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[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-distributed_stochastic_neighbor_embedding] | [TOKENS: 1737] |
Contents t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) is a statistical method for visualizing high-dimensional data by giving each datapoint a location in a two or three-dimensional map. It is based on Stochastic Neighbor Embedding originally developed by Geoffrey Hinton and Sam Roweis, where Laurens van der Maaten and Hinton proposed the t-distributed variant. It is a nonlinear dimensionality reduction technique for embedding high-dimensional data for visualization in a low-dimensional space of two or three dimensions. Specifically, it models each high-dimensional object by a two- or three-dimensional point in such a way that similar objects are modeled by nearby points and dissimilar objects are modeled by distant points with high probability. The t-SNE algorithm comprises two main stages. First, t-SNE constructs a probability distribution over pairs of high-dimensional objects in such a way that similar objects are assigned a higher probability while dissimilar points are assigned a lower probability. Second, t-SNE defines a similar probability distribution over the points in the low-dimensional map, and it minimizes the Kullback–Leibler divergence (KL divergence) between the two distributions with respect to the locations of the points in the map. While the original algorithm uses the Euclidean distance between objects as the base of its similarity metric, this can be changed as appropriate. A Riemannian variant is UMAP. t-SNE has been used for visualization in a wide range of applications, including genomics, computer security research, natural language processing, music analysis, cancer research, bioinformatics, geological domain interpretation, and biomedical signal processing. For a data set with n {\displaystyle n} elements, t-SNE runs in O ( n 2 ) {\displaystyle O(n^{2})} time and requires O ( n 2 ) {\displaystyle O(n^{2})} space. Details Given a set of N {\displaystyle N} high-dimensional objects x 1 , … , x N {\displaystyle \mathbf {x} _{1},\dots ,\mathbf {x} _{N}} , t-SNE first computes probabilities p i j {\displaystyle p_{ij}} that are proportional to the similarity of objects x i {\displaystyle \mathbf {x} _{i}} and x j {\displaystyle \mathbf {x} _{j}} , as follows. For i ≠ j {\displaystyle i\neq j} , define and set p i ∣ i = 0 {\displaystyle p_{i\mid i}=0} . Note the above denominator ensures ∑ j p j ∣ i = 1 {\displaystyle \sum _{j}p_{j\mid i}=1} for all i {\displaystyle i} . As van der Maaten and Hinton explained: "The similarity of datapoint x j {\displaystyle x_{j}} to datapoint x i {\displaystyle x_{i}} is the conditional probability, p j | i {\displaystyle p_{j|i}} , that x i {\displaystyle x_{i}} would pick x j {\displaystyle x_{j}} as its neighbor if neighbors were picked in proportion to their probability density under a Gaussian centered at x i {\displaystyle x_{i}} ." Now define This is motivated because p i {\displaystyle p_{i}} and p j {\displaystyle p_{j}} from the N samples are estimated as 1/N, so the conditional probability can be written as p i ∣ j = N p i j {\displaystyle p_{i\mid j}=Np_{ij}} and p j ∣ i = N p j i {\displaystyle p_{j\mid i}=Np_{ji}} . Since p i j = p j i {\displaystyle p_{ij}=p_{ji}} , you can obtain previous formula. Also note that p i i = 0 {\displaystyle p_{ii}=0} and ∑ i , j p i j = 1 {\displaystyle \sum _{i,j}p_{ij}=1} . The bandwidth of the Gaussian kernels σ i {\displaystyle \sigma _{i}} is set in such a way that the entropy of the conditional distribution equals a predefined entropy using the bisection method. As a result, the bandwidth is adapted to the density of the data: smaller values of σ i {\displaystyle \sigma _{i}} are used in denser parts of the data space. The entropy increases with the perplexity of this distribution P i {\displaystyle P_{i}} ; this relation is seen as where H ( P i ) {\displaystyle H(P_{i})} is the Shannon entropy H ( P i ) = − ∑ j p j | i log 2 p j | i . {\displaystyle H(P_{i})=-\sum _{j}p_{j|i}\log _{2}p_{j|i}.} The perplexity is a hand-chosen parameter of t-SNE, and as the authors state, "perplexity can be interpreted as a smooth measure of the effective number of neighbors. The performance of SNE is fairly robust to changes in the perplexity, and typical values are between 5 and 50.". Since the Gaussian kernel uses the Euclidean distance ‖ x i − x j ‖ {\displaystyle \lVert x_{i}-x_{j}\rVert } , it is affected by the curse of dimensionality, and in high dimensional data when distances lose the ability to discriminate, the p i j {\displaystyle p_{ij}} become too similar (asymptotically, they would converge to a constant). It has been proposed to adjust the distances with a power transform, based on the intrinsic dimension of each point, to alleviate this. t-SNE aims to learn a d {\displaystyle d} -dimensional map y 1 , … , y N {\displaystyle \mathbf {y} _{1},\dots ,\mathbf {y} _{N}} (with y i ∈ R d {\displaystyle \mathbf {y} _{i}\in \mathbb {R} ^{d}} and d {\displaystyle d} typically chosen as 2 or 3) that reflects the similarities p i j {\displaystyle p_{ij}} as well as possible. To this end, it measures similarities q i j {\displaystyle q_{ij}} between two points in the map y i {\displaystyle \mathbf {y} _{i}} and y j {\displaystyle \mathbf {y} _{j}} , using a very similar approach. Specifically, for i ≠ j {\displaystyle i\neq j} , define q i j {\displaystyle q_{ij}} as and set q i i = 0 {\displaystyle q_{ii}=0} . Herein a heavy-tailed Student t-distribution (with one-degree of freedom, which is the same as a Cauchy distribution) is used to measure similarities between low-dimensional points in order to allow dissimilar objects to be modeled far apart in the map. The locations of the points y i {\displaystyle \mathbf {y} _{i}} in the map are determined by minimizing the (non-symmetric) Kullback–Leibler divergence of the distribution P {\displaystyle P} from the distribution Q {\displaystyle Q} , that is: The minimization of the Kullback–Leibler divergence with respect to the points y i {\displaystyle \mathbf {y} _{i}} is performed using gradient descent. The result of this optimization is a map that reflects the similarities between the high-dimensional inputs. Output While t-SNE plots often seem to display clusters, the visual clusters can be strongly influenced by the chosen parameterization (especially the perplexity) and so a good understanding of the parameters for t-SNE is needed. Such "clusters" can be shown to even appear in structured data with no clear clustering, and so may be false findings. Similarly, the size of clusters produced by t-SNE is not informative, and neither is the distance between clusters. Thus, interactive exploration may be needed to choose parameters and validate results. It has been shown that t-SNE can often recover well-separated clusters, and with special parameter choices, approximates a simple form of spectral clustering. Software References External links |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news] | [TOKENS: 3601] |
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Bond, bagpipes & controversial Canadians - why curling is must-watch Curling might seem a strange choice for prime-time Saturday night viewing, but at 18:05 GMT - live on the BBC - millions will find themselves tuning in to see if Team GB can add a fourth gold medal of these Winter Olympics. Mayweather, 48, out of retirement for fourth time Former world champion Floyd Mayweather will come out of retirement for a fourth time following his upcoming exhibition bout with Mike Tyson, to take part in his first professional fight for nearly 10 years. 'Stay humble' - Glasner reacts to fan backlash as future in doubt Sources tell BBC Sport that Crystal Palace's board is considering Oliver Glasner's future at the club. 'A shame' if Pakistan players excluded from Hundred, says Brook England skipper Harry Brook says it would be "a shame" if Pakistan players were excluded from playing in The Hundred, and confirms he will not captain Sunrisers Leeds this year. What's eating Arsenal? 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[SOURCE: https://phys.org/] | [TOKENS: 5078] |
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Planetary Sciences 15 hours ago 0 77 For the first time in Brazil, researchers have identified a field of tektites. These are natural glasses formed by the high-energy impact of extraterrestrial bodies against Earth's surface. These structures, named geraisites ... Planetary Sciences 15 hours ago 0 77 New chip-fabrication method creates 'twin' fingerprints for direct authentication Just like each person has unique fingerprints, every CMOS chip has a distinctive "fingerprint" caused by tiny, random manufacturing variations. Engineers can leverage this unforgeable ID for authentication, to safeguard a ... Electronics & Semiconductors 14 hours ago 0 23 Just like each person has unique fingerprints, every CMOS chip has a distinctive "fingerprint" caused by tiny, random manufacturing variations. Engineers can leverage this unforgeable ID for authentication, to safeguard a ... Electronics & Semiconductors 14 hours ago 0 23 Why chronic pain lasts longer in women: Immune cells offer clues Chronic pain lasts longer for women than men, and new research suggests differences in hormone-regulated immune cells, called monocytes, may help explain why. Medical Xpress 15 hours ago 0 24 Chronic pain lasts longer for women than men, and new research suggests differences in hormone-regulated immune cells, called monocytes, may help explain why. Medical Xpress 15 hours ago 0 24 'All-in-one,' single-atom could power both sides of water splitting Green hydrogen production technology, which utilizes renewable energy to produce eco-friendly hydrogen without carbon emissions, is gaining attention as a core technology for addressing global warming. Green hydrogen is produced ... Analytical Chemistry 15 hours ago 0 24 Green hydrogen production technology, which utilizes renewable energy to produce eco-friendly hydrogen without carbon emissions, is gaining attention as a core technology for addressing global warming. Green hydrogen is produced ... Analytical Chemistry 15 hours ago 0 24 How travel and dating apps are changing relationship rules for queer men Travel and dating apps like Grindr are reshaping how some queer men in relationships negotiate sex and intimacy—often through careful discussion and agreed boundaries rather than secrecy, challenging assumptions that such ... Travel and dating apps like Grindr are reshaping how some queer men in relationships negotiate sex and intimacy—often through careful discussion and agreed boundaries rather than secrecy, challenging assumptions that such ... Minnesota is falling short on its climate goals, new state data shows Minnesota is struggling to achieve its climate goals despite decades of falling greenhouse gas emissions, newly released state data shows. State law requires Minnesota's electric utilities to reduce their carbon emissions ... Minnesota is struggling to achieve its climate goals despite decades of falling greenhouse gas emissions, newly released state data shows. State law requires Minnesota's electric utilities to reduce their carbon emissions ... 1,100 dead or sick geese in NJ spark bird flu warning, prompt lake's closure At least 1,100 dead or sick birds, mostly Canada geese, have been reported across New Jersey in an outbreak that started on Valentine's Day, according to state officials. At least 1,100 dead or sick birds, mostly Canada geese, have been reported across New Jersey in an outbreak that started on Valentine's Day, according to state officials. Pushing the right buttons: Fern guides its embryo's sense of up and down Passing on fundamental life lessons from parent to offspring is not unique to humans and animals. Ferns do it too. Not with words, but through pressure. By applying force at precisely the right locations, a fern tells its ... Passing on fundamental life lessons from parent to offspring is not unique to humans and animals. Ferns do it too. Not with words, but through pressure. By applying force at precisely the right locations, a fern tells its ... In Tampa, storm-weary residents detail the costs of extreme weather An Ybor business owner closed her yoga studio repeatedly from worries over moldy, waterlogged walls. A Pinellas woman's home flooded in one hurricane, and a tree crushed her car in another. A Tampa student feared her insulin ... An Ybor business owner closed her yoga studio repeatedly from worries over moldy, waterlogged walls. A Pinellas woman's home flooded in one hurricane, and a tree crushed her car in another. A Tampa student feared her insulin ... Linguist explains how AI makes fake news more credible Fake news generated by AI is often perceived as more credible than texts written by humans. That worries linguist Silje Susanne Alvestad. In 2017, "fake news" was chosen as the new word of the year by the Language Council ... Fake news generated by AI is often perceived as more credible than texts written by humans. That worries linguist Silje Susanne Alvestad. In 2017, "fake news" was chosen as the new word of the year by the Language Council ... Australia's happiness crisis could cost us our global mojo Along with cricket, thongs and backyard barbecues, the arrival of the annual Australian Lamb ad has become synonymous with an Australian summer. What began back in 2005 as a pitch to get Australians eating more lamb has since ... Along with cricket, thongs and backyard barbecues, the arrival of the annual Australian Lamb ad has become synonymous with an Australian summer. What began back in 2005 as a pitch to get Australians eating more lamb has since ... Endangered Kenyan antelopes rescued after being stranded at Palm Beach airport When Paul Reillo learned the endangered mountain bongo antelopes that he had cared for since birth were stranded in a cargo plane on an airport tarmac ahead of their journey to a new home in Kenya, he took matters into his ... When Paul Reillo learned the endangered mountain bongo antelopes that he had cared for since birth were stranded in a cargo plane on an airport tarmac ahead of their journey to a new home in Kenya, he took matters into his ... A rethink is needed on zero-tolerance school behavior policies Persistent concerns about poor behavior in UK secondary schools have led to the widespread implementation of disciplinary behavior management strategies. These include the use of isolation rooms, where children are sent to ... Persistent concerns about poor behavior in UK secondary schools have led to the widespread implementation of disciplinary behavior management strategies. These include the use of isolation rooms, where children are sent to ... The term 'resilience' becoming a burden for women in agriculture, study shows New research from Adelaide University is questioning the widespread use of the term "resilience" in Australian agriculture, arguing that its overuse can place unfair pressure on individual farmers and obscure the need for ... New research from Adelaide University is questioning the widespread use of the term "resilience" in Australian agriculture, arguing that its overuse can place unfair pressure on individual farmers and obscure the need for ... Aging hens may lay fewer eggs as gut health declines, study finds In an era of rising grocery costs, eggs remain one of the most accessible and complete protein sources for families. New research from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience ... In an era of rising grocery costs, eggs remain one of the most accessible and complete protein sources for families. New research from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience ... What is a 'seesaw protein' that switches functions by changing shape? Inspired by the simple mechanism of a seesaw—when one side goes up, the other side goes down—researchers asked an intriguing question: Could a single molecule switch between two different roles like a seesaw? This idea ... Inspired by the simple mechanism of a seesaw—when one side goes up, the other side goes down—researchers asked an intriguing question: Could a single molecule switch between two different roles like a seesaw? This idea ... How do clouds form in Antarctica? The first flight-based aerosol measurements in 20 years Antarctica plays a crucial role in Earth's climate system by reflecting solar radiation back into space. The large white ice surfaces and clouds play a decisive role in this process. However, how clouds actually form in Antarctica, ... Antarctica plays a crucial role in Earth's climate system by reflecting solar radiation back into space. The large white ice surfaces and clouds play a decisive role in this process. However, how clouds actually form in Antarctica, ... Endangered marine life is being caught in fishing nets, but it doesn't need to be Hundreds of thousands of marine animals are killed every year after becoming accidentally caught in commercial fishing nets. Sharks, skates and rays are at particular risk, alongside turtles, seals, whales and dolphins, many ... Hundreds of thousands of marine animals are killed every year after becoming accidentally caught in commercial fishing nets. Sharks, skates and rays are at particular risk, alongside turtles, seals, whales and dolphins, many ... Study finds household-level aid can undermine pastoralists' collective resilience Recurrent droughts, conflict, and changing land use have placed significant strain on pastoral populations in the dryland regions of Africa, resulting in numerous crises that require humanitarian intervention. Pastoralism ... Recurrent droughts, conflict, and changing land use have placed significant strain on pastoral populations in the dryland regions of Africa, resulting in numerous crises that require humanitarian intervention. Pastoralism ... SpaceX rocket left behind a plume of chemical pollution as it burnt up in the atmosphere Space junk returning to Earth is introducing metal pollution to the pristine upper atmosphere as it burns up on re-entry, a new study has found. Space junk returning to Earth is introducing metal pollution to the pristine upper atmosphere as it burns up on re-entry, a new study has found. DNA analysis illuminates the lives of East Marshall Street Well individuals She had brown eyes and black hair. She was almost 5 feet, 7 inches tall and chewed tobacco. She was in her 20s, carried heavy loads with her left arm and had given birth. We don't know her name, but after her death in the ... She had brown eyes and black hair. She was almost 5 feet, 7 inches tall and chewed tobacco. She was in her 20s, carried heavy loads with her left arm and had given birth. We don't know her name, but after her death in the ... Citizen science: Map the Earth's magnetic shield with the Space Umbrella Project A stream of charged particles known as the solar wind flows from the sun toward Earth. Here, it meets Earth's magnetic fields, which shield our planet like a giant umbrella. The Space Umbrella project needs your help investigating ... A stream of charged particles known as the solar wind flows from the sun toward Earth. Here, it meets Earth's magnetic fields, which shield our planet like a giant umbrella. The Space Umbrella project needs your help investigating ... From local action to global impact: New framework presented for advancing sustainable development As countries strive to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, a new international study published in Nature Communications brings together 19 researchers in 13 institutions—including Jianguo ... As countries strive to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, a new international study published in Nature Communications brings together 19 researchers in 13 institutions—including Jianguo ... Small but mighty microplate reader could transform NASA research A small but mighty piece of lab equipment, about the size of a cellphone, has arrived at the International Space Station after launching with NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission. NASA aims to use the off-the-shelf device, called ... A small but mighty piece of lab equipment, about the size of a cellphone, has arrived at the International Space Station after launching with NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission. NASA aims to use the off-the-shelf device, called ... Medical research advances and health news The latest engineering, electronics and technology advances The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web Newsletters Follow us |
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TechnologyWhy fake AI videos of UK urban decline are taking over social mediaDeepfakes showing grim taxpayer-funded waterparks have gone viral and drawn some racist responses.The Chinese AI app sending Hollywood into a panicFixing fashion's erratic sizing problemI hacked ChatGPT and Google in 20 minutesKeeping TabsNot on TikTok? They're tracking you anywayTikTok is growing its data harvesting empire, and avoiding the app won’t protect you – but some easy steps can keep you safe.ListenThe InterfaceIs your doorbell using AI to spy on you?Doorstep surveillance, the US TikTok takeover, and an AI power struggle at the Super Bowl34 minsSavePersonal TechNew technology helps deaf fans experience the sound of sportNew technologies tested at the Deaflympics in Tokyo are creating new ways of experience the atmosphere at sporting events.Rae fell for a chatbot called Barry, but their love might die when ChatGPT-4o is switched offRae began speaking to Barry after a difficult divorce, but Barry lives on an old model of ChatGPT that's being shut down.The tactile tech giving deaf runners a fair startA gold medallist has developed a vibrating starting block to give deaf athletes clearer, fairer race starts.I turned myself into an AI-generated deathbot - here's what I foundA Cardiff University researcher recreated her own voice using a deathbot - but found it strange.The new technology shaping the vehicles of tomorrowTechnology to get us around was a big theme at CES 2026. Tech Now tests out some of the latest innovations.WatchMeet MOFO: will.i.am's rapping AI toyBBC Tech Now takes us inside CES 2026 to meet musician will.i.am and his AI toy, MOFO.6 February 2026ShareExplore MoreThe world's most powerful X-ray lasersThe gadgets set to change your daily health and wellnessThe lab recreating melting glaciers to forecast sea levelsWhat's it like to meet your own avatar?BBC reporter tests AI anti-shoplifting techHow pop-up ads took over the internetThe AI toys taking over Christmas shopping listsWhat does TikTok's deal mean for US users?Clair Obscur sweeps The Game Awards with nine winsHow a tiny chip can hold information from your gutThe coastal city fighting floods with smart sensorsA virtual trip aboard the TitanicBehind the scenes of Hollywood's most daring car stuntsThe clean fuel that could change global shippingIn case you missed itHow dark web agent spotted bedroom wall clue to rescue girl from years of harmDetectives desperate to locate a 12-year-old, seen abused online, found a surprising lead. Hollywood studios take aim at 'ultra-realistic' AI video toolClips including Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise fighting, made by new AI video tool Seedance, have gone viral.AI coding platform's flaws allow BBC reporter to be hacked Vibe-coding tools - which let people without coding skills create apps using AI - are exploding in popularity.The tech firms embracing a 72-hour working weekIn the race for AI, tech firms are asking for their staff to work long hours. But there are risks, experts say.More 3 hrs agoTumbler Ridge suspect's ChatGPT account banned before shootingOpenAI said the account's activity did not meet the threshold to flag it to authorities when it was identified.3 hrs ago3 hrs ago'Breweries using AI could put artists out of work'As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives.3 hrs ago23 hrs agoUrgent research needed to tackle AI threats, says Google AI bossBut the head of the US delegation at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi says: "We totally reject global governance of AI."23 hrs ago1 day agoUK doctor stuck in India after police case over Facebook postSangram Patil is accused of posting "objectionable content" about a top Indian leader. He denies the allegation.1 day ago1 day agoAI and coding firm's 'pride' at business awardManny Athwal, chief executive and founder of the Wolverhampton firm, says the win is a huge milestone.1 day ago1 day agoStarmer 'appeasing' big tech firms, says online safety campaignerBaroness Kidron tells the BBC the PM has being "late to the party" in regulating social media.1 day ago2 days agoMicrosoft error sees confidential emails exposed to AI tool CopilotThe company says it has addressed the issue and it "did not provide anyone access to information they weren't already authorised to see".2 days ago2 days agoBill Gates pulls out of India's AI summit over Epstein files controversyThe Gates Foundation said the decision was made to "ensure the focus remains on the summit's key priorities".2 days ago2 days agoZuckerberg defends Meta in landmark social media addiction trialThe billionaire boss said he "always" regretted not making faster progress to identify users under 13.2 days ago2 days agoTech firms will have 48 hours to remove abusive images under new UK lawThe government is proposing that intimate image abuse should be treated more severely.2 days ago3 days agoParents angered by lack of online safety strategyVicky O'Neil has raised concerns about how long it is taking the island to bring in new laws.3 days ago3 days agoCall of Duty advert banned for trivialising sexual violenceActivision Blizzard UK Ltd said the ad for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was targeted at adults.3 days ago3 days agoIndian university faces backlash for claiming Chinese robodog as own at AI summitA professor claimed that a robotic dog made by Chinese firm Unitree had been made by the university.3 days ago3 days agoSocial media suspended in Gabon for 'spreading of false information'The media regulator said the ban would be in place "until further notice".3 days ago3 days agoChild abuse increasing and more complex to police, crime agency saysPolice cannot tackle the issue alone, the NCA says, and technology companies must do more. 3 days ago... Technology Why fake AI videos of UK urban decline are taking over social media Deepfakes showing grim taxpayer-funded waterparks have gone viral and drawn some racist responses. The Chinese AI app sending Hollywood into a panic Fixing fashion's erratic sizing problem I hacked ChatGPT and Google in 20 minutes Keeping Tabs Not on TikTok? They're tracking you anyway TikTok is growing its data harvesting empire, and avoiding the app won’t protect you – but some easy steps can keep you safe. Listen Is your doorbell using AI to spy on you? Personal Tech New technology helps deaf fans experience the sound of sport New technologies tested at the Deaflympics in Tokyo are creating new ways of experience the atmosphere at sporting events. Rae fell for a chatbot called Barry, but their love might die when ChatGPT-4o is switched off Rae began speaking to Barry after a difficult divorce, but Barry lives on an old model of ChatGPT that's being shut down. The tactile tech giving deaf runners a fair start A gold medallist has developed a vibrating starting block to give deaf athletes clearer, fairer race starts. I turned myself into an AI-generated deathbot - here's what I found A Cardiff University researcher recreated her own voice using a deathbot - but found it strange. The new technology shaping the vehicles of tomorrow Technology to get us around was a big theme at CES 2026. Tech Now tests out some of the latest innovations. Watch BBC Tech Now takes us inside CES 2026 to meet musician will.i.am and his AI toy, MOFO. The world's most powerful X-ray lasers The gadgets set to change your daily health and wellness The lab recreating melting glaciers to forecast sea levels What's it like to meet your own avatar? BBC reporter tests AI anti-shoplifting tech How pop-up ads took over the internet The AI toys taking over Christmas shopping lists What does TikTok's deal mean for US users? Clair Obscur sweeps The Game Awards with nine wins How a tiny chip can hold information from your gut The coastal city fighting floods with smart sensors A virtual trip aboard the Titanic Behind the scenes of Hollywood's most daring car stunts The clean fuel that could change global shipping In case you missed it How dark web agent spotted bedroom wall clue to rescue girl from years of harm Detectives desperate to locate a 12-year-old, seen abused online, found a surprising lead. Hollywood studios take aim at 'ultra-realistic' AI video tool Clips including Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise fighting, made by new AI video tool Seedance, have gone viral. AI coding platform's flaws allow BBC reporter to be hacked Vibe-coding tools - which let people without coding skills create apps using AI - are exploding in popularity. The tech firms embracing a 72-hour working week In the race for AI, tech firms are asking for their staff to work long hours. But there are risks, experts say. More Tumbler Ridge suspect's ChatGPT account banned before shooting OpenAI said the account's activity did not meet the threshold to flag it to authorities when it was identified. 'Breweries using AI could put artists out of work' As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives. Urgent research needed to tackle AI threats, says Google AI boss But the head of the US delegation at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi says: "We totally reject global governance of AI." UK doctor stuck in India after police case over Facebook post Sangram Patil is accused of posting "objectionable content" about a top Indian leader. He denies the allegation. AI and coding firm's 'pride' at business award Manny Athwal, chief executive and founder of the Wolverhampton firm, says the win is a huge milestone. Starmer 'appeasing' big tech firms, says online safety campaigner Baroness Kidron tells the BBC the PM has being "late to the party" in regulating social media. Microsoft error sees confidential emails exposed to AI tool Copilot The company says it has addressed the issue and it "did not provide anyone access to information they weren't already authorised to see". Bill Gates pulls out of India's AI summit over Epstein files controversy The Gates Foundation said the decision was made to "ensure the focus remains on the summit's key priorities". Zuckerberg defends Meta in landmark social media addiction trial The billionaire boss said he "always" regretted not making faster progress to identify users under 13. Tech firms will have 48 hours to remove abusive images under new UK law The government is proposing that intimate image abuse should be treated more severely. Parents angered by lack of online safety strategy Vicky O'Neil has raised concerns about how long it is taking the island to bring in new laws. Call of Duty advert banned for trivialising sexual violence Activision Blizzard UK Ltd said the ad for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was targeted at adults. Indian university faces backlash for claiming Chinese robodog as own at AI summit A professor claimed that a robotic dog made by Chinese firm Unitree had been made by the university. Social media suspended in Gabon for 'spreading of false information' The media regulator said the ban would be in place "until further notice". Child abuse increasing and more complex to police, crime agency says Police cannot tackle the issue alone, the NCA says, and technology companies must do more. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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Trump brings in new 10% tariff as Supreme Court rejects his global import taxesThe US Supreme Court's decision, striking down some of Trump's most sweeping tariffs, injects new uncertainty into global trade.8 hrs agoBusinessTrump lashes out at US Supreme Court justices over tariffs ruling The six justices who voted against the tariffs, dealing a major blow to his signature economic policy, should be "absolutely ashamed", Trump said. 8 hrs agoUS & CanadaUK government considers removing Andrew from royal line of successionThe former Duke of York is eighth in line to the throne, meaning he remains eligible to be King.2 hrs agoPoliticsKilling of nationalist student leaves French far left in deep trouble as elections loomFar-left militants are suspected of being behind Quentin Deranque's death and the party of Jean-Luc Mélenchon is being widely condemned.9 hrs agoEuropeAndrew and King Charles: A personal battle of royal brothersThe problems facing the British monarchy over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are also a family problem between brothers.16 hrs agoUKIn the army now: Pictures that show how ordinary Ukrainians have been shaped by warSix Ukrainian men and women in uniform reveal how Russia's invasion in 2022 has changed them. 10 hrs agoEuropePalestinian Authority in dire straits as Israel's hold on West Bank deepensMore than 30 years after its creation, there are increasing warnings that the PA is close to collapse.3 hrs agoMiddle EastWeekend readsHow the additives in food affect our gut microbesThe additives added to processed food to keep it fresher for longer might be having an unexpected effect on the health of the microbes in our guts.Why critics scorned these 'saucy' British paintingsBeryl Cook's paintings were loved by the public but derided by the art establishment. 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But there are ways to keep your toothbrush a little cleaner.TravelThe most anticipated museum openings of 2026From a futuristic sci-fi attraction in Los Angeles to a dramatic monument to a millennia-old Aboriginal civilisation, these long-awaited museums are worth travelling for.See moreUS & Canada newsTumbler Ridge suspect's ChatGPT account banned before shootingOpenAI said the account's activity did not meet the threshold to flag it to authorities when it was identified.BBC inside Trump press briefing slamming Supreme Court tariffs rulingTrump says he's 'ashamed' of Supreme Court judges over tariffs rulingWoman charged over abandoning dog at Las Vegas airportMore world newsCatch of the day: Pictures from spectacular Nigerian fishing festivalDays of competition culminate in a fishing contest rooted in efforts to cement local peace.Deportation of Chagos Islanders blocked by judgeRare prison sentences handed to Cameroon soldiers after killing of 21 civiliansVenezuelan opposition politician released after amnesty law passedBusinessCanada looks to trade talks after US Supreme Court tosses Trump's tariffsCanada, the US and Mexico are gearing up negotiations as part of a review of the USMCA this summer.Anna Murdoch-Mann, writer and former News Corp director, dies aged 81Is £70 becoming harder to justify? 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No agenda. Just expert analysis of the issues that matter most from Anthony Zurcher, every Wednesday.Register for a BBC accountDon't have time to read everything right now? Your BBC account lets you save articles and videos for later. Sign up for the Essential ListThe week's best stories, handpicked by BBC editors, in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. Trump brings in new 10% tariff as Supreme Court rejects his global import taxes The US Supreme Court's decision, striking down some of Trump's most sweeping tariffs, injects new uncertainty into global trade. Trump lashes out at US Supreme Court justices over tariffs ruling The six justices who voted against the tariffs, dealing a major blow to his signature economic policy, should be "absolutely ashamed", Trump said. UK government considers removing Andrew from royal line of succession The former Duke of York is eighth in line to the throne, meaning he remains eligible to be King. 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Football Daily Michael Carrick - The Football Interview Rugby Union Weekly Six Nations: Itoje the England centurion More than the Score What draws Sweden's footballers to England's WSL? Technology 'Breweries using AI could put artists out of work' As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives. Urgent research needed to tackle AI threats, says Google AI boss Fixing fashion's erratic sizing problem The Chinese AI app sending Hollywood into a panic Science How toddlers in Finland are helping save an endangered language Special nurseries are helping the Sámi people in Finland to bring their almost-lost language back from the brink of extinction. Nasa targets early March to send humans back around the Moon Trump directs US government to prepare release of files on aliens and UFOs How do you modernise mango farming? Culture Iran's motorcycling midwife and rights campaigner is star of Oscar-tipped film In a room of 1,500 men, Sara Shahverdi becomes the only female leader in her region of Iran - a new film joins her as she pushes for change. The best looks at London Fashion Week 2026 The Scottish twin brothers making movies and rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty Woody and Buzz reunite in trailer for Toy Story 5 Arts 10 early photographic 'fakes' that trick the eye Some 150 years before today's AI deep fakes, photographers created remarkable image manipulations that tricked viewers. Here are 10 pictures from the 19th and 20th centuries. The true story of Japan's mysterious samurai Blue Quran: A rare 1,000-year-old masterpiece The truth about Tudor England's 'most hated woman' Watch Fixing fashion's erratic sizing problem Travel Extreme ways countries are combatting overtourism As global travel surges toward 1.8 billion arrivals, destinations are testing controversial new measures to control the crowds. How to enjoy a weekend in Hong Kong Where to catch a solar eclipse in 2026 What it's like to stay in an Oxford college World's Table Why the world fell in love with dolma This labour-intensive dish has crossed empires, borders and belief systems, becoming a shared language of generosity around the world. The most anticipated restaurant openings of 2026 Inside Italy's secretive food confraternities Fifty courses, no leftovers: Inside Italy's sacred Panarda feast Earth The cities where you'll never see flight ads Municipalities across the world are clearing their billboards of flight ads, SUVs, cruise ships and petrol cars in an attempt to cut emissions. South African farmers fear devastation as foot-and-mouth takes hold BBC plans David Attenborough celebration for 100th birthday 'It's overwhelming': Plastic from 1960s Canada washes up on Scottish beach Video Margot Robbie's accent was 'too Australian' for Neighbours The actress reveals that she had a dialect coach when she was on the series because her accent was so strong. The tactile tech giving deaf runners a fair start Inside Canada's first-of-its-kind caribou sanctuary The new technology shaping the vehicles of tomorrow Discover more from the BBC Sign up to Tech Decoded Decode the biggest developments in global technology, in your inbox every Monday and Friday. Download the BBC app Click here to download the BBC app for Apple and Android devices. US Politics Unspun No noise. No agenda. Just expert analysis of the issues that matter most from Anthony Zurcher, every Wednesday. Register for a BBC account Don't have time to read everything right now? Your BBC account lets you save articles and videos for later. Sign up for the Essential List The week's best stories, handpicked by BBC editors, in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://phys.org/technology-news/#nav-featured] | [TOKENS: 2983] |
