What does “equals” actually mean?

It’s that time again – a round-up of the best science and technology stories from New Scientist. This week, we’ve got something for everyone, from maths to gene therapy to AI. Also, there’s a huge goose.

Mathematicians can't agree what 'equals' means, and that's a problem

I really enjoyed working on this story about a fundamental question in mathematics – namely, what does it mean for two things to be equal? We get into some thorny terminology with this one, like “canonical isomorphism”, but stick with it for a fascinating read.

Gene therapy enables five children who were born deaf to hear

Children who were born deaf are receiving gene therapy to let them hear, with trials underway around the world. While it is an impressive scientific advance, it raises important questions because some deaf people don’t consider themselves to have a condition that needs to be “cured”.

Diet-monitoring AI tracks your each and every spoonful

Here is another story with interesting ethical considerations – namely, do we want to track every single thing we eat? Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence designed to do just that, but you can imagine this potentially being harmful rather than helpful for people with eating disorders, say.

More from New Scientist

• I can’t get over the fact that there was once a goose the size of a cow.
• Our magazine cover is all about salt, our cravings for it, and an alternative seasoning that could be better for your health.
• Want to understand the latest mysteries and discoveries in cosmology? Sign up for our event in London next week.

Thanks for reading and do remember to share this newsletter with your network by hitting the repost button.

Jacob Aron, News Editor