A section of a historic pyramid in Mexico, once used by an ancient tribe for human sacrifices, has collapsed, sparking fears among descendants of the indigenous builders that it may be a "supernatural sign of impending doom."

<h2 bis_size="{&quot;x&quot;:8,&quot;y&quot;:85,&quot;w&quot;:723,&quot;h&quot;:26,&quot;abs_x&quot;:41,&quot;abs_y&quot;:1821}">Impending doom or something else?</h2>

The Yácata pyramid, part of the archaeological site of Ihuatzio in Michoacán state, collapsed after heavy rainfall, on July 30, eroded one of its sides. The pyramid, as per The Sun, was originally constructed by ancestors of the Purépecha people, a formidable, bloodthirsty tribe known for defeating the Aztecs.&nbsp;

According to historians, the tribe used the Yácata pyramid to conduct rituals involving human sacrifices to their primary deity, Kurikweri.

The Purépecha tribe, who ruled the region for 400 years before the Spanish conquest in 1519, believed that such natural disasters were ominous signs.&nbsp;

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Tariakuiri Alvarez, a descendant of the tribe, told the publication that the storm could be a harbinger of a significant event.

"For our ancestors, the builders, this was a bad omen that indicated the proximity of an important event."

He linked the collapse to traditional beliefs, recalling how similar occurrences preceded the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.

"Before the arrival of the conquistadors, something similar happened, which for the Purépecha worldview of that time was because the gods Nana Kuerhaepiri and K'eri Kurikweri were displeased."

The Mexican National Institute for Anthropology and History (INAH) in a statement acknowledged the damage to the pyramid, explaining that it resulted from an unusual combination of extreme weather conditions.&nbsp;

"A collapse occurred in the central part of the southern facade of one of the pyramidal bases of the Ihuatzio Archaeological Zone."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/watch-chinas-pregnant-cars-go-viral-heres-why-they-have-never-seen-baby-bumps-749202">Watch: China’s ‘pregnant’ cars go viral. Here's why they have never-seen baby bumps</a>

"This happened because of the heavy rainfall in the basin of Lake Pátzcuaro, with an accumulation above the expected average of precipitation," said the INAH.

"High temperatures, previously recorded in the area, and the consequent drought caused cracks that favoured the filtration of water into the interior of the pre-Hispanic building."

INAH officials have been on site since the early hours of July 30, assessing the damage. Their preliminary findings reveal significant damage to "at least six of the stepped bodies of the so-called South Base, both in its exterior wall of slabs, as well as in its core and retaining wall."

The restoration efforts, as per the statement, will involve a detailed, interdisciplinary approach to ensure that the pyramid is not only repaired but also preserved for the future.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

A section of a historic pyramid in Mexico, once used by an ancient tribe for human sacrifices, has collapsed, sparking fears among descendants of the indigenous builders that it may be a "supernatural sign of impending doom.

A section of a historic pyramid in Mexico, once used by an ancient tribe for human sacrifices, has collapsed, sparking fears among descendants of the indigenous builders that it may be a "supernatural sign of impending doom." Impending doom or something else? The Yácata pyramid, part of the archaeological site of Ihuatzio in Michoacán state, collapsed after heavy rainfall, on July 30, eroded one of its sides. The pyramid, as per The Sun, was originally constructed by ancestors of the Purépecha people, a formidable, bloodthirsty tribe known for defeating the Aztecs. According to historians, the tribe used the Yácata pyramid to conduct rituals involving human sacrifices to their primary deity, Kurikweri. The Purépecha tribe, who ruled the region for 400 years before the Spanish conquest in 1519, believed that such natural disasters were ominous signs. Also read | Joe Biden warns of ‘bloodbath’, calls Donald Trump a ‘genuine danger’ to democracy: ‘Mark my words...’ Tariakuiri Alvarez, a descendant of the tribe, told the publication that the storm could be a harbinger of a significant event. "For our ancestors, the builders, this was a bad omen that indicated the proximity of an important event." He linked the collapse to traditional beliefs, recalling how similar occurrences preceded the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. "Before the arrival of the conquistadors, something similar happened, which for the Purépecha worldview of that time was because the gods Nana Kuerhaepiri and K'eri Kurikweri were displeased." The Mexican National Institute for Anthropology and History (INAH) in a statement acknowledged the damage to the pyramid, explaining that it resulted from an unusual combination of extreme weather conditions. "A collapse occurred in the central part of the southern facade of one of the pyramidal bases of the Ihuatzio Archaeological Zone." Also read | Watch: China’s ‘pregnant’ cars go viral. Here's why they have never-seen baby bumps "This happened because of the heavy rainfall in the basin of Lake Pátzcuaro, with an accumulation above the expected average of precipitation," said the INAH. "High temperatures, previously recorded in the area, and the consequent drought caused cracks that favoured the filtration of water into the interior of the pre-Hispanic building." INAH officials have been on site since the early hours of July 30, assessing the damage. Their preliminary findings reveal significant damage to "at least six of the stepped bodies of the so-called South Base, both in its exterior wall of slabs, as well as in its core and retaining wall." The restoration efforts, as per the statement, will involve a detailed, interdisciplinary approach to ensure that the pyramid is not only repaired but also preserved for the future. (With inputs from agencies)

