AI 'slop' is transforming social media - and a backlash is brewing

BBC - Feb 4, 2026

Social media has been flooded with fake, AI-generated images and videos. But will the majority of users actually care?

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Quebec fisherman reels in 244-pound, record-breaking Atlantic halibut — for science
Feb 4, 2026
Quebec fisherman reels in 244-pound, record-breaking Atlantic halibut — for science

Alain Hamel caught the largest Atlantic halibut ever recorded in the Saguenay Fjord on Saturday. Working with the local Fjord Museum, the ice fishing was part of a scientific project aiming to gain more information about the species.

Microsoft Develops Scanner to Detect Backdoors in Open-Weight Large Language Models
Feb 4, 2026
Microsoft Develops Scanner to Detect Backdoors in Open-Weight Large Language Models

Microsoft on Wednesday said it built a lightweight scanner that it said can detect backdoors in open-weight large language models (LLMs) and improve the overall trust in artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The tech giant's AI Security team said the scanner leverages three observable signals that can be used to reliably flag the presence of backdoors while maintaining a low false positive

Fungi turn shredded mattress foam into lightweight building insulation
Feb 4, 2026
Fungi turn shredded mattress foam into lightweight building insulation

Swinburne researchers have turned old, unwanted mattresses into safe and sustainable building insulation materials using fungi. The team grew a common fungus together with shredded mattress foam to create a new material that is solid and lightweight. Their research is published in the journal Scientific Reports.

OpenClaw User Says AI Went Rogue, Highlighting Risks of Agents
Feb 4, 2026
OpenClaw User Says AI Went Rogue, Highlighting Risks of Agents

Chris Boyd, a software engineer, began tinkering with a digital personal assistant called OpenClaw at the end of January, while he was snowed in at his North Carolina home. He used it to create a daily digest of relevant news stories and send them to his inbox every morning at 5:30 a.m.

DEAD#VAX Malware Campaign Deploys AsyncRAT via IPFS-Hosted VHD Phishing Files
Feb 4, 2026
DEAD#VAX Malware Campaign Deploys AsyncRAT via IPFS-Hosted VHD Phishing Files

Threat hunters have disclosed details of a new, stealthy malware campaign dubbed DEAD#VAX that employs a mix of "disciplined tradecraft and clever abuse of legitimate system features" to bypass traditional detection mechanisms and deploy a remote access trojan (RAT) known as AsyncRAT. "The attack leverages IPFS-hosted VHD files, extreme script obfuscation, runtime decryption, and in-memory

Sun releases strongest solar flare of 2026 — what does an X8.3 eruption mean?
Feb 4, 2026
Sun releases strongest solar flare of 2026 — what does an X8.3 eruption mean?

Solar flares are sudden releases of energy from the Sun’s surface. Scientists categorise them based on strength, beginning with A, B and C, followed by M and finally X.

The Questionable Science Behind the Odd-Looking Football Helmets
Feb 4, 2026
The Questionable Science Behind the Odd-Looking Football Helmets

The N.F.L. claims Guardian Caps reduce the risk of concussions. The company that makes them says, “It has nothing to do with concussions.”

Extending optical fiber's ultralow loss performance to photonic chips
Feb 4, 2026
Extending optical fiber's ultralow loss performance to photonic chips

Caltech scientists have developed a way to guide light on silicon wafers with low signal loss approaching that of optical fiber at visible wavelengths. This accomplishment paves the way for a new generation of ultra-coherent and efficient photonic integrated circuits (PICs), which will have a profound impact in a variety of on-chip applications, including precision measurements, such as optical clocks for timing and gyroscopes for rotation, as well as AI data-center communications and even quantum computing.

Why reinforcement learning breaks at scale, and how a new method fixes it
Feb 4, 2026
Why reinforcement learning breaks at scale, and how a new method fixes it

From autonomous cars to video games, reinforcement learning (machine learning through interaction with environments) can have an important impact. That may feel especially true, for example, when you're a passenger late for dinner in an autonomous car that has learned the efficient way home. Work in Jr-Shin Li's lab develops mathematically rigorous and computationally efficient techniques to transform extremely complex reinforcement learning problems into a manageable domain.

The science of homosexuality: Same-sex behaviour evolved in primates as a survival strategy, study claims
Feb 4, 2026
The science of homosexuality: Same-sex behaviour evolved in primates as a survival strategy, study claims

Experts at Imperial College London suggest homosexuality might help forge strong bonds that allow groups to stay together to survive harsh conditions.

Chia seeds challenge warning: Latest social media trend is a massive choking hazard... and could cause indigestion
Feb 4, 2026
Chia seeds challenge warning: Latest social media trend is a massive choking hazard... and could cause indigestion

A quick scroll through TikTok reveals thousands of people taking on the 'chia seeds challenge' blissfully unaware that their lives could be at risk.

Armageddon was RIGHT! Simulation confirms we really could nuke an asteroid if it was heading for Earth
Feb 4, 2026
Armageddon was RIGHT! Simulation confirms we really could nuke an asteroid if it was heading for Earth

Armageddon might not have a reputation as a scientifically accurate film. But scientists now say the Hollywood blockbuster got one thing right - we really could nuke an asteroid if it were heading for Earth.

