A new x9m8 series on unsettled questions in AI, consciousness, evolution, biotech and law, each with the evidence, the rival answers and an original analysis.
Open Questions is a new x9m8 series about problems researchers have not solved. Why do neural networks suddenly generalize long after they memorize? Why does sex exist when cloning is twice as efficient? Is a resurrected dire wolf an endangered species? Each article takes one question like these and works through it properly.
How each article works
Every piece starts by stating the question precisely and showing why it is still open. Then it sets out what the evidence actually establishes, with links to the journal papers, court opinions and statutes behind it. The competing explanations get their strongest version, not a strawman.
Next comes something you will not find in a summary: an original analysis built for the article. For science questions that usually means a small simulation, run and reported with its code and its limits. For legal questions it means a structured walk through the doctrine with concrete test cases.
Each article closes with a clearly labeled opinion section and the specific studies or rulings that would settle the matter. Quotes are checked word for word against their sources, and anything that could not be confirmed is flagged in the text.
What the series covers
Artificial intelligence, consciousness, evolution, DNA and biotech, the law around new science, and the evolution of technology itself. New articles appear through October; all of them live in one place.