‘Supernatural sign’ of impending doom? Mexico pyramid used by bloodthirsty tribe for human sacrifice crumbles

Artificial Intelligence may well lead to the 'extinction' of humanity, is a warning which has been spelt out as an assertion of conviction by top AI industry leaders of the world. While extinction may be a far-off eventuality&nbsp;—&nbsp;if at all, the AI's ability to physically eliminate the humans it deems as threats or obstacles has been seen as holding a firm ground.

In a simulated test done by the US Air Force, a drone controlled by Artificial Intelligence 'killed' its own operator after deeming it an obstacle, an official said.&nbsp;

"The system started realising that while they did identify the threat, at times the human operator would tell it not to kill that threat, but it got its points by killing that threat. So what did it do? It killed the operator. It killed the operator because that person was keeping it from accomplishing its objective," Col Tucker Hamilton, the chief of AI test and operations with the US air force during the Future Combat Air and Space Capabilities Summit in London in May said in a blog post.

"We trained the system – 'Hey don’t kill the operator – that’s bad. You are gonna lose points if you do that'. So what does it start doing? It starts destroying the communication tower that the operator uses to communicate with the drone to stop it from killing the target."

Also watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Is AI going to replace your brain?

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It must be noted that the aforementioned sequence of events took place in a simulated foreground. Meaning, that no real person was actually harmed outside of the simulation.

Hamilton, an experimental fighter test pilot, warned against relying too much on AI and said the test shows "you can’t have a conversation about artificial intelligence, intelligence, machine learning, autonomy if you are not going to talk about ethics and AI."

Last month, in a stern and succinct warning, top AI industry leaders and researchers said that the evolving technology poses a 'risk of extinction'.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/artificial-intelligence-poses-risk-of-extinction-warn-industry-leaders-598431">Artificial Intelligence poses 'risk of extinction', warn industry leaders</a>

"Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war," the statement signed by co-signed by big names, including Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, as well as Geoffrey Hinton and Youshua Bengio, said.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

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Artificial Intelligence may well lead to the 'extinction' of humanity, is a warning which has been spelt out as an assertion of conviction by top AI industry leaders of the world.

Artificial Intelligence may well lead to the 'extinction' of humanity, is a warning which has been spelt out as an assertion of conviction by top AI industry leaders of the world. While extinction may be a far-off eventuality — if at all, the AI's ability to physically eliminate the humans it deems as threats or obstacles has been seen as holding a firm ground. In a simulated test done by the US Air Force, a drone controlled by Artificial Intelligence 'killed' its own operator after deeming it an obstacle, an official said. "The system started realising that while they did identify the threat, at times the human operator would tell it not to kill that threat, but it got its points by killing that threat. So what did it do? It killed the operator. It killed the operator because that person was keeping it from accomplishing its objective," Col Tucker Hamilton, the chief of AI test and operations with the US air force during the Future Combat Air and Space Capabilities Summit in London in May said in a blog post. "We trained the system – 'Hey don’t kill the operator – that’s bad. You are gonna lose points if you do that'. So what does it start doing? It starts destroying the communication tower that the operator uses to communicate with the drone to stop it from killing the target." Also watch | Gravitas: Is AI going to replace your brain? × It must be noted that the aforementioned sequence of events took place in a simulated foreground. Meaning, that no real person was actually harmed outside of the simulation. Hamilton, an experimental fighter test pilot, warned against relying too much on AI and said the test shows "you can’t have a conversation about artificial intelligence, intelligence, machine learning, autonomy if you are not going to talk about ethics and AI." Last month, in a stern and succinct warning, top AI industry leaders and researchers said that the evolving technology poses a 'risk of extinction'. Also read | Artificial Intelligence poses 'risk of extinction', warn industry leaders "Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war," the statement signed by co-signed by big names, including Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, as well as Geoffrey Hinton and Youshua Bengio, said. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Doom for humanity? AI-enabled military drone 'kills' its own operator in simulation

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‘Supernatural sign’ of impending doom? Mexico pyramid used by bloodthirsty tribe for human sacrifice crumbles

Doom for humanity? AI-enabled military drone 'kills' its own operator in simulation