"Made-up horror story" Dad demands OpenAI delete ChatGPTs false claim that he murdered his kids Blocking outputs isn't enough; dad wants OpenAI to delete the false information. Ashley Belanger Mar 20, 2025 12:01 am | 3 Credit: AlexLinch | iStock / Getty Images Plus Credit: AlexLinch | iStock / Getty Images Plus Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreA Norwegian man said he was horrified to discover that ChatGPT outputs had falsely accused him of murdering his own children.According to a complaint filed Thursday by European Union digital rights advocates Noyb, Arve Hjalmar Holmen decided to see what information ChatGPT might provide if a user searched his name. He was shocked when ChatGPT responded with outputs falsely claiming that he was sentenced to 21 years in prison as "a convicted criminal who murdered two of his children and attempted to murder his third son," a Noyb press release said.ChatGPT's "made-up horror story" not only hallucinated events that never happened, but it also mixed "clearly identifiable personal data"such as the actual number and gender of Holmen's children and the name of his hometownwith the "fake information," Noyb's press release said.ChatGPT hallucinating a "fake murderer and imprisonment" while including "real elements" of the Norwegian man's "personal life" allegedly violated "data accuracy" requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), because Holmen allegedly could not easily correct the information, as the GDPR requires.As Holmen saw it, his reputation remained on the line the longer the information was there, anddespite "tiny" disclaimers reminding ChatGPT users to verify outputsthere was no way to know how many people might have been exposed to the fake story and believed the information was accurate."Some think that there is no smoke without fire," Holmen said in the press release. "The fact that someone could read this output and believe it is true, is what scares me the most."Currently, ChatGPT does not repeat these horrible false claims about Holmen in outputs. A more recent update apparently fixed the issue, as "ChatGPT now also searches the Internet for information about people, when it is asked who they are," Noyb said. But because OpenAI had previously argued that it cannot correct informationit can only block informationthe fake child murderer story is likely still included in ChatGPT's internal data. And unless Holmen can correct it, that's a violation of the GDPR, Noyb claims."While the damage done may be more limited if false personal data is not shared, the GDPR applies to internal data just as much as to shared data," Noyb says.OpenAI may not be able to easily delete the dataHolmen isn't the only ChatGPT user who has worried that the chatbot's hallucinations might ruin lives. Months after ChatGPT launched in late 2022, an Australian mayor threatened to sue for defamation after the chatbot falsely claimed he went to prison. Around the same time, ChatGPT linked a real law professor to a fake sexual harassment scandal, The Washington Post reported. A few months later, a radio host sued OpenAI over ChatGPT outputs describing fake embezzlement charges.In some cases, OpenAI filtered the model to avoid generating harmful outputs but likely didn't delete the false information from the training data, Noyb suggested. But filtering outputs and throwing up disclaimers aren't enough to prevent reputational harm, Noyb data protection lawyer, Kleanthi Sardeli, alleged."Adding a disclaimer that you do not comply with the law does not make the law go away," Sardeli said. "AI companies can also not just 'hide' false information from users while they internally still process false information. AI companies should stop acting as if the GDPR does not apply to them, when it clearly does. If hallucinations are not stopped, people can easily suffer reputational damage."Noyb thinks OpenAI must face pressure to try harder to prevent defamatory outputs. Filing a complaint with the Norwegian data authority Datatilsynet, Noyb is seeking an order requiring OpenAI "to delete the defamatory output and fine-tune its model to eliminate inaccurate results." Noyb also suggested imposing "an administrative fine to prevent similar violations in the future."It's Noyb's second complaint challenging OpenAI's ChatGPT, following a complaint to an Austrian data protection authority last April. Increasingly, EU member states are scrutinizing AI companies, and OpenAI has remained a popular target. In 2023, the European Data Protection Board promptly launched a ChatGPT task force investigating data privacy