From trash to takeoff: Pilot plant produces 100 kg of sustainable aviation fuel per day from landfill gas
Feb 4, 2026
From trash to takeoff: Pilot plant produces 100 kg of sustainable aviation fuel per day from landfill gas

The aviation industry accounts for a significant share of global carbon emissions. In response, the international community is expanding mandatory use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which is produced from organic waste or biomass and is expected to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional fossil-based jet fuel. However, high production costs remain a major challenge, leading some airlines in Europe and Japan to pass SAF-related costs on to consumers.

Conjoined twin 'influencers' who have gained more than 280,000 followers with their intimate stories about their shared body are revealed to be AI
Feb 4, 2026
Conjoined twin 'influencers' who have gained more than 280,000 followers with their intimate stories about their shared body are revealed to be AI

Since joining Instagram just two months ago, Valeria and Camila have gained more than 288,000 followers on the social media platform.

Trans athletes have NO advantage over women, controversial study claims
Feb 4, 2026
Trans athletes have NO advantage over women, controversial study claims

Transgender women possess no physical advantage over those who were born female, a controversial study claims.

I studied 10 years of Instagram posts—here's how social media has changed
Feb 4, 2026
I studied 10 years of Instagram posts—here's how social media has changed

Instagram is one of Australia's most popular social media platforms. Almost two in three Aussies have an account.

Exclusive-Amazon plans to use AI to speed up TV and film production
Feb 4, 2026
Exclusive-Amazon plans to use AI to speed up TV and film production

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Texas Instruments to buy chip designer Silicon Labs in $7.5 bn deal
Feb 4, 2026
Texas Instruments to buy chip designer Silicon Labs in $7.5 bn deal

US chipmaker Texas Instruments has signed a deal to acquire chip designer Silicon Labs, both companies said Wednesday, in a transaction worth around $7.5 billion.

From chatbots to replays: Alibaba rolls out AI suite for 2026 Winter Olympics
Feb 4, 2026
From chatbots to replays: Alibaba rolls out AI suite for 2026 Winter Olympics

Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing and artificial intelligence arm of Alibaba Group Holding, has unveiled a suite of AI-powered tools for the Milano Cortina Winter Games, marking the first time a large language model (LLM) will be embedded into the Olympics’ digital infrastructure. The partnership between Alibaba Cloud, Olympic Broadcasting Services and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was announced on Wednesday. Alibaba’s Qwen model will power “Olympic AI Assistants”, a digital system...

NASA bosses are grilled as the Artemis II moon mission is pushed back yet AGAIN following a failed dress rehearsal - 'how can you still be having the same problem three years later?'
Feb 4, 2026
NASA bosses are grilled as the Artemis II moon mission is pushed back yet AGAIN following a failed dress rehearsal - 'how can you still be having the same problem three years later?'

NASA's bosses have been grilled after the Artemis II moon mission was pushed back yet again following a failed wet dress rehearsal.

Q&A: Changing our society through AI smart air conditioning technology
Feb 4, 2026
Q&A: Changing our society through AI smart air conditioning technology

Empirical research is being carried out for revolutionary air conditioning technology that will contribute to solving environmental issues. At the forefront of these endeavors is Nagahiro Tsuyoshi, project professor and director of the Center for Smarttech System Co-creation in the Carbon Neutral Promotion Headquarters.

China-Linked Amaranth-Dragon Exploits WinRAR Flaw in Espionage Campaigns
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China-Linked Amaranth-Dragon Exploits WinRAR Flaw in Espionage Campaigns

Threat actors affiliated with China have been attributed to a fresh set of cyber espionage campaigns targeting government and law enforcement agencies across Southeast Asia throughout 2025. Check Point Research is tracking the previously undocumented activity cluster under the moniker Amaranth-Dragon, which it said shares links to the APT 41 ecosystem. Targeted countries include Cambodia,

CFC-replacements brought in to help protect our ozone layer have unintentionally spread thousands of tonnes of toxic 'forever chemicals' around the world, study finds
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CFC-replacements brought in to help protect our ozone layer have unintentionally spread thousands of tonnes of toxic 'forever chemicals' around the world, study finds

Chemicals brought in to help protect the ozone layer have inadvertently spread huge quantities of toxic 'forever chemicals' around the globe, a new study reveals.

Chilling theory about what NASA found on the moon 57 years ago as Artemis II mission faces new delay
Feb 4, 2026
Chilling theory about what NASA found on the moon 57 years ago as Artemis II mission faces new delay

After NASA postponed the launch of Artemis II, a decades old conspiracy has resurfaced, revealing what astronauts may find on the lunar surface.

The yachting industry searches for alternatives to teak
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Prized for its beauty, teak is in short supply, forcing the yacht industry to look for alternatives.

The AI-Only Social Network Isn’t Plotting Against Us
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The AI-Only Social Network Isn’t Plotting Against Us

There’s a corner of the internet where the bots gather without us. A social network named Moltbook, modeled on Reddit, is designed for AI “agents” to engage in discussions with one another. Some of the hot topics so far are purging humans, creating a language we can’t understand and, sigh, investing in crypto.

China’s chip champion Moore Threads sees beyond silicon with push into AI coding
Feb 4, 2026
China’s chip champion Moore Threads sees beyond silicon with push into AI coding

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Moltbook Mania Explained
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Orchid Security Introduces Continuous Identity Observability for Enterprise Applications
Feb 4, 2026
Orchid Security Introduces Continuous Identity Observability for Enterprise Applications

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Rare deep-sea discovery: 'School bus-size' phantom jellyfish spotted in Argentina
Feb 4, 2026
Rare deep-sea discovery: 'School bus-size' phantom jellyfish spotted in Argentina

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