MSP290. Weird Science: Zombies, Cannibals and Chatbots

This week Rich Bradbury and Matt Armitage look at a University of Tubingen study that explores the relationship between AI, information and trust, especially in anticipation of the conversational and primarily screen free future of the Internet.

After the break they start with medical tech where researchers have identified a bacterium that could accelerate the healing of wounds, especially for those with chronic conditions. And then, for some reason, discuss the effect of streetlights on leaves before looking at the fossil record of the Siberian unicorn, an ancient relative of the rhinoceros.

They wrap things up in no discernible order with the emergence of "Miami English," a new dialect blending English and Spanish, and the discovery of a "zombie galaxy" that may have cannibalized its neighbours to resume star formation after a 20-million-year dormant period.