Scientist makes astonishing discovery after observing US-Mexico border wall with motion-sensing cameras: 'Beautiful region'
Much has been reported about the border wall between Mexico and the United States. It is designed to separate the two nations and prevent people from passing between the countries unchecked.
However, a study has outlined the large and unintended consequences of the wall on nature and wildlife in the area.
What's happening?
As Vox detailed, the border wall in the southwest United States covering parts of Arizona and New Mexico also cuts through a swath of rugged natural terrain.
The area is home to a diverse ecosystem of plants and animals that have been heavily impacted by the wall.
Ganesh Marín, who was a doctoral researcher at the University of Arizona, set up 85 motion-sensor cameras in the region. The cameras captured various species, including ocelots, jaguars, beavers, and black bears. All in all, Marín ended up with about 21,000 clips.
Why is this study concerning?
The videos suggest the animals are avoiding the wall as much as possible and changing their behaviors in response. This is frustrating because the animals need to be able to wander the area freely to find water, food, and mates.
Unfortunately, this is not the only way the wall has caused a problem for local wildlife. Last year, when fires swept through parts of Texas, frogs, snakes, and other animals close to the border couldn't escape because they were blocked by a section of the border wall.
Ecosystems are already under threat because of rising global temperatures. According to the United Nations, many animals have already lost their habitats due to changing climates as well as the overdevelopment of land. The border wall only exacerbates an already growing problem.
What's being done to protect wildlife?
One way for people to fight back is to take local action in their own communities to ensure wildlife and ecosystems are protected. Another way is to vote for candidates who recognize the importance of these environmental issues, regardless of their side of the political aisle.
As Marín noted, "Amazing wildlife is present in the borderlands due to the binational efforts to protect and restore the flow of life between both countries. We should not define this beautiful region and the creatures that roam by the existence of an imposed division."
Do you think America is in a housing crisis?
Definitely
Not sure
No way
Only in some cities
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNET
3 hours ago
- CNET
What Is Superintelligence? Everything You Need to Know About AI's Endgame
You've probably chatted with ChatGPT, experimented with Gemini, Claude or Perplexity, or even asked Grok to verify a post on X. These tools are impressive, but they're just the tip of the artificial intelligence iceberg. Lurking beneath is something far bigger that has been all the talk in recent weeks: artificial superintelligence. Some people use the term "superintelligence" interchangeably with artificial general intelligence or sci-fi-level sentience. Others, like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, use it to signal their next big moonshot. ASI has a more specific meaning in AI circles. It refers to an intelligence that doesn't just answer questions but could outthink humans in every field: medicine, physics, strategy, creativity, reasoning, emotional intelligence and more. We're not there yet, but the race has already started. In July, Zuckerberg said during an interview with The Information that his company is chasing "personal superintelligence" to "put the power of AI directly into individuals' hands." Or, in Meta's case, probably in everyone's smart glasses. Scott Stein/CNET That desire kicked off a recruiting spree for top researchers in Silicon Valley and a reshuffling inside Meta's FAIR team (now Meta AI) to push Meta closer to AGI and eventually ASI. So, what exactly is superintelligence, how close are we to it, and should we be excited or terrified? Let's break it down. What is superintelligence? Superintelligence doesn't have a formal definition, but it's generally described as a hypothetical AI system that would outperform humans at every cognitive task. It could process vast amounts of data instantly, reason across domains, learn from mistakes, self-improve, develop new scientific theories, write flawless code, and maybe even make emotional or ethical judgments. The idea became popularized through philosopher Nick Bostrom's 2014 book Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies , which warned of a scenario where an AI bot becomes smarter than humans, self-improves rapidly and then escapes our control. That vision sparked both excitement and fear among tech experts. Speaking to CNET, Bostrom says many of his 2014 warnings "have proven quite prescient." What has surprised him, he says, is "how anthropomorphic current AI systems are," with large language models behaving in surprisingly humanlike ways. Bostrom says he's now shifting his attention toward deeper issues, including "the moral status of digital minds and the relationship between the superintelligence we build with other superintelligences," which he refers to as "the cosmic host." For some, ASI represents the pinnacle of progress, a tool to cure disease, reverse climate change and crack the secrets of the universe. For others, it's a ticking time bomb -- one wrong move and we're outmatched by a machine we can't control. It's sometimes called the last human invention, not because it's final, but because ASI could invent everything else we need. British mathematician Irving John Good described it as an "intelligence explosion." Superintelligence doesn't exist yet. We're still in the early stages of what's called artificial narrow intelligence. It's an AI system that is great at specific tasks like translation, summarization and image generation, but not capable of broader reasoning. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude and Grok fall into this category. They're good at some tasks, but still flawed, prone to hallucinations and incapable of true reasoning or understanding. To reach ASI, AI needs to first pass through another stage: artificial general intelligence. What is AGI? AGI, or artificial general intelligence, refers to a system that can learn and reason across a wide range of tasks, not just one domain. It could match human-level versatility, such as learning new skills, adapting to unfamiliar problems and transferring knowledge across fields. Unlike current chatbots, which rely heavily on training data and struggle outside of predefined rules, AGI would handle complex problems flexibly. It wouldn't just answer questions about math and history; it could invent new solutions, explain them and apply them elsewhere. Current models hint at AGI traits, like multimodal systems that handle text, images and video. But true AGI requires breakthroughs in continual learning (updating knowledge without forgetting old stuff) and real-world grounding (understanding context beyond data). And none of the major models today qualify as true AGI, though many AI labs, including OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Meta, list it as their long-term target. Once AGI arrives and self-improves, ASI could follow quickly as a system smarter than any human in every area. How close are we to superintelligence? A superintelligent future concept I generated using Grok AI. Grok / Screenshot by CNET That depends on who you ask. A 2024 survey of 2,778 AI researchers paints a sobering picture. The aggregate forecasts give a 50% chance of machines outperforming humans in every possible task by 2047. That's 13 years sooner than a 2022 poll predicted. There's a 10% chance this could happen as early as 2027, according to the survey. For job automation specifically, researchers estimate a 10% chance that all human occupations become fully automatable by 2037, reaching 50% probability by 2116. Most concerning, 38% to 51% of experts assign at least a 10% risk of advanced AI causing human extinction. Geoffrey Hinton, often called the Godfather of AI, warned in a recent YouTube podcast that if superintelligent AI ever turned against us, it might unleash a biological threat like a custom virus -- super contagious, deadly and slow to show symptoms -- without risking itself. Resistance would be pointless, he said, because "there's no way we're going to prevent it from getting rid of us if it wants to." Instead, he argued that the focus should be on building safeguards early. "What you have to do is prevent it ever wanting to," he said in the podcast. He said this could be done by pouring resources into AI that stays friendly. Still, Hinton confessed he's struggling with the implications: "I haven't come to terms with what the development of superintelligence could do to my children's future. I just don't like to think about what could happen." Factors like faster computing, quantum AI and self-improving models could accelerate things. Hinton expects superintelligence in 10 to 20 years. Zuckerberg said during that podcast that he believes ASI could arrive within the next two to three years, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman estimates it'll be somewhere in between those time frames. Most researchers agree we're still missing key ingredients, like more advanced learning algorithms, better hardware and the ability to generalize knowledge like a human brain. IBM points to areas like neuromorphic computing (hardware inspired by human neurons), evolutionary algorithms and multisensory AI as building blocks that might get us there. Meta's quest for 'personal superintelligence' Meta launched its Superintelligence Labs in June, led by Alexandr Wang (ex-Scale AI CEO) and Nat Friedman (ex-GitHub CEO), with $14.3 billion invested in Scale AI and $64 billion to $72 billion for data centers and AI infrastructure. Zuckerberg doesn't shy away from Greek mythology, with names like Prometheus and Hyperion for his two AI data superclusters (massive computing centers). He also doesn't talk about artificial superintelligence in abstract terms. Instead, he claims that Meta's specific focus is on delivering "personal super intelligence to everyone in the world." This vision, according to Zuckerberg, sets Meta apart from other research labs that he says primarily concentrate on "automating economically productive work." Bostrom thinks this isn't mere hype. "It's possible we're only a small number of years away from this," he said of Meta's plans, noting that today's frontier labs "are quite serious about aiming for superintelligence, so it is not just marketing moves." Though still in its early stages, Meta is actively recruiting top talent from companies like OpenAI and Google. Zuckerberg explained in his interview with The Information that the market is extremely competitive because so few people possess the requisite high level of skills. Facebook and Zuckerberg didn't respond to requests for comment. Should humans subscribe to the idea of superintelligent AI? There are two camps in the AI world: those who are overly enthusiastic, inflating its benefits and seemingly ignoring its