concerns and possible enforcement actions soon after ChatGPT began spouting falsehoods users alleged were defamatory.So far, OpenAI has faced consequences in at least one member state, where the outcome might bode well for Noyb's claims. In 2024, it was hit with a $16 million fine and temporary ban in Italy following a data breach leaking user conversations and payment information. To restore ChatGPT, OpenAI was ordered to make changes, including providing "a tool through which" users "can request and obtain the correction of their personal data if processed inaccurately in the generation of content."If Norwegian data authorities similarly find that OpenAI doesn't allow users to correct their information, OpenAI could be forced to make more changes in the EU. The company might even need to overhaul ChatGPT's algorithm. According to Noyb, if ChatGPT feeds user data like the false child murderer claim "back into the system for training purposes," then there may be "no way for the individual to be absolutely sure [that problematic outputs] can be completely erased... unless the entire AI model is retrained."Ashley BelangerSenior Policy ReporterAshley BelangerSenior Policy Reporter Ashley is a senior policy reporter for Ars Technica, dedicated to tracking social impacts of emerging policies and new technologies. She is a Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience. 3 Comments

2025-03-20T04:02:15Z Read in app "It's unbelievable that this guy's stock is this cheap. It'll never be this cheap again," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said of Elon Musk's EV company, Tesla. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says it is a good time to buy Tesla stock now.Lutnick said in a television interview it is "unbelievable" how "cheap" the stock is.Tesla shares have fallen by more than 50% from their record highs in mid-December.Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick made a quick pitch for Elon Musk's Tesla during a television interview on Wednesday."I think if you want to learn something on this show tonight, buy Tesla. It's unbelievable that this guy's stock is this cheap. It'll never be this cheap again," Lutnick said in an interview on Fox News' "Jesse Watters Primetime.""When people understand the things he's building, the robots he's building, the technology he's building. People are going to be dreaming of today, and Jesse Watters, and thinking, 'Gosh, I should have bought Elon Musk's stock,'" Lutnick added.Musk initially backed Lutnick for President Donald Trump's treasury secretary pick. Musk wrote in an X post in November that Lutnick "will actually enact change" instead of Trump's eventual choice, Scott Bessent, who Musk called the "business-as-usual" option.Before entering government, Lutnick was the chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald. The brokerage and investment bank, per an SEC filing made in February, owns Tesla shares. Lutnick agreed to divest his business interests in the bank following his confirmation as commerce secretary.Tesla's stock price has fallen by over 50% from its record highs. The company's shares closed at about $235 on Wednesday, down from a peak closing price of $479 in mid-December.The decline in Tesla stock comes as the company grapples with weakening sales and the controversy surrounding Musk's work with the White House DOGE office. Scores of Musk protesters have descended upon Tesla showrooms nationwide in recent weeks."So you're calling the bottom? This is it?" Watters asked Lutnick about Tesla's stock on Wednesday."If today's the bottom or not, I can tell you what Elon Musk is probably the best person to bet on," Lutnick said.Tesla and the Commerce Department did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.Lutnick isn't the only government official who has voiced his support for Musk and Tesla.Last week, Trump held a media event at the White House where he purchased a Model S. Multiple Tesla vehicles were parked on the south lawn of the White House during the event, which took place on March 11.Trump wrote in a Truth Social post ahead of the event that his purchase was a "show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American."On Tuesday, Musk blamed the political left for the protests and vandalism at Tesla dealerships."It's really come as quite a shock to me that there is this level of, really, hatred and violence from the left," Musk told Fox News' "Hannity" on Tuesday."Tesla is a peaceful company. We have never done anything harmful. I have never done anything harmful, only done productive things," Musk said.

