Schools brief
Artificial intelligence
LLMs and diffusion models are all the rage
But the designs of deep neural networks continue to evolve
Artificial intelligence
The race is on to control the global supply chain for AI chips
The focus is no longer just on faster chips, but on more chips clustered together
Artificial intelligence
A short history of AI
In the first of six weekly briefs, we ask how AI overcame decades of underdelivering
Biology brief
How organisms are organised
Like any well-run operation, a body is made of specialised parts
Defined by their boundaries
Cells and how to run them
All life is made of cells, and cells depend on membranes
Life is born in chains
How DNA and proteins work
Life can make extraordinary variety by following quite simple strategies
Putting on weight
Governments can borrow more than was once believed
Hence only muted concern about borrowing to respond to covid-19
Hard work and black swans
Economists are turning to culture to explain wealth and poverty
As a result, the ideas of the earliest economists are being revised and improved