Sign in with Forget Password? Learn more Last update Humanoid home robots are on the market—but do we really want them? , 12 hours ago Security AI 'blind spot' could allow attackers to hijack self-driving vehicles A newly discovered vulnerability could allow cybercriminals to silently hijack the artificial intelligence (AI) systems in self-driving cars, raising concerns about the security of autonomous systems increasingly used on ... 14 hours ago 0 12 Security A newly discovered vulnerability could allow cybercriminals to silently hijack the artificial intelligence (AI) systems in self-driving cars, raising concerns about the security of autonomous systems increasingly used on ... 14 hours ago 0 12 Electronics & Semiconductors New chip-fabrication method creates 'twin' fingerprints for direct authentication Just like each person has unique fingerprints, every CMOS chip has a distinctive "fingerprint" caused by tiny, random manufacturing variations. 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AdGazer, a predictive tool, evaluates both an advertisement ... 17 hours ago 0 12 Technology news Computer Sciences Pinpointing direction in noisy 2D data: New algorithm could improve imaging, AI, particle research and more A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa student-led team has developed a new algorithm to help scientists determine direction in complex two-dimensional (2D) data, with potential applications ranging from particle physics to machine ... 18 hours ago 0 0 Computer Sciences Pinpointing direction in noisy 2D data: New algorithm could improve imaging, AI, particle research and more A University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa student-led team has developed a new algorithm to help scientists determine direction in complex two-dimensional (2D) data, with potential applications ranging from particle physics to machine ... 18 hours ago 0 0 Machine learning & AI We trust AI with life and death decisions, but humans still don't challenge the AI's choices AI systems already decide how ambulances are routed, how supply chains operate and how autonomous drones plan their missions. 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Feb 19, 2026 0 5 Consumer & Gadgets Most AI bots lack basic safety disclosures, study finds Many people use AI chatbots to plan meals and write emails, AI-enhanced web browsers to book travel and buy tickets, and workplace AI to generate invoices and performance reports. However, a new study of the "AI agent ecosystem" ... Feb 19, 2026 0 5 Computer Sciences Exposing biases, moods, personalities and abstract concepts hidden in large language models By now, ChatGPT, Claude, and other large language models have accumulated so much human knowledge that they're far from simple answer-generators; they can also express abstract concepts, such as certain tones, personalities, ... Feb 19, 2026 0 21 Computer Sciences Exposing biases, moods, personalities and abstract concepts hidden in large language models By now, ChatGPT, Claude, and other large language models have accumulated so much human knowledge that they're far from simple answer-generators; they can also express abstract concepts, such as certain tones, personalities, ... Feb 19, 2026 0 21 Engineering Resilient nylon-11 film generates electricity from pressure and survives repeated runovers RMIT University researchers have developed a flexible nylon-film device that generates electricity from compression and keeps working even after being run over by a car multiple times, opening the door to self-powered sensors ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Engineering Resilient nylon-11 film generates electricity from pressure and survives repeated runovers RMIT University researchers have developed a flexible nylon-film device that generates electricity from compression and keeps working even after being run over by a car multiple times, opening the door to self-powered sensors ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Business Cyber-attacks could disrupt smart factories by targeting time itself A cyber-attack does not always need to steal data or shut systems down to cause damage. Sometimes it only needs to shift the clock. Researchers at the University of East London (UEL), in collaboration with industry, have ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Business Cyber-attacks could disrupt smart factories by targeting time itself A cyber-attack does not always need to steal data or shut systems down to cause damage. Sometimes it only needs to shift the clock. Researchers at the University of East London (UEL), in collaboration with industry, have ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Software Security vulnerabilities in Tesla's Model 3 and Cybertruck reveal how connected cars can be hacked Hackers could exploit wireless systems in Tesla's Model 3 and Cybertruck to track vehicles, disrupt communications, and interfere with network performance, according to research from Northeastern University posted to the ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Software Security vulnerabilities in Tesla's Model 3 and Cybertruck reveal how connected cars can be hacked Hackers could exploit wireless systems in Tesla's Model 3 and Cybertruck to track vehicles, disrupt communications, and interfere with network performance, according to research from Northeastern University posted to the ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Engineering New gel electrolyte points to stronger, safer anode-free lithium batteries Researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed a new gel electrolyte that both improves the lifetime and safety of anode-free lithium batteries, an emerging battery architecture that could dramatically boost energy density ... Feb 19, 2026 0 9 Engineering New gel electrolyte points to stronger, safer anode-free lithium batteries Researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed a new gel electrolyte that both improves the lifetime and safety of anode-free lithium batteries, an emerging battery architecture that could dramatically boost energy density ... Feb 19, 2026 0 9 Electronics & Semiconductors What does 'flexibility' actually look like? New findings suggest speed limits for wearable devices Flexible electronics are often sold on a simple promise: bendable screens, lightweight solar cells or wearable devices that can bend and flex without breaking. But what does that "flexibility" actually look like at the molecular ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Electronics & Semiconductors What does 'flexibility' actually look like? New findings suggest speed limits for wearable devices Flexible electronics are often sold on a simple promise: bendable screens, lightweight solar cells or wearable devices that can bend and flex without breaking. But what does that "flexibility" actually look like at the molecular ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Computer Sciences 'Learn-to-Steer' method improves AI's ability to understand spatial instructions Researchers from the Department of Computer Science at Bar-Ilan University and from NVIDIA's AI research center in Israel have developed a new method that significantly improves how artificial intelligence models understand ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Computer Sciences 'Learn-to-Steer' method improves AI's ability to understand spatial instructions Researchers from the Department of Computer Science at Bar-Ilan University and from NVIDIA's AI research center in Israel have developed a new method that significantly improves how artificial intelligence models understand ... 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[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World#bodyContent] | [TOKENS: 5641] |
Contents World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk of a "plurality of worlds". Some treat the world as one simple object, while others analyze the world as a complex made up of parts. In scientific cosmology, the world or universe is commonly defined as "the totality of all space and time; all that is, has been, and will be". Theories of modality talk of possible worlds as complete and consistent ways how things could have been. Phenomenology, starting from the horizon of co-given objects present in the periphery of every experience, defines the world as the biggest horizon, or the "horizon of all horizons". In philosophy of mind, the world is contrasted with the mind as that which is represented by the mind. Theology conceptualizes the world in relation to God, for example, as God's creation, as identical to God, or as the two being interdependent. In religions, there is a tendency to downgrade the material or sensory world in favor of a spiritual world to be sought through religious practice. A comprehensive representation of the world and our place in it, as is found in religions, is known as a worldview. Cosmogony is the field that studies the origin or creation of the world, while eschatology refers to the science or doctrine of the last things or of the end of the world. In various contexts, the term "world" takes a more restricted meaning associated, for example, with the Earth and all life on it, with humanity as a whole, or with an international or intercontinental scope. In this sense, world history refers to the history of humanity as a whole, and world politics is the discipline of political science studying issues that transcend nations and continents. Other examples include terms such as "world religion", "world language", "world government", "world war", "world population", "world economy", or "world championship". Etymology The English word world comes from the Old English weorold. The Old English is a reflex of the Common Germanic *weraldiz, a compound of weraz 'man' and aldiz 'age', thus literally meaning roughly 'age of man'; this word led to Old Frisian warld, Old Saxon werold, Old Dutch werolt, Old High German weralt, and Old Norse verǫld. The corresponding word in Latin is mundus, literally 'clean, elegant', itself a loan translation of Greek cosmos 'orderly arrangement'. While the Germanic word thus reflects a mythological notion of a "domain of Man" (compare Midgard), presumably as opposed to the divine sphere on the one hand and the chthonic sphere of the underworld on the other, the Greco-Latin term expresses a notion of creation as an act of establishing order out of chaos. Conceptions Different fields often work with quite different conceptions of the essential features associated with the term "world". Some conceptions see the world as unique: there can be no more than one world. Others talk of a "plurality of worlds". Some see worlds as complex things composed of many substances as their parts while others hold that worlds are simple in the sense that there is only one substance: the world as a whole. Some characterize worlds in terms of objective spacetime while others define them relative to the horizon present in each experience. These different characterizations are not always exclusive: it may be possible to combine some without leading to a contradiction. Most of them agree that worlds are unified totalities. Monism is a thesis about oneness: that only one thing exists in a certain sense. The denial of monism is pluralism, the thesis that, in a certain sense, more than one thing exists. There are many forms of monism and pluralism, but in relation to the world as a whole, two are of special interest: existence monism/pluralism and priority monism/pluralism. Existence monism states that the world is the only concrete object there is. This means that all the concrete "objects" we encounter in our daily lives, including apples, cars and ourselves, are not truly objects in a strict sense. Instead, they are just dependent aspects of the world-object. Such a world-object is simple in the sense that it does not have any genuine parts. For this reason, it has also been referred to as "blobject" since it lacks an internal structure like a blob. Priority monism allows that there are other concrete objects besides the world. But it holds that these objects do not have the most fundamental form of existence, that they somehow depend on the existence of the world. The corresponding forms of pluralism state that the world is complex in the sense that it is made up of concrete, independent objects. Scientific cosmology can be defined as the science of the universe as a whole. In it, the terms "universe" and "cosmos" are usually used as synonyms for the term "world". One common definition of the world/universe found in this field is as "[t]he totality of all space and time; all that is, has been, and will be". Some definitions emphasize that there are two other aspects to the universe besides spacetime: forms of energy or matter, like stars and particles, and laws of nature. World-conceptions in this field differ both concerning their notion of spacetime and of the contents of spacetime. The theory of relativity plays a central role in modern cosmology and its conception of space and time. A difference from its predecessors is that it conceives space and time not as distinct dimensions but as a single four-dimensional manifold called spacetime. This can be seen in special relativity in relation to the Minkowski metric, which includes both spatial and temporal components in its definition of distance. General relativity goes one step further by integrating the concept of mass into the concept of spacetime as its curvature. Quantum cosmology uses a classical notion of spacetime and conceives the whole world as one big wave function expressing the probability of finding particles in a given location. The world-concept plays a role in many modern theories of modality, sometimes in the form of possible worlds. A possible world is a complete and consistent way how things could have been. The actual world is a possible world since the way things are is a way things could have been. There are many other ways things could have been besides how they actually are. For example, Hillary Clinton did not win the 2016 US election, but she could have won. So there is a possible world in which she did. There is a vast number of possible worlds, one corresponding to each such difference, no matter how small or big, as long as no outright contradictions are introduced this way. Possible worlds are often conceived as abstract objects, for example, in terms of non-obtaining states of affairs or as maximally consistent sets of propositions. On such a view, they can even be seen as belonging to the actual world. Another way to conceive possible worlds, made famous by David Lewis, is as concrete entities. On this conception, there is no important difference between the actual world and possible worlds: both are conceived as concrete, inclusive and spatiotemporally connected. The only difference is that the actual world is the world we live in, while other possible worlds are not inhabited by us but by our counterparts. Everything within a world is spatiotemporally connected to everything else but the different worlds do not share a common spacetime: They are spatiotemporally isolated from each other. This is what makes them separate worlds. It has been suggested that, besides possible worlds, there are also impossible worlds. Possible worlds are ways things could have been, so impossible worlds are ways things could not have been. Such worlds involve a contradiction, like a world in which Hillary Clinton both won and lost the 2016 US election. Both possible and impossible worlds have in common the idea that they are totalities of their constituents. Within phenomenology, worlds are defined in terms of horizons of experiences. When we perceive an object, like a house, we do not just experience this object at the center of our attention but also various other objects surrounding it, given in the periphery. The term "horizon" refers to these co-given objects, which are usually experienced only in a vague, indeterminate manner. The perception of a house involves various horizons, corresponding to the neighborhood, the city, the country, the Earth, etc. In this context, the world is the biggest horizon or the "horizon of all horizons". It is common among phenomenologists to understand the world not just as a spatiotemporal collection of objects but as additionally incorporating various other relations between these objects. These relations include, for example, indication-relations that help us anticipate one object given the appearances of another object and means-end-relations or functional involvements relevant for practical concerns. In philosophy of mind, the term "world" is commonly used in contrast to the term "mind" as that which is represented by the mind. This is sometimes expressed by stating that there is a gap between mind and world and that this gap needs to be overcome for representation to be successful. One problem in philosophy of mind is to explain how the mind is able to bridge this gap and to enter into genuine mind-world-relations, for example, in the form of perception, knowledge or action. This is necessary for the world to be able to rationally constrain the activity of the mind. According to a realist position, the world is something distinct and independent from the mind. Idealists conceive of the world as partially or fully determined by the mind. Immanuel Kant's transcendental idealism, for example, posits that the spatiotemporal structure of the world is imposed by the mind on reality but lacks independent existence otherwise. A more radical idealist conception of the world can be found in Berkeley's subjective idealism, which holds that the world as a whole, including all everyday objects like tables, cats, trees and ourselves, "consists of nothing but minds and ideas". Different theological positions hold different conceptions of the world based on its relation to God. Classical theism states that God is wholly distinct from the world. But the world depends for its existence on God, both because God created the world and because He maintains or conserves it. This is sometimes understood in analogy to how humans create and conserve ideas in their imagination, with the difference being that the divine mind is vastly more powerful. On such a view, God has absolute, ultimate reality in contrast to the lower ontological status ascribed to the world. God's involvement in the world is often understood along the lines of a personal, benevolent God who looks after and guides His creation. Deists agree with theists that God created the world but deny any subsequent, personal involvement in it. Pantheists reject the separation between God and world. Instead, they claim that the two are identical. This means that there is nothing to the world that does not belong to God and that there is nothing to God beyond what is found in the world. Panentheism constitutes a middle ground between theism and pantheism. Against theism, it holds that God and the world are interrelated and depend on each other. Against pantheism, it holds that there is no outright identity between the two. History of philosophy In philosophy, the term world has several possible meanings. In some contexts, it refers to everything that makes up reality or the physical universe. In others, it can mean have a specific ontological sense (see world disclosure). While clarifying the concept of world has arguably always been among the basic tasks of Western philosophy, this theme appears to have been raised explicitly only at the start of the twentieth century, Plato is well known for his theory of forms, which posits the existence of two different worlds: the sensible world and the intelligible world. The sensible world is the world we live in, filled with changing physical things we can see, touch and interact with. The intelligible world is the world of invisible, eternal, changeless forms like goodness, beauty, unity and sameness. Plato ascribes a lower ontological status to the sensible world, which only imitates the world of forms. This is due to the fact that physical things exist only to the extent that they participate in the forms that characterize them, while the forms themselves have an independent manner of existence. In this sense, the sensible world is a mere replication of the perfect exemplars found in the world of forms: it never lives up to the original. In the allegory of the cave, Plato compares the physical things we are familiar with to mere shadows of the real things. But not knowing the difference, the prisoners in the cave mistake the shadows for the real things. Two definitions that were both put forward in the 1920s, however, suggest the range of available opinion. "The world is everything that is the case", wrote Ludwig Wittgenstein in his influential Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, first published in 1921. Martin Heidegger, meanwhile, argued that "the surrounding world is different for each of us, and notwithstanding that we move about in a common world". "World" is one of the key terms in Eugen Fink's philosophy. He thinks that there is a misguided tendency in western philosophy to understand the world as one enormously big thing containing all the small everyday things we are familiar with. He sees this view as a form of forgetfulness of the world and tries to oppose it by what he calls the "cosmological difference": the difference between the world and the inner-worldly things it contains. On his view, the world is the totality of the inner-worldly things that transcends them. It is itself groundless but it provides a ground for things. It therefore cannot be identified with a mere container. Instead, the world gives appearance to inner-worldly things, it provides them with a place, a beginning and an end. One difficulty in investigating the world is that we never encounter it since it is not just one more thing that appears to us. This is why Fink uses the notion of play or playing to elucidate the nature of the world. He sees play as a symbol of the world that is both part of it and that represents it. Play usually comes with a form of imaginary play-world involving various things relevant to the play. But just like the play is more than the imaginary realities appearing in it so the world is more than the actual things appearing in it. The concept of worlds plays a central role in Nelson Goodman's late philosophy. He argues that we need to posit different worlds in order to account for the fact that there are different incompatible truths found in reality. Two truths are incompatible if they ascribe incompatible properties to the same thing. This happens, for example, when we assert both that the earth moves and that the earth is at rest. These incompatible truths correspond to two different ways of describing the world: heliocentrism and geocentrism. Goodman terms such descriptions "world versions". He holds a correspondence theory of truth: a world version is true if it corresponds to a world. Incompatible true world versions correspond to different worlds. It is common for theories of modality to posit the existence of a plurality of possible worlds. But Goodman's theory is different since it posits a plurality not of possible but of actual worlds. Such a position is in danger of involving a contradiction: there cannot be a plurality of actual worlds if worlds are defined as maximally inclusive wholes. This danger may be avoided by interpreting Goodman's world-concept not as maximally inclusive wholes in the absolute sense but in relation to its corresponding world-version: a world contains all and only the entities that its world-version describes. Religion Mythological cosmologies depict the world as centered on an axis mundi and delimited by a boundary such as a world ocean, a world serpent or similar. Hinduism constitutes a family of religious-philosophical views. These views present perspectives on the nature and role of the world. Samkhya philosophy, for example, is a metaphysical dualism that understands reality as comprising 2 parts: purusha and prakriti. The term "purusha" stands for the individual conscious self that each of "us" possesses. Prakriti, on the other hand, is the 1 world inhabited by all these selves. Samkhya understands this world as a world of matter governed by the law of cause and effect. The term "matter" is understood in a sense in this tradition including physical and mental aspects. This is reflected in the doctrine of tattvas, according to which prakriti is made up of 23 principles or elements of reality. These principles include physical elements, like water or earth, and mental aspects, like intelligence or sense-impressions. The relation between purusha and prakriti is conceived as 1 of observation: purusha is the conscious self aware of the world of prakriti and does not causally interact with it. A conception of the world is present in Advaita Vedanta, the monist school among the Vedanta schools. Unlike the realist position defended in Samkhya philosophy, Advaita Vedanta sees the world of multiplicity as an illusion, referred to as Maya. This illusion includes impression of existing as separate experiencing selfs called Jivas. Instead, Advaita Vedanta teaches that on the most fundamental level of reality, referred to as Brahman, there exists no plurality or difference. All there is is 1 all-encompassing self: Atman. Ignorance is seen as the source of this illusion, which results in bondage to the world of mere appearances. Liberation is possible in the course of overcoming this illusion by acquiring the knowledge of Brahman, according to Advaita Vedanta. Contemptus mundi is the name given to the belief that the world, in all its vanity, is nothing more than a futile attempt to hide from God by stifling our desire for the good and the holy. This view has been characterised as a "pastoral of fear" by historian Jean Delumeau. "The world, the flesh, and the devil" is a traditional division of the sources of temptation. Orbis Catholicus is a Latin phrase meaning "Catholic world", per the expression Urbi et Orbi, and refers to that area of Christendom under papal supremacy. In Islam, the term "dunya" is used for the world. Its meaning is derived from the root word "dana", a term for "near". It is associated with the temporal, sensory world and earthly concerns, i.e. with this world in contrast to the spiritual world. Religious teachings warn of a tendency to seek happiness in this world and advise a more ascetic lifestyle concerned with the afterlife. Other strands in Islam recommend a balanced approach. In Mandaean cosmology, the world or earthly realm is known as Tibil. It is separated from the World of Light (alma d-nhūra) above and the World of Darkness (alma d-hšuka) below by aether (ayar). Related terms and problems A worldview is a comprehensive representation of the world and our place in it. As a representation, it is a subjective perspective of the world and thereby different from the world it represents. All higher animals need to represent their environment in some way in order to navigate it. But it has been argued that only humans possess a representation encompassing enough to merit the term "worldview". Philosophers of worldviews commonly hold that the understanding of any object depends on a worldview constituting the background on which this understanding can take place. This may affect not just our intellectual understanding of the object in question but the experience of it in general. It is therefore impossible to assess one's worldview from a neutral perspective since this assessment already presupposes the worldview as its background. Some hold that each worldview is based on a single hypothesis that promises to solve all the problems of our existence we may encounter. On this interpretation, the term is closely associated to the worldviews given by different religions. Worldviews offer orientation not just in theoretical matters but also in practical matters. For this reason, they usually include answers to the question of the meaning of life and other evaluative components about what matters and how we should act. A worldview can be unique to one individual but worldviews are usually shared by many people within a certain culture or religion. The idea that there exist many different worlds is found in various fields. For example, theories of modality talk about a plurality of possible worlds and the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics carries this reference even in its name. Talk of different worlds is also common in everyday language, for example, with reference to the world of music, the world of business, the world of football, the world of experience or the Asian world. But at the same time, worlds are usually defined as all-inclusive totalities. This seems to contradict the very idea of a plurality of worlds since if a world is total and all-inclusive then it cannot have anything outside itself. Understood this way, a world can neither have other worlds besides itself or be part of something bigger. One way to resolve this paradox while holding onto the notion of a plurality of worlds is to restrict the sense in which worlds are totalities. On this view, worlds are not totalities in an absolute sense. This might be even understood in the sense that, strictly speaking, there are no worlds at all. Another approach understands worlds in a schematic sense: as context-dependent expressions that stand for the current domain of discourse. So in the expression "Around the World in Eighty Days", the term "world" refers to the earth while in the colonial expression "the New World" it refers to the landmass of North and South America. Cosmogony is the field that studies the origin or creation of the world. This includes both scientific cosmogony and creation myths found in various religions. The dominant theory in scientific cosmogony is the Big Bang theory, according to which both space, time and matter have their origin in one initial singularity occurring about 13.8 billion years ago. This singularity was followed by an expansion that allowed the universe to sufficiently cool down for the formation of subatomic particles and later atoms. These initial elements formed giant clouds, which would then coalesce into stars and galaxies. Non-scientific creation myths are found in many cultures and are often enacted in rituals expressing their symbolic meaning. They can be categorized concerning their contents. Types often found include creation from nothing, from chaos or from a cosmic egg. Eschatology refers to the science or doctrine of the last things or of the end of the world. It is traditionally associated with religion, specifically with the Abrahamic religions. In this form, it may include teachings both of the end of each individual human life and of the end of the world as a whole. But it has been applied to other fields as well, for example, in the form of physical eschatology, which includes scientifically based speculations about the far future of the universe. According to some models, there will be a Big Crunch in which the whole universe collapses back into a singularity, possibly resulting in a second Big Bang afterward. But current astronomical evidence seems to suggest that our universe will continue to expand indefinitely. World history studies the world from a historical perspective. Unlike other approaches to history, it employs a global viewpoint. It deals less with individual nations and civilizations, which it usually approaches at a high level of abstraction. Instead, it concentrates on wider regions and zones of interaction, often interested in how people, goods and ideas move from one region to another. It includes comparisons of different societies and civilizations as well as considering wide-ranging developments with a long-term global impact like the process of industrialization. Contemporary world history is dominated by three main research paradigms determining the periodization into different epochs. One is based on productive relations between humans and nature. The two most important changes in history in this respect were the introduction of agriculture and husbandry concerning the production of food, which started around 10,000 to 8,000 BCE and is sometimes termed the Neolithic Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution, which started around 1760 CE and involved the transition from manual to industrial manufacturing. Another paradigm, focusing on culture and religion instead, is based on Karl Jaspers' theories about the Axial Age, a time in which various new forms of religious and philosophical thoughts appeared in several separate parts of the world around the time between 800 and 200 BCE. A third periodization is based on the relations between civilizations and societies. According to this paradigm, history can be divided into three periods in relation to the dominant region in the world: Middle Eastern dominance before 500 BCE, Eurasian cultural balance until 1500 CE and Western dominance since 1500 CE. Big History employs an even wider framework than world history by putting human history into the context of the history of the universe as a whole. It starts with the Big Bang and traces the formation of galaxies, the Solar System, the Earth, its geological eras, the evolution of life and humans until the present day. World politics, also referred to as global politics or international relations, is the discipline of political science studying issues of interest to the world that transcend nations and continents. It aims to explain complex patterns found in the social world that are often related to the pursuit of power, order and justice, usually in the context of globalization. It focuses not just on the relations between nation-states but also considers other transnational actors, like multinational corporations, terrorist groups, or non-governmental organizations. For example, it tries to explain events such as the September 11 attacks, the 2003 invasion of Iraq or the 2008 financial crisis. Various theories have been proposed in order to deal with the complexity involved in formulating such explanations. These theories are sometimes divided into realism, liberalism and constructivism. Realists see nation-states as the main actors in world politics. They constitute an anarchical international system without any overarching power to control their behavior. They are seen as sovereign agents that, determined by human nature, act according to their national self-interest. Military force may play an important role in the ensuing struggle for power between states, but diplomacy and cooperation are also key mechanisms for nations to achieve their goals. Liberalists acknowledge the importance of states but they also emphasize the role of transnational actors, like the United Nations or the World Trade Organization. They see humans as perfectible and stress the role of democracy in this process. The emergent order in world politics, on this perspective, is more complex than a mere balance of power since more different agents and interests are involved in its production. Constructivism ascribes more importance to the agency of individual humans than realism and liberalism. It understands the social world as a construction of the people living in it. This leads to an emphasis on the possibility of change. If the international system is an anarchy of nation-states, as the realists hold, then this is only so because we made it this way and may change since this is not prefigured by human nature, according to the constructivists. See also References External links Africa Antarctica Asia Australia Europe North America South America Afro-Eurasia Americas Eurasia Oceania |
