[Weeklies] Dolphin Communication, Dyson Spheres & Precognitive Dreams

Welcome to Weeklies, the only weekly news roundup found here at Stranger Dimensions (as far as I know)! This time, we have AI dolphin communication, dyson spheres, and a dishwasher.

What Would You Ask A Dolphin?

Not too long now, and we just might be able to fulfill the lifelong dream of every human: to talk to dolphins. Google has been working in collaboration with the Wild Dolphin Project, and together they’ve created what they call DolphinGemma – an AI-driven dolphin communication system based on their own Gemma Large Language Model. The model was trained on Wild Dolphin Project’s acoustic archive, and will be tested this summer to determine if dolphins do, indeed, have what we’d consider a language.

What might we learn from the dolphins if this works? Maybe just an unexpected So long…?

Beyond De-Extinction

This month’s news of the “world’s first de-extinction” was met with many raised eyebrows. Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi became stars when a biotech company revealed they had modified the gray wolf pups’ DNA to make them more similar to ancient dire wolves. They look white and fluffy, for sure, but is this really a de-extinction? Meghan Rosen of Science News asks the questions. That goes for the same company’s other creation: the Woolly Mouse.

Dyson Spheres and Binary Star Systems

If an advanced extraterrestrial civilization is out there harnessing the power of a Dyson sphere, they’re likely doing so in a binary star system, according to one recent study. Engineer Colin McInnes looked at the practicalities of using such a monstrous energy generator, one that encompasses an entire star and is wildly unstable, and found that having a Dyson sphere in a binary star system might stabalize the gravitational forces involved. Having the Dyson sphere encompass the smaller of two stars in a binary system, while both it and the smaller star orbit the larger one, turns out to be the “most useful configuration.” But in the end, it all seems like kind of a hassle!

Astronomers Confirm Existence Of Lone Black Hole

News out of the Space Telescope Science Institute tells of the very first discovery of a lone black hole. Most black holes are discovered with a companion star, because the light from their star makes them easier to detect. In this case, however, astronomers noticed a dark object moving through Sagittarius, and voila – it’s a lone black hole, measuring about six solar masses!

Top Mushroom and Dishwasher Videos of the Week

Feast your eyes on these two videos of the week: A mushroom “painting” a portrait (it’s actually hooked up to all sorts of electronics that read its bio-electrical signals) and the world’s greatest dishwasher. I wouldn’t stand too close when that thing’s switched on, but it gets the job done. I think.

A Self-Repairing Living Fungus As Build Material?

Speaking of mushrooms, a study in Cell Reports Physical Science shares work on a new type of building material, one that harnesses the power of fungus! Engineers are looking into how to make the material into a “sustainable alternative” to concrete, which would even be able to repair itself.

Can Dreams Predict The Future?

A curious article over at Psychology Today asks why some dreams appear to be precognitive. Can they tell the future? I really hope not! Still, Helen Mario shares a handful of seemingly predictive dreams and extrasensory experiences.

That’s it for this week’s edition of Weeklies. Check the homepage daily for new news, or catch the previous Weeklies for slightly older news! Also follow me on X for the occasional something.