Naïve physics is the untrained human perception of basic physical phenomena, often comprising simplifications or misunderstandings of actual physics. Researchers use physiological measurements like eye gaze and habituation responses in infants to study how people intuitively understand the physical world, suggesting some physical knowledge may be innate rather than purely learned.
Researchers are increasingly using frontier LLMs like GPT-6 Sol and Opus 5.5 to solve historical problems, particularly in cryptography, textual tracing, and cross-disciplinary knowledge synthesis. Early results show promise in decoding 17th-century alchemical texts and identifying previously unknown translations, suggesting that collaborations between historians and AI labs could produce meaningful advances in historical knowledge.
Nathaniel Bowditch (1773–1838) was a self-educated mathematician and astronomer who created The American Practical Navigator, a foundational navigation text first published in 1801 and still in use today. Known for meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to making complex ideas accessible, Bowditch simplified lunar observation methods for determining longitude and later translated Laplace's Mecanique Celeste into English.