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TechnologyWhy fake AI videos of UK urban decline are taking over social mediaDeepfakes showing grim taxpayer-funded waterparks have gone viral and drawn some racist responses.The Chinese AI app sending Hollywood into a panicFixing fashion's erratic sizing problemI hacked ChatGPT and Google in 20 minutesKeeping TabsNot on TikTok? 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The tactile tech giving deaf runners a fair start A gold medallist has developed a vibrating starting block to give deaf athletes clearer, fairer race starts. I turned myself into an AI-generated deathbot - here's what I found A Cardiff University researcher recreated her own voice using a deathbot - but found it strange. The new technology shaping the vehicles of tomorrow Technology to get us around was a big theme at CES 2026. Tech Now tests out some of the latest innovations. Watch BBC Tech Now takes us inside CES 2026 to meet musician will.i.am and his AI toy, MOFO. The world's most powerful X-ray lasers The gadgets set to change your daily health and wellness The lab recreating melting glaciers to forecast sea levels What's it like to meet your own avatar? BBC reporter tests AI anti-shoplifting tech How pop-up ads took over the internet The AI toys taking over Christmas shopping lists What does TikTok's deal mean for US users? 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More Tumbler Ridge suspect's ChatGPT account banned before shooting OpenAI said the account's activity did not meet the threshold to flag it to authorities when it was identified. 'Breweries using AI could put artists out of work' As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives. Urgent research needed to tackle AI threats, says Google AI boss But the head of the US delegation at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi says: "We totally reject global governance of AI." UK doctor stuck in India after police case over Facebook post Sangram Patil is accused of posting "objectionable content" about a top Indian leader. He denies the allegation. AI and coding firm's 'pride' at business award Manny Athwal, chief executive and founder of the Wolverhampton firm, says the win is a huge milestone. Starmer 'appeasing' big tech firms, says online safety campaigner Baroness Kidron tells the BBC the PM has being "late to the party" in regulating social media. Microsoft error sees confidential emails exposed to AI tool Copilot The company says it has addressed the issue and it "did not provide anyone access to information they weren't already authorised to see". Bill Gates pulls out of India's AI summit over Epstein files controversy The Gates Foundation said the decision was made to "ensure the focus remains on the summit's key priorities". Zuckerberg defends Meta in landmark social media addiction trial The billionaire boss said he "always" regretted not making faster progress to identify users under 13. Tech firms will have 48 hours to remove abusive images under new UK law The government is proposing that intimate image abuse should be treated more severely. Parents angered by lack of online safety strategy Vicky O'Neil has raised concerns about how long it is taking the island to bring in new laws. Call of Duty advert banned for trivialising sexual violence Activision Blizzard UK Ltd said the ad for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was targeted at adults. Indian university faces backlash for claiming Chinese robodog as own at AI summit A professor claimed that a robotic dog made by Chinese firm Unitree had been made by the university. Social media suspended in Gabon for 'spreading of false information' The media regulator said the ban would be in place "until further notice". Child abuse increasing and more complex to police, crime agency says Police cannot tackle the issue alone, the NCA says, and technology companies must do more. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://phys.org/technology-news/#nav-commented] | [TOKENS: 2983] |
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Feb 19, 2026 0 5 Consumer & Gadgets Most AI bots lack basic safety disclosures, study finds Many people use AI chatbots to plan meals and write emails, AI-enhanced web browsers to book travel and buy tickets, and workplace AI to generate invoices and performance reports. However, a new study of the "AI agent ecosystem" ... Feb 19, 2026 0 5 Computer Sciences Exposing biases, moods, personalities and abstract concepts hidden in large language models By now, ChatGPT, Claude, and other large language models have accumulated so much human knowledge that they're far from simple answer-generators; they can also express abstract concepts, such as certain tones, personalities, ... Feb 19, 2026 0 21 Computer Sciences Exposing biases, moods, personalities and abstract concepts hidden in large language models By now, ChatGPT, Claude, and other large language models have accumulated so much human knowledge that they're far from simple answer-generators; they can also express abstract concepts, such as certain tones, personalities, ... Feb 19, 2026 0 21 Engineering Resilient nylon-11 film generates electricity from pressure and survives repeated runovers RMIT University researchers have developed a flexible nylon-film device that generates electricity from compression and keeps working even after being run over by a car multiple times, opening the door to self-powered sensors ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Engineering Resilient nylon-11 film generates electricity from pressure and survives repeated runovers RMIT University researchers have developed a flexible nylon-film device that generates electricity from compression and keeps working even after being run over by a car multiple times, opening the door to self-powered sensors ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Business Cyber-attacks could disrupt smart factories by targeting time itself A cyber-attack does not always need to steal data or shut systems down to cause damage. Sometimes it only needs to shift the clock. Researchers at the University of East London (UEL), in collaboration with industry, have ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Business Cyber-attacks could disrupt smart factories by targeting time itself A cyber-attack does not always need to steal data or shut systems down to cause damage. Sometimes it only needs to shift the clock. Researchers at the University of East London (UEL), in collaboration with industry, have ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Software Security vulnerabilities in Tesla's Model 3 and Cybertruck reveal how connected cars can be hacked Hackers could exploit wireless systems in Tesla's Model 3 and Cybertruck to track vehicles, disrupt communications, and interfere with network performance, according to research from Northeastern University posted to the ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Software Security vulnerabilities in Tesla's Model 3 and Cybertruck reveal how connected cars can be hacked Hackers could exploit wireless systems in Tesla's Model 3 and Cybertruck to track vehicles, disrupt communications, and interfere with network performance, according to research from Northeastern University posted to the ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Engineering New gel electrolyte points to stronger, safer anode-free lithium batteries Researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed a new gel electrolyte that both improves the lifetime and safety of anode-free lithium batteries, an emerging battery architecture that could dramatically boost energy density ... Feb 19, 2026 0 9 Engineering New gel electrolyte points to stronger, safer anode-free lithium batteries Researchers at Columbia Engineering have developed a new gel electrolyte that both improves the lifetime and safety of anode-free lithium batteries, an emerging battery architecture that could dramatically boost energy density ... Feb 19, 2026 0 9 Electronics & Semiconductors What does 'flexibility' actually look like? New findings suggest speed limits for wearable devices Flexible electronics are often sold on a simple promise: bendable screens, lightweight solar cells or wearable devices that can bend and flex without breaking. But what does that "flexibility" actually look like at the molecular ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Electronics & Semiconductors What does 'flexibility' actually look like? New findings suggest speed limits for wearable devices Flexible electronics are often sold on a simple promise: bendable screens, lightweight solar cells or wearable devices that can bend and flex without breaking. But what does that "flexibility" actually look like at the molecular ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Computer Sciences 'Learn-to-Steer' method improves AI's ability to understand spatial instructions Researchers from the Department of Computer Science at Bar-Ilan University and from NVIDIA's AI research center in Israel have developed a new method that significantly improves how artificial intelligence models understand ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Computer Sciences 'Learn-to-Steer' method improves AI's ability to understand spatial instructions Researchers from the Department of Computer Science at Bar-Ilan University and from NVIDIA's AI research center in Israel have developed a new method that significantly improves how artificial intelligence models understand ... Feb 19, 2026 0 0 Humanoid home robots are on the market—but do we really want them? 12 hours ago 12 hours ago Tackling uplift resistance in tall infrastructure sustainably 15 hours ago 15 hours ago 'Alpha male' AI world shuts out women: Computing prof Hall 16 hours ago 16 hours ago Investigating how people respond to air taxi noise 16 hours ago 16 hours ago Mississippi hospital system closes all clinics after ransomware attack 16 hours ago 16 hours ago You can give old batteries a new life by safely recycling them 16 hours ago 16 hours ago 3D vision technology powers factory automation 21 hours ago 21 hours ago Nvidia nears deal for scaled-down investment in OpenAI: Report Feb 20, 2026 Feb 20, 2026 India chases 'DeepSeek moment' with homegrown AI Feb 20, 2026 Feb 20, 2026 UN touts panel for 'human control' of AI at global summit Feb 20, 2026 Feb 20, 2026 A design thinker's guide to AI and creativity Feb 19, 2026 Feb 19, 2026 Google Gemini, Apple add music-focused generative AI features Feb 19, 2026 Feb 19, 2026 Hot cities, safer buildings: A cooling coating that can also reduce fire risk Feb 19, 2026 Feb 19, 2026 Why city street surveys miss methane leaks, and what that means for safety Feb 19, 2026 Feb 19, 2026 OpenAI blocked from using Cameo name for its AI video features Feb 19, 2026 Feb 19, 2026 Laser-etched glass can store data for 10,000 years, Microsoft says Feb 18, 2026 Feb 18, 2026 AI and kindness: Are we morally obligated to be kind to Grok? Feb 18, 2026 Feb 18, 2026 3D printing platform rapidly produces complex electric machines Feb 18, 2026 Feb 18, 2026 New polymer alloy could solve energy storage challenge Feb 18, 2026 Feb 18, 2026 Dry-processed battery electrodes skip slurry and deliver better high-voltage cycling Feb 18, 2026 Feb 18, 2026 Daily science news on research developments and the latest scientific innovations Medical research advances and health news The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web Newsletters Follow us This site uses cookies to assist with navigation, analyse your use of our services, collect data for ads personalisation and provide content from third parties. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/sport] | [TOKENS: 1811] |
BBC Sport Winter Olympics: GB third after first run in four-man bobsleigh - watch & follow Watch and follow action from the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, with Team GB in early bobsleigh and cross country skiing action. Bond, bagpipes & controversial Canadians - why curling is must-watch 'A shame' if Pakistan players excluded from Hundred, says Brook What's eating Arsenal? North London derby now a test of Gunners' 'bottle' 'Wonderfully different' Pollock ready to fire up England Mayweather, 48, out of retirement for fourth time 'Stay humble' - Glasner reacts to fan backlash as future in doubt 'Losing the dressing room' - what does it mean and how can it happen? McIlroy hunts Genesis leaders Penge and Bridgeman 'Sacrifices' & celebrations - why Chelsea's Neto is misunderstood The Uber-driving English champion & his 30-year fight for a passport Svitolina beats Gauff in epic to reach Dubai final More top stories 'Ireland plot upset with title hopes on the line' Ireland hope to pull off a major upset and deliver a statement Six Nations win over England in Saturday's showdown at Allianz Stadium. Mourinho made 'unacceptable, huge mistake' - Kompany How Hodgkinson broke a 23-year-old world record Who are the winners and losers from F1 pre-season testing? Brazil striker Neymar considering retirement Benn leaves Hearn to join rival promoter White Wolves set to lose teenager Mane - Saturday's gossip Video 'It's the ultimate role' - Carrick on Man Utd job. Video, 00:03:16'It's the ultimate role' - Carrick on Man Utd job 'Shouldn't be in the game' - Rosenior wants stronger racism penalties. Video, 00:02:12'Shouldn't be in the game' - Rosenior wants stronger racism penalties Balague details aftermath of Vinicius racism allegation. Video, 00:02:43Balague details aftermath of Vinicius racism allegation Past Kane & chasing Mbappe - why Gordon is lethal in Europe. Video, 00:02:14Past Kane & chasing Mbappe - why Gordon is lethal in Europe Williams and White react to fans' WSL hot takes. Video, 00:05:36Williams and White react to fans' WSL hot takes Winter Olympics Four men, one aim - to end 102-year wait for Winter Olympic curling gold The route to glory open to all - could you be a Winter Olympic athlete? GB go for men's curling gold and Atkin in halfpipe final - Saturday's guide Canada and USA to meet in charged Olympic finale 'I'm on right side' - Kenworthy on death threats after ICE post Six Nations Tandy's day of destiny as Wales search for elusive win Tuipulotu on red alert as Scotland face wounded Welsh Five moments that made England centurion Itoje France change second-row pairing for Italy match Wales' Rees-Zammit inspired by Man Utd turnaround More sports news Table-punching injury left Menzies close to quitting darts Cameron Menzies says he has come close to "wrapping" up his darts career as the hand injury he suffered punching a drinks table at the PDC World Championship has left him with "no feeling" in the fingers of his right hand. Ratcliffe avoids FA charge over immigration comments Werder Bremen cancel US trip over ICE shooting concerns UK Athletics pleads guilty to corporate manslaughter How safe is bare-knuckle boxing as it fights for mainstream appeal? 'Blessed' Ball stars for Hornets one day after car crash Four teenagers charged after drive-by shooting of Utai T20 Cricket World Cup Zampa rejects idea Australia do not value T20s Stats battle: Can you beat our new T20 World Cup game? I won't rein it in to correct poor run of form - Buttler Zimbabwe stun Sri Lanka, Windies win and Afghanistan beat Canada Men's T20 World Cup tables, top run-scorers & wicket-takers Also in sport Sutton's predictions v Embrace bassist Steve Firth BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton takes on Embrace bassist Steve Firth plus the BBC readers and AI with his predictions for this weekend's Premier League fixtures. 'Bigger does not mean better' - why more matches is not for good of the game Norwich's Sargent to join Toronto for more than £20m Scotland set to lose second Champions League place Neutral athletes allowed to attend Winters closing ceremony Tudor '100%' convinced Spurs will avoid relegation GB '25 years' behind world's best in short track More video Boxing rivalry is one thing, humanity is another - Fury. Video, 00:00:57Boxing rivalry is one thing, humanity is another - Fury Playing to be seen - how sport helps India's Siddi community from social isolation Video, 00:03:55Playing to be seen - how sport helps India's Siddi community from social isolation Fury says latest comeback is 'to make boxing great again' Video, 00:01:27Fury says latest comeback is 'to make boxing great again' Officials need VAR after FA Cup mistakes - Rooney. Video, 00:02:46Officials need VAR after FA Cup mistakes - Rooney How is Zubimendi helping Arsenal's title push? Video, 00:03:36How is Zubimendi helping Arsenal's title push? Only from the BBC Football in Greenland: The 'toughest' championship in the world? Video, 00:05:59Football in Greenland: The 'toughest' championship in the world? The stunning football pitches hiding in the Arctic Circle. Video, 00:04:56The stunning football pitches hiding in the Arctic Circle Exploring Britain's most extraordinary cricket grounds. Video, 00:06:49Exploring Britain's most extraordinary cricket grounds How does British football food rate with European fans? Video, 00:01:39How does British football food rate with European fans? Inside the $5bn World Cup stadium in California. Video, 00:02:49Inside the $5bn World Cup stadium in California Insight: Must-read sports stories Frank's downfall: Inside his struggle to get players and fans onboard Thomas Frank has been sacked as Tottenham manager after just eight months in charge. BBC Sport's Sami Mokbel takes a closer look at his tenure. What is the future of the Winter Olympics? 'I've been flying through the air without skis on - that is a weird feeling' Happy tennis, serious name - how history-maker Alcaraz clinched career Slam Cages, crushes and stabbings - is European away safety getting worse? Rejections, depression & promise to his mum - Thiago's route to top Tactics, transfers and turmoil - inside the fall of Amorim More to explore How do Brentford keep appointing the right managers? The 20-year-old newspaper column that gave a hint to Man City's new tactics Olympic trials to £6m deal - Shields' full-circle moment From Stoke to the Arctic Circle - 30 years of BBC's Murray behind mic Vinicius: Eight years at Real Madrid, 20 cases of alleged racist abuse Our latest podcasts How Italy's men changed their Six Nations narrative. Audio, 19 minutesHow Italy's men changed their Six Nations narrative After years of struggle, could the Azzuri one day win rugby's Six Nations? Test Match Special Podcast. Gayleâs Gangnam style as Windies win 2012 T20. Audio, 30 minutesTest Match Special Podcast Gayleâs Gangnam style as Windies win 2012 T20 Football Daily. The Commentators' View: Arsenalâs wobble & âin the hatâ Audio, 57 minutesFootball Daily The Commentators' View: Arsenalâs wobble & âin the hatâ Tailenders. The Associates. Audio, 52 minutesTailenders The Associates Rugby Union Weekly. Six Nations: Itoje the England centurion. Audio, 35 minutesRugby Union Weekly Six Nations: Itoje the England centurion Stumped podcast: When giants collide... and minnows make history. Audio, 35 minutesStumped podcast: When giants collide... and minnows make history Discover the BBC's best sports podcasts Football Extra newsletter All the latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, in your inbox every weekday. Things you need to know More from BBC News Where and how to watch BBC News Premier League European Football Find out more about our BBC Sport app Find us here Instagram TikTok Facebook X YouTube Find out more Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/business] | [TOKENS: 3586] |
BusinessTrump brings in new 10% tariff as Supreme Court rejects his global import taxesThe US Supreme Court's decision, striking down some of Trump's most sweeping tariffs, injects new uncertainty into global trade.8 hrs agoBusinessCanada looks to trade talks after US Supreme Court tosses Trump's tariffsCanada, the US and Mexico are gearing up negotiations as part of a review of the USMCA this summer.7 hrs agoWorldUrgent research needed to tackle AI threats, says Google AI bossBut the head of the US delegation at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi says: "We totally reject global governance of AI."23 hrs agoThe Chinese AI app sending Hollywood into a panicClips of Deadpool and other film characters have sparked alarm within Hollywood over copyright infringement.1 day agoAsiaAnna Murdoch-Mann, writer and former News Corp director, dies aged 81The author, journalist and philanthropist died at home in Florida, according to Rupert Murdoch's news outlets.6 hrs agoIs £70 becoming harder to justify? The rise of cheaper blockbuster gamesAs top games such as GTA 6 are speculated to cost $100 (£74), some developers are deliberately pricing lower.8 hrs agoUS economy slows in final months after turbulent yearOverall the economy grew 2.2% last year, holding up despite pressures from changes to tariff and immigration policy.18 hrs agoBusinessSign up to World of BusinessGain the leading edge with global insights for the boardroom and beyond, in your inbox every Wednesday.Trump tariffsHow will Trump's new 10% global tariffs work and what's next?The Supreme Court's decision has led questions over whether people can get a refund over the unlawful tariffs.Trump lashes out at US Supreme Court justices over tariffs ruling The six justices who voted against the tariffs, dealing a major blow to his signature economic policy, should be "absolutely ashamed", Trump said. BBC inside Trump press briefing slamming Supreme Court tariffs rulingBernd Debusmann describes how the president reacted after his sweeping levies were struck down.World of BusinessThe two farms in Senegal that supply many of the UK's vegetablesDuring winter in Britain, fresh produce is sent by cargo ship from the West African nation every week.Trump eyes Venezuela visit – but obstacles to his oil plan remainThe US president wants American energy firms to start extracting the crude but they are reluctant.NYSE Opening BellUS government shutdown in October 'dented growth'Gus Scacco of Advisors Capital Management says the October US Government shutdown dented growth.16 hours agoShareExplore MoreExpert says market volatility over AI 'not unexpected'AI and tech stocks trading lower 'due to high capital costs'US annualised consumer inflation falls to 2.4 per centWall Street weighs up strong jobs numbersUS retail sales stall in December without usual holiday liftExpert says economy is 'heading for a soft landing'Bitcoin falls as market jitters continueDetails of US-India trade deal remain unclearLatest audioBusiness DailyCanva CEO Melanie PerkinsSaveBusiness DailyWhy is India striking so many trade deals?SaveBusiness DailyWhy are so many French restaurants closing?SaveBusiness DailyHow ethical is 'ethical' investing?SaveBusiness DailyIs AI about to transform food production?SaveGood Bad BillionaireWeekend listening: The InterfaceSaveBusiness DailyThe banker who loaned to women when no one else wouldSaveBusiness DailyWhat next for Venezuela?SaveBusiness DailyBiohacking: where fad meets finance?SaveBusiness DailyAfter the cyclone: Can Sri Lanka’s economy recover?SaveTechnology of BusinessHow do you modernise mango farming?India's mango farmers are being urged to innovate as climate change makes cultivation "unpredictable".See moreMore news Asos co-founder dies after Thailand apartment block fallQuentin Griffiths co-founded Asos in 2000 and remained a significant shareholder after leaving the firm five years later.Epstein eyed record label investment to access women, files suggestHis associate said the music industry was "related to P", a way Epstein apparently often referred to women.US and Indonesia finalise deal to cut tariffs to 19%Washington will set a 19% tariff on most Indonesian goods in exchange for lower trade barriers for US goodsNasa boss says Boeing Starliner failure one of worst in its historyThe agency released a critical report that puts the Starliner incident at same mistake level assigned to the fatal Columbia and Challenger shuttle disasters.Revealed: The billions given to charity by ordinary Indians every yearIndia’s real philanthropy engine isn’t billionaires - it’s everyday household giving, a new survey finds.New Mexico reopens criminal inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro RanchThe initial investigation was closed in 2019 but prosecutors say that new revelations "warrant further examination".BBC MaestroWhy you must share your idea and get honest feedbackLearn Steven's three crucial steps for validating your business proposal and why impartial feedback is vital.BBC Maestro - Steven BartlettThe power of making and owning decisionsLearn why making your own decisions is the key to increasing your confidence.BBC Maestro - Evy PoumpourasThe power of absorbing informationLearn how to listen to improve your self-awareness. People will give you information, and that's power.BBC Maestro - Evy PoumpourasWhy planning can be a form of procrastinationLearn how to avoid compulsive planning and instead hold plans loosely as a navigational aid.BBC Maestro - Oliver BurkemanHow to navigate a world competing for your attentionOliver offers tips on how to avoid getting distracted on social media when people profit from your scrolling.BBC Maestro - Oliver BurkemanThe difference between 'good' and 'bad' procrastinationForget trying to stop procrastinating. Instead, learn Oliver's three rules to become a better procrastinator.BBC Maestro - Oliver BurkemanWhy 'inbox zero' is a strategy that breeds distractionManaging infinite emails, ideas, errands, and goals is hard. Oliver recommends a little strategic neglect.BBC Maestro - Oliver BurkemanHow time creates problems, especially when it is so limitedDiscover why so many of our struggles are down to poor time management and denial of its finitude.BBC Maestro - Oliver BurkemanWhy sustainable productivity will drive successSteven shares his three 'M' goal-setting framework to help you be more productive for the long-term.BBC Maestro - Steven BartlettHow to hire the best people for your teamAre they a bar raiser, bar maintainer or bar lowerer? Learn how to build a team that can get behind your mission.BBC Maestro - Steven BartlettWhat is your business culture and why is it so important?Explore how you can use your mission to set the right culture for your business.BBC Maestro - Steven BartlettHow to know yourself, grow yourself, and take controlFind out how to counteract limiting beliefs you hold about yourself and build new ones that serve you better.BBC Maestro - Steven BartlettHow to get the money you need to start a businessLearn how to start a business with nothing in the bank and how to get funding if you need it to get started.BBC Maestro - Steven BartlettWhy you should start a business and why to start it nowSteven explains the common obstacles to starting a business and why now is the time to start yours.BBC Maestro - Steven BartlettHow to choose what matters most in lifeLearn three big questions to ask yourself to zero in on what matters and what you should spend time on.BBC Maestro - Oliver BurkemanMore in Business1 day agoMystery donor gives Japanese city $3.6m in gold bars to fix water systemOsaka's mayor says he is 'lost for words' and that he has 'nothing but appreciation' for the gesture.1 day ago2 days agoUS trade deficit hits fresh high despite Trump's tariffsThe US bought more goods than it sold in 2025 as the White House attempts to reverse the flow.2 days ago1 day agoLive Nation sees strong ticket sales as monopoly lawsuit loomsThe entertainment giant's revenue surged last year as 159 million fans attended its concerts.1 day ago2 days ago'We're still on edge': Toy firms look to US Supreme Court as tariffs hit profits"You cannot go to sleep on this president," says one toymaker, of the ongoing uncertainty over trade policy.2 days ago2 days agoBill Gates pulls out of India's AI summit over Epstein files controversyThe Gates Foundation said the decision was made to "ensure the focus remains on the summit's key priorities".2 days ago2 days agoZuckerberg defends Meta in landmark social media addiction trialThe billionaire boss said he "always" regretted not making faster progress to identify users under 13.2 days ago2 days agoBillionaire Les Wexner tells US lawmakers he was 'naive' and 'conned' by EpsteinTestifying before Congress, the former CEO of Victoria's Secret accused Jeffrey Epstein of stealing "vast sums" of money from his family.2 days ago2 days agoEtsy sells second-hand fashion app Depop to eBay for $1.2bnThe app for "pre-loved" clothing has been sold by Etsy just five years after it bought the business.2 days ago2 days agoTech firms will have 48 hours to remove abusive images under new UK lawThe government is proposing that intimate image abuse should be treated more severely.2 days ago... Business Trump brings in new 10% tariff as Supreme Court rejects his global import taxes The US Supreme Court's decision, striking down some of Trump's most sweeping tariffs, injects new uncertainty into global trade. Canada looks to trade talks after US Supreme Court tosses Trump's tariffs Canada, the US and Mexico are gearing up negotiations as part of a review of the USMCA this summer. Urgent research needed to tackle AI threats, says Google AI boss But the head of the US delegation at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi says: "We totally reject global governance of AI." The Chinese AI app sending Hollywood into a panic Clips of Deadpool and other film characters have sparked alarm within Hollywood over copyright infringement. Anna Murdoch-Mann, writer and former News Corp director, dies aged 81 The author, journalist and philanthropist died at home in Florida, according to Rupert Murdoch's news outlets. Is £70 becoming harder to justify? The rise of cheaper blockbuster games As top games such as GTA 6 are speculated to cost $100 (£74), some developers are deliberately pricing lower. US economy slows in final months after turbulent year Overall the economy grew 2.2% last year, holding up despite pressures from changes to tariff and immigration policy. Sign up to World of Business Gain the leading edge with global insights for the boardroom and beyond, in your inbox every Wednesday. Trump tariffs How will Trump's new 10% global tariffs work and what's next? The Supreme Court's decision has led questions over whether people can get a refund over the unlawful tariffs. Trump lashes out at US Supreme Court justices over tariffs ruling The six justices who voted against the tariffs, dealing a major blow to his signature economic policy, should be "absolutely ashamed", Trump said. BBC inside Trump press briefing slamming Supreme Court tariffs ruling Bernd Debusmann describes how the president reacted after his sweeping levies were struck down. World of Business The two farms in Senegal that supply many of the UK's vegetables During winter in Britain, fresh produce is sent by cargo ship from the West African nation every week. Trump eyes Venezuela visit – but obstacles to his oil plan remain The US president wants American energy firms to start extracting the crude but they are reluctant. NYSE Opening Bell Gus Scacco of Advisors Capital Management says the October US Government shutdown dented growth. Expert says market volatility over AI 'not unexpected' AI and tech stocks trading lower 'due to high capital costs' US annualised consumer inflation falls to 2.4 per cent Wall Street weighs up strong jobs numbers US retail sales stall in December without usual holiday lift Expert says economy is 'heading for a soft landing' Bitcoin falls as market jitters continue Details of US-India trade deal remain unclear Latest audio Business Daily Canva CEO Melanie Perkins Business Daily Why is India striking so many trade deals? Business Daily Why are so many French restaurants closing? Business Daily How ethical is 'ethical' investing? Business Daily Is AI about to transform food production? Good Bad Billionaire Weekend listening: The Interface Business Daily The banker who loaned to women when no one else would Business Daily What next for Venezuela? Business Daily Biohacking: where fad meets finance? Business Daily After the cyclone: Can Sri Lanka’s economy recover? Technology of Business How do you modernise mango farming? More news Asos co-founder dies after Thailand apartment block fall Quentin Griffiths co-founded Asos in 2000 and remained a significant shareholder after leaving the firm five years later. Epstein eyed record label investment to access women, files suggest His associate said the music industry was "related to P", a way Epstein apparently often referred to women. US and Indonesia finalise deal to cut tariffs to 19% Washington will set a 19% tariff on most Indonesian goods in exchange for lower trade barriers for US goods Nasa boss says Boeing Starliner failure one of worst in its history The agency released a critical report that puts the Starliner incident at same mistake level assigned to the fatal Columbia and Challenger shuttle disasters. Revealed: The billions given to charity by ordinary Indians every year India’s real philanthropy engine isn’t billionaires - it’s everyday household giving, a new survey finds. New Mexico reopens criminal inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro Ranch The initial investigation was closed in 2019 but prosecutors say that new revelations "warrant further examination". BBC Maestro Why you must share your idea and get honest feedback Learn Steven's three crucial steps for validating your business proposal and why impartial feedback is vital. The power of making and owning decisions Learn why making your own decisions is the key to increasing your confidence. The power of absorbing information Learn how to listen to improve your self-awareness. People will give you information, and that's power. Why planning can be a form of procrastination Learn how to avoid compulsive planning and instead hold plans loosely as a navigational aid. How to navigate a world competing for your attention Oliver offers tips on how to avoid getting distracted on social media when people profit from your scrolling. The difference between 'good' and 'bad' procrastination Forget trying to stop procrastinating. Instead, learn Oliver's three rules to become a better procrastinator. Why 'inbox zero' is a strategy that breeds distraction Managing infinite emails, ideas, errands, and goals is hard. Oliver recommends a little strategic neglect. How time creates problems, especially when it is so limited Discover why so many of our struggles are down to poor time management and denial of its finitude. Why sustainable productivity will drive success Steven shares his three 'M' goal-setting framework to help you be more productive for the long-term. How to hire the best people for your team Are they a bar raiser, bar maintainer or bar lowerer? Learn how to build a team that can get behind your mission. What is your business culture and why is it so important? Explore how you can use your mission to set the right culture for your business. How to know yourself, grow yourself, and take control Find out how to counteract limiting beliefs you hold about yourself and build new ones that serve you better. How to get the money you need to start a business Learn how to start a business with nothing in the bank and how to get funding if you need it to get started. Why you should start a business and why to start it now Steven explains the common obstacles to starting a business and why now is the time to start yours. How to choose what matters most in life Learn three big questions to ask yourself to zero in on what matters and what you should spend time on. More in Business Mystery donor gives Japanese city $3.6m in gold bars to fix water system Osaka's mayor says he is 'lost for words' and that he has 'nothing but appreciation' for the gesture. US trade deficit hits fresh high despite Trump's tariffs The US bought more goods than it sold in 2025 as the White House attempts to reverse the flow. Live Nation sees strong ticket sales as monopoly lawsuit looms The entertainment giant's revenue surged last year as 159 million fans attended its concerts. 'We're still on edge': Toy firms look to US Supreme Court as tariffs hit profits "You cannot go to sleep on this president," says one toymaker, of the ongoing uncertainty over trade policy. Bill Gates pulls out of India's AI summit over Epstein files controversy The Gates Foundation said the decision was made to "ensure the focus remains on the summit's key priorities". Zuckerberg defends Meta in landmark social media addiction trial The billionaire boss said he "always" regretted not making faster progress to identify users under 13. Billionaire Les Wexner tells US lawmakers he was 'naive' and 'conned' by Epstein Testifying before Congress, the former CEO of Victoria's Secret accused Jeffrey Epstein of stealing "vast sums" of money from his family. Etsy sells second-hand fashion app Depop to eBay for $1.2bn The app for "pre-loved" clothing has been sold by Etsy just five years after it bought the business. Tech firms will have 48 hours to remove abusive images under new UK law The government is proposing that intimate image abuse should be treated more severely. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://phys.org/technology-news/#nav-popular] | [TOKENS: 2983] |