2025-03-20T03:29:42Z Read in app Nvidia's GTC conference has become a central point in the calendar for the ever-expanding AI industry. Emma Cosgrove This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Nvidia's GTC conference in San Jose, California, featured CEO Jensen Huang's keynote on AI advances.Huang's speech highlighted Nvidia's new AI partnerships, software tools, and chip architectures.With crowded sessions and a bustling exhibition floor, Nvidia's immense growth was on display.The party started as so many do with pancakes in a parking lot.I attended Nvidia's GTC conference, which has taken over downtown San Jose, California, this week. Tuesday was the biggest day for the AI juggernaut. At 10 a.m. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang began his keynote address, which lasted more than two and a half hours.But first, breakfast.The legendary Denny's breakfastIt was a chilly early morning in San Jose. The "pregame" started at 6:30 a.m. with breakfast from Denny's, the restaurant where Huang came up with the idea for Nvidia. I needed to know who would show up more than three hours early for a speech about computer chips.When I arrived just before 7 a.m., the line was already substantial. A massive red mobile Denny's kitchen was cooking up "Nvidia bytes" essentially sausages and pancakes. Diners were encouraged to wrap up their bytes like a taco and add syrup on top, like Huang does. Conference-goers line up outside a Denny's pop-up restaurant outside Nvidia's GTC AI event. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider I chatted with some of the early birds. Some were die-hard Nvidia fans. Some were jet-lagged, having flown in the day before from London or Toronto, so they were up anyway. Some wanted to get into the SAP Center as soon as the stadium doors opened to avoid the massive lines that would form the hour before the speech. Some heard a rumor that Huang himself might stop by the tailgate.And sure enough, by 7:25 a.m., muscled men in suits with earpieces started multiplying. With no fanfare, Huang walked out from behind the registration tent wearing his signature uniform, all black and a leather moto jacket. The bleary-eyed crowds sprung into action phones up for photos. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made an appearance at the company's GTC AI conference Denny's breakfast pop-up. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider Huang donned an apron and went inside the food truck to make some pancakes, as he had as a 15-year-old Denny's employee."At this pace, I'd run the company out of business. I used to be a lot faster," he said of his chef skills after emerging from the kitchen and immediately meeting CNBC reporter Kristina Partsinevelos and a camera crew.Partsinevelos tried to ground the conversation, but Huang was all jokes."You're talking about the stock? I'm talking about Denny's!" he said.By 8:15 a.m., Huang disappeared into the SAP Center, where he turned up on the pre-show panel airing live inside the stadium. Nvidia Jensen Huang served breakfast to the panel on Nvidia's pregame show at his GTC keynote speech. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider As I reached mybrushes with failure before AI changed everything.Huang 'without a net'Leading up to the speech, Nvidia's partner companies were eager to find out if they would garner a mention on one of tech's brightest stages. One Nvidia employee told me that up to the last minute, a local war room of Nvidia employees was tweaking the company's dozens of announcements.Once the speech starts, it was all in Huang's hands.He kicked off by firing T-shirts into the crowd from an Nvidia-green T-shirt cannon."I just want you to know that I'm up here without a net. There are no scripts, there's no teleprompter, and I've got a lot of things to cover. So let's get started," Huang said. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang started his 2025 GTC keynote address by firing T-shirts into the crowd. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider The 62-year-old CEO proceeded to blow through his scheduled two hours.He focused on Nvidia's advancements, a flurry of new partnerships and software tools for AI developers, and coming chip architectures"AI Factories."He also spoke on the challenges of realizing the AI-enabled future he has promised for years. He addressed shortages of fresh data to feed AI models, limitations in the ever-important training phase, and energy constraints. In his keynote address, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang took the audience on a virtual tour of Nvidia HQ as he moved from subject to subject. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider The world of computing has reached a "tipping point," and the "platform shift" to accelerated computing is well underway, he said.The crowd stayed rapt, although a little antsy at the two-hour mark. But the final video clip reenergized the room. A Disney-designed robot named Blue, which looked like part of the Star Wars universe, toddled through a desert and then ascended for real from below the stage.Then the crowd jumped to their feet and raised their phones."Have a great GTC! Thank you! Hey, Blue, let's go home. Good job," said Jensen. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang talks to the Disney robot "Blue," which was controlled by Disney Imagineers off-stage at his 2025 GTC keynote. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider 'We're going to have to grow San Jose'After the speech, thousands of attendees streamed into the downtown San Jose streets. The SAP Center, which had only a few empty seats, holds 17,500, and 25,000 people were expected at this year's event.The crowds made their way back to Plaza de Cesar Chavez, temporarily renamed GTC Park, to find lunch at the procession of food trucks on-site daily. Attendees again had to wait in long lines. Nvidia's GTC took over downtown San Jose this week. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider The lunch lines were just one of many signs that GTC has outgrown its traditional home. Lines to get into the San Jose Convention Center's conference sessions snaked through the hallways.Nvidia still calls GTC a developer conference, though the evolution from technical developer confab to serious dealmaking destination was on display at a swanky building next to the convention center dedicated only to business meetings. The elevators couldn't handle the volume of people constantly coming in and out. Massive queues formed outside the building designated for business meetings at GTC as attendees waited for elevators. