Natural History of the Present
Rob Brooks – Evolutionary Biologist & Author
First published in The Conversation under the title Sex bots, virtual friends, VR lovers: tech is changing the way we interact, and not always for the better Twenty-first century technologies such as robots, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are…
Some of the ways AI is hijacking our emotional lives What happens when our evolved human minds and old-fashioned cultures encounter the technologies of the 21st Century? Specifically, I mean virtual reality, robotics, and — most important — artificial intelligence.…
They defy clean distinction but remain worth distinguishing In Australia, when you turn 50, you get a card and a present from the government. Well, the card is actually a letter informing you that you’ve entered a higher risk category…
Teaching writing in a single two-hour tutorial seemed a cushy assignment, even if that tutorial repeated eight times over two days. Until I started giving it some thought. What the hell do you teach a group of bright, ambitious students about writing if you only have a two-hour tutorial period?
Despite awful pop stereotypes about scientists slaving away to uncover monolithic truths about the universe, disagreeing only occasionally when a new theory comes along, reality turns out to be far more complicated. We scientists have to break problems down into smaller parts, dissecting one aspect of the observable world at a time. Occasionally, researchers working on different problems, or coming from different backgrounds, discover just how different they are and just how messy the reality they are observing can be. The encounter often undermines old certainties, and it can leave scars.
My second book is to be published by NewSouth Books (Australia and New Zealand) on 1 May 2021. Columbia University Press are publishing it in the remainder of the English-Speaking World.
Here are some snippets from blurbs and from independent reviews, together with information on places to preorder or buy the book.
by Rob Brooks, UNSW and Khandis R Blake, The University of Melbourne The views of women and men can differ on important gendered issues such as abortion, gender equity and government spending priorities. Surprisingly, however, average differences in sex on…
Sex robots, according to breathless media reports, are coming. Or, if not, then they are certainly on their way. Robotic androids and gynoids, animated by the 21st Century sorcery of artificial intelligence, stand ready to slide between the sheets and make themselves…
Over the last few months I have tried something new: writing advice. Now as you know, the worst kind of vice is advice, but fools rush in where the Devil (in the guise of John Milton) feared to tread. Enough…
Evidence that quitting Facebook for four weeks delivers long-term benefits. This article was originally published on OneZero at Medium. My screen time was up last week. Again. Along with much of humanity, staying home to avoid the coronavirus has me…