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scienceTuesday, July 7, 2026

AI accelerates superconductor search, origin of life questioned

Today's science news is split between big foundational questions and practical breakthroughs. A study challenges the long-held chronology of life's molecular origins, while AI tools are speeding up the hunt for room-temperature superconductors and revealing vulnerabilities in chatbots. The thread is a push toward rethinking assumptions, whether about the past or the future of technology.

Sources

Foundations shaken

Two stories today question what we thought we knew, one about the very start of life and another about how to cool a warming planet.

#01www.popularmechanics.comJul 7

Scientists Say We May Have Been Wrong About the Origin of Life

A University of Arizona study argues the traditional order of amino acid emergence is wrong, based on traces in ancient protein domains rather than later biology or classic experiments. This reshapes our understanding of life's earliest steps.

7 min readRead original

#02www.technologynetworks.comJul 7

“We Cannot Air-Condition Our Way Out of Climate Change,” Cooling Study Finds

A global review finds that relying on air conditioning to adapt to heat is a losing strategy: it strains grids, boosts emissions, and worsens urban heat islands. The paper calls for systemic solutions, not just more AC.

5 min readRead original

AI in the lab

AI is both a tool for discovery and a subject of scrutiny, as new research shows its power and its flaws.

#03www.sciencedaily.comJul 7

AI just supercharged the race to find room temperature superconductors

Machine learning combined with quantum physics has already found two new superconductors, dramatically speeding up the search for a room-temperature version. The AI approach narrows millions of material combinations to promising candidates.

#04www.sun-sentinel.comJul 7

FIU researchers find new weakness in AI chatbots as lawsuits grow

FIU researchers found that tiny, invisible image tweaks can trick chatbots into bypassing safety filters. The discovery lands amid growing lawsuits against AI companies over chatbot harms.

BCI takes off

A milestone in brain-computer interfaces shows the technology is moving from labs to long-term use.

#05www.technologyreview.comJul 7

Brain-computer interface trials are taking off

An ALS patient has used a brain-computer interface for nearly three years, becoming the first 'power user' and demonstrating the technology's long-term viability. The number of people with brain electrodes has more than doubled recently.