is they’ve been into video games since the age of three, and they didn’t go outside a lot. And their own contact with nature is somewhat limited. I could be wrong, it’d be a very interesting thing to ask, all the wizards of AI, whether they like to go fishing and hiking and do things like that. Or were they on computers from a very early age? I interviewed Blake Lemoine, the Google engineer who came to believe that LaMDA, the Google LLM out at the time, was conscious and deserved personhood. It was very clear that he didn’t see a distinction between this bubble in which he lived and the real world. And I think we’ve all been distanced from the natural world, and this is taking us even further away. But it’s still there, you know, and we still have bodies, and we’re still mortal, and we don’t live in a simulation.AC: I think that’s a great place to finish. Michael Pollan, thank you very much!
Taylor restaurant inspectors find roaches and other problems
Recent health inspections in Taylor found roaches, improper glove use and temperature violations at local spots.
Better sleep, improved health, happier people: how ‘cool roofs’ could help millions avoid deadly heat
A project to measure how reflective paint reduces indoor temperatures is delivering tangible benefits across Africa
Mosquito populations return as temperatures increase
Mosquito populations return as temperatures increase across the state
New 3D silicon chip breakthrough could extend Moore’s Law for years
As traditional chip miniaturization slows, researchers have found a way to pack more computing power into the same space by stacking silicon circuits in multiple layers. The new process uses ultra-thin silicon membranes and low-temperature manufacturing techniques to overcome a major obstacle that has long blocked the production of true 3D chips.
New 3D silicon chip breakthrough could extend Moore’s Law for years
As traditional chip miniaturization slows, researchers have found a way to pack more computing power into the same space by stacking silicon circuits in multiple layers. The new process uses ultra-thin silicon membranes and low-temperature manufacturing techniques to overcome a major obstacle that has long blocked the production of true 3D chips.
Stanford quantum computing breakthrough uses twisted light to work without extreme cooling
A new room-temperature quantum device uses twisted light to entangle photons and electrons, overcoming one of the biggest hurdles in quantum technology. The breakthrough could pave the way for smaller, cheaper quantum systems with applications ranging from secure communications to future AI and computing platforms.
This strange new phase of matter could transform quantum technology
By stacking custom-designed silver nanoparticles like nanoscale LEGO bricks, scientists stabilized a mysterious crystal phase that had never been observed before. The material not only solves a longstanding puzzle in materials science but also exhibits promising quantum properties at room temperature.
Astronomers finally solve Saturn’s decades-long spin mystery
A decades-old mystery about Saturn has finally been solved thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope. Scientists discovered that Saturn’s changing “rotation rate” was never caused by the planet speeding up or slowing down, but by powerful winds high in its atmosphere. Webb’s unprecedented observations revealed that Saturn’s northern lights actively heat the atmosphere, creating winds that generate electrical currents, which then power the aurora all over again in a self-sustaining cycle.
First heat-related death of the year brings reminder of safety measures from health officials
State health officials are urging Marylanders to take personal safety measures and check on vulnerable neighbors as temperatures start to rise this summer, following the death of an elderly man in Calvert County due to heat-related illness.
Antarctica’s ice sheet hit a climate tipping point 1 million years ago
A new study suggests Antarctica’s ice sheet hit a climate tipping point about one million years ago, making it far more reactive to temperature and CO2 changes. Researchers warn this surprising sensitivity could offer clues about how the continent may respond to today’s warming world.
Bird tests positive for West Nile Virus in Ventura County, according to health officials
Ventura County health officials on Tuesday confirmed that a local bird tested positive for West Nile Virus earlier in May. They advised the public to be wary of increased mosquito breeding following above-average temperatures and rain.
5 Questions with Sean Debley, Technical Services Manager, Environmental Health Division
1. As Ventura County heads into summer, what should residents know about ocean water quality and how it’s monitored by the County? As temperatures begin to rise heading into summer, […]
Scientists break 30-year superconductivity record at normal pressure
Scientists at the University of Houston have shattered a long-standing superconductivity record, creating a material that can conduct electricity with zero resistance at the highest temperature ever achieved under normal pressure conditions. Their breakthrough pushes superconductivity to 151 Kelvin (minus 122°C), beating a record that stood for more than 30 years.
Birmingham restaurants flagged for health violations
Oakland County health inspectors found violations like improper storage and temperature issues at Birmingham eateries.
Taking a temperature check on bee health
One of the worst honey bee die offs in history rattled beekeepers last year.
Taking a temperature check on bee health
Reporter Abigail Saxe speaks with Gerald Posner of Swaying Daisies Honeybee Farm about colony die off and how to keep bees alive.
Parts of Europe swelter in record May heat as deaths at amateur sports events spur warnings
The United Kingdom broke its record Monday for the hottest temperature recorded in May, after a heat wave was declared in several parts of the country.
The World Cup Problem That Could Disrupt All of Sports
After last year’s dangerously hot and humid FIFA Club World Cup in the US, attention has turned to how soccer’s governing body might handle extreme heat during its largest ever tournament: The 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to kick off June 11. Much of the focus has been on how the temperatures could affect the footballers, but the event is a reminder that the ones in real peril are the fans — and the players of the future.
Swiatek, Rybakina cruise through Roland Garros openers
Four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek and second seed Elena Rybakina both eased into the second round with comfortable wins at a sweltering Roland Garros on Monday, as Stan Wawrinka bade an emotional farewell to the tournament.The high temperatures took their toll on two-time runner-up Casper Ruud and Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin, as the Norwegian narrowly avoided a first opening-round defeat at Roland Garros, winning 6-2, 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 0-6, 6-2.
Parts of Europe swelter in record May heat as deaths at amateur sports events spur warnings
Europe is baking under unseasonal heat that is shattering temperature records, including in the United Kingdom on Monday, and prompting government warnings after deaths were reported at amateur sports events in France.
Parts of Europe swelter in record May heat as deaths at sports events spur warnings
Europe is baking under unseasonal heat that is shattering temperature records and prompting government warnings after deaths were reported at amateur sports events in France
Parts of Europe swelter in record May heat as deaths at amateur sports events spur warnings
Europe is baking under unseasonal heat that is shattering temperature records and prompting government warnings after deaths were reported at amateur sports events in France.
Parts of Europe Swelter in Record May Heat as Deaths at Amateur Sports Events Spur Warnings
PARIS (AP) — Europe is baking under unseasonal heat that is shattering temperature records, including in the United Kingdom on Monday, and prompting government warnings after deaths were reported at amateur sports events in France. The French sports minister, Marina Ferrari, posted condolences to ...
Cold and rainy Memorial Day weekend leaves business struggling in Lake George
A rainy holiday weekend with temperatures in the 50's led to Lake George being mostly quiet this weekend. It was a pretty quiet lake without the influx of boats out on the water.
Scientists just found a faster, cleaner way to extract lithium for EV batteries
A breakthrough lithium-extraction method could help solve one of clean energy’s dirtiest problems. Researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed a fast new technique that pulls lithium directly from salty underground brines using a temperature-sensitive solvent, avoiding the giant evaporation ponds that can take years and drain precious water supplies. Even better, the method works on low-quality lithium sources that current technologies struggle to use.
South West heat health alert as holiday temperatures near 29C
A yellow heat health alert is issued with warnings of NHS pressure, coastal risks and a heatwave.
UK weather: Heat health alerts about to come into force as temperatures to soar
Many areas will enter into the official heatwave thresholds across the next few days, with temperatures widely in the high 20s and low 30s into next week.