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Future

Penguins Bask In Global Warming

TVNZ (New Zealand); SCIENCE WORLD REPORT; PLOS ONE JOURNAL

Worldcrunch

BEAUFORT ISLAND - A new study published this week by U.S. and New Zealand researchers shows that there are actually some winners when it comes to global warming: the Adélie penguins.

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The study, published in the PLOS One journal, shows that the colony of Adélie penguins on Beaufort Island significantly boosted its numbers as the nearby glaciers receded. The scientists used aerial photos dating back to 1958, as well as satellite imagery to configure their data.

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Photo by Brocken Inaglory

From the 1980s onwards, the colony’s population increased by 84 per cent, and the space they inhabit grew by 20% as the ice melted. Temperature-wise, there was an average springtime increase of 3.2 degrees since the 1980s in the Antarctic, says TVNZ.

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According to Science World Report, Adélie penguins are smaller than Emperor penguins, standing a little over two feet tall. They feed on krill and silver fish, and the scientists noted a prevalence of silver-fish in the area, which also could have contributed to the population boom.

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Adélie Penguin. Photo by Samuel Blanc

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Future

AI As God? How Artificial Intelligence Could Spark Religious Devotion

We may be about to see the emergence of a new kind of religion, where flocks worship — literally — at the altar of Artificial Intelligence.

Image of artificial intelligence as an artificial being

Artificial intelligence generated picture of AI as a god

Neil McArthur

The latest generation of AI-powered chatbots, trained on large language models, have left their early users awestruck —and sometimes terrified — by their power. These are the same sublime emotions that lie at the heart of our experience of the divine.

People already seek religious meaning from very diverse sources. There are, for instance, multiple religions that worship extra-terrestrials or their teachings.

As these chatbots come to be used by billions of people, it is inevitable that some of these users will see the AIs as higher beings. We must prepare for the implications.

There are several pathways by which AI religions will emerge. First, some people will come to see AI as a higher power.

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