Weird News

Aliens could be living in a giant sea

Scientists have discovered the largest reservoir ever detected, which contains 140 trillion times the amount of all the water in Earth's oceans.

The experts at the California Institute of Technology are convinced that some form of extraterrestrial life could exist in the water, but there is little chance of alien encounter as the reservoir is 12 billion light years away from our planet - meaning, it would require a spaceship to travel at the speed of light for more than a decade just to reach it.

Matt Bradford, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said: "The environment around the quasar is unique in that it's producing this huge mass of water. It's another demonstration that water is pervasive throughout the universe."

Some diners scared to order food in restaurants

A third of young diners are too frightened to order their own food at a restaurant.

A new survey has found that "menu anxiety" is felt the most by Gen Z eaters, with 34 per cent, age between 18 and 24, admitting that they ask others to choose a dish and speak to the waiter for them.

The study, conducted by the Italian restaurant chain Prezzo, also demonstrated that a third of persons between 25 and 34 decided what to eat based on how the meal will be perceived on social media.

Social anxiety among younger generations is thought to have been worsened by the pandemic, as it has led to people communicating in person a lot less frequently.

Prezzo Chief Executive Dean Challenger said: "Whilst most people look forward to dining out during the festive season, we know - as our research shows - it can be stressful for some."

Scientists create mind-reading helmet

Scientists have developed a groundbreaking 'mind-reading helmet' that translates brainwaves into words.

The remarkable technology works using a sensor-covered helmet that analyses specific electrical activity in the brain as the wearer thinks and turns it into words.

The helmet has been developed by a team at the University of Technology Sydney, who believe it could revolutionise care for those left unable to speak due to a stroke or paralysis.

A video shows a human thinking about a sentence displayed on a screen, which then switched to what the artificial intelligence (AI) model decoded with an almost-perfect match.

Professor C.T. Lin, the lead researcher on the project, said: "This research represents a pioneering effort in translating raw EEG waves directly into language, marking a significant breakthrough in the field.

"It is the first to incorporate discrete encoding techniques in the brain-to-text translation process, introducing an innovative approach to neural decoding.

"The integration with large language models is also opening new frontiers in neuroscience and AI."