Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Can AI Feel Guilt? Simulations Show Cooperation's Key

2025-08-03

New research suggests that even simple AI agents can foster cooperation by simulating a 'guilt' mechanism. Researchers designed an iterated prisoner's dilemma game where AI agents chose between cooperation and betrayal. Results showed that when AI agents felt 'guilt' (penalized by reduced scores) after betrayal and could perceive their partner's 'guilt,' cooperative behavior increased significantly. This research offers new insights for designing more reliable and trustworthy AI systems, but also highlights the challenges of applying 'guilt' to AI in the real world, such as defining and measuring the AI's 'cost'.

First Lone Black Hole Confirmed

2025-04-20

Astronomers have confirmed the existence of a lone black hole—one without an orbiting star—for the first time. Initially detected in 2011, its gravity caused a background star's light to bend and shift as it passed. Years of observations from Hubble and Gaia spacecraft confirmed its mass is about seven times that of the sun, settling a previous debate about its nature. This discovery is significant for understanding black hole formation and distribution. Future missions aim to find more such lone black holes.

Ancient Amazonian Waterworks Enabled Year-Round Maize Farming

2025-02-02

Archaeologists have discovered that the ancient Casarabe people of South America transformed seasonally flooded Amazonian savannas into year-round maize farming hotspots by building an innovative network of drainage canals and water-storing ponds. This allowed for two maize harvests annually, fueling the growth of the Casarabe civilization across 4,500 square kilometers from 500 to 1400 CE. The findings challenge previous understandings of Amazonian agriculture and highlight the sophisticated water management techniques of these ancient people.