African baobab tree blooms at Eden Project
The Eden Project's chief executive Andy Jasper said: "It's incredible to see our African baobab flowering, especially here in the UK."We have five stunning baobabs in our Rainforest Biome, and this particular tree has been with us since the very beginning. "He added: "To witness it bloom as we approach our 25th birthday next year is something truly special to behold."The baobab flowers for a short time and horticulturalists at the eco charity will hand-pollinate the flowers.They hope the plant will produce large velvety fruits which take between four and six months to mature, Mr Jasper said.
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The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Margaret Boden obituary
Margaret Boden, who has died aged 88, explored and extended the philosophy of psychology and artificial intelligence (AI), and led the creation and growth of the School of Cognitive Sciences at the University of Sussex, an interdisciplinary crucible in which the careers of many prominent AI researchers were forged. Central to all Maggie's work was the study of mental phenomena, such as perception, thinking, consciousness and creativity, and how they arise from what are ultimately nothing more than mechanistic interactions – either biochemical interactions within the brain, or binary digits shuffling around the circuits of a computer. She wrote 15 books, co-authored another, and co-edited several collections of essays. Her works have been translated into 20 languages. Her first book, Purposive Explanation in Psychology (1972), was revised and extended from her 1968 Harvard PhD thesis. There she first advanced the novel argument that AI programs could be viewed as a type of theoretical psychology, allowing for the rigorous study of mental processes in abstract non-living systems, with the ultimate aim of revealing principles that could help us better understand mental processing in real living beings. Artificial Intelligence and Natural Man (1977) established her reputation as an authority on AI. It was a 537-page tour-de-force critical review and analysis of pretty much all progress in AI research up to the mid-1970s, presented to the reader in entertaining and accessibly non-technical terms. It is sometimes referred to as the world's first book on AI; the only other book that might contest this claim is Patrick Winston's Artificial Intelligence textbook, published in the same year. In the closing part of her book, Maggie explored the extent to which various types of AI system could be useful to advancing our understanding of human psychology; she discussed the philosophical issues raised by advances in AI, and pondered on the potential societal significance of the increased use of AI technologies in application areas such as education, law and healthcare and in creative acts such as composing music or writing poems – all topics current today. The issue of creativity in living and artificial systems was something that Maggie returned to repeatedly over the course of her career, extending her surveys and constructively critical analyses in books published in 1990, 1994 and 2010, and again in From Fingers to Digits: An Artificial Aesthetic (2019), which she co-authored with the digital artist Ernest Edmonds. Other books include a concise summary of the work of the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1979), several on AI as theoretical psychology and on computer models of mind, The Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence (1990), followed by her edited collection The Philosophy of Artificial Life (1996); and her masterful two-volume set Mind As Machine: A History of Cognitive Science (2006), spanning almost 1,700 pages. As Maggie noted with characteristic candour in the introduction to Mind As Machine, she set out to write it as a historical essay, not as an encyclopedia: it was explicitly offered as her one-person view of cognitive science as a whole. Maggie started her academic career in 1959 as a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Birmingham. After spending 1962-64 in the US as a Harkness fellow at Harvard, she moved to the University of Sussex in 1965 as a lecturer in philosophy and psychology, becoming professor in 1980, a post she held until 2002, when she was appointed research professor of cognitive science, the title she held for the rest of her life. In 1974, Maggie, her philosopher colleague Aaron Sloman, and the computer vision researcher Max Clowes, jointly initiated Sussex's Cognitive Studies Programme (CSP), a radically novel attempt to bring together psychologists, linguists, philosophers and AI researchers, to collectively work on 'the study of mind'. Over time the CSP unit attracted academics who were keen to explore research questions at the outer borders of their fields, where their areas of expertise intersected with other disciplines. By the mid-80s the CSP was widely recognised as one of the two major centres for AI research in the UK (the other was the University of Edinburgh). By then the CSP had grown so large that in 1987 it became the autonomous School of Cognitive Sciences (known internally as 'Cogs'), the first new school at Sussex since its inception, with Maggie as the founding dean. She was determined that the new school would continue the traditions of the CSP, with an inclusive and collaborative community of interdisciplinary scholars. Cogs subsequently absorbed Sussex's Computer Science Department and was renamed the School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences. In 2003, another reorganisation led Cogs to be renamed the Sussex Centre for Cognitive Science, which it remains to this day, as a group of more than 50 academics drawn from across the university's four faculties. Maggie was elected a fellow of the British Academy in 1983, and served as the academy's vice-president during 1989-91; in 1993 she became a fellow of the American Association for AI; in 2001 she was appointed OBE; and in 2017 she received the ACM AAAI