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider Even Nvidia team members arriving just behind me balked and abandoned ship to relocate when they saw the lines. Getting from the sidewalk to the meeting room inside the building took 35 minutes."The only way to hold more people at GTC is we're going to have to grow San Jose, and we're working on it," said Huang during the keynote.Nvidia's robotic futureLogistics aside, I soon met with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia's vice president of healthcare, who detailed the many ways Nvidia's accelerated computing is changing how doctors and hospitals work.She said it could be decades before robots can actually perform surgeries without human assistance. But companies like Moon Surgical are already creating surgical assistance robots to hold cameras and tools with arms that never tire. Nvidia also works with da Vinci robots, which can suture wounds, among other tasks. Robotics assistants for surgery are on the way, according to Nvidia. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider I then headed back to the convention center to walk the exhibition floor during happy hour, where I saw some of the technology Powell championed on display. Because Nvidia's impact spans many industries, the floor showcased cars, vacuuming robots, simulated human bodies ready for surgery, and all the biggest names in cloud computing. Robots from JotBot, Agility Robotics, Unitree, and more were on display at Nvidia GTC. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider I also passed the Nvidia gear store, which was booming. A worker there told me the 2025 GTC T-shirt and puffer vests were the biggest sellers. Nvidia's store was busy throughout the GTC conference. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider My 12-hour Tuesday at the conference ended at the GTC Night Market back in the park. The setup was an homage to Huang's love of Taiwan's night markets, with live music, drinks, local food like bao buns, yakitori, cupcakes, and a punnily-named "juice" bar sponsored by GPU cloud provider Coreweave. Nvidia's Night Market is inspired by CEO Jensen Huang's childhood in Taiwan. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider If Nvidia has its way, AI is going to continue to do a lot of hard work for us going forward. But 12 hour-days are here to stay, at least for a while. On my way back to my hotel via San Jose bike share past a now-silent SAP Center I thought of these two I had spotted inside the convention center: Nvidia's GTC conference is a marathon, not a sprint. Emma Cosgrove/Business Insider Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at ecosgrove@businessinsider.com or Signal at 443-333-9088. Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.

As Elon Musks DOGE targets the Social Security Administration for cuts and reorganization, the agency is rolling out new rules for benefit recipients that could spur chaos and dysfunction at the agency. This week, the agency announced that it will no longer allow new benefit recipients to verify their identities over the phone. Instead, those participants will either have to use an online ID verification software or, if that doesnt work, make a visit to a government field office to do it in person. Similarly, returning benefit recipients who want to update their direct deposit information will either have to pass the online ID verification process or visit a government office. The Social Security Administration (SSA) is taking proactive steps to enhance the security of its services by implementing stronger identity verification procedures, the agency said, in a press release published Tuesday. SSA will permit individuals who do not or cannot use the agencys online My Social Security services to start their claim for benefits on the telephone. However, the claim cannot be completed until the individuals identity is verified in person. The agency therefore recommends calling to request an in-person appointment to begin and complete the claim in one interaction. Its unclear how well the governments ID verification software works, though its worth noting that a Federal Communications Commission report published last year found that between 14 and 24 million Americans still lack access to broadband. A similar report from the AARP found that an estimated 42 percent of older adults (some 22 million people) lack reliable access to the internet. Many elderly Americans may not be digital natives and, even if they have internet access, may be bad at navigating websites and digital platforms. A Pew Research survey from 2021 showed that about a quarter of the U.S. population that is 65 or older (i.e., the people most likely to be on social security) report never going online. In other words, as the Associated Press has reported, the SSAs policy shift is likely to force millions of [social security] recipients and applicants to visit government offices to get their retirement benefits. Thats really bad news because, as it happens, DOGE has also been targeting SSA field offices across the country for lease termination and closure. Currently, on DOGEs website, it says that 47 offices across the country have been or will have their leases terminated. Those offices are spread across a variety of states, including many MAGA-heavy places like Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Georgia, Texas, and North Dakota.Problematically, DOGE has also been working to downsize the SSAs staff. Indeed, the agencys new DOGE-linked director reportedly announced plans to halve the agencys staff in the coming months. It seems reasonable to assume that such a staff reduction would functionally decapitate the governments ability to dispense benefits, especially at the field offices where recipients must now apparently show up to verify their identities. A recently unearthed memo seemed to show that the SSAs own staff are aware that the new policies being put in place under the auspices of DOGE could effectively drive down service delivery and cause the agency to slide into dysfunction. The memo notes that the policy changes will create increased field office traffic, longer call wait times, and delayed processing among other negative outcomes.Americans should not be surprised by the policy changes ushered in under the watchful eye of Musks government efficiency organization. The billionaire has spoken about the program with open hostility, calling it a Ponzi scheme. The changes at Social Security also follow on the heels of comments made by Larry Fink, the CEO of mega-corporation BlackRock, who recently expressed interest in privatizing Social Security. The problem we have now, we have a plan called Social Security that doesnt grow with the economy, Fink said while speaking with Semafor. If we create a plan that every American can grow with our economy, theyre going to feel more attached to our economy, Fink said, implying that Americans retirement funds should be tied up with the stock market.

