Ideas

Artificial Intelligences Are Power Hungry, But Not How You Think

Keeping AIs on an ethical short leash is important but there are other aspects to consider.

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Why Being Stuck at Home—and Unable to Hang Out in Cafes and Bars—Drains Our Creativity

As we bounce from place to place, each brief social encounter plants a small seed that can gel into a new idea or inspiration.

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The Pandemic May Be the Catalyst for the Digital Government We All Want

As citizens clamor for more online government services, they’re equally and rightfully clear on the need for strong security.

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Scientists Suggest U.S. Embassies Were Hit with High-Power Microwaves – Here's How the Weapons Work

The technology behind the suspected weapons is well understood and dates back to the Cold War arms race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

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Your Robot Vacuum Could Spy on You

Researchers managed to recover speech data with high accuracy.

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Why It's Hard to Get People to Take COVID Seriously

It's difficult for public health agencies to raise the right amount of fear in people, an expert says.

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Computer Science Jobs Pay Well and Are Growing Fast. Why Are They Out of Reach for So Many of America's Students?

If students from certain groups are being shut out of the field, it means that public education is failing in its role as the great equalizer.

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5 Rules to Keep Breaking Barriers in Government

The pandemic disrupted how agencies conducted business but federal leaders can harness that momentum. 

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Workers Are Looking for Direction from Management—and Any Map Is Better than No Map

The consequences of just continuing to wing it are piling up.

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5 Common Questions about Federal Procurement Answered

Small business owners can take steps to try and make the process of selling to the government more successful and efficient as the new year nears.

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Now Streaming: Government Data

When leveraged effectively, streaming data offers tremendous potential for real-time improvements.

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Computers Still Can't Solve This Cookie Cutter Dilemma

Even math experts have given up on finding a computer algorithm to answer this type of geometric problem.

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The Iconic American Inventor Is Still a White Male – and That's an Obstacle to Race and Gender Inclusion

National myths about inventorship normalize entrenched discrimination in STEM fields.

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Insecure Communications Like WhatsApp Are Putting U.S. National Security at Risk

The proliferation of consumer-grade communications applications has given rise to widespread, unsanctioned use throughout the military community.

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How Airflow Inside Your Car Affects COVID-19 Risk

The study showed that different combinations of open windows could increase or decrease exposure to aerosols.

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To Protect Research Subjects, Account for the Internet

When today’s scientists design experiments, they most often refer to ethical guidelines written decades ago.

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As the Pandemic Rages, the U.S. Could Use a Little Bit More 'Samfundssind'

In English, it roughly translates to community spirit, civic engagement or civic-mindedness.

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What Are Emergency Use Authorizations, and Do They Guarantee that a Vaccine or Drug Is Safe?

The first time the FDA issued an EUA was in 2005 for an anthrax vaccine, but just for military personnel.

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I'm an Astronomer and I Think Aliens May Be Out There – but UFO Sightings Aren't Persuasive

Belief in alien visitation is greater than belief that Bigfoot is a real creature.