Allen Newell award. The University of Cambridge's Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence and the University of Sussex have both established annual lectures in her honour. Born in London, Maggie was the only surviving child of a civil servant, Leonard Boden, and his wife, Violet (nee Dawson), whose first child, Keith, had died as an infant before Maggie was born. From City of London school for girls she went to Newnham College, Cambridge, graduating in 1958 with a prize-winning first-class degree in medical sciences: it was there that her lifelong interest in mind and brain was first sparked. She chose to study at Cambridge rather than Oxford because she preferred the light blue Cambridge colours. In her vacations, she developed a longstanding love for the Cook Islands, and spent six weeks there each year for almost 30 years: she loved the drumming and the dancing, and was for a long time a keen snorkeller. She also became an accomplished scholar of Polynesia. Maggie was brilliant, fearless, iconoclastic, warm and funny, with an unquenchable thirst for conversation and intellectual debate. She almost always dressed in purple, adorned with unusual jewellery, and purple was the predominant colour used in Cogs for brochures, technical reports and official academic gowns. I spent a decade from 1987 in Cogs, joining as a PhD student and ending up as a lecturer. Maggie was immensely supportive. She provided the launchpad, the rocket and the fuel that enabled embryonic academic careers to take off. This, as much as the insightful arguments that she advanced, will be her lasting professional legacy. Maggie married the writer and publisher John Spiers in 1967; they divorced in 1981. She is survived by her son, Ruskin, and daughter, Jehane, and by her grandchildren, Byron, Oscar, Lukas and Alina. Margaret Ann Boden, philosopher, psychologist and cognitive scientist, born 26 November 1936; died 18 July 2025
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
You're washing your socks WRONG: Microbiologist reveals how to clean yours properly – and why you should always IRON them
With so many different chores to keep up with, it can be easy to forget about washing all your odd socks. But scientists say that falling behind on the laundry could lead to more than just smelly feet. Dr Primrose Freestone, a microbiologist from the University of Leicester, warns that your feet are a 'miniature rainforest of bacteria and fungi'. Thankfully, Dr Freestone has revealed the proper method for keeping your socks clean and fresh for as long as possible. Dr Freestone told the Daily Mail that you should use water which is 'at least 60°C (140°F) with an enzyme-based detergent'. Dr Freestone says: 'The enzymes detach the bacteria from the weave of the sock fibres, and the high temperature kills the bacteria and fungi which are adapted to living at human foot temperature. 'If your washing machine cannot manage a 60°C sock-microbe-killing temperature wash, then a hot iron will do the job – especially if the steam function is used. 'This helps the iron heat to penetrate deep into the sock, which will kill any bacteria, verruca virus or athlete's foot fungus.' Even though they stay safely inside our shoes for most of the day, our feet are among the dirtiest places on our bodies. Studies have shown that feet can have anywhere from 10 to 100 million microbial cells living on every square centimetre of skin. This is because our feet are warm, dark, and humid, a combination which helps bacteria thrive. Your feet, especially between the toes, are packed with sweat glands, which keep conditions ideal for microbial growth. To make matters worse, our socks pick up dirt and bacteria from everywhere we go. Socks act as 'microbial sponges' for bacteria, fungi, and fungal spores from soil, water, pet hair, and general dust. In one study, socks had the highest bacterial and fungal counts of any piece of clothing after being worn for just 12 hours. Those microbes collected by your socks then make their homes in the comfortable environment of your feet, where they rapidly multiply. How to wash your socks according to a microbiologist Turn your socks inside out before washing. Use an enzyme-based detergent to break down sweat and skin residue. Wash at least 60°C (140°F). Iron or steam after washing to kill any remaining microbes. 'Feet can be a host for up to 1,000 different bacterial and fungal species, some of which can eat the sweat your feet produce, and their malodorous waste metabolites are what cause smelly feet, socks and shoes,' says Dr Freestone. Those bacteria range from relatively harmless residents to potentially dangerous pathogens such as Aspergillus, Staphylococcus, Candida, Histoplasma and Cryptococcus. Staphylococcus bacteria are the cause of staph skin infections, which cause blisters and painful abscesses. In serious cases, staph infections can even lead to infections such as blood poisoning and toxic shock syndrome. Aspergillus, meanwhile, is a fungus which causes the respiratory condition Aspergillosis, leading to a wheezing cough that may bring up lumps of blood. Once bacteria are growing your socks, they are unlikely to stay put. Studies in hospitals have found that slipper socks worn by patients carried microbes from the floor into beds, including antibiotic-resistant pathogens. However, the biggest infection risk from your socks is from more common skin infections. Dr Freestone says: 'You can pass on infections from dirty socks, such as verrucas, which are caused by the human papillomavirus and are highly contagious, so not washing socks and then walking on floors could infect others with your virus. 'Athlete's foot fungus also lives in socks and can spread via unwashed socks.' In addition to changing your socks every day, Dr Freestone stresses that it is very important to wash socks properly to avoid being exposed to infections. The problem is that regular laundry temperatures between 30-40°C (86-104°F) are well within the limits that microbes on your feet have evolved to survive. 