Sign in with Forget Password? Learn more Last update Humanoid home robots are on the market—but do we really want them? , 12 hours ago Security AI 'blind spot' could allow attackers to hijack self-driving vehicles A newly discovered vulnerability could allow cybercriminals to silently hijack the artificial intelligence (AI) systems in self-driving cars, raising concerns about the security of autonomous systems increasingly used on ... 14 hours ago 0 12 Security A newly discovered vulnerability could allow cybercriminals to silently hijack the artificial intelligence (AI) systems in self-driving cars, raising concerns about the security of autonomous systems increasingly used on ... 14 hours ago 0 12 Electronics & Semiconductors New chip-fabrication method creates 'twin' fingerprints for direct authentication Just like each person has unique fingerprints, every CMOS chip has a distinctive "fingerprint" caused by tiny, random manufacturing variations. 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[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayesian_network] | [TOKENS: 4761] |
Contents Bayesian network A Bayesian network (also known as a Bayes network, Bayes net, belief network, or decision network) is a probabilistic graphical model that represents a set of variables and their conditional dependencies via a directed acyclic graph (DAG). While it is one of several forms of causal notation, causal networks are special cases of Bayesian networks. Bayesian networks are ideal for taking an event that occurred and predicting the likelihood that any one of several possible known causes was the contributing factor. For example, a Bayesian network could represent the probabilistic relationships between diseases and symptoms. Given symptoms, the network can be used to compute the probabilities of the presence of various diseases. Efficient algorithms can perform inference and learning in Bayesian networks. Bayesian networks that model sequences of variables (e.g. speech signals or protein sequences) are called dynamic Bayesian networks. Generalizations of Bayesian networks that can represent and solve decision problems under uncertainty are called influence diagrams. Graphical model Formally, Bayesian networks are directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) whose nodes represent variables in the Bayesian sense: they may be observable quantities, latent variables, unknown parameters or hypotheses. Each edge represents a direct conditional dependency. Any pair of nodes that are not connected (i.e. no path connects one node to the other) represent variables that are conditionally independent of each other. Each node is associated with a probability function that takes, as input, a particular set of values for the node's parent variables, and gives (as output) the probability (or probability distribution, if applicable) of the variable represented by the node. For example, if m {\displaystyle m} parent nodes represent m {\displaystyle m} Boolean variables, then the probability function could be represented by a table of 2 m {\displaystyle 2^{m}} entries, one entry for each of the 2 m {\displaystyle 2^{m}} possible parent combinations. Similar ideas may be applied to undirected, and possibly cyclic, graphs such as Markov networks. Example Suppose we want to model the dependencies between three variables: the sprinkler (or more appropriately, its state - whether it is on or not), the presence or absence of rain and whether the grass is wet or not. Observe that two events can cause the grass to become wet: an active sprinkler or rain. Rain has a direct effect on the use of the sprinkler (namely that when it rains, the sprinkler usually is not active). This situation can be modeled with a Bayesian network (shown to the right). Each variable has two possible values, T (for true) and F (for false). The joint probability function is, by the chain rule of probability, where G = "Grass wet (true/false)", S = "Sprinkler turned on (true/false)", and R = "Raining (true/false)". The model can answer questions about the presence of a cause given the presence of an effect (so-called inverse probability) like "What is the probability that it is raining, given the grass is wet?" by using the conditional probability formula and summing over all nuisance variables: Using the expansion for the joint probability function Pr ( G , S , R ) {\displaystyle \Pr(G,S,R)} and the conditional probabilities from the conditional probability tables (CPTs) stated in the diagram, one can evaluate each term in the sums in the numerator and denominator. For example, Then the numerical results (subscripted by the associated variable values) are To answer an interventional question, such as "What is the probability that it would rain, given that we wet the grass?" the answer is governed by the post-intervention joint distribution function obtained by removing the factor Pr ( G ∣ S , R ) {\displaystyle \Pr(G\mid S,R)} from the pre-intervention distribution. The do operator forces the value of G to be true. The probability of rain is unaffected by the action: To predict the impact of turning the sprinkler on: with the term Pr ( S = T ∣ R ) {\displaystyle \Pr(S=T\mid R)} removed, showing that the action affects the grass but not the rain. These predictions may not be feasible given unobserved variables, as in most policy evaluation problems. The effect of the action do ( x ) {\displaystyle {\text{do}}(x)} can still be predicted, however, whenever the back-door criterion is satisfied. It states that, if a set Z of nodes can be observed that d-separates (or blocks) all back-door paths from X to Y then A back-door path is one that ends with an arrow into X. Sets that satisfy the back-door criterion are called "sufficient" or "admissible." For example, the set Z = R is admissible for predicting the effect of S = T on G, because R d-separates the (only) back-door path S ← R → G. However, if S is not observed, no other set d-separates this path and the effect of turning the sprinkler on (S = T) on the grass (G) cannot be predicted from passive observations. In that case P(G | do(S = T)) is not "identified". This reflects the fact that, lacking interventional data, the observed dependence between S and G is due to a causal connection or is spurious (apparent dependence arising from a common cause, R). (see Simpson's paradox) To determine whether a causal relation is identified from an arbitrary Bayesian network with unobserved variables, one can use the three rules of "do-calculus" and test whether all do terms can be removed from the expression of that relation, thus confirming that the desired quantity is estimable from frequency data. Using a Bayesian network can save considerable amounts of memory over exhaustive probability tables, if the dependencies in the joint distribution are sparse. For example, a naive way of storing the conditional probabilities of 10 two-valued variables as a table requires storage space for 2 10 = 1024 {\displaystyle 2^{10}=1024} values. If no variable's local distribution depends on more than three parent variables, the Bayesian network representation stores at most 10 ⋅ 2 3 = 80 {\displaystyle 10\cdot 2^{3}=80} values. One advantage of Bayesian networks is that it is intuitively easier for a human to understand (a sparse set of) direct dependencies and local distributions than complete joint distributions. Inference and learning Bayesian networks perform three main inference tasks: Because a Bayesian network is a complete model for its variables and their relationships, it can be used to answer probabilistic queries about them. For example, the network can be used to update knowledge of the state of a subset of variables when other variables (the evidence variables) are observed. This process of computing the posterior distribution of variables given evidence is called probabilistic inference. The posterior gives a universal sufficient statistic for detection applications, when choosing values for the variable subset that minimize some expected loss function, for instance the probability of decision error. A Bayesian network can thus be considered a mechanism for automatically applying Bayes' theorem to complex problems. The most common exact inference methods are: variable elimination, which eliminates (by integration or summation) the non-observed non-query variables one by one by distributing the sum over the product; clique tree propagation, which caches the computation so that many variables can be queried at one time and new evidence can be propagated quickly; and recursive conditioning and AND/OR search, which allow for a space–time tradeoff and match the efficiency of variable elimination when enough space is used. All of these methods have complexity that is exponential in the network's treewidth. The most common approximate inference algorithms are importance sampling, stochastic MCMC simulation, mini-bucket elimination, loopy belief propagation, generalized belief propagation and variational methods. In order to fully specify the Bayesian network and thus fully represent the joint probability distribution, it is necessary to specify for each node X the probability distribution for X conditional upon X's parents. The distribution of X conditional upon its parents may have any form. It is common to work with discrete or Gaussian distributions since that simplifies calculations. Sometimes only constraints on distribution are known; one can then use the principle of maximum entropy to determine a single distribution, the one with the greatest entropy given the constraints. (Analogously, in the specific context of a dynamic Bayesian network, the conditional distribution for the hidden state's temporal evolution is commonly specified to maximize the entropy rate of the implied stochastic process.) Often these conditional distributions include parameters that are unknown and must be estimated from data, e.g., via the maximum likelihood approach. Direct maximization of the likelihood (or of the posterior probability) is often complex given unobserved variables. A classical approach to this problem is the expectation-maximization algorithm, which alternates computing expected values of the unobserved variables conditional on observed data, with maximizing the complete likelihood (or posterior) assuming that previously computed expected values are correct. Under mild regularity conditions, this process converges on maximum likelihood (or maximum posterior) values for parameters. A more fully Bayesian approach to parameters is to treat them as additional unobserved variables and to compute a full posterior distribution over all nodes conditional upon observed data, then to integrate out the parameters. This approach can be expensive and lead to large dimension models, making classical parameter-setting approaches more tractable. In the simplest case, a Bayesian network is specified by an expert and is then used to perform inference. In other applications, the task of defining the network is too complex for humans. In this case, the network structure and the parameters of the local distributions must be learned from data. Automatically learning the graph structure of a Bayesian network (BN) is a challenge pursued within machine learning. The basic idea goes back to a recovery algorithm developed by Rebane and Pearl and rests on the distinction between the three possible patterns allowed in a 3-node DAG: The first 2 represent the same dependencies ( X {\displaystyle X} and Z {\displaystyle Z} are independent given Y {\displaystyle Y} ) and are, therefore, indistinguishable. The collider, however, can be uniquely identified, since X {\displaystyle X} and Z {\displaystyle Z} are marginally independent and all other pairs are dependent. Thus, while the skeletons (the graphs stripped of arrows) of these three triplets are identical, the directionality of the arrows is partially identifiable. The same distinction applies when X {\displaystyle X} and Z {\displaystyle Z} have common parents, except that one must first condition on those parents. Algorithms have been developed to systematically determine the skeleton of the underlying graph and, then, orient all arrows whose directionality is dictated by the conditional independences observed. An alternative method of structural learning uses optimization-based search. It requires a scoring function and a search strategy. A common scoring function is posterior probability of the structure given the training data, like the BIC or the BDeu. The time requirement of an exhaustive search returning a structure that maximizes the score is superexponential in the number of variables. A local search strategy makes incremental changes aimed at improving the score of the structure. A global search algorithm like Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) can avoid getting trapped in local minima. Finding a structure that maximizes the mutual information, typically by restricting the parent candidate set to k nodes or by finding an optimal k on a node-per-node basis, is a technique that consistently achieves high scores on benchmark datasets. A particularly fast method for exact BN learning is to cast the problem as an optimization problem, and solve it using integer programming. Acyclicity constraints are added to the integer program (IP) during solving in the form of cutting planes. Such method can handle problems with up to 100 variables. In order to deal with problems with thousands of variables, a different approach is necessary. One is to first sample one ordering, and then find the optimal BN structure with respect to that ordering. This implies working on the search space of the possible orderings, which is convenient as it is smaller than the space of network structures. Multiple orderings are then sampled and evaluated. This method has been proven to be the best available in literature when the number of variables is huge. Another method consists of focusing on the sub-class of decomposable models, for which the MLE have a closed form. It is then possible to discover a consistent structure for hundreds of variables. Learning Bayesian networks with bounded treewidth is necessary to allow exact, tractable inference, since the worst-case inference complexity is exponential in the treewidth k (under the exponential time hypothesis). Yet, as a global property of the graph, it considerably increases the difficulty of the learning process. In this context it is possible to use K-tree for effective learning. Statistical introduction Given data x {\displaystyle x\,\!} and parameter θ {\displaystyle \theta } , a simple Bayesian analysis starts with a prior probability (prior) p ( θ ) {\displaystyle p(\theta )} and likelihood p ( x ∣ θ ) {\displaystyle p(x\mid \theta )} to compute a posterior probability p ( θ ∣ x ) ∝ p ( x ∣ θ ) p ( θ ) {\displaystyle p(\theta \mid x)\propto p(x\mid \theta )p(\theta )} . Often the prior on θ {\displaystyle \theta } depends in turn on other parameters φ {\displaystyle \varphi } that are not mentioned in the likelihood. So, the prior p ( θ ) {\displaystyle p(\theta )} must be replaced by a likelihood p ( θ ∣ φ ) {\displaystyle p(\theta \mid \varphi )} , and a prior p ( φ ) {\displaystyle p(\varphi )} on the newly introduced parameters φ {\displaystyle \varphi } is required, resulting in a posterior probability This is the simplest example of a hierarchical Bayes model. The process may be repeated; for example, the parameters φ {\displaystyle \varphi } may depend in turn on additional parameters ψ {\displaystyle \psi \,\!} , which require their own prior. Eventually the process must terminate, with priors that do not depend on unmentioned parameters. Given the measured quantities x 1 , … , x n {\displaystyle x_{1},\dots ,x_{n}\,\!} each with normally distributed errors of known standard deviation σ {\displaystyle \sigma \,\!} , Suppose we are interested in estimating the θ i {\displaystyle \theta _{i}} . An approach would be to estimate the θ i {\displaystyle \theta _{i}} using a maximum likelihood approach; since the observations are independent, the likelihood factorizes and the maximum likelihood estimate is simply However, if the quantities are related, so that for example the individual θ i {\displaystyle \theta _{i}} have themselves been drawn from an underlying distribution, then this relationship destroys the independence and suggests a more complex model, e.g., with improper priors φ ∼ flat {\displaystyle \varphi \sim {\text{flat}}} , τ ∼ flat ∈ ( 0 , ∞ ) {\displaystyle \tau \sim {\text{flat}}\in (0,\infty )} . When n ≥ 3 {\displaystyle n\geq 3} , this is an identified model (i.e. there exists a unique solution for the model's parameters), and the posterior distributions of the individual θ i {\displaystyle \theta _{i}} will tend to move, or shrink away from the maximum likelihood estimates towards their common mean. This shrinkage is a typical behavior in hierarchical Bayes models. Some care is needed when choosing priors in a hierarchical model, particularly on scale variables at higher levels of the hierarchy such as the variable τ {\displaystyle \tau \,\!} in the example. The usual priors such as the Jeffreys prior often do not work, because the posterior distribution will not be normalizable and estimates made by minimizing the expected loss will be inadmissible. Definitions and concepts Several equivalent definitions of a Bayesian network have been offered. For the following, let G = (V,E) be a directed acyclic graph (DAG) and let X = (Xv), v ∈ V be a set of random variables indexed by V. X is a Bayesian network with respect to G if its joint probability density function (with respect to a product measure) can be written as a product of the individual density functions, conditional on their parent variables: where pa(v) is the set of parents of v (i.e. those vertices pointing directly to v via a single edge). For any set of random variables, the probability of any member of a joint distribution can be calculated from conditional probabilities using the chain rule (given a topological ordering of X) as follows: Using the definition above, this can be written as: The difference between the two expressions is the conditional independence of the variables from any of their non-descendants, given the values of their parent variables. X is a Bayesian network with respect to G if it satisfies the local Markov property: each variable is conditionally independent of its non-descendants given its parent variables: where de(v) is the set of descendants and V \ de(v) is the set of non-descendants of v. This can be expressed in terms similar to the first definition, as The set of parents is a subset of the set of non-descendants because the graph is acyclic. In general, learning a Bayesian network from data is known to be NP-hard. This is due in part to the combinatorial explosion of enumerating DAGs as the number of variables increases. Nevertheless, insights about an underlying Bayesian network can be learned from data in polynomial time by focusing on its marginal independence structure: while the conditional independence statements of a distribution modeled by a Bayesian network are encoded by a DAG (according to the factorization and Markov properties above), its marginal independence statements—the conditional independence statements in which the conditioning set is empty—are encoded by a simple undirected graph with special properties such as equal intersection and independence numbers. Developing a Bayesian network often begins with creating a DAG G such that X satisfies the local Markov property with respect to G. Sometimes this is a causal DAG. The conditional probability distributions of each variable given its parents in G are assessed. In many cases, in particular in the case where the variables are discrete, if the joint distribution of X is the product of these conditional distributions, then X is a Bayesian network with respect to G. The Markov blanket of a node is the set of nodes consisting of its parents, its children, and any other parents of its children. The Markov blanket renders the node independent of the rest of the network; the joint distribution of the variables in the Markov blanket of a node is sufficient knowledge for calculating the distribution of the node. X is a Bayesian network with respect to G if every node is conditionally independent of all other nodes in the network, given its Markov blanket. This definition can be made more general by defining the "d"-separation of two nodes, where d stands for directional. We first define the "d"-separation of a trail and then we will define the "d"-separation of two nodes in terms of that. Let P be a trail from node u to v. A trail is a loop-free, undirected (i.e. all edge directions are ignored) path between two nodes. Then P is said to be d-separated by a set of nodes Z if any of the following conditions holds: The nodes u and v are d-separated by Z if all trails between them are d-separated. If u and v are not d-separated, they are d-connected. X is a Bayesian network with respect to G if, for any two nodes u, v: where Z is a set which d-separates u and v. (The Markov blanket is the minimal set of nodes which d-separates node v from all other nodes.) Although Bayesian networks are often used to represent causal relationships, this need not be the case: a directed edge from u to v does not require that Xv be causally dependent on Xu. This is demonstrated by the fact that Bayesian networks on the graphs: are equivalent: that is they impose exactly the same conditional independence requirements. A causal network is a Bayesian network with the requirement that the relationships be causal. The additional semantics of causal networks specify that if a node X is actively caused to be in a given state x (an action written as do(X = x)), then the probability density function changes to that of the network obtained by cutting the links from the parents of X to X, and setting X to the caused value x. Using these semantics, the impact of external interventions from data obtained prior to intervention can be predicted. Inference complexity and approximation algorithms In 1990, while working at Stanford University on large bioinformatic applications, Cooper proved that exact inference in Bayesian networks is NP-hard. This result prompted research on approximation algorithms with the aim of developing a tractable approximation to probabilistic inference. In 1993, Paul Dagum and Michael Luby proved two surprising results on the complexity of approximation of probabilistic inference in Bayesian networks. First, they proved that no tractable deterministic algorithm can approximate probabilistic inference to within an absolute error ɛ < 1/2. Second, they proved that no tractable randomized algorithm can approximate probabilistic inference to within an absolute error ɛ < 1/2 with confidence probability greater than 1/2. At about the same time, Roth proved that exact inference in Bayesian networks is in fact #P-complete (and thus as hard as counting the number of satisfying assignments of a conjunctive normal form formula (CNF)) and that approximate inference within a factor 2n1−ɛ for every ɛ > 0, even for Bayesian networks with restricted architecture, is NP-hard. In practical terms, these complexity results suggested that while Bayesian networks were rich representations for AI and machine learning applications, their use in large real-world applications would need to be tempered by either topological structural constraints, such as naïve Bayes networks, or by restrictions on the conditional probabilities. The bounded variance algorithm developed by Dagum and Luby was the first provable fast approximation algorithm to efficiently approximate probabilistic inference in Bayesian networks with guarantees on the error approximation. This powerful algorithm required the minor restriction on the conditional probabilities of the Bayesian network to be bounded away from zero and one by 1 / p ( n ) {\displaystyle 1/p(n)} where p ( n ) {\displaystyle p(n)} was any polynomial of the number of nodes in the network, n {\displaystyle n} . Software Notable software for Bayesian networks include: History The term Bayesian network was coined by Judea Pearl in 1985 to emphasize: In the late 1980s Pearl's Probabilistic Reasoning in Intelligent Systems and Neapolitan's Probabilistic Reasoning in Expert Systems summarized their properties and established them as a field of study. See also Notes References Further reading External links |
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The best Ars reading experience. Ad-free. Tracker-free. Guilt-free. Your subscription is the best way to support our journalism. Gifting a sub is easy, and it's the best way to share the love of Ars Technica! Enter your information and the recipient's details, and we'll take care of the rest. An overview of what features come with your sub: Ars subscribers get no banner ads, no video pre-rolls, and can enjoy Ars entirely ad-free while supporting our work Pages are completely tracker-free, offering an additional layer of privacy when you browse Ars Browse the front page in the original blog-style format, with the first three paragraphs of each story visible Super dense headline mode with keyboard navigation Subscribers can turn off topics they don’t want to see, and change the Most Read topic The ad-free experience includes a page layout that optimizes for content In addition to changing the text size and link colors subscribers can opt for a wider text column for increased page density Read all Ars content from your favorite RSS reader Enjoy discussions with your fellow geeks in the Lounge, our safe haven from trolls and social media A convenient way to archive stories Your subscription helps Ars focus on its core journalistic mission Fair question. We hear you on not liking ads or trackers, it’s why our subscription doesn’t have either. Look around the industry, almost no one promises that. The truth is when you block ads you deprive us of support for our journalism. Our subscription is not only ad-free, it offers a better reading experience than ad blocking, with clean page layouts, and features like extra-wide text mode, or Classic and Neutron Star home page views. It also supports us directly, so you can help keep our journalism alive. The main reason is it’s an easy way to keep people from abusing it by constantly signing up for free. But of course we hope you like it, want to keep it, and will smoothly transition into the full Ars Pro experience. We have no desire to trick anyone. Canceling is easy if you don’t end up liking it. You can always cancel your sub, and it will not automatically renew after expiration. We do not offer refunds under most circumstances, and your subscription benefits will continue to work until expiration, unless you ask for your account to be deleted. Ars Technica does not store or directly handle your credit card information. We use the leading subscription service provider Chargebee, in conjunction with either Stripe or PayPal. Your card number will be stored with one of those two providers, which in turn share a token with Chargebee that allows for recurring payments. We will never see your card number, and we will never store it on our servers. Yes! You can upgrade or downgrade your subscription at any time. If you upgrade, you will be charged the difference in price for the remaining time on your current subscription. If you downgrade, you will be charged the new rate at the end of your current billing cycle. Yes! You can gift a subscription to someone else. Just select one of the gifts from the subscribe page, and enter the recipient's email address. They will receive an email with your gift message and instructions on how to activate their subscription. Yes! Your subscription is tied to your Ars Technica account, so you can use it on any device where you're logged in. This includes your computer, tablet, and smartphone. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to us at our support email or use the form on our contact page. We're happy to help! Ars Technica has been separating the signal from the noise for over 25 years. With our unique combination of technical savvy and wide-ranging interest in the technological arts and sciences, Ars is the trusted source in a sea of information. After all, you don’t need to know everything, only what’s important. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/health] | [TOKENS: 2444] |