downsides; and the doomers who believe AI will inevitably take over and end humanity. The truth probably lands somewhere in the middle. Widespread public fear and resistance, fueled by dystopian sci-fi and very real concerns over job loss and massive economic disruption, could slow progress toward superintelligence. One of the biggest problems is that we don't really know what even AGI looks like in machines, much less ASI. Is it the ability to reason across domains? Hold long conversations? Form intentions? Build theories? None of the current models, including Meta's Llama 4 and Grok 4, can reliably do any of this. There's also no agreement on what counts as "smarter than humans." Does it mean acing every test, inventing new math and physics theorems or solving climate change? And even if we get there -- should we? Building systems vastly more intelligent than us could pose serious risks, especially if they act unpredictably or pursue goals misaligned with ours. Without strict control, it could manipulate systems or even act autonomously in ways we don't fully understand. Brendan Englot, director of the Stevens Institute for Artificial Intelligence, shared with CNET that he believes "an important first step is to approach cyber-physical security similarly to how we would prepare for malicious human-engineered threats, except with the expectation that they can be generated and launched with much greater ease and frequency than ever before." That said, Englot isn't convinced that current AI can truly outpace human understanding. "AI is limited to acting within the boundaries of our existing knowledge base," Englot tells CNET. "It is unclear when and how that will change." Regulations like the EU AI Act aim to help, but global alignment is tricky. For example, China's approach differs wildly from the West's. Trust is one of the biggest open questions. A superintelligent system might be incredibly useful, but also nearly impossible to audit or constrain. And when AI systems draw from biased or chaotic data like real-time social media, those problems compound. Some researchers believe that given enough data, computing power and clever model design, we'll eventually reach AGI and ASI. Others argue that current AI approaches (especially LLMs) are fundamentally limited and won't scale to true general or superhuman intelligence because the human brain has 100 trillion connections. That's not even accounting for our capability of emotional experience and depth, arguably humanity's strongest and most distinctive attribute. But progress moves fast, and it would be naive to dismiss ASI as impossible. If it does arrive, it could reshape science, economics and politics -- or threaten them all. Until then, general intelligence remains the milestone to watch. If and when superintelligence does become a reality, it could profoundly redefine human life itself. According to Bostrom, we'd enter what he calls a "post-instrumental condition," fundamentally rethinking what it means to be human. Still, he's ultimately optimistic about what lies on the other side, exploring these ideas further in his most recent book, Deep Utopia. "It will be a profound transformation," Bostrom tells CNET.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Castle Biosciences to Present at the Canaccord Genuity 45th Annual Growth Conference
FRIENDSWOOD, Texas, July 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Castle Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSTL), a company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care, today announced that its executive management is scheduled to present a company overview at the Canaccord Genuity 45th Annual Growth Conference on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time. A live audio webcast of the Company's presentation will be available by visiting Castle Biosciences' website at A replay of the webcast will be available following the conclusion of the live broadcast. About Castle BiosciencesCastle Biosciences (Nasdaq: CSTL) is a leading diagnostics company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care. The Company aims to transform disease management by keeping people first: patients, clinicians, employees and investors. Castle's current portfolio consists of tests for skin cancers, Barrett's esophagus and uveal melanoma. Additionally, the Company has active research and development programs for tests in these and other diseases with high clinical need, including its test in development to help guide systemic therapy selection for patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis seeking biologic treatment. To learn more, please visit and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X and Instagram. DecisionDx-Melanoma, DecisionDx-CMSeq, i31-SLNB, i31-ROR, DecisionDx-SCC, MyPath Melanoma, TissueCypher, DecisionDx-UM, DecisionDx-PRAME and DecisionDx-UMSeq are trademarks of Castle Biosciences, Inc. Investor Contact:Camilla Zuckeroczuckero@ Media Contact:Allison Marshallamarshall@ Source: Castle Biosciences while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Associated Press
4 hours ago
- Associated Press
Pharmazz Inc. Announces Enrollment of First Patient in Phase 3 Clinical Trial of Sovateltide for Treating Patients with Cerebral Ischemic Stroke
