Elisabeth Paulson asked 9,000 US-based study participants to choose between human and algorithmic decision-makers decision-makers for two high stakes situations: pretrial release and bank loan applications. Participants prioritized efficiency over fairness when choosing decision-makers. According to the authors, demonstrably efficient algorithms will likely overcome cultural aversion to algorithms for all groups. 

- Mathematicians led by the University of Leicester have applied statistical mechanics to climate change detection and attribution for first time

- They have shown how to separate the ‘signal’ of human-made climate change from the ‘noise’ of natural climate fluctuations

- Allows a dramatic improvement in the ability to detect climate change and early warnings of climatic tipping points

A rare prehistoric ritual complex has been uncovered in the darkest depths of Manot Cave in the Western Galilee, Israel. The complex is enclosed naturally by impressive stalagmites that create a distinctive entrance to the site and features a unique and impressive rock with geometric engravings resembling a turtle shell.

When a quantum computer processes data, it must translate it into understandable quantum data. Algorithms that carry out this ‘quantum compilation’ typically optimize one target at a time. However, a team led by Tohoku University’s Dr. Le Bin Ho has created an algorithm capable of optimizing multiple targets at once, effectively enabling a quantum machine to multitask.

Obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery can manage without opioids, according to a thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Research is paving the way for opioid-free treatment during and after surgery.

Fluorescence is a well-known phenomenon with many practical applications that has been studied for decades. Despite this, a commonly used mathematical formalism to describe how it evolves over time does not make physical sense under certain conditions, as researchers from the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences have recently discovered. Namely, they showed that a mathematical tool that can be safely used in solids, where molecules are practically immobile, cannot always be used in liquids, where they can move freely. If applied incorrectly, this widely used approach can lead to erroneous interpretations of experimental data and wrong conclusions. This is what their recent paper in the Journal of Chemical Physics warns us about.