It's been 50 years since the premiere of '2001: A Space Odyssey' and, come to think of it, 17 years since the date when the great Kubrick movie was supposed to take place. As we contemplate artificial intelligence today, what would Hal say?
That's just one of my favourite articles from around The Conversation network from the last week. I hope you enjoy these great weekend reads.
Have a good weekend and we'll be back in your Inbox on Monday.
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Weekend Reads
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Franck Guarnieri, Mines ParisTech
Since Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece debuted in 1968, fictional stories of faulty or malevolent AI are legion. What have recent advances taught us and what might the future hold?
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Aris Tritsis, Australian National University
A three-dimensional look and listen at a dark cloud in space sheds new light on the mystery of how our solar system formed billions of years ago.
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Michael Arntfield, Western University
The arrest of former cop Joseph DeAngelo in the Golden State Killer case raises questions about the common occupations of killers and psychopaths. Canada's Russell Williams was a former military officer.
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Gabriela Tavella, UNSW; Gordon Parker, UNSW
Burnout is hard to diagnose, as it is not featured in the manual of mental disorders.
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Samantha Knight, University of Guelph; Ryan Norris, University of Guelph
Effective conservation of migratory songbirds requires an understanding of how populations are connected between seasons. The challenge is being able to track individuals throughout the entire year.
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Isabelle Autran, Université Paris Nanterre – Université Paris Lumières
Même si le chat a dépassé le chien dans la bataille des animaux domestiques préférés des Français, il n’en reste pas moins une espèce emblématique. La relation entre l’homme et le chien est passionnelle.
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Roger Southall, University of the Witwatersrand
Littering in protest is indicative of a discordant society, and a culture of littering can tell us a lot about a society's ethos.
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Naser Ghobadzadeh, Australian Catholic University
Reformists are calling for the emancipation of religion from a state that's seen to exploit Islam for purposes of political power. This remains the most formidable challenge to Iran’s ruling clergy.
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Paul Mann, Northumbria University, Newcastle
A 20-year-old experiment is testing whether filling the Arctic tundra with animals could keep carbon trapped in the ground.
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Matthew Coggon, University of Colorado
New research is spotlighting personal care products, such as shampoos and skin lotions, as a significant source of chemicals that contribute to urban air pollution.
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