Humpback whales hunt using one of nature’s funniest tactics. Packs of whales swim in circles around their prey and blow bubbles. As the bubbles rise, they form pillars that act as virtual nets to focus prey. Whales swim upward in a spiral, exhale bubbles, and lunge to the center of the pillars to grab giant krill. But how do these giant creatures find tiny krill spots in the first place? Scientific American”Kate Wong, senior editor of Evolution and Ecology, traveled to Antarctica with a group of scientists studying chemicals that could give whales their dinner scent. It is supported by citizen scientists on cruises to Antarctica and could help predict the behavior of endangered whales and help protect them from ship collisions. We hope you enjoy our cover his story as much as Kate enjoyed reporting adventures.
It’s hard to wrap your head around imaginary numbers. Unlike “real numbers”, they do not refer to physical quantities. But is it so in a way? Multiplying by an imaginary number results in a negative number. Complex numbers (combinations of real and imaginary numbers) were useful in quantum theory, but many physicists thought that complex numbers were just mathematically useful. Physicists Marc-Olivier Renou, Antonio Acín, and Miguel Navascués recently produced a quantum theory test that shows that certain predictions require imaginary numbers. What does that mean for the nature of reality? They’re still working on it.
talked a lot at Scientific American HQ on the risks and potential rewards of artificial intelligence programs that can generate text. This is a very serious issue that affects copyright, plagiarism, misinformation, etc., but it can also be funny. Our editors conducted an online Q&A with AI ChatGPT asking why it should be regulated. (It correctly points out that its own “level of sophistication raises concerns about the potential for ChatGPT to be used for malicious purposes, such as impersonating individuals and spreading misinformation.” ) computer scientist Giacomo Miceli describes “a goofy yet shiny sham between two AI chatbots trained to impersonate infinite conversational filmmaker Werner Herzog and philosopher Slavoj Žižek.” (Chickens are involved.)
Have you ever worked in an open office? We look forward to hearing from our readers about their experiences in the office. Scientific American Contributing Editor George Masser. (George worked with many of us on our first open he-plan office many years ago.) Many people dislike the lack of privacy, noise, germs, etc. increase. But it doesn’t have to be so inhumane. Designers are using insights from people who are deaf or have autism to create more comfortable and productive office environments.
Leopards have made human habitat their own. Ecologist girlfriend Vidya Athreya tells us about her fascinating career studying leopard behavior in India. Her goal is to protect both big cats and the people they live with. It reminds me of coyote studies in Chicago. Both types of carnivores stay in the shadows during the day and roam at night, effectively time-sharing their movements through densely populated cities. The beautiful photos also tell the story.
Chien-Shiung Wu was the first scientist to record entangled photons, or what Einstein called “far-away eerie behavior.” If you haven’t heard of her, it’s not your fault. She missed out on the 1957 Nobel Prize as one of her many discriminatory misdeeds in her history. Last year’s Physics Prize honored her groundbreaking work and is a great opportunity to recognize her rightful place in science.See Michelle Frank’s article here. If you enjoy our podcast, we publish an ongoing series called “Lost Women in Science.” The series has a lot of great characters like Wu. Wu’s work is now being rediscovered.
