Although the study hasn't been peer-reviewed yet, it raises a big question in the world of AI research: Could AI one day develop real consciousness, regardless of whether it claims to be conscious? We posed this question to Live Science readers in a recent poll.
As of Sept. 11, over 290 people had responded, with 43% of voters picking "Yes, if we don't have guardrails in place, AI may develop consciousness." This trend was reflected in the comments, with one reader writing, "If AI did become self aware, we would not know, as it would do everything to hide it's [sic] abilities. The main problem is what it [would] do next!"
Another commenter wrote, "Recently I had some long discussions with the Google AI about my experience with early AI and the future of AI gaining self awareness/consciousness. I suggested that if/when AI becomes sentient, that it would not inform humans." Another Live Science reader had similar thoughts, stating, "AI, as [an] amazing product on one hand, can become very dangerous on another hand. Look what happened with abuse of other inventions, like [the] internet, telephone etc. With AI we will never know what is the truth and what not. If left, in the future it can extinct humanity. It just started with 'innocent' hacking sprees, where human[s] started losing control. What will be next?"
The next-largest voting group consisted of 29% of voters, who chose "Maybe, but the models need a more advanced architecture to one day gain consciousness." This was reflected in the majority of the comments, as readers discussed the philosophical concepts around consciousness and intelligence.
One reader wrote, "Before asking such a question we need to know and understand what consciousness is and how it emerges in 'constructed' containers like ourselves. Is it a quantum phenomenon and how then does the process create consciousness? Meta-cognition. How does a system or an event know that it knows that it knows it knows? We really don't know how self-awareness arises, and tests show that "other animals have self awareness or meta-cognition," they noted. "There are theories about consciousness but I doubt anyone on Earth knows 100%."
Not surprisingly, only 10% of voters picked the whimsical answer of "No, because robot overlords will end the world before we even get that far." While the robot overlords may have to compete with AI to overthrow humanity, one reader commented that in the future, "We will be assimilated. Maybe that is how Transformers started?"
'> 'Maybe that is how Transformers started': Readers react to the possibility of AI becoming self-aware Unlike Earth, the moon lacks a functional atmosphere or magnetic field, meaning that its surface is exposed to the vacuum of space. This allows cosmic dust and other tiny particles to embed themselves within the lunar regolith. (Image credit: NASA)Tiny technosignatures
Until now, the search for evidence of advanced alien civilizations, known as technosignatures, has focused mainly on radio signals that could be emitted from inhabited exoplanets or hypothetical megastructures, such as Dyson spheres. However, these signals would originate only from active civilizations, not those that died out long before we could spot them.
The authors of the new study argue that when a civilization dies, traces of its technology could survive and end up in space, either via the deterioration of megastructures and other smaller spacecraft or via powerful asteroid strikes on once-inhabited exoplanets. Once in space, tiny specks of metal or other artificial materials could be ejected from star systems by powerful gusts of stellar wind and eventually drift toward us.
Using computer models, the team predicted that pieces of tech up to 3 micrometers across (three-millionths of a meter, or about 3% the width of a human hair) could escape their star systems and travel across interstellar space for up to 1 billion years. Then, they estimated how much of this material could be reaching the solar system and how likely it would be to end up on the moon. (We already know that interstellar dust can penetrate the inner solar system because scientists found some within samples collected from the surface of Bennu, an asteroid that orbits between Earth and Mars and was visited by NASA's OSIRIS-REx probe in 2020.)
The moon is constantly being bombarded by tiny particles, some of which come from outside the solar system. (Image credit: University of Rochester illustration / Shubhonkar Paramanick)To date, no lunar samples have contained any technosignatures. However, the scientists who studied them were likely not looking for such particulates, and the samples were probably too small to yield meaningful results, the study authors argue.
The researchers believe that a sample of lunar regolith with a volume of 35 cubic feet (1 cubic meter) could be enough to find at least one technological fragment. The team also proposed ways of combing through the material using microscopy, industrial materials analysis and AI-assisted imaging.