'Washing socks in detergent does help clean them, but I have done lab research which shows that some residual bacteria remain in socks if the wash is not a very hot one,' says Dr Freestone. Washing at higher temperatures or going over your socks with the iron will ensure that no unwanted pathogens survive the wash. Dr Freestone adds: 'My own socks got a hot wash with an antibacterial detergent and follow-on hot ironing, and so are sparkly clean- as are my feet!' Why do towels get so smelly so quickly? Towels are the perfect home for a swarming community of bacteria and fungi. They hold many of the key ingredients for hosting microbial life - water, warm temperatures, oxygen, a neutral pH, and even food in the dead skin people leave behind after a thorough dry. The human body also boasts these ideal living conditions, which is why our bodies are host to trillions of bacteria throughout our lives. As a towel is used to dry the body, microbes sitting on the surface of the skin are deposited onto its damp, warm surface. When we smell towels, we often perceive a musty or sour odour, which is from the waste products deposited by growing communities of mould and bacteria. Don't throw a wet towel into the laundry basket, as the damp and dirt will still be an ideal place for microbes to breed. By the time you get to doing your washing, the towel and the other laundry around it may have acquired a bad smell. And it can be difficult to get your towels smelling fresh again. Instead, put the damp towel straight into the washing machine, or, if it's a while before it's getting laundered, hang it to dry first.
The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
Royal Society right to keep Elon Musk as member, says new astronomer royal
The Royal Society was right to keep Elon Musk as a fellow, the UK's new astronomer royal has said, adding there was a benefit to the private sector playing a role in space exploration. Speaking to the Guardian after becoming the first woman to hold the 350-year-old position, the planetary scientist Prof Michele Dougherty said she had not been involved in the meetings around Musk's fellowship, but that she supported the academy's stance. 'The outcome of those meetings, and I've seen emails about it, is that he remains as a fellow of the Royal Society, because the reason he was given the [fellowship] has not changed,' said Dougherty. Asked if she thought this was the correct outcome, she said: 'Yes, I do.' Musk was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 2018 for his contribution to the space and electric vehicle industries. But over the past year, a host of scientists have called for the Royal Society to take action, saying Musk had violated the academy's code of conduct, including through his former role in leading the US department of government efficiency (Doge). In July the Guardian revealed the Royal Society had corresponded with Musk, suggesting he should consider resigning his fellowship if he felt unable to help with concerns raised by scientists about the Trump administration's attacks on research. Musk did not respond to the suggestion and the Royal Society decided to take no further action. Musk remains active in the space industry: through his company SpaceX, he hopes to colonise Mars, and its spacecraft are already used to take people and cargo to the International Space Station. His fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos is also developing rockets through his Blue Origin company. Dougherty, 62, was upbeat about the role of the private sector in space exploration. 'I think there is some real positive aspects to it, because it allows us to advance the instrumentation and the launches that would be done at a much slower pace if it was only government funding that was doing it,' she said, adding that the UK space sector, and the involvement of new companies, also benefited the economy. 'What I would like to see is a bit more joined up thinking about what the focus should be and where we want to advance things,' she said. 'But you know the launcher that Elon Musk is responsible for, where they grab the rocket fuel engine thingies and reuse them? The hair on my arms stood up on end when I saw that. It's spectacular.' Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion Dougherty said that while Mars was clearly also on the horizon for Nasa and the European Space Agency (Esa), she had never been tempted to head into space herself. 'I've never wanted to be an astronaut. I'm not brave enough,' she said. 'I think if something went wrong, I wouldn't know what to do. For me, the way I like to do my exploration is you send out instruments that are able to take the measurements for you.' Dougherty was involved with the Cassini space mission that revealed unprecedented insights into Saturn and its system. The measurements taken by her magnetometer contributed to the discovery of plumes of water vapour and ice erupting from the surface of the moon Enceladus, raising the possibility it could be habitable. Dougherty is also principal investigator of the magnetometer for the Esa's Juice mission, which is currently on its way to study Jupiter and three of its moons including Europa – a body thought to have an ice-covered ocean of salty water, making it another contender for harbouring life. Dougherty, who grew up in South Africa, said a key realisation about where to look for extraterrestrial life came after bacteria were discovered living in the depths of the Earth's oceans, where the environment is extreme. 'That's the kind of life form that I would be very surprised if we are not able to find elsewhere in our solar system,' she said. 'I'm not going to talk about little green men.' In her new role as astronomer royal, Dougherty said she hoped to share with the public, and particularly children, what scientists do and the excitement of discoveries. 'I see humankind as explorers,' she said. 'I think when we stop exploring, we would have lost a little bit of ourselves.' The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.
