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Rare set of varied factors triggered Black Death

Volcanic eruptions in the mid-1340s triggered a chain of events that brought the Black Death to Europe. The Black Death ravaged medieval Western Europe, ultimately wiping out roughly one-third of the population. Scientists have identified the bacterium responsible and its likely origins, but certain specifics of how and why…

New report warns of critical climate risks in Arab region

Foundations of daily life are being pushed to the brink by human-caused warming. As global warming accelerates, about 480 million people in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula face intensifying and in some places unsurvivable heat, as well as drought, famine, and the risk of mass displacement, the World…

Researchers find what makes AI chatbots politically persuasive

A massive study of political persuasion shows AIs have, at best, a weak effect. Roughly two years ago, Sam Altman tweeted that AI systems would be capable of superhuman persuasion well before achieving general intelligence—a prediction that raised concerns about the influence AI could have over democratic elections. To…