All posts tagged: tests

Trump administration to ask US AI firms to voluntarily submit models for cybersecurity tests

Trump administration to ask US AI firms to voluntarily submit models for cybersecurity tests

Published by Sam Flores

June 2 : The Trump administration will ask leading AI developers to voluntarily submit their most capable models for government cybersecurity tests before releasing them to the public, according to an executive order released on Tuesday, as security fears mount in Washington over powerful new AI systems such as Anthropic’s Mythos. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that directs the departments of Treasury, Defense, Commerce and Homeland Security, plus other government officials and agencies, to secure agreements with AI developers to test their models. U.S. agencies would get up to 30 days to test the models before they are released to organizations outside the government, according to the order. It also directs the agencies to emphasize bolstering cyber defense across government. The order signals Trump is shifting his strategy on AI and taking a more active role in monitoring the technology’s capabilities. Since returning to office, he has said the federal government should take a hands-off approach to the tech sector, and has tried to discourage states from adopting AI regulations that he opposes. …

‘Sexual Chocolate’ Faces Recalls After FDA Tests Reveal Undisclosed Viagra

‘Sexual Chocolate’ Faces Recalls After FDA Tests Reveal Undisclosed Viagra

Published by skeptic

The US Food and Drug Administration regularly announces recalls. But it has recently issued a surprising series of alerts: Several brands of chocolate marketed for “sexual enhancement” contain undisclosed drugs prescribed for erectile dysfunction, according to lab analyses conducted by the agency. The flagged products—some of which are being voluntarily recalled—are sold online under names like Boner Bears Chocolate, DTF Sexual Chocolate, Lovion Chocolate With Ginseng for Men, and Rhino Choco VIP. Some are labeled “all natural” or claim to contain herbal ingredients such as pau de cabinda powder, which is used as a libido enhancer. The FDA is advising consumers not to purchase the chocolates, because they contain sildenafil and tadalafil, the active ingredients in Viagra and Cialis, respectively. They work by relaxing blood vessels and boosting blood flow to the penis. One of the products, Pink Pussycat Aphrodisiac Chocolate, is marketed to women. (The FDA hasn’t approved Viagra or Cialis for women.) “FDA approval of Viagra and Cialis is restricted to use under the supervision of a licensed health care professional,” according to …

Captain Latham pleased with win as New Zealand down Ireland ahead of England tests

Captain Latham pleased with win as New Zealand down Ireland ahead of England tests

Published by Sam Flores

May 30 : New Zealand captain Tom Latham praised batter Tom Blundell and bowler Nathan Smith as the Black Caps warmed up for their first test against England at Lord’s next week with a one-sided victory over Ireland in Belfast on Friday. The tourists won by an innings and 79 runs after putting aside their early struggles with the bat to secure a sizeable victory in the one-off test, with Blundell top-scoring with 186 runs during a 217-run partnership with Rachin Ravindra. “We were put under pressure on that first day – to be four down reasonably early with not many on the board,” said Latham after seeing his side fall to 86 for 4 inside the opening 23 overs. “The introduction of Tom absorbed quite a lot of pressure, and be able to put it back on them and form a really good partnership, over 200.” New Zealand finished their first innings on 490 for 8 declared before bowling Ireland out for 179 in their first stint at the crease, with Smith claiming six …

Contributor: The GOP is collapsing under Trump’s loyalty tests

Contributor: The GOP is collapsing under Trump’s loyalty tests

Published by Sam Flores

Americans always say they want politicians with backbone — men and women of principle who will stand up for what they believe in, even when it’s unpopular. And every so often, the American people prove their commitment to this noble aspiration by firing anybody who actually tries it. Take Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who just lost a reelection bid by double digits after President Trump’s affiliated committees dumped enough money into Kentucky to purchase, well, Kentucky. Massie committed the cardinal sin of modern Republican politics: He behaved as though Congress were a coequal branch of government instead of the warm-up act before a Trump rally. He bucked Trump on spending, Iran and — in what apparently qualified as political suicide — whether or not to release the Epstein files. For this display of independent thought, Massie was summarily retired by what can only be described as the Trump cult (formerly known as the Republican primary electorate). Before anybody accuses me of hyperbole, consider the remarkably revealing example presented recently on the New York Times podcast, …

