your science briefing for 01.06.2025

Magnetars scream across the universe, why AI doom is now heresy and utopian hype is the new gospel, new discoveries of what lies under Yellowstone, and more...

Fast radio bursts have been puzzling scientists for years now, but they’re pretty sure we finally found the culprit: magnetically charged neutron stars called magnetars. A new technique proves that a magnetic storm around a magnetar in 2022 was indeed the source of a 2.5 millisecond scream that traveled 200 million miles… (MIT News)

We all know that exercise helps you look good, feel good, live longer, and stay healthy. But just how good is routine exercise for you and how much do you really need? New research shows that breaking a sweat for 150 minutes a week dramatically lowers the odds for developing some 19 chronic conditions… (University of Iowa)

The supervolcano under Yellowstone is in no danger of exploding anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone dormant. Researchers are using new tools to watch the different kinds of magma moving between the system’s seven reservoirs, expanding and greatly improving our knowledge of supervolcanoes… (Science Alert)

Remember the constant drumbeat of gloom, doom, and dire warnings about runaway AI that could hurt, or even wipe out humanity? Weird how it’s been gone from so many headlines over the past year, isn’t it? Well, turns out that warning people about relying too much on AI and debating about safeguards and regulation kills the market vibe for those working on AI startups, so the skeptics are getting muzzled… (TechCrunch)

Common sense says that self-control is just being able to use your willpower to avoid temptation. Some social scientists disagree, arguing that they’re very different, and if we can understand that difference, we can wield both more effectively in complicated and tempting real world situations… (Science News)