Skeptical Science

A quote from Polish science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem is being shared in discussions about large language models. Lem, who wrote extensively about thinking machines and artificial intelligence in works such as Cyberiad and Summa Technologiae, is being invoked as a prescient voice on machine-generated reasoning. Commenters are drawing parallels between his mid-century observations and today's AI systems, weighing whether his skepticism about mechanical thought still holds.

A US appeals court is considering whether to block Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s appointments to a federal vaccine advisory panel. The case centers on whether Kennedy unlawfully removed sitting panel members to install his own picks. A ruling could determine who advises the government on vaccine policy, a flashpoint issue given Kennedy's long-standing skepticism of mainstream vaccine science.

A circulating science digest highlights three stories: researchers say penguin guano is helping Antarctic ecosystems stay resilient to climate change; a new Nature piece describes a medium-term 'timer' in the brain that tracks sleep and predicts awakening; and New Scientist examines why full-scale quantum computers may remain perpetually five years away. Readers are sharing the collection as a quick briefing on current research.