Deep waters
A Chinese voyage to the bottom of the sea may not achieve all that it could
TO MAN or not to man, that is the question. In the great days of exploration—of deserts and jungles, of the Arctic and Antarctic, even of the Moon, there was no alternative. Now, though, machines can do most of what human beings can accomplish, and frequently more. Yet humanity continues to put men and women in harm’s way when robots would do the job perfectly well.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Deep waters”
From the August 27th 2016 edition
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Elon Musk is causing problems for the Royal Society
His continued membership has led to a high-profile resignation
Deforestation is costing Brazilian farmers millions
Without trees to circulate moisture, the land is getting hotter and drier
Robots can learn new actions faster thanks to AI techniques
They could soon show their moves in settings from car factories to care homes
Scientists are learning why ultra-processed foods are bad for you
A mystery is finally being solved
Scientific publishers are producing more papers than ever
Concerns about some of their business models are building
The two types of human laugh
One is caused by tickling; the other by everything else