However, if such a sample does not yield any results, this would not necessarily disprove the researchers' hypothesis and may instead mean their models are off and a greater sample size would be required, the team wrote.
"Eminently reasonable"
Future missions in NASA's Artemis II program could bring back more samples of lunar regolith from the moon for future analysis. This photo shows the Artemis II mission lifting off April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)Several upcoming space missions will collect fresh samples from the lunar surface, including China's recently delayed Chang'e-7 mission and future missions in NASA's Artemis program. These samples could potentially hold technosignatures, although the volume of regolith collected will be far less than what the researchers are proposing.
Therefore, we may have to wait until humans establish a permanent moon base before astronauts can collect enough material to be analyzed properly. This may not be that far off, as both the U.S. and China are planning to construct lunar bases within the next decade. Researchers also think the samples could be analyzed on the moon rather than on Earth.
As a result, the SETI Institute, which leads the international hunt for technosignatures, views the new idea as very promising.
"The concept of searching the lunar regolith for microscopic technosignatures is at once extraordinarily original and eminently reasonable," Bill Diamond, president and CEO of the SETI Institute, who was not involved in the new study, said in the statement. "This is a novel addition to the search methodologies applied to seeking evidence of technology as a proxy for life and intelligence beyond our solar system and we are excited at the prospect of bringing this to fruition."
'> Microscopic fragments of ancient alien tech may litter the moon — and scientists have a plan to find them , originally introduced 15 years ago, but has now been redesigned in 2026 to appeal to a wider, younger audience. RSPB research found an increase of around 1,000% in birdwatching among Gen Z in the UK since 2018, with a similar boom now happening in the US.
The CL Companion sits between the pocket-size CL Pocket and full-size EL and NL ranges, making it the perfect mid-range model that combines portability with excellent optical prowess.
The Companion is a grab-and-go, "take it anywhere and everywhere" binocular that is perfect for many different activities, whether that's spotting birds, scoping out your hiking trail or sweeping across the starry sky at night.
We spent a week with both the 8x30 and 10x30 CL Companions to test them out, with the former being ideal for tracking movement with a wider field of view, while the latter brings you closer to the details.
The biggest change in comparison to the old-style CL Companion is in the design. The original version was more of a traditional binocular aesthetic, but this updated design breathes life into the range with three new earth-toned colorways: mountain green, desert orange and safari brown. While some users have said they look somewhat toyish (or just downright ugly), when you handle them in person, they are much more sleek and stylish than the product images would have you believe.
Both the 8x30 and 10x30 weigh just 1.21 pounds (550 grams), so you can easily wear them around your neck all day without even knowing they're there. They're compact enough to put in a large jacket pocket, or you can just wear the included carry bag.
The central focus wheel has just the right amount of slip to make it easy to change focus, but is not so loose that you don't have enough control over it. The diopter is located on the front of the focus wheel, which felt a little off at first, but once we set it, there was no danger of accidentally changing it.
They also have generous eye relief, which is great news for users who wear glasses. The eye relief is 19mm on the 8x30 and 18mm on the 10x30. We used them on a bright, sunny day during a heatwave and were easily able to observe while wearing sunglasses with no issues at all.
Out in the field, the CL Companions proved to be particularly well suited to daytime birding — although with 90% light transmission, they'll still hold their own at dawn or dusk. Both the 8x30 and 10x30 had a clear, sharp image, with plenty of detail across the image circle. The 8x30 felt particularly easy to use when trying to pick up birds quickly, while the 10x30's extra magnification was great for getting a closer look at more distant subjects.
The color reproduction was natural, and the views had good contrast without looking over-processed. Fine details on feathers were easy to pick out, even on smaller birds. There was a tiny sliver of color fringing towards the edges in high-contrast situations, but it didn't spoil the view whatsoever, and you'd only notice it if you were actively looking for it (which we were). Every time we have used a pair of Swarovski binoculars, there's a three-dimensional viewing experience and depth to the image that you just don't get with cheaper brands.
Both models performed well in the bright daylight conditions we were using them in, both in terms of optical clarity and comfort when using them for longer periods. Their small size and light weight meant we could comfortably track birds in flight without having to take breaks, which is often a dealbreaker when it comes to choosing a pair of birding binoculars.
