South Africa as G20 leader can take action on Africa’s food supply: 4 ways to make a difference
Holding the G20 presidency this year, South Africa is well positioned to push for new ways to boost agricultural productivity ...
What is reinforcement learning? An AI researcher explains a key method of teaching machines – and how it relates to training your dog
Computing pioneer Alan Turing suggested training machines with rewards and punishments. Two computer scientists put the idea into practice in the 1980s and set the stage for the likes of ChatGPT.
AI isn’t what we should be worried about – it’s the humans controlling it
The dread that AI evokes seems a distraction from the more disquieting scrutiny of humanity’s own dark nature.
EPA must use the best available science − by law − but what does that mean?
The Trump administration’s job cuts and advisory board changes at the agency won’t change those rules, as a former EPA ...
The trade deficit isn’t an emergency – it’s a sign of America’s strength
The word ‘deficit’ may sound alarming, but America’s trade gap is a sign of its financial and economic dominance.
Opinion
American liberators of Nazi camps got ‘a lifelong vaccine against extremism’ − their wartime experiences are a warning for today
A historian of the Mauthausen concentration camp says US troops and the Spanish antifascists they freed were united in a common fight against authoritarianism.
How the small autonomous region of Puntland found success in battling Islamic State in Somalia
Puntland Defense Forces posed next to a sign in Arabic that proclaimed the mountain town of Sheebaab as a “province” of the ...
Five children’s books that feature positive male role models – from toddlers to teens
Suitable for readers from infancy to late adolescence, these books aim to teach boys what it means to be responsible, ...
Alcohol causes cancer, and less than 1 drink can increase your risk − a cancer biologist explains how
Alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of cancer in the US, accounting for tens of thousands of cancer deaths per year.
Why Donald Trump’s decision to slash USAid is hurting American soft power and making the world less safe
With a single stroke of President Trump’s Sharpie pen, this has struck out US$60 billion (£39 billion) of US aid assistance, ...
How the struggles of the UK hospitality sector could hit the rest of the economy
The UK’s most recent GDP figures showed the country’s economy shrank by 0.1% in January. But behind this small decline there ...
How to gauge flood risk before you buy or rent a seafront property
Flood maps are difficult to decipher. But understanding the risk is critical for people wanting to live and work by the coast ...