Astronomer Lindsay House returned to the podcast to update us on her citizen science project called Dark Energy Explorers. Around the globe, 20,000 explorers are using data from the world’s third largest telescope to observe patterns in the movement of galaxies from between 9-11 billion years ago, to understand how the expansionary force of dark energy operates. As Lindsay explains, dark energy, which comprises 70% of the universe’s mass, is undetectable to our instruments but exerts an expansionary force by adding space between physical objects. Since 1998, we’ve known that the universe is expanding more rapidly over time, at rate that was thought to be a constant rate of acceleration. However, new evidence is pointing to an unexpected reduction in the speed of expansion. What function is dark energy exercising in time, if dark energy's force can both increase and decrease the rate of universal expansion? Would dark energy's variability lead to a revision of the “lambda-CDM” model of cosmology, which is based on a constant expansion rate? The observations of the Dark Energy Explorers community from 159 countries, sharing knowledge translated into 9 languages, are contributing to expanding understanding of the still-mysterious expansionary force of dark energy. The Dark Energy Explorers are, as Lindsay says, the humans “in the loop,” as the capabilities of AI and machine learning help to make vast numbers of groundbreaking connections with astronomical data. Hear Lindsay tell the story of Dark Energy Explorers, and how scientists are coming to understand more about dark energy, the fascinating and invisible force of expansion.

We speak with Dr. Deirdre Haskell, Director of the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences at the University of Toronto, about how mathematics applies to so many aspects of our daily lives and is at the forefront of the latest developments in science and technology. The Fields Institute brings together specialists in different mathematical branches from around the globe to integrate knowledge and expand the frontiers of mathematics. Mathematics touches all of us, whether it’s with GPS navigation, medical and astronomical imaging, modelling for climate change and finance, or artificial intelligence with its Large Language Models like ChatGPT. Explaining the relevance of mathematics in a way that’s accessible to all, Deirdre brings us into a critically important conversation about the direction of a future that’s increasingly mathematical.

Saima Fancy, a privacy specialist, returns to the show for a discussion on the emerging concept and benefits of designing technological processes that keep the “Human in the Loop.” Now, when the complexities of algorithms are multiplying with every new feature and every new interface, it’s critical for good and safe outcomes that humans are able to oversee and, if necessary, override automated processes. Saima calls for a global discussion that focuses specifically on Human in the Loop, and it’s a call that’s especially crucial now, when AI agents, LLMs, and other technological processes are rapidly gaining control of our daily living. The list of functions that we cede to AI grows by the day, and now includes reading, writing, shopping, social calendaring, delivery ordering, and control of household appliances. In this episode, we outline the emerging issues and opportunities that make today the best time to begin figuring out how we remain in our own technological loop.