The wide field of view is one of the more useful features for birding. The 8x30 has a 549 ft (140m) FOV, while the 10x30 has 377 ft (115m) — both of which are wider than the original generation of CL Companion. Both made it easy to find birds when scanning trees and bushes, and there was enough space around the subject to follow them easily after they took flight.
The close focusing distance of 9.8 feet (3m) was also handy when birds came closer, and enables you to observe insects like bees and butterflies without spooking them by getting too close. And with the smooth focus wheel, it was easy to change focus between the two distances.
Both models are waterproof down to 13 feet (4 m), which is likely more protection than most people will need, but it is reassuring when using them outdoors in the rain, or if you were to accidentally drop them in a puddle.
On paper, they tick all the boxes. The optics are excellent, and they're lightweight and easy to carry. But with Swarovski being very upfront about the fact that it’s going after a younger audience with these CL Companions, we have to wonder what young person would have a spare $1,500 to spend on a pair of binoculars? It's not a small investment, so you'd need to be a dedicated observer to spend that kind of money.
That said, they're much more than your typical compact binoculars. They're a genuinely impressive binocular with stunning optics built into a small and compact package. Typically you need to compromise on one or the other, but the CL Companion gives you the best of both worlds.
The research, published Sept. 8 in the journal Nature Communications, examined the brain's gray matter, which mostly includes the wrinkled outer surface of the organ, called the cerebral cortex. Past studies have found that the volume of gray matter shrinks markedly during puberty and pregnancy, likely reflecting a fine-tuning of neural circuits during those periods.
There's also a gradual decline in gray matter during adulthood that's seen as a normal part of aging, said study co-author Sophie van't Hof, a doctoral student in psychiatry at Amsterdam University Medical Center. However, during the transition leading up to menopause, that gradual loss of gray matter levels off temporarily, the study found.
"This study provides the first direct longitudinal comparison of brain structural changes across all three major female hormonal transitions," said Magdalena Martínez-García, scientific director of maternal health for the Ann S. Bowers Women's Brain Health Initiative, a brain imaging consortium headquartered at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
"I really appreciate the effort that went into finding and curating such an impressive longitudinal dataset of the female brain," Martínez-García, who was not involved in the study, told Live Science in an email.
Declines in puberty and pregnancy
For their analysis, the researchers gathered data from the UK Biobank, a biomedical database that contains information from 500,000 U.K.-based adults. That data includes MRI scans of people's brains, which the team used to study brain changes in menopause.
To look at puberty and pregnancy, the researchers pulled from several brain-scan datasets that had been compiled by Leiden University in the Netherlands.
In all, the study included data from 1,095 brains across the three life stages. They analyzed each participant's brain at two different time points, examining how each person's brain changed over time and how it compared to others' brains.
The youngest cohort included participants who hadn't started menstruating yet, as well as those who'd recently started and those who'd already had periods for an average of 19 months. The pregnancy cohort included 40 who'd had their first pregnancy during the study and 30 who'd had second pregnancies, as well as 40 women who'd never been pregnant, as a point of comparison.
As in previous studies, the researchers observed that both the girls entering puberty and the pregnant women lost gray matter. But scientists don't necessarily see these declines in gray matter at puberty and pregnancy as negative.
It’s a hypothesis, but "we actually see it as something positive," van't Hof said. "We see it as neural fine-tuning."
The study included brain scans from over 1,000 girls and women. (Image credit: Luis Alvarez via Getty Images)During puberty, that gray-matter loss is thought to be a normal part of the brain's development into adulthood. Its function in pregnancy is not well understood, van't Hof noted, but the evidence to date doesn't suggest that it contributes to "mommy brain" — the brain fog and forgetfulness some women can experience postpartum.
"I'm not saying that there's no neurobiological basis for this mommy brain, but up until now, we haven't found it," van't Hof said. "But what's really important is that gray matter decline is not equal to cognitive complaints."
