François Chung, Ph.D.

Reddit post & Popularity

Chung, François [u/fchung]. “Would it really be so bad if AI took our jobs?.” Reddit, 05 Feb 2023, www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/10uj0i6/would_it_really_be_so_bad_if_ai_took_our_jobs/.

Related news & Summary

Smith, Serena. “Would it really be so bad if AI took our jobs?.” Dazed, 16 Jan 2023, www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/57944/1/would-it-be-so-bad-if-ai-took-our-jobs-chat-gpt-automation.

The rise of the ChatGPT chatbot has sparked pressing questions about automation and the future of work. In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing rapidly, the question of whether it would be a good or bad thing for machines to take our jobs is becoming increasingly relevant. On the one hand, some argue that the rise of automation could lead to a fully automated utopia, where machines do all the work and humans are free to pursue leisure and creativity. On the other hand, others argue that the widespread loss of jobs linked to automation could have disastrous consequences for society.

References

Reddit post & Popularity

Chung, François [u/fchung]. “AI-engineered enzyme eats entire plastic containers.” Reddit, 29 May 2022, www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/v0dmxu/aiengineered_enzyme_eats_entire_plastic_containers.

Related news & Summary

Krämer, Katrina. “AI-engineered enzyme eats entire plastic containers.” Chemistry World, 9 May 2022, www.chemistryworld.com/news/ai-engineered-enzyme-eats-entire-plastic-containers/4015620.article.

A plastic-degrading enzyme enhanced by amino acid changes engineered by a machine-learning algorithm can depolymerize polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at least twice as fast, and at lower temperatures, than today's best enzyme. It all started when, six years ago, scientists digging through the debris of a plastic bottle recycling plant discovered a bacterium capable of degrading PET. The engineered enzyme was able to break down an untreated plastic container in 48 hours.

References

Reddit post & Popularity

Chung, François [u/fchung]. “Earth-like planet spotted orbiting Sun’s closest star.” Reddit, 12 March 2022, www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/tce083/earthlike_planet_spotted_orbiting_suns_closest.

Related news & Summary

Castelvecchi, Davide. “Earth-like planet spotted orbiting Sun’s closest star.” Nature, 10 February 2022, www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00400-3.

Astronomers have discovered a third planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun. Called Proxima Centauri d, this planet is likely smaller than Earth and may have liquid water oceans. Proxima Centauri d was detected by measuring tiny changes in Proxima Centauri's light spectrum as the planets' gravity pulled it during orbit. This discovery was made thanks to a state-of-the-art instrument called ESPRESSO (Echelle Spectrograph for Rocky Exoplanets and Stable Spectroscopic Observations), which was used at the Very Large Telescope (Chile).

References

Reddit post & Popularity

Chung, François [u/fchung]. “Who invented the alphabet? « The reigning academic consensus has been that highly educated people must have created the alphabet. But Goldwasser’s research is upending that notion. She suggests that it was actually a group of illiterate Canaanite miners who made the breakthrough. ».” Reddit, 23 January 2021, www.reddit.com/r/history/comments/l3dnxt/who_invented_the_alphabet_the_reigning_academic.

Related news & Summary

Wilson, Lydia. “Who Invented the Alphabet?.” Smithsonian Magazine, January 2021, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/inventing-alphabet-180976520/.

Centuries before Moses crossed the desert of the Sinai Peninsula, this desert wedged between Africa and Asia mainly attracted those attracted by the rich mineral deposits hidden in the rocks. And it was during one of these expeditions, around 4000 years ago, that a mysterious person or group took a daring step. Scratched on the wall of a mine is the very first attempt at what we now call the alphabet. The evidence, which continues to be examined and reinterpreted 116 years after its discovery, is found on a windswept plateau in Egypt called Serabit el-Khadim.

References

Reddit post & Popularity

Chung, François [u/fchung]. “How six scientists survived ‘living on Mars’ for a year: « The habitat had a small living room, 1.5 bathrooms, a galley kitchen and tiny living quarters for each of the six up a flight of stairs. Power came via solar panel, water via large storage tanks outside. ».” Reddit, 27 November 2020, www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/k24dsy/how_six_scientists_survived_living_on_mars_for_a.

Related news & Summary

Tucker, Reed. “How six scientists survived ‘living on Mars’ for a year.” New York Post, 14 November 2020, nypost.com/2020/11/14/how-six-scientists-survived-living-on-mars-for-a-year/.

Contrary to what one might think, the greatest danger to early explorers of the Red Planet might not be massive dust storms or toxic cosmic rays. The danger would more likely come from the threat of going mad from a teammate's loud music or his/her habit of leaving dirty dishes in the sink. This means that astronauts will need to be psychologically strong enough to survive the long journey to Mars and the experience of isolation that journey entails. That's why six volunteers were quarantined in a small habitat for an entire year to simulate living conditions on Mars.

References