Atelier in Kamakura / YUJI OKITSUSave this picture! Satoshi NagareOffices, RenovationKamakura, Kanagawa, JapanArchitects: YUJI OKITSUAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:67 mYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2024 PhotographsPhotographs:Satoshi NagareManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: DCW EDITIONS Lead Architects: Yuji Okitsu More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. This project was to renovate a 90-year-old house on the edge of a hillside in Kamakura, Japan into an atelier. The building is situated on a flat site in the middle of a steep cliff, characteristic of Kamakura, with a size just large enough for a single house. It is a new annex to the main house where the clients spend most of their time.Save this picture!Save this picture!In renovating the building, we did not paint the exposed parts of the repaired and reinforced framework to match the color of the existing and new wood, but instead left the traces of the reinforcements as they were. With respect for the building, which stood the test of time despite being left unoccupied for many years, we wanted the house to symbolize the coexistence of old and new and its permanence. We tried to preserve the materials that sustained the building and pass them on to the next generation by repairing the existing window frames, which give a sense of the building's identity, and reusing the foundation stones, which have supported the building for many years, for other purposes.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!This is also because the project's policy is to view the changes over time positively. We also carefully selected materials that would age well, such as "Yakisugi" (a traditional Japanese technique of charring cedar boards) on the exterior walls and the brass door knobs. In addition, solid chestnut wood flooring that had been used in the client's previous home and stored away for many years, as well as antique window frames that they owned, were also incorporated. We wanted to imbue the reborn building with a sense of affinity by harmonizing it with these building materials so the clients can feel the time they had accumulated in the past.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!We used our ingenuity to create openings that harmonize the interior and exterior. The floor of the first floor atelier and the deck that extends into the garden have the same concrete finish, creating a single floor surface that traverses the large opening. Even though the inside and outside are separated by the opening, they can be perceived as one through a continuous visual experience from one to the other.Save this picture!The concrete deck in the garden was designed to form a thin layer of water when it rains. While it rains, ripples spread across the rectangular deck, and the moving patterns created by nature are reflected upon the architecture. After the rain, it becomes a transient water basin, and the trees' reflections and natural light reveal a fusion of landscape and architecture.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!We aimed to create a building that would combine a sense of balance between old and new, integration with the landscape, affinity with the environment, and respect for the passing of time through a modest approach. We believe that creating inclusive architecture that accommodates the coexistence of the accumulated time and new life will allow the client to preserve and harmonize the house with the time they create anew.Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessProject locationAddress:Kamakura, Kanagawa, JapanLocation to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.About this officeYUJI OKITSUOfficePublished on March 20, 2025Cite: "Atelier in Kamakura / YUJI OKITSU" 20 Mar 2025. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/1028042/atelier-in-kamakura-yuji-okitsu&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

AI-Powered Roto and Masking Tools now available in Mocha Pro 2025.// U S E F U L L I N K S // Download a free trial of Mocha Pro : https://borisfx.com/products/mocha-pro/ Go in-depth with Object Brush and Matte Assist ML here : https://youtu.be/wllr5IvQ080 Get a quick look at all the new stuff in Mocha Pro 2025 here : https://youtu.be/LIQV1yOkI1w #vfx #cg #mochapro #borisfx #aftereffects #adobe

Project Files: https://www.patreon.com/posts/124612599 .This is the 17th part of the tutorial series, where we are going to implement a Real Time Strategy game using Unreal Engine and C++. Today we are going to work on how to have different character types in game. Data related to each character type will be defined in a data table and the HUD will pull data such as character icon from the data table to show the character on selected actors panel. Full C++ RTS Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNTm9yU0zou5_PYxEdjNbAgbVRn-daOga .Unreal Strategy game with Blueprints series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNTm9yU0zou4Eulmi8YIfzHiNZEzfbSMk // ! https://www.patreon.com/codelikeme Patrons will have access to project files of all the stuff I do in the channel and other extra benefitsJoin this channel to get access to perks:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClb6Jh9EBV7a_Nm52Ipll_Q/join Like my facebook page for more content : https://www.facebook.com/gamedevelopersclub/ Follow me on twitter : https://twitter.com/CodeLikeMe2 Follow me on reddit : https://www.reddit.com/user/codelikeme #CodeLikeMe #unrealengine #ue5 #ue4 #indiegamedev

