Technologies

Scientists map 17,000-year-old woolly mammoth’s path using its tusk

One ancient male mammoth was quite the vagabond.

We might think of woolly mammoths as giant, lumbering beasts from a disappeared era, but a new study suggests their massive size didn’t stop them from tallying major miles in the frigid north thousands of years ago.

«It’s not clear cut if it was a seasonal migrator, but it coveredsome serious ground,» explains University of Alaska Fairbanks researcherMatthew Wooller, in a statement. «It visitedmany parts of Alaska at some point during its lifetime, which is prettyamazing when you think about how big that area is.»

Wooller led a team using chemical isotope data to map the life journey of a single mammoth that lived over 17,000 years ago. A paper on the findings is the cover story in this week’s issue of the journal Science.

The group of international researchers analyzed isotopic signatures in the male mammoth’s tusk from the elements strontium and oxygen, then cross-referenced that data with maps of isotope variation across Alaska created from analyzing the teeth of small rodents from around the state.

«From the moment they’re born until the day they die, they’ve got adiary and it’s written in their tusks,» said Pat Druckenmiller, apaleontologist and director of the University of Alaska Museum of the North. «MotherNature doesn’t usually offer up such convenient and life-long records ofan individual’s life.»

The ancient dental records show the big old boy lived to be 28 years old and in that time it covered enough of the Alaskan tundra, taiga and mountains to nearly circle the world twice.

This woolly one didn’t exactly have an easy journey, though. The analysis showed an abrupt shift around age 15 that likely means the mammoth was ostracized from its herd, which often happens with contemporary elephants. Later, a spike in nitrogen isotopes during the last winter of the animal’s life suggest it may have starved to death where its remains were eventually recovered above the Brooks Range.

That fate was a sad harbinger for the entire species. The individual mammoth was related to the last group that roamed mainland Alaska, likely outlasted by only a few small groups on northern islands.

The research also has a darkly relevant feel today for extant species in the north like polar bear that are seeing their traditional range dwindle as the Arctic takes on the brunt of global warming.

«The Arctic is seeing a lot of changes now, and we can use the pastto see how the future may play out for species today and in the future,»Wooller said. «Trying to solve this detective story is an example ofhow our planet and ecosystems react in the face of environmentalchange.»

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Smokes, informally
Answer: CIGS

5A clue: «Don’t have ___, man!» (Bart Simpson catchphrase)
Answer: ACOW

6A clue: What the vehicle in «lane one» of this crossword is winning?
Answer: RACE

7A clue: Pitt of Hollywood
Answer: BRAD

8A clue: «Yeah, whatever»
Answer: SURE

9A clue: Rd. crossers
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Things to «load» before a marathon
Answer: CARBS

2D clue: Mythical figure who inspired the idiom «fly too close to the sun»
Answer: ICARUS

3D clue: Zoomer around a small track
Answer: GOCART

4D clue: Neighbors of Norwegians
Answer: SWEDES

Technologies

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Technologies

New California Law Wants Companion Chatbots to Tell Kids to Take Breaks

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new requirements on AI companions into law on Monday.

AI companion chatbots will have to remind users in California that they’re not human under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law, SB 243, also requires companion chatbot companies to maintain protocols for identifying and addressing cases in which users express suicidal ideation or self-harm. For users under 18, chatbots will have to provide a notification at least every three hours that reminds users to take a break and that the bot is not human.

It’s one of several bills Newsom has signed in recent weeks dealing with social media, artificial intelligence and other consumer technology issues. Another bill signed Monday, AB 56, requires warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those required for tobacco products. Last week, Newsom signed measures requiring internet browsers to make it easy for people to tell websites they don’t want them to sell their data and banning loud advertisements on streaming platforms.

AI companion chatbots have drawn particular scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in recent months. The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several companies in response to complaints by consumer groups and parents that the bots were harming children’s mental health. OpenAI introduced new parental controls and other guardrails in its popular ChatGPT platform after the company was sued by parents who allege ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide.

«We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,» Newsom said in a statement.

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One AI companion developer, Replika, told CNET that it already has protocols to detect self-harm as required by the new law, and that it is working with regulators and others to comply with requirements and protect consumers.

«As one of the pioneers in AI companionship, we recognize our profound responsibility to lead on safety,» Replika’s Minju Song said in an emailed statement. Song said Replika uses content-filtering systems, community guidelines and safety systems that refer users to crisis resources when needed.

A Character.ai spokesperson said the company «welcomes working with regulators and lawmakers as they develop regulations and legislation for this emerging space, and will comply with laws, including SB 243.» OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice called the bill a «meaningful move forward» for AI safety. «By setting clear guardrails, California is helping shape a more responsible approach to AI development and deployment across the country,» Radice said in an email.

One bill Newsom has yet to sign, AB 1064, would go further by prohibiting developers from making companion chatbots available to children unless the AI companion is «not foreseeably capable of» encouraging harmful activities or engaging in sexually explicit interactions, among other things.