Space: Then and now

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.

 

Scott White

Editor

Weekend Reads

Artificial intelligence talks (and talks): the story since '2001: A Space Odyssey’

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?

A giant 'singing' cloud in space will help us to understand how star systems form

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.

The preferred jobs of serial killers and psychopaths

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.

Extinguished and anguished: what is burnout and what can we do about it?

Gabriela Tavella, UNSW; Gordon Parker, UNSW

Burnout is hard to diagnose, as it is not featured in the manual of mental disorders.

Birds wearing backpacks trace a path to conservation

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.

Mon chien, mon miroir

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.

Littering in South Africa is the expression of wider selfish – and costly -- culture

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.

Religious backlash loosens clerics' grip on legacy of 1979 Iranian Revolution

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.

Could resurrecting mammoths help stop Arctic emissions?

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.

Your shampoo, hair spray and skin lotion may be polluting the air

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.