HealthHow the additives in food affect our gut microbesThe additives added to processed food to keep it fresher for longer might be having an unexpected effect on the health of the microbes in our guts.The myth that women are more empatheticThe mystery of what causes ALSSingle vaccine could protect against all coughs, colds and flus, researchers sayWinter WellnessThree easy ways to help you beat the winter bluesIt's easy to feel gloomy in winter, but here are three ways to help you manage the darker days and even embrace them.How dark days shape our mood, memory and sex driveOur behaviour and decisions can vary with the changing of the seasons. The trick is to learn to make the most of this natural variation.How to fight your winter blues as darker days set inSimple tricks to fight your winter blues and restore your energy as darker days set in.Five myths about coping with the coldEveryone has tips on how to keep warm in freezing weather. But which of them stand up to scientific scrutiny?Can 'light nutrition' help us beat the January blues?Too little sunlight can negatively affect our mood, so can clever lighting give us a boost?Weird ways the weather affects usDoes the damp cause arthritis? Can air pressure shifts bring a headache? Will the temperature influence a baby's sex? David Robson finds some surprising evidence for the folklore.Sign up to our newslettersLive Well For LongerBoost your brain, diet, fitness, sleep and more in a six-part health course, weekly to your inbox.Health FixTrusted insights for better health and wellbeing rooted in science, every Wednesday to your inbox.WatchHow a tiny chip can hold information from your gutA new organ-on-a-chip technology helps doctors design personalised treatments for gut health.Tech NowDo you need to drink electrolytes to stay hydrated?Electrolyte-packed drinks are said to optimise health and hydration. But do we really need them?Health DecodedThe immersive tech preparing doctors for lifesaving surgeryTech Now meets medical teams using mixed reality environments to rehearse life-or-death operations.Tech NowThe health benefits of drinking matcha teaAs a self-confessed coffee addict, Melissa Hogenboom examines the science behind matcha tea's health benefits.Health DecodedThe race to unlock nature’s hidden secretsA team of researchers is working on an ambitious project to build the world’s largest biological database.Tech NowWhy walking backwards can be good for your healthResearch shows the activity of 'retro-walking' can have surprising benefits for your physical health and brain.Health DecodedLongevityChasing longevity: The business of not ageingThe growing longevity industry is selling a big aspiration – the ability to slow your biological clock, but how credible is this?Why eating fibre is good for your brainHow defying ageism can help you live longerWhy certain foods are more important at different life stagesSleepIs it really possible to 'bank' sleep?From helping you to focus more to improving sports performance, some scientists believe 'depositing' sleep for later use can bring a range of benefits.How does changing the clocks affect our health?The truth about caffeine and scary dreamsThe microbes that control your sleepNutrition and ExerciseSeven foods you should be eating more ofSome common ingredients can have powerfully positive effects on our health. Here are seven worth adding more of to your diet.The ingredients that supercharge food nutrientsThe surprising benefits of standing on one legFive lifestyle tweaks to live well for longerRelationshipsIs it limerence, infatuation or love? How to tellLimerence is a little-known form of intense romantic longing that can have a devastating impact. How does it differ from a crush or real love?Machine yearning: The one-sided truth of AI 'romance'Is there any science behind 'cuffing season'?The questions that make children feel lovedListenThe Food ProgrammeSaveThe Food ChainSaveComplex with Kimberley WilsonSaveHealth CheckSaveWhat's Up Docs?SaveIn TouchSaveInside HealthSaveThe GiftSaveAll in the MindSaveThe Easy Wellness Podcast with Vinny Hurrell & Cate ConwaySaveMore8 days agoThe lifelong benefits of making musicFrom helping people cope with age-related disorders to altering our perception of physical pain, music's impact on our bodies can ring loud.8 days ago8 Feb 2026How where you grow up affects your personalityWould you be a different person if you had grown up somewhere else? A growing body of research is helping to answer this age-old nature versus nurture question.8 Feb 20267 Feb 2026Why it's becoming harder to be a Winter OlympianA warming climate and the use of artificial snow is making it more dangerous and difficult to compete at the Winter Olympics.7 Feb 20266 Feb 2026The new treatments offering hope to migraine patientsMore than a billion people worldwide struggle to find relief from the unbearable pain of migraines. But new therapies like botox and nose vibrations may finally help patients find relief.6 Feb 202629 Jan 2026The surprising traits that could make you a flu superspreaderA growing body of research suggests that everything from the shape of your lungs to how you enunciate your Ts and Ks could make you a flu superspreader.29 Jan 202628 Jan 2026What really causes migraine?Our understanding of migraine is starting to shift, overturning ideas of what's a symptom and what's a trigger, and which part of the brain is key for developing effective treatments.28 Jan 202622 Jan 2026The mushroom that makes people see tiny humansThese mysterious mushrooms, only recently described by science, are found in different parts of the world, but give people the same "lilliputian hallucinations".22 Jan 202618 Jan 2026What we get wrong about dopamineSometimes dubbed the 'pleasure chemical', dopamine is often wildly misunderstood. Nikolay Kukushkin delves into what the much-discussed neurotransmitter really does to our brains.18 Jan 20267 Jan 2026The unseen damage from heading a ball in sportWhy sports stars who head the ball are much more likely to die of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and motor neurone disease.7 Jan 2026... Health How the additives in food affect our gut microbes The additives added to processed food to keep it fresher for longer might be having an unexpected effect on the health of the microbes in our guts. The myth that women are more empathetic The mystery of what causes ALS Single vaccine could protect against all coughs, colds and flus, researchers say Winter Wellness Three easy ways to help you beat the winter blues It's easy to feel gloomy in winter, but here are three ways to help you manage the darker days and even embrace them. How dark days shape our mood, memory and sex drive Our behaviour and decisions can vary with the changing of the seasons. The trick is to learn to make the most of this natural variation. How to fight your winter blues as darker days set in Simple tricks to fight your winter blues and restore your energy as darker days set in. Five myths about coping with the cold Everyone has tips on how to keep warm in freezing weather. But which of them stand up to scientific scrutiny? Can 'light nutrition' help us beat the January blues? Too little sunlight can negatively affect our mood, so can clever lighting give us a boost? Weird ways the weather affects us Does the damp cause arthritis? Can air pressure shifts bring a headache? Will the temperature influence a baby's sex? David Robson finds some surprising evidence for the folklore. Sign up to our newsletters Live Well For Longer Boost your brain, diet, fitness, sleep and more in a six-part health course, weekly to your inbox. Health Fix Trusted insights for better health and wellbeing rooted in science, every Wednesday to your inbox. Watch How a tiny chip can hold information from your gut A new organ-on-a-chip technology helps doctors design personalised treatments for gut health. Do you need to drink electrolytes to stay hydrated? Electrolyte-packed drinks are said to optimise health and hydration. But do we really need them? The immersive tech preparing doctors for lifesaving surgery Tech Now meets medical teams using mixed reality environments to rehearse life-or-death operations. The health benefits of drinking matcha tea As a self-confessed coffee addict, Melissa Hogenboom examines the science behind matcha tea's health benefits. The race to unlock nature’s hidden secrets A team of researchers is working on an ambitious project to build the world’s largest biological database. Why walking backwards can be good for your health Research shows the activity of 'retro-walking' can have surprising benefits for your physical health and brain. Longevity Chasing longevity: The business of not ageing The growing longevity industry is selling a big aspiration – the ability to slow your biological clock, but how credible is this? Why eating fibre is good for your brain How defying ageism can help you live longer Why certain foods are more important at different life stages Sleep Is it really possible to 'bank' sleep? From helping you to focus more to improving sports performance, some scientists believe 'depositing' sleep for later use can bring a range of benefits. How does changing the clocks affect our health? The truth about caffeine and scary dreams The microbes that control your sleep Nutrition and Exercise Seven foods you should be eating more of Some common ingredients can have powerfully positive effects on our health. Here are seven worth adding more of to your diet. The ingredients that supercharge food nutrients The surprising benefits of standing on one leg Five lifestyle tweaks to live well for longer Relationships Is it limerence, infatuation or love? How to tell Limerence is a little-known form of intense romantic longing that can have a devastating impact. How does it differ from a crush or real love? Machine yearning: The one-sided truth of AI 'romance' Is there any science behind 'cuffing season'? The questions that make children feel loved Listen The Food Programme The Food Chain Complex with Kimberley Wilson Health Check What's Up Docs? In Touch Inside Health The Gift All in the Mind The Easy Wellness Podcast with Vinny Hurrell & Cate Conway More The lifelong benefits of making music From helping people cope with age-related disorders to altering our perception of physical pain, music's impact on our bodies can ring loud. How where you grow up affects your personality Would you be a different person if you had grown up somewhere else? A growing body of research is helping to answer this age-old nature versus nurture question. Why it's becoming harder to be a Winter Olympian A warming climate and the use of artificial snow is making it more dangerous and difficult to compete at the Winter Olympics. The new treatments offering hope to migraine patients More than a billion people worldwide struggle to find relief from the unbearable pain of migraines. But new therapies like botox and nose vibrations may finally help patients find relief. The surprising traits that could make you a flu superspreader A growing body of research suggests that everything from the shape of your lungs to how you enunciate your Ts and Ks could make you a flu superspreader. What really causes migraine? Our understanding of migraine is starting to shift, overturning ideas of what's a symptom and what's a trigger, and which part of the brain is key for developing effective treatments. The mushroom that makes people see tiny humans These mysterious mushrooms, only recently described by science, are found in different parts of the world, but give people the same "lilliputian hallucinations". What we get wrong about dopamine Sometimes dubbed the 'pleasure chemical', dopamine is often wildly misunderstood. Nikolay Kukushkin delves into what the much-discussed neurotransmitter really does to our brains. The unseen damage from heading a ball in sport Why sports stars who head the ball are much more likely to die of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and motor neurone disease. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://arstechnica.com/#main] | [TOKENS: 3180] |
Ars Technica homepage Featured Blacklisted Wikipedia blacklists Archive.today, starts removing 695,000 archive links If DDoSing a blog wasn’t bad enough, archive site also tampered with web snapshots. Jon Brodkin – 2/20/2026 | 59 Wikipedia blacklists Archive.today, starts removing 695,000 archive links If DDoSing a blog wasn’t bad enough, archive site also tampered with web snapshots. After fueling test, optimism grows for March launch of Artemis II to the Moon “We’re now targeting March 6 as our earliest launch attempt … there is still pending work.” Stephen Clark – 2/20/2026 | 25 After fueling test, optimism grows for March launch of Artemis II to the Moon “We’re now targeting March 6 as our earliest launch attempt … there is still pending work.” Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer steps down after 38 years with company Microsoft CoreAI exec Asha Sharma will take over in surprise executive shake-up. Kyle Orland – 2/20/2026 | 73 Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer steps down after 38 years with company Microsoft CoreAI exec Asha Sharma will take over in surprise executive shake-up. MAHA moms threaten to turn this car around as RFK Jr. flips on pesticide MAHA members call movement a “sham” after Kennedy supports glyphosate order. Beth Mole – 2/20/2026 | 124 MAHA moms threaten to turn this car around as RFK Jr. flips on pesticide MAHA members call movement a “sham” after Kennedy supports glyphosate order. Fury over Discord’s age checks explodes after shady Persona test in UK Persona confirmed all age-check data from Discord’s UK test was deleted. Ashley Belanger – 2/20/2026 | 49 Fury over Discord’s age checks explodes after shady Persona test in UK Persona confirmed all age-check data from Discord’s UK test was deleted. After fueling test, optimism grows for March launch of Artemis II to the Moon “We’re now targeting March 6 as our earliest launch attempt … there is still pending work.” Stephen Clark – 2/20/2026 | 25 After fueling test, optimism grows for March launch of Artemis II to the Moon “We’re now targeting March 6 as our earliest launch attempt … there is still pending work.” Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer steps down after 38 years with company Microsoft CoreAI exec Asha Sharma will take over in surprise executive shake-up. Kyle Orland – 2/20/2026 | 73 Microsoft gaming chief Phil Spencer steps down after 38 years with company Microsoft CoreAI exec Asha Sharma will take over in surprise executive shake-up. MAHA moms threaten to turn this car around as RFK Jr. flips on pesticide MAHA members call movement a “sham” after Kennedy supports glyphosate order. Beth Mole – 2/20/2026 | 124 MAHA moms threaten to turn this car around as RFK Jr. flips on pesticide MAHA members call movement a “sham” after Kennedy supports glyphosate order. Fury over Discord’s age checks explodes after shady Persona test in UK Persona confirmed all age-check data from Discord’s UK test was deleted. Ashley Belanger – 2/20/2026 | 49 Fury over Discord’s age checks explodes after shady Persona test in UK Persona confirmed all age-check data from Discord’s UK test was deleted. FCC asks stations for “pro-America” programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance Brendan Carr wants “patriotic” shows for Trump’s yearlong America 250 celebration. Jon Brodkin – 2/20/2026 | 146 FCC asks stations for “pro-America” programming, like daily Pledge of Allegiance Brendan Carr wants “patriotic” shows for Trump’s yearlong America 250 celebration. Meta’s flagship metaverse service leaves VR behind The company asserts it will continue to make VR headsets, though. Samuel Axon – 2/20/2026 | 50 Meta’s flagship metaverse service leaves VR behind The company asserts it will continue to make VR headsets, though. Controversial NIH director now in charge of CDC, too, in RFK Jr. shake-up The unusual dual role has renewed criticism of Bhattacharya’s lack of leadership. Beth Mole – 2/20/2026 | 51 Controversial NIH director now in charge of CDC, too, in RFK Jr. shake-up The unusual dual role has renewed criticism of Bhattacharya’s lack of leadership. Why Final Fantasy is now targeting PC as its “lead platform” Director says PC is the “foundation” when targeting “high-end environments first.” Kyle Orland – 2/20/2026 | 48 Why Final Fantasy is now targeting PC as its “lead platform” Director says PC is the “foundation” when targeting “high-end environments first.” “Million-year-old” fossil skulls from China are far older—and not Denisovans The revised age may help make sense of 2-million-year-old stone tools elsewhere in China. Kiona N. Smith – 2/20/2026 | 44 “Million-year-old” fossil skulls from China are far older—and not Denisovans The revised age may help make sense of 2-million-year-old stone tools elsewhere in China. It’s outright war for the Iron Throne in House of the Dragon S3 teaser “The king has abdicated his throne. A new line is coming. A new line of unsullied kings.” Jennifer Ouellette – 2/20/2026 | 22 It’s outright war for the Iron Throne in House of the Dragon S3 teaser “The king has abdicated his throne. A new line is coming. A new line of unsullied kings.” Featured not a zamboni Zero grip, maximum fun: A practical guide to getting into amateur ice racing Where we’re racing, we don’t need roads. Tim Stevens – 2/19/2026 | 39 Zero grip, maximum fun: A practical guide to getting into amateur ice racing Where we’re racing, we don’t need roads. Nintendo brings GBA-era Pokémon to the Switch, but not Switch Online subscribers Games appear to be mostly unmodified ports of the well-regarded remakes. Andrew Cunningham – 2/20/2026 | 41 Nintendo brings GBA-era Pokémon to the Switch, but not Switch Online subscribers Games appear to be mostly unmodified ports of the well-regarded remakes. Supreme Court blocks Trump’s emergency tariffs, billions in refunds may be owed Economists estimated more than $175 billion may need to be refunded. Ashley Belanger – 2/20/2026 | 272 Supreme Court blocks Trump’s emergency tariffs, billions in refunds may be owed Economists estimated more than $175 billion may need to be refunded. Tesla slashes Cybertruck prices as it tries to move (unpainted) metal The stainless steel pickup truck is Tesla’s first real flop. Jonathan M. Gitlin – 2/20/2026 | 330 Tesla slashes Cybertruck prices as it tries to move (unpainted) metal The stainless steel pickup truck is Tesla’s first real flop. An AI coding bot took down Amazon Web Services Blames “user error, not AI error” for incident in December involving its Kiro tool. Financial Times – 2/20/2026 | 87 An AI coding bot took down Amazon Web Services Blames “user error, not AI error” for incident in December involving its Kiro tool. Microsoft deletes blog telling users to train AI on pirated Harry Potter books The now-deleted Harry Potter dataset was “mistakenly” marked public domain. Ashley Belanger – 2/20/2026 | 90 Microsoft deletes blog telling users to train AI on pirated Harry Potter books The now-deleted Harry Potter dataset was “mistakenly” marked public domain. Rocket Report: Chinese launch firm raises big money; Falcon 9 back to the Bahamas The company that attempted China’s first orbital-class rocket landing says it will soon try again. Stephen Clark – 2/20/2026 | 73 Rocket Report: Chinese launch firm raises big money; Falcon 9 back to the Bahamas The company that attempted China’s first orbital-class rocket landing says it will soon try again. Lawsuit: ChatGPT told student he was “meant for greatness”—then came psychosis “AI Injury Attorneys” target the chatbot design itself. Cyrus Farivar – 2/19/2026 | 296 Lawsuit: ChatGPT told student he was “meant for greatness”—then came psychosis “AI Injury Attorneys” target the chatbot design itself. NASA chief classifies Starliner flight as “Type A” mishap, says agency made mistakes “The most troubling failure revealed by this investigation is not hardware.” Eric Berger – 2/19/2026 | 271 NASA chief classifies Starliner flight as “Type A” mishap, says agency made mistakes “The most troubling failure revealed by this investigation is not hardware.” Rubik’s WOWCube adds complexity, possibility by reinventing the puzzle cube Technology is a double-edged sword in the $399 Rubik’s Cube-inspired toy. Scharon Harding – 2/19/2026 | 60 Rubik’s WOWCube adds complexity, possibility by reinventing the puzzle cube Technology is a double-edged sword in the $399 Rubik’s Cube-inspired toy. Diablo II’s new Warlock is a great excuse to revisit a classic game New skill tree paths offer a fun twist on some generally familiar mechanics. Kyle Orland – 2/19/2026 | 40 Diablo II’s new Warlock is a great excuse to revisit a classic game New skill tree paths offer a fun twist on some generally familiar mechanics. From chickens to humans, animals think “bouba” sounds round There seems to be a deep-seated association between sounds and shapes. John Timmer – 2/19/2026 | 64 From chickens to humans, animals think “bouba” sounds round There seems to be a deep-seated association between sounds and shapes. F1: Preseason tests show how different 2026 will be Everyone’s trying to get mileage as F1 undergoes huge technical changes. Jonathan M. Gitlin – 2/19/2026 | 53 F1: Preseason tests show how different 2026 will be Everyone’s trying to get mileage as F1 undergoes huge technical changes. Google announces Gemini 3.1 Pro, says it’s better at complex problem-solving Google says 3.1 Pro is ready for “your hardest challenges.” Ryan Whitwam – 2/19/2026 | 96 Google announces Gemini 3.1 Pro, says it’s better at complex problem-solving Google says 3.1 Pro is ready for “your hardest challenges.” OpenClaw security fears lead Meta, other AI firms to restrict its use The viral agentic AI tool is known for being highly capable but also wildly unpredictable. WIRED – 2/19/2026 | 131 OpenClaw security fears lead Meta, other AI firms to restrict its use The viral agentic AI tool is known for being highly capable but also wildly unpredictable. Rare gifted word-learner dogs like to share their toys “It raises the possibility that social motivation plays a role in why some dogs end up learning object names.” Jennifer Ouellette – 2/19/2026 | 74 Rare gifted word-learner dogs like to share their toys “It raises the possibility that social motivation plays a role in why some dogs end up learning object names.” Verizon acknowledges “pain” of new unlock policy, suggests change is coming Report: Verizon’s goal is “immediate unlock for all payment methods really soon.” Jon Brodkin – 2/18/2026 | 66 Verizon acknowledges “pain” of new unlock policy, suggests change is coming Report: Verizon’s goal is “immediate unlock for all payment methods really soon.” Chevy Bolt, BMW i3, or something else? At $10K, you have lots of EV options Two of Ars’ favorite electric vehicles are now available for not very much money. Jonathan M. Gitlin – 2/18/2026 | 190 Chevy Bolt, BMW i3, or something else? At $10K, you have lots of EV options Two of Ars’ favorite electric vehicles are now available for not very much money. Lawsuit: EPA revoking greenhouse gas finding risks “thousands of avoidable deaths” EPA sued for abandoning its mission to protect public health. Ashley Belanger – 2/18/2026 | 63 Lawsuit: EPA revoking greenhouse gas finding risks “thousands of avoidable deaths” EPA sued for abandoning its mission to protect public health. 5 changes to know about in Apple’s latest iOS, macOS, and iPadOS betas The 26.3 updates were mostly invisible; these changes are more significant. Andrew Cunningham – 2/18/2026 | 132 5 changes to know about in Apple’s latest iOS, macOS, and iPadOS betas The 26.3 updates were mostly invisible; these changes are more significant. Microsoft’s new 10,000-year data storage medium: glass Femtosecond lasers etch data into a very stable medium. John Timmer – 2/18/2026 | 201 Microsoft’s new 10,000-year data storage medium: glass Femtosecond lasers etch data into a very stable medium. FDA reverses surprise rejection of Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine Trump admin’s vaccine chief overruled FDA scientists to initially reject the shot. Beth Mole – 2/18/2026 | 127 FDA reverses surprise rejection of Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine Trump admin’s vaccine chief overruled FDA scientists to initially reject the shot. Record scratch—Google’s Lyria 3 AI music model is coming to Gemini today With a simple prompt, you can generate 30 seconds of something like music. Ryan Whitwam – 2/18/2026 | 214 Record scratch—Google’s Lyria 3 AI music model is coming to Gemini today With a simple prompt, you can generate 30 seconds of something like music. Google’s Pixel 10a arrives on March 5 for $499 with specs and design of yesteryear Google’s new budget phone is here, but don’t expect a big upgrade. Ryan Whitwam – 2/18/2026 | 113 Google’s Pixel 10a arrives on March 5 for $499 with specs and design of yesteryear Google’s new budget phone is here, but don’t expect a big upgrade. X-rays reveal kingfisher feather structure in unprecedented detail Synchrotron radiation imaging revealed a porous, almost sponge-like nanostructure to create bright hues Jennifer Ouellette – 2/18/2026 | 18 X-rays reveal kingfisher feather structure in unprecedented detail Synchrotron radiation imaging revealed a porous, almost sponge-like nanostructure to create bright hues Ars Technica has been separating the signal from the noise for over 25 years. With our unique combination of technical savvy and wide-ranging interest in the technological arts and sciences, Ars is the trusted source in a sea of information. After all, you don’t need to know everything, only what’s important. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/arts] | [TOKENS: 1973] |
Arts10 early photographic 'fakes' that trick the eyeSome 150 years before today's AI deep fakes, photographers created remarkable image manipulations that tricked viewers. Here are 10 pictures from the 19th and 20th centuries.The true story of Japan's mysterious samuraiFrom medieval beginnings, the samurai have inspired art, fiction and films, from Shōgun to Star Wars. But their true story is more complex and surprising than we might realise.Why critics scorned these 'saucy' British paintingsBeryl Cook's paintings were loved by the public but derided by the art establishment. One century after her birth, a new exhibition argues for a reassessment of her work.SpotlightThe most anticipated museum openings of 2026From a futuristic sci-fi attraction in Los Angeles to a dramatic monument to a millennia-old Aboriginal civilisation, these long-awaited museums are worth travelling for.See more Arts in MotionIn a pioneering new collaboration, the BBC – in partnership with Rolex – celebrates excellence in arts and culture. See moreAround the worldThe story behind cinema's greatest ever final shotCharlie Chaplin's silent comedy, City Lights, is often cited as one of the greatest films ever made – and its final moments are key to its reputation.Inside Switzerland's extraordinary medieval libraryThe Abbey Library of St Gallen is a Baroque hall of globes, manuscripts and curiosities that has survived, improbably, for 1,300 years.The truth about Tudor England's 'most hated woman'Was 16th-Century aristocrat Jane Boleyn a treacherous, "sex-mad" spy – or was she a convenient scapegoat? A new book explores her story.Art historyThe shocking truth behind historic anatomical artFor centuries, real dead bodies inspired great artists and science illustrators alike. A new exhibition reveals the dark stories behind these cadavers – and how they were acquired.The ancient monuments saluting the winter solsticeSeven of the greatest rivalries in art historyThe 'It Girl' style wars of Renaissance ItalyThe centuries-old origins of the witch's hatWatchBlue Quran: A rare 1,000-year-old masterpieceArt critic Alastair Sooke learns about a masterpiece of the Islamic world at Doha's Museum of Islamic Art.See moreClassical musicThe music that keeps animals calmYou can find many different playlists for dogs and cats online. However, not all styles of music are effective.How the Psycho music score changed film foreverAlfred Hitchcock's grisly horror might not have become a classic without composer Bernard Herrmann's disturbing score.Does Notre-Dame still sound the same?Performers and visitors to the famous gothic cathedral in the midst of the River Seine may find some subtle differences to the way sound bounces around its walls.How music saved a cellist's life in AuschwitzAfter being sent to the Nazi death camp in 1943, Anita Lasker survived by playing in its women's orchestra. In 1996, she spoke to the BBC about her ordeal.The most misunderstood Oscar winner everMiloš Forman's best picture-winning Amadeus is often accused of historical inaccuracies – but the film's critics could be missing the point.A look back at operatic legend Maria Callas' lifeGreek-American soprano Maria Callas, hailed as one of the greatest singers in operatic history, remains an icon for young performers today.More stories35 mins agoMan's 'uplifting' sculpture wins at US festivalJustin Scott says it is "absolutely amazing" to have won first place and plans to return next year.35 mins ago2 hrs agoMelton Theatre put up for sale with £3.5m price tagBuyers are being sought for the Melton Theatre and college site in Asfordby Road.2 hrs ago2 hrs agoRare watercolour of Jungle Book bear on showThe National Trust says the artists who illustrated the book were inspired by trips to London Zoo.2 hrs ago2 hrs agoChild actor 'never thought' he would be cast in dramaTom Page-Turner plays Bill in the BBC new series and spent a number of months filming in Malaysia.2 hrs ago2 hrs ago'Breweries using AI could put artists out of work'As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives.2 hrs ago8 hrs agoHow photography helped the British empire classify IndiaA new exhibition in Delhi showcases 200 rare photographs that fixed identities in colonial India.8 hrs ago22 hrs ago11 of the Winter Olympics' most striking images - as classical artworksAs the 2026 Winter Olympics close, the BBC rounds up some of the most stunning photos captured from the Games, and compares them to historic works of art.22 hrs ago23 hrs agoNew venue confirmed for carnival concertsThe concerts are usually held at Bridgwater Town Hall, which is undergoing a refurbishment.23 hrs ago1 day agoBullring bull sketches found under bed to be soldOriginal sketches of Birmingham's Bullring bull are set to be auctioned after being discovered. 1 day ago... Arts 10 early photographic 'fakes' that trick the eye Some 150 years before today's AI deep fakes, photographers created remarkable image manipulations that tricked viewers. Here are 10 pictures from the 19th and 20th centuries. The true story of Japan's mysterious samurai From medieval beginnings, the samurai have inspired art, fiction and films, from Shōgun to Star Wars. But their true story is more complex and surprising than we might realise. Why critics scorned these 'saucy' British paintings Beryl Cook's paintings were loved by the public but derided by the art establishment. One century after her birth, a new exhibition argues for a reassessment of her work. Spotlight The most anticipated museum openings of 2026 Arts in Motion Around the world The story behind cinema's greatest ever final shot Charlie Chaplin's silent comedy, City Lights, is often cited as one of the greatest films ever made – and its final moments are key to its reputation. Inside Switzerland's extraordinary medieval library The Abbey Library of St Gallen is a Baroque hall of globes, manuscripts and curiosities that has survived, improbably, for 1,300 years. The truth about Tudor England's 'most hated woman' Was 16th-Century aristocrat Jane Boleyn a treacherous, "sex-mad" spy – or was she a convenient scapegoat? A new book explores her story. Art history The shocking truth behind historic anatomical art For centuries, real dead bodies inspired great artists and science illustrators alike. A new exhibition reveals the dark stories behind these cadavers – and how they were acquired. The ancient monuments saluting the winter solstice Seven of the greatest rivalries in art history The 'It Girl' style wars of Renaissance Italy The centuries-old origins of the witch's hat Watch Blue Quran: A rare 1,000-year-old masterpiece Classical music The music that keeps animals calm You can find many different playlists for dogs and cats online. However, not all styles of music are effective. How the Psycho music score changed film forever Alfred Hitchcock's grisly horror might not have become a classic without composer Bernard Herrmann's disturbing score. Does Notre-Dame still sound the same? Performers and visitors to the famous gothic cathedral in the midst of the River Seine may find some subtle differences to the way sound bounces around its walls. How music saved a cellist's life in Auschwitz After being sent to the Nazi death camp in 1943, Anita Lasker survived by playing in its women's orchestra. In 1996, she spoke to the BBC about her ordeal. The most misunderstood Oscar winner ever Miloš Forman's best picture-winning Amadeus is often accused of historical inaccuracies – but the film's critics could be missing the point. A look back at operatic legend Maria Callas' life Greek-American soprano Maria Callas, hailed as one of the greatest singers in operatic history, remains an icon for young performers today. More stories Man's 'uplifting' sculpture wins at US festival Justin Scott says it is "absolutely amazing" to have won first place and plans to return next year. Melton Theatre put up for sale with £3.5m price tag Buyers are being sought for the Melton Theatre and college site in Asfordby Road. Rare watercolour of Jungle Book bear on show The National Trust says the artists who illustrated the book were inspired by trips to London Zoo. Child actor 'never thought' he would be cast in drama Tom Page-Turner plays Bill in the BBC new series and spent a number of months filming in Malaysia. 'Breweries using AI could put artists out of work' As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives. How photography helped the British empire classify India A new exhibition in Delhi showcases 200 rare photographs that fixed identities in colonial India. 11 of the Winter Olympics' most striking images - as classical artworks As the 2026 Winter Olympics close, the BBC rounds up some of the most stunning photos captured from the Games, and compares them to historic works of art. New venue confirmed for carnival concerts The concerts are usually held at Bridgwater Town Hall, which is undergoing a refurbishment. Bullring bull sketches found under bed to be sold Original sketches of Birmingham's Bullring bull are set to be auctioned after being discovered. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/culture] | [TOKENS: 3194] |
Culture11 of the Winter Olympics' most striking images - as classical artworksAs the 2026 Winter Olympics close, the BBC rounds up some of the most stunning photos captured from the Games, and compares them to historic works of art.Iran's motorcycling midwife and rights campaigner is star of Oscar-tipped filmIn a room of 1,500 men, Sara Shahverdi becomes the only female leader in her region of Iran - a new film joins her as she pushes for change.How photography helped the British empire classify IndiaA new exhibition in Delhi showcases 200 rare photographs that fixed identities in colonial India.The best looks at London Fashion Week 2026There are 90 designers showing this year, with organisers hoping it's the biggest fashion week yet.The Scottish twin brothers making movies and rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royaltyFresh graduates Ben and Nathan McQuaid shot their first feature film, Welcome to G-Town, on the streets of Glasgow.Entertainment newsSam Fender and Olivia Dean finally reach number one after 35 weeksTaylor Swift and KPop stars dominated music in 2025Woody and Buzz reunite in trailer for Toy Story 5The Grammy winner bringing traditional country to new audiencesDesert Island DiscsDesert Island DiscsAdeel Akhtar, actorSaveDesert Island DiscsJesse Armstrong, writerSaveDesert Island DiscsPatricia GreeneSaveDesert Island DiscsJojo Moyes, writerSaveDesert Island DiscsKate Winslet, actorSaveDesert Island DiscsLee Child, writerSaveDesert Island DiscsMargaret Atwood, writerSaveDesert Island DiscsGordon Buchanan, cameraman and presenterSaveDesert Island DiscsSir Salman Rushdie, writerSaveDesert Island DiscsSir Tim Berners-Lee, Computer ScientistSaveWatch list12 of the best alternative romantic filmsNever mind Brief Encounter and The Notebook - here are some less obvious choices for Valentine's Day viewing.10 of the best films to watch this FebruaryFrom Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in a controversial take on Wuthering Heights, to an Elvis concert film and Scream 7, the latest instalment of the serial killer horror franchise.From our Culture editorsThe historic US home that embodied the super-richThe largest privately owned home in the US, Biltmore House was an "American chateau built on the scale of a European palace". It reveals much about the dreams of the US's one per cent.Why critics scorned these 'saucy' British paintingsBeryl Cook's paintings were loved by the public but derided by the art establishment. One century after her birth, a new exhibition argues for a reassessment of her work.Amy Adams is Oscar-worthy in new film At the Sea ★★★★☆The actress makes a return to form in this hard-hitting film from Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó about a middle-aged woman facing up to addiction – and her traumatic childhood.10 early photographic 'fakes' that trick the eyeSome 150 years before today's AI deep fakes, photographers created remarkable image manipulations that tricked viewers. Here are 10 pictures from the 19th and 20th centuries.The mysterious kidnapping of a champion racehorseShergar was the world's most famous stallion. When armed men seized him from an Irish stud farm on 8 February 1983, the BBC reported on a sensational true crime saga.Everybody Digs Bill Evans review: A moving, tragic biopic of a tortured jazz great ★★★★☆Bill Evans was a boundary-breaking US pianist who contended with multiple personal tragedies, and a serious drug problem. This new drama about him will draw you to his hypnotic music.In HistoryThe dazzling discovery of Tutankhamun's tombIn a BBC archive clip, archaeologist Howard Carter describes the moment on 12 February 1924 when he and his team became the first people in 3,300 years to meet the Egyptian boy king.The policeman who inspired Al Pacino's SerpicoFrank Serpico was shot on 3 February 1971, after exposing corruption in the NYPD. The following year, the BBC reported on the "widespread" rot in the Big Apple's police force.The '70s sex scandal that led to a dramatic trialFor years, UK politician Jeremy Thorpe's affair was a secret – but when his former lover Norman Scott blurted out the truth, an astounding story emerged.How a weather rocket almost sparked a nuclear warA Norwegian rocket launched on 25 January 1995 in order to study the Northern Lights, was mistaken by Russia for an incoming nuclear missile on a direct course to Moscow.A rare interview with the elusive Agatha ChristieHer murder mysteries have captivated audiences for more than a century, but, 50 years after her death, she remains an enigma. A BBC profile from 1955 reveals some of her secrets.The most damaging double agent in US historyThe CIA officer, who has died, aged 84, sold secrets to the Soviet Union, leading to the deaths of at least 10 Western agents. In 1994, the BBC spoke to one of the spies Aldrich Ames betrayed.Arts in MotionJia Zhang-Ke: Nothing brings more freedom than filmmakingFor acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-Ke, filmmaking is not just an art - it's a space to innovate and redefine cinematic conventions.Karl Ove Knausgård: The writer who broke the rulesThe Norwegian author's raw honesty and fearlessness has made him one of literature's most compelling voices.Elif Shafak says her writing style is 'a little bit drunk'British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak tells the BBC her writing is guided by intuition rather than a rigid plan. Brian Cox on why you should keep your inner child aliveAcclaimed actor Brian Cox shares his journey from a challenging childhood to global acting success.Yannick Nézet-Séguin: Mozart reveals everythingThe music director of the Met Opera shares how a commitment to authenticity shape his approach to conducting.Sinfonía por el Perú: Changing lives through musicWhat if a single note could change a life? That's exactly what's happening at Sinfonía por el Perú.More Culture28 mins agoFrom playing Glastonbury to running a cider festivalGrant Hutchison - who formed Frightened Rabbit with brother Scott - has left the world of music behind.28 mins ago1 hr agoMan's 'uplifting' sculpture wins at US festivalJustin Scott says it is "absolutely amazing" to have won first place and plans to return next year.1 hr ago2 hrs ago'Bradford Brit School shows music industry isn't just London-centric'Bradford's Brit School is expected to welcome first pupils in 2028 and be built in the city centre.2 hrs ago3 hrs agoRare watercolour of Jungle Book bear on showThe National Trust says the artists who illustrated the book were inspired by trips to London Zoo.3 hrs ago3 hrs agoTown's music magazine publishes 50th issueSound-Check covers the live music scene in Reading and interviews up and coming musicians.3 hrs ago3 hrs agoChild actor 'never thought' he would be cast in dramaTom Page-Turner plays Bill in the BBC new series and spent a number of months filming in Malaysia.3 hrs ago3 hrs ago'Breweries using AI could put artists out of work'As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives.3 hrs ago4 hrs agoFilm school proud as it hopes for third Bafta winThe National Film and Television School is nominated in the British Short Film category.4 hrs ago8 hrs agoHow Co-op Live went from falling air con units to hosting the BritsThe opening of the Co-op Live was in every headline, but not quite for the right reasons. 