Trump concerned about Ebola after American tests positive in Africa

Trump concerned about Ebola after American tests positive in Africa

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump speaks during a healthcare affordability event in the South Court Auditorium of The White House in Washington, DC, on May 18, 2026. Kent Nishimura | AFP | Getty Images President Donald Trump on Monday said he was concerned about Ebola after an American tested positive for it. “I’m concerned about everything, but certainly [I] am,” Trump said when asked about Ebola during a White House event on his administration’s consumer-drug website TrumpRx. “I think that it’s been confined right now to Africa, and but it’s something that has had a breakout,” he said of the disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced earlier Monday that one American tested positive for Ebola while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A day earlier, the World Health Organization declared that the spread of the Ebola-causing virus known as Bundibugyo, which is currently appearing in the DRC and Uganda, constitutes a global public health emergency. The WHO specified that it “does not meet the criteria of pandemic emergency,” as defined under International …

Canadian MV Hondius cruise passenger tests positive for hantavirus

Canadian MV Hondius cruise passenger tests positive for hantavirus

Published by Sam Flores

A Canadian who was a passenger on the MV Hondius cruise ship has tested positive for the Andes hantavirus, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced Saturday. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. The individual, whose identity officials did not disclose, was hospitalized Thursday along with their spouse, who is also experiencing mild symptoms. Both were passengers on the Hondius, according to the health agency, and will remain in isolation at the hospital. A third person who was isolating in secure lodging was also taken to the hospital for assessment and testing “out of an abundance of caution,” the agency said. Officials did not clarify that person’s connection to the couple or whether they were a passenger on the Hondius. The agency said it is following prevention and control protocols, and that samples have been sent to its National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg for “confirmatory testing,” with results expected in two days. “The overall risk to the general population in Canada from the Andes hantavirus outbreak …

Olive Garden’s ‘AI personality tests’ for job applicants have sparked outrage online

Olive Garden’s ‘AI personality tests’ for job applicants have sparked outrage online

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Job seekers have discovered that Olive Garden requires an personality quiz that has AI characters acting out hypothetical scenarios as part of its hiring process. Olive Garden is just one of a handful of restaurant chains that relies on the tests, provided by conversational recruiting software Paradox.ai. The quizzes have been discussed online before, but a recent TikTok video has reignited the conversation. Last month, a TikTok user named Jackson Haws shared a video of the assessment he had to fill out while applying for a server job at the restaurant chain. Haws’s clip showed his computer screen displaying AI-generated characters — all of whom had light blue skin and neon navy hair — standing in a lunch room. After showing one character with …

Intrepid man tests giant flaming darts used on 16th century warship

Intrepid man tests giant flaming darts used on 16th century warship

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The Mary Rose is a remarkable remnant of maritime history. One of England’s largest Tudor Era vessels, the four-masted carrack sailed with a crew of around 450 sailors during the 16th century French and Italian Wars armed with anywhere between 78 and 91 guns. Those weren’t the only tools at the Mary Rose’s disposal. Thanks to primary sources and an extensive analysis following its recovery in 1982, the ship included some truly gnarly handheld weapons. Some of the most intense—and mysterious—of these were giant incendiary darts. However, there is very little historical information tied to them. Although reminiscent of flaming arrows, these much larger variants were simply far too large to be launched from bows. Historians aren’t even sure exactly how they were wielded or crafted, so medieval weapons specialist and replica crafter Tod Todeschini decided to investigate for himself. The result is a two-part video series that documents his research into the fire darts, as well as the …

Women score higher than men on fluid intelligence tests when allowed to express uncertainty

Women score higher than men on fluid intelligence tests when allowed to express uncertainty

Published by José Betancourt

Traditional tests of intelligence and literacy may be fundamentally flawed because they force test-takers to choose a single answer rather than allowing them to express their level of confidence in different options. When people are given financial incentives and allowed to distribute their answers based on how sure they are, women actually score higher than men. The research was published in the Journal of Political Economy. For decades, psychologists and economists have measured cognitive ability using multiple-choice tests. These assessments score responses as strictly right or wrong. Glenn W. Harrison of Georgia State University, Don Ross of University College Cork, and J. Todd Swarthout of Georgia State University suspected this format misses a vital component of human cognition. Knowing how strongly to believe in an answer is a skill in itself. The researchers note that the standard format forces people to mask their thought processes. If someone is somewhat confident in an answer but still perceives some risk of being wrong, the rigid format does not capture that nuance. The test format demands absolute certainty …