Science

Google started rolling out its new Gemini voice assistant for its smart speakers two weeks ago and, in a blog post marking the anniversary, the company seems to think everything is going great. It’s even quoting a user who said, “My Google Home just got upgraded with Gemini. It’s actually useful now beyond asking for today’s weather.” That’s some not-so-subtle shade right there.But dig into the post’s FAQ, and things don’t look so rosy. Two of the most frequently asked questions from those who have the new assistant are:Gemini for Home voice assistant is not fully understanding my query… (Example: I tried to set an alarm for 5pm but it set it for 5am.)Gemini for Home voice assistant is not properly controlling my home devices. What should I do?Controlling connected devices such as lights a...

Brenden Lake, an expert in learning and intelligence, has joined Princeton as an associate professor of computer science and psychology. “I’m thrilled to be here,” Lake said. “Princeton has always been at the forefront of research in human and machine intelligence.” Lake spent eight years on the faculty at New York University, most recently as an associate professor of psychology and data science. He studies intelligence in machines and people, how each learns differently and how they draw on what they know. “Despite the amazing progress in AI, people are still smarter than machines in so many different ways,” Lake said. “We’re trying to understand why.” Much of Lake’s recent research has focused on differences in language acquisition between humans and machines. “There are fu...

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It only costs a few dollars to buy a tub of bait worms for fishing, but many people are fine with sourcing them straight from the ground. And who knows? There’s always a chance you may find more in the dirt than wriggling invertebrates. Take a recent example near Stockholm, Sweden: According to county officials last month, an unnamed fisherman scrounging for worms at his summer house discovered a corroded copper cauldron containing around 13 pounds of treasure from the Middle Ages. The tally is still underway, but an early estimate suggests as many as 20,000 silver coins, rings, pendants, and other jewelry were uncovered. The front of ma...

Brandt Ranj is a commerce reporter for The Verge, which means, he says, “I spend my time trying to find good deals and the best gear to recommend to our readers.” He also keeps The Verge’s wearables buyer’s guides up to date, but, he adds, “my role requires me to cover a little bit of everything,” including deals on subscriptions. “Products are constantly coming out, so every day it is a little different.”He volunteered to tell us about his favorite kitchen scale: the OXO 11 lb Stainless Steel Food Scale with Pull out Display.When (and why) did you get this kitchen scale? I come from a long line of bakers who measure everything by feel because the recipes have been passed down from generation to generation. I’m the first person who’s nerdy enough to care about exact weight and ratios when ...

There’s something distinctly different about the way that life smells when autumn arrives. The air smells sharper, the trees look like they’re on fire (in a good way), and for a moment, everything feels perfectly cozy. But have you ever stopped to wonder what that signature “fall smell” actually is? Spoiler: it’s not pumpkin spice.The Chemistry of Fallen LeavesThe smell of autumn is, quite literally, the scent of nature winding down. When leaves fall from trees, they don’t just lie there looking pretty; they start to decompose. As they break down, bacteria and fungi in the soil get to work digesting the organic material, releasing gases called volatile organic compounds. These are the same types of molecules responsible for the smell of fresh-cut grass or wet pavement (equally delicious, i...

Apple is rumored to be removing the Dynamic Island cutout, replacing it with an under-display camera. In other words, Apple might be going with a clean, all-screen look for its display. Apple-focused tech site MacRumors reported on Monday that rumors suggest the 20th anniversary iPhone in 2027 could conceal the front-facing camera and have no visible cutouts on the screen. It's worth noting that these rumors come from anonymous leakers, so there remains reason to be skeptical. And it's a long time until 2027, so plans could always change. Mashable Light Speed SEE ALSO: The 20th anniversary iPhone model could have an 'all-screen' design But this is not the first time we've heard this rumor....

WASHINGTON — Hormone-based drugs used to treat hot flashes and other menopause symptoms will no longer carry a bold warning label about stroke, heart attack, dementia and other serious risks, the Food and Drug Administration announced Monday.U.S. health officials said they will remove the boxed warning from more than 20 pills, patches and creams containing hormones like estrogen and progestin, which are approved to ease disruptive symptoms like night sweats.The change has been supported by some doctors — including FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, who has called the current label outdated and unnecessary.Health officials explained the move by pointing to studies suggesting hormone therapy has few risks when started before age 60 or within 10 years of menopause symptoms.“We’re challenging outd...

After the November 11 release on MTG Arena, every player who participates in a tabletop event will receive three wins of advancement on their daily and weekly win tracks, just in time for playing in your local game store's Prerelease events for Magic: The Gathering® | Avatar: The Last Airbender™. How It Works When you play in a Magic: The Gathering tabletop event at your local Wizards Play Network game store, your participation is associated with your Wizards account. Since MTG Arena also uses Wizards accounts, on your next login you'll automatically advance 3 wins on your daily and weekly win bonus tracks. This includes of course any gold, individual card rewards (ICRs), and XP associated with those wins. The gold and ICRs will show up in a reward pop up when you log in, and if your ...

Launching any payload into space requires lots of energy. Every ounce and inch counts as scientists and engineers strive to pack as much function as possible into the smallest space possible.Utah State University undergraduate researcher Ethan Wayland leads USU’s Get Away Special (GAS) student team, which has been selected by NASA to design and build a CubeSat, a class of small cube satellite, to deploy into space from the International Space Station. The team, with mentorship from USU Computer and Electrical Engineering Associate Professor Reyhan Baktur, is developing “GASRATS” (Get Away Special Radio and Antenna Transparency Satellite), which features a novel optically transparent patch antenna integrated into a solar panel.Friday, Nov. 14, at USU’s Science Unwrapped public outreach prog...

Those additional options should be welcome news for fans looking for new ways to play PC games of a certain era. The PC Gaming Wiki lists over 400 titles written with the D3D7 APIs, and while most of those games were released between 2000 and 2004, a handful of new D3D7 games have continued to be released through 2022. The D3D7 games list predictably includes a lot of licensed shovelware, but there are also well-remembered games like Escape from Monkey Island, Arx Fatalis, and the original Hitman: Codename 47. WinterSnowfall writes that the project was inspired by a desire to play games like Sacrifice and Disciples II on top of the existing dxvk framework. Despite some known issues with certain D3D7 titles, WinterSnowfall writes that recent tuning means “things are now anywhere between dec...