Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May 29th, 2023
Posted: 29th May 2023
May 29, 2023
Researchers discovered big hairy armadillos (Chaetophractus villosus) infected with a variant of SARS-CoV-2
that hadn’t been reported in humans for months.
BIOSECURITY
Big hairy armadillos and COVID: A warning from the animal kingdom about our pandemic futureArmadillos, white-tailed deer, and New York City rats have all been found to have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. These cases outline how humanity fails to view the whole picture: that the pandemic is an environment-wide event affecting vastly different ecosystems. Read more.
DOOMSDAY CLOCK
Juan Manuel Santos: ‘[W]e will one day see the hands of the Doomsday Clock move backward’Former president of Colombia and Nobel Peace Laureate Juan Manuel Santos, who joined this year’s Doomsday Clock announcement, delivered a commencement address to the Notre Dame University class of 2023, calling on students to be peacemakers and outlining the existential threats that factor into the Doomsday Clock. Read more.
DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
Q&A: How DARPA hacked a science writer’s brain and turned her into a sharpshooterScience writer Sally Adee tried brain surface electrical stimulation at a DARPA facility and went from a frustrated beginner to an expert sniper. Read more.
Last chance! Get $13 Bulletin T-shirts & everything else on sale
Until 5PM CST today, shop discounted Bulletin apparel designed to raise awareness about nuclear risk, climate change, and disruptive technologies. All products are printed on-demand with a commitment to sustainability and all purchases help support our mission.
NUCLEAR RISK
FAIL SAFE and the Doomsday Clock: Is it the end of the world as we know it?
On June 5, join Bulletin Science and Security Board co-chair Daniel Holz for a discussion about the 1964 movie FAIL SAFE and the prospect of global annihilation. This event will be hosted at The Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, Illinois. Learn more.
IN THE NEWS
The brain-computer interface is coming
and we are so not ready for it
This 2020 article by Paul Tullis finds renewed relevancy following the FDA’s approval of human trials for Elon Musk’s brain-implant company Neuralink. Read more.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“What sets us apart from the nuclear age is that as soon as we developed nuclear weapons, there was a massive effort to curtail their use. It was led primarily by many of the scientists who developed this technology in the first place and recognized how dangerous it was to humanity, and it resulted in an international effort to limit nuclear arms and limit their proliferation. I just haven’t seen anything comparable to that with AI.”
— Rep. Seth Moulton, quoted in “AI vs. nukes: ‘This is much more dangerous” by Matt Berg and Mohar Chatterjee, Politico
Your ongoing support ensures we stay on mission and get the job done.
Thank you!