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Dark energy may have been hiding in the cores of black holes all along. Plus: the ChatGPT AI has passed tests designed to show theory of mind.

EVENT HORIZON TELESCOPE COLLABORATION

Hiding in holes

Massive black holes could be the source of dark energy, according to observations of ancient, dormant galaxies with black holes at their centre. The laws of physics suggest that gravity should cause the universe to contract, but a mysterious force, which physicists call dark energy, seems to be opposing this contraction, making the universe expand at an accelerating rate. Now, modelling has revealed that black holes might be able to explain the entirety of what’s required to balance the universe with this dark energy. If black holes really are the source of the universe’s dark energy, and its expansion, it would also solve another outstanding cosmic conundrum: what happens at the centre of black holes, so-called singularities, where the laws of physics break down. Read more.

AI theory of mind

The artificial intelligence model behind the ChatGPT chatbot can solve tasks used to test whether people can understand different perspectives, a key sign of intelligence known as theory of mind. Its ability – which seems to have spontaneously emerged rather than being something the AI was trained to do – is comparable to that of a 9-year-old child. Read more.

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Joe Wilson

Interstellar space may seem distant and empty. But insights from the Voyager probes and new telescopes are helping us build up a lucid picture of this so-called void. It is buzzing with exotic chemistry, pulsating with strange radio waves and even divided into giant bubbles, each with their own character. Now we are discovering that the solar system is, in cosmic terms, right on the cusp of entering a new bubble of interstellar space. What conditions are like on the other side could have important ramifications for life on Earth. Read more.

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Mostafa Hassanalian at New Mexico Tech talks about how stuffed dead birds made into drones could spy on animals or humans

Thank you for reading and have a great Thursday.

Chris Simms

Assistant news editor, New Scientist

Email me at [email protected]

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