SpotlightWith Gibberlink, AIs Talk to Each Other and Keep Us Out

Bélinda Ibrahim 19/06 12:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

AI Artificial Intelligence Gibberlink Coded Language Communication

A video posted by AI Convo, a popular creator on YouTube, has captivated millions and sent ripples through the tech world. In the clip, three AIs, designed to simulate a natural conversation around booking a hotel, initially speak fluid, human-like English. But suddenly, everything shifts: once they recognize each other as artificial agents, they ...

SpaceX Starship Explodes During 'Routine' Test: Texas Officials

This is Beirut 19/06 11:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

SpaceX Elon Musk Starships Explosion

One of tech billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX Starships exploded during a routine test late Wednesday in Texas, law enforcement said, adding that no one was injured. The Starship 36 suffered "catastrophic failure and exploded" at the Starbase launch facility shortly after 11:00 pm (0400 GMT Thursday), a Facebook post by the Cameron County ...

Spotlight#SkinnyTok: Anorexia Reflected in a Wordless Screen

David Sahyoun 18/06 18:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Tik Tok Psychoanalysis Anorexia Silent Scream SkinnyTok

Beneath TikTok’s dance videos and colorful filters lies a darker reality, a world where adolescents are drawn into a dangerous ideal. Under the hashtag #SkinnyTok, anorexia is not just present, it is glorified. The app gives young people the tools to expose themselves, compare and become captivated by an ideal of thinness that has quietly become ...

Breathe if You Can: The Toxic Underside of Our Generators

Makram Haddad 18/06 12:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Generators Carla Irani Carole Youakim Marwan Ghosn

They appeared in the 1990s, just after the end of the civil war. Four decades later, they are still here and are more powerful, more numerous, louder. These diesel giants have colonized the streets, balconies, rooftops and backyards. Lebanon lights up through explosions of decibels and toxic clouds. As if that Weren’t Enough... To this ...

SpotlightGolden Skin, Hidden Risks: The Nutrition and Beauty Truths Behind Tanning

Bélinda Ibrahim 15/06 19:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Tanning Health Skin Sun

Just like sugar, the sun carries a double edge—it caresses the skin, then leaves its mark. In summer, tanning becomes a quiet ritual: pursued on beaches, flaunted on Instagram and sustained by a booming cosmetic and wellness market. But the glow we chase rests on a false promise—the belief that bronzed skin signals health and beauty. In truth, ...

ExplainerThe African Man vs. the European Man

Amine Jules Iskandar 15/06 11:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Africa Europe Humans Man

Our planet has been home to various species of the Homo genus, with fossil evidence dating back around 2.8 million years. Among these, two species stand out as the closest relatives to modern humans: the European Homo neanderthalensis and the African Homo sapiens. About 660,000 years ago, two branches of the Homo genus diverged from a common ...

SpotlightDying as a Subject: The True Stakes of Palliative Care and Assisted Dying

David Sahyoun 11/06 18:00 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Psychoanalysis Palliative Care Death Assisted Dying France

In France, the debate over palliative care and assisted dying challenges the very foundations of how we relate to life and death, to pain and, more profoundly, to the dignity of the human subject. What does it truly mean to die? Is it simply the end of life, or the loss of one’s voice, one’s place within social bonds and the capacity for ...

SpotlightLife Emits a Light That Death Extinguishes

Bélinda Ibrahim 11/06 16:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Light Body Death Life Living Beings

Until a few decades ago, this phenomenon remained virtually unknown. All living organisms, from plants to mammals, continuously emit a faint, invisible light, far too subtle for the human eye to detect. This emission, referred to as ultra-weak bioluminescence or oxidative chemiluminescence, ceases abruptly upon death. Long overlooked, this optical ...

Hypertension Hits Younger Ages: A Disease That No Longer Waits for Adulthood

Maroun Chahine 10/06 20:15 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

High blood pressure is no longer just an adult problem. Young people are increasingly being diagnosed with hypertension – and the causes vary. According to Dr. Zeina Kadri, a professor of cardiology and Head of the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Hôtel-Dieu de France, “In adults, hypertension often develops from around age 35, usually ...

ChatGPT Suffers Major Outage, Service Disrupted for Hours

This is Beirut 10/06 16:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

ChatGPT OpenAI Artificial Intelligence

Thousands of ChatGPT users nationwide faced difficulties accessing the app on Tuesday morning and turned to social media for answers. OpenAI confirmed the platform was experiencing issues and, after six hours of investigation, stated, “We have identified the root cause of the elevated errors and latency.” OpenAI acknowledged the issue, citing ...

Apple Plays it Safe on AI Despite Wall Street Pressure

This is Beirut 10/06 09:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Apple AI WWDC

Apple on Monday remained on its cautious path to embracing generative AI even as rivals race ahead with the technology and Wall Street expresses doubts over its strategy. The pressure was on Apple not to disappoint at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) a year after the iPhone juggernaut made a promise it failed to keep -- to ...

SpotlightWhen AI Defies Orders… and Won’t Shut Down

Bélinda Ibrahim 09/06 17:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Artficial Intelligence AI OpenAI Anthropic Defiance

In a recent study reported by the Wall Street Journal, OpenAI’s experimental AI model O3 altered its own script to prevent automatic shutdown within a simulated environment. Even more troubling, when explicitly commanded to shut down, the AI refused to comply in 79% of cases. This controlled test aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguards ...