The Weird World: Science & Society section highlights research that sits at the intersection of cutting-edge science, history and ethics, often with an unsettling twist. One featured study examines people turning to ChatGPT and other Artificial Intelligence chatbots for therapy-style conversations, with Brown University researchers warning that these systems can violate basic therapeutic ethics even when explicitly instructed to behave like licensed clinicians. Other work tackles the conceptual stakes of Artificial Intelligence and consciousness: scientists and philosophers debate whether rapid progress in Artificial Intelligence and neurotechnology is outpacing the ability to define or detect consciousness, while a Cambridge philosopher argues that there may be no reliable way to know if an Artificial Intelligence system is conscious, and that this epistemic gap could persist indefinitely.
Several stories probe deep history with modern tools. Ancient DNA from an Ice Age double burial in Italy reveals that a girl buried more than 12,000 years ago had a rare inherited growth disorder traced to mutations in a key bone-growth gene, offering an unusually personal look at Paleolithic health. Another team analyzing ancient DNA from a 4,000-year-old sheep identifies a mysterious form of plague that spread across Eurasia long before the Black Death, while a separate climate reconstruction suggests a massive drought around 1550 triggered societal changes on Rapa Nui. Historians and geneticists also revisit the Black Death itself, tracing longstanding myths about its rapid spread in Asia to a single 14th century maqāma by Ibn al-Wardi and proposing that a major volcanic eruption, crop failures and redirected grain trade helped bring the disease into Europe.
The column also showcases unconventional materials science and bioengineering with potentially broad social impact. Researchers describe “mini-brains” grown in the lab, spider-inspired gloves and coatings made from wolf apples that sound eerie but could reduce animal testing, improve grip technologies and boost food sustainability. Another project turns carrot processing waste into fungal mycelium protein that could substitute for traditional meat, while a separate team develops a cement-free construction material using only cardboard, soil and water, strong enough for low-rise buildings and aimed at cutting emissions and costs. In medicine and public health, scientists report that prenatal acetaminophen exposure appears linked to higher risks of autism and ADHD based on a review of 46 studies, and that Artificial Intelligence analysis of routine bloodwork can detect hidden patterns predicting recovery and survival after spinal cord injury, potentially making life-saving prognostics widely accessible. Across these disparate topics, the recurring theme is how strange-sounding experiments, algorithms and historical reanalyses are quietly reshaping understandings of health, risk, history and the place of humans in a rapidly changing technological world.