8 hrs ago... Culture 11 of the Winter Olympics' most striking images - as classical artworks As the 2026 Winter Olympics close, the BBC rounds up some of the most stunning photos captured from the Games, and compares them to historic works of art. Iran's motorcycling midwife and rights campaigner is star of Oscar-tipped film In a room of 1,500 men, Sara Shahverdi becomes the only female leader in her region of Iran - a new film joins her as she pushes for change. How photography helped the British empire classify India A new exhibition in Delhi showcases 200 rare photographs that fixed identities in colonial India. The best looks at London Fashion Week 2026 There are 90 designers showing this year, with organisers hoping it's the biggest fashion week yet. The Scottish twin brothers making movies and rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty Fresh graduates Ben and Nathan McQuaid shot their first feature film, Welcome to G-Town, on the streets of Glasgow. Entertainment news Sam Fender and Olivia Dean finally reach number one after 35 weeks Taylor Swift and KPop stars dominated music in 2025 Woody and Buzz reunite in trailer for Toy Story 5 The Grammy winner bringing traditional country to new audiences Desert Island Discs Desert Island Discs Adeel Akhtar, actor Desert Island Discs Jesse Armstrong, writer Desert Island Discs Patricia Greene Desert Island Discs Jojo Moyes, writer Desert Island Discs Kate Winslet, actor Desert Island Discs Lee Child, writer Desert Island Discs Margaret Atwood, writer Desert Island Discs Gordon Buchanan, cameraman and presenter Desert Island Discs Sir Salman Rushdie, writer Desert Island Discs Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Computer Scientist Watch list 12 of the best alternative romantic films Never mind Brief Encounter and The Notebook - here are some less obvious choices for Valentine's Day viewing. 10 of the best films to watch this February From Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in a controversial take on Wuthering Heights, to an Elvis concert film and Scream 7, the latest instalment of the serial killer horror franchise. From our Culture editors The historic US home that embodied the super-rich The largest privately owned home in the US, Biltmore House was an "American chateau built on the scale of a European palace". It reveals much about the dreams of the US's one per cent. Why critics scorned these 'saucy' British paintings Beryl Cook's paintings were loved by the public but derided by the art establishment. One century after her birth, a new exhibition argues for a reassessment of her work. Amy Adams is Oscar-worthy in new film At the Sea ★★★★☆ The actress makes a return to form in this hard-hitting film from Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó about a middle-aged woman facing up to addiction – and her traumatic childhood. 10 early photographic 'fakes' that trick the eye Some 150 years before today's AI deep fakes, photographers created remarkable image manipulations that tricked viewers. Here are 10 pictures from the 19th and 20th centuries. The mysterious kidnapping of a champion racehorse Shergar was the world's most famous stallion. When armed men seized him from an Irish stud farm on 8 February 1983, the BBC reported on a sensational true crime saga. Everybody Digs Bill Evans review: A moving, tragic biopic of a tortured jazz great ★★★★☆ Bill Evans was a boundary-breaking US pianist who contended with multiple personal tragedies, and a serious drug problem. This new drama about him will draw you to his hypnotic music. In History The dazzling discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb In a BBC archive clip, archaeologist Howard Carter describes the moment on 12 February 1924 when he and his team became the first people in 3,300 years to meet the Egyptian boy king. The policeman who inspired Al Pacino's Serpico Frank Serpico was shot on 3 February 1971, after exposing corruption in the NYPD. The following year, the BBC reported on the "widespread" rot in the Big Apple's police force. The '70s sex scandal that led to a dramatic trial For years, UK politician Jeremy Thorpe's affair was a secret – but when his former lover Norman Scott blurted out the truth, an astounding story emerged. How a weather rocket almost sparked a nuclear war A Norwegian rocket launched on 25 January 1995 in order to study the Northern Lights, was mistaken by Russia for an incoming nuclear missile on a direct course to Moscow. A rare interview with the elusive Agatha Christie Her murder mysteries have captivated audiences for more than a century, but, 50 years after her death, she remains an enigma. A BBC profile from 1955 reveals some of her secrets. The most damaging double agent in US history The CIA officer, who has died, aged 84, sold secrets to the Soviet Union, leading to the deaths of at least 10 Western agents. In 1994, the BBC spoke to one of the spies Aldrich Ames betrayed. Arts in Motion Jia Zhang-Ke: Nothing brings more freedom than filmmaking For acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-Ke, filmmaking is not just an art - it's a space to innovate and redefine cinematic conventions. Karl Ove Knausgård: The writer who broke the rules The Norwegian author's raw honesty and fearlessness has made him one of literature's most compelling voices. Elif Shafak says her writing style is 'a little bit drunk' British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak tells the BBC her writing is guided by intuition rather than a rigid plan. Brian Cox on why you should keep your inner child alive Acclaimed actor Brian Cox shares his journey from a challenging childhood to global acting success. Yannick Nézet-Séguin: Mozart reveals everything The music director of the Met Opera shares how a commitment to authenticity shape his approach to conducting. Sinfonía por el Perú: Changing lives through music What if a single note could change a life? That's exactly what's happening at Sinfonía por el Perú. More Culture From playing Glastonbury to running a cider festival Grant Hutchison - who formed Frightened Rabbit with brother Scott - has left the world of music behind. Man's 'uplifting' sculpture wins at US festival Justin Scott says it is "absolutely amazing" to have won first place and plans to return next year. 'Bradford Brit School shows music industry isn't just London-centric' Bradford's Brit School is expected to welcome first pupils in 2028 and be built in the city centre. Rare watercolour of Jungle Book bear on show The National Trust says the artists who illustrated the book were inspired by trips to London Zoo. Town's music magazine publishes 50th issue Sound-Check covers the live music scene in Reading and interviews up and coming musicians. Child actor 'never thought' he would be cast in drama Tom Page-Turner plays Bill in the BBC new series and spent a number of months filming in Malaysia. 'Breweries using AI could put artists out of work' As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives. Film school proud as it hopes for third Bafta win The National Film and Television School is nominated in the British Short Film category. How Co-op Live went from falling air con units to hosting the Brits The opening of the Co-op Live was in every headline, but not quite for the right reasons. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/travel] | [TOKENS: 4291] |
TravelThe most anticipated museum openings of 2026From a futuristic sci-fi attraction in Los Angeles to a dramatic monument to a millennia-old Aboriginal civilisation, these long-awaited museums are worth travelling for.Extreme ways countries are combatting overtourismAs global travel surges toward 1.8 billion arrivals, destinations are testing controversial new measures to control the crowds.The 20 best places to travel in 2026From a Polynesian island ringed by blue lagoons to the heart of Chile's wine country, these are BBC journalists' top destinations this year.The SpeciaListHow to enjoy a weekend in Hong KongModel Angelababy has called Hong Kong home since she was a young girl. Here are her top picks, from fave spots to shop on Hollywood Road to where to watch fireworks at Lunar New Year.Eight of New Orleans' best live music venuesSinger-songwriter Andrew Duhon shares the best live music in his hometown New Orleans, from acoustic sets at The Tigermen Den to candlelit piano acts at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar.An aurora chaser's guide to the Northern LightsExperts say 2026 will be a peak year for aurora spotting. Photographer Wil Cheung has seen the borealis more than 400 times and offers his tips on how to witness them yourself.How to spend a ski break in Cortina d'AmpezzoAs the world turns its gaze to Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo - one of the hosts of the 2026 Winter Olympics - ski champion Kristian Ghedina shares his hometown picks.An ironwoman's guide to Finland's best icy plungesElina Mäkinen was the first Finnish woman to complete the Ice Mile. Here are her top ice bathing experiences, from plunges under the Northern Lights to paying homage to Arctic gods.A freeski champion's guide to WhistlerCanada's Mike Douglas stands at the vanguard of his hometown's ski culture. Here are his local favourites, from schussing down Peak to Creek to ahi poke at Sushi Village.AdventuresThe best places to elope, according to expertsOnce furtive affairs, elopements now happen in spectacular destinations and have become an increasingly popular way for couples to embark on the adventure of marriage.The most anticipated hotel openings of 2026From luxury island villas in the Maldives to an off-grid Australian resort, these are the six new property openings we're most excited about.The tiny slice of 'America' in EnglandInspired by the US's revolutionary spirit, a formerly "lawless" part of Hastings modelled itself after the former British colony across the pond.The 109km trail opening up the Canadian RockiesAway from Banff and Jasper national parks, a new rail trail is opening up a previously inaccessible corner of Canada and teaching travellers about the nation's past.Seven new Bridgerton filming locations you can visitBridgerton is back, and from London palaces to Bath ballrooms, here are some of the best places to experience Regency-era England.Colorado's wildest winter sportEqual parts rodeo and ski race, skijoring is drawing winter visitors into Colorado's ranching towns, offering a cheaper, wilder alternative to the state's famous slopes.In PicturesIn search of Europe's best Christmas marketAfter years of sweating through summer festivities in Australia, one family swapped sunscreen for snow – and found festive bliss in an unexpected European capital.In the newsChief minister disappointed over airline decisionFootball fans warned of delays as sewer collapsesTourism projects get cross border funding boostBusinesses prefer vehicle levy to tourist taxEmergency road closure due to 'ground conditions'WatchBreathtaking solar eclipse over glacier in PatagoniaLiam Man, a photographer from the UK, captures rare images of a solar eclipse over the remote Glacier Leones.Natural wondersThe French fortress of a celibate sectThe Cathars rejected meat and procreative sex. They were persecuted as heretics, but shaped our ideas of love.TravelInside the search for South America's most cryptic birdA small country, a rare bird: inside Uruguay’s most haunting discoveryDiscover the WorldThe Nazi bunkers hidden underneath BerlinFrom Hitler's last shelter to an underground tunnel connecting eleven small houses in the German countryside.The SpeciaListHow sticky toffee pudding became a British pub classicThe Travel Show visits the the Lake District to find out about the historic roots of Britain's beloved pudding.The Travel ShowWhat is it like to camp in Antarctica?Marc Cieslak spends a night on ice, camping under the stars.Natural wondersWhy the secret to Icelandic happiness lies in their poolsHow did bathing become such an intrinsic part of Icelandic cultural identity?The SpeciaListThe Greek island holding the secret to a long lifeOn Ikaria, people on average lead longer, happier lives. A resident of the Greek 'island of immortals' shares her tips for longevity.The SpeciaListWhat lies behind Kazakhstan's mysterious stone spheres?An isolated plateau hides thousands of perfect spheres whose origins have baffled scientists for decades.Discover the WorldThe Japanese secret to being calmer and happierIn the village of Magome, a 16th-century discipline leads to a sharper focus on the present moment.The SpeciaListKew's Fungarium: The world's largest collection of fungiDeep beneath Kew Gardens sits the world's largest archive of fungi, a vast library of 1.3 million specimens.Discover the WorldTiwanaku: The civilisation that mysteriously disappearedThe ancient Tiwanaku civilisation is known as the 'mother culture' of South America.Culture & ExperiencesEurope's most closely watched townMore than 1,000 CO2 detectors monitor the town of Puerto Naos, making it the world's most closely watched area.The Travel ShowDiving into La Palma's underwater lava worldA volcano devastated the shores of Canary Island's La Palma but divers find new life flourishing underwater.The Travel ShowThe luxury Swedish ice hotel that simply never meltsA small engineering wonder in the small village of Jukkasjärvi in Northern SwedenTravelFace-to-face with an African savanna elephantThe Travel Show visits Mozambique's Gorongosa Park but something unexpectedly stops the team in their tracks.The Travel ShowTurkey's island of 400 ancient shipwrecksA dive into 3,500 years of underwater archeology, sunken cities and Lycian tombs with Prof Hakan Öniz.The SpeciaListThe forgotten underground river that shaped ParisBuried beneath Paris since 1912, the ghost river Bièvre shaped the French capital in unexpected ways.The SpeciaListKöttbullar: The secret behind the iconic Swedish meatballsIkea’s meatballs turn 40. We asked Swedes how Köttbullar became a global phenomenon.Culture & ExperiencesDiving into Florida's prehistoric cave of Ice Age secretsThe state's blue sinkholes are the silent reminders of a time when giants roamed the Earth.Discover the WorldGreen GetawaysThe remote village drawing stargazers from around the worldIn the Moon-like landscape of Hanle, the jet-black skies reveal otherworldly starry skies that lure travellers from far and wide. But can locals preserve the natural darkness?The US neighbourhood where cars are bannedIn Tempe, Arizona, Culdesac is reimagining US cities for people, not cars – and inviting travellers to explore its plazas, paseos and Mediterranean-inspired design.A day in Europe's most relaxed capital cityIn Oslo's Vulkan district, sustainability, style and everyday ease come together in a way that's making the Norwegian capital feel like Europe's most liveable city break.Monaco's new neighbourhood rising out of the seaBuilt on reclaimed land, Monaco's new Mareterra district blends cutting-edge sustainability with scenic sea views, offering a fresh way to explore the principality.World's TableWhy the world fell in love with dolmaThis labour-intensive dish has crossed empires, borders and belief systems, becoming a shared language of generosity around the world.The most anticipated restaurant openings of 2026From flame-seared dishes in Mexico to avant-garde cooking in India, these six new restaurants are worth travelling for this year.Inside Italy's secretive food confraternitiesAcross Italy, ceremonial brotherhoods are sworn to protect historic dishes – from salted cod stew to cured meats – using medieval rituals, velvet robes and fierce culinary devotion.Fifty courses, no leftovers: Inside Italy's sacred Panarda feastEach year in the village of Villavallelonga, friends and family gather to honour a local saint with a 50-course meal where no forkful goes uneaten – just as they have for centuries.More on Travel4 days agoWhere to catch a solar eclipse in 2026From scouting the optimal location to securing the right equipment, many details go into eclipse chasing. Here's how to make sure you're in the right place at the right time.4 days ago4 days agoWhat it's like to stay in an Oxford collegeDuring university holidays, visitors can stay overnight inside Oxford University's historic colleges. A former student returns to see what access to this hidden world feels like.4 days ago6 days agoWhere tourism is growing fastest in 2026As global travel rebounds, the fastest growth is happening beyond the usual tourism heavyweights – from Ethiopia to Bhutan.6 days ago8 days agoThe secretive islands behind the US-UK disputeRemote and off-limits to tourists, Chagos is a tropical paradise that's home to one of the world's most pristine reef systems. Why are they controversial?8 days ago12 Feb 2026Inside the town that invented the spaLong before wellness became a global industry, a small town in eastern Belgium shaped how Europeans thought about health, leisure and water.12 Feb 20269 Feb 2026The controversial airport in Peru's Sacred ValleyMachu Picchu has always been hard to reach, but a new airport will soon change that and bring 200% more visitors to the area – and some area residents aren't happy about it.9 Feb 20264 Feb 2026A surprising solution for the summer childcare crunchAs school holidays approach, some hotels are offering full-day, structured kids' camps that allow parents to travel, work and keep routines intact.4 Feb 20263 Feb 2026Inside Switzerland's extraordinary medieval libraryThe Abbey Library of St Gallen is a Baroque hall of globes, manuscripts and curiosities that has survived, improbably, for 1,300 years.3 Feb 20262 Feb 2026Mountain biking on the top of the world in NepalA new adrenaline-fuelled experience is allowing travellers to see the Himalayas in a new way – and helping local Sherpa residents in the process.2 Feb 2026... Travel The most anticipated museum openings of 2026 From a futuristic sci-fi attraction in Los Angeles to a dramatic monument to a millennia-old Aboriginal civilisation, these long-awaited museums are worth travelling for. Extreme ways countries are combatting overtourism As global travel surges toward 1.8 billion arrivals, destinations are testing controversial new measures to control the crowds. The 20 best places to travel in 2026 From a Polynesian island ringed by blue lagoons to the heart of Chile's wine country, these are BBC journalists' top destinations this year. The SpeciaList How to enjoy a weekend in Hong Kong Model Angelababy has called Hong Kong home since she was a young girl. Here are her top picks, from fave spots to shop on Hollywood Road to where to watch fireworks at Lunar New Year. Eight of New Orleans' best live music venues Singer-songwriter Andrew Duhon shares the best live music in his hometown New Orleans, from acoustic sets at The Tigermen Den to candlelit piano acts at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar. An aurora chaser's guide to the Northern Lights Experts say 2026 will be a peak year for aurora spotting. Photographer Wil Cheung has seen the borealis more than 400 times and offers his tips on how to witness them yourself. How to spend a ski break in Cortina d'Ampezzo As the world turns its gaze to Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo - one of the hosts of the 2026 Winter Olympics - ski champion Kristian Ghedina shares his hometown picks. An ironwoman's guide to Finland's best icy plunges Elina Mäkinen was the first Finnish woman to complete the Ice Mile. Here are her top ice bathing experiences, from plunges under the Northern Lights to paying homage to Arctic gods. A freeski champion's guide to Whistler Canada's Mike Douglas stands at the vanguard of his hometown's ski culture. Here are his local favourites, from schussing down Peak to Creek to ahi poke at Sushi Village. Adventures The best places to elope, according to experts Once furtive affairs, elopements now happen in spectacular destinations and have become an increasingly popular way for couples to embark on the adventure of marriage. The most anticipated hotel openings of 2026 From luxury island villas in the Maldives to an off-grid Australian resort, these are the six new property openings we're most excited about. The tiny slice of 'America' in England Inspired by the US's revolutionary spirit, a formerly "lawless" part of Hastings modelled itself after the former British colony across the pond. The 109km trail opening up the Canadian Rockies Away from Banff and Jasper national parks, a new rail trail is opening up a previously inaccessible corner of Canada and teaching travellers about the nation's past. Seven new Bridgerton filming locations you can visit Bridgerton is back, and from London palaces to Bath ballrooms, here are some of the best places to experience Regency-era England. Colorado's wildest winter sport Equal parts rodeo and ski race, skijoring is drawing winter visitors into Colorado's ranching towns, offering a cheaper, wilder alternative to the state's famous slopes. In Pictures In search of Europe's best Christmas market After years of sweating through summer festivities in Australia, one family swapped sunscreen for snow – and found festive bliss in an unexpected European capital. In the news Chief minister disappointed over airline decision Football fans warned of delays as sewer collapses Tourism projects get cross border funding boost Businesses prefer vehicle levy to tourist tax Emergency road closure due to 'ground conditions' Watch Breathtaking solar eclipse over glacier in Patagonia Liam Man, a photographer from the UK, captures rare images of a solar eclipse over the remote Glacier Leones. The French fortress of a celibate sect The Cathars rejected meat and procreative sex. They were persecuted as heretics, but shaped our ideas of love. Inside the search for South America's most cryptic bird A small country, a rare bird: inside Uruguay’s most haunting discovery The Nazi bunkers hidden underneath Berlin From Hitler's last shelter to an underground tunnel connecting eleven small houses in the German countryside. How sticky toffee pudding became a British pub classic The Travel Show visits the the Lake District to find out about the historic roots of Britain's beloved pudding. What is it like to camp in Antarctica? Marc Cieslak spends a night on ice, camping under the stars. Why the secret to Icelandic happiness lies in their pools How did bathing become such an intrinsic part of Icelandic cultural identity? The Greek island holding the secret to a long life On Ikaria, people on average lead longer, happier lives. A resident of the Greek 'island of immortals' shares her tips for longevity. What lies behind Kazakhstan's mysterious stone spheres? An isolated plateau hides thousands of perfect spheres whose origins have baffled scientists for decades. The Japanese secret to being calmer and happier In the village of Magome, a 16th-century discipline leads to a sharper focus on the present moment. 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Turkey's island of 400 ancient shipwrecks A dive into 3,500 years of underwater archeology, sunken cities and Lycian tombs with Prof Hakan Öniz. The forgotten underground river that shaped Paris Buried beneath Paris since 1912, the ghost river Bièvre shaped the French capital in unexpected ways. Köttbullar: The secret behind the iconic Swedish meatballs Ikea’s meatballs turn 40. We asked Swedes how Köttbullar became a global phenomenon. Diving into Florida's prehistoric cave of Ice Age secrets The state's blue sinkholes are the silent reminders of a time when giants roamed the Earth. Green Getaways The remote village drawing stargazers from around the world In the Moon-like landscape of Hanle, the jet-black skies reveal otherworldly starry skies that lure travellers from far and wide. But can locals preserve the natural darkness? The US neighbourhood where cars are banned In Tempe, Arizona, Culdesac is reimagining US cities for people, not cars – and inviting travellers to explore its plazas, paseos and Mediterranean-inspired design. A day in Europe's most relaxed capital city In Oslo's Vulkan district, sustainability, style and everyday ease come together in a way that's making the Norwegian capital feel like Europe's most liveable city break. Monaco's new neighbourhood rising out of the sea Built on reclaimed land, Monaco's new Mareterra district blends cutting-edge sustainability with scenic sea views, offering a fresh way to explore the principality. World's Table Why the world fell in love with dolma This labour-intensive dish has crossed empires, borders and belief systems, becoming a shared language of generosity around the world. The most anticipated restaurant openings of 2026 From flame-seared dishes in Mexico to avant-garde cooking in India, these six new restaurants are worth travelling for this year. Inside Italy's secretive food confraternities Across Italy, ceremonial brotherhoods are sworn to protect historic dishes – from salted cod stew to cured meats – using medieval rituals, velvet robes and fierce culinary devotion. Fifty courses, no leftovers: Inside Italy's sacred Panarda feast Each year in the village of Villavallelonga, friends and family gather to honour a local saint with a 50-course meal where no forkful goes uneaten – just as they have for centuries. More on Travel Where to catch a solar eclipse in 2026 From scouting the optimal location to securing the right equipment, many details go into eclipse chasing. Here's how to make sure you're in the right place at the right time. What it's like to stay in an Oxford college During university holidays, visitors can stay overnight inside Oxford University's historic colleges. A former student returns to see what access to this hidden world feels like. Where tourism is growing fastest in 2026 As global travel rebounds, the fastest growth is happening beyond the usual tourism heavyweights – from Ethiopia to Bhutan. The secretive islands behind the US-UK dispute Remote and off-limits to tourists, Chagos is a tropical paradise that's home to one of the world's most pristine reef systems. Why are they controversial? Inside the town that invented the spa Long before wellness became a global industry, a small town in eastern Belgium shaped how Europeans thought about health, leisure and water. The controversial airport in Peru's Sacred Valley Machu Picchu has always been hard to reach, but a new airport will soon change that and bring 200% more visitors to the area – and some area residents aren't happy about it. A surprising solution for the summer childcare crunch As school holidays approach, some hotels are offering full-day, structured kids' camps that allow parents to travel, work and keep routines intact. Inside Switzerland's extraordinary medieval library The Abbey Library of St Gallen is a Baroque hall of globes, manuscripts and curiosities that has survived, improbably, for 1,300 years. Mountain biking on the top of the world in Nepal A new adrenaline-fuelled experience is allowing travellers to see the Himalayas in a new way – and helping local Sherpa residents in the process. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/future-planet] | [TOKENS: 2619] |
EarthThe cities where you'll never see flight adsMunicipalities across the world are clearing their billboards of flight ads, SUVs, cruise ships and petrol cars in an attempt to cut emissions.Nasa targets early March to send humans back around the Moon How do you modernise mango farming?As Trump retreats from climate goals, China is becoming a green superpowerMore climate newsUK puffins in peril as winter storms threaten mass seabird 'wreck'Solar farm given go-ahead despite objectionsRisk of landslips after rain could 'persist for weeks'More than 90 deaths this season: Are we seeing more avalanches?Council reapproves plans for new bioenergy plantFuture PlanetHow a 'bird of ill omen' lost its reviled reputationOnce pelted with pebbles, India's "bone-swallower" storks are now symbols of celebration - thanks to an army of protectors.Why the Dutch embrace floating homesFaced with worsening floods and a shortage of housing, the Netherlands is seeing growing interest in floating homes.World of WonderBreathtaking solar eclipse over glacier in PatagoniaLiam Man, a photographer from the UK, captures rare images of a solar eclipse over the remote Glacier Leones.See moreMore videoThese wildlife photos won funniest of 2025The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards crowned the funniest animal photos of the year 2025.Natural wondersWatch a Utahraptor pack leader fatally distract a GastoniaA Utahraptor distracts a member of a Gastonia herd, allowing another raptor to flip a Gastonia over and kill it.Natural wondersInjured Lusotitan fends off an aggressive TorvosaurusThe predators of an injured Lusotitan are aware of his weakness and waiting for the right moment to strike.Natural wondersWatch an incredible Lusotitan dinosaur mating ritualIn the prehistoric world, first impressions mattered, and sometimes a few moves could make all the difference.Natural wondersWatch a high-stakes battle of breeding seasonWhen breeding season arrives for the mega herd of Pachyrhinosaurus, the battles are fierce and unforgiving.Natural wondersThe secret behind the nature videos that calm millionsDiscover how a Pacific Northwest creator crafts serene viral clips that attract huge audiences worldwide.Natural wondersAlbertosaurus outsmarts prey to win the pack's respectA young Albertosaurus knows she can't take down a giant alone but she can guide her prey to the matriarch.Natural wondersWatch a fierce Albertosaurus matriarch assert dominanceIn a pack of carnivorous Albertosaurus, tensions flare when they haven't eaten for over a week.Natural wondersThe most venomous snake of Guyana’s Amazon rainforestExplorer Lucy Shepherd uncovers a host of predators, including the deadly Bushmaster snake, in Guyana’s Amazon rainforest.Natural wondersThe face-clawing sloth bear that scares tigersSloth bears are the world's deadliest bear and for humans, outrunning them is usually not an option.Natural wondersWhy do US train stations look so depressing?Compared to their European counterparts, US train stations can often feel like dingy basements.World of wonderWatch ferocious Utahraptors hunt in the forestWith its sharp claws, speed, and the ability to work in groups, the Utahraptor is a finely tuned killing machine.Natural wondersWatch Spinosaurus' fierce fight for food and survivalAfter outsmarting an agile prey in the river, Sobek must defend his catch from another Spinosaurus.Natural wondersWatch a cheetah up close as it chases its preyThe fastest animal on land rarely uses its top speed to capture prey. So how does a cheetah catch its target?Natural wondersAlligators and humans coexist in this high-end golf courseOn the east coast of the US, alligators and humans have learned to co-exist, most dramatically in golf courses.Natural wondersGreatest Standoff: T.rex vs TriceratopsWatch as a T.rex and fully-grown Triceratops face off in a brutal stand-off that shakes the earth.Natural wondersWatch water monitor lizards look for food in BangkokThese scavenger lizards have found a way to seek food in an urban metropolis like Bangkok.Natural wondersEven giant dinosaurs have a soft spotDisturbing the sleep of a Spinosaurus is a dangerous move, unless you're his family.Natural wondersClever baby otter uses rock to open musselThey are one of the few animals to master tool use, and this clever pup needs to learn how in order to be less dependent on its mother. Natural wondersWatch a T. rex ambush a young triceratopsPioneering special effects recreate the heart-stopping escape of an orphaned baby triceratops from a T. rex.Natural wondersMore Earth4 days agoWhy encroaching seawater is becoming a global problemFrom Bangladesh to The Gambia, sea salt is increasingly seeping into the freshwaters people need for drinking and producing food.4 days ago8 days agoTrump revokes landmark ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public healthThe White House calls it the largest deregulation in US history, but environmentalists say it will prove costly for Americans.8 days ago12 Feb 2026How China became fixated on cloud seedingChina hopes to increasingly control when and where it rains. How is it done and does cloud seeding actually work?12 Feb 202611 Feb 2026Are wetter winters in UK and frequent flooding here to stay?Many places across the UK have experienced their wettest January in more than 100 years.11 Feb 202610 Feb 2026More solar farms on the way after record renewables auctionThe results have been welcomed by climate and clean energy groups but could face opposition from local communities. 10 Feb 20269 Feb 2026Businesses face extinction unless they protect nature, major report warnsExperts call for urgent action by businesses to restore the natural systems that keep them running.9 Feb 20269 Feb 2026How to get rare earths without mining rockAs nations posture over access to rare earth deposits, scientists say these coveted materials are hiding in plain sight – and can be harvested without any conventional mining at all.9 Feb 20267 Feb 2026Why it's becoming harder to be a Winter OlympianA warming climate and the use of artificial snow is making it more dangerous and difficult to compete at the Winter Olympics.7 Feb 20262 Feb 2026The cave expanding our search for alien lifeIn one of the most baffling discoveries of the last decade, scientists have found a clue in a cave to how life might survive in deep space without light.2 Feb 2026... Earth The cities where you'll never see flight ads Municipalities across the world are clearing their billboards of flight ads, SUVs, cruise ships and petrol cars in an attempt to cut emissions. Nasa targets early March to send humans back around the Moon How do you modernise mango farming? As Trump retreats from climate goals, China is becoming a green superpower More climate news UK puffins in peril as winter storms threaten mass seabird 'wreck' Solar farm given go-ahead despite objections Risk of landslips after rain could 'persist for weeks' More than 90 deaths this season: Are we seeing more avalanches? Council reapproves plans for new bioenergy plant Future Planet How a 'bird of ill omen' lost its reviled reputation Once pelted with pebbles, India's "bone-swallower" storks are now symbols of celebration - thanks to an army of protectors. Why the Dutch embrace floating homes Faced with worsening floods and a shortage of housing, the Netherlands is seeing growing interest in floating homes. World of Wonder Breathtaking solar eclipse over glacier in Patagonia More video These wildlife photos won funniest of 2025 The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards crowned the funniest animal photos of the year 2025. Watch a Utahraptor pack leader fatally distract a Gastonia A Utahraptor distracts a member of a Gastonia herd, allowing another raptor to flip a Gastonia over and kill it. Injured Lusotitan fends off an aggressive Torvosaurus The predators of an injured Lusotitan are aware of his weakness and waiting for the right moment to strike. Watch an incredible Lusotitan dinosaur mating ritual In the prehistoric world, first impressions mattered, and sometimes a few moves could make all the difference. Watch a high-stakes battle of breeding season When breeding season arrives for the mega herd of Pachyrhinosaurus, the battles are fierce and unforgiving. The secret behind the nature videos that calm millions Discover how a Pacific Northwest creator crafts serene viral clips that attract huge audiences worldwide. Albertosaurus outsmarts prey to win the pack's respect A young Albertosaurus knows she can't take down a giant alone but she can guide her prey to the matriarch. Watch a fierce Albertosaurus matriarch assert dominance In a pack of carnivorous Albertosaurus, tensions flare when they haven't eaten for over a week. The most venomous snake of Guyana’s Amazon rainforest Explorer Lucy Shepherd uncovers a host of predators, including the deadly Bushmaster snake, in Guyana’s Amazon rainforest. The face-clawing sloth bear that scares tigers Sloth bears are the world's deadliest bear and for humans, outrunning them is usually not an option. Why do US train stations look so depressing? Compared to their European counterparts, US train stations can often feel like dingy basements. Watch ferocious Utahraptors hunt in the forest With its sharp claws, speed, and the ability to work in groups, the Utahraptor is a finely tuned killing machine. Watch Spinosaurus' fierce fight for food and survival After outsmarting an agile prey in the river, Sobek must defend his catch from another Spinosaurus. Watch a cheetah up close as it chases its prey The fastest animal on land rarely uses its top speed to capture prey. So how does a cheetah catch its target? Alligators and humans coexist in this high-end golf course On the east coast of the US, alligators and humans have learned to co-exist, most dramatically in golf courses. Greatest Standoff: T.rex vs Triceratops Watch as a T.rex and fully-grown Triceratops face off in a brutal stand-off that shakes the earth. Watch water monitor lizards look for food in Bangkok These scavenger lizards have found a way to seek food in an urban metropolis like Bangkok. Even giant dinosaurs have a soft spot Disturbing the sleep of a Spinosaurus is a dangerous move, unless you're his family. Clever baby otter uses rock to open mussel They are one of the few animals to master tool use, and this clever pup needs to learn how in order to be less dependent on its mother. Watch a T. rex ambush a young triceratops Pioneering special effects recreate the heart-stopping escape of an orphaned baby triceratops from a T. rex. More Earth Why encroaching seawater is becoming a global problem From Bangladesh to The Gambia, sea salt is increasingly seeping into the freshwaters people need for drinking and producing food. Trump revokes landmark ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health The White House calls it the largest deregulation in US history, but environmentalists say it will prove costly for Americans. How China became fixated on cloud seeding China hopes to increasingly control when and where it rains. How is it done and does cloud seeding actually work? Are wetter winters in UK and frequent flooding here to stay? Many places across the UK have experienced their wettest January in more than 100 years. More solar farms on the way after record renewables auction The results have been welcomed by climate and clean energy groups but could face opposition from local communities. Businesses face extinction unless they protect nature, major report warns Experts call for urgent action by businesses to restore the natural systems that keep them running. How to get rare earths without mining rock As nations posture over access to rare earth deposits, scientists say these coveted materials are hiding in plain sight – and can be harvested without any conventional mining at all. Why it's becoming harder to be a Winter Olympian A warming climate and the use of artificial snow is making it more dangerous and difficult to compete at the Winter Olympics. The cave expanding our search for alien life In one of the most baffling discoveries of the last decade, scientists have found a clue in a cave to how life might survive in deep space without light. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/audio] | [TOKENS: 1526] |
