Artificial intelligence takes on Diplomacy, and how much water do we really need?

On this week’s show: Meta’s algorithm tackles both language and strategy in a board game, and measuring how much water people use on a daily basis

First up this week on the podcast, artificial intelligence (AI) wins at the game Diplomacy. Freelance science journalist Matthew Hutson joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about the advances needed for an AI to win a game that requires cooperation and trust between human and AI players.

Next, we hear about how much water people need to stay hydrated. It’s not the eight glasses a day recommendation we’ve heard so much about. Herman Pontzer, a professor in Duke University’s Department of Evolutionary Anthropology and the Duke Global Health Institute, talks about a study that involved recording water turnover from 5000 people around the world. It turns out daily water needs vary from person to person and place to place.

This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy.

[Image: manus1550/iStock; Music: Jeffrey Cook]

[alt: photo of a stack of drinking water bottles with podcast overlay symbol]

Authors: Sarah Crespi; Matt Hutson

Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adf8979 

About the Science Podcast: https://www.science.org/content/page/about-science-podcast 

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