The Phase 3 clinical trial of sovateltide, RESPECT-ETB, is expected to enroll over 500 patients with a primary endpoint of proportion of patients demonstrating functional independence at 90 days and is being conducted under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) with the FDA. Sovateltide, a potential first-in-class, highly selective endothelin-B (ETB) receptor agonist, has previously demonstrated significant improvement in stroke patients compared to standard of care in a Phase 3 trial that served as the basis for regulatory approval in India. Recent $25 million equity investment from Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, provides sufficient capital to complete the Phase 3 trial. WILLOWBROOK, Ill., July 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pharmazz, Inc. ('Pharmazz' or the 'Company'), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies for unmet medical needs in critical care and neurology, today announced that the first patient has been enrolled and treated in the pivotal Phase 3 RESPECT-ETB clinical trial assessing the safety and efficacy of sovateltide for the treatment of acute cerebral ischemic stroke ( NCT05691244 ). Sovateltide represents a potential breakthrough as a first-in-class endothelin-B receptor agonist, uniquely promoting neurovascular remodeling—generating new neurons (neurogenesis), blood vessels (angiogenesis), and enhancing mitochondrial function. 'There has not been a new FDA approved non-thrombolytic therapy for stroke in over 30 years. We have already shown promising results in our previous Phase 3 study, which showed that sovateltide could be a meaningful advance over standard of care to promote a fast recovery and improve neurological outcomes in cerebral ischemic stroke patients,' said Emeritus Prof. Anil Gulati, CEO and Founder of Pharmazz. 'We have now treated the first patient in our US-based Phase 3 clinical trial and have sufficient capital to complete this study to further cement the potential for sovateltide to transform the treatment of cerebral ischemic stroke.' 'There is a massive and ongoing medical burden associated with ischemic stroke, which continues to be a leading cause of long-term disability, affecting hundreds of thousands of patients each year,' said Dr. Thomas Devlin, MD, PhD, FSVIN, physician executive of Neurosciences and medical director at CHI Memorial Stroke and Neuroscience Center, and principal investigator of the Phase 3 trial. 'Current treatment options remain limited, underscoring the critical need for novel therapies. Given the promising results already demonstrated with sovateltide, this rigorous Phase 3 study represents an important step toward addressing this urgent unmet medical need.' Phase 3 Trial of Sovateltide for Stroke Covered by Special Protocol Assessment Sovateltide is a first-in-class endothelin-B receptor (ETBR) agonist to treat acute cerebral ischemic stroke that can be administered up to 24 hours after the onset of symptoms. Pharmazz has received agreement from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for the study design and statistical analysis plan of its Phase 3 clinical trial of sovateltide for the treatment of acute cerebral ischemic stroke patients. Pharmazz has now enrolled and treated the first patient in its Phase 3 trial, RESPECT-ETB ( ID: NCT05691244 ). The Phase 3 clinical trial is designed to enroll a total of 514 stroke patients at 65 sites in the US, Germany, Spain, and the UK. The primary endpoint is the proportion of patients demonstrating functional independence post-stroke, defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 0–2 at 90 days after stroke onset. About Sovateltide and Stroke Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States, affecting more than 795,000 people each year, and reduces mobility in more than half of stroke survivors over the age of 651. Sovateltide is a first-in-class drug to treat acute cerebral ischemic stroke, a condition in which the loss of blood supply to the brain prevents brain tissue from receiving oxygen and nutrients, resulting in potential brain damage, neurological deficits, or death. Sovateltide is unique because its action site is the neural progenitor cells. Sovateltide promotes neurovascular remodeling by inducing the formation of new neurons (neurogenesis) and blood vessels (angiogenesis). Sovateltide also protects neural mitochondria and enhances their biogenesis. The Phase 3 trial that served as the basis for approval in India was published in 2024 and showed that the sovateltide group (n=80) had a significantly greater number of cerebral ischemic stroke patients with lower mRS and NIHSS scores at 90 days post-treatment than the control group (n=78).2 About Pharmazz, Inc. Pharmazz is a privately held company developing novel products in critical care medicine. Pharmazz, Inc. has obtained marketing authorization for two of its first-in-class drug molecules, centhaquine and sovateltide, for the treatment of hypovolemic shock and ischemic stroke, respectively, in India. In addition, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two phase III INDs for centhaquine as an agent for hypovolemic shock and sovateltide for cerebral ischemic stroke. Additional information may be found on the Company's website, Disclaimer: Statements in this 'Document' describing the Company's objectives, projections, estimates, expectations, plans or predictions, or industry conditions or events may be 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of applicable securities laws and regulations. Actual results, performance, or achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect developments or circumstances that arise or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated developments/circumstances after the date hereof. Contacts: 1 Centers for Disease Control. 2 Drugs. 2024 Nov 15;84(12):1637–1650. doi: 10.1007/s40265-024-02121-5