AudioWorld of Secrets1. Meeting a monsterTwo US Special Agents travel to Amsterdam to meet a prolific paedophile29 minsSaveBest of the weekThe Global StoryWhat ‘looksmaxxing’ tells us about modern masculinitySaveThe InterfaceCan you hack ChatGPT?SaveThe InterviewGisèle Pelicot: Shame must be carried by the accused, not the victimsSaveThe Documentary PodcastBridgerton: Behind the scenesSaveYou're Dead to MePhilippe, Duc d’Orléans: in the shadow of the Sun KingSaveBusiness DailyIs AI about to transform food production?SaveLady Killers with Lucy Worsley59. 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Trump attacks the Supreme Court over tariff banSaveNewshourPolice search house linked to UK ex-princeSaveGlobal News PodcastUS Supreme Court rules against Trump's global tariffsSaveWorld Business ReportUS Supreme Court strikes down Trump tariffsSaveWorld ServiceNews & views from the BBC's international radio station.ScheduleRadio 4Inquisitive speech radio to make sense of your world.ScheduleHistoryWitness HistoryThe playboy spy who inspired James BondSaveWitness History'I taught the Dalai Lama'SaveWitness HistoryToxic shock syndrome and tampon safetySaveWitness HistoryWorld War Two’s Shetland BusSaveWitness HistoryThe flooding of FlorenceSaveWitness HistoryGina Lollobrigida interviews Fidel CastroSaveWitness HistoryWhen Pink Floyd played in VeniceSaveWitness HistoryThe discovery of nerve growth factorSaveWitness HistoryMy dad created Mr Men and Little MissSaveWitness HistoryAustria's wine scandalSaveSportNot by the PlaybookWhen sport leads somewhere newSaveTest Match SpecialGayle’s Gangnam style as Windies win 2012 T20SaveMore than the ScoreHow Italy's men changed their Six Nations narrativeSaveFootball DailyThe Commentators' View: Arsenal’s wobble & ‘in the hat’SaveFootball DailyMichael Carrick - The Football InterviewSaveThe Wayne Rooney ShowRooney Reviews: Man City - Why I Want Pep to STAY & Are They Title FAVOURITES?SaveRugby Union WeeklySix Nations: Itoje the England centurionSaveMore than the ScoreWhat draws Sweden's footballers to England's WSL?SaveTest Match SpecialBehind the scenes at a World CupSaveRugby Union WeeklySix Nations: All about Ireland with Conor MurraySaveInterviewsThe InterviewMajid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister: US giving conflicting signalsSaveThe InterviewJonathan Haidt, social psychologist: We're at a tipping point for kids and technologySaveThe InterviewDame Sarah Mulally, Archbishop of Canterbury: Working in partnership with othersSaveThe InterviewAzar Nafisi, author: Iranians are fighting for their freedomSaveThe InterviewDr Aaron Motsoaledi, South African health minister: The fight against HIV/AIDS continues.SaveThe InterviewHenrique Capriles, Venezuelan opposition leader: What comes next for Venezuela?SaveThe InterviewJulie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner: Keep kids away from social media until they are readySaveThe InterviewHind Kabawat, Syrian Minister: It is hard to be the only woman, I feel lonelySaveThe InterviewVitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv: We're fighting to surviveSaveThe InterviewHelen Thompson, professor of political economy: A new era of global power politicsSaveExplore by categoryBusinessComedyHistoryNewsScience and healthSociety and cultureSportTrue crime Audio 1. Meeting a monster Best of the week The Global Story What ‘looksmaxxing’ tells us about modern masculinity The Interface Can you hack ChatGPT? The Interview Gisèle Pelicot: Shame must be carried by the accused, not the victims The Documentary Podcast Bridgerton: Behind the scenes You're Dead to Me Philippe, Duc d’Orléans: in the shadow of the Sun King Business Daily Is AI about to transform food production? Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley 59. Kitty Newton - Killer Daughter Witness History The photo which symbolised Argentina’s resistance Trump lashes out at 'disappointing' Supreme Court ruling Global News World Business Report Trump announces new 10% global tariff after Supreme Court ruling World Business Report Trump announces new 10% global tariff after Supreme Court ruling Newshour US Supreme Court rules against many of Trump's tariffs World Business Report Trump announces new 10% global tariff after Supreme Court ruling Americast Trump's Tariffs... Trump attacks the Supreme Court over tariff ban Newshour Police search house linked to UK ex-prince Global News Podcast US Supreme Court rules against Trump's global tariffs World Business Report US Supreme Court strikes down Trump tariffs World Service Radio 4 History Witness History The playboy spy who inspired James Bond Witness History 'I taught the Dalai Lama' Witness History Toxic shock syndrome and tampon safety Witness History World War Two’s Shetland Bus Witness History The flooding of Florence Witness History Gina Lollobrigida interviews Fidel Castro Witness History When Pink Floyd played in Venice Witness History The discovery of nerve growth factor Witness History My dad created Mr Men and Little Miss Witness History Austria's wine scandal Sport Not by the Playbook When sport leads somewhere new Test Match Special Gayle’s Gangnam style as Windies win 2012 T20 More than the Score How Italy's men changed their Six Nations narrative Football Daily The Commentators' View: Arsenal’s wobble & ‘in the hat’ Football Daily Michael Carrick - The Football Interview The Wayne Rooney Show Rooney Reviews: Man City - Why I Want Pep to STAY & Are They Title FAVOURITES? 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The Interview Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner: Keep kids away from social media until they are ready The Interview Hind Kabawat, Syrian Minister: It is hard to be the only woman, I feel lonely The Interview Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv: We're fighting to survive The Interview Helen Thompson, professor of political economy: A new era of global power politics Explore by category Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus_Persson#Early_life] | [TOKENS: 3525] |
Contents Markus Persson Markus Alexej Persson (/ˈpɪərsən/ ⓘ PEER-sən, Swedish: [ˈmǎrːkɵs ˈpæ̌ːʂɔn] ⓘ; born 1 June 1979), known by the pseudonym Notch, is a Swedish video game programmer and designer. He is the creator of Minecraft, the best-selling video game in history. He founded the video game development company Mojang Studios in 2009. Persson began developing video games at an early age. His commercial success began after he published an early version of Minecraft in 2009. Prior to the game's official retail release in 2011, it had sold over four million copies. After this point Persson stood down as the lead designer and transferred his creative authority to Jens Bergensten. In September 2014 Persson announced his intention to leave Mojang, and in November of that year the company was sold to Microsoft reportedly for US$2.5 billion, which made him a billionaire. Since 2016 several of Persson's posts on Twitter regarding feminism, race, and transgender rights have caused public controversies. He has been described as "an increasingly polarizing figure, tweeting offensive statements regarding race, the LGBTQ community, gender, and other topics." In an effort to distance itself from Persson, Microsoft removed mentions of his name from Minecraft (excluding one instance in the game's end credits) and did not invite him to the game's tenth anniversary celebration. In 2015 he co-founded a separate game studio called Rubberbrain, which was relaunched in 2024 as Bitshift Entertainment. Early life Markus Alexej Persson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Finnish mother, Ritva, and a Swedish father, Birger, on 1 June 1979. He has one sister. He grew up in Edsbyn until he was seven years old, when his family moved back to Stockholm. In Edsbyn, Persson's father worked for the railroad, and his mother was a nurse. He spent much time outdoors in Edsbyn, exploring the woods with his friends. When Persson was about seven years old, his parents divorced, and he and his sister lived with their mother. His father moved to a cabin in the countryside. Persson said in an interview that they experienced food insecurity around once a month. Persson lost contact with his father for several years after the divorce. According to Persson, his father suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and medication abuse, and went to jail for robberies. While his father had somewhat recovered during Persson's early life, his father relapsed, contributing to the divorce. His sister also experimented with drugs and ran away from home. He had gained interest in video games at an early age. His father was "a really big nerd", who built his own modem and taught Persson to use the family's Commodore 128. On it, Persson played bootleg games and loaded in various type-in programs from computer magazines with the help of his sister. The first game he purchased with his own money was The Bard's Tale. He began programming on his father's Commodore 128 home computer at the age of seven. He produced his first game at the age of eight, a text-based adventure game. By 1994 Persson knew he wanted to become a video game developer, but his teachers advised him to study graphic design, which he did from ages 15 to 18. Persson, although introverted, was well-liked by his peers, but after entering secondary school was a "loner" and reportedly had only one friend. He spent most of his spare time with games and programming at home. He managed to reverse-engineer the Doom engine, which he continued to take great pride in as of 2014[update]. He never finished high school, but was reportedly a good student. Career Persson started his career working as a web designer. He later found employment at Game Federation, where he met Rolf Jansson. The pair worked in their spare time to build the 2006 video game Wurm Online. The game was released through a new entity, "Mojang Specifications AB". Persson left the project in late 2007. As Persson wanted to reuse the name "Mojang", Jansson agreed to rename the company to Onetoofree AB. Between 2004 and 2009 Persson worked as a game developer for Midasplayer (later known as King). There, he worked as a programmer, mostly building browser games made in Flash. He later worked as a programmer for jAlbum. Prior to creating Minecraft, Persson developed multiple, small games. He also entered a number of game design competitions and participated in discussions on the TIGSource forums, a web forum for independent game developers. One of Persson's more notable personal projects was called RubyDung, an isometric three-dimensional base-building game like RollerCoaster Tycoon and Dwarf Fortress. While working on RubyDung, Persson experimented with a first-person view mode similar to that found in Dungeon Keeper. However, he felt the graphics were too pixelated and omitted this mode. In 2009 Persson found inspiration in Infiniminer, a block-based open-ended mining game. Infiniminer heavily influenced his future work on RubyDung, and was behind Persson's reasoning for returning the first-person mode, the "blocky" visual style and the block-building fundamentals to the game. RubyDung is the earliest known Minecraft prototype created by Persson. On 17 May 2009 Persson released the original edition (later called "Classic version") of Minecraft on the TIGSource forums. He regularly updated the game based on feedback from TIGSource users. Persson released several new versions of Minecraft throughout 2009 and 2010, going through several phases of development including Survival Test, Indev, and Infdev. On 30 June 2010 Persson released the game's Alpha version. While working on the pre-Alpha version of Minecraft, Persson continued working at jAlbum. In 2010, after the release and subsequent success of Minecraft's Alpha version, Persson moved from a full-time role to a part-time role at jAlbum. He left jAlbum later that same year. In September 2010 Persson travelled to Valve Corporation's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, United States, where he took part in a programming exercise and met Gabe Newell. Persson was subsequently offered a job at Valve, which he turned down in order to continue work on Minecraft. On 20 December 2010 Minecraft moved into its beta phase and began expanding to other platforms, including mobile. In January 2011 Minecraft reached one million registered accounts. Six months afterwards, it reached ten million. The game has sold over four million copies by 7 November 2011. Mojang held the first Minecon from 18 to 19 November 2011 to celebrate its full release, and subsequently made it an annual event. Following this, on 11 December 2011, Persson transferred creative control of Minecraft to Jens Bergensten and began working on another game title, 0x10c, although he reportedly abandoned the project around 2013. In 2013 Mojang recorded revenues of $330 million and profits of $129 million. Persson has stated that, due to the intense media attention and public pressure, he became exhausted with running Minecraft and Mojang. In a September 2014 blog post he shared his realization that he "didn't have the connection to my fans I thought I had", that he had "become a symbol", and that he did not wish to be responsible for Mojang's increasingly large operation. In June 2014 Persson tweeted "Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life? Getting hate for trying to do the right thing is not my gig", reportedly partly as a joke. Persson controlled a 71% stake in Mojang at the time. The offer attracted significant interest from Activision Blizzard, EA, and Microsoft. Forbes later reported that Microsoft wanted to purchase the game as a "tax dodge" to turn their taxable excess liquid cash into other assets. In September 2014 Microsoft agreed to purchase Mojang for $2.5 billion, making Persson a billionaire. He then left the company after the deal was finalised in November. Since leaving Mojang, Persson has worked on several small projects. On 23 June 2014 he founded a company with Porsér called Rubberbrain AB; the company had no games by 2021, despite spending SEK 60 million. The company was relaunched as Bitshift Entertainment, LLC on 28 March 2024. Persson expressed interest in creating a new video game studio in 2020, and in developing virtual reality games. He has also since created a series of narrative-driven immersive events called ".party()", which uses extensive visual effects and has been hosted in multiple cities. At the beginning of 2025 Persson decided to create a spiritual successor to Minecraft, referred to as "Minecraft 2", in response to the results of a poll on X. However, after speaking to his team, he shortly went against this in favour of developing the other choice on his Twitter poll, a roguelike titled Levers and Chests. Games Persson's most popular creation is the survival sandbox game Minecraft, which was first publicly available on 17 May 2009 and fully released on 18 November 2011. Persson left his job as a game developer to work on Minecraft full-time until completion. In early 2011, Mojang AB sold the one millionth copy of the game, several months later their second, and several more their third. Mojang hired several new staff members for the Minecraft team, while Persson passed the lead developer role to Jens Bergensten. He stopped working on Minecraft after a deal with Microsoft to sell Mojang for $2.5 billion. This brought his net worth to US$1.5 billion. Persson and Jakob Porsér came up with the idea for Scrolls including elements from board games and collectible card games. Persson noted that he will not be actively involved in development of the game and that Porsér will be developing it. Persson revealed on his Tumblr blog on 5 August 2011 that he was being sued by a Swedish law firm representing Bethesda Softworks over the trademarked name of Scrolls, claiming that it conflicted with their The Elder Scrolls series of games. On 17 August 2011 Persson challenged Bethesda to a Quake 3 tournament to decide the outcome of the naming dispute. On 27 September 2011 Persson confirmed that the lawsuit was going to court. ZeniMax Media, owner of Bethesda Softworks, announced the lawsuit's settlement in March 2012. The settlement allowed Mojang to continue using the Scrolls trademark. In 2018, Scrolls was made available free of charge and renamed to Caller's Bane. Cliffhorse is a humorous game programmed in two hours using the Unity game engine and free assets. The game took inspiration from Skyrim's physics engine, "the more embarrassing minimum-effort Greenlight games", Goat Simulator, and Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing. The game was released to Microsoft Windows systems as an early access and honourware game on the first day of E3 2014, instructing users to donate Dogecoin to "buy" the game before downloading it. The game accumulated over 280,000 dogecoins. Following the end to his involvement with Minecraft, Persson began pre-production of an alternate reality space game set in the distant future in March 2012. On April Fools' Day Mojang launched a satirical website for Mars Effect (parody of Mass Effect), citing the lawsuit with Bethesda as an inspiration. However, the gameplay elements remained true and on 4 April, Mojang revealed 0x10c (pronounced "Ten to the C") as a space sandbox title. Persson officially halted game production in August 2013. However, C418, the composer of the game's soundtrack (as well as that of Minecraft), released an album of the work he had made for the game. In 2013, Persson made a free game called Shambles in the Unity game engine. Persson has also participated in several Ludum Dare 48-hour game making competitions. Personal life In 2011 Persson married Elin Zetterstrand, whom he had dated for four years before. Zetterstrand was a former moderator on the Minecraft forums. They had a daughter together, but by mid-2012, he began to see little of her. On 15 August 2012 he announced that he and his wife had filed for divorce. The divorce was finalised later that year. On 14 December 2011 Persson's father committed suicide with a handgun after drinking heavily. In an interview with The New Yorker, Persson said of his father: When I decided I wanted to quit my day job and work on my own games, he was the only person who supported my decision. He was proud of me and made sure I knew. When I added the monsters to Minecraft, he told me that the dark caves became too scary for him. But I think that was the only true criticism I ever heard from him. Persson later admitted that he himself suffered from depression and various highs and lows in his mood. Persson has criticised the stance of large game companies on piracy. He once stated that "piracy is not theft", viewing unauthorised downloads as potential future customers. Persson stated himself to be a member of the Pirate Party of Sweden in 2011. He is also a member of Mensa. He has donated to numerous charities, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Under his direction, Mojang spent a week developing Catacomb Snatch for the Humble Indie Bundle and raised US$458,248 for charity. He also donated $250,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation in 2012. In 2011 he gave $3 million in dividends back to Mojang employees. According to Forbes, his net worth in 2023 was around $1.2 billion. In 2014 Persson was one of the biggest taxpayers in Sweden. Around 2014, he lived in a multi-level penthouse in Östermalm, Stockholm, an area he described as "where the rich people live". In December 2014 Persson purchased a home in Trousdale Estates, a neighbourhood in Beverly Hills, California, in the United States, for $70 million, a record sales price for Beverly Hills at the time. Persson reportedly outbid Beyoncé and Jay-Z for the property. Persson began receiving criticism for political and social opinions he expressed on social media as early as 2016. November 30, 2017 In 2017, he proposed a heterosexual pride holiday, and wrote that those who opposed the idea "deserve to be shot." After facing backlash, he deleted the tweets and rescinded his statements, writing, "So yeah, it's about pride of daring to express, not about pride of being who you are. I get it now." Later in the year, he wrote that feminism is a "social disease" and called the video game developer and feminist Zoë Quinn a "cunt", although he was generally critical of the GamerGate movement. He has described intersectional feminism as a "framework for bigotry" and the use of the word mansplaining as being sexist. Also in 2017, Persson tweeted that "It's okay to be white". Later that year, he stated that he believed in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. In 2019, he tweeted referencing QAnon, saying "Q is legit. Don't trust the media." Later in 2019, he tweeted in response to a pro-transgender internet meme that, "You are absolutely evil if you want to encourage delusion. What happened to not stigmatizing mental illness?" He then also promoted claims that people were fined for "using the wrong pronoun". However, after facing backlash, he tweeted a day afterwards that he had "no idea what [being trans is] like of course, but it's inspiring as hell when people open up and choose to actually be who they know themselves as. Not because it's a cool choice, because it's a big step. I gues [sic] that's actually cool nvm". Later that year, Microsoft removed two mentions of Persson's name in the "19w13a" snapshot of Minecraft and did not invite him to the 10-year anniversary celebration of the game. A spokesperson for Microsoft stated that his views "do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang". He is still mentioned in the End Poem ("a flat, infinite world created by a man called Markus").[citation needed] Awards References External links |
======================================== |
[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus_Persson#Career] | [TOKENS: 3525] |
Contents Markus Persson Markus Alexej Persson (/ˈpɪərsən/ ⓘ PEER-sən, Swedish: [ˈmǎrːkɵs ˈpæ̌ːʂɔn] ⓘ; born 1 June 1979), known by the pseudonym Notch, is a Swedish video game programmer and designer. He is the creator of Minecraft, the best-selling video game in history. He founded the video game development company Mojang Studios in 2009. Persson began developing video games at an early age. His commercial success began after he published an early version of Minecraft in 2009. Prior to the game's official retail release in 2011, it had sold over four million copies. After this point Persson stood down as the lead designer and transferred his creative authority to Jens Bergensten. In September 2014 Persson announced his intention to leave Mojang, and in November of that year the company was sold to Microsoft reportedly for US$2.5 billion, which made him a billionaire. Since 2016 several of Persson's posts on Twitter regarding feminism, race, and transgender rights have caused public controversies. He has been described as "an increasingly polarizing figure, tweeting offensive statements regarding race, the LGBTQ community, gender, and other topics." In an effort to distance itself from Persson, Microsoft removed mentions of his name from Minecraft (excluding one instance in the game's end credits) and did not invite him to the game's tenth anniversary celebration. In 2015 he co-founded a separate game studio called Rubberbrain, which was relaunched in 2024 as Bitshift Entertainment. Early life Markus Alexej Persson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Finnish mother, Ritva, and a Swedish father, Birger, on 1 June 1979. He has one sister. He grew up in Edsbyn until he was seven years old, when his family moved back to Stockholm. In Edsbyn, Persson's father worked for the railroad, and his mother was a nurse. He spent much time outdoors in Edsbyn, exploring the woods with his friends. When Persson was about seven years old, his parents divorced, and he and his sister lived with their mother. His father moved to a cabin in the countryside. Persson said in an interview that they experienced food insecurity around once a month. Persson lost contact with his father for several years after the divorce. According to Persson, his father suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and medication abuse, and went to jail for robberies. While his father had somewhat recovered during Persson's early life, his father relapsed, contributing to the divorce. His sister also experimented with drugs and ran away from home. He had gained interest in video games at an early age. His father was "a really big nerd", who built his own modem and taught Persson to use the family's Commodore 128. On it, Persson played bootleg games and loaded in various type-in programs from computer magazines with the help of his sister. The first game he purchased with his own money was The Bard's Tale. He began programming on his father's Commodore 128 home computer at the age of seven. He produced his first game at the age of eight, a text-based adventure game. By 1994 Persson knew he wanted to become a video game developer, but his teachers advised him to study graphic design, which he did from ages 15 to 18. Persson, although introverted, was well-liked by his peers, but after entering secondary school was a "loner" and reportedly had only one friend. He spent most of his spare time with games and programming at home. He managed to reverse-engineer the Doom engine, which he continued to take great pride in as of 2014[update]. He never finished high school, but was reportedly a good student. Career Persson started his career working as a web designer. He later found employment at Game Federation, where he met Rolf Jansson. The pair worked in their spare time to build the 2006 video game Wurm Online. The game was released through a new entity, "Mojang Specifications AB". Persson left the project in late 2007. As Persson wanted to reuse the name "Mojang", Jansson agreed to rename the company to Onetoofree AB. Between 2004 and 2009 Persson worked as a game developer for Midasplayer (later known as King). There, he worked as a programmer, mostly building browser games made in Flash. He later worked as a programmer for jAlbum. Prior to creating Minecraft, Persson developed multiple, small games. He also entered a number of game design competitions and participated in discussions on the TIGSource forums, a web forum for independent game developers. One of Persson's more notable personal projects was called RubyDung, an isometric three-dimensional base-building game like RollerCoaster Tycoon and Dwarf Fortress. While working on RubyDung, Persson experimented with a first-person view mode similar to that found in Dungeon Keeper. However, he felt the graphics were too pixelated and omitted this mode. In 2009 Persson found inspiration in Infiniminer, a block-based open-ended mining game. Infiniminer heavily influenced his future work on RubyDung, and was behind Persson's reasoning for returning the first-person mode, the "blocky" visual style and the block-building fundamentals to the game. RubyDung is the earliest known Minecraft prototype created by Persson. On 17 May 2009 Persson released the original edition (later called "Classic version") of Minecraft on the TIGSource forums. He regularly updated the game based on feedback from TIGSource users. Persson released several new versions of Minecraft throughout 2009 and 2010, going through several phases of development including Survival Test, Indev, and Infdev. On 30 June 2010 Persson released the game's Alpha version. While working on the pre-Alpha version of Minecraft, Persson continued working at jAlbum. In 2010, after the release and subsequent success of Minecraft's Alpha version, Persson moved from a full-time role to a part-time role at jAlbum. He left jAlbum later that same year. In September 2010 Persson travelled to Valve Corporation's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, United States, where he took part in a programming exercise and met Gabe Newell. Persson was subsequently offered a job at Valve, which he turned down in order to continue work on Minecraft. On 20 December 2010 Minecraft moved into its beta phase and began expanding to other platforms, including mobile. In January 2011 Minecraft reached one million registered accounts. Six months afterwards, it reached ten million. The game has sold over four million copies by 7 November 2011. Mojang held the first Minecon from 18 to 19 November 2011 to celebrate its full release, and subsequently made it an annual event. Following this, on 11 December 2011, Persson transferred creative control of Minecraft to Jens Bergensten and began working on another game title, 0x10c, although he reportedly abandoned the project around 2013. In 2013 Mojang recorded revenues of $330 million and profits of $129 million. Persson has stated that, due to the intense media attention and public pressure, he became exhausted with running Minecraft and Mojang. In a September 2014 blog post he shared his realization that he "didn't have the connection to my fans I thought I had", that he had "become a symbol", and that he did not wish to be responsible for Mojang's increasingly large operation. In June 2014 Persson tweeted "Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life? Getting hate for trying to do the right thing is not my gig", reportedly partly as a joke. Persson controlled a 71% stake in Mojang at the time. The offer attracted significant interest from Activision Blizzard, EA, and Microsoft. Forbes later reported that Microsoft wanted to purchase the game as a "tax dodge" to turn their taxable excess liquid cash into other assets. In September 2014 Microsoft agreed to purchase Mojang for $2.5 billion, making Persson a billionaire. He then left the company after the deal was finalised in November. Since leaving Mojang, Persson has worked on several small projects. On 23 June 2014 he founded a company with Porsér called Rubberbrain AB; the company had no games by 2021, despite spending SEK 60 million. The company was relaunched as Bitshift Entertainment, LLC on 28 March 2024. Persson expressed interest in creating a new video game studio in 2020, and in developing virtual reality games. He has also since created a series of narrative-driven immersive events called ".party()", which uses extensive visual effects and has been hosted in multiple cities. At the beginning of 2025 Persson decided to create a spiritual successor to Minecraft, referred to as "Minecraft 2", in response to the results of a poll on X. However, after speaking to his team, he shortly went against this in favour of developing the other choice on his Twitter poll, a roguelike titled Levers and Chests. Games Persson's most popular creation is the survival sandbox game Minecraft, which was first publicly available on 17 May 2009 and fully released on 18 November 2011. Persson left his job as a game developer to work on Minecraft full-time until completion. In early 2011, Mojang AB sold the one millionth copy of the game, several months later their second, and several more their third. Mojang hired several new staff members for the Minecraft team, while Persson passed the lead developer role to Jens Bergensten. He stopped working on Minecraft after a deal with Microsoft to sell Mojang for $2.5 billion. This brought his net worth to US$1.5 billion. Persson and Jakob Porsér came up with the idea for Scrolls including elements from board games and collectible card games. Persson noted that he will not be actively involved in development of the game and that Porsér will be developing it. Persson revealed on his Tumblr blog on 5 August 2011 that he was being sued by a Swedish law firm representing Bethesda Softworks over the trademarked name of Scrolls, claiming that it conflicted with their The Elder Scrolls series of games. On 17 August 2011 Persson challenged Bethesda to a Quake 3 tournament to decide the outcome of the naming dispute. On 27 September 2011 Persson confirmed that the lawsuit was going to court. ZeniMax Media, owner of Bethesda Softworks, announced the lawsuit's settlement in March 2012. The settlement allowed Mojang to continue using the Scrolls trademark. In 2018, Scrolls was made available free of charge and renamed to Caller's Bane. Cliffhorse is a humorous game programmed in two hours using the Unity game engine and free assets. The game took inspiration from Skyrim's physics engine, "the more embarrassing minimum-effort Greenlight games", Goat Simulator, and Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing. The game was released to Microsoft Windows systems as an early access and honourware game on the first day of E3 2014, instructing users to donate Dogecoin to "buy" the game before downloading it. The game accumulated over 280,000 dogecoins. Following the end to his involvement with Minecraft, Persson began pre-production of an alternate reality space game set in the distant future in March 2012. On April Fools' Day Mojang launched a satirical website for Mars Effect (parody of Mass Effect), citing the lawsuit with Bethesda as an inspiration. However, the gameplay elements remained true and on 4 April, Mojang revealed 0x10c (pronounced "Ten to the C") as a space sandbox title. Persson officially halted game production in August 2013. However, C418, the composer of the game's soundtrack (as well as that of Minecraft), released an album of the work he had made for the game. In 2013, Persson made a free game called Shambles in the Unity game engine. Persson has also participated in several Ludum Dare 48-hour game making competitions. Personal life In 2011 Persson married Elin Zetterstrand, whom he had dated for four years before. Zetterstrand was a former moderator on the Minecraft forums. They had a daughter together, but by mid-2012, he began to see little of her. On 15 August 2012 he announced that he and his wife had filed for divorce. The divorce was finalised later that year. On 14 December 2011 Persson's father committed suicide with a handgun after drinking heavily. In an interview with The New Yorker, Persson said of his father: When I decided I wanted to quit my day job and work on my own games, he was the only person who supported my decision. He was proud of me and made sure I knew. When I added the monsters to Minecraft, he told me that the dark caves became too scary for him. But I think that was the only true criticism I ever heard from him. Persson later admitted that he himself suffered from depression and various highs and lows in his mood. Persson has criticised the stance of large game companies on piracy. He once stated that "piracy is not theft", viewing unauthorised downloads as potential future customers. Persson stated himself to be a member of the Pirate Party of Sweden in 2011. He is also a member of Mensa. He has donated to numerous charities, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Under his direction, Mojang spent a week developing Catacomb Snatch for the Humble Indie Bundle and raised US$458,248 for charity. He also donated $250,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation in 2012. In 2011 he gave $3 million in dividends back to Mojang employees. According to Forbes, his net worth in 2023 was around $1.2 billion. In 2014 Persson was one of the biggest taxpayers in Sweden. Around 2014, he lived in a multi-level penthouse in Östermalm, Stockholm, an area he described as "where the rich people live". In December 2014 Persson purchased a home in Trousdale Estates, a neighbourhood in Beverly Hills, California, in the United States, for $70 million, a record sales price for Beverly Hills at the time. Persson reportedly outbid Beyoncé and Jay-Z for the property. Persson began receiving criticism for political and social opinions he expressed on social media as early as 2016. November 30, 2017 In 2017, he proposed a heterosexual pride holiday, and wrote that those who opposed the idea "deserve to be shot." After facing backlash, he deleted the tweets and rescinded his statements, writing, "So yeah, it's about pride of daring to express, not about pride of being who you are. I get it now." Later in the year, he wrote that feminism is a "social disease" and called the video game developer and feminist Zoë Quinn a "cunt", although he was generally critical of the GamerGate movement. He has described intersectional feminism as a "framework for bigotry" and the use of the word mansplaining as being sexist. Also in 2017, Persson tweeted that "It's okay to be white". Later that year, he stated that he believed in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. In 2019, he tweeted referencing QAnon, saying "Q is legit. Don't trust the media." Later in 2019, he tweeted in response to a pro-transgender internet meme that, "You are absolutely evil if you want to encourage delusion. What happened to not stigmatizing mental illness?" He then also promoted claims that people were fined for "using the wrong pronoun". However, after facing backlash, he tweeted a day afterwards that he had "no idea what [being trans is] like of course, but it's inspiring as hell when people open up and choose to actually be who they know themselves as. Not because it's a cool choice, because it's a big step. I gues [sic] that's actually cool nvm". Later that year, Microsoft removed two mentions of Persson's name in the "19w13a" snapshot of Minecraft and did not invite him to the 10-year anniversary celebration of the game. A spokesperson for Microsoft stated that his views "do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang". He is still mentioned in the End Poem ("a flat, infinite world created by a man called Markus").[citation needed] Awards References External links |