Krill will engage in evasive maneuvers for so long that they end up eating less food that usual. Credit: Nicole HellesseyShareAlthough a single penguin is capable of devouring thousands of krill in a single sitting, swarms of the zooplankton may detect disturbances in the water ahead of mealtime. The telltale sign? Bird poop.Thats what researchers at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences theorize after studying the movements of krill trawled from Antarcticas Bransfield Strait. According to their results, published March 20 in Frontiers in Marine Science, it only takes a small amount of penguin guano (poop) to influence the tiny sea creatures behavior.Here we show for the first time that a small amount of penguin guano causes a sudden change in the feeding and swimming behaviors of Antarctic krill, Nicole Hellessey, a corresponding author and postdoctoral researcher, explained in an accompanying statement.To test how krill respond to chemical evidence of nearby penguins, Hellessey and colleagues placed krill into an aquarium at Palmer Station on Antarcticas Anvers Island. They then separated out six-eight individuals and transferred them into a flume of seawater measuring 34.7 degrees Fahrenheit. To better replicate their usual environment, the team even dimmed the ambient lighting to mimic a depth of around 131 feet. Over multiple trials, researchers funnelled in seawater mixed with either algae, penguin poop, or a mixture of both while recording the results using a pair of automated cameras. Scientists then analyzed the footage based on selected krills 3D positionality as well as the direction and speed of their swimming.The findings were clear. While krill generally swim straight upstream in whats known as rheotaxis, the presence of penguin guano appeared to immediately influence their behavior. More specifically, the krill sped up their swimming as much as 1.5 times faster than average while also making three times more turns at larger angles.The penguin poop didnt only influence krill movements. In another phase of the experiment, researchers noticed the zooplankton consumed 64 percent less algae after sensing what they thought may be nearby birds. This implies that krill engage in evasive maneuvers so much that they subsequently eat less when guano is in the water around them.Such behavior to escape from nearby penguins would greatly increase the krills odds of survival, said Hellessey. And these odds would increase exponentially in a swarm, if their neighbors could detect the same cues and communicate the danger to each other. Get the Popular Science newsletter Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.The defensive response is likely not only limited to penguins. Given the range of predators that regularly feed on krill, the team theorizes they likely exhibit similar behavior in the presence of seals, whales, and other Antarctic predators.As climate change continues to shift global ocean ecosystems, however, this detection ability may reduce a krills chances for survival. Although the team hasnt identified the specific chemicals present in penguin poop that sends krill into a panic mode, they do know that rising acidification levels and warming temperatures could affect how the zooplankton sense danger.Any changes to krills behavior could have major impacts on the future Southern Ocean, as Antarctic krill are a keystone species in this ecosystem, Hellessey said.Regardless of further research results, one thing is apparently certain: Dealing with penguin poop is not an enjoyable experience.Smells like rotten shellfish. Not pleasant to handle, warned Hellessey.

NewsAnimalsStinky penguin poop strikes fear into the hearts of Antarctic krillCrustaceans exposed to guano moved in zigzags and ate less algae In lab experiments, Antarctic krill that smelled trouble in the form of penguin poop were quick to make a break for it. Gerald Corsi/iStock/Getty Images PlusBy Maria Temming11 seconds agoThe foul stench of penguin poop sets Antarctic krill on edge.In lab experiments, the mere scent of penguin droppings or guano sent krill scrambling for escape, researchers report March 20 in Frontiers in Marine Science. The stink also seemed to suppress krills appetites.Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) form a cornerstone of the Southern Ocean ecosystem. Theyre the main food source for all of the big, charismatic fauna, says Nicole Hellessey, an Antarctic marine scientist at the University of Tasmania in Hobart. Whales, penguins and seals all eat or eat things that eat krill. Understanding the critters movements could help identify key areas for marine conservation.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08777-7Genomic evolutionary rates are decomposed to identify the dominant lineages and genes driving rate variation across the phylogeny of birds.