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1. US government defunds research on misinformation
   The US National Science Foundation cancelled funding for research on misinformation, disinformation and AI-generated deepfakes, even as misleading information runs rampant on social media
2. Chatbots can hide secret messages in seemingly normal conversations
   Text-generating AIs such as ChatGPT can be used to hide encrypted messages inside fake conversations, which could help people living under oppressive regimes communicate secretly
3. Ancient supervolcano eruption had surprisingly mild impact on climate
   Rather than a volcanic winter, the Toba eruption 74,000 years ago resulted in several years of warm and dry weather, geochemical evidence from India suggests
4. Hackers could 'vandalise' quantum computers without people noticing
   Hackers may be able to garble the output of programs running on quantum computers, leaving other people with unknowingly incorrect results - but thankfully, there is a fix
5. First ever 'black hole bomb' created in the lab
   A black hole bomb – an idea first proposed in 1969 – has now been realised in the lab as a toy model made from a rotating cylinder and magnetic coils. Studying the bomb could help us better understand real black holes.