In the first few shots, Frost shows its eerie, disconcerting atmosphere. Vast mountains of ice, a makeshift camp of military-style tents, a group of people huddled around a campfire, dogs barking. These are familiar things, but strange enough to plant a growing seed of fear. Something is wrong here.
Welcome to the disturbing world of artificial intelligence filmmaking. The Frost is a 12-minute film from Detroit-based company Waymark, where every frame is created by artificial intelligence to create images. It’s one of the most impressive—and strange—examples of this strange new genre. Read the full story and watch the exclusive film.
— Will Douglas Haven
Microplastics are everywhere. What does this mean for our immune system?
Microplastics are almost everywhere you look. These tiny pieces of plastic, less than five millimeters in diameter, have been found in human blood, breast milk and the placenta. They are even in our drinking water and the air we breathe.
Given their ubiquity, it’s worth reflecting on what we know about microplastics. What are they doing to us?
The short answer is: we really don’t know. But scientists have begun to build a picture of their potential effects from early animal studies and cell clusters, and new research suggests they may affect not only the health of our body’s tissues, but our immune system more generally. Read the story in its entirety.
— Jessica Hamzelow
