Nicola Jones

I am quoted in this nice story/explainer about the use, promise and perils of AI in the newsroom. https://www.theopennotebook.com/2025/02/18/key-questions-for-journalists-to-consider-before-using-generative-ai/

Last year, a Chinese expedition brought back samples from the far side of the Moon for the first time. Find out what scientists are learning about the Moon's mysterious history -- including why and how volcanoes managed to stay active for so long on the lunar surface. My story in Knowable https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/physical-world/2025/far-side-of-moon-reveals-dynamic-past-previews-future-exploration 

Can AI write a whole review paper? Maybe. My story for Nature https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00377-9

AI chatbots struggle to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Their 'hallucinations' can't be stopped, but these techniques can help. My feature for Nature https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00068-5

OpenAI made headlines last month when its latest experimental chatbot model, o3, achieved a high score on a test that marks progress towards artificial general intelligence (AGI). OpenAI’s o3 scored 87.5%, trouncing the previous best score for an artificial intelligence (AI) system of 55.5%. So what does this mean? How smart is AI these days, and what are the tests that researchers are developing to measure that? My story for Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00110-6

The ocean is a vast source of potential renewable energy, thanks to ever-moving tides and waves. But harnessing that energy has proven expensive and difficult, with more than a few bankruptcies over the past 20 years of effort. Is that about to change? My story for Yale https://e360.yale.edu/features/wave-tidal-energy   

One of my favourite stories of the year to write is always the 'year in review': it's so satisfying to look over the year and remember all that happened, from the AI energy surge to rocks retrieved from the far side of the Moon, a spike in dengue cases and hope for dementia. Here's hoping I didn't forget anything big :) https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/society/2024/top-scientific-news-and-breakthroughs-of-2024   Image credit: ChatGPT ("draw an illustration that combines visual elements relating to: a fly's brain, moon rocks, hurricanes, aurora, and plastic pollution. Have a river running through the picture to connect these elements.")   PS: TVBUAP, a television channel of a university in Puebla, Mexico, did a 10 minute section on Knowable’s top science stories of 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=ntMnbLGFGjU