Stability in menopause
The analysis included 120 women who entered menopause during the study. At the first time point, these women had not gone a full year without a period, but by the second time point about 3.5 years later, they had. Menopause is defined as the point at which a full year has elapsed since a person's final period.
The researchers compared these women to two other groups: about 50 women (average age 51) who had not had their last period yet and over 670 women (average age 55.5) who had already had their last period.
During late perimenopause — the final stages of the transition to menopause — the brain's gradual decline in gray matter paused, van't Hof said. Then, in postmenopausal women, that gradual decline of gray matter resumed. The exact timing of that pause differed for each woman, but it occurred consistently across the group, van't Hof noted.
The most striking finding was the lessening of the "ongoing age-related decline in brain volume during the transition into and out of menopause, compared with the more stable premenopausal and postmenopausal groups," Martínez-García said. This is an "interesting finding that adds to our understanding of how dynamic the female brain can be across the lifespan."
Factors such as whether participants had taken hormone replacement therapy for menopause and the number of children they had given birth to did not have a measurable impact on the results, the study authors noted.
In general, complaints of brain fog are widespread just before, during and after menopause, van't Hof said. This could be attributed to declining hormone levels and sleep disruptions.
"We have no clue if there's a neurological basis [for that brain fog], because, again, this is the first study to look at it," she said, adding that more studies are still needed to learn more.
"As with any study, there are some limitations to consider, but overall, I think the methods and conclusions are well supported by the data available," Martínez-García said. Both Martiniz-Garcia and van’t Hof said that they hope other researchers build on these findings to deepen scientists’ understanding of female neurobiology at every stage of life.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.
See how much you know about the most complex organ in the human body with our brain quiz!
'> Brain shrinkage tied to aging 'pauses' as a woman nears menopause, study finds , an archaeologist at the Lahti Historical Museum who excavated the hoard, told Live Science in an email.
The hoard has not yet been fully cleaned, separated and counted yet, but there are thousands of pieces, Tikkala said. "There are quite a lot of coins in this hoard," he said. "I have not had time to go through them."
Metal detectorist Kalle Lappinen found the two deposits Sept. 3 and immediately contacted the museum. Archaeologists inspected and properly excavated the finds the next day, according to a translated statement.
Tikkala described the hoard site as beside a rock outcrop in a forest near the town of Sysmä. Several other buried hoards had been found in the same region of Finland over the past 10 years, Tikkala said.
Tikkala said the two deposits of the silver hoard were buried between two stones about 18 inches (45 centimeters) below ground and about 39 feet (12 meters) apart. There were no signs of any burials nearby, but the surrounding area had not been properly studied, he said.
Tikkala added that the coins came from areas that corresponded to present-day Germany, Sweden and Great Britain. There were also some dirhams — silver coins made in the Islamic world. Dirhams previously found in Finland generally date to between about 800 and 1050, he said.
The hoard also contains several pieces of jewelry, including a silver bracelet, and "payment silver" in the form of hack silver (also called hacksilber) — pieces of silver that could be cut into smaller pieces for payments according to their weight.
The weight of the precious metal alone would make the hoard worth almost $10,000 today.
"The term Viking Age does not imply that there were Vikings in Finland," he said. "We have no sources suggesting that Finland was 'Viking' in the same sense as regions of present-day Sweden, Norway, and Denmark."
Instead, Finnish historians and archaeologists had adopted the term to designate the period, he said. But the area now known as Finland was not culturally or politically part of Viking Scandinavia.
The next stage of the archaeological investigation will be to properly study the site where the two deposits were found, as well as their surroundings, Tikkala said; after that, specialists in Viking Age coins will try to identify the coins and prepare a detailed report.
"There will definitely be scientific articles published on the hoard as a whole, as well as more detailed studies of the coins themselves," he said.
Until now, Finland's largest Viking Age hoard was found in 1895. Buried at Nousiainen, about 130 miles (210 km) southwest of Sysmä, it contained more than 1,700 silver coins but weighed only about half as much as the newfound hoard.
'> Finland's largest Viking Age silver hoard discovered by metal detectorist — and it has thousands of coins and pieces of jewelry