Most of us have had the experience of being asked to read some misshapen symbols on our computer screen and then to type the letters or numbers we see in order to prove that we are a human rather than
How Humans Help Computers Learn:May 2018
Often Misunderstood, ‘Big Data’ Still a Challenge: May 2018
In this next encore presentation of “Humans, Data and Machines,” the 2018 University of Arizona College of Science public lecture series, Vincent J. Del Casino Jr. argues that the concept of “big data” is misunderstood. Instead of large, singular inanimate
Key to Good Artificial Intelligence? Reliable Data: May 2018
How can we make sure Artificial Intelligence (AI) machines are simply reflecting reality and not actually shaping it? This is a major point in the next encore presentation of “Humans, Data and Machines,” the 2018 public lecture series put on
Does Artificial Intelligence Equal Thinking? May 2018
We are inundated daily with news about artificial intelligence (AI) achieving tremendous results—defeating human champions at Go, driving better than we do, etc. But does this mean we are approaching the technical singularity where artificial intelligence far surpasses the human
Working Alongside Thinking Machines: May 2018
Machine learning (ML) is becoming pervasive in society, powering many applications from recommending music, movies and merchandise to driving our cars to assisting in medical diagnoses. Our daily interactions, behavior, and choices, whether we are aware of them or not, are
May 9: Working Alongside Thinking Machines
Machine learning (ML) is becoming pervasive in society, powering many applications from recommending music, movies and merchandise to driving our cars to assisting in medical diagnoses. Our daily interactions, behavior, and choices, whether we are aware of them or not, are
May 3: Does Artificial Intelligence Equal Thinking?
We are inundated daily with news about artificial intelligence (AI) achieving tremendous results—defeating human champions at Go, driving better than we do, etc. But does this mean we are approaching the technical singularity where artificial intelligence far surpasses the human
Probing the ‘Spooky’ Nature of Quantum Physics: April2017
A major shift in scientific understanding of the physical world came a century ago with the discovery of the quantum, the principle that particles are discrete packets of energy with wave-like properties. Ground-breaking work by Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Erwin
Physicists’ New Thinking on Space, Time, Gravity: March 2017
At the dawn of the 20th century, Einstein revolutionized our conception of reality, showing that space and time are not merely the stage on which the show unfolds, but dynamical entities that stretch, bend, and vibrate to give rise to
Making Sense of Neutron Stars & Black Holes: March2017
There are objects in the known universe so strange and unlike anything we know that, according to a University of Arizona news release, anyone who wants to study them has to be fairly fluent in Einstein’s general theory of relativity,
Can Tiny Algae Help Stop Global Warming? April2016
Most of the talk about man-made global warming centers on reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but there’s doubt that emission reduction can cut CO2 levels fast enough to avoid catastrophic results by the year 2050. To be safe, scientists and engineers
How Climate Change Can Affect Health: April 2016
Climate change affects human health in many ways, and a University of Arizona epidemiologist says both top-down and bottom-up actions must be taken now to mitigate current and future health threats. At 3:30 p.m. Wednesday (April 6), Kacey Ernst, an
Can Human Ingenuity Halt Global Warming?-March2016
Humans have learned to dominate the natural world, but that domination now threatens the very ecosystems mankind depends upon for survival. To avoid disaster, we must now learn to maintain biotic diversity and avoid what Russell Keith Monson calls “climatically-controlled
Life on Earth: By Chance or By Law? Feb.2015
Life on Earth is multifaceted, yet ultimately all of life has descended from one common ancestor and has been guided by natural selection. But has the evolution of modern-day diversity and ecosystems been contingent solely on the initial chemical building