======================================== |
[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus_Persson#Minecraft] | [TOKENS: 3525] |
Contents Markus Persson Markus Alexej Persson (/ˈpɪərsən/ ⓘ PEER-sən, Swedish: [ˈmǎrːkɵs ˈpæ̌ːʂɔn] ⓘ; born 1 June 1979), known by the pseudonym Notch, is a Swedish video game programmer and designer. He is the creator of Minecraft, the best-selling video game in history. He founded the video game development company Mojang Studios in 2009. Persson began developing video games at an early age. His commercial success began after he published an early version of Minecraft in 2009. Prior to the game's official retail release in 2011, it had sold over four million copies. After this point Persson stood down as the lead designer and transferred his creative authority to Jens Bergensten. In September 2014 Persson announced his intention to leave Mojang, and in November of that year the company was sold to Microsoft reportedly for US$2.5 billion, which made him a billionaire. Since 2016 several of Persson's posts on Twitter regarding feminism, race, and transgender rights have caused public controversies. He has been described as "an increasingly polarizing figure, tweeting offensive statements regarding race, the LGBTQ community, gender, and other topics." In an effort to distance itself from Persson, Microsoft removed mentions of his name from Minecraft (excluding one instance in the game's end credits) and did not invite him to the game's tenth anniversary celebration. In 2015 he co-founded a separate game studio called Rubberbrain, which was relaunched in 2024 as Bitshift Entertainment. Early life Markus Alexej Persson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Finnish mother, Ritva, and a Swedish father, Birger, on 1 June 1979. He has one sister. He grew up in Edsbyn until he was seven years old, when his family moved back to Stockholm. In Edsbyn, Persson's father worked for the railroad, and his mother was a nurse. He spent much time outdoors in Edsbyn, exploring the woods with his friends. When Persson was about seven years old, his parents divorced, and he and his sister lived with their mother. His father moved to a cabin in the countryside. Persson said in an interview that they experienced food insecurity around once a month. Persson lost contact with his father for several years after the divorce. According to Persson, his father suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and medication abuse, and went to jail for robberies. While his father had somewhat recovered during Persson's early life, his father relapsed, contributing to the divorce. His sister also experimented with drugs and ran away from home. He had gained interest in video games at an early age. His father was "a really big nerd", who built his own modem and taught Persson to use the family's Commodore 128. On it, Persson played bootleg games and loaded in various type-in programs from computer magazines with the help of his sister. The first game he purchased with his own money was The Bard's Tale. He began programming on his father's Commodore 128 home computer at the age of seven. He produced his first game at the age of eight, a text-based adventure game. By 1994 Persson knew he wanted to become a video game developer, but his teachers advised him to study graphic design, which he did from ages 15 to 18. Persson, although introverted, was well-liked by his peers, but after entering secondary school was a "loner" and reportedly had only one friend. He spent most of his spare time with games and programming at home. He managed to reverse-engineer the Doom engine, which he continued to take great pride in as of 2014[update]. He never finished high school, but was reportedly a good student. Career Persson started his career working as a web designer. He later found employment at Game Federation, where he met Rolf Jansson. The pair worked in their spare time to build the 2006 video game Wurm Online. The game was released through a new entity, "Mojang Specifications AB". Persson left the project in late 2007. As Persson wanted to reuse the name "Mojang", Jansson agreed to rename the company to Onetoofree AB. Between 2004 and 2009 Persson worked as a game developer for Midasplayer (later known as King). There, he worked as a programmer, mostly building browser games made in Flash. He later worked as a programmer for jAlbum. Prior to creating Minecraft, Persson developed multiple, small games. He also entered a number of game design competitions and participated in discussions on the TIGSource forums, a web forum for independent game developers. One of Persson's more notable personal projects was called RubyDung, an isometric three-dimensional base-building game like RollerCoaster Tycoon and Dwarf Fortress. While working on RubyDung, Persson experimented with a first-person view mode similar to that found in Dungeon Keeper. However, he felt the graphics were too pixelated and omitted this mode. In 2009 Persson found inspiration in Infiniminer, a block-based open-ended mining game. Infiniminer heavily influenced his future work on RubyDung, and was behind Persson's reasoning for returning the first-person mode, the "blocky" visual style and the block-building fundamentals to the game. RubyDung is the earliest known Minecraft prototype created by Persson. On 17 May 2009 Persson released the original edition (later called "Classic version") of Minecraft on the TIGSource forums. He regularly updated the game based on feedback from TIGSource users. Persson released several new versions of Minecraft throughout 2009 and 2010, going through several phases of development including Survival Test, Indev, and Infdev. On 30 June 2010 Persson released the game's Alpha version. While working on the pre-Alpha version of Minecraft, Persson continued working at jAlbum. In 2010, after the release and subsequent success of Minecraft's Alpha version, Persson moved from a full-time role to a part-time role at jAlbum. He left jAlbum later that same year. In September 2010 Persson travelled to Valve Corporation's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, United States, where he took part in a programming exercise and met Gabe Newell. Persson was subsequently offered a job at Valve, which he turned down in order to continue work on Minecraft. On 20 December 2010 Minecraft moved into its beta phase and began expanding to other platforms, including mobile. In January 2011 Minecraft reached one million registered accounts. Six months afterwards, it reached ten million. The game has sold over four million copies by 7 November 2011. Mojang held the first Minecon from 18 to 19 November 2011 to celebrate its full release, and subsequently made it an annual event. Following this, on 11 December 2011, Persson transferred creative control of Minecraft to Jens Bergensten and began working on another game title, 0x10c, although he reportedly abandoned the project around 2013. In 2013 Mojang recorded revenues of $330 million and profits of $129 million. Persson has stated that, due to the intense media attention and public pressure, he became exhausted with running Minecraft and Mojang. In a September 2014 blog post he shared his realization that he "didn't have the connection to my fans I thought I had", that he had "become a symbol", and that he did not wish to be responsible for Mojang's increasingly large operation. In June 2014 Persson tweeted "Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life? Getting hate for trying to do the right thing is not my gig", reportedly partly as a joke. Persson controlled a 71% stake in Mojang at the time. The offer attracted significant interest from Activision Blizzard, EA, and Microsoft. Forbes later reported that Microsoft wanted to purchase the game as a "tax dodge" to turn their taxable excess liquid cash into other assets. In September 2014 Microsoft agreed to purchase Mojang for $2.5 billion, making Persson a billionaire. He then left the company after the deal was finalised in November. Since leaving Mojang, Persson has worked on several small projects. On 23 June 2014 he founded a company with Porsér called Rubberbrain AB; the company had no games by 2021, despite spending SEK 60 million. The company was relaunched as Bitshift Entertainment, LLC on 28 March 2024. Persson expressed interest in creating a new video game studio in 2020, and in developing virtual reality games. He has also since created a series of narrative-driven immersive events called ".party()", which uses extensive visual effects and has been hosted in multiple cities. At the beginning of 2025 Persson decided to create a spiritual successor to Minecraft, referred to as "Minecraft 2", in response to the results of a poll on X. However, after speaking to his team, he shortly went against this in favour of developing the other choice on his Twitter poll, a roguelike titled Levers and Chests. Games Persson's most popular creation is the survival sandbox game Minecraft, which was first publicly available on 17 May 2009 and fully released on 18 November 2011. Persson left his job as a game developer to work on Minecraft full-time until completion. In early 2011, Mojang AB sold the one millionth copy of the game, several months later their second, and several more their third. Mojang hired several new staff members for the Minecraft team, while Persson passed the lead developer role to Jens Bergensten. He stopped working on Minecraft after a deal with Microsoft to sell Mojang for $2.5 billion. This brought his net worth to US$1.5 billion. Persson and Jakob Porsér came up with the idea for Scrolls including elements from board games and collectible card games. Persson noted that he will not be actively involved in development of the game and that Porsér will be developing it. Persson revealed on his Tumblr blog on 5 August 2011 that he was being sued by a Swedish law firm representing Bethesda Softworks over the trademarked name of Scrolls, claiming that it conflicted with their The Elder Scrolls series of games. On 17 August 2011 Persson challenged Bethesda to a Quake 3 tournament to decide the outcome of the naming dispute. On 27 September 2011 Persson confirmed that the lawsuit was going to court. ZeniMax Media, owner of Bethesda Softworks, announced the lawsuit's settlement in March 2012. The settlement allowed Mojang to continue using the Scrolls trademark. In 2018, Scrolls was made available free of charge and renamed to Caller's Bane. Cliffhorse is a humorous game programmed in two hours using the Unity game engine and free assets. The game took inspiration from Skyrim's physics engine, "the more embarrassing minimum-effort Greenlight games", Goat Simulator, and Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing. The game was released to Microsoft Windows systems as an early access and honourware game on the first day of E3 2014, instructing users to donate Dogecoin to "buy" the game before downloading it. The game accumulated over 280,000 dogecoins. Following the end to his involvement with Minecraft, Persson began pre-production of an alternate reality space game set in the distant future in March 2012. On April Fools' Day Mojang launched a satirical website for Mars Effect (parody of Mass Effect), citing the lawsuit with Bethesda as an inspiration. However, the gameplay elements remained true and on 4 April, Mojang revealed 0x10c (pronounced "Ten to the C") as a space sandbox title. Persson officially halted game production in August 2013. However, C418, the composer of the game's soundtrack (as well as that of Minecraft), released an album of the work he had made for the game. In 2013, Persson made a free game called Shambles in the Unity game engine. Persson has also participated in several Ludum Dare 48-hour game making competitions. Personal life In 2011 Persson married Elin Zetterstrand, whom he had dated for four years before. Zetterstrand was a former moderator on the Minecraft forums. They had a daughter together, but by mid-2012, he began to see little of her. On 15 August 2012 he announced that he and his wife had filed for divorce. The divorce was finalised later that year. On 14 December 2011 Persson's father committed suicide with a handgun after drinking heavily. In an interview with The New Yorker, Persson said of his father: When I decided I wanted to quit my day job and work on my own games, he was the only person who supported my decision. He was proud of me and made sure I knew. When I added the monsters to Minecraft, he told me that the dark caves became too scary for him. But I think that was the only true criticism I ever heard from him. Persson later admitted that he himself suffered from depression and various highs and lows in his mood. Persson has criticised the stance of large game companies on piracy. He once stated that "piracy is not theft", viewing unauthorised downloads as potential future customers. Persson stated himself to be a member of the Pirate Party of Sweden in 2011. He is also a member of Mensa. He has donated to numerous charities, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Under his direction, Mojang spent a week developing Catacomb Snatch for the Humble Indie Bundle and raised US$458,248 for charity. He also donated $250,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation in 2012. In 2011 he gave $3 million in dividends back to Mojang employees. According to Forbes, his net worth in 2023 was around $1.2 billion. In 2014 Persson was one of the biggest taxpayers in Sweden. Around 2014, he lived in a multi-level penthouse in Östermalm, Stockholm, an area he described as "where the rich people live". In December 2014 Persson purchased a home in Trousdale Estates, a neighbourhood in Beverly Hills, California, in the United States, for $70 million, a record sales price for Beverly Hills at the time. Persson reportedly outbid Beyoncé and Jay-Z for the property. Persson began receiving criticism for political and social opinions he expressed on social media as early as 2016. November 30, 2017 In 2017, he proposed a heterosexual pride holiday, and wrote that those who opposed the idea "deserve to be shot." After facing backlash, he deleted the tweets and rescinded his statements, writing, "So yeah, it's about pride of daring to express, not about pride of being who you are. I get it now." Later in the year, he wrote that feminism is a "social disease" and called the video game developer and feminist Zoë Quinn a "cunt", although he was generally critical of the GamerGate movement. He has described intersectional feminism as a "framework for bigotry" and the use of the word mansplaining as being sexist. Also in 2017, Persson tweeted that "It's okay to be white". Later that year, he stated that he believed in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. In 2019, he tweeted referencing QAnon, saying "Q is legit. Don't trust the media." Later in 2019, he tweeted in response to a pro-transgender internet meme that, "You are absolutely evil if you want to encourage delusion. What happened to not stigmatizing mental illness?" He then also promoted claims that people were fined for "using the wrong pronoun". However, after facing backlash, he tweeted a day afterwards that he had "no idea what [being trans is] like of course, but it's inspiring as hell when people open up and choose to actually be who they know themselves as. Not because it's a cool choice, because it's a big step. I gues [sic] that's actually cool nvm". Later that year, Microsoft removed two mentions of Persson's name in the "19w13a" snapshot of Minecraft and did not invite him to the 10-year anniversary celebration of the game. A spokesperson for Microsoft stated that his views "do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang". He is still mentioned in the End Poem ("a flat, infinite world created by a man called Markus").[citation needed] Awards References External links |
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[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus_Persson#Inspiration_for_Minecraft] | [TOKENS: 3525] |
Contents Markus Persson Markus Alexej Persson (/ˈpɪərsən/ ⓘ PEER-sən, Swedish: [ˈmǎrːkɵs ˈpæ̌ːʂɔn] ⓘ; born 1 June 1979), known by the pseudonym Notch, is a Swedish video game programmer and designer. He is the creator of Minecraft, the best-selling video game in history. He founded the video game development company Mojang Studios in 2009. Persson began developing video games at an early age. His commercial success began after he published an early version of Minecraft in 2009. Prior to the game's official retail release in 2011, it had sold over four million copies. After this point Persson stood down as the lead designer and transferred his creative authority to Jens Bergensten. In September 2014 Persson announced his intention to leave Mojang, and in November of that year the company was sold to Microsoft reportedly for US$2.5 billion, which made him a billionaire. Since 2016 several of Persson's posts on Twitter regarding feminism, race, and transgender rights have caused public controversies. He has been described as "an increasingly polarizing figure, tweeting offensive statements regarding race, the LGBTQ community, gender, and other topics." In an effort to distance itself from Persson, Microsoft removed mentions of his name from Minecraft (excluding one instance in the game's end credits) and did not invite him to the game's tenth anniversary celebration. In 2015 he co-founded a separate game studio called Rubberbrain, which was relaunched in 2024 as Bitshift Entertainment. Early life Markus Alexej Persson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Finnish mother, Ritva, and a Swedish father, Birger, on 1 June 1979. He has one sister. He grew up in Edsbyn until he was seven years old, when his family moved back to Stockholm. In Edsbyn, Persson's father worked for the railroad, and his mother was a nurse. He spent much time outdoors in Edsbyn, exploring the woods with his friends. When Persson was about seven years old, his parents divorced, and he and his sister lived with their mother. His father moved to a cabin in the countryside. Persson said in an interview that they experienced food insecurity around once a month. Persson lost contact with his father for several years after the divorce. According to Persson, his father suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and medication abuse, and went to jail for robberies. While his father had somewhat recovered during Persson's early life, his father relapsed, contributing to the divorce. His sister also experimented with drugs and ran away from home. He had gained interest in video games at an early age. His father was "a really big nerd", who built his own modem and taught Persson to use the family's Commodore 128. On it, Persson played bootleg games and loaded in various type-in programs from computer magazines with the help of his sister. The first game he purchased with his own money was The Bard's Tale. He began programming on his father's Commodore 128 home computer at the age of seven. He produced his first game at the age of eight, a text-based adventure game. By 1994 Persson knew he wanted to become a video game developer, but his teachers advised him to study graphic design, which he did from ages 15 to 18. Persson, although introverted, was well-liked by his peers, but after entering secondary school was a "loner" and reportedly had only one friend. He spent most of his spare time with games and programming at home. He managed to reverse-engineer the Doom engine, which he continued to take great pride in as of 2014[update]. He never finished high school, but was reportedly a good student. Career Persson started his career working as a web designer. He later found employment at Game Federation, where he met Rolf Jansson. The pair worked in their spare time to build the 2006 video game Wurm Online. The game was released through a new entity, "Mojang Specifications AB". Persson left the project in late 2007. As Persson wanted to reuse the name "Mojang", Jansson agreed to rename the company to Onetoofree AB. Between 2004 and 2009 Persson worked as a game developer for Midasplayer (later known as King). There, he worked as a programmer, mostly building browser games made in Flash. He later worked as a programmer for jAlbum. Prior to creating Minecraft, Persson developed multiple, small games. He also entered a number of game design competitions and participated in discussions on the TIGSource forums, a web forum for independent game developers. One of Persson's more notable personal projects was called RubyDung, an isometric three-dimensional base-building game like RollerCoaster Tycoon and Dwarf Fortress. While working on RubyDung, Persson experimented with a first-person view mode similar to that found in Dungeon Keeper. However, he felt the graphics were too pixelated and omitted this mode. In 2009 Persson found inspiration in Infiniminer, a block-based open-ended mining game. Infiniminer heavily influenced his future work on RubyDung, and was behind Persson's reasoning for returning the first-person mode, the "blocky" visual style and the block-building fundamentals to the game. RubyDung is the earliest known Minecraft prototype created by Persson. On 17 May 2009 Persson released the original edition (later called "Classic version") of Minecraft on the TIGSource forums. He regularly updated the game based on feedback from TIGSource users. Persson released several new versions of Minecraft throughout 2009 and 2010, going through several phases of development including Survival Test, Indev, and Infdev. On 30 June 2010 Persson released the game's Alpha version. While working on the pre-Alpha version of Minecraft, Persson continued working at jAlbum. In 2010, after the release and subsequent success of Minecraft's Alpha version, Persson moved from a full-time role to a part-time role at jAlbum. He left jAlbum later that same year. In September 2010 Persson travelled to Valve Corporation's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, United States, where he took part in a programming exercise and met Gabe Newell. Persson was subsequently offered a job at Valve, which he turned down in order to continue work on Minecraft. On 20 December 2010 Minecraft moved into its beta phase and began expanding to other platforms, including mobile. In January 2011 Minecraft reached one million registered accounts. Six months afterwards, it reached ten million. The game has sold over four million copies by 7 November 2011. Mojang held the first Minecon from 18 to 19 November 2011 to celebrate its full release, and subsequently made it an annual event. Following this, on 11 December 2011, Persson transferred creative control of Minecraft to Jens Bergensten and began working on another game title, 0x10c, although he reportedly abandoned the project around 2013. In 2013 Mojang recorded revenues of $330 million and profits of $129 million. Persson has stated that, due to the intense media attention and public pressure, he became exhausted with running Minecraft and Mojang. In a September 2014 blog post he shared his realization that he "didn't have the connection to my fans I thought I had", that he had "become a symbol", and that he did not wish to be responsible for Mojang's increasingly large operation. In June 2014 Persson tweeted "Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life? Getting hate for trying to do the right thing is not my gig", reportedly partly as a joke. Persson controlled a 71% stake in Mojang at the time. The offer attracted significant interest from Activision Blizzard, EA, and Microsoft. Forbes later reported that Microsoft wanted to purchase the game as a "tax dodge" to turn their taxable excess liquid cash into other assets. In September 2014 Microsoft agreed to purchase Mojang for $2.5 billion, making Persson a billionaire. He then left the company after the deal was finalised in November. Since leaving Mojang, Persson has worked on several small projects. On 23 June 2014 he founded a company with Porsér called Rubberbrain AB; the company had no games by 2021, despite spending SEK 60 million. The company was relaunched as Bitshift Entertainment, LLC on 28 March 2024. Persson expressed interest in creating a new video game studio in 2020, and in developing virtual reality games. He has also since created a series of narrative-driven immersive events called ".party()", which uses extensive visual effects and has been hosted in multiple cities. At the beginning of 2025 Persson decided to create a spiritual successor to Minecraft, referred to as "Minecraft 2", in response to the results of a poll on X. However, after speaking to his team, he shortly went against this in favour of developing the other choice on his Twitter poll, a roguelike titled Levers and Chests. Games Persson's most popular creation is the survival sandbox game Minecraft, which was first publicly available on 17 May 2009 and fully released on 18 November 2011. Persson left his job as a game developer to work on Minecraft full-time until completion. In early 2011, Mojang AB sold the one millionth copy of the game, several months later their second, and several more their third. Mojang hired several new staff members for the Minecraft team, while Persson passed the lead developer role to Jens Bergensten. He stopped working on Minecraft after a deal with Microsoft to sell Mojang for $2.5 billion. This brought his net worth to US$1.5 billion. Persson and Jakob Porsér came up with the idea for Scrolls including elements from board games and collectible card games. Persson noted that he will not be actively involved in development of the game and that Porsér will be developing it. Persson revealed on his Tumblr blog on 5 August 2011 that he was being sued by a Swedish law firm representing Bethesda Softworks over the trademarked name of Scrolls, claiming that it conflicted with their The Elder Scrolls series of games. On 17 August 2011 Persson challenged Bethesda to a Quake 3 tournament to decide the outcome of the naming dispute. On 27 September 2011 Persson confirmed that the lawsuit was going to court. ZeniMax Media, owner of Bethesda Softworks, announced the lawsuit's settlement in March 2012. The settlement allowed Mojang to continue using the Scrolls trademark. In 2018, Scrolls was made available free of charge and renamed to Caller's Bane. Cliffhorse is a humorous game programmed in two hours using the Unity game engine and free assets. The game took inspiration from Skyrim's physics engine, "the more embarrassing minimum-effort Greenlight games", Goat Simulator, and Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing. The game was released to Microsoft Windows systems as an early access and honourware game on the first day of E3 2014, instructing users to donate Dogecoin to "buy" the game before downloading it. The game accumulated over 280,000 dogecoins. Following the end to his involvement with Minecraft, Persson began pre-production of an alternate reality space game set in the distant future in March 2012. On April Fools' Day Mojang launched a satirical website for Mars Effect (parody of Mass Effect), citing the lawsuit with Bethesda as an inspiration. However, the gameplay elements remained true and on 4 April, Mojang revealed 0x10c (pronounced "Ten to the C") as a space sandbox title. Persson officially halted game production in August 2013. However, C418, the composer of the game's soundtrack (as well as that of Minecraft), released an album of the work he had made for the game. In 2013, Persson made a free game called Shambles in the Unity game engine. Persson has also participated in several Ludum Dare 48-hour game making competitions. Personal life In 2011 Persson married Elin Zetterstrand, whom he had dated for four years before. Zetterstrand was a former moderator on the Minecraft forums. They had a daughter together, but by mid-2012, he began to see little of her. On 15 August 2012 he announced that he and his wife had filed for divorce. The divorce was finalised later that year. On 14 December 2011 Persson's father committed suicide with a handgun after drinking heavily. In an interview with The New Yorker, Persson said of his father: When I decided I wanted to quit my day job and work on my own games, he was the only person who supported my decision. He was proud of me and made sure I knew. When I added the monsters to Minecraft, he told me that the dark caves became too scary for him. But I think that was the only true criticism I ever heard from him. Persson later admitted that he himself suffered from depression and various highs and lows in his mood. Persson has criticised the stance of large game companies on piracy. He once stated that "piracy is not theft", viewing unauthorised downloads as potential future customers. Persson stated himself to be a member of the Pirate Party of Sweden in 2011. He is also a member of Mensa. He has donated to numerous charities, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Under his direction, Mojang spent a week developing Catacomb Snatch for the Humble Indie Bundle and raised US$458,248 for charity. He also donated $250,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation in 2012. In 2011 he gave $3 million in dividends back to Mojang employees. According to Forbes, his net worth in 2023 was around $1.2 billion. In 2014 Persson was one of the biggest taxpayers in Sweden. Around 2014, he lived in a multi-level penthouse in Östermalm, Stockholm, an area he described as "where the rich people live". In December 2014 Persson purchased a home in Trousdale Estates, a neighbourhood in Beverly Hills, California, in the United States, for $70 million, a record sales price for Beverly Hills at the time. Persson reportedly outbid Beyoncé and Jay-Z for the property. Persson began receiving criticism for political and social opinions he expressed on social media as early as 2016. November 30, 2017 In 2017, he proposed a heterosexual pride holiday, and wrote that those who opposed the idea "deserve to be shot." After facing backlash, he deleted the tweets and rescinded his statements, writing, "So yeah, it's about pride of daring to express, not about pride of being who you are. I get it now." Later in the year, he wrote that feminism is a "social disease" and called the video game developer and feminist Zoë Quinn a "cunt", although he was generally critical of the GamerGate movement. He has described intersectional feminism as a "framework for bigotry" and the use of the word mansplaining as being sexist. Also in 2017, Persson tweeted that "It's okay to be white". Later that year, he stated that he believed in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. In 2019, he tweeted referencing QAnon, saying "Q is legit. Don't trust the media." Later in 2019, he tweeted in response to a pro-transgender internet meme that, "You are absolutely evil if you want to encourage delusion. What happened to not stigmatizing mental illness?" He then also promoted claims that people were fined for "using the wrong pronoun". However, after facing backlash, he tweeted a day afterwards that he had "no idea what [being trans is] like of course, but it's inspiring as hell when people open up and choose to actually be who they know themselves as. Not because it's a cool choice, because it's a big step. I gues [sic] that's actually cool nvm". Later that year, Microsoft removed two mentions of Persson's name in the "19w13a" snapshot of Minecraft and did not invite him to the 10-year anniversary celebration of the game. A spokesperson for Microsoft stated that his views "do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang". He is still mentioned in the End Poem ("a flat, infinite world created by a man called Markus").